Thursday, November 10, 2011

How bad is government spending, really?

Ken from S.F. writes:

Putting specific government spending into context helps point out the insanity.

The latest comparing the postal service budget overruns with the federal tax revenue by state.

Unfortunately, after 20 minutes of searching, I can only find 2007 numbers. Figure they would be pretty easy to get a hold of.

Postal Service expects $6 billion loss this year

Federal Tax Revenue By State

I wonder how the people in these states would feel if asked how they feel that all of the money taxpayers pay to the federal government is equivalent to the budget overrun of the USPS?

Now: I would like you to imagine the day -- in the not too distant future -- when the federal government controls every aspect of health care delivery. Or, roughly, one-sixth of the economy.

Get your surgeries in now, before it's too late.


Ohio's pro-union election results: not quite as bad as they look

While the major networks are trumpeting the unions' big victory in Ohio, the news isn't quite as glum, nor the labor win as large, as it may first appear.

Ohio's Issue 2 was a referendum on repealing SB5, a bill that reduced certain public sector union benefits. The repeal effort passed by a wide margin -- 61-39.

Correspondent Amalaur describes the lay of the land:

Turnout in my conservative area of the city was very light. This wasn't an issue election for most voters I guess... unless they were members of a public sector union. To their credit (or at least to the taxpayers' credit, since they're funding the public sector), the unions swamped the airwaves with messages like "Vote no on 2 or you'll call 9-1-1 and no one will answer" and "if your house catches on fire, it'd be a shame if no one showed up."

Really sleazy and dishonest stuff. And the worst part is, many union members are going to pay for their mistake with their jobs. They were sold down the river by the union bosses. The layoffs are gonna come fast and furious (heh!), because the cities and towns have no way to pay their bills. SB5 would have helped the municipalities employ more cops and firefighters, not less.

What was SB5 all about? Oh, my, it was so onerous:

• Government employees would have to pay at least 15 percent of their health care costs

• Government employees would have to contribute at least something to their pension plans

• It preserved collective bargaining, but reduced the impact of tenure on schools' hiring decisions

But the loss wasn't nearly as bad as it looks. Turnout was relatively low, and the vote to crush Obamacare (Issue 3 - by dismantling the individual mandate) passed by a wider margin than Issue 2 -- 66% to 34%.

That tells me that even Democrats despise Obamacare.

And 2012 will be the ultimate referendum on that particular clusterf***.

Furthermore, unions from around the nation sent $30 million into Ohio to defeat SB5 -- against roughly $7 million to oppose the repeal effort, gathered from a hodgepodge of grassroots groups.

The executive summary: don't be disheartened. Ohio's labor victory was an anomaly, thanks to truly deceptive advertising, a huge spending disadvantage, and low turnout.

2012 will offer only the first of these tactics to Barack Obama. And the electorate will be anything but disinterested.


Great news: Immigration agents ordered not to arrest illegal aliens, even those caught committing felonies

How is it that the Democrat ruling class shows more allegiance to illegal aliens than to America's citizens whose Constitutional duty it is to protect?

Chris Crane, president of the union that represents the nation’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, has provided the House Judiciary Committee [with] internal ICE emails [that] verbally ordered officers in the field not to arrest illegal aliens who did not have prior criminal convictions--even if they were fugitives evading deportation orders or were individuals who had illegally re-entered the United States after being deported and were thus committing a felony.

“Increasingly, ICE headquarters leadership refuses to put directives to supervisors, agents and officers in the field regarding law enforcement operations in writing... Orders and directives are given orally to prevent the activities of ICE's leadership from becoming public,” Crane, president of the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council 118, testified. “Agents and officers in the field are frequently under orders not to arrest persons suspected of being in the United States illegally.

...“ICE officers and agents also alleged that they were not permitted to arrest or even speak to confirmed or suspected illegal aliens encountered in the field during operations and were prohibited from running standard criminal record checks for wants and warrants,” said Crane, who also serves as an active-duty ICE officer.

Can you imagine the kind of damage Barack Obama will do to this country if he is reelected in 2012 and no longer has to even pretend to care about America?


House Judiciary to DOJ Assistant A.G. Weich: now, explain to us why you lied under oath in February about Fast and Furious?

Via the invaluable Sipsey Street Irregulars comes the following press release issued by the House Judiciary Committee. In related news, Eric Holder just downed another roll of Tums.

On February 4, 2011, [Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Ronald] Weich stated the following in letter to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) who had asked if allegations that officials had intentionally allowed criminals to guns had been “walked” in Operation Fast and Furious:

“ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally and prevent their transportation to Mexico.”

...Evidence gathered during the course of the congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious has shown that this statement was untrue – ATF, in allowing guns to walk, did not make every [Ed: or any, in many cases] effort to interdict them and prevent their transfer to Mexico['s drug cartels]. Evidence gathered in the investigation has also shown that senior Justice Department officials knew at the time Weich made his statement in February that it was untrue.

Mr. Weich, as you are well aware, it is a crime to knowingly make false statements to Congress,” Chairman Issa writes in his letter to Weich... "Whether it is the case that you were fed a lie and faithfully repeated it in a letter to Congress, or whether it is the case that you took the initiative to lie to Congress yourself, you are responsible for the contents of letters that bear your signature.”

Issa also issued a demand for documents that describe which officials in the Holder DOJ -- up to and including the A.G. himself -- orchestrated Weich's lies.

Oh, and Mr. Weich, a word of advice: I recommend you negotiate a deal for immunity in exchange for disclosing the truth about Holder's Gunwalker operation -- if only to keep yourself from sharing a cell with Bubba, who despite his 6'4", 275lb. frame, has quite the delightful personality.


Hat tip: D&S.

Larwyn's Linx: Cain allegations have Axelrod's stink all over them

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Cain allegations have Axelrod's stink all over them: Coulter
Half a Loaf in Ohio’s Issues Election: Blumer
Union official: ICE ordered not to deport illegals: CNS

Drunkblogging Wednesday’s GOP Presidential Debate: Vodkapundit
The Moment Perry's Presidential Chances Flash Crashed: ZH
60 Minutes Investigation: Pelosi Stock Investments: SF Weekly

Feds investigate Paterno: Surber
Obama Unbound: Hanson
AP Exclusive: Cain accuser filed complaint in next job: AP

Economy

Crony Capitalism, Christmas Trees, and the Stupidest Tax Ever: ZH
Beware the Technocrati: Mish
Public School Teachers Are Overpaid by 52%: Carpe

If.........: Belmont Club
Fresh anti-Semitic videos coming out of Occupy Wall Street: Zombie
Occupy Portland protester arrested for Molotov Cocktail attack: GWP

Gunrunner & Energygate

The Hearing. The Gunwalker Conspiracy Cover-Up's Dog and Pony Show: SSI
New e-mails reveal: White House did meet with top donor on Solyndra: Hot Air
Former US Attorney admits leaking document to smear Fast & Furious whistleblower: Hot Air

Another DOE Loan Scandal: Are We Bailing Out Spain’s Solar Collapse?: PJM
Revealed: Top Obama Bundler George Kaiser Pushed Obama White House For Loan to Solyndra: GWP
The Great Stonewall of Obama; Update: Solyndra e-mail contradicts White House on donor contact: Malkin

Media

One Cain accuser has money problems, the other filed a job complaint against another employer: Hot Air
Karen Kraushaar's Former Supervisor: Her Complaint's Frivolous, Her Work Ethic Poor, I Doubt Her Credibility: Ace
Big Media Is Biggest Loser In Cain Controversy: Thomas

Networks Cheer 'Big Victory' for Unions in Ohio, Ignore Rejection of ObamaCare Mandate: NB
Perry implodes; Update: Campaign is over, says top fundraiser: Hot Air
Rick Perry’s ‘Oops’ in Republican debate could have long-lasting implications for his campaign: WaPo

Fox Basically Has a Liberal Democrat Problem: Pagan Temple
Cain hits Home Run on 'Kimmel': Fox Nation
Video: The greatest constituent meeting ever?: Hot Air

World

The Feminist Awakening: TL in Exile
Deleting Online Jihad on Twitter: MEMRI
Precedent For Jizya Tax? Obama Imposes “Fee” On All Christmas Trees By Decree: Sword

Dem Rep. Jerrold Nadler Says He Hopes Deficit Supercommittee Fails So Military Will Be Gutted: WZ
SWAT teams dispatched as gun battle unfolds near Escobares: Rio Grande Monitor
Sen. Joe Lieberman Shreds Obama For “Insulting” Netanyahu: WZ

China's Elite Are Privately Talking About A Revolution: Insider
INsider: 'Biggest bank run in history' could spark more panic in Europe: InvNews
Italy Bond Attack Breaches Euro Defenses: Bloomberg

Sci-Tech

Why The Phenomenal Failure of Today's Test Doesn't Bother Me : Ten Mile Island
Google's Schmidt: Android 'started before the iPhone effort': CNet
Google+ Is Dead: Slate

Cornucopia

On this day in 1989: Ace
We interrupt this program for a word from our sponsor…: MOTUS
10 Most Disgusting Things Discovered in McDonald’s Meals: BizPundit

Image: Red Planet Cartoons
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Adam Hasner for U.S. Senate

QOTD: "I find Marxism to be a vapid and ultimately, infantile, view of the world that has one sole interest – to invest a self-selected nomeklatura with the means to ideologically and morally justify the creation of a prison state. To stamp out individual volition and embrace the culture of the ant and the bee. To ensure that harmony is struck no matter what the human cost. Absent violence and mass privation, Marxism in the world of humanity simply does not ring true to both its ambitions and the fruit of its practice. Marxism is, at bottom, a death cult. --Bill Bupert

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

How about Gloria Allred and Sharon Bialek take lie detector tests?

In all of American history, has there ever been a presidential candidate or sitting president who was asked to take a lie detector test by a member of the media?

Answer: no.

How about the numerous accusations of sexual violence against women by Bill Clinton? Or Barack Obama's links to domestic terrorists, racists and virulent anti-semites?

Of course not.

Only a black conservative would be targeted this way, with the accusers tied (coincidentally, I'm sure) to the Obama machine.

Bialek, who just happens to live in Obama campaign chief David Axelrod's luxury building, is a woman with a checkered background:

Sharon Bialek is 50, out of work and, according to one who knows her, she’s a smooth operator living way above her means... Bialek pranced into the Friars Club yesterday with lawyer -- who else? -- Gloria Allred aboard patent-leather do-me pumps. She proceeded to spill a dirty little secret she claims to have harbored these last 14 years -- presidential front-runner and fellow Republican Herman Cain made a pass at my junk!

With that, she became the fourth woman to accuse the GOP presidential front-runner of sexual harassment -- and the first to proudly show her face.

She did so with the breathy giddiness of a gal who’s read too many bodice-rippers. Bialek, who had her bleached-blond hair set in waves for the occasion, recounted with a broad grin the night back in 1997 when she flirted like a tart with the “inspirational” Mr. Cain... But the question remains: Why sit on this seeming sexual assault for 14 years?

According to someone who knows Bialek: “...she’s a complete gold digger. It’s all about the money.” The friend said she comes from a lower-middle-income family, but lives in a posh apartment running from bill collectors. “Most of her jobs ended in termination. It’s always the employer’s fault, not hers.

“This is a lady who lives off the system. She is hellbent on finding a way of never having to work and living the lifestyle she wants to live, a very affluent lifestyle. In my next life, I want to come back as her.”

It's not hard to imagine her approaching Axelrod, who she admits she's seen in the building, and offering her "services". Character-assassination services, that is, not unlike the many Axelrod campaigns where mysterious allegations are unearthed and sealed records become, eh, unsealed.

Veteran CBS reporter Bill Kurtis called Bialek a "woman with a history" and implied it was more likely she would have sexually assaulted Cain than vice versa.

Say, I've got an idea: how about a polygraph apiece for Sharon Bialek and Gloria Allred?


Update: "Investigator: Herman Cain innocent of sexual advances"

Middleton: Contraction Interruptus

Reggie Middleton of Boom Bust Blog:

I have always been of the contention that the 2008 market crash was cut short by the global machinations of a cadre of central bankers intent on somehow rewriting the rules of economics, investment physics and global finance. They became the buyers of last resort, then consequently the buyers of only resort while at the same time flooding the world with liquidity and guarantees. These central bankers and the countries they allegedly strive to serve took on the debt and nigh worthless assets of the private sector who threw prudence through the window during the “Peak” phase of the circle of economic life, and engaged in rampant speculation.

Central bankers worldwide have interrupted the cycle here under the apparently mistaken impression that they can override the business cycle and skip past the contraction phase. This is most apparent in equity markets where excess liquidity has pushed all equities straight up, as well as bond markets where yields have been suppressed to artificial (ZIRP) levels. The truth cannot be concealed in real asset markets where properties are still dropping. It was the real asset market that kicked off the bust to begin with, and it will probably be the real asset markets that bring us back to reality.

The extended contraction has only been exacerbated by the folly of central economic planners experimenting on a global basis and in concert to defeat the laws of economic mother nature.

Oh, and for those still under the mistaken impression that contagion has been contained, Barclays is here to disabuse you of that quaint notion: Italy Is Finished: "Mathematically Beyond Point Of No Return".

The era of Europe's heavily unionized, social welfare states is drawing to a close. Misery, war and poverty will follow as certainly as night follows day. Pity that Democrats are too stupid to get the message here at home.


Israeli officials: Former UN atomic chief ElBaradei was an Iranian agent

Chalk this up as another U.N. success story. Dan from New York explains:

Apparently, when the findings of the latest IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear weapons program are compared to earlier reports crafted by “moderate” Egyptian Mohamed ElBaradei, the obvious conclusion is that ElBaradei was working for the Mullahs. ElBaradei has since moved on. He’s now one of the leading candidates vying to be Egypt’s president.

###

ynetnews.com, 11/9/11

Israeli officials: ElBaradei an Iranian agent


Senior state officials accuse former IAEA chairman of covering up for Islamic Republic during his term, allowing Iranians to move ahead with nuclear program while playing for time. 'He is a despicable person,' one of them says.

Senior Israeli officials said Tuesday night that the International Atomic Energy Agency report stating that Iran has been working on developing a nuclear weapon design proves that the former UN nuclear watchdog chairman "was an Iranian agent".

The former IAEA chairman, Mohamed ElBaradei, is an Egyptian diplomat who even won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

For years he defended the Iranian nuclear program, claiming that it was peaceful, thus allowing the Iranians to continue their activity with the nuclear watchdog's seal of approval.

According to one of the state officials, the new report published Tuesday proves "just how much he was working for the Iranians.

"He simply rescued Iran and was constantly busy covering up for them, causing serious damage by allowing the Iranians to fool the entire world and play for time. History may judge him as the person who helped Iran obtain a nuclear weapon.

"The things exposed now are not new. These are old things which were hidden and not published," the official added. "Now it turns out that ElBaradei led an active policy of concealment and disregard. This is very serious. He is a despicable person."

"ElBaradei didn't just mess us up, he messed up the entire sane world," added Uzi Eilam, former head of Israel's Atomic Energy Agency. "He was dishonest his entire term. He is the one who stopped the Security Council from imposing serious sanctions, providing the Iranians with precious time."

Gee, after the multi-billion dollar Oil-for-Food scandal; the IPCC Global Warming Bunko Scam; mass-murder in Darfur; the Rwandan genocide; accusations of rape and child pornography in the Congo, Haiti, Liberia, and Sudan; and ties to a North Korean counterfeiting operation, who could have suspected a corrupt U.N. was helping the Iranians acquire nukes?


Related: "The Atomic Mahdi."

Good News: Federal Government Will Now 'Dictate the Actual Design of Trucks, Tractors and other Heavy-Duty Vehicles'

You heard that right. Not satisfied with shutting down 8% of the electric grid starting next year, the EPA will now dictate the design of tractor-trailers and other heavy duty vehicles that represent the lifeblood of American commerce.

Fortunately, someone is fighting back.

A lawsuit challenging the Obama Administration’s greenhouse gas emissions standards for heavy- and medium-duty trucks was filed Tuesday by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) on behalf of small businesses and trade organizations whose members the foundation claims would be damaged by the regulations.

The suit charges that federal officials were legally required to submit the regulations for independent scientific scrutiny, but failed to do so.

...The regulations are the first-ever federal restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (such as trucks, tractor-trailers, and RVs). They were promulgated jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), and were published in the Federal Register on Sept. 15, 2011.

The rules’ negative impact on the economy could be significant, PFL claimed, pointing out that the EPA and NHTSA “themselves admit that from 2014 through 2017, the proposed emissions restrictions will substantially increase costs for everyone involved in transporting goods or people on the nation’s highways, including trucking companies, independent truckers, construction companies, and others.” ...

PFL said the rules are an attempt by government to “micromanage” truck design... “The rules mandate that heavy-duty vehicles increase fuel efficiency while decreasing CO2 emis­sions, thereby requiring the use of new types of fuels and engines, which in turn will require aerodynamic redesign,” PLF senior staff attorney Ted Hadzi-Antich said. “The regulatory requirements will necessarily involve EPA and NHTSA in the redesign of the vehicles because the aerodynamics have a major impact on the amount of work the vehicles can perform to transport freight at common highway speeds. Thus, the federal government now wants to dictate the actual design of trucks, tractors, and other heavy-duty vehicles used throughout the economy.”

For small businesses, it’s an “impossible” price tag, he added.

Pacific Legal Foundation describes itself as a donor-supported watchdog organiza­tion that “litigates for limited government, property rights, free enterprise, and a balanced approach to environmental regulations, in courts across the country.”

If you have a few spare bucks, you can support PLF here.


Larwyn's Linx: Fear of Newt on blog-team Romney

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Fear of Newt on blog-team Romney: LI
Obama rolls back immigration enforcement, again: DC
Ohio voters opt out of Obamacare: WZ

Is This What You Wanted, America?: Shayne
Senators to DHS: Stop Ignoring Illegal Alien Sanctuaries: JW
Gingrich Gains 21 Points on Obama among Independents: WklyStd

The FDA Kills: Stossel
Ignorance Exploited: Williams
Cain Says No To Pot, But How About Alcohol Use?: Riehl

Economy

Did student loans ruin the country?: Surber
How much did Barney’s relationship cost taxpayers?: GayPatriot
California flunks in public education: PropZero

Ohio Voters Reject Limits on Public Union Employees: GWP
And Now, Stimulus For Russia: IBD
Unions Help Take Down Ohio Law: Roll Call

When Is $28,000 per Pupil Not Enough?: Cato
Europe, the International System and a Generational Shift: Stratfor
The Failure of Trickle-Down Obamanomics: HE

Gunrunner & Energygate

Fast and Furious: Holder “regrets” lies, condemns “distraction,” redistributes the blame: Malkin
The Great Stonewall of Obama: RWN (Malkin)
Attorney general says gun-walking 'should never have happened': Hill

Occupy

Anti-Semitic #OWS Celebrity Gets Trotted Off To The Loony Bin: Glob
End the Occupation: Knish
D.C. Occupiers Taunt Black Security Guard: “A Slave, That’s All You Are”: WZ

Climate & Energy

United States Is Getting Colder, Not Warmer: Power Line
Australia Passes World’s Biggest Carbon Tax: S&L
NBC in the tank for AGW: Wizbang

Media

Conservatives: Don’t Play into Alinsky’s Hands: Dr. Helen
What is Obama Thinking?: RWN
Cole Questions FCC's Math: RadioWorld

Bialek Will be MSM’s Penance for Brodderick: Anchoress
David Brooks: Let’s be honest, the Constitution is silly, what with the idea about citizen legislators.: ProWis
Newt Gingrich Scolds Piers Morgan for Trying to Teach Him About Politics: NB

‘The New School of Journalism’: RSM
Audio: Veteran CBS Anchor Bill Kurtis Says Sharon Bialek Has A History Of Sexually Harassing Men: Dollard
Blame It on Brokaw: RWN

World

Iran To Israel: "We'll Show You Hell": ZH
UN nuclear agency report: Yes, Iran’s been working on a bomb: Hot Air
Iran Worked to ‘Miniaturize’ Weapon Design: Bloomberg

Under Obama’s Watch, Iran Closes in on Nukes: Dossier
Europeans Still Love Obama: Blogmocracy
China's Economy Goes From Boom To Bust: IBD

Russia, Pakistan, N Korea Gave Iran Nukes: S&L
Confirmed: Obama and Sarkozy Badmouthed Netanyahu at G20 Summit: Tatler
CAIR Objects To Al-Shabaab Being Described As An “Islamic Extremist” Group: WZ

Sci-Tech

Cyber warfare: A different way to attack Iran's reactors: CNN
Phony U.S. military electronics traced to China: ArmyTimes
Jobs Was Right: Adobe Abandons Mobile Flash Development, Report Says: Wired

Cornucopia

World Languages Mapped by Twitter: Atlantic Wire
Patients' attitudes towards paying my bills: MagFarm
‘Meat Eaters’ Professor Faked Data For Years: S&L

Image: Urban Infidel
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate

QOTD: "If you look at the troubles which happened in European countries, this is purely because of the accumulated troubles of the worn out welfare society. I think the labour laws are outdated. The labour laws induce sloth, indolence, rather than hardworking. The incentive system, is totally out of whack.

"Why should, for instance, within [the] eurozone some member's people have to work to 65, even longer, whereas in some other countries they are happily retiring at 55, languishing on the beach? This is unfair. The welfare system is good for any society to reduce the gap, to help those who happen to have disadvantages, to enjoy a good life, but a welfare society should not induce people not to work hard."

--Jin Liqun, the supervising chairman of China's sovereign wealth fund

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Stratfor Research: Italy has seven days to avoid an "immediate and catastrophic" financial meltdown

Uhm, Stratfor Research is well-known for avoiding alarmist views and overstatements. Which makes this missive all the more foreboding (emphases mine, Paul Krugman hardest hit):

The Italian government eked out a legislative victory today, but the victory was a hollow one. Only 308 of the parliament's 630 MPs voted for the government's budget, eight shy of a majority. The bill only passed because the opposition chose to abstain rather than defeat the budget. Italy has now taken the lead position in the contest of what can unravel the euro.

Greece, which has held that dubious honor for nearly two years, is actually now off the radar. Today the Greeks formed a national unity government that has the political authority to implement deep austerity while compartmentalizing political backlash against the system. It might not work, but it should last at least until the new year.

But today's Italian budget vote - or more specifically the decision of several previously pro-Berlusconi deputies to abstain with the opposition - puts Italy squarely in the crosshairs.

Italy, like Greece, faces an insurmountable debt mountain. Italy, like Greece, has problems with political unity. But Italy, unlike Greece, has a leader who refuses to step aside in favor of a national unity government. Berlusconi has been at or near the top of the Italian political scene for a generation, and his People of Freedom party is his own personal political machine.

Berlusconi now has seven days to repair that machine. If he cannot muster an additional eight votes by Nov. 15, his government will fall in a scheduled confidence vote. That would push Italy into an election at a time when markets are waking up to the fact that it is not Ireland or Spain or even Greece that is the biggest threat to the eurozone. It is Italy.

Even in the worst-case scenario Greece only has about 350 billion euro of debt outstanding, most of which now is held either internally or by the European Central Bank. Italy has nearly 2 trillion euro in outstanding debt. An Italian credit cutoff would trigger a financial meltdown across Europe that would both be immediate and catastrophic.

Avoiding that would require a new Italian government without going through one of Italy's famously destabilizing elections. In the aftermath of today's budget vote, Berlusconi claims that he will resign after a series of austerity laws are adopted, ushering in a new unity government. Votes on those laws, however, are scheduled to be held after the confidence vote, so it's not clear whether this is truly turning the page or simply stalling for time.

Can... meet kick.

And sometime -- in the very near future -- the road for can-kicking will have reached an end.


Reading the Tea Leaves [Dan from New York]

Dan from New York:

Lots of firecrackers going off simultaneously right now hinting at greater pyrotechnics to come.

On Sunday, I noted that Israel's "Mr. Peace" is warning of war, a link to a story in which Israel’s president, uber dove Shimon Peres, warns that "A military strike on Iran is growing more likely than the diplomatic option." Today comes news that Israel’s #2 man, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, not only seconded Peres, he went a step further. As the JPost reports, “Addressing the IAEA report, the reported contents of which have been leaked to various international newspapers in recent days, Barak said, ‘we've known these things for years. ... ‘We know more [about Iran] than The Washington Post knows and we know more than the IAEA does,’ he added.” Read about that in “Barak not optimistic about international will to stop Iranian nukes.”

Of course, no situation analysis is complete without taking into account the psychological dimension. So here we have Jewicidal far-left Haaretz columnist, Akiva Eldar, writing in full panic mode beseeching Obama, a foreign head of state, “to stop the duo of Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, before it is too late.”

Then there are anecdotes I’ve received from Israel indicating that as of late the Home Front Command has been helping the general populace prepare for trouble.

Lastly, there’s this question raised by the National Review: "Why Won’t Obama Sanction Iran’s Financial Lifeblood?"

I think all visible signs indicate the Israelis aren’t waiting around for the answer. But I could be reading the signals wrong. Israel may yet decide to placate the West, avoid “destabilizing the region” and do what it’s told: put its future in the hands of the Mad Mullahs in a grand gesture of self-sacrifice.

That’s always good for a slap on the back from the U.S. president and a front page obituary in the New York Times.

Stay tuned. Say a prayer. We shall see.

For the background story, please see "The Atomic Mahdi."


Exclusive Photo: Eric Holder testifies on letting thousands of murder weapons flow to drug cartels

Soon-to-be-resigned Attorney General Eric Holder testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee today to answer a series of questions about Operation "Fast and Furious", which left hundreds dead. Here's a summary of Dr. Forthcoming's testimony:

• No one's been found at fault

• No one should resign

• Holder didn't know about it -- and anyone who says otherwise is playing political 'gotcha' games

• Holder's lies weren't really lies -- he was just off by a few months

• The DOJ's claims that it did not authorize gun-walking in February weren't lies or coverups, they were "regretful inaccuracies"

• The Justice Department's Inspector General was on the case as soon as she heard about it -- although she's been investigating since April -- more than half a year ago -- there are no results to share

Brian who?

Say, I have a question. How f***ing stupid do these people think we are?


Related:

• 10-10-2011 Eric Holder Comix
• 10-07-2011 Holder uses Politico in a furious attempt to hold fast to his job
• 10-04-2011 RED ALERT: Smoking Gun -- Holder Lied, People Died
• 09-15-2011 Deep Corruption at Justice: Eric Holder is an 'Abomination', a 'Menace' and 'Worse Than John Mitchell'


Coinkadink: one Cain accuser lives in David Axelrod's building; another serves in the Obama administration

Let me guess: Axelrod is "just a guy in the neighborhood", since Cain accuser Sharon Bialistock lives in David Axelrod's building.

Martha MacCallum, FOX News: "One of the things is that you lived at a 505 North Lake Shore Drive apartment, right?

This is the same building, it happens to be the same building David Axelrod lives in.

Do you know David Axelrod?

Ever have any interaction with him at all?

Sharon Bialek, Cain accuser: "I saw him in the gym.

I mean -- everybody nods to each other.

It is friendly building but I never had any interaction with him."

It turns out that Bialek has an extremely troubling background:

Ms. Bialek has had a long and troubled history, from the courts to personal finances – which may help explain why she has come forward 14 years after an alleged incident with Mr. Cain, powered by celebrity attorney and long term Democrat donor Gloria Allred.

In the courts, Ms. Bialek has had a lengthy record in the Cook County Court system [with] over [half a dozen separate] civil lawsuits... [and she] was also sued in 1999 over a paternity matter according to ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV)... In personal finances, PACER (Federal Court) records show that Ms. Bialek has filed for bankruptcy [twice] in 1991 and 2001...

...Curiously, if Ms. Bialek had intended to take legal action, the statute of limitations would have passed a decade ago... Which brings up the question of why she would make such reprehensible statements now?

The questions should be – who is financing her legal team, have any media agreed to pay for her story, and has she been offered employment for taking these actions?

Gee, let me guess: their name starts with an "A" and ends with "Xelrod".

Oh, what's this? You say Bialek has a history of filing false claims of sexual harassment?

"She was fired from her job, and her boyfriend suggested she contact Cain in hopes he could help her find employment... In this particular incident she was fired for falsely accusing her boss of sexual harassment, a charge denied by co-workers, as well as being pretty much a pain in the ass to work with.

"I remember her as a time-waster, and rabble-rouser. If she didn’t get her way she cried about sexual harassment”. A former co-worker, a female no less, emailed me. “She was trouble with a capital “T”. The fact that she waited 13 years and never said a word not even during Cain’s earlier forays into politics. She only now magically appears because Cain is leading in some polls and proving a threat to Barack Obama?

But, wait: that's not all. The only other accuser who has become public is an official in... wait for it... the Obama administration

...The Daily has revealed the identity of one of the women who, according to Politico, accused presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment during his tenure as CEO of the National Restaurant Association... The Daily reports that Karen Kraushaar, a communications director at the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General, was a National Resturant Association spokesperson when, she alleges, Cain’s inappropriate behavior took place.

Fascinating. But I'm sure the fact that all of these allegations were made by those with connections to Obama's political machine are purely coincidental.


Larwyn's Linx: Awaken a sleeping giant...

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Awaken a sleeping giant...: Green Mountains
Circus Circus: Gloria Allred jumps on the Cain Train: Malkin
Video: Revealing The Truth About The Democrat Party: Nice Deb

Politics of Personal Destruction II: Thomas
Mark Levin Nails This Latest Herman Cain Stuff: HayRide
Four 'Cs' of why Cain is unelectable: Exam

Economy

Demosclerosis and the Fading Appeal of the Blue State Model: Ace
Waiting for Lehman: Lira
And now for something completely different: Hugh Hendry: Varones

Numbers Games: Sowell
History Suggests Greece Will Exit Euro by Christmas: Mish
To Chart America’s Decline, Follow The Unions: Nova Townhall

Is there a retirement crisis?: City Journal
Oops! Rich Got Richer Under Obama And Clinton: RWN
Ending Insurers' Profits Won't Impact Healthcare Costs: FrstThngs

Occupy

Meet the Radical Group Handling ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Finances: Foundry
Fearing Koch Brothers Black Ops Movement, Tech-Savvy OWS Geniuses Fork Over $8K to Buy Domain Name: JWF
"Non-Violent Protesters:" Occupy DC Pushes 78-Year-Old Woman To the Ground: Ace

Gunrunner & Energygate

Holder to accuse investigators of playing Fast and Furious politics, call for gun control: DC
The Times On Gunwalker - BS Will Never Die: JOM
Holder on 'Fast and Furious': Never Again: ABC

Media

NYT Editorial Page Editor struggles to examine the record on voter fraud: RS
Late-Night Comics Still Not Finding Anything Funny About Princess Precious: Ace
How Cain’s supporters react...: Damn Dirty Rhino

Occupy Michael Moore: DetNews
Stephanie Miller: Vandalizing Reagan Statue 'One of America's Funniest Liberal Pranks': NB
George Will calls Romney the GOP’s Dukakis: NotMitt

Media Battlezone Prep: Pretty Vacant: Leather Penguin
MSNBC Discusses North Carolina’s Forced Sterilization Program, Avoids Mentioning The D Word: RWN
Leslie Stahl’s Selective Anger Over Buying Politicians: BigJ

Sharon Bailek, “Remembered by a co-worker -- If she didn’t get her way she cried sexual harassment”: Macsmind
Ex-Newsweek Editor on Why He Didn't Run Lewinsky Story: 'We Didn't Feel We Were on Firm Enough Ground': NB
Fareed Zakaria: 'The American Dream Is Better In Europe': NB

World

Obama, Sarkozy Call Isaeli PM a "Liar;" Obama Laments Having to "Deal" With Him: PunPre
IAEA: Iran on brink of building nuclear weapon: JihadWatch
Muslim accused of leaking documents was ONLY adviser DHS gave access to sensitive L.E. database: Creeping

Islam is Fear, Part III: GoV
If You See Something Disastrous, Say Something: BRubin
Hizballah's Aggressive War Plans: IPT

Sci-Tech

Nov. 7, 1905: Remote Control Wows Public: Wired
Google patent lawyer says system is broken: CNetf
Scoble: Microsoft Can't Win In Tablets: Insider

Cornucopia

Whiteout Applied to Michelle Obama: Moonbattery
Patience is not a virtue, it’s a strategy: Dewey
Retro Monday: Flying the SR-71 Blackbird: DefTech

Image: Guardian (UK)
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Adam Hasner for U.S. Senate

QOTD: "When was the last time you thought to yourself: “My cellphone and/or Internet provider really provides great service for an affordable price?”.  Odds are, unless you are a lobbyist for AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, etc… the answer is “never, what are you kidding?”.  The reason behind this is that most telecoms, because of the infrastructure investment necessary to support a network, often operate as semi-monopolies with a tremendous barrier to entry relative to competitors.  Oh and they give gobs and gobs of money to politicians, and studies show that this has a tremendous positive effect on policy for them.

This helpful policy, as well as an apparent complete lack of political will to break up and/or regulate these industries, is the reason you still have to pay to send text messages–even though these single-digit kilobyte messages cost telecoms barely any money at all.  It is also the reason the US falls behind virtually every other first world nation in terms of average broadband speed, and also why even that limited service is so expensive,  and telecoms are able to flat-out lie about the speeds they offer.  While this may seem like a middling critique about the speed at which we send cute cat pictures and watch porn, keep in mind that the 90s, also known as the only period of really substantial growth in the past 40 years, was fueled by higher speed and expanded access to the Internet." --BusinessPundit

Monday, November 07, 2011

Photos: Houdini-like escape from a catastrophic auto accident

The aftermath of an unbelievable accident in China:

On Oct 26 in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, a dark grey Volvo bumped into a taxi head-on then got a truck up the rear, causing hundreds of steel rods on the truck to thrust into the Volvo’s windshield. Surprisingly the driver managed to dodge all the flying steel rods that turn his car into a porcupine.

24-year-old driver Yang was driving a Volvo downtown when he suddenly spot road block police at the front. Thinking that the car didn’t have a plate yet, Yang quickly turned the car around and moved onto the opposite lane only to meet an upcoming taxi. Volvo hit the taxi at the side and was immediately pushed away to tail a truck loaded with steel rods.

“I was panic because the car was going at over 60 km/h. But my brain is still clear, I realized that the car was crashing onto those steel rods, so I threw myself on the passenger seat.” Yang recalled. As soon as he bent down, the rods have already pierced through the car with a deafening blow... “When the car stopped, steel rods were all over my head with one only a few centimeters away from my face.” Yang was then sent to the hospital. After checkup, he was only slightly scratched.

Dude.


Why I canceled my newspaper subscription [Sean]

Finally! Justice is served!

And John Stossel says government can't do things better than free enterprise!

I won't hold my breath awaiting the results of this hunt.

That's a damn good paint job!

Followed by the meeting on new lighting that's held in the dark.

I'm more upset about NEPA's EIS on BNFL's RAPPI before DRUADs.

Go figure.

That's a brother for you.

It's a partisan issue, I'm sure.

I'll try to remember. I guess it was a slow day at the Poison Control Center.

Please call immediately if you've seen this... man... woman... insect...

Right after finding corpses in the mausoleum.

This is taking the principle of "More Guns, Less Crime" a bit too far.

I'd wager these guys took federal grant money to come up with this conclusion.

Ouch!

Hat tip: Sean

Physics! [Papa B]

Papa B:




Occupy Hatred: A Gallery of #OWS Sickness

Click on any of the pictures for the background stories.
















My friends, are you going to let these punks turn America -- the most magnificent society ever seen on the face of the Earth -- into some sort of third-world socialist cesspool? Or are you going to join with me and politically obliterate this insane collaborative of Nazis, Marxists, Democrat politicians, anarchists, union thugs, arsonists, drug addicts, and progressives?

Because 2012 is coming, my friends, and we are going to send a message to these lunatics. America isn't dead quite yet, despite their best efforts. And we are going to shred this traitorous shadow of a once-proud Democrat Party at the polls next November.