Friday, September 02, 2011

Libya Rebel Commander: "An Islamist? Moi?"

Dan from New York:

This should quiet all the bitter skeptics who said Obama’s Libyan adventure would wind up trading Qaddafi for something worse.

Libya Rebel Commander Plays Down Islamist Past


September 02, 2011 | Associated Press

TRIPOLI, Libya -- The rebels' Tripoli military commander, a former leader of an Islamic militant group that sent fighters to Iraq and Afghanistan, insisted Friday that the new Libya will shun extremism and won't become a breeding ground for terrorism.

The commander, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, said he was detained in 2004 in Malaysia and sent to a secret prison in Thailand where he was tortured by CIA agents. Then he was sent to Libya and jailed for seven years by Muammar Qaddafi's regime.

But Belhaj, 45, played down his Islamist past, seeking to allay concerns about his emergence as a prominent figure in the Western-backed Libyan opposition movement.

He insisted he holds no grudges against the West because of the shared goal of ousting Qaddafi... Belhaj was a leader in the now dissolved Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which was deemed a terror group by the U.S. But he said he refused to join Al Qaeda because he disagreed with its ideology of global jihad, or holy war, and wanted to focus on ridding Libya of Qaddafi.

He said he never agreed with Al Qaeda's ideology of global jihad, or holy war, but only wanted to focus on ridding Libya of Qaddafi... Qaddafi, in courting the West in recent years, has insisted Al Qaeda would gain influence in Libya unless he remained in power...

Belhaj dismissed those concerns... "We never have and never will support what they call terrorism," he said.

"Libya is a moderate Muslim country," he said. "We are a simple people with a simple cultural makeup and we have never had extremist ideas. And if there ever were any they were an exception."

Why, this is the "Arab Spring", so what could possibly go wrong?


Could the President be brought down by a single poll?

Larwyn points us to a James Taranto Best of the Web snippet which reads:

...an intriguing observation from reader Tim Magee: "Could the President be brought down by a single poll? How about Obama vs. Hillary Clinton among Democrats? I think she could win that poll, and I don't think Obama could recover, regardless of whether Mrs. Clinton ran."

Let's find out. Somebody please commission that poll.

Oh, my.

I shudder to think what that might do to the fragile ego of our Narcissist-in-Chief.


Gunrunner Tip: U.S. city officials smuggled guns to Mexican cartels... under the watchful eyes of federal agents

This story could give you chills.

I wrote a few days ago about the city officials in New Mexico's border town of Columbus indicted for smuggling firearms and tactical gear to the La Linea drug cartel. As 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.

Here's the interesting part -- over the transom comes the following tip:

Read Counts 23 and 24 of the indictment, on page 9 of 26 of the indictment, available here:

In Count 23, On January 25, 2011, federal agent(s) watched as two suspects purchased a total of 20 American Tactical 9mm pistols from an FFL in New Mexico, drove with two more persons about 27.5 miles in about 32 minutes to an apartment in El Paso, TX. They stopped at a Kmart and bought a black backpack. They entered the apartment with the black backpack and the box containing the 20 pistols. Shortly two individuals exited the apartment, with the now-full black backpack and drove, with the black backpack, in an unmarked Ford F-150 police vehicle registered to the village of Columbus, TX to the El Paso bus station (which is less than 1/4 mile from the Santa Fe Bridge Border Crossing between El Paso and Juarez).

In count 24, on January 27, 2011, federal agents watched as a Honda Pilot with Chihuahua plates occupied by two of the men from the Jan. 25 event, and an unknown female, pulled up to the apartment. Two men unloaded and carried into the apartment a large black suitcase. Two hours later, one of the men who had bought guns on Jan. 25 exited the apartment, wheeled the large black suitcase to the unmarked Ford F-150 police vehicle registered to the village of Columbus, NM, and drove to the El Paso bus station (yep, the one less than 1/4 mile from the Santa Fe Bridge Border Crossing between El Paso and Juarez).

So how do the statements made in those two counts in the indictment square with paragraph ten of the media's story announcing the arrests and unsealing of the indictment?

"As part of the investigation, every effort was made to seize firearms from defendants to prevent them from entering into Mexico, and no weapons were knowingly permitted to cross the border."

The agents followed the straw buyers for more than half-an-hour from Chaparral, NM to El Paso, TX. The agents watched as a bundle they had to suspect contained firearms was driven to a bus station within 1/4 mile of the border. The agents watched the apartment for two days. The agents then watched as a second container they might reasonably have suspected contained firearms was driven to the same bus station within 1/4 mile of the border.

How many opportunities did they have to interdict the firearms along the way?

How far from the border do they have to be when they avert their gaze to say they did not "knowingly" allow firearms to cross the border?

There is no indication that any of these 20 9mm pistols were seized or in any way accounted for. The activities reported in both counts 23 and 24 happened more than one month after the death of US Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry.

Those are damn good questions.

So I repeat: what did Eric Holder know? And when did he know it?

Israel Having Hard Time Boycotting Turkey

Dan from New York:

Israel’s security cabinet met in an emergency session today to decide on a response to Turkey’s expulsion of Israel’s ambassador. Among the actions discussed was a boycott of Turkish exports, but no decision was reached since none of the ministers present could think of anything Turkey actually exports. (BBC)



What They Told Us

They told us that allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons would turn our streets into rivers of blood.

They told us that taking trillions of dollars and giving it to those "who truly needed it" would cure poverty.

They told us that giving home loans to those who couldn't afford them would make the American dream achievable for all.

They told us that paying into the Social Security "Trust Fund" would guarantee a comfortable retirement for everyone.

They told us that allowing teachers to unionize in public schools would help inner city students reach for the stars.

They told us that the federal government could run a guaranteed, affordable health care program for seniors forever.

They told us that the new employment paradigm consisted of millions of "green jobs".

They told us that their support for immoral and criminal behavior wouldn't result in the breakdown of the two-parent family.

They told us that spending trillions on Stimulus programs would heal a damaged economy.

They told us that raising taxes on corporations and "the rich" would create more jobs.

They told us that our borders were "as secure as they've ever been".

They told us that intentionally restricting access to our own sources of energy would reduce dependence on foreign oil.

They told us that spreading unemployment benefits and food stamps far and wide would help the economy.

They told us that, despite other failed government health care programs, they could successfully take over the entire medical system.

They told us that their record-breaking borrowing could never result in a downgrade of the United States' AAA credit rating.

They told us that "the Constitution doesn't matter".

They told us that anyone who opposes their unconstitutional, un-American, reckless and failed policies are racists.

Well, I'm here to tell you:

Everything they told us was a lie.

Everything they told us was wrong.

Intentionally, diabolically, criminally wrong.

And if we don't vote out every Democrat politician -- at every level of government -- in 2012, this beautiful Republic, this magnificent country, this bastion of free enterprise and private property rights, this shining city on a hill... well, it will be finished.


Related: Don't cry for me, America.

Larwyn's Linx: More Evidence of a Thoroughly Unvetted President

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Nation

More Evidence of a Thoroughly Unvetted President: BG
White House 'furious' Boehner made them postpone speech: Hot Air
Democrats Distancing Themselves From Obama: NatlJrnl

Proof: Obama Tried to Use Joint Speech As Political Ploy: BG
If Romney Represents The Tea Party, The Tea Party Is Dead: RWN
Bachmann draws Thatcher foreign policy comparison: AP

Left paints the campaign as a religious war: York
What’s Wrong With American Politics In One Tiny Rally: RWN
Jarrett-managed slums to be torn down with federal cash: Marathon

Economy

“At N.L.R.B., Flurry of Acts for Unions as Chief Exits”: ProWis
SC Gov. Haley Calls on 'Cowardly' Obama: Disband NLRB: Tatler
Goodbye High Frequency Trading: Regulators Seek HFT Algos: ZH

Obama’s Jobs Speech to Offer More Failed Stimulus: PJM
Gibson CEO on DOJ: Like 'something from an Orwell novel': Malkin
Spending, not entitlements, created huge deficit : York

Climate & Energy

A Victory for "Big Oil": BMW
Obama blames Europe for his Green Jobs failure: Exam
Nissan Leaf outselling Chevy Volt 2 to 1, can GM catch up?: Jalopnik

Media

“White House: Only ‘Fervent Partisan’ Would Suggest Obama To Blame For Job Losses”: ProWis
Black conservative to Maxine Waters: “Hell is in the black communities that the CBC serves”: Scoop
A Democrat's 'race-baiting' Tea Party attack: 'Beyond the pale'?: The Week

AP: Carson Only Used a 'Lynching Metaphor' in Black Caucus Speech: NB
Despicable NBC News 'Analyst' Richard Wolffe: Opposition to Obama is Racism: BlogProf
Obama jobs speech up against Packers: Exam

The Lightworker has lost his Pilot Light: Driscoll
Hatred Never Holidays: CFP
Robert Reich: Government Must Spend More to Get Out of Debt: Malkin

World

The Administration Takes on ‘Islamophobia’: White House gives free-speech opponents a megaphone: NRO
U.N. Report says Gaza blockade legal and Israel faced “organized and violent resistance” by flotilla: LegalIns
California Dream Act for Illegal Aliens Approved by State Senate: WZ

Self-Defense Story of the Day: Malkin
Islamic Spring… Libyan Rebels Release Hundreds of Pro-Al-Qaeda Militants From Prison: GWP
W Gets A Third Term In The Middle East: Mead

Sci-Tech

The Onion’s Digital Guru Explains How To Use Tech (And Why Chaos Is Great): LifeHacker
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7: Dual-core chip, new screen: CNet
Sony unveils world's first 3D head-mounted display that is as immersive as 'sitting in a cinema': Daily Mail (UK)

Cornucopia

The Truth About Being a Hero: Marlantes
The Essence of Lady M: She’s Black and Beautiful! WTF?: MOTUS
‘Misunderstood’ Youth Football Players Terrorize Referee: SHN

NASCAR Drivers Blow Off Obama Invite to White House: GWP
Now all Obama needs for his jobs speech is an intro by Hank Williams, Jr.: WyBlog
No Time to Rest: LegalIns

Image: St. Louis Publisher Harassed After Releasing 9-11 Coloring Book for Kids
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Michele Bachmann for President

QOTD: "The worst part is that, with the economy on the brink of a double-dip and consumer confidence falling off a cliff, this guy’s mind is still so preoccupied with the campaign that he can’t muster a moment of presidential leadership without counterprogramming it against a Republican primary event." --Allahpundit

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Pure Marketing Genius: Direct Mail Piece Contains Live 9mm Round With Super Clever Headline - "If you had just one shot..."

The folks at PublicIntel got a hold of an example of pure, unmitigated fail courtesy of a marketing company called ATX Global. Federal officials recently sent out the following warning to state and local law enforcement:

...The FBI has been notified that ATX Global, an online marketing company, has mailed approximately 730 envelopes that include a marketing letter with an affixed live 9mm Luger PPU round. The ammo was used to catch the reader’s attention corresponding with the first line, “If you had just One Shot…” This mass mailing did not specifically target gun and ammo businesses.

...The FBI and US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) contacted ATX Global and confirmed that they are an online marketing company who works with all industries. The USPIS has requested all zip codes that the envelopes were mailed to. This bulletin is provided for your situational awareness in the event you or someone in your jurisdiction receives these letters.

Let me take a wild guess: the head of ATX Global's marketing department is a Democrat.


Boom: Congressional Investigators Find Evidence of a Gunwalker Coverup

You've got to give CBS credit on two fronts: they've doggedly pursued the biggest DC scandal since Watergate and they fired Dan Rather.

Congressional investigators tell CBS News there's evidence the U.S. Attorney's office in Arizona sought to cover up a link between their controversial gunwalking operation known as "Fast and Furious" and the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

Terry was murdered in Arizona near the US border last December. Two assault rifles ATF had allegedly allowed onto the street without interdiction were found at the scene...

...the lead prosecutor on Fast and Furious, Assistant US Attorney Emory Hurley, learned almost immediately that guns allowed onto the street in his case, had been recovered at Terry's murder. "(I)n the hours after Agent Terry's death," says the letter from Grassley and Issa, Hurley apparently "contemplated the connection between the two cases and sought to prevent the connection from being disclosed." The Justice Department recently transferred Hurley out of the criminal division into the civil division...

...An internal ATF email dated the day after Terry's death reveals the quick decision to not disclose the source of the weapons found at the murder scene: "... this way we do not divulge our current case (Fast and Furious) or the Border Patrol shooting case."

Another ATF email indicates that the justification both offices used to not charge the suspect with crimes related to the murder scene "was to not 'complicate' the FBI's investigation."

ATF whistleblowers revealed the link between the two cases to Congressional investigators and CBS News, saying their supervisors were attempting to cover it up.

To their credit, Reps. Grassley and Issa have announced they are expanding the Gunrunner investigation. Particularly galling:

...a court filing by the Phoenix office seeking to deny Mr. Terry’s family rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, and expressed concerns about conflicts of interest in prosecuting the Terry case. “Since your office directed and approved the daily tactical decisions in Operation Fast and Furious, it is hard to avoid the perception that a conflict of interest exists,” the two wrote.

What did Eric Holder know -- and when did he know it?

And just how high does the coverup go?


Related:
08/28/11: Heard about the New Mexico city officials smuggling guns to drug cartels in U.S. police cars?
07/17/11: ATF facilitated sales of guns to cartel members, who were actually FBI informants using taxpayer money
07/12/11: More proof that Holder lied and people died


Photos: Chinese Environmental Coalition Issues Scathing Report on Apple and Pollution

A report issued yesterday by the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (www.ipe.org.cn) says Apple Computer has made a conscious decision to "use polluting companies whilst sacrificing the environment and [surrounding] communities... so as to continue to grab for their own super profits [while turning] itself into a barrier to China’s pollution reduction."

The report, frankly, is downright frightening. The following is an excerpt, by no means complete, that alleges serious issues with Apple's supply chain in China.

Could someone tell the EPA so that they can pursue an investigation... overseas?

In the report titled ‘The Other Side of Apple,’ published January 2Oth, 2011, the coalition of environmental organizations brought to light many serious problems in Apple Inc.’s supply chain in China. After the report was published, Apple went on to issue their own annual CSR report in which they acknowledged, for the first time, that 137 workers had been poisoned by n-hexane while working at a production line for one of their products...

Yet, to this very day, some of the poisoned workers’ very reasonable demands for treatment and compensation have not been fully resolved. The workers have written three letters to Apple, but they have not received a word of reply. Furthermore, Apple remains completely non-responsive about the pollution cases raised by the environmental groups...

On the one hand Apple has been silent about its environmental and social responsibilities, yet at the same time, in order to satisfy the upsurge in market demand, the company continues to expand its supply chain in China..

...Apple Inc.’s policy of not commenting and to bury their heads in the sand when queries are raised by the public does not mean that the problems of pollution and poisoning within the supply chain will automatically vanish. On the contrary, its continuously expanding supply chain signifies that its environmental risks will also simultaneously increase. Faced with a stubbornly evasive Apple Inc., a number of Chinese environmental NGOs decided to dig deeper and to further investigate the environmental problems that exist within Apple’s supply chain. Through five months of research and field investigations we found that the pollution discharge from this enormous industrial empire has been expanding and spreading throughout its supply chain, seriously encroaching on the local communities and their environment.
...

Case 2 – Wuhan Meiko Electronics: Large Volumes of Wastewater Discharged into Surrounding Rivers and Lakes


[Meiko Electronics'] wastewater contains the heavy metals nickel and copper, local residents had misgivings about water pollution since the factory was first built... ...we discovered that the relevant departments had pushed Meiko Electronics to discharge treated water into their neighbor, Chenming Paper Factory’s, large discharge outlet, therefore reducing pollution emissions. We learned that the factory had a chlorine accident in April 2008 that led to the poisoning and hospitalization of 18 workers...

...Walking along the side of the drainage channel we were very startled to discover that the whole waterway was flowing with a milky white liquid. We rode in a small fishing boat out into Nantaizi Lake. The water in the lake was an ash grey color with white bubbles accompanying groups of black floating objects... [The lake] is directly linked to the Yangtze River meaning the contaminated water will eventually feed into the Yangtze River...

...After just a few drops of rain landed, steam appeared out of the polluted milky water in the tunnel entrance and was blown over by the wind, bringing with it an acidic odor that made everyone want to cough. “Our generation drinks polluted water but the next generation will be drinking poisoned water” said Wan Zhengyou...

...We found the Chenming Paper Factory discharge outlet and saw a very thick metal pipe discharging torrents of brownish red wastewater into the river. A large amount of white foam was forming on the surface of the river and flowing on towards the Dongfeng sluice gate. After arriving at the Dongfeng sluice gate we saw that the wastewater and white foam were able to flow directly and unhindered straight into the Yangtze. An elderly keeper of the sluice gate told us that at night the wastewater foam discharge was much greater and it often had a stench that was so bad he was unable to sleep... ...the amount of nickel discharged per year could be as much as 0.017 tons, 16.06 times the amount permitted...
...

Case 3 - Kaedar Electronics & Unimicron Electronics: Affected Citizens Kneel & Ask for Help


The company Kaedar Electronics (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Kaedar Electronics) is located in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. We came to know of Apple’s relationship with this company through a commercial bribery scandal. This company holds a 2006 pollution record in the Pollution Map Database...

...Kaedar Electronics’ main product is the outer casing and interior of notebook computers... According to the residents, [a] “poisonous gas” that is sometimes discharged [from the factory [and] they do not dare open their windows, otherwise they will wake in the middle of the night choking...

...in these ten years, the village’s stream that once had relatively clean water has now turned inky black [and] many people have fallen sick, with a sharp increase in the village’s cancer rates...

...During the investigation, the villagers spontaneously took water from the stream, pouring the water into a plastic bottle. Suffering from gastric cancer, Zhu Guifen, who has already had her stomach removed due to cancer, clutched a plastic bottle; along with more than ten middle-aged villagers they assembled in front of us. At that time, we were astonished by the scene in front of our camera. These ladies, with an average age of 55 suddenly and simultaneously fell to their knees, clutching the bottle of polluted water and pleaded “We beg you, help us! Help us ordinary people!”...

...since 2007, from just the No.8 section of Tongxin Village, the number of people who have suffered from cancer or died from cancer was more than nine, and the total population of the section of the village was less than 60...
...

Case 10 – Foxconn Chengdu: The Blood Stained iPad2


At around 19:00 on May 20th, 2011, there was a large explosion during production in the polishing workshop along the production line of the iPad 2 at Foxconn’s Hongfujin Chengdu factory. The explosion resulted in the death of two workers and injuries to 16 others. Not long after, another of the workers died from their injuries, bringing the total number of dead to three...

...The explosion was initially identified as having been caused by the buildup of aluminum dust inside a ventilation duct that was ignited when an electrical device was turned on... A dust explosion not only causes a huge blast but can also produce toxic gasses... Staff members who worked in the polishing workshop have said that “although we were wearing face-masks, our whole bodies were covered with the dust,” so it was obvious that the workshop’s dust control system had some problems.

...In delving deeper into the causes of the incident people were surprised to discover that this huge factory, made up of eight different factory buildings and covering an area of 250 acres was built in only 76 days... On March 2nd, 2010, Apple’s new product, the iPad 2 was unveiled... for the three months of July, August and September, a total of 4.19 million iPads were sold and Apple have said that if it wasn’t for a lack of supply they could have sold even more... Apple needed to urgently expand production output.

...The cost of Foxconn building their factory at such haste was the injuries to 18 young workers, three of whom are no longer with us, leaving behind broken families and endless sorrow. The fact that this company was able to pass an audit by a team led by the vice president in charge of manufacturing and then win the main global order for Apple’s iPad 2 should lead people to raise legitimate questions about Apple’s auditing process. However, these questions cannot be answered because Apple will neither proactively disclose information nor respond to queries regarding specific suppliers...

* * * * * * * * *

Apple has already made its decision to stand on the wrong side, to use the loopholes in China’s developing environmental management, to use polluting companies whilst sacrificing the environment and the communities at this expense, so as to continue to grab for their own super profits and in the meantime turn itself into a barrier to China’s pollution reduction. Consumers also need to make a choice.

We believe Apple’s consumers cannot accept the poisoning of the environment, the harm to communities and the sacrifice of employee rights in exchange for their fashionable IT products.

Compare and contrast: in America, the EPA is punishing farmers for made-up violations like dust and milk spills. The Labor Department is torturing Boeing for daring to build a factory in a right-to-work state. And various arms of the federal bureaucracy are terrorizing Gibson Guitars for importing wood -- legally -- from foreign countries.

Meanwhile, companies that manufacture overseas -- and/or are in bed with the administration -- appear to have not a care in the world.


Hat tip: Reuters.

"Perry Panic" [Dan from New York]

Dan from New York:

WSJ, NOTABLE & QUOTABLE, SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Politico reporters Ben Smith and Maggie Haberman on liberals' 'Perry panic.'


Reporters Ben Smith and Maggie Haberman in Politico, Aug. 30:

[Rick] Perry panic has spread from the conference rooms of Washington, D.C., to the coffee shops of Brooklyn, with the realization that the conservative Texan could conceivably become the 45th president of the United States, a wave of alarm centering around Perry's drawling, small-town affect and stands on core cultural issues such as women's rights, gun control, the death penalty, and the separation of church and state. The epidemic of lefty angst isn't just a matter of specific Perry policies though; it goes to the heart of the liberal worldview. His smashing debut on the presidential stage suggests that the victory of an urban liberal Democrat, Barack Obama, wasn't a step toward a more progressive nation, but just a leftward swing of an increasingly wild pendulum, now poised to rocket to the right.

###

At the rate they’re going, liberals (and some Republicans too) will be plum out of Perry canards even before primary season rolls around. Good.

Larwyn's Linx: Incivility -- Obama Targets GOP for Fall Offensive

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Nation

Incivility: Obama Targets GOP for Fall Offensive: JWF
Palin, Perry, and Paranoia: AmSpec
Perry’s Rise Shows Small-Government Fires Still Burning: Strata

Updates On Obama, Palin Speeches; Obama Accepts 9/8 Date: Ace
West considers leaving CBC over Carson's remarks: Bruce
Bring Me The Head Of Willard Mitt Romney: Saints

Economy

DOJ Advises Gibson Guitar to Export Labor to Madagascar: RSM
Obama’s 7 New Regulations Will Cost U.S. Economy Billions: NewAm
'Cash-for-Clunkers' Guru New Head of Economic Advisers: Hewitt

Obama Announces Listening Tour of Flood-Ravaged Northeast: JWF
Waters bullies banks: We'll "tax them out of business": Malkin
The Stimulus that Dare Not Speak Its Name: Sundries

Cali: Parents to Fund Workers Comp, Paid Vacation for Babysitters: FN
White House Signals New Push for Value-Added Tax?: ATR
Is it time for the financial world to panic?: ZH

Climate & Energy

Obama Picks Gas Tax For First Round of Fiscal Fight: Fox
‘Green Jobs’ Solar Company Obama Touted Last Year Declares Bankruptcy: BigGovt

Media

Rush: Boehner should deny Obama’s request for congressional speech during GOP debate: Scoop
Don't be (too) evil: Vodkapundit
Jane Jamison, Great American, RIP: Atlas

AOL looking to Sell says Insiders: HuffPost Buy Doomed Company: Technorati
Looking for a handy Obama failure counter? There's an app for that: Lane
Liberal Blogger Admits He Fabricated Bachmann 'White People' Video: NB

WaPo's Rubin: An Especially Dumb Christie Effort: Riehl
NBC Interviews Cheney, Conveniently Pans to Moonbat’s Protest Sign: Powers
NYT: MSNBC “a Nonstop Lecture on Liberal Values”: Loesch

World

The Big Lie About Israel: IPT
Above the Tearline: Reconstructing the Monterrey Arson Attack from Surveillance Footage: Stratfor
FEC May Allow Foreign Born Muslim to Run for US President: Creeping

Perfect: Park51 Group Requests $5 Million In Federal Taxpayer Money For Their Victory Mosque: Ace
Muslim Amusement Park Madness: RWN
CIA Censors FBI Agent’s 9/11 Book: AllGov

Sci-Tech

Justice Dept. to block AT&T's T-Mobile deal: CNet
Fueling the brain with a milkshake: WSJ
Android nabs 41 percent share in U.S., study finds: CNet

Cornucopia

Photoshop fun: President O-bow-ma caves to Boehner: Malkin
Liberals' view of Darwin unable to evolve: Coulter
Feds Consulted Urban Dictionary In Threat Case: TSG

Image: Curmudgeonly & Skeptical
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Michele Bachmann for President

QOTD: "His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it." --United States Office of Strategic Services, Psychological Profile of Adolf Hitler

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

DOD announces USRSF [Biff Spackle]

Biff Spackle relays this important news bulletin:

Washington, DC - This morning the Pentagon announced the formation of a new, 500-man elite fighting unit termed the United States Redneck Special Forces (USRSF).

These forces will be air-dropped into Afghanistan having received only the following briefing on the terrorists:

1. The season opened today.
2. There is no limit.
3. They taste just like chicken.
4. They don't like beer, pickups, country music or Jesus.
5. They are directly responsible for the death of Dale Earnhardt.

The Pentagon anticipates operations in Afghanistan to be complete by Wednesday.

Hat tip: Contrairimairi

The Big Lie: Farrakhan-backed Islamist Indiana Rep. Andre Carson foments violence using Alinsky-style propaganda against the Tea Party

"Pick the Target, Freeze It, Personalize It and Polarize It." --Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals


Repeat a lie often enough, through enough different propagandists, and a substantial percentage of the populace will begin to believe it.

The tactic is called "The Big Lie" and it was exploited to great effect during the thirties by none other than Adolf Hitler's chief propagandist, Julius Streicher, to demonize Jews, Catholics, gypsies, homosexuals, the handicapped and other "undesirables".

And this tactic is being used -- plainly and obviously -- against the Tea Party.

In recent days, the execrable columnist Leonard Pitts, the ethically challenged Rep. Maxine Waters, the half-wit Rep. Frederica Wilson, the rhyming adulterer "Reverend" Jesse Jackson and a host of other far left kooks have echoed the same "Big Lie" as if reading off some invisible teleprompter.

But none has gone as far as the left-wing Islamist race-baiter named Andre Carson:

REP. ANDRE CARSON, (D), INDIANA: Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second-class citizens. (audience members reply, "Yes!") Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party would love to see you and me- I'm sorry, Tamron- hanging on a tree. (audience members reply, "Yes!") Some of them right now in Congress are comfortable with where we were 50 and 60 years ago.

This theme was, in all likelihood, orchestrated by none other than David Axelrod. His purpose, like Alinsky, is to freeze the Tea Party, to personalize it and to polarize it.

Axelrod's obvious and outrageous "Big Lie"? That a disconnected, decentralized group of millions of law-abiding citizens -- people of every race, religion, creed and color... people who believe in Constitutional, limited, financially responsible government... people who gather peacefully in cities and towns across the United States! -- are violent racists bent on re-instituting Jim Crow?

No, Carson, you horrific schmuck: those Jim Crow-types, those Bull Connor-types, those poll tax bigots? They were all Democrats! Look it up, idiot! From the Ku Klux Klan of yesteryear to the Civil War's pro-slavery faction down to modern race-baiters like yourself: Democrats, each and every one.

No, the party of Lincoln and the party of Martin Luther King, Jr. is the Republican Party, you Marxist crackpot!

The Democrat CBC racists must ignore the fact that a growing cadre of strong black conservatives, led by Herman Cain, Rep. Allen West and Rep. Tim Scott, are among the most popular of all Tea Partiers. After all, facts, logic and reason were never the radical left's strong suits.

West himself had harsh words for Carson, writing to the head of the Congressional Black Caucus:

I believe it is incumbent on you to both condemn these types of hate-filled comments, and to disassociate the Congressional Black Caucus from these types of remarks. Otherwise, I will have to seriously reconsider my membership within the organization.

Congressman Carson’s desire to generally criticize a large grassroots group as racist is baseless and desperate. When individuals believe they are defeated in a political disagreement, they normally resort to race-baiting, which in my opinion is in itself racist.

I think what you see is a desire to not recognize some of the serious problems in the black community. To try to have a scapegoat that is the Tea Party … that’s just a distraction. The Tea Party stands for some basic, constitutional principles.

The tactics of Alinsky and Hitler and Farrakhan and Axelrod must be exposed for what they are.

Carson's rhetoric isn't simply hateful: it's dangerous. It sets the stage for violence and unrest. Even if only one person takes Carson's lies seriously, a terrible set of consequences can result. His lies are beyond the pale; they are unacceptable behavior for a member of Congress.

The House of Representatives must not let him get away with this behavior.

Call Speaker John Boehner at (202) 225-6205 and tell him that the Anti-Martin Luther King, Jr. -- Rep. Andre Carson -- must be censured by the House.



What do you call it when everything someone touches turns to excrement?

I like to call it "The Obama Touch".

Turns out another half-a-billion dollars of your money was just flushed down the "green jobs" hole, the inevitable result of the relentless, climafraud, Soviet-style, central planning economic model of the Obama Democrats:

Solyndra, a San Francisco based solar panel company that received a $535 million loan guarantee from the federal government has declared bankruptcy. Last year President Obama touted the company as “leading the way” in the green jobs future he envisions.

Just a few months ago, ABC News revealed that one of the major financial backers for Solyndra is also a major donor to the Obama campaign... The donor, Steve Westley, has subsequently been named to the President’s Energy Advisory Board. Solyndra was supposed to have produced 4,000 jobs with the loan guarantee. Now all of the company’s employees have been laid-off. Mr. Westley is still on the advisory board.

Congressman Cliff Stearns, Chair of House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight Subcomittee, released the following statement this afternoon: "In an apparent rush to push stimulus dollars out the door, the Obama Administration wasted $535 million in taxpayer funds in guaranteeing a loan to a firm that has proven to be unviable in the global market... For months, we have been investigating how and why nearly half a billion dollars in taxpayer money was committed to this financially troubled company."

When the final history of this administration is written, I predict that we will have seen the most wanton waste, fraud and abuse of the taxpayer in history; in fact, it will have been of a scale so epic and so unbelievably criminal in nature that Richard Nixon will look like George Washington in comparison.



"Android is easily dominating all other competitors in the mobile space"

RIM, Microsoft hardest hit:

According to ComScore, 70 percent of handset owners sent out an SMS during the three-month period. Using a browser and downloading applications came in second and third with 41.1 percent and 40.6 percent of Americans engaging in those activities, respectively...

...ComScore's study is just the latest research to conclude that Android is easily dominating all other competitors in the mobile space. Earlier this month, another research firm, NPD, said that during the second quarter, Android was running on 52 percent of all smartphones sold in the U.S., besting iOS, which secured 29 percent market share. NPD concluded that BlackBerry OS had 11 percent share... Android's success is helping the U.S. smartphone market explode. During the three-month period ended July, 82.2 million people in the U.S. owned a smartphone, ComScore found. That figure was up 10 percent from the prior three-month period...

According to ComScore, Samsung's handsets proved to be most popular during the last three-month period, earning 25.5 percent market share. LG's devices had 20.9 percent share. Motorola, Apple, and RIM rounded out the top five with 14.1 percent, 9.5 percent, and 7.6 percent share, respectively.

I was speaking with an iPhone user today who said that five years from now, almost every single person in America would have a smartphone. That may be a conservative estimate.



Sign of the Times

This may be the quintessential headline of the Hopenchange era.

Feeling stimulated yet?

I'm not. I'm only getting an odd tingling sensation -- and it's not exactly where Chris Matthews said he felt it.



Larwyn's Linx: Green Party vs. Tea Party, Round 1 in Napa

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

Green vs. Tea, Round 1: Party Battle Napa: Zombie
The Affirmative Action President: Flopping Aces
Labor Dept. Partners With Foreign Countries to Protect Illegals: GWP

How the GOP Horse Race Is Shaping Up: RWN
Deja PBO: Driscoll
White House Issues 'Talking Points' About September 11th: Jawa

Economy

Federal government importing 1.25 million foreign workers a year: NUSA
Yes, It's a Ponzi scheme... and worse: NRO
The Unexpectedly Index: Patterico

Deja vu: One year ago, Obama promised post-vacation jobs plan: Lid
Reid 'Sure' Green Jobs in Obama Speech: NatlJrnl
Federal Spending Hits $4.1 Trillion: Cato

Government Kills Free Markets With Public-Private Partnerships: RWN
Obama to Urge Passage of Shovel-Ready Highway Programs: WZ
Warren Buffet Tax Shirker and Hypocrite: RWN

Gunrunner

The Gunwalker Coverup Continues: ConfYank
"It's no secret that they're cleaning house.": PJM
A Fast and Furious Shuffle: Malkin

Climate & Energy

Shock Finding: The Sun Has Dominant Control Over Earth’s Climate: Malkin
Invasion of the Greenie Trolls – Whine vs. Tea: NoisyRm
Tropical storm Katia is the new Irene: Media Has Been Alerted!: AmDig

Media

Newsweek: The John ‘Stumpy’ Pepys Years: Driscoll
9/11 Coloring Book Draws Criticism for Portrayal of Muslims: ABC
Never-Wrong Pundit Picks Obama to Win in 2012: USN&WR

Rest in Peace Jane Jamison, My CPAC Buddy (Uncoverage.net's Blogmistress Passes): Lid
Report: Palin headed to New Hampshire after tea-party speech in Iowa this weekend: Hot Air
Leonard Pitt Jr and the 'new civility' (cont'd): Tea Party Can Go to Hell; I Intend to Help Them Get There: BlogProf

3M Claims Dem Lobbyist, ex-Clinton Staffer Lanny Davis Tried to Extort $30MM From It: Ace
Ten Years Gone—Long Gone: Driscoll
Two Major Examples of Why We Can’t Trust the Mainstream Media: PJM

World

Another deportation fugitive in the Obama family: Malkin
“Progressives” Silencing Critics of Islamic Extremism: Creeping
Muslim Riot Breaks out at Playland Park Over Safety Rules, 10 Arrested: Atlas

Change! August 2011 Deadliest month for US in Afghanistan: BlogProf
Islamic Spring… Anti-Aircraft Missiles Flow Into Gaza From Rebel-Held Areas in Libya: GWP
Uzbek Mufti Asks Pakistani Clerics To Condone Teenage Suicide Bombers: WZ

Sci-Tech

Physicist cuts plane boarding time in half: CNet
How’s Switching NASA’s Mission From Exploring Space To Muslim Outreach Going?: RWN
This Is How Science Gets Settled: Ace

Cornucopia

That Dummy Perry: Ace
How My Twitter Dating Strategy Failed: AmSpec
Feds go after Idaho man who shot grizzly bear to protect his family: Malkin

Image: Zombie
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "If the president was serious about rounding up illegals he’d host a family reunion and have ICE throw a net over the South Lawn." --Doug Powers

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Mission Accomplished!

"Under my plan of a cap and trade system, [energy prices] would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was... [t]hey will pass that money on to consumers." --Barack Obama, 1 November 2008

Mission accomplished.

This graph depicts gas prices since the election of President Subprime McDowngrade.

I wouldn't worry. Perhaps the Chinese will sell us gas from our own continent.


Obama Administration to Trucking Company: Don't Even Think About Firing Your Drunk Drivers, 'Cuz They're a Protected Class

Perhaps this is the Obama administration's attempt at containing health care costs:

The federal government has sued a major trucking company for its firing of driver with an admitted alcohol abuse problem.

Alcoholism is classified as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the suit maintains, and therefore employees cannot be prohibited even from driving 18 wheelers due to their histories of abuse.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which filed the suit against the Old Dominion Freight Line trucking company on August 16, noted that while “an employer’s concern regarding safety on our highways is a legitimate issue, an employer can both ensure safety and comply with the ADA.”

The way I figure it, the federal government wants to combine swarms of drunk truck drivers on the same roads that are teeming with 54 MPG micro-cars. Now that would minimize Obamacare spending!

But maybe I'm just a cynic.



Blown Away

This afternoon, the Blogger service decided it had enough with this august journal and pulled the plug. All three of my regular readers emailed me, complaining that the site was missing. Here's the graph of today's traffic:

Fortunately, my bloggers-in-arms came to the rescue upon hearing of it getting, eh, downgraded.

Shouts out to Michelle Malkin, Ed Driscoll, The Right Scoop, The Jawa Report, Protein Wisdom, All-American Blogger, Verum Serum, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Dan from New York, and many others for their help.

Maybe it really is time to migrate to my own platform.

And cut down on my golfing photoshops of El Presidente, which could have triggered this unfortunate incident.