Thursday, January 05, 2012

Is Rick Santorum Really a 'Big Government' Guy?

That's the line being spouted by the establishment Republicans in an effort to offer covering fire for Mitt Romney's, eh, schizophrenic policy positions.

So Rick Santorum's really a 'Big Government' guy?

Santorum has a legislative record. Check it out.

Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)
Voted YES on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)
Voted YES on prioritizing national debt reduction below tax cuts. (Apr 2000)
Voted YES on 1998 GOP budget. (May 1997)
Voted YES on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)

Rated 25% by CURE, indicating anti-rehabilitation crime votes. (Dec 2000)
Rated 27% by the NEA, indicating anti-public education votes. (Dec 2003)
Rated 0% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes. (Dec 2003)
Rated 100% by CATO, indicating a pro-free trade voting record. (Dec 2002)
Rated 0% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record. (Dec 2003)
Rated 0% by the AFL-CIO, indicating an anti-union voting record. (Dec 2003)
Rated 81% by NTU, indicating a “Taxpayer’s Friend” on tax votes. (Dec 2003)

--Source: Issues 2000 Legislation Tracker

I'll say this:

Rick Santorum is a true, God-fearing, Constitutional conservative in the mold of Ronald Reagan. If we are to begin repairing this country, we need him or someone like him as President. His speech on Tuesday night was truly inspirational. Almost Reagan-esque, if it's not too trite to say that.

He is opposed by the Beltway establishment -- who has pre-ordained a Mitt Romney/Barack Obama faceoff in 2012. But they don't get to say who the GOP candidate is. You and I do. I urge you to support Rick Santorum for President, who has built a successful campaign out of sheer will, character and faith.

Four years of Barack Obama will have seen roughly $6 trillion added to the national debt -- with $10 trillion more to come on this trajectory in short order. Based on these spending levels, the Congressional Budget Office told Paul Ryan that they could not run their computer models another 25 years because the models collapse. The amount of debt they project simply cannot be rolled over -- there isn't enough money in the world.

Are you or your kids going to be around in 25 years? If so, I'd recommend you support someone who is a true Conservative, who believes in a Balanced Budget Amendment, fair taxation rules for all, and the will -- the fight -- to strip away the federal leviathan that dictates how much water your toilet tank holds, what kinds of light bulbs you're allowed to buy, how much mileage your car must get, and what kind of health care you'll receive.

Or we can continue kicking the can down the road and wait until the last possible minute to try to fix things, right before the civil society unravels.

It's now or never, folks.

If you feel the same way, I urge you to support Rick Santorum today.


Others writing about Santorum: Marathon Pundit ("The real Santorum web site is RickSantorum.com"), Mental Recession ("Here's the Real Rick Santorum Website") and Fausta's Blog.

Unexpected Product Placement Opportunity [Papa B]

Papa B:

Been using Old Spice Stick Deodorant since forever... and just noticed the new "promo" on the container.

I asked my old lady what she thought. She read it and just said... "word".

I guess I better let the grandkids know.


Obama fights a two-front war against the U.S. military

Not only is the president gutting America's military, Ron Paul-style, but he appears to be revealing Top Secret material to the fascists who govern Russia.

Bill Gertz of the Washington Times reports that President Barack Obama has indicated he is prepared to convey information about secret American missile defense technology to Russia:

In the president’s signing statement issued Saturday in passing into law the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill, Mr. Obama said restrictions aimed at protecting top-secret technical data on U.S. Standard Missile-3 velocity burnout parameters might impinge on his constitutional foreign policy authority.

As first disclosed in this space several weeks ago, U.S. officials are planning to provide Moscow with the SM-3 data, despite reservations from security officials who say that doing so could compromise the effectiveness of the system by allowing Russian weapons technicians to counter the missile. The weapons are considered some of the most effective high-speed interceptors in the U.S. missile defense arsenal.

There are also concerns that Russia could share the secret data with China and rogue states such as Iran and North Korea to help their missile programs defeat U.S. missile defenses.

This news comes on the heels of an announcement today that Obama is slashing America's fighting forces.

The cuts are so dramatic that literally tens of thousands of Soldiers and Marines are slated to be axed.

And where are those "savings" going?

Will they to be used to help address America's gaping deficits?

Of course not. They'll be used to fund more of Obama's public sector union boss buddies, through the Department of Education, the Department of Labor and other bloated bureaucracies.

In short, President Obama's priority is gutting America's national security while bankrupting the country. He continues to grow the size and scope of government bureaucracies, with salaries and benefits that are double those in the private sector.

2012 is coming.


Larwyn's Linx: A Blatant, Frontal Assault on the Constitution

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

Constitutional Crisis

A Blatant, Frontal Assault on the Constitution: RS
Members of Congress React to Obama’s Abuse of Power: Foundry
Is the Senate in recess? The Constitution says no.: Exam

Lone GOP Senator Supports Illegal Recess Appointments: Malkin
Lawmaker: Obama recess appointment is attack on Constitution: Hill
Unprecedented 'Recess' Appointment Defies Obama DOJ: Speaker

Nation

Irrefutable: Voter ID Prevents Election Fraud: Foundry
No, Rick Santorum isn't trying to ban The Pill: Exam
Santorum has raised $1M since last night: Politico

Santorum: I’m gonna surprise people in NH: Scoop
Bachmann Says Good-bye; Mitt Romney Will Miss Her: NatlJrnl
How Rick Santorum can win the nomination: DC

Romney’s watchwords in Iowa: Divide and Conquer: Barone
'Not Romney' Campaign Juiced by Iowa: Sunshine
What Did Iowa Prove?: RWN

Economy

As Predicted, Obama Backs Off Medicare Anti-Fraud Efforts: Cato
Is Obama preparing a trillion-dollar, mass refinancing of mortgages?: Peth
'Occupier' calls for burning people alive: Spew

Union Bosses Applaud Unconstitutional Appointments to NLRB: RS
Thanks For The Bailout: GM To Move Chevy Volt Production To China: WZ
Detroit Is Laying Off Cops to Rehire Them With Federal Money: MB

Gunrunner & Energygate

Breaking: ATF reportedly relieves Fast and Furious managers prior to OIG report: Codrea
BREAKING on Fast and Furious: Holder to Appear Before Issa’s Committee on Feb. 2: BigGovt
President Obama's Anti-Gun Agenda Shows No Sign of Stopping: Lott

Climate & Energy

Obama’s EPA Opens Another Front in the War on Coal: BigGovt
Airlines Passing EU Carbon Costs to Consumers: Wired
Crude Surges On News Europe Agrees To Ban Iran Oil Imports: ZH

Media

Krauthammer: Obama's Recess Appointents Part Of "A Long Strong Of Lawless Actions": RCP
Al Sharpton: 'The American Public Overwhelmingly Voted for Socialism When They Elected President Obama': NB
Keith Olbermann Takes Another Shot At Current TV, Lawyers Now Involved: Mediaite

Not All Fails Are Funny: MB
NPR, Reuters Can't Find the Magic D for Democrat in Corruption, Reckless Driving Stories: NB
Why Paul Really Lost in Iowa: Simon

Obama: America's Greatest Asset: AT
NY Times: What Do Boehner, Romney, Sensenbrenner, Wilson, Gingrich Have In Common?: WZ
Obama Political Advisor: Romney Is "The 25 Percent Man": Fox

World

Cuba criticizes Twitter for Fidel death rumor: smh
Elite Asian students cheat like mad on US college applications: GlobalPost
French Auction Fails As Bid-To-Cover Plunges: ZH

Sci-Tech

Google demotes Chrome browser SEO for advertising gaffe: Cutts
Jan. 4, 1903: Edison Fries an Elephant to Prove His Point: Wired
'Lost World' of Sea Creatures Discovered Near Antarctica: Fox

Cornucopia

PayPal dispute ends in destruction of violin: CNet
DASH, Weight Watchers ranked as top diets for 2012 by US News: GlobPost
Canadian man uses iPad to enter US: smh

Image: Lars Larson's Toon o' the Day
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Sign the Petition: Stop Obama's Big Labor Power Grab

QOTD: "I can safely say that this is the ballsiest thing I have ever seen a President do that served absolutely no meaningful purpose at all. If Congress – and I am including Congressional Democrats in this – takes this lying down, it will set a breathtaking precedent and instantaneously demolish a significant part of Congress’ relevance. Consider that if Congress allows this to stand, then the next Republican President might just announce Jay Sekulow for his next SCOTUS appointment, and then two weeks later when the Senate breaks for the weekend, declare them in recess and appoint him to the Court. If Democrats consider this to be an undesirable view of the future, I would suggest that they figure out a way to cooperate with Republicans in making Obama pay a very real price for this blatant slap at their constitutional authority." --Leon H. Wolf

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Sometimes I wonder whose side he is on [Dan from NY]

Dan from NY:

Can all that high-priced talent in the White House and State Dept. possibly be "naïve?"

January 4, 2012

Taliban Prisoner Release A Premature, Dangerously Naive Move


By Lisa Curtis

The British newspaper The Guardian has reported that the U.S. has agreed in principle to release high-ranking Taliban officials from Guantanamo Bay in return for the Afghan insurgents’ agreement to open a political office in Qatar. If true, this would demonstrate that the Obama Administration is dangerously naïve about the reality of the threat the Taliban continues to pose in the region. It also could reveal that the Administration has no real strategy for achieving U.S. counterterrorism objectives in the region and is desperate to strike a deal with the Taliban in order to justify its troop-withdrawal plan.

A few days ago, the media reported [3] that the U.S. was considering releasing Mohammed Fazl, a “high-risk detainee” held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002. According to the report, a senior U.S. Administration official said that the release of Fazl and four other Taliban members had been requested by the Afghan government and Taliban representatives as far back as 2005. As a former senior commander of the Taliban, Fazl is alleged to be responsible for the killing of thousands of Afghan Shiia between 1998 and 2001.

It is a stretch to portray the Taliban’s opening of an office in Qatar as a major concession by the organization worthy of a reciprocal move by Washington. In fact, allowing the Taliban to open an office outside Afghanistan allows the organization to claim international legitimacy, despite its unwillingness to drop support for international terrorism or to commit to participating in a normal political process in Afghanistan.

...In seeking talks with the Taliban, the Administration must avoid the same pitfalls U.S. officials fell into during the 1990s that ultimately helped set the stage for the 9/11 attacks. If the Taliban is able to reassert influence in Afghanistan without making the political compromises necessary for peace in the region, the U.S. will not only fail the Afghan people, who have already suffered under Taliban rule, but it will also sacrifice U.S. national security by allowing a violent, anti-Western Islamist ideology to succeed in the region.

Gee, ya think?


Democrat Dream Ticket [Papa B]

Papa B*:

"My name is Barney Frank... and I approve this message."

*Remember, when you see the "[Papa B]" warning indicator, you can be certain that political correctness is checked at the door.


Constitutional Crisis: His Own Justice Department Says President Obama's "Recess Appointments" Are Invalid

Over 100 years of precedent and tradition were flushed down the toilet today when President Obama decided to defy Constitutional constraints on his federal appointments.

The White House announced Wednesday that President Obama would recess-appoint Richard Cordray as chairman of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and three new members to the National Labor Relations Board.

There’s just one problem: The U.S. Senate is not in recess. The decision to appoint these officials nonetheless appears to contradict the Obama administration’s own stated position on the issue. ...According to Obama’s own Justice Department, the president is in the wrong. During a 2010 Supreme Court hearing, Chief Justice John Roberts and Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal had this exchange, in which the latter admitted that recess appointments may not be made within three days of adjournment:

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: And the recess appointment power doesn’t work why?

MR. KATYAL: The — the recess appointment power can work in — in a recess. I think our office has opined the recess has to be longer than 3 days. And — and so, it is potentially available to avert the future crisis that — that could — that could take place with respect to the board. If there are no other questions –

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Thank you, counsel.


It's worth recalling that Democrats used the same "gavel-in and gavel-out" tactic time and time again to block President George W. Bush's appointments

The Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid of Nevada, said in 2007 he would keep the Senate in "pro forma" sessions to block Bush from making an end run around the Senate and the Constitution with controversial nominations. That's exactly what Obama's White House now calls a gimmick. Yet on Wednesday, Reid came out in support of what Obama did.

The Heritage Foundation's Todd Gaziano correctly calls Obama's moves today "a tyrannical abuse of power."

The Constitution, in Article I, section 5, plainly states that neither house of Congress can recess for more than three days without the consent of the other house. The House of Representatives did not consent to a Senate recess of more than three days at the end of last year, and so the Senate—consistent with the requirements of the Constitution—is having pro forma sessions every few days. In short, Congress is still in session, and no one in Congress is saying (or can reasonably say) otherwise...

Under Article II, section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution, the President has the power to fill vacancies that may happen during Senate recesses. That power has been interpreted by scores of attorneys general and their designees in the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) for over 100 years to require an official, legal Senate recess of at least 10–25 days of duration...

In other words, through his blatantly lawless activities, the President has initiated a Constitutional crisis.

And we all know that if a Republican President had even publicly considered this option, legacy media would be beating the war-drums for impeachment.

It's high time the clueless John Boehner and Mitch McConnell started playing hardball. Real hardball. Impeachment-style hardball. Heaven knows, there are enough charges to impeach five or six presidents at this point.


Finally: Scientists Explain Michael Moore's Behavior

The headline of the article is -- and I quote -- "Fatty diet damages brain - study."

SCIENTISTS have found a high-fat diet damages a crucial region of the brain that controls body weight in rodents and believe a similar process may occur in obese humans.


Within 24 hours of being fed high-fat foods, rats and mice developed inflammation followed by scarring in the hypothalamus, a region that regulates body weight and food intake in humans and rodents. Animals fed the diet continuously for four weeks developed chronic inflammation and neuron loss.

Rosie O'Donnell could not be reached for comment at press time either.


Larwyn's Linx: Santorum Surge Results in Photo Finish

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

Iowa Caucuses

Santorum Surge Results in Photo Finish: RSM
Iowa-bashing snobs and sore losers: Malkin
Romney ekes out 8-vote win over Santorum: WSJ

Game on! Rick Santorum’s amazing victory speech: Scoop
Iowa finish could knock Perry out of SC debate: Exam
Iowa Caucus Day: News, Aggregation and Updates: SIGIS

Remember the Crying Girl?: RSM
Palin: Maybe Bachmann should endorse someone and get out: Hot Air
Bachmann won’t drop out after last-place Iowa finish: Hill

Nation

Obama Officially Abandons Governing: Dossier
Ignorance is Bliss: Steyn
What the Republican Primary Season Has Revealed: Galston

Obama: The Constitution? That's For Mortals, Not Messiahs Like Me: Ace
The State of the Race, Post-Iowa: RWN
No Kidding: FLOTUS likes being called 'Your Excellency': GWP

Meanwhile, outside of Iowa...: Prell
Despite Obama's Failures, He Will Be Tough To Beat: IBD
Ron Paul: Reagan’s conservative agenda was a disaster: Scoop

Economy

How Copyright Industries Con Congress: Cato
Cronyism doesn’t sell in corn country: Wolf
Stop Feeding Big Government: Battle Creek Enquirer

Occupy’s Celebrity 1 Percent Backers: RWN
In Brazil, "The factory is closed": Pundette
Carter Offers Obama Advice About How to Avoid Being a One Termer: Malkin

Climate & Energy

Oil Prices Up, but Keystone Still in Limbo: Foundry
Good news: EPA now producing automobile company sales projections for the year 2025: Manning
Chevy Volt Gets "Worst Product" Award: NPLC

Media

Politico’s great headliner guest for Iowa caucus coverage is …: Hot Air
CBS Scolds Gingrich: To Cut Deficit You Must Increase Taxes: NB
NBC's Gregory: Isn't GOP To Blame 'For Not Doing More to Make Government Work Better'?: NB

Univision Wages Political War On Latino Conservatives: IBD
Washington Post Cries, ‘Michelle Obama’s Massive Posterior Off Limits!’: SHN
Alan Colmes Hit Bottom, Begins Digging New Sub-Basement: Hayward

Non Profit Accused of Mortgage Fraud on Chicago's West Side: Volpe
The Gloves Are Off: Newt Gingrich’s Full Page Ad Hitting Mitt In New Hampshire: RWN
America Worries Whether Keith Olbermann Will, or Will Not, Take His Very Important Anchor Desk Tonight: Ace

World

Ron Paul's Soros Defense Plan: Sultan Knish
LA Times: Obama’s Hostility to Israel Comes From ‘Intellectual’ Roots; Still Won’t Release Khalidi Tape: Pollak
Iran threatens action if US carrier returns: Reuters

Air Force Will Lose Hundreds of Planes in New Pentagon Plan: DangerRoom
Yes, @WordPress is Shutting Down Bare Naked Islam’s Site: Creeping
Jihadist Invents Flying Motorcycle: Jawa

Jihad plotting persists in mosques: Spencer
Iran warns U.S. warship to stay out of gulf: SFGate
Saudi King’s Reform Step vs. Crown Prince’s Ambitious Wahhabism: WS

Sci-Tech

The Stratfor Scandal: AT
Samsung Announces Wi-Fi Enabled, Android Controlled Digicam: Wired
Twitter and Facebook your way to a wealthier 2012: Telegraph

Exposed: The Military’s Freakiest ‘Non-Lethal’ Weapon Ideas: DangerRoom
The Incredible Scale of the Internet: Foundry
Time stamp bug exposes photos on locked iPhone: CNet

Cornucopia

Our Great Big Post-Modern Campaign Poster Contest: MOTUS
Stats, Rankings Turn Beer Pong Into Moneypong: Wired
They told me he would be historic -- and they were right!: Glob

Image: The People's Cube
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum Needs Your Help Now!

QOTD: "Yes [I am calling Mitt Romney a liar...] This is a man whose staff created the PAC, his millionaire friends fund the PAC, he pretends he has nothing to do with the PAC – it’s baloney. He’s not telling the American people the truth.

“It’s just like this pretense that he’s a conservative. Here’s a Massachusetts moderate who has tax-paid abortions in ‘Romneycare,’ puts Planned Parenthood in ‘Romneycare,’ raises hundreds of millions of dollars of taxes on businesses, appoints liberal judges to appease Democrats, and wants the rest of us to believe somehow he’s magically a conservative." --Newt Gingrich

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Google Trends: Rick Santorum Searches Explode

Someone alert the IPCC: here's a real hockey-stick graph. The latest Google Trends data shows an astonishing jump in searches for Rick Santorum (who, by the way, would make an excellent, excellent Republican candidate for president).

Santorum is a true Constitutional conservative and has the track record to prove it. And it appears he is quite close to winning the Iowa Caucuses.

If you can afford it, I would encourage you to support Santorum's campaign any way you can. It's time we elected a principled conservative -- in the mold of Ronald Reagan -- as opposed to a Beltway RINO.

There's nothing that would piss off the establishment GOP more, which tells me it's the right thing to do.


Update: Robert Stacy McCain has running updates on the Iowa Caucus.

Awesome: White House forcing approval of immigration requests, even those with 'fraud, eligibility or security' concerns

And I had such high hopes for the Obama administration:

Higher-ups within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are pressuring rank-and-file officers to rubber-stamp immigrants’ visa applications, sometimes against the officers’ will, according to a Homeland Security report and internal documents exclusively obtained by The Daily.

A 40-page report, drafted by the Office of Inspector General in September but not publicly released, details the immense pressure immigration service officers are under to approve visa applications quickly, sometimes while overlooking concerns about fraud, eligibility or security.

...high-ranking USCIS officials said the pressure has heightened after the Obama administration appointed Alejandro Mayorkas as director in August 2009 during an effort to pass comprehensive immigration reform, bringing with him a mantra of “get to yes.”

...At least five agency veterans seen as being too tough on applicants were either demoted, or given the choice between a demotion or a relocation from Southern California — where their families were — to San Francisco and Nebraska, according to sources and letters of reassignment provided to The Daily.

Those kind of threats have caused lower-level employees to fall in line, sources said.

Dammit! Every time I think I've finished The Complete List of Barack Obama's Historic Firsts, they roll out a new one.


Hat tip: The Drudge Report.

Yikes! Total amount of debt that must be refinanced in 2012 equal to... only about all of the cash in the world

The global Ponzi scheme needs some fresh fish new recruits -- desperately:

Developed economies will see $7.6trn worth of debt mature this year, with Italy towards the front of the refinancing queue at a time when its borrowing costs remain elevated.

The $7.6trn figure for the G7 economies and the BRICs is up from $7.4trn last year, according to Bloomberg, and comes at a time of slowing global growth and higher bond yields for many countries.

Japan and the US, which will have to rollover $3trn and $2.8trn worth of debt respectively in 2012, saw borrowing costs drop in 2011 as investors fled to safe havens.

But Italy, which remains at the epicentre of the eurozone crisis, has to rollover $428bn this year. This is the third highest amount, followed by France with $367bn and Germany on $285bn.

Italian 10-year bond yields continue to hover around the critical 7% mark, the figure currently standing at 6.88%, and the country had mixed fortunes with two debt auctions at the end of 2011.

But wait -- that's not all!

Turns out that there's another $1 trillion in corporate debt that must be rolled over this year as well.

All-in-all, the debt loads are becoming awesome and face what Bloomberg describes as a bad combination:

"The buyer base for peripheral Europe has obviously shrunk at the same time that the supply coming to the market is increasing, which is not a good combination," said Michael Riddell, a London-based fund manager at M&G Investments.

...but we agree with the following that it will be mid-year (March onwards) that the real problems of excess supply hit (and pre-judging when this gets (or how much of this is) priced into forwards is anyone's guess):

Investors should be most worried about the period after the ECB’s second three-year longer-term refinancing operation scheduled in February, according to Ignis’s Thomson... "The amount of liquidity that has been supplied by central banks, with more to come from the ECB in February, suggests the first couple of months will be a sort of phony war as far as the supply is concerned."

But, wait -- I'm not done!

Care to guess how much short-term consumer credit card debt needs to be rolled? According to CreditCards.com, there's about $800 billion in revolving debt on Americans' plastic.

In short, it would appear that the world needs to find someone to loan it about $10 trillion this year alone.

And how much cash is there in the world?

While it's difficult to say with any certainty how much cash and cash equivalents are floating around at any given time, the last estimate by Mike Hewitt in 2009 produced a figure of around $12.3 trillion.

So, basically, we need almost all of the cash in the entire world to fund this year's debts (and don't ask about the next few years).

The good news: if Paul Krugman can pull off that alien invasion he proposed a few months ago, we could find some new marks investors in the global Ponzi scheme.


Andrea Mitchell Opines on the All-Important Detroit Caucuses

Remember when NBC's senior political hack analyst Andrea Mitchell belittled the state of Iowa, asserting that "it doesn't represent the rest of the country - too white, too evangelical, too rural"?

The petulant artisans at iOwnTheWorld subsequently filed an official rebuttal in the form of a poster.

Calls to Ms. Mitchell were not returned at press time, though an NBC spokesman confirmed that tingling sensations had been felt in the newsroom.


Larwyn's Linx: Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians for 2011

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

Nation

Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians for 2011: JW
On Virginia AG Cuccinelli's Ballot Rules Reversal: Ace
Former staffer responds to Paul's 9/11 Truther denials: Lid

How the DOJ and media tricked SC to protect vote fraud: BigGovt
Did you miss the White House visitor log document dump?: Malkin
Rand Paul: Tea Party's Better Off Within the GOP: Hot Air

Steady in Iowa, Romney Counts on New Hampshire, Florida: Barone
A Brief Guide to Iowa and Beyond: RWN
Five Easy Steps to End ‘Islamophobia’: Spencer

Economy

Heartache: Obama’s Hawaiian Vacation Is Over: WZ
A Brave New Step on the Tightrope: TL in Exile
‘Let’s Move’: A Government Initiative to Lie to Kids: BigGovt

Obamanomics by the Numbers: Instapundit
Middle Class Warriors Dine Out for $260: Dossier
Economic Indicators: Jobs Will Be Job One: WSJ

Climate & Energy

What's the Punchline?: Dinocrat
This Is How Newt’s “Science Advisor” Thinks: Soylent
Devastating criticism of the IPCC from a guy who contributed to all five IPCC Assessment Reports: Nelson

Corbyn vs. the Met: Bayonet
GOP lawmaker and Chevy dealer looks to end Volt tax credit: Hill
New ad campaign reveals foreign interests sabotaging Canada’s economy: 5 Feet

Media

“Thomas Friedman, you pitiful fool.”: Power Line
And now, an endorsement for Ron Paul: Ace
Cindy Sheehan Brags To #OccupyRoseBowl: “I Haven’t Paid My Taxes” In Nearly Eight Years: Dollard

“You got a name?” Rick Perry shuts down Politico reporter over anonymous source: Scoop
Alan Colmes Deserves His New Nickname: Low-life Scum: Lid
Saturday At The Movies! Alfonzo Rachel Edition: Blogmocracy

WordPress Shuts Down Controversial Anti-Islam Site: BigGovt
Colmes apologizes for comment about son after Santorum and wife get emotional: Hot Air
Occupy the Rose Bowl and Occupy the Navy: Mellow Jihadi

RWN’S Top 10 Referrers For 2011: RWN
Ron Paul Tells Terry Moran He Doesn’t Really See Himself in The Oval Office: Blaze
The First Annual Tabbie Awards for Astute Blogging: TAB

World

Nine Michigan car dealerships in Hizbollah scheme, laundered money in US banks: Creeping
Russia: What Iranian nuclear-weapon program?: Hot Air
Arabs once again raise phony "settlement freeze" issue: TAB

Iran in Convulsion (the death spiral continues): Ledeen
Muslim Brotherhood: What say we put that peace treaty with Israel to a popular vote?: Hot Air
Iran Spits Nails As Sanctions Bite: Mead

Egypt's Winds of Change Give Way to Dark Clouds: IPT
Ron Paul Slams Israel, Alleges Gaza a Concentration Camp: AmPower
Video shows Queens firebug hurling Molotov cocktail: Post

Sci-Tech

L.A. arson: A turning point for police use of Twitter, social media: LAT
Pepsi Says Mountain Dew Can Dissolve Mouse Carcasses: AtlWire
More Best Space Photos of 2011: TAB

Cornucopia

Pure, unadulterated genius: Knuckle-draggin' (NSFW)
Stanley Ann’s Legacy: A Crafty Gift: MOTUS
It Could Be Worse: Knuckle-draggin' (NSFW)

Image: Frontpage Magazine
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum Money Bomb

QOTD: "Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude." --Alexis de Tocqueville

Monday, January 02, 2012

Odd Coincidence: Soros-Affiliated Brazilian Company Looks to Win Major DOD Contract Over U.S. Competition

For some reason unbeknownst to me, legacy media has chosen not to report this particular story. Go figure.

It seems after investing around $100 million in this project, Hawker-Beechcraft has been excluded from a contract, worth almost $1 billion, to build a new light air support plane.

What intrigues me is the Brazilian company Embraer, the likely contract winner, is currently under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Justice Department, for possible violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act...

Well, amigo, that certainly seems curious. I wonder how that might have happened?

...it seems George Soros has a connection to Embraer through Harbin-Embraer Aircraft a Chinese-Brazilian joint venture, and Hainan Airlines, which Soros owns a significant stake in.

Surely that must be a coincidence.

...[There may be] nothing sinister going on behind the scenes.

It’s troubling, however, that Hawker-Beechcraft was given no real explanation for this decision. It’s also troubling we’d buy a military aircraft from a foreign manufacturer, under any circumstances. As bad as Americans need jobs, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Never mind the national security factor.

Hawker-Beechcraft isn't giving up.

It's still a mystery... but it's one that Hawker Beech intends to get to the bottom of... Hawker Beechcraft has confirmed that they will file a suit with the Court of Federal Claims following notification late last week that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has declined to review its protest of the decision by the U.S. Air Force to exclude the company's Beechcraft AT-6 from the Light Air Support (LAS) competition.

The company still has no concrete reasons for the AT-6's exclusion, having been denied explanation by the US Air Force on two occasions. The LAS contract is valued at nearly $1 billion of U.S. taxpayer money and exclusion of the AT-6 could result in a de facto award to a non-U.S. company.

Hawker says that keeping the contract in the U.S. would preserve 1,400 jobs at 181 companies around the U.S.

But leave it to President Obama -- who "will not rest" until every American has a good job -- to outsource the construction of military aircraft.


Hat tip: Winter Soldier.

A little reminder for 2012: which RINO hacks voted to confirm Eric Holder

Has there been a more malevolent, malicious and partisan attorney general in American history than Eric Holder?

• Holder's Justice Department orchestrated "Operation Fast and Furious", which sent thousands of military-grade weapons to Mexican drug cartels and resulted in the killings of hundreds of Mexican nationals and at least two U.S. law enforcement personnel.

• Instead of owning up to the disastrous operation, the Holder DOJ has engaged in a massive cover-up including an endless series of fabrications, deflections and outright lies. Holder's behavior has been so outrageous that Judiciary Committee member James Sensenbrenner has threatened impeachment and more than 50 members of Congress have called for him to resign.

• Under Holder, the Justice Department is suing a series of states for enforcing immigration law -- while tolerating sanctuary cities in other states.

• The Holder DOJ has withheld and redacted critical evidence of Justice Elena Kagan's relationship with the defense of Obamacare, a potentially criminal matter.

• Furthermore, Holder has now confirmed that at least nine Department of Justice appointees worked directly or indirectly (e.g., filing Amicus Curae briefs) as terrorist advocates. Other DOJ political appointees also worked for law firms that participated indirectly in the defense of Gitmo terrorists.

• This comes on the heels of Holder's shocking failure to prosecute the New Black Panthers who intimidated voters at a Philadelphia polling station in 2008.

And Holder, of course, had a singularly evil track record that should have clearly warned Congress against his confirmation: he had helped free FALN terrorists for Bill Clinton in an apparent quid pro quo; he had approved the pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich after his wife had donated millions to Bill Clinton; and he'd had deep involvement in a variety of other situations that should have disqualified him instantly from holding any public office.

Many months ago, Michelle Malkin helpfully reminded us of the list of Republicans who had voted to confirm Holder:

Alexander (R-TN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Chambliss (R-Ga)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Sessions (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Voinovich (R-OH)


 
 
 
 
 
 

Voinovich and Specter no longer count, of course.

But the usual suspects -- Dick Lugar (up for reelection in 2012), Olympia Snowe (2012), Susan Collins (2014), Lindsay "Goober" Graham (2014), and John McCain all voted for Holder -- along with a bunch of more solid Republicans who definitely should have known better.

I urge you to remember these names and to support their primary opponents:

Richard Mourdock is taking on Dick Lugar in Indiana

Andrew Ian Dodge is facing off against Olympia Snowe in Maine

It's time to take action.


Nice: Occupy Movement Crashes Rose Parade with 70-Foot Octopus "Float" That Pins Economic Woes On... Well, You Know

Yeah, you remember that conspiracy orchestrated by those greedy, corporate, Wall Street globalists?

Planning to walk behind the nationally-broadcast Rose Parade Monday demonstrators against Wall Street 'greed and corruption' have constructed a 70-foot-long octopus entirely from recycled plastic bags... The octopus is said to represent the tentacles 'that reach into your pocket to get your money and a tentacle to get your house,' activist Mark Lipman told the Los Angeles Times.

...During a dress rehearsal of their plastic creature in November outside City Hall, activists carrying signs reading Teacher, Home Owner, Retiree and of course, 99 per cent, one-by-one stepped into grabbing point of the activist-raised arms pulling them in.

Say, where have we seen that octopus symbolism before?

Oh, yeah, that's right:

Are people so afraid to stand up against the hatred, public hatred broadcast for the entire world to see? The image of the octopus has been used in attacks on the Jews for over a century. Here's a roundup on the Jewish conspiracy octopus at the Coordinating Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism.

And the local organizers didn't even try to hide their hatred.

People keep saying that the Occupy movement is all about fairness and "getting money out of politics."

Right.

This is the modern Left in action. It tries to divide Americans against one another: rich vs. poor, black vs. white, union vs. non-union, urban vs. rural, you name it.

This kind of rhetoric defies American tradition and, furthermore, it's downright dangerous. Nothing good can come from demonizing arbitrary groups of Americans.


Exclusive Photo: Security Cam Captures L.A. Arson Suspect

Biff Spackle emails us this photo acquired from an unnamed source in Hollywood.

Hey, is that a Chevy Volt?

Seriously, police now have one person in custody related to the recent arson spree.


Larwyn's Linx: No Rest For Conservatives, the 'Sleeping Giant', in 2012

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

Nation

No Rest For Conservatives, the 'Sleeping Giant', in 2012: BigGovt
A Holiday Gift From Ron Paul: Patterico
SSgt Wuterich: The Last Haditha Marine Goes On Trial: Malkin

The No News Stories of 2011: Hanson
The truth behind Holder’s push for ‘electoral equality’: Greenroom
Americans buy record number of guns for Christmas: Telegraph

My Final Short and Sweet Case For Newt Gingrich: RWN
Nationwide FEMA Camps Should Raise Eyebrows: AT
Perry backers could move to Santorum: Hill

Economy

Debt Man Walking: RS
Officer Stabbled in #OWS Riot: WZ
The RNC's 500-Page Book of Clips of Anti-Obama Material: NatlJrnl

Unlimited Domestic Energy...Right Now: AT
The GOP's Answer to Union Money: Barnes
Eurozone collapse 'starts this year' says CEBR: Telegraph

Gunrunner & Energygate

Obama on Guns: HE
Journalistic Sunstroke: IowaHawk
AP ‘Top 10’ List Confirms Media Still Ignoring Fast And Furious Story: AmmoLand

Climate & Energy

Utility may cut off power to solar plant: Surber
SST’s cooler now than in the Medieval Warming Period: Watts
How Columbus Caused the Little Ice Age: RWN

Media

David Gregory Calls President Obama A Liar On Meet The Press: Ace
Don’t Underestimate Rick Santorum’s Campaign Strength in New Hampshire: RSM
‘Get Crazy With The Cheese Whiz’: RSM

What a Difference a Network Makes: Hookers & Booze
“the ethos of Legal Insurrection is much more subtle”: LI
New to Twitter: the tweet Murdoch took down ... fast: smh

Ten 2011 Examples of Major Media Malfeasance: Blumer
WaPo's Ignatius Predicts Obama to Take on Israel's Netanyahu in 2nd Term: NB
Taylor Marsh throws in the towel on Obama: Hot Air

Diogenes' 2nd Annual Golden Turd Awards.: Diogenes
“60 Minutes” Grills Eric Cantor on Why He’s Republican in Sunday Night Hit Piece: GWP
Santorum Schools Yet Another MSM Hack on Obama's Appeasement – This Time, NBC’s David Gregory: Pollak

World

The coming war with Iran: Kahlili
Obama’s Peace Partners, the Taliban, Attack Bagram Air Base on New Year’s Eve: GWP
Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Vows Not To Recognize Israel, Cancel Peace Treaty: WZ

Sci-Tech

Apple's first iPhone was made in 1983: smh
'Neat and tidy' trumps bulging six pack: smh
Mobile carriers: Five predictions for 2012: CNet

Cornucopia

Obama on Mythbusters: iOTW
The 50 Most Obnoxious Quotes Of 2011: RWN
Skid Marx: iOTW

Image: Los Angeles car fires security video released
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support John Kasich in Ohio

QOTD: "The issue here is not gonna be a list of accomplishments. As you said yourself, Steve, you know, I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president — with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln. — Barack Obama"

Sunday, January 01, 2012

What could go wrong? Dennis Rodman recruiting for his new topless women's basketball team

I can't wait to find out the name of the team (and feel free to propose some in the comments and I'll be sure to relay them to the Rod-man):

Dennis Rodman is bouncing back into basketball — this time as a coach for a topless women’s team he’s launching for Headquarters Gentlemen’s Club, the New York mammary mecca. [Ed: "mammary mecca"? If we're going to do alliteration, how about "boob bazaar"?]

The NBA bad boy dreamed up the team after hearing that rival strip joint Rick’s Cabaret had launched a league with former Atlanta Hawk Spud Webb, who runs the Texas Legends, an NBA Development League team. Rodman is even challenging Rick’s Cabaret’s topless team to a charity game.

I don’t know too many men that don’t like a good-looking woman running up and down around the court,” Rodman told Page Six. [Ed: Word.]

Rodman, who told us he’s been a Headquarters customer for more than 30 years, is currently scouting for talent. He’ll be holding auditions next week at the jiggle joint for girls over 5-foot-10 to join the team.

“You don’t have to have too much experience, just know how to throw the ball into the hole,” was his sterling advice to hopefuls... Rodman said he also planned auditioning “players” during his appearance at Huntington, LI, club Paramount last night.

Team members will wear shorts, skimpy shirts and sneakers during games. “They’ll come out in a T-shirt or a tank top, but when the game starts, they’ll go topless,” Rodman boasted.

I'll be honest: this idea is a winner. And with a "Level 5 Leader" like Rodman at the helm, there's virtually nothing that can go wrong.


Image: Based upon an original found at Fark.