Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Ivy league Idiot Series, Episode 648: Princeton's economic embarrassment, Alan Blinder

Someone claiming to be a Princeton University professor of economics named Alan Blinder penned an op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal ("Stimulus Isn't a Dirty Word"). Blinder's article is only noteworthy because of its record-breaking levels of dishonesty, partisan hackery, and rhetorical buffoonery all wrapped up into a nice little log by a so-called "professor".

Consider these delightful lowlights:

Many Democrats also want to build and repair more roads, bridges, tunnels and the like—taking advantage of the rare combination of historically low government borrowing rates and historically high unemployment among construction workers.

Gee, Einstein: didn't we just deficit-spend a record-setting $5 or so trillion dollars -- thanks in great part to a so-called "Stimulus" program -- that was an utter and complete failure? What happened to all of that money? How about we get a detailed accounting of that disaster before we borrow more from generations yet unborn, Sparky?

Most Republicans reject that idea, too, even though the argument for more public capital is the same as the argument for more private capital—each promotes growth.

Actually, genius, the private sector produces goods and services. That's called productivity. See, what the government does is suck productivity out of the private sector to fund its ever-increasing bureaucracies that serve -- primarily -- to perpetuate themselves. Government never seems to get smaller, does it, Bucky? In good times and bad, government gets bigger. Does that sounds sustainable to you, Perfesser?

In the near term, we need modest stimulus, focused tightly on creating jobs. But that stimulus should be paired with a vastly larger dose of long-run deficit reduction—perhaps 10 to 20 times as large as the stimulus—over the 10-year budget window... Economically, this can be done; it's not even that hard. But if Republicans continue to reject even deals comprised of $10 of spending cuts for each $1 of tax increases, it's hard to see how we get there politically.

Say, Al, did the Republicans reject a budget that proposed $10 in spending cuts for each $1 of tax increases? Because I -- and the rest of the country -- must have missed that, what with all of the golf, vacations and suing states for enforcing voter ID and enforcing immigration laws. In fact, if memory serves, it's been over 1,200 days since the Democrat-controlled body of Congress actually passed a budget. So email me the link to that budget with the 10:1 budget cut ratio, would ya, Alvin?

The U.S. government can now borrow for five years at about 0.75% and for 10 years at about 1.7%. Both rates are far below expected inflation, making real interest rates sharply negative. Yet legions of skilled construction workers remain unemployed while we drive our cars over pothole-laden roads and creaky bridges. Does this make sense?

It sure does if: (a) you don't have a plan to ever pay back your debts, which the Democrats don't; (b) you've got a president who has already rung up more deficit spending than anyone in human history; (c) the Congressional Budget Office and the president's own advisers admit that the current borrowing trajectory is "unsustainable"; and (d) your sovereign debt got downgraded from AAA for the first time. Make sense, Aloysius?

...education is critical to American leadership in the world... Where things do get partisan is in choosing between working harder on traditional public schools versus relying on vouchers, charter schools and the like to provide competition. Here, the research is interesting. It suggests that, on average, charter schools perform neither better nor worse than public schools.

Well, Alston, on the very same editorial page the day before, there was a far more interesting, accurate and relevant article entitled "Why Charter Schools Work" by Deborah Kenny. Ms. Kenny, an author and founder of Harlem Village Academies, describes the two attributes that always drive parents with a choice to send their kids to charter schools: accountability and freedom of choice.

In Washington, DC, for example -- where Democrats obliterated charter schools -- the district spends about $30,000 per student annually, or "about triple what the DC voucher program spends per pupil—and the voucher students have a much higher graduation rate."

Don't you believe in evolution, Alex? Don't you believe in the survival of the fittest? Are you a denier? Because only competition, only Darwinism, only free market principles advance society. But don't ask me, ask your ideological predecessors over in the Soviet Union who also demanded that the state run the entire educational system. Wait, you say there is no Soviet Union any longer?

We've experimented with moving the top rate up or down a few percentage points several times. Under President Clinton in 1993, we raised it to 39.6% from 36% and one of the greatest periods of prosperity in U.S. history followed. Then in 2001, under President George W. Bush, we cut the top rate to 35% from 39.6% and . . . well, you know what followed.

Well, Alton, given that President Clinton enjoyed these two tiny, inconsequential events -- the invention of the World-Wide Web and the Y2K IT spending bonanza -- it would seem to me that even an impeached, disbarred pervert who sold missile secrets to China for campaign donations would be able to preside over a booming economy. And, as for President Bush, I believe revenues to the government improved dramatically after the tax cuts and that it was a mortgage meltdown -- and nothing to do with tax rates -- that caused the economy to collapse.

And we all know who was behind the housing disaster, don't we, Alphonse?

* * * * * * * * *

With embarrassments like this teaching "economics", it's no wonder Princeton doesn't have the temerity to operate a business school.


Larwyn's Linx: After SCOTUS slap-down, Obama responds by punishing law enforcement

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Arizona Decision

After SCOTUS slap-down, Obama punishes law enforcement: MenRec
Arizona Sheriff: "If ICE Won’t Come Get Them...": WZ
Obama to Court: Drop Dead: AmSpec

Administration Refuses To Aid AZ With Immigration Checks: Ace
Obama is now at war with state and local law enforcement: Scoop
Justice Scalia scolds Obama in Dissent: Riehl

Nation

Ask Not What Obama Can Do for You in His Campaign…: RWN
Obama 'Brownshirts' Bill Now Working Through Senate: HySci
House to vote Thursday on holding Holder in contempt: Twitchy

Obama’s Oath of Obfuscation: Babalu
The Kagan recusal footnote to the upcoming Obamacare ruling: LI
Obamacare Prediction Thread: Ace

Will recount give GOP WI Senate via ballot recall mistake?: Riehl
New Black Panthers Threaten Whitey on Twitter: GWP
ACLU teaching illegal aliens how to avoid detection in AZ: Gibson

Economy

Adelson Is Evil – But Soros and Labor Unions Aren’t?: RWN
Wealthy Americans Jumping Obama's Ship: FreedomWorks
White House Spending $2.5MM To Run Ads For Food Stamps: WZ

Half a Trillion Dollars Spent on Welfare Left Poverty Levels Unchanged: CNS
$80B a year for food stamps, but feds won’t reveal what’s purchased: Times
Obamacare Increases Income Inequality: RCP

Obama Camp Refuses To Pay Police For Visit: S&L
Chicago Fed: Economic Growth Slowed in May: CalcRisk
The 7 Safest Banks in America: 24/7 Wall St.

Scandal Central

ATF leader’s email could be Fast and Furious smoking gun and Holder admitted Obama can’t shield it: Caller
Lying liars and the ‘furious’ lies they tell: Times
House Dem: ‘Inappropriate’ to ask me questions after lobbyist fundraiser: Exam

Climate & Energy

Inspector General to Investigate EPA Enforcement: Foundry
Climate change: About that massive ice melt … yeah, never mind: Q&O
Latest global warming scare report: If you live on the east coast, put on waders now: Malkin

Media

Krugman's Follies: City Journal
As Obama’s political troubles multiply, the “racism” excuse begins to emerge: Conservatory
New tone: Tolerant Left spews slurs, wishes Justice Scalia be put on ‘kill list,’ hopes other Justices die: Twitchy

A cryptic, anonymous note to the Obama campaign at Redstate: Riehl
MSM Scrambles to Deceive Readers about Arizona Court Ruling: PunditPress
Aaron Walker SWATted: Patterico

The Best Quotes From “Citizen K: The Deeply Weird American Journey of Brett Kimberlin”: RWN
AP Relays Dem Press Release on DNC Move; Bloomberg Revealed Likely Reason (Money) Earlier: NB
Obama Hits 100th Fundraiser Of The Year…: WZ

World

Send the bill to La Raza: Mom charged $50 to clean street after son killed by drunk illegal alien: WyBlog
After an Israeli strike on Iran: Pipes
A Hamas victory at the UN Human Rights Council: JPost

Hillary Clinton's Hidden Ties To Egypt's New Muslim Brotherhood President: JoshuaPundit
Egypt’s new president.: Chicago Boyz
Sinai, Gaza Terror Threats Escalate: IPT

The EU Cannot Hold Together: P&F
The Consequences Of The Unthinkable: Here Is What Happens When The Euro Breaks Up: ZH
Cyprus bailout cost may be half its economy: JPost

Sci-Tech

Microsoft job listing hints at future in-car systems: Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Kinect integration: Verge
Higher vocabulary ~ higher income: Discover
Here Is How To Turn Off Facebook's Creepy New Find Friends Nearby Feature: Insider

Cornucopia

A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week; off to a bad start: MOTUS
samson agonistes .... a tragic poem, by john milton ....: Winter Soldier
New Super PAC, “Special Operations Speaks” Emerges To Defeat Obama: Nice Deb

Image: NPR Reports FBI Investigating more than 100 Suspected Islamic Extremists Within Military
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate

QOTD: "...we have an Administration which ran an illegal operation designed to further regulate and therefore diminish American citizens' constitutional right to bear arms ; when the scheme resulted in the death of 200 Mexicans and at least one and possibly two U.S. agents, it lied repeatedly under oath about it; and the White House was involved in the efforts illegally to cover it up.

As the great Iowahawk tweeted, it's 'Watergate with toe tags.'" --Clarice Feldman

Monday, June 25, 2012

Shock: In spite of record-setting Obama deficit spending on welfare, poverty meter hasn't moved a bit

Turns out that the old socialist progressive adage that candidate Obama expressed to Joe the Plumber -- you know, "when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody" -- is just as wrongheaded as everything else the SCOAMF has tried.

Despite an unprecedented increase in federal anti-poverty spending, the national poverty rate has not declined, the study finds.

“[S]ince President Obama took office [in January 2009], federal welfare spending has increased by 41 percent, more than $193 billion per year,” the study says.

Federal welfare spending in fiscal year 2011 totaled $668 billion, spread out over 126 programs, while the poverty rate that remains high at 15.1 percent, roughly where it was in 1965, when President Johnson declared a federal War on Poverty.

In 1966, the first year after Johnson declared war on poverty, the national poverty rate was 14.7 percent, according to Census Bureau figures. Over time, the poverty rate has fluctuated in a narrow range between 11 and 15 percent, only falling into the 11 percent range for a few years in the late 1970’s.

...In fiscal year 2008, anti-poverty spending was $475 billion. In fiscal year 2009, when Obama took office, it had risen to $590 billion.

“But the dramat­ically larger increase also suggests that part of the program’s growth is due to conscious policy choices by this administration to ease eligibility rules and expand caseloads,” the Cato report says. “For example, income limits for eligibility have risen twice as fast as inflation since 2007 and are now roughly 10 percent higher than they were when Obama took office.”

The study concludes with some salient and rational points -- which make them certain to be ignored by the party of failed ideologies.

All [of] this spending has not bought an ap­preciable reduction in poverty... [T]he poverty rate has remained relatively constant since 1965, despite rising welfare spending...

...It would make sense therefore to shift our anti-poverty efforts from government programs that simply provide money or goods and services to those who are living in poverty to efforts to create the condi­tions and incentives that will make it eas­ier for people to escape poverty.


But Democrats apparently believe that borrowing 40 cents of every dollar to spend on failed program after failed program is good governance.

But November is coming.



The Arizona Immigration Decision: Surveying the Full Spectrum of Media Headline Spin

Here is a sampling of headlines from a variety of news sources which I've listed in order, from the most liberal spin to the most conservative. Check out the difference between Fox News and Fox News Latino.

Liberal

Supreme Court rejects most of Arizona immigration law: Salt Lake City Tribune
High court strikes down key parts of Arizona immigration law: MSNBC
Supreme Court Strikes Down Key Provisions Of Arizona Immigration Law: Vermont Public Radio
High court limits state action on immigration: Boston Globe
US Supreme Court Rejects Much of Arizona Immigration Law: Voice of America
Supreme Court mostly rejects Arizona immigration law; gov says 'heart' remains: CNN
Arizona Immigration Law 'Heart' Struck Down by Supreme Court: Fox News Latino

Centrist

Court Splits on Arizona Law: Wall Street Journal
High court splits its verdict on Arizona immigration law: Reuters
Ruling on immigration law has both sides claiming victory: USA Today
High court splits its verdict on Arizona immigration law: Chicago Tribune
U.S. Supreme Court issues split ruling on Arizona immigration law: Xinhua
Arizona Supreme Court decision: A mixed bag for Obama: CBS News

Conservative

Supreme Court reins in Arizona immigration law, but leaves key provision in place: Fox News
Supreme Court upholds key part of Arizona immigration law: ABC News
Arizona DREAM Act Coalition 'laments' upholding of SB 1070 provision: AZFamily
The immigration proclamation: President Obama may not ignore laws he dislikes: National Review
Jan Brewer: Arizona to enforce 'show me your papers' policy ASAP: Los Angeles Times
Supreme Court upholds part of strict Arizona immigration law: McClatchy News
Supreme Court upholds key plank of Arizona immigration law: Washington Times

* * * * * * * * *

I've been thinking about the list of plain, uncontestable affronts to the Constitution initiated by the current administration. Vintage media, for the most part, has ignored -- or worse, applauded -- these steps.

In truth, legacy media is cheerleading for lawlessness. Because if any Republican president had attempted even one of these crimes (and they are indeed crimes), we'd have read endless page one, above-the-fold coverage in The New York Times. We'd have seen months of breathless, opening-the-broadcast special reports -- with custom "Presidential Crisis" artwork and logos -- from the likes of Brian Williams and Diane Sawyer.

Which is why I would encourage you to never read or watch vintage media. It's time to put a stop to their idiocy.


Dee Wasserman Snider gets a Code Pink-Slip: Won't be Asked to Serve as DNC Head Again

It's the tragic story of someone whose curls are wound so tight, they've obviously crimped blood flow to her brain.

Back in April, the Shark Tank floated the likelihood that Democratic National Committee Chairwoman (DNC) Debbie Wasserman Schultz was perhaps on her way out as DNC Chairwoman. We now have learned that Wasserman Schultz will not be back as DNC Chairwoman after the November elections.

According to our source within the Democratic Party, who is also a close associate of Wasserman Schultz, the arrangements have already been made for her to leave DNC regardless if President Obama wins re-election or not.

This same source believes that Wasserman Schultz will be forced to resign behind closed doors and then stage an press event in which she tells Americans that her job as the DNC chair was a temporary one and that she is moving on with her congressional career.

The National Journal has also picked up on the fact that she is indeed getting the boot from Obama... When Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida was tapped last year to lead the Democratic National Committee, it seemed like the latest ascension for a fast-rising star destined for even higher positions. Some stumbles and an apparent falling out of favor with the White House had changed that calculus.

If you know of a job that requires someone with an uncanny ability to parrot insipid talking points, please email Debbie. Because after Karen Herrington takes her Congressional seat in November, she'll be looking for a real job.

Egypt's New President Reaches Out To ... Iran

Dan from New York:

That didn’t take long. Only a day went by before Egypt's President-elect Mohamed Morsi said he intends to restore "normal relations" with Iran to achieve "strategic regional balance."

Now the race is in on.

Who’ll be first to reach that goal, Mohamed Morsi or Barack Hussein Obama?

As I wrote more than four years -- in May of 2008, to be precise -- "Barack Obama makes Jimmy Carter look like Patton."

The scene: President George W. Bush, then in the midst of a visit to Israel, warned against a policy of appeasement with Iran.

Bud Simmons reminds us of the old saying: "When a stone is thrown into a pack of wolves, the one that yelps is the one that is hit."

Barack Obama immediately yelped with a faux anger that smacked of political calculation.

George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the President's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel."

In a speech this week, Obama reiterated his position: "I have never said I would negotiate with terrorists.”



Unfortunately for Sen. Obama, his own official campaign web site contradicts his assertions.

Diplomacy: Obama is the only major candidate who supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to pressure Iran directly to change their troubling behavior.

I hate to say I told you so, but here we are four years later. Barack Obama has accomplished absolutely nothing in the Middle East -- other than make it infinitely more dangerous.


Larwyn's Linx: The Bones of Fast and Furious: Hillary Clinton Deeply Involved in the Operation?

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

The Bones of Fast and Furious: Hillary Clinton Deep In It?: MagNote
Obama and the Kingdom of the Concrete Skull: Feldman
Issa: House will vote Holder in contempt: Hill

Obama’s Justice: Upside-down: RWN
Public Comments on the Obama Administration’s “Accommodation”: Foundry
The Cult of Obama: Knish

Economy

With fate of Obamacare in question, HHS cranks up pace of spending: Malkin
Biggest Urban Bankruptcy in US History Coming Tuesday?: Mead
Jim Rogers: European Bailouts May Lead to Another World War: MoneyNews

Obama for America stiffing Durham, NH for… $30,000. Wait, WHAT?: RS
Obama plays 101st round as president: Hill
Should Tenure for College Professors Be Abolished?: WSJ

First they came for the donor lists …: DC
Public Pensions: Social Security Comparison: Conservatory
Be afraid: Some in U.S. see shades of 2008 in euro crisis: Reuters

Scandal Central

Video: Green-tech stimulus recipient went broke … a second time: Hot Air
What Could Be In Those Fast And Furious Documents That Has Obama And Holder Scared?: Waznmentobe
Democratic Corruption: Does Diane Feinstein Belong In A Cell Next To Duke Cunningham?: Hawkins

Media

Missing the point on Fast and Furious: Hot Air
Most of the Truth About Obama’s Business International ‘Embellishments’ Was Out There — In 2005: Bizzy
Jon Stewart rips Obama Over Executive Privilege: C4P

Michelle Malkin Forces Howard Kurtz To Publicly “Say Soopermexican”: Sooper
Pelosi Dishonors the House: Post
DNC Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz Getting Booted: Shark Tank

A personal note: Evacuated from Waldo Canyon Fire; Update: Sunset and smoke, 3,600 acres destroyed: Malkin
Trey Gowdy doubles down: Pelosi needs to see mental health professional: Scoop
Obama Coburn Friendship: MagNote

World

Great Job Hillary & Obama! Muslim Brotherhood’s Morsi wins Egypt’s presidential race: Bruce
Russia and China Unify Further: Loudon
Egypt's liberals say US wants to sway vote results: BizWk

Egyptian Zombie Apocalypse: NoisyRm
Egypt Falls to the Muslim Brotherhood: The Muslim Crescent Greener on Obama’s Watch: CDN
Allen West calls on president to cut off aid to egypt and repudiate Muslim Brotherhood: Scoop

Glenn Beck Blasts NYT's Brooks for Mocking His Muslim Prediction After Egypt Was 'Liberated' Last Year: NB
Israeli News Blames Barack Obama For Muslim Brotherhood’s Rise to Power: GWP
Islamic onslaught continues: 30 rockets fired into Israel on Sabbath: Atlas

Sci-Tech

Microsoft Surface: a gentle kick in the teeth of the OEMs: Ars Technica
Three awesome-sounding on-ear headphones: CNet
Patching Goes Up in Flames: Dark Reading

Cornucopia

More Inappropriate Children’s Books: iOTW
Romney Cushion: Sunny TV (Language Warning)
The planned re-election of Obama, revolutionary style: CFP (Hagmann)

Image: "Michelle Halpain, a volunteer with President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, joins fellow democrats marching in San Francisco's 42nd annual gay pride parade on Sunday, June 24, 2012. Organizers say more than 200 floats, vehicles and groups of marchers will take part in the parade. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)"
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Fast and Furious protest on White House North Lawn set for July 2nd

QOTD: "Last week we witnessed Obama playing Robin Hood by casting aside immigration law and transparency to the jubilant cheers of the media, whose fondest wish is for politicians to play Robin Hood, cut all the Gordian Knots and just carry out their agenda without regard for the law. That is what they wanted, that is what they got. But a lawless society cuts both ways and takes the system out of the protection of the law.

Law is impartial. It states absolute principles that apply regardless of faction and position. But in a lawless society, there is no law, only power. The left has ushered in a lawless society, but we will all have to live with the consequences." --Daniel Greenfield

Sunday, June 24, 2012

How the "Flame" cyber-attack targeted Windows Update

The recently discovered malware called "Flame" has been termed "one of the most complex threats ever discovered". It targeted Windows Update -- a feature of Windows that continually updates Windows-based PCs as new security problems are discovered -- to deliver a malicious software package of amazing complexity.

For tech junkies interested in how the attackers co-opted Windows Update, this presentation by Alex Sotirov dissects the attack in exquisite detail.


Which in no way excuses the outrageous national security leaks by the Obama administration decried by Democrat and Republican alike.


Congratulations to President Obama For Completing a Record-Setting 101st Round of Golf Today

Fortunately there are no no significant pressing matters of concern on either the domestic or foreign fronts:

The president is golfing with White House chef Sam Kass, staffer Mike Brush and White House trip director Marvin Nicholson, a frequent golf partner of Obama’s... This will be the president’s 101st round of golf since entering office...

In related headlines:

US unemployment aid applications little changed

Housing: Jumbo Borrowers Trapped Underwater

Be afraid: Some in U.S. see shades of 2008 in euro crisis

Egypt Falls to the Muslim Brotherhood: The Muslim Crescent Greener on Obama’s Watch

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi: "Jihad Is Our Path and Death in the Name of Allah Is Our Goal"

Turkey blames Syria for jet attack, consults NATO

Fore!


Eric Holder's Trail of Tears

That's what I call this outstanding summary of Fast and Furious documents by Senator Chuck Grassley (via RightPlanet)

Key Fast and Furious Documents

Senator Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, has been investigating the government law enforcement strategy of allowing guns to “walk” across the Mexican border to drug traffickers for the past 18 months.  He and his staff have obtained several key documents through their investigation.  Links to key documents with a description of the importance of each follows here.

1.     October 27, 2009, Draft DOJ Strategy for Combating Mexican Drug Cartels: Provided the policy guidance to ATF that “merely seizing firearms through interdiction will not stop firearms trafficking to Mexico.”

2.    January 8, 2010, Briefing Paper: ATF briefing paper that explicitly states ATF’s strategy to “allow the transfer of firearms to continue to take place.”  It is unknown how high up in ATF and/or the Justice Department this briefing paper was provided.  A source other than the Justice Department provided it long after Senator Grassley started asking questions.  The Justice Department didn’t produce it until June 13, 2011.

3.    January 27, 2011, Letter from Senator Grassley to ATF (initial letter): Senator Grassley’s initial letter to DOJ asking if ATF was allowing gunwalking in any case, as whistleblowers had alleged.

4.    January 31, 2011, Letter from Senator Grassley to ATF: Senator Grassley’s letter making clear that ATF whistleblowers had the right to talk to Congress and not be retaliated against.

5.    February 3, 2011, ATF Special Agent Memo: A memo from an ATF agent in Dallas who had previously been a part of Group VII in Phoenix, the ATF group responsible for Operation Fast and Furious.  The agent had substantiated the claims of other whistleblowers to Senator Grassley’s staff, and the agent produced the memo to document what he had told staff.  It is known that some in ATF leadership received the memo but not known who else in ATF or the Justice Department received it.  The memo should have served as a red flag to the Justice Department not to send its February 4, 2011, letter the next day.  A source other than the Justice Department provided the memo to Senator Grassley long after he started asking questions.  The Justice Department has never produced this memo, only making it available to view in camera in November 2011.

6.    February 4, 2011, Letter from DOJ to Senator Grassley: Justice Department denied that ATF walked guns.

7.    March 9, 2011, Deputy Attorney General Cole reiteration of gunwalking policy: The Deputy Attorney General email represents the Justice Department’s policy change that supposedly ended gunwalking, but doesn’t necessarily address the problem of ATF’s failing to seize guns that agents have probable cause to interdict based on information from cooperating gun dealers providing ATF with contemporaneous notice of sales.

8.    April 13, 2011, Letter from Senator Grassley to DOJ regarding gun dealer emails: This letter quoted and attached emails from a gun dealer who expressed concerns to what ATF had been asking him to do and, because he had “some very close friends that are US Border Patrol agents in southern AZ,” wanted reassurances that the guns he had been encouraged by ATF to sell wouldn’t “ever end up south of the border or in the hands of bad guys.”  The emails show ATF assuring the gun dealer that ATF was monitoring the suspects, and organizing a visit of the Assistant U.S. Attorney to the gun dealer’s store to “put [him] at ease.”  This gun dealer was not the main gun dealer in Fast and Furious, but corroborated that gun dealer’s testimony.  Senator Grassley’s letter attaching these emails also asked, in light of these emails, if the Justice Department stood by its February 4, 2011, denial of gunwalking allegations.

9.    April 14, 2011, floor speech from Congressional Record with gun dealer emails: Introducing the above gun dealer emails into the Congressional Record.

10.    May 2, 2011, Letter from DOJ to Senator Grassley: The Justice Department’s response doubling down in its denials of ATF gunwalking.

11.    June 15, 2011, testimony to the House in front of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee: Senator Grassley’s testimony of his investigation to that point.  Summarizes details about the underlying Fast and Furious case.

12.    PowerPoint presentation from June 15, 2011, House Testimony:   Detailing the amount of guns sold in Fast and Furious.

13.    December 2, 2011, DOJ Letter to Senator Grassley and Chairman Issa – Retraction of DOJ’s February 4, 2011 Letter: Letter finally withdrawing the Justice Department’s assertion that gunwalking had not taken place, ten months after its initial denial and seven months after its reiteration of the denial.

14.    List of documents not produced by DOJ: On June 21, 2012, White House press secretary Jay Carney stated, “[W]e have provided Congress every document that pertains to the operation itself.”  This list indicates just a sampling of documents that the Justice Department has never produced but that investigators are either aware exist or have confidentially obtained copies of from whistleblowers.

Democrats who defend this behavior are disgraceful. They condone lying to Congress about a Justice Department operation that killed upwards of 300 people.

Fast and Furious is like Watergate on steroids.

And White House spokes-hack Jay Carney -- if that is his real name -- is shameful.


NYT: Democrats shocked to discover that 2,700-page Obamacare bill that no one read or understood could be ruled unconstitutional

At least, that's what The New York Times-Democrat claims:

In passing the law two years ago, Democrats entertained little doubt that it was constitutional. The White House held a conference call to tell reporters that any legal challenge, as one Obama aide put it, “will eventually fail and shouldn’t be given too much credence in the press.”

Congress held no hearing on the plan’s constitutionality until nearly a year after it was signed into law. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, then the House speaker, scoffed when a reporter asked what part of the Constitution empowered Congress to force Americans to buy health insurance. “Are you serious?” she asked. “Are you serious?”

Opponents of the health plan were indeed serious, and so was the Supreme Court, which devoted more time to hearing the case than to any other in decades. A White House that had assumed any challenge would fail now fears that a centerpiece of Obama’s presidency may be partly or completely overturned on a theory that it gave little credence. The miscalculation left the administration on the defensive as its legal strategy evolved during the past two years...

...The first lawsuits were filed the day Obama signed the plan in March 2010. By the end of January 2011, judges in Florida and Virginia had ruled it unconstitutional. Only then did the Senate and the House hold hearings on its constitutionality, and the administration grew worried.

...A three-judge panel for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta, however, declared the insurance mandate unconstitutional. The administration chose not to ask the full court to rehear the case and appealed directly to the Supreme Court. Donald B. Verrilli Jr., who became solicitor general last June, rehearsed in multiple moot court sessions. But on the critical day of Supreme Court arguments on March 27, he momentarily choked on a drink of water and was hammered by justices skeptical of his argument. He gave a rambling answer about the limits of congressional power and had a hard time controlling the discussion as he was peppered with questions. Commentators gave him harsh reviews, but Obama called him to show support.

Either way, administration lawyers were more disturbed by what the justices had said. They were disheartened that Justice Antonin Scalia, who had joined a ruling upholding a previous commerce clause case, seemed so hostile. And Kathryn Ruemmler, the White House counsel, was said to be disturbed that Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, often the swing vote, suggested the government had a “heavy burden.”

But current and former administration lawyers hold out hope.

Where are the limits on the federal leviathan? If the federal government can demand that you enter into private contracts, what are the contours of this power? Because all human beings require food, shelter and clothing, does the federal government have the power to demand you purchase certain kinds of food, shelter and clothing?

If not, why not?

Because once the Constitution's limits on government are breached, I have yet to find the liberal who can explain where these new federal powers end. You and I -- the rational segment of Americans -- know our history. We know that once government has the power to tell you what kind of health care you must purchase, what kind of light bulbs you can buy and how much water flow is permitted through your shower heads, you have a government that is completely out of control.

You have a government on the road to tyranny.


Related:
Top 10 Reasons Obamacare IS Constitutional...
Applying the Individual Mandate to your retirement account

"But all of this gun-walking stuff started under Bush!"

I was talking with a good friend of mine from Boston yesterday -- we'll call him "G" -- and happened to get around to politics. I know you're stunned. Now G doesn't follow politics closely. When I mentioned Operation Fast and Furious and President Obama's claim of Executive Privilege, he innocently asked a question that is probably the result of indoctrination by vintage media:

"Didn't all of this gun-walking stuff start under Bush?"

A commenter at Savannah Now ("Ransomed Tyrant") offers an excellent, concise answer to this very question, which was a much better version of my response to G.

Wide Receiver [the Bush-era operation] was a gun smuggling interdiction effort that involved Phoenix-based ATF agents working in conjunction with Mexican law enforcement. It was a Phoenix border operation only. They were trying to build a case against a violent group of Mexican drug smugglers and the Mexican drug cartel to discover who they were and where they could be found. Wide Receiver began in 2005, involved 400 weapons, and all the weapons had RFID trackers installed in them. The Mexican government was informed and actively involved. The program was ended in 2007 when the drug dealers discovered the trackers that had been installed. No lives were lost.

Fast and Furious was begun in 2009 by the Obama administration and was an unconstitutional effort to build a case against American gun dealers, American private gun owners, and the Second Amendment. The Mexican government wasn’t involved in Fast and Furious. Over 300 people were killed, including two Americans. Wide Receiver no longer existed; it had been shut down for two years. Fast and Furious involved over 2,000 guns. The Obama regime didn’t care where the weapons ended up. There were no tracking devices and no effort was made to track them. No helicopters. There was no on-the-ground surveillance of the straw purchasers. The guns were sold and then walked across the border, and that was it. Four federal agencies were involved in maybe as many as 10 cities in five states. Fast and Furious was Obama’s effort to gain false information so he could use the information to introduce his gun control bill. Obama and Holder are tyrants. Twice said and twice true.

It turns out the Holder Justice Department and the Obama administration have been lying, deflecting, and covering up Fast and Furious ever since.

If any of this stuff had Bush's fingerprints on it, then why would Obama exert Executive Privilege? To protect Bush?


Larwyn's Linx: Can I recall a more pissed off Bill Whittle?

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Can I recall a more pissed off Bill Whittle?: RSM
Psst! List of Pols Skipping Dem Convention Now at Seven: Bizzy
Ryan being vetted for VP: NRO

Imperial Presidency: Foundry
Obama Campaign Gift Registry is Bush’s Fault: Nice Deb
Congressman Calls Nancy Pelosi 'Mind-Numbingly Stupid': MenRec

A Lawless Society: Sultan Knish
Obama the first Invented-American president: Steyn
Barack Obama is your husband, too, or something.: NakedDC

Economy

Factual Free-Market Fairness: Bleeding Heart
USDA Ad says Food Stamps help you look and feel good: FAM
GM to offshore U.S. jobs to China, Mexico, South Korea: Populist

We Only Needed More ‘Bottom Up’ Economics: LoneCon
Looking for a Job? Try North Dakota!: CDN
Random Thoughts: Sowell

Scandal Central

Fast and Furious and OCDETF: McCarthy
What If Walmart Sold 2500 Illegal Guns, Got Them into Mexico, and Hid the Records from Congress?: Breitbart
Brian Terry – Jaime Zapata: The Strange Truth of a Government Cover-Up: MagNote

Climate & Energy

Ken Salazar's Offshore Charade Continues: CFP
Hillary announces $20 million to African nations to boost clean energy projects: WZ
A response to Dr. Paul Bain’s use of ‘denier’ in the scientific literature: Watts

Media

A Note on ‘Fast and Furious,’ Executive Privilege, and the End of the Obama Administration: Kimball
The One Excuse Obama Hasn’t Used Yet: IMAO
Soledud: "Eric Holder Facing Contempt Charges For Not Supporting Gun Rights": Jawa

NY Times: Democrats Thought Mandate Was Constitutional Because They Said It Was Constitutional: RWN
Of course: NYT praises MSNBC host who attacked veterans on Memorial Day: TAB
Shock: Huckabee Radio Talk Show Off to Slow Start: Equalizer

Liberal Rag Posts Allen West’s Home Address,Picture: Shark Tank
Turns Out Sandra 'Slut' Fluke Isn't A Friend Of Free Speech: Insider
Hilarious: Obama Campaign Demands Transparency From Mitt Romney: Glob

World

The Muslim Brotherhood's Useful Idiots: Glick
Muslim Brotherhood Leader Qaradawi: Allah imposed Hitler on the Jews to punish them: Matzav
Boss of slain Russian whistleblower: Obama administration trying to appease Putin: Haaretz

Nigerian Islamist Group Boko Haram Claims To Have 300 Suicide Bombers Ready To Attack Christians: WZ
Defeating the Jewish Alinskyites: Glick
Turkey Says Syria Gave Jet No Warning: WSJ

Sci-Tech

Friendshake: Facebook’s New Mobile Feature For Finding People Nearby : TechCrunch
Top 10 habits for successful weight loss revealed: Times of India
The Next Secrets of the Web: Crunch

Cornucopia

The most arrogant man in the world invites himself to your wedding: MOTUS
This Week in Automotivators: RWN
Well, Fork You Too: Lady Liberty

Image: US Olympic trials: Ashton Eaton breaks decathlon world record
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate

QOTD: "There is little doubt that the wiretap applications would show that senior DOJ officials were aware of the gunwalking tactic long before Agent Terry was gunned down on December 14, 2010. But that’s not the half of it. Bet your bottom dollar that gunwalking was discussed in the consideration of whether to make Fast and Furious an OCDETF case in the first place. OCDETF investigations, moreover, are carefully monitored by the Justice Department throughout, to ensure that the extraordinary flow of funding continues to be worthwhile. I’m wagering that senior DOJ officials — which is to say, Obama-administration political appointees — knew about the gunwalking for close to a year before Agent Terry’s death...

...OCDETF cases get the attention of the Justice Department’s top hierarchy. What gets that level of attention gets the attorney general’s attention. And what gets the attorney general’s attention very often gets the president’s attention.

That would be the president who just invoked executive privilege." --Andrew C. McCarthy

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Remember when WE used to be able to send people into space?

Of course, that kind of antiquated activity predates the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.

I refer to this BBC story:

China Shenzhou-9 spacecraft to try first manual docking

China is to make its first ever attempt at manually docking a spacecraft with another space module.

Astronauts on the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft will try to dock with the Tiangong-1 lab module without relying on an automated system.

Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and China's first female astronaut, Liu Yang, will attempt the manoeuvre, which must be carried out very delicately.

Authorities in China said the docking would take place at around 04:00 GMT.

Liu Wang will be in charge of the manual docking manoeuvres, while Liu Yang will conduct aerospace experiments, according to AFP news agency.

For the first time since the era of Dwight D. Eisenhower -- Democrat and Republican Presidents alike -- the United States no longer has the ability to put a man into space.

China is on the move. And America is unilaterally disarming itself at the worst possible time.


Question o' the Day

"What If Walmart Sold 2500 Guns Illegally, Walked Them into Mexico, and Hid the Documentation from Congress?"

Review and discuss.


Hat tip: Martinez Report.

Excellent News: Would-Be D.C. Suicide Bomber Eligible for Obama DREAM Act, In-State Tuition in the State of His Choice

If we weren't actually living through this, I'd think we were reading a bad Tom Clancy novel (but I repeat myself).

As the Moroccan who plotted a suicide bombing inside the U.S. Capitol appears in federal court today, much of the mainstream media coverage omits a crucial part of the story; this is the class of illegal immigrant the Obama Administration is sparing from deportation.

That’s because, like millions of others, the would-be assassin didn’t have a criminal record and thus never posed a threat to the public, according to the feds. Like many of the illegal aliens protected by the Obama Administration the attempted bomber, 29-year-old Amine El Khalifi, came to the U.S. as a kid (“through no fault of his own” as the open borders movement says). He could have easily qualified for discounted college tuition at a number of taxpayer-funded colleges and universities nationwide.

El Khalifi lived under the radar in Alexandria Virginia while he orchestrated attacking a number of targets, including military buildings, a Washington D.C. restaurant popular among military officials and a synagogue. Last week he planned to blow up the nation’s capitol as a suicide bomber in a martyrdom operation...

Incredibly, El Khalifi is the prototype of illegal immigrant protected by Obama’s backdoor amnesty plan. Officially launched in mid-November, the initiative halts the removal of illegal aliens with no criminal records. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reviews all deportation cases and operates a “training program” to assure that enforcement agents and prosecuting attorneys don’t remove certain types of illegal immigrants.

The idea, according to the administration, is to deport only undocumented aliens who have been convicted of serious crimes or pose a national security risk. That means a large class of illegal immigrants are being granted de facto amnesty, which is technically illegal without the consent of Congress. So far thousands have been spared removal under the outrageous initiative.

As if this weren’t bad enough, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records indicate that serious criminals are not being targeted for removal either.

Like the rest of this lawless administration, the Department of Homeland Security's leadership has ignored a Freedom Of Information Request for two entire years, which precipitated yet another lawsuit by Judicial Watch on the part of actual United States citizens.


Remember when they confiscated forks and knives at the White House Correspondents' Dinner?

You don't? That's because they didn't.

In fact, I searched high and low for examples like yesterday's bizarre incident where a group of Latino government officials were required to surrender their forks and knives.

“It’s very important that you use your utensils as soon as possible,” National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials board member Raquel Regalado told about 1000 delegates at the group’s annual conference.

Regalado hurried the diners to finish up their salads and pre-cut chicken breasts, saying that the Secret Service required that there be no knives at the tables and that the forks be rounded up before Obama entered the room.

As a wry commenter observed, maybe the president fears shivs in particular.

For those Hispanics already sickened by the president's incessant pandering, this kind of treatment can't come as much of a surprise.

Because I'd certainly trust any group in this country with forks and knives more than journalists.

Larwyn's Linx: If You Were A Socialist and Wanted to Overthrow the United States Government...

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

If You Were A Socialist and Wanted to Overthrow the Government: CDN
Tarheel trainwreck: The coming DNC disaster: Malkin
Obama Marked Down in Georgia: Powers

Another Sign Dems are Writing Off Obama: Lifson
Why the House Must Impeach President Obama: LoneCon
Ex-Democrat Artur Davis on His Evolution: AmSpec

The People Obama Invites to the White House, Part XXXII: Powers
Flashback: Biden Calls Individual Mandate “Socialistic”: WZ
Heh. MA GOP buys Liz Warren Ancestry.com membership: Sarah

Economy

The Mind of a Marxist: 'It's the Public Sector That Needs Help': RedCty
Impressed Labor, Enslaved Clients Make Millions for Dems: Cons
Supreme Court curbs union abuse: JRubin

That $3 dinner with Obama may cost you hundreds in taxes: LI
If you love your spouse, you are not worthy of Obama: DTG
GM recalls 475,418 Chevy Cruze for engine shield: Reuters

Scandal Central

Why would anyone trust Eric Holder?: Power
Don't Ken And Josephine Terry Have "Absolute Moral Authority"?: Rhymes
More Stealth Amnesty Behind The Scenes: JW

Climate & Energy

Team Obama Kills Another 750 Coal Jobs in Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia: GWP
Senate kills effort to block EPA regulations on coal-powered plants: Events
EPA Fines Refineries for Not Using Substance That Does Not Exist: MB

Media

E-Mails Expose MSNBC Host’s Involvement in #StopRush Boycott: RSM
NYT: NBC Adrift, Losing Ground As Brian "What's Fast and Furious?" Williams New Show A Flop: Riehl
Politico Reporter Suspended for Remarks: Politico

Disgusting: Left calls Fast & Furious just politics : Brian Terry could not be reached for comment: DTG
Obama's White Support Is Too Low to Win: RCP
Gay Activists Flip Off Man who Opposed Anti-Gay Briggs Amendment: GayPatriot

Obama’s lies and the media’s betrayal: Q&O
Juan Williams defends Holder’s Executive Privilege over Brian Terry’s death: ‘Hey, people die’: Scoop
BREAKING: Motion Filed Seeking Federal Injunction on Behalf of Blogger: RSM

AEI’s Pethokoukis Slices, Dices, and Destroys WaPo’s Romney-Outsourcing Story: BizzyBlog
Mary Cheney married her long-time partner today: GOP congratulates, Left spews hate: Twitchy
Dire Warning From a Radio Voice: NC Register

World

Oh My: UN Official Tells ACLU Conference Obama Has Committed War Crimes With Drone Airstrikes: WZ
Long "South Park" Sentence a Win for Free Speech: IPT
And the Rachel Corrie Award For Sand-Pounding Stupidity goes to...: WyBlog

UN takes away toilet paper to get rid of media as the stench of Rio failure fills the air: Depot
Risk of Greek blackouts increases as traders cut or halt power supplies: Telegraph
Israel bombs Hamas security targets in Gaza-officials: Reuters

Sci-Tech

Twitter explains Thursday outage: ComputerWorld
Microsoft's Surface proves software is dead: Register
Nokia Phone Sales Face More Hurdles: WSJ

Cornucopia

Eric Holder vs. George Zimmerman – Ding! Ding!: Sad Hill
Heroes: U.S. Marines Step Up For Bullied Bus Monitor, Karen Klein: Online Fund Now At Half Million Dollars: Riehl
Caption This! Hillary, Our Esteemed, Buffoonish, Secretary of State: Bruce

Pic of the Day: F-35B Shows Off its Gun Pod: DefTech
Raiders Of The Lost Walmart Uncover Star Wars Sandtroopers, Free Games, Windows Vista: Consumerist
we rustics .... keeping your bellies full ....: Winter Soldier

Image: The People's Cube
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate

QOTD: "Since his attack has a low density of victims the Nigerian scammer has an over-riding need to reduce false positives. By sending an email that repels all but the most gullible the scammer gets the most promising marks to self-select, and tilts the true to false positive ratio in his favor." --Microsoft Research, "Why Nigerian Scammers Still Say They're From Nigeria" (also applicable to Democrats who believe in Utopian fantasies)

Friday, June 22, 2012

President Faceplant imitates the U.S. economy

Because that's the way he rolls, don'tcha know?



Seeing as how the only places President Carter 2.0 Obama can visit without catcalls are community colleges and airplane glue factories, it appears Michelle Malkin is right.

In other words, s*** just got real for the Democrats.