Thursday, December 22, 2011

What does $40 mean to me? I can pay my SEIU union dues (and other tales of woe)

In his ongoing effort to bribe voters with a $2.85/day Payroll Tax Cut -- which simply raids the sacrosanct Social Security Trust Fund (heh!) -- President Obama's Axelrodian campaign machinery is collecting sob stories from voters.

The White House says it's been flooded with responses to the question it posed Wednesday: "What does $40 mean to you?"

One day after the White House asked "working" people to "tell us what your family will give up if your (payroll) taxes increase," the stories are rolling in, including one from a person who worried about not having enough to pay the cable bill -- or continue family pizza nights.

In an effort to help the Obama administration, Cub Reporter Biff Spackle collected tales of woe from typical members of "the middle class", asking them what they could do with that $40.

• "Pay my SEIU union dues (which average $36.75 and are recycled back into the Obama campaign against my will)"

• "Buy 11 toxic, mercury-filled CFL bulbs, as opposed to 66 safe and cheap incandescent light bulbs."

• "Buy 12 gallons of gas, versus 25 gallons when Barack Obama was elected President."

• "Pay for 1.4 days of health insurance coverage, as opposed to 2 days when Obama was elected."

You get the picture. President Subprime McDowngrade is trying to distract citizens with a $2.85-per-day bribe when his catastrophic policies are literally destroying the average American.

As Tyler Durden noted earlier today on Twitter, "Has anybody asked the president yet why to millions of Americans $40 is a matter of survival?"


Cheat Sheet for Undecided Voters

With 2012 approaching, please print out a few copies and hand 'em to any undecided voters you know.



Civility: Ron Paul Storms Out of Interview With "CNN Media Whore"

The aptly named YouTube user RonPaul2012Truth was kind enough to upload and caption the video of his favorite candidate running away from a CNN interviewer ("Ron Paul Walks Out On Interview With CNN Media Whore").

Apparently, Paul will no longer entertain questions about his newsletters -- edited and published by Paul, according to the masthead -- that market a vicious, throwback form of racism, antisemitism and anti-government conspiracy theories.

Of course, the entire Paul phenomenon in Iowa is built on smoke and mirrors, as ABC News discovered.

...just 37 percent of Republican and Republican leaning independents nationally think Paul has the kind of personality and temperament to serve effectively as president and just 42 percent of Republicans think he would pursue policies that most Americans would find acceptable.

ABC News polling also finds that in a potential matchup, President Obama holds a significant lead over Paul.

...political observers say that Paul’s support is built in large part with the support of non-Republicans.

In other words, the Republican Primary process in Iowa will be polluted -- once again -- with non-Republican voters.

And rather than close the primary (as many other states do), the hapless GOP lets this inane process occur election cycle after election cycle. Which is why kooks like Ron Paul get to crow about how close they are to winning the Iowa Primary.

Because in the real world of Constitutional Conservatism that is beginning to take over the Republican Party, Ron Paul is a fringe nobody wearing an ill-fitting suit.


Related
The Company Ron Paul Keeps
The Truth About Ron Paul: Delusional, Power-Hungry and Dangerous
Ron Paul's Greatest Hits


Larwyn's Linx: Grieving at Christmas

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

Nation

Grieving at Christmas: Cal Thomas
The 50 Best Political Quotes Of 2011: Hawkins
The Black Occupy Protester — Missing in Action: RWN

Mark Hemingway on ‘Fact-Checking’: NRO
Ron Paul's Dangerous Campaign: PJM
No on Mitt Romney: Shapiro

Ron Paul Walks Out of CNN Interview: Ace
Let's Move! Michelle Obama Throws a Hawaiian Pizza Party: WZ
Dates set for Supreme Court Arguments on Obamacare: CNN

Economy

Fitch threatens U.S. downgrade as Obama shops: GWP
It's Official: US Debt-To-GDP Passes 100%: ZH
Congressional insider trading runs amok: Insider

L.A. Mayor: Budget Cuts To Offset Occupy LA Cleanup: WZ
$30B Fund Manager Makes Case for Being Totally on Sidelines: Mish
Obama’s America: Only 17% Satisfied With U.S.: RWN

Gunrunner & Energygate

BREAKING: Confessions of Perjury Inside DOJ: Adams
‘Bloggers’ continue to beat media at their own game on ‘Gunwalker’: Codrea
Lieberman directs staff to investigate Fast and Furious coordination: DC

Climate & Energy

EPA’s New Mercury Rule? Environmental Hocus Pocus: Foundry
Your Government At Work, EPA takes Mercury out of the air and puts it in light bulbs instead: WyBlog
Gov’t subsidies for Chevy Volt up to $250,000 per car?: Hot Air

Media

Kamikaze conservative: LI
“Politicos for Romney, Bloggers for Perry”: ProWis
Figures: Iowa Kook Who Called Gingrich a "F***ing A**hole" is a Progressive Loon: GWP

I’m With Hillyer, And He’s With Boehner: Hayride
House Republicans' Christmas Present to Obama: Ace
Feeling The Heat: Wasserman Schultz Has Media Do Her Bidding Against Harrington: BigJourn

Shocking Truth About 'All-American Muslim' Star, and Lowe's Good Call: HE
Obama’s Media Flying Monkeys Get Their Marching Orders, Gear Up To Do Battle: IBD
Simpsons episode: Sharia law in Dearborn (video): Creeping

World

More Mystery Iran Disasters: Major Fire At Isfahan Refinery, Huge Blast At Revolutionary Guards Base: Joshua
Hitler admired in PLO youth magazine because he murdered Jews: PalWatch
Jimmy Carter Sends Condolences to Kim Jong-un, According to N. Korean Media: Malkin

Berkeley Hillel’s Betrayal of Israel: Greenfield
Does the Times regret the error? Probably not.: Power Line
Banks gorge on ECB loans, market cheer short-lived: Reuters

Time to Attack Iran: Foreign Affairs
Two Bad September Days: Hanson
Syria: Assad Regime Losing Control As 10,000 Soldiers Desert Military: WZ

Sci-Tech

15 Nissans that get an enthusiasts thumbs-up: Motor Trend
IBM's Top 5 Technology Predictions for the Next 5 Years: ABC
Verizon's 4G network: Can you hear me now?: CNet

Cornucopia

How Computers Work: Boing Boing
Stockbroker, 106, still on Wall Street: KGO-TV
Utah man wins Lamborghini, crashes it hours later: AP

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "Is that [Ron Paul's] actual, considered position? That the newsletters are incendiary only due to a Liberal Media making them so?

He actually has made that claim before. When these first came to light, he did not disclaim authorship. He simply said you had to read them all "in context" and not seize upon any particular sentence, but read everything he's said "in context."

So he has in fact attempted to claim that these newsletters, like the Ron Paul Survival Report (!!!), were not actually a problem at all as far as substance.

Just this darned liberal media (and only this darned liberal media) making a stink about it.

More: Ron Paul endorsed Cynthia McKinney in 2008 (did you know that?) and yes, Ron Paul gives sneaky little-shout-outs to Truthers. --Ace

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Say, anyone know how I get a sweet gig as a teacher in Illinois?

Champion News:

As Illinois citizens struggle with the severe economic downturn plaguing the state, [the state's] public school employees enjoy another record year of salaries, fringe benefits and pensions.

In 2011 an amazing 14,866 public school employees made more than $100,000, up 18% from 2010’s 12,588.

Apparently there is no tax money for the barren shelves at food pantries or the lack of beds at homeless shelters or to support the handicapped.

But there is enough tax money to pay for:

• A Phys. Ed teacher $203,154 for a 9 month work year.
• 14,866 teachers made more than $100,000 in 2011.
• 21 who made more over $1,000/day ($170,000/yr.)
• A Drivers Ed teacher who salary is $18,222/month to teach teenagers how to parallel park.
• 13 teachers make more than the Governor’s $177,500.
• Top 100 Teachers average $18,169 per month salary ($163,579/yr).

And all of that is for a 36-week work-year (182 day contracts).

These Top 100 Salaries Do Not Include Massive Amounts of Fringe Benefits

Add about $48,000 each for state pension contribution (30% of salary) and at least $7,500/yr health insurance benefits. Then include 15 days sick leave payable at retirement if not used, 2 personal days [a year] and up to $300,000 payment to the Teachers Retirement System by the local school district if they decide to take early retirement (see "Anatomy of a Teachers Contract" here).

And what is the value of a guaranteed $100,000 job (called “Tenure”) for as long as you want it?

Bill Zettler asks, "Should public employees who average a mere 32 years of 9 month work retire at an average age of 57 with an average payout of $3.7 million?"

After only 20 months of retirement, the average teacher will have received more in pension benefits than the sum total of all of their contributions.

For instance, Karen Koval, a dance teacher, received a taxpayer-funded $188,837 early retirement payout. That will be added to her salary of $165,888, for a taxpayer total of $354,725. Therefore, dance teacher Koval will retire with a pension that will payout about $3.5 million over her expected lifetime.

Sounds real sustainable to me.


Hat tip: Just the Tip.

Obama Reelection Campaign Thinks You Can Be Bribed For $2.85 a day...

...while robbing the Social Security Trust Fund. Because that's what "the Payroll Tax Cut" is: it's reducing the funds available to Social Security, which is already speeding toward insolvency.

I just received this email from the White House, marketing the president's raid on the Social Security Trust Fund:

The email includes touching stories of families that really, really need that $2.85 a day.

Curious how Democrats never consider the next generation of Americans who will have to repay these debts -- this money borrowed from the future -- that were used to pursue a reelection campaign for a temporary politician.

And notice President Obama's cynical use of official White House email infrastructure to wage his reelection campaign.

Pretty sneaky, eh?

Well, I have news for the president: $40 for two weeks is a "big deal", especially for the next-generation -- which will have to repay this borrowed money with interest.


The Curious Case of 3,000 MSM Stories That All Mention The Same (Completely Wrong) Number of "Workers" Marketed by the DNC

Oh, that Nancy Pelosi, she's such a card:

One claim made by supporters of extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits is that 160 million Americans will have their taxes increased if the legislation does not pass. For example by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: “The payroll tax cut that the president proposed would put $1,500 in the pockets of 160 million Americans.”

Tony writes:

I noticed that Dem pols and most news stories were claiming 160 million workers will be hurt if the Republicans don't extend the payroll tax bill.

They are all using that same exact number.

Now, I'm a numbers guy and the 160 million seemed high to me so I went to the BLS [Bureau of Labor Statistics] website. They report there were only 140 million people working in the civilian workforce [see attached PDF]. The military would only add another two million at most.

Next I googled "160 million workers" and I got about 3,000 news hits. It seems the MSM must be getting their stats and data from Nancy Pelosi!

Well, truth be told, she is an impeccable source if you're looking for Marxist class-warfare rhetoric.


Hat tip: Tony. Related: The curious case of 200 nearly identical MSM headlines

A gift idea for you [Papa B]

Papa B:

I would call Papa B a throwback, but he might take that as a compliment.


More: Water-cooler here.

Larwyn's Linx: Obamacare's Destruction of Medical Innovation

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

Nation

Obamacare's Destruction of Medical Innovation: IBD
Obamacare Abominations: Stossel
Jackson-Lee: Obama should use Executive Order to do what he wants: Malkin

Tehran holds Obama re-election wild card: Pipes
Ex-Ron Paul Aide Disputes Paul on Newsletters: AmSpec
Ron Paul: Wikileaks Leaker Manning Is a 'Hero': AmSpec

Taxpayer-funded Hamas Public High School in Lutz, Florida?: HyScience
Michelle Obama’s Unsavory School Lunch Flop: Malkin
LA Schools Reject Michelle’s School Lunches: S&L

Economy

Tax Cut? No, Just Another Raid On Social Security: IBD
It's California business as usual as debt, taxes grow: Exam
FBI Pulls Off ‘Perfect Hedge’ to Nab Insider Traders: Bloomberg

5 Worst Economic Ideas of 2011 (and 12 Great Ones for 2012): Peth
Carl Levin's Irrational Fear of Repatriated Capital Continues: ATR
Demolishing the pathetic lie of "The One Percent": Spew

Gunrunner & Energygate

Eric Holder Claims Criticism Due To Racism: S&L
Under Fire, Holder Brazens On: Nice Deb
Holder Cowardly Plays Race Card in Fast and Furious: IBD

Climate & Energy

When green bananas go bad: Bayonet
Canada and the Kyoto Protocol: Who says quitters never win?: RWN
NCDC: United States Getting Colder: Watts

Media

Three Cheers for Politifact: AmPower
Left Kind of Upset With Politifact’s ‘Lie of the Year’ Choice: Malkin
Politifact Lie of the Year: “Republicans Voted to End Medicare”: GWP

Slate Writer Really Needs You To Know He's A Ninny: Ace
The Washington Examiner warns conservatives that they should think twice about Newt: ProWis
The Year of Krugman Thuggishness: NB

World

Crisis Unfolds in Iraq: WS
RyanAir CEO Slams EU at EU Innovation Summit: AmSpec
UN condemns telling the truth about Islam, Obama Administration joins in: JihadWatch

Ron "The Only Man Who Can Save America" Paul: Sociopathic Traitor Bradley Manning a "Hero", "Patriot": Ace
"The terrifying truth behind the so-called Arab Spring": JihadWatch
Saudi women's suffrage mired in suppression: GlobPost

Egypt’s Women Rally In Force To Protest Police Brutality Against Them: Dollard
Taliban Mutilate Woman Breast-Feeding Child: Creeping
Hannity: Ron Paul’s Foreign Policy is “Naive”: Shark Tank

Sci-Tech

When Northwest Logging Was Still Young: iOTW
HTC says Apple patent workaround ready: CNet
R.I.P. Saab: PJM

Cornucopia

Return of the Grinch: MOTUS
Gird your loins and saddle up!: C&S
'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' has glaring problems: Post

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

QOTD: "The 63-foot Sierra White Fir lighted at the U.S. Capitol Grounds on Dec. 6 as the official 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree includes a prominently displayed ornament paying homage to President Barack Obama, but includes no ornament readily visible to a person standing near the tree's base that uses the word “Christmas,” or includes an image of the Nativity, or bears the name or image of Jesus Christ." --Terence Jeffrey

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Obama's policies are so destructive, even his union pals are getting pissed

After he's done being president, maybe he'll go back to academia and write a book on how to destroy capitalism.

President Obama tells anyone who'll listen that from dawn until dusk he's focused on job creation. Apparently, no one in his administration listens, since day after day they keep making job-killing decisions.

In fact, when it comes to jobs, Obama's policies are so bad that even his union pals are starting to notice.

The latest to take notice is the Communications Workers of America union. It reported last month that AT&T's $39 billion bid for T-mobile would have brought 5,000 quality jobs back from overseas and created "as many as 96,000 additional quality jobs in the build-out of high-speed wireless broadband."

...Then there's Obama's own decision to put the protection of environmentalist votes over the creation of tens of thousands of good jobs by delaying his Keystone XL pipeline decision until after the election.

Terry O'Sullivan, general president of the Laborers' International Union of North America was astonishingly blunt in his response: "The administration chose to support environmentalists over jobs — job-killers win, American workers lose."

And Obama's attacks on the private jet industry caused International Association of Machinists President Tom Buffenbarger to take offense. "In this industry, a few misguided words can put at risk even the ever-so-modest recovery we have experienced."

Meanwhile, Obama's supposed focus on job creation has failed to penetrate the walls of the Environmental Protection Agency. New EPA air pollution rules, for example, will shutter three dozen power plants, putting all their employees out to pasture, with three dozen more plants at risk, according to a new AP analysis of the effects of the mandates. All this to produce air quality improvements that will provide negligible health benefits.

Methinks a large contingent of union members will be casting their secret ballots for the Not Obama ticket.


And We Have a Winner: With Just Days Remaining, Whoopi Goldberg Wins 2011's Most-Doltish-Comment-on-"The View" Award

A normal person would have to drink a forty of stupid juice to match Joy Behar on even their worst day. But "normal" doesn't apply to Whoopi "Windy" Goldberg.

After mentioning the background of new leader Kim Jong Un and his education at a Swiss boarding school, Goldberg proclaimed, "...If you say that this is how our culture is and then you send your child to a Swiss boarding school. You know, this is what happens with communism. It's a great concept. On paper it makes perfect sense."

The comic added, "But once you put a human being in power, it shifts. We saw it in Russia, we've seen it all around the world."

After lauding the "great concept" of communism, Goldberg said of North Korea: "But, I keep my fingers crossed."

Co-host Joy Behar chimed in, "We wish them well in North Korea."

I wish both of them would express their good tidings to the new dictator in person.


Hat tip: TrendingRight.

Saad: Saab is dead

The quirky Swedish automaker is calling it quits after suffering through the last two fitful decades.

The past two years have been rough for Saab. Since its independence from General Motors in 2010, the quirky Swedish brand has been beleaguered with financial woes, production stops, and an ever-shrinking customer base for its products...

[Despite numerous attempts to resurrect it] there is little chance left for Saab. The board of Saab's parent company -- Swedish Automobile, formally know as Spyker -- has decided that the best solution at this point is to file for bankruptcy and liquidate what is left of the company's asset...

Saab was one of the first automakers to turbocharge its engines. It did so because of its aviation heritage; turbocharging a radial engine was a surefire way to derive more horsepower for a prop.

But after its acquisition by GM, things really started to go south.

Under GM's direction, the badge-engineered Saab 9-2X (based on the Subaru Impreza) and Saab 9-7X (based on the Chevrolet Trailblazer) were introduced in the American market in 2005 with the hope of increase sales. Both models were a critical and commercial failure and were scrapped a few years after production.

Gee, I wonder why.

A Saab Impreza and a Saab Tahoe? Marketing genius.

R.I.P, Saab. I once owned a 1985 Saab 900 Turbo (with the ignition on the floor between the two front bucket seats). It was a great, great car with dozens of unique features that were eviscerated by the bean-counters in Michigan.

We'll miss you.


Image credit: Saab Network.

Is Iran the key to Obama's reelection? [Dan from NY]

Dan from NY:

Concerning Iran and its nuclear weapons program, I’ve contended for years that a) it’s (still) vulnerable to attack; b) Iran’s threatened reaction would be much less damaging than advertised; c) the U.S. military -- and only the U.S. military -- could get the job done using unmanned stand-off weapons; d) the strongest incentive for Obama to move would be unambiguous signals from Israel that she would (and could) go it alone if necessary.

Now, in light of these statements recently made by Defense Secretary Panetta, I am adding e) a successful US-led operation would virtually guarantee Obama’s reelection.

###

Panetta: Iran will not be allowed nukes


By Scott Pelley

CBS News, December 19, 2011

The U.S. Secretary of Defense said Monday night that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. In an interview, Leon Panetta, said despite the efforts to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program, the Iranians have reached a point where they can assemble a bomb in a year or potentially less.

Secretary Panetta spoke with us at the end of an overseas trip during which he reviewed strategy in Afghanistan and formally ended the war in Iraq.

CBS News anchor Scott Pelley caught up with Secretary Panetta on his tour last week of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. On the way home, he boarded the jet nicknamed "The Doomsday Plane." This is the command post where he and the president would direct a nuclear war. In an interview for "60 Minutes," we sat down in the compartment where he would execute the commander-in-chief's orders. Panetta told CBS News that Iran needs only one year to build a nuclear weapon.

Pelley: So are you saying that Iran can have a nuclear weapon in 2012?

Panetta: It would probably be about a year before they can do it. Perhaps a little less. But one proviso, Scott, is if they have a hidden facility somewhere in Iran that may be enriching fuel.

Pelley: So that they can develop a weapon even more quickly...

Panetta: On a faster track....

Pelley: Than we believe....

Panetta: That's correct.

Pelley: If the Israelis decide to launch a military strike to prevent that weapon from being built, what sort of complications does that raise for you?

Panetta: Well, we share the same common concern. The United States does not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. That's a red line for us and that's a red line, obviously, for the Israelis. If we have to do it we will deal with it.

Pelley: You just said if we have to do it we will come and do it. What is it?

Panetta: If they proceed and we get intelligence that they are proceeding with developing a nuclear weapon then we will take whatever steps necessary to stop it.

Perhaps Obama really is willing to go to war to stop Iran in the hope that it guarantees his reelection.

In any event, there are at least two reasons for Americans to support such an attack: (a) it's the right thing to do; and (b) the foaming-at-the-mouth, radical Left (and the Paul-bots) will go stark-raving mad.


Photo: Seen the Light [Papa B]

Papa B sends this dispatch from the mall:

Good man.


Larwyn's Linx: The Real Purpose Of The DOJ Lies About Sheriff Arpaio

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

Nation

The Real Purpose Of The DOJ Lies About Sheriff Arpaio: Federale
The Past and the Present: Sowell
Good News: Nancy Pelosi Thinks Dems Can Win Back the House: Powers

For Rick Perry: Ace
The Strategic Incompetence of Mitch McConnell: RS
Why Rick Santorum is more impressive in person than Rick Perry: Shapiro

White House Politicizing Labor Statistics (PJM Exclusive): PJM
The Company Ron Paul Keeps: WS
NAACP Opposes Bill to Ban Race-Based Abortions: LifeNews

Economy

BLS Caught Red Handed Leaking Confidential Employment Data: ZH
Obama's Big Labor Wins a Big One: AmSpec
Issa: Four more Friends of Angelo in Congress: Hot Air

Greece: Is This Where We’re Headed?: PJM
U.S. on the hook for 17% of Euro debt: Winter Soldier
China Debts Dwarf Official Data: Bloomberg

Gunrunner & Energygate

Eric Holder Pulls Race Card: Critics Attacking Me and Obama Because We’re Black: Stand With Arizona
Obama and Holder Should Put the Race Card back in the Deck: DLim
NYT runs ‘Fast and Furious’ factual inaccuracy, favoring Holder: DC

Climate & Energy

Obama’s Great Green Fleet: Navy forced to purchase expensive and dubiously green biofuel: NRO
New EPA rules expected to cause closures of at least 32 power plants: Star-Telegram

Media

WaPo Story Notes ObamaCare State and Federal Exchange Set-ups Running Behind Schedule: Blumer
Times Co. negotiating to sell regional newspapers: DC
MTV Ditches ‘Choose or Lose’ Slogan: Malkin

Why Thomas Friedman Abetted Anti-Semitism: RWN
Two Polls Show Newt's National Lead Over Romney Has Collapsed; "Ginrick" and "Rombley" Are Now Tied, Nationally: Ace
POTUS has Coffee with Progressive Media Stars: Tapper

‘DING DONG! KIM JONG IS DEAD’: Driscoll
Maria Conchita Alonso confronts Sean Penn, calls him a “communist a**hole“: Blaze
Bawney Fwank Has Advice For Obama: 'Things Would Have Been Worse Without Me Not A Winning Slogan': WZ

World

North Koreans React As Expected To Kim Jong-il’s Death: Camelback Land
Joe Biden: The Taliban per se is not our enemy: Malkin
The Secret History of Kim Jong Il: ForPol

Gingrich's Worthy Brain Pulse - An electromagnetic pulse attack is not a fanciful notion.: WSJ
Syria: The Forgotten — Including by the Obama Administration — Revolution: BRubin
Behold! The Dear General: AmSpec

Sci-Tech

AT&T, T-Mobile deal is dead: Big Phone's colossal $4bn cockup concludes: Register
HTC faces US smartphone ban: TG Daily
Jolt in WikiLeaks Case: Feds Found Manning-Assange Chat Logs on Laptop: Wired

Cornucopia

Top 10 Suggestions For Tucker Carlson On His Dinner With Bill Ayers: Glob
Unwise Gift Suggestion: AmDig
A Jihadi Ducked Into a Jewelry Store...: Mellow Jihadi

Image: iOwnTheWorld: the Despicable Shrew Bernardine Dohrn
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "In a New York Times interview with Attorney General Eric Holder, published Sunday, author Charlie Savage made use of a factual inaccuracy in what was — in effect — a defense of Holder from his chorus of critics.

Savage wrote that there are no “documents or testimony” to support allegations that Holder knew of the “gunwalking” tactics employed in Operation Fast and Furious... “Mr. Holder has denounced the tactics used in the operation, known as ‘gunwalking,’ but said he did not know about them or sanction their use,” Savage wrote. “No documents or testimony have shown otherwise, but Republicans have pummeled him at oversight hearings and in news media appearances.”

Savage made these statements without attribution." --Matthew Boyle, "NYT runs ‘Fast and Furious’ factual inaccuracy, favoring Holder"

Monday, December 19, 2011

Ron Paul's Greatest Hits

Oh, he's sooo mainstream, as evidenced by quotes from the Ron Paul newsletter (written and edited by... Ron Paul):

• "Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks" read a typical article from the June 1992 “Special Issue on Racial Terrorism"

• Racial apocalypse was the most persistent theme of the newsletters; a 1990 issue warned of “The Coming Race War,” and an article the following year about disturbances in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C., was entitled “Animals Take Over the D.C. Zoo.”

• Paul alleged that Martin Luther King Jr., “the world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours,” had also “seduced underage girls and boys.” The man who would later proclaim King a “hero” attacked Ronald Reagan for signing legislation creating the federal holiday in his name, complaining, “We can thank him for our annual Hate Whitey Day.”

• No conspiracy theory was too outlandish for Paul’s endorsement. One newsletter reported on the heretofore unknown phenomenon of “Needlin’,” in which “gangs of black girls between the ages of 12 and 14” roamed the streets of New York and injected white women with possibly HIV-infected syringes. Another newsletter warned that “the AIDS patient” should not be allowed to eat in restaurants because “AIDS can be transmitted by saliva,” a strange claim for a physician to make.

• Paul gave credence to the theory, later shown to have been the product of a Soviet disinformation effort, that AIDS had been created in a U.S. government laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

• Three months before far-right extremists killed 168 Americans in Oklahoma City, Paul’s newsletter praised the “1,500 local militias now training to defend liberty” as “one of the most encouraging developments in America.” And he offered specific advice to antigovernment militia members, such as, “Keep the group size down,” “Keep quiet and you’re harder to find,” “Leave no clues,” “Avoid the phone as much as possible,” and “Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”

• In a March 2009 interview, Paul entertained [a] claim that NORTHCOM, the U.S. military’s combatant command for North America, is “taking over” the country. “The average member of Congress probably isn’t a participant in the grand conspiracy,” Paul reassured the fevered host, essentially acknowledging that such a conspiracy exists. “We need to take out the CIA.”

• In a January 2010 speech, Paul announced, “There’s been a coup, have you heard? It’s the CIA coup” against the American government. “They’re in businesses, in drug businesses,” the congressman added.

This is a presidential candidate?

Can you imagine what Barack Obama's billion dollars would do to Ron Paul and his KKK, Stormfront, racist, and antisemitic background should he somehow gain the GOP nomination?

Ron Paul is a flat-out loon that legacy media likes to promote as a legitimate candidate for one reason and one reason alone: to damage the GOP.


Going into our third annual "Summer of Recovery", Gallup finds unemployment is... still worsening

I'm shocked... shocked... that an already horrific employment situation appears to be collapsing (again).

Gallup, which unlike the BLS, does not fudge, Birth/Die, or seasonally adjust its data, has just released its most recent u(n)employment data. And it's not pretty... Gallup which constantly pools 30,000 people on a weekly basis, has found that for the past 4 weeks, both underemployment and unemployment have risen for 4 weeks in a row...

In summary, here is how Gallup debunks the BLS' propganda: "The sharp drop in the government-reported unemployment rate for November and the sharp drop in jobless claims during the most recent reporting week have combined to create the perception that the job market may be improving... Gallup's data suggest little improvement in the jobs situation... it may be wise to exercise caution in interpreting the drop in the government's most recent jobless claims numbers." Or, less diplomatically, the BLS is lying like a drunken sailor just as the economy is about to turn...

"...Gallup's data suggest little improvement in the jobs situation. December unemployment is up slightly on an unadjusted basis. In fact, the government is likely to report essentially no change in the unemployment rate when it issues its report on December unemployment in the first week of 2012. Of course, this assumes that the labor force doesn't continue to shrink at so rapid a pace that it drives down the unemployment rate, as it did last month."

Wait. Just. A. Second.

So after three straight Stimulus packages, QE1, QE2, Cash-for-Clunkers, Operation Twist, HAMP, HARP, and trillions in wasted government spending, you mean to say that central planning really doesn't work?


Results of Obama's Outreach to the Middle East Are In: Hamas Takes a Victory Lap [Dan from New York]

Dan from New York:

These Islamists are so clannish. With the fall of the secular dictatorships giving way to the rise of the Islamic variety, suddenly the welcome mat is out for Hamas throughout the Middle East.

First time since Hamas took power: Haniyeh to tour Mideast

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH 12/19/2011 21:09

Trip comes amid Islamist rise to power in Arab world; Qatari emir invites Hamas prime minister to visit Doha.

Buoyed by the rise of the Islamists to power in the Arab world, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh is planning a tour of Arab and Islamic countries – the first of its kind since his movement came to power in 2006. ...Haniyeh is currently considering visiting not only Qatar, but also Turkey, Bahrain, Tunisia and a number of Arab countries. He pointed out that Turkey had also invited Haniyeh.

On Sunday, Haniyeh phoned the emir of Qatar to congratulate him on the emirate’s independence anniversary. During the conversation, Haniyeh invited the emir to visit the Gaza Strip... the emir has accepted the invitation, saying it was a “national duty to go to the Gaza Strip under the current circumstances.” However, no date has been set for the visit, Rizka added.

Qatar is one of the few Arab countries that openly support Hamas. Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has visited Doha several times in the past few years.
Haniyeh also phoned the king of Bahrain and the crown-prince of Saudi Arabia and thanked them for their ongoing support for the Palestinians, the Hamas advisor said.

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There's more than one way to throw Israel under the bus, isn’t that right Mr. Obama?

Many decades from now, when the history books are written, the "Obama Doctrine" -- such as it is -- will be described as the lynch-pin of the Islamist overthrow of the Middle East.


The Perfect Christmas Card for 2011 [Papa B]

Papa B:

How true.

More Water-cooler here.


New Documentary Released on the Death of Kim Jong-Il

NMA just released a documentary on the death of Kim Jong-Il, although I have some doubts about the authenticity of the video.

Because in the real Hell, barrels of acid aren't marked as toxic. Everyone's already dead.