Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Larwyn's Linx: Federal Spending In Simple Terms

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Nation

Federal Spending In Simple Terms: NoisyRm
Strangers in a Familiar Land: Hanson
The Great Political Migration: Beast

Leftist Rips Off Video to Viciously Smear Michele Bachmann: RWN
Every Single One: Eric Holder’s Housing Section: Adams
California’s Gardasil mandate moves forward: Malkin

VFW outraged as a President snubs it for first time in history: GWP
Is Rick Perry Dumb, Or Misunderestimated?: RWN
Out: ‘US Government’ — In: ‘Federal Family’: Malkin

Economy

US In Recession Right Here, Right Now: Mish
Thousands Leave Indiana Public Schools When Given A Choice: Glob
GOP agenda: Kill regulations: Politico

Obama names VAT proponent as top economic adviser: Cato
Weiner's ostensible replacement thinks fed debt is... $4 Trillion: Ace
Obama to Unemployed: He’s Just Not That Into You: Vodkapundit

Climate & Energy

Latest EPA Move Will Shut Down 8% of US Power Generation – Like Wiping Out All Power in FL & MS: GWP
Perry vs. Gore: IBD
“Is anyone here a meteorologist?”: Flopping Aces

Media

Early Obama Letter Confirms Inability to Write: Cashill
Larry Derfner Fired by Jerusalem Post: AmPower
Politico Asks: 'Is Rick Perry Dumb', Goes On to Answer, Basically, No: NB

New Blue Nightmare: Clarence Thomas and the Amendment of Doom: Mead
Doubting Thomas No More: AT
CBS’ Norah O’Donnell: Dan Rather Was One of ‘The Very Best Journalists in American History’: RWN

NYT's Nick Kristof Suddenly Realizes Unemployment Is Really Bad; Wonders Why Media Isn't Reporting: Ace
Hurricane Irene Wrapup: Alarmists, Kooks, And Data, Oh My!: RWN
Michelle on Rick Perry’s smarts: You mean, compared to the economic genius in the White House?: Hot Air

World

Sick… Neo-Confederate Kook Ron Paul Again Blames US for 9-11 Attacks: GWP
Obama's Pretend Counterterrorism Policy: Pipes
US Ambassador to Syria Attacked in Damascus: GWP

Wikileaks Releases Thousands Of Cables Containing Unredacted Names of Agents and Sources: Ace
Meet the Left's "Shariah Defense Lobby" - Looking for 'Islamophobia' in All the Wrong Places: PJM
Wasserman Schultz Heckled at Pro-Israel Event: Shark Tank

Sci-Tech

Linux at 20: New challenges, new opportunities: InfoWorld
Fraudulent Google certificate points to Internet attack: CNet
You Know You're From IT In 1990s If ...: InfoWeek

Cornucopia

Postcards From London 2012 Olympics: SHN
The Top 10 Apocalypse Movies: Ace
Why Apple employees avoid getting in the elevator with Steve Jobs: VentureBeat

Image: Adapted from iOwnTheWorld
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Michele Bachmann for President

QOTD: "Politicians and the beneficiaries of their fiscal illusions for the past 80 years abused the Keynesian philosophy, relentlessly and dangerously pursuing the use of debt for self-aggrandizement. Today, the citizens of indebted nations bear a heavy burden and must begin repaying the debts. It is a herculean task, because the debts are mountainous. Yet, there is no choice, because investors have become intolerant of fiscal follies. They are saying no to Keynes, in other words." --Tony Crescenzi, PIMO

Monday, August 29, 2011

Critical Recall Notice For All BMW Drivers

Biff Spackle alerts us to this critical recall notice for all BMW drivers:




Hat tip: Denny.


The moonbats are restless: one in four Democrats wants to dump Obama

The moonbats are restless:

A new poll by CNN and ORC International finds that 27 percent of Democrats would like to see their party nominate a candidate other than Barack Obama for president in 2012.

In response to the question, "Do you think the Democratic party should renominate Barack Obama as the party's candidate for president in 2012, or do you think the Democratic party should nominate a different candidate for president in 2012?" -- 72 percent said they wanted to see Obama renominated. But 27 percent, slightly more than one in every four, said they wanted to see Democrats nominate a different candidate.

I, for one, think the far left should nominate a third party candidate. Someone reliably progressive, like Bernie Sanders or Cynthia McKinney.


Hat tip: TrendingRight.


Photo: "Obama's 'Dukakis Tank' Moment"

That's what William Jacobson calls this gem:

When no one was looking, MOTUS captured this candid snapshot. Which proves, if nothing else, that the Commander-in-Chief can multitask.

"He's on his final hole. He's about 455 yards away, he's gonna hit about a 2 iron I think."



Larwyn's Linx: Paparazzi President at work

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Nation

Paparazzi President at work: Malkin
Legal Obedience: Williams
More irenic thoughts, or Obama as Dukakis: Instapundit

You Need ID in D.C. to Get Sandbags, But No ID to Vote?: RWN
18 seconds of raw class warfare: Althouse
Marxists Come to the Wild, Wild West: NoisyRm

The guy the sharks fear: Post
Ground Zero Imam backs free speech ban and sharia: Atlas
TSA officer allowed drug dealers to bypass airport security: Scoop

Economy

Why Obama Can't Support A Real Jobs Program: Forbes
Open Letter to GOP NLRB Member Hayes: Please Resign Now!: LUR
Obama's Labor Pains: IBD

Inconvenient truths getting in the way of the “inherited” meme: Hot Air
"Ridiculous" Admin. Blocks Modest Medicaid Reforms in IL: Forbes
The Ugly Truth of America's Welfare Class: Flopping Aces

Climate & Energy

Five EPA rules that will cost more than $1 billion: Exam
Researchers identify 26 past scares analogous to the global warming alarm: PJM
Bachmann lashes out at environmentalists: Press-Herald

Obama Finally Makes Good on a Promise: The Sea Levels Are Dropping: Ace
Another bad day for the Church of Global Warming: Toldjah
Highway 12 at Mirlo Beach in the OBX - Wiped out: Brutally Honest

Media

Where Next for Obama?: Solway
Inciting A Race & Class War To Achieve Dictatorship: Sword
Santorum rips Ron Paul's "shockingly misguided" views on 9/11: Marathon

The Left Cries, ‘You’re a Racist if You’re Not Us’: Driscoll
Why Is Pamela Geller Faking Quotes?: Ace
Actual Headline: 'President Works in Golf During His Working Vacation': JWF

Dem Rep. John Lewis Claims Having To Show ID Before Voting Is A “Poll Tax”: WZ
Tingles Smells Racism in Declining Number of Whites Supporting Obama: NB
Pint-Sized Marxist Robert Reich: America Is “Imperiled” By Lies From Fox News, “Not Because We’re Broke”: WZ

World

September 23: The Beginning Of The End For Merkel... And The Eurozone?: ZH
Drug Gangs Control Half of Mexico: Borderland Beat
Pics From the Front: WZ

Tony Blair’s Sister-in-Law Incites Muslims to “Liberate” Jerusalem From The Jews: WZ
Only In Israel: Atlas
Conrad Black: Canada, America, and the Rationale Behind Our Changed Relationship: ConstAlley

Sci-Tech

Show of Force: Images From the Abu Dhabi Arms Fair: Wired
Apple working on a TV set for 2012?: CNet
Cheat with Science: Why Smart B-Ballers Bank on the Bank Shot: Wired

Cornucopia

Obama’s Illegal Alien Uncle Onyango Hits Cop Car Drunk; Asks to Call White House: GWP
Obama Takes Charge at FEMA: Appoints Megazord Power Ranger Hurricane Czar: MOTUS
First Legal Food Truck Now Operating in Detroit After 60 Trips to City Hall for Permits: BlogProf

Image: The Feral Irishman
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by:
Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "Since 2003, Texas has become a model for national tort reform. That year, the state enacted a $250,000 cap on medical liability for non-economic damages... That reform in particular helped free Texas from excessive medical-malpractice insurance premiums that had driven many physicians out of state...

And he continues to push a loser-pays system to discourage frivolous lawsuits, barring judges from finding new causes of action from the bench and expediting trials for litigants with legitimate claims.

No wonder the tort bar is quaking. And what an encouraging sight to see so much agitation." --'The Guy the Sharks Fear'

Sunday, August 28, 2011

"Not even the USDA knows what people are buying with food stamps"

For a federal government that regulates school bake sales, light bulbs, shower heads and toilets it seems curious indeed that it has no idea what people are buying with food stamps.

A bit of background: the "Electronic Benefits Transfer Program" (or EBT) is a credit-card issued by the federal government to reduce "the stigma sometimes associated with public assistance" (click here for an entertaining -- and necessarily profane -- music video explaining EBTs).

As you probably know, food stamps and other wealth redistribution schemes have exploded to historic highs under the direction of the Obama administration.

What you may not know is that even the USDA has no clue what kinds of foods are "legitimately" purchased with EBTs: for example, junk food, candy, and other foodstuffs that increase obesity and diabetes. Why should we care? Because not only are taxpayers funding unhealthy eating -- they are then footing the bill for any resulting medical bills under programs like Medicaid and SCHIP.

People who qualify for food stamps - known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP - have a growing variety of places where they can use their electronic benefit (EBT) cards, including supermarkets, gas stations, Papa Murphy pizza shops and even dollar-discount stores - essentially, any business that can install coolers to stock specific kinds of food and meet minimum federal requirements...

...Nationally, about 210,000 food stamp vendors split the $64.7 billion that SNAP participants spent last year... While the cost of SNAP and the number of people it serves aren't in doubt, other information about the government program is more difficult to get...

...the [USDA] does not track what types of foods participants buy with food stamps. Almost all foods, including pop and energy drinks, can be bought with food stamps...

...The high number of convenience stores in SNAP alarms public health advocates... In an era of rising obesity rates, some argue that restrictions should be placed on what people can buy with their EBT cards. Without restrictions, participants often eat foods that lead to health problems, which then lead to higher costs in government-run health care plans... "It doesn't seem to me that government should buy things that make people sick and then clean up the mess later," said Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity...

...One thing is certain: Not even the USDA knows what people are buying with food stamps. Earlier this year, the department sent a request to companies seeking help in compiling hard data...

Doesn't that just warm the cockles of your heart? On average, each taxpaying household in America sends about $1,000 a year to the USDA to provide food stamps to the "needy". And the USDA has no idea what kinds of foods are actually being purchased with your money.

Isn't a vast, unelected, unaccountable federal bureaucracy grand?

And then there's the criminal activity associated with EBTs. As you might have predicted with billions in "free", taxpayer money at stake, fraud is rampant with EBTs. Recent investigations in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois*, Indiana*, Kansas*, Massachusetts, Michigan*, Minnesota*, New York, Ohio*, Oklahoma*, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, and Wyoming* point to systematic exploitation of food stamps for criminal and terrorist activities.

Additionally, multi-state investigations for "water dumping" and other large-scale scams are also on the rise.

A brief investigation by a Seattle television station discovered that EBTs are routinely used as barter for illegal goods and services:

Last month, KING 5 recorded illegal transactions outside a Seattle supermarket. People were handing cards over to one of several people working outside the store. They are part of a ring that pays 50 cents on the dollar for food stamps, which are distributed monthly on debit cards.

KING 5 recorded the video with help from a man we'll call Peter. He’s a food stamp recipient who says addicts especially are eager to trade food-only benefits for half their value in cash.

(They are) buying crack, booze, prostitutes,” says Peter... We wanted to ask the USDA how it can manage a bigger program with fewer investigations, but the department refused multiple requests for an on-camera interview during our visit to Washington D.C. last month... The USDA division that administers food stamps, the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), was particularly tight-lipped. FNS spokesman Jack Currie refused to return phone calls from the KING 5 Investigators.

In the last five years, federal food stamp spending has soared from $28.5 billion to more than $64 billion a year. In 2012, the program may cost taxpayers $80 billion.

The federal government is completely out-of-control. It can't manage a food stamp program, yet it wants to control every aspect of our lives from our health care to our light bulbs.

And please note that sometimes social stigma is a good thing. Encouraging those capable of doing so to get off the public dole is a good thing.

That's how America was built: individual initiative. Not by building a permanent underclass addicted to government largesse, living in a permanent state of poverty, helplessness, and misery.

That may be what Democrats want. But that's not what real Americans want. Remember in 2012.


* See "Muslim Convenience Store Food Stamp Fraud in U.S. Funds Terror Worldwide"
 

Gunwalker: Heard about the city officials in New Mexico who were smuggling guns to drug cartels in U.S. police cars?

Several city officials of the New Mexico border town of Columbus recently admitted they smuggled firearms and tactical gear to the La Linea drug cartel. And now, it turns out, that case may be linked to "Operation Fast and Furious", the malevolent Justice Department project that shipped thousands of murder weapons to Mexican drug gangs.

The Columbus gun smuggling case might be linked to a national case... The mayor, police chief and a trustee have all pled guilty to running guns to the Juarez drug cartel "La Linea".

At a hearing for police Chief Angelo Vega on Thursday, it was revealed that six of those weapons may be connected to "Operation Fast and Furious"[, ...] an ATF program that allowed thousands of guns to cross into Mexico so that federal agents could track them.

Now "Fast and Furious" is under investigation, because officials lost track of more than a third of the guns, many of which were linked to shootings.

Last month it was revealed that Columbus city officials were using the town's police cars and other equipment to run guns to the cartels.

The former mayor of a New Mexico border town pleaded guilty to gun smuggling charges four months after he was arrested in a federal sting.

On Tuesday, Eddie Espinoza, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, three counts of making false statements, and three counts of smuggling firearms from the United States.

The guilty plea means the former mayor of the village of Columbus could face up to 50 years in a federal prison.

In March, federal agents arrested Espinoza and several others, including Columbus Chief of Police Angelo Vega and village Trustee Blas Gutierrez.

Federal documents state the group smuggled more than 200 guns from New Mexico to the streets of Cíudad Juárez and Palomas, Chihuahua. The documents further state that at times the group used unmarked police cars registered to Columbus to smuggle the guns across the border... the guns [were connected] to at least eight murders in those cities.

Gunwalker is a bigger scandal than Watergate. American law enforcement officials have been killed by the weapons smuggled to the drug cartels by a rogue Justice Department.

If we had a real media in this country, a firestorm of outrage would have already been ignited among the electorate. And the most partisan Attorney General in American history -- Eric Holder -- would be testifying every day in front of Congress.



15 Photos of #HurricaneIrene Spotted on Twitter
















Larwyn's Linx: Texas v. California

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Nation

Texas v. California: ProWis
The Gunwalker Cover-Up Continues: Truth About Guns
The First Amendment, alive and well in Wisconsin: RWN

White House a Tad Touchy About Vacation Topic: Virtuous
Congressional Black Caucus Gets Black on Obama: ConBlkChk
Good News: State Department Protects Terrorist’s Privacy: RWN

Economy

More Tales From the Over Regulated State: Graybeard
It's Free, Swipe Your EBT: Moonbattery (Language Warning)
NLRB Chairman, Ex-Teamster Attorney Departs Rogue Agency: LUR

Comparing Obama's performance with that of a sack of hammers: PJM
The “unexpected” oil sands decision (of 2013): LI
Will the Democrats Trump Trumka?: AT

CEO of Gibson's Competition a Huge Dem Donor: Landmark
Confidence in European Interbank System Has Collapsed: Mish
Michelle Obama's Shared Sacrifice: iOTW

Climate & Energy

Excessive regulation isn't a problem. Not when you compare it to what's coming, that is.: Ace
Bachmann Calls Out “Radical Environmentalists”: WZ
The science is settled: Eating Meat Caused Hurricane Irene: WyBlog

Media

Epicenter of Excuses: ProWis
UCLA Professor: Without Liberal Media Bias the Average U.S. State Would Vote Like Texas or Tennessee: WZ
New York Times Editor Bill Keller Sparks Outrage By Comparing Religion With Belief In Space Aliens: Mediate

Obama-Allied Center For American Progress Blames Rich Jews For Stoking 'Islamophobia': AT
The Deep Impact of the Obama Asteroid: Driscoll
AP Poll: Number Of Liberals Who View Obama As A “Strong Leader” Falls From 53% To 29%: WZ

Dear Maxine: JPA
A Lie Every 16 Seconds: Moonbattery
Joey Vento: Assimilation warrior: Malkin

Rolling Stone Lied to get McChrystal Fired: Declassified CENTCOMM Investigation Report: Ameristroika
MSNBC Features 9/11 Truther to Blame Hurricane on Global Warming: NB
Cuz' Your F-in' Moonbats?: Salon

World

Pics From the Front: WZ
The Desperation-of-Deprivation Myth: Steyn
It's Time for China to Pay Its Debts to the United States: Fox

Losing Malmo: McCarthy
Al-Qaeda Second in Command Killed in Pakistan Drone Attack: GWP
Teen tied to Jihad Jane allegedly plotted Columbine-style school shooting: Philly

Canadian Author Tied to a Tree & Beaten Unconscious After Publishing Anti-Islam Book: GWP
Naked Support for Saudi Women in Ukraine: Soylent Green (NSFW)
Young Communist League Infiltrates US Democrats: Loudon (2007)

Sci-Tech

The Special Operations Forensic Tool Kit: PopMech
Evidence Emerging of Chinese Planning Internet Attacks: Foundry
Now Can We All Agree That The “High Quality Web Content” Experiment Has Failed?: Crunch

Cornucopia

New AFT Angry Ranger Video – Captain America: Action Figure Therapy (NSFW)
Little Seen Star Wars Film: Verum Serum
Pic of the Day: WZ

Image: Weasel Zippers
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Allen West for Congress

QOTD: "Judicial Watch is investigating the extent to which the Obama DOJ and Project Vote are partnering in a national campaign to use the National Voting Rights Act (NVRA) to register more individuals on public assistance, widely considered a key voting block for the Obama 2012 campaign...

...we already know that Project Vote is corrupt. We also know that the organization is putting a full-court press on key swing states to manipulate voter registration laws in order to 'get out the vote' for Obama and the Democrats in 2012. And leading that charge is Estelle Rogers... [who is] a former attorney for ACORN." --Tom Fitton, Obama’s War on Transparency

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Obamacare in a nutshell [Papa B]

Papa B:

The phone rings and the lady of the house answers, "Hello."

"Mrs. Sanders, please."

"Speaking."

"Mrs. Sanders, this is Doctor Jones at Saint Agnes Laboratory. When your husband's doctor sent his biopsy to the lab last week, a biopsy from another Mr. Sanders arrived as well; we are now uncertain which one belongs to your husband. Frankly, either way the results are not too good."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Sanders asks nervously.

"Well, one of the specimens tested positive for Alzheimer's and the other one tested positive for HIV. We can't tell which is which."

"That's dreadful! Can you do the test again?" questioned Mrs.Sanders.

"Normally we can, but Obamacare will only pay for these expensive tests once."

"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"

"The Obamacare Helpdesk recommends that you drop your husband off somewhere in the middle of town. If he finds his way home, don't sleep with him.



Michelle Obama's Selfless Commitment to Public Service

"...it wasn't until I stepped away from the corporate track and worked in city government and eventually helped to found the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program, a national service program, that I realized how important public service and community service was to my own development... And now that the two of us have moved to Washington, our new home -- (applause) -- we both have continued to stress the value of national and community service..." --Michelle Obama, 17 March 2009


The phrase "public service" must mean different things to different people.

For Michelle Obama, it translates to spending $10 million of the taxpayers' money on vacations in only a single year's time and living like, well, a millionaire or billionaire.

Michelle Obama is the very model of selfless public service.


Another Reason We Love Michele Bachmann: She Speaks the Truth About the EPA, the Department of Education, the NLRB and the Border

Campaigning earlier this week in South Carolina, Michele Bachmann exhibited her patented ability to speak the unvarnished truth:

...Bachmann had harsh words for the EPA, which she called the “job-killing agency of America.”

“I intend to bring back true change, true hope, by repealing the tax code and dramatically cutting spending and I’m going to start with the Environmental Protection Agency,” she said, eliciting cheers from her tea party audience. “I am so happy you agree, because I intend to turn out the lights and lock the doors.”

She spoke similarly of the Department of Education, which she said then-President Jimmy Carter created as a “payoff to a union”:

So this is what I would do. I would pass a mother of all repeal bills for education, get rid of all of the unfunded mandates that the federal government puts on our local schools — making it very difficult for schools to be effective. … I would have a very busy day, a very busy day. ‘Cause I first have to make a trip to the EPA and after that, I have to go to the Department of Education because I also have to shut the lights off and lock the doors over there, as well.


The Department of Education doesn't educate anyone. It exists solely to funnel money to the AFT, the NEA and other teachers' unions, which inevitably hand much of that cash back to Democrats. It ceaselessly battles school choice. And its officials publicly admit they could care less about educating children: they're in it for the power and money.

The EPA doesn't do anything for the environment. In fact, its odious legacy began in 1972 when it contributed directly to the needless deaths of tens of millions in the third world through an unlawful and unconscionable ban of DDT. Today it exists only as an unelected cadre of Soviet-style bureaucrats who shutter businesses for reasons both specious and ridiculous.

Both of these agencies need to be nuked from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Bachmann also describes the outrageous growth of the virus-like fourth branch of government:

Bachmann, who criticized President Barack Obama's handling of the recovery from the Great Recession and vowed to shrink the size of the federal government, said just electing another Republican won't help - she's the Republican who will make the difference... "You can put a Republican in there to manage big government, but you're not going to have America as the prosperous big dog in the world again if you do that."

She vowed to go to Washington to cut federal spending and get the nation's economic house in order... "We're going to be turning a lot of lights off and locking a lot of doors in Washington, D.C.," the Minnesota Republican said.

..."The president has failed on unemployment," Bachmann said. "After the president passed the stimulus we saw millions of jobs in the private sector go away."

At the same time, she said, "hundreds of thousands" of government jobs were added. Those federal jobs, she said, have average wages and benefits of $123,000 while the average for private sector jobs is $61,000.

Oh, and did I mention the out-of-control Labor Department, whose National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is doing its best to destroy America's right-to-work culture?

Halfway through the meeting, Gov. Nikki Haley made an unexpected appearance and asked Bachmann about the National Labor Relations Board, which has filed a complaint against Boeing...

...The aircraft maker recently opened a $750 million plant in North Charleston, South Carolina's largest industrial investment.

The NLRB alleges the plant was built in South Carolina, a right to work state, to avoid unionized labor in Washington state...

...Bachmann also said she would only appoint pro-growth members to the NLRB.

Asked about immigration, Bachmann said the nation needs to secure the nation's southern border... "I would build the barrier or fence. Every mile, every yard, every inch of that southern border needs to be covered," she said.

Everything Michele Bachmann says makes sense.

We need a true conservative in office if we are to begin unwinding the catastrophic damage to the Constitution that the last 80 years of Democrat-Statist policies have wrought.


Related: You can support Michele Bachmann here.


CEO of Gibson Guitars' Main Competitor is a Huge Democrat Donor; Also Uses Same Wood Without Any Complaints From Feds

Earlier this week the federal government executed its second major raid of Gibson Guitars in just two years. Armed agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stopped production at the company's manufacturing facilities on Wednesday, confiscating "massive quantities of wood, unfinished guitars, and finished products".

The Federal Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. has suggested that the use of wood from India that is not finished by Indian workers is illegal, not because of U.S. law, but because it is the Justice Department’s interpretation of a law in India. (If the same wood from the same tree was finished by Indian workers, the material would be legal.) This action was taken without the support and consent of the government in India.

On August 24, 2011, around 8:45 a.m. CDT, agents for the federal government executed four search warrants on Gibson’s facilities in Nashville and Memphis and seized several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. Gibson had to cease its manufacturing operations and send workers home for the day, while armed agents executed the search warrants. Gibson has fully cooperated with the execution of the search warrants.


The fact that the government would issue warrants based on their interpretation of another country’s laws is laughable–and scary–in and of itself, but that they would demonize an American, non-unionized (coincidentally, I’m sure) company for something that isn’t even a crime (especially not in the American lawbooks) is a gross misjustice. Keep in mind that the Indian government itself wasn’t involved in the Gibson warrants and raid.

This unfortunate event begs the question, Why Gibson?

Like almost all of the actions of the Holder Justice Department, the raid was likely motivated by political considerations.

...Henry E. Juszkiewicz, Gibson’s Chief Executive Officer, is a [large] donor to a couple of Republican politicians...

When warrants as ridiculous such as these are issued and executed, there appears no other reason than because the company or individual at hand is being targeted, not because there is any sort of wrongdoing. As a company, Gibson is a legendary. They’ve done nothing wrong, except, apparently, deigning to have a Republican CEO.

The plot thickens, however.

One of Gibson’s leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Company. The C.E.O., Chris Martin IV, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the DNC over the past couple of election cycles. According to C.F. Martin’s catalog, several of their guitars contain “East Indian Rosewood.” In case you were wondering, that is the exact same wood in at least ten of Gibson’s guitars.

So how could the federal government justify its attempts to shut down one of the few companies still manufacturing valuable products in the United States? The supposed reason is an egregious piece of legislation called the Lacey Act, which:

...regulates the importation of plants, animals, and products thereof into the United States. The Lacey Act effectively permits wooden musical instruments to be seized indefinitely, without compensation, and places the burden of proof on the owner, not the government. Do you own an $11,000 2011 Gibson Eric Clapton Edition Les Paul? Want to take it to Canada and back? You’d better be prepared to document the source of all materials to the government’s satisfaction upon your return, or you could lose it indefinitely. If you thinking documenting that is tough, what if you’re ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons returning from an overseas tour with your real 1959 sunburst Les Paul, for which you’ve already turned down at least one $5,000,000 offer? Good luck documenting the wood from a fifty-two-year-old guitar.

Very few [of our] readers travel with guitars, particularly across the country’s borders, so I don’t expect this to worry you personally. If, on the other hand, you want to drive across the Canadian or Mexican border in your own car — or even a rental — consider this: The same law that allows the Feds to raid American manufacturers and seize the possessions of Americans without compensation applies to cars, too.

...Simply possessing the timber product can make you a felon, regardless of whether or not you were involved in the harvesting, were the original importer, or had received any information regarding the source of the timber product...

...Here’s an example. Let’s say you are driving a Bentley Flying Spur with a rosewood interior. Importation of Brazilian rosewood is a felony under the Lacey Act. Do you know where the rosewood in your Spur came from? Can you prove it? In Gibson’s case, it was Indian rosewood that supposedly caused the bust; although the importation of Indian rosewood is legal, it has to be finished and prepared to certain standards in India. If raw Indian rosewood is sent to Bentley for finishing into dashboards — and make no mistake, that is how it is done — it may not break any British laws, but it breaks an American one, and you are now a convicted felon for visiting the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and coming back.

This federal government -- a behemoth now operated by the most partisan political hacks in my lifetime -- is completely out of control.

2012 can't come soon enough.


Hat tip: Big Hollywood. Linked by: Ace o' Spades, Weasel Zippers, Protein Wisdom, and iOwnTheWorld. Thanks!

Elijah Cummings (D-MD): Dissent Against Obama's Economic Policies Due to Opposition to Keynesian Economics and Racism, But Mostly Racism

Gee, this certainly appears to be a rational and original line of reasoning, which was just advanced by the renowned philosopher and economist Elijah Cummings:

There’s another thing the press seems to not get. A lot of African-Americans that I’ve talked to, most of them say that they ‘feel this President has been treated unfairly.’ They believe he has done every single thing in his power to try to create jobs, to try to make sure this economy moves forward...

...He’s gone against just fierce opposition. I think, I mean if you look at the evidence, that’s true. He’s accomplished a lot in the short time he’s been President. But the fact is, it has not been easy and will not continue to be easy...

Indeed.

For the Left's principled opposition to the Bush administration was predicated upon a careful analysis of facts, logic, history and reason.

After all, the National Socialist Democrats treated President Bush with such kid gloves.

Barack Obama, addressing his supporters: "I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face."

Nancy Pelosi, addressing anti-GOP protesters: "I'm a fan of disrupters! ...So I thank all of you who have spoken out for your courage, your point of view. All of it. Your advocacy is very American and very important."

Sen. Harry Reid constructively labeled President Bush "a liar", "a loser", and the "worst President ever".

Hmmm.

Elijah Cummings is a dolt and a race-baiter, not necessarily in that order.


Larwyn's Linx: Learning Curves, Intelligence and Rick Perry

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Learning Curves, Intelligence and Rick Perry: Bookworm
Is Holder's DOJ Partnering with Scandal-Plagued Project Vote?: JW
Left and Right Going Nuclear on Rick Perry: IBD

Michelle Returning From Vineyard on Separate Flight: Dossier
How government prosecutors have fun...: CA Tree
Obama in Real Trouble in Battle Ground State of PA: ScaredMonk

Steve Benen Fails Logic, Statistics: Patterico
Tim Scott is the tea party talent scout: Politico
Nevada Dem Candidate Helpfully Explains Pandering Strategy: DC

Economy

Unexpected: GDP Craters to 1%: JWF
Boot of Big Government Comes Down on Gibson Guitar: RWN
Gibson Guitar CEO Rips the Holder DOJ: GWP

Food Stamp Use up 74% in Just 4 Years: AllGov
QE3 Will Further Destroy U.S. Dollar: FreedomWorks
What was that about “all the money I don’t really need”?: ProWis

Climate & Energy

Comedian Al Gore: Climate Scientists Not Motivated by Money: JWF
Hellstorm 2011: The threat from Irene is overhyped, says forecaster: Hot Air
"Global Warming’s Heavy Cost": Daily Beast (Radical Warmist Extremism)

Media

The Obama Broadcasting Corporation: Dossier
Answering Jonathan Alter's Challenge: Commentary
Jonathan Alter: Remind me again why Obama’s a bad president: Hot Air

Ten Years Ago WFAN's Mike Francesa and Chris Russo Blamed 9/11 on The Jews : Lid
NY Times issues two new corrections to Issa ‘hit piece’: DC
The Travails of the GOP Establishment: PJM

ESPN: Elite Sports Progressives’ Network: Malkin
MSNBC Host Joe Scarborough Intro’d House Res. Condemning Sharpton’s “Racist,” “Anti-Semitic” Views: LI
RIP, Fairness Doctrine: PJM

World

Interviewing Mark Steyn: After America: Get Ready for Armageddon: RWN
DOJ Keeping Islamic Bank Settlement Secret: IPT
Russian Central Bank To Offer Gold-Backed Loans (Or Why The Spam-Standard Is Coming To An End): ZH

Obama Administration Allowing Mexican Police To Operate On US Soil: BigPeace
Joe Biden OK With Murdering Chinese Babies: RWN
Saudi Columnist Calls on Arabs to Learn from Israel's Handling of Protests: MEMRI

Sci-Tech

Celebrating Steve Jobs’ Failures?: Foundry
The Perils of Facebook: JWF
Verizon Takes Away FTP Access, Charges For It: Consumerist

Cornucopia

New Scandal at DoJ as Illegal Guitars End Up In Hands of Mexican Drug Lords: IowaHawk
Lady M Orders Another Round of Hurricanes!: MOTUS
today’s haute couture wtf lol omg: Sondrakistan

Image: Jammie Wearing Fool
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "...by mid-decade, in four or five years time, the U.S. taxpayer will be funding the entire cost, just in the interest payment on the debt, of the People’s Liberation Army of China. There is no real precedent in history for this. You can look at examples where Rome was besieged by the barbarians and attempted to bribe various barbarian kings to go away with sacks of gold and silver. But they didn’t as a matter of policy, require Roman taxpayers to pick up the tab for the entire Visigoth military. I mean this is unique. This is unique to us." --Mark Steyn.