Thursday, April 11, 2013

I LOVE IT: Gun Rights Group Demands Universal Background Checks for All Elected Officials

Great idea. And at the end, I have an additional and complementary suggestion.

If politicians want universal background checks, we should start with them,” said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

He pointed to recent political scandals in the New York Legislature, which just passed a new restrictive gun control law, where a state senator and state assemblyman were arrested last week, as “one small example.”

“But look at politics in recent years... From state and federal scandals, to arrests involving several members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, we have had example after embarrassing example of public officials being charged with violating various laws. Does anyone think former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who had to quit his post over a lewd e-mail scandal, should clear a mental health screening to buy a gun?

“If you compare percentages,” he continued, “the rate of criminal activity by politicians is probably far higher than the rate of crimes committed by the general public.

“What this underscores,” he said, “is the reason gun laws don’t work and never will. People who make the laws we have to live under break them anyway, just like criminals routinely disobey gun laws. Based on their own experience, politicians should know that the gun laws they pass will not prevent crime.”

Gottlieb pointed to crooks like former Louisiana Congressman Bill Jefferson, sent to prison after authorities found $90,000 in his freezer during an investigation. He cited former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, now in prison for racketeering and extortion.

“It is both sad and disgraceful that the list goes on and on,” Gottlieb said. “There are politicians with domestic violence problems, others who accepted bribes, some who stole money or were involved in other criminal acts... No wonder citizens are disgusted with politicians and don’t trust them,” he concluded, adding tongue-in-cheek, “And these people want to know why there’s a run on guns and ammunition?”

Further, every member of Congress, every member of the Cabinet and the President him- or herself should be required to attain a Top Secret security clearance, with a CI poly*, as a minimum condition of eligibility for office.

I surmise that, had this condition been in place, a very large percentage of the Democrats currently serving in office would be operating in the private sector. Or teaching. But mostly teaching.


* Counter-intelligence polygraph, used to establish that the subject is not operating against the interests of the United States government.


Hat tips: BadBlue Gun News. Weiner sketch: Jack Hunter's Sketchbook.

16 TRAITORS

We expect it of the Leftists who have as their stated purpose the eradication of the Bill of Rights (except for the super-secret 69th Amendment, which protects the right to abortion).

But we do not expect, nor should we tolerate, the dimunition of our liberties by those who claim to respect the Constitution. By those who rally under the banner of liberty, emancipation, and civil rights -- the banner of the Republican Party -- and then vote on a secret bill that redacts the Second Amendment.

Here are the 16 Republicans who voted to kill Rand Paul's gun control filibuster before it started


Sadly, just a few hours later, 16 Republican Senators caved to the Democrats and voted to end debate and bring to the floor a gun control bill that no one has had a chance to read.  There will be Amendments offered, it will probably pass, and then we'll all be able to "find out what's in it."

So much for "shall not be infringed."

Here are the GOP members who sided with their Dem opponents. It's basically a who's who of the RINO world.


...feel free to give them a call tell them what you think of their decision.

We have an Amendment process, boys and girls. The Second Amendment isn't up for a vote. The Constitution isn't up for a vote. The Bill of Rights isn't up for a vote.

As Paul Harvey famously said, "Lawlessness begets lawlessness."

And when our "legislators" write bills in secret, rush them to the floor and force a vote without having read them, without committee hearings, without debate and without any public scrutiny whatsoever, we no longer have a Republic.

We are living with a lawless government. We are living in a society that is bankrupt, financially and morally.

Aside from a few statesmen -- a Rand Paul, a Ted Cruz, a Mike Lee, perhaps a few others -- I can think of few rays of light to which we can pin some hope for saving this Republic.


Hat tip: Paula.

Larwyn's Linx: Missouri Secretly Shares Entire CCW List With Feds Against State Law

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

Nation

MO Secretly Shares Entire CCW List With Feds Against State Law: Loesch
Go To Hell Harry Reid and Dianne Feinswine: Ticker
Gun "Compromise" will allow doctors to block your right to guns: PatUpd

Levin: How will more background checks stop a mass murderer?: Scoop
Sen. Lee: Backgound Checks Let Holder Create Gun Registry: CNS
It's Hard Not To Be Cynical About This Toomey/Manchin Deal: Ace

Economy

Obama goes after retirement accounts: Hayward
Where Are The Prison Sentences For the Fed and Bankers?: Ticker
$1 Trillion Tax Increase in Obama Budget : Foundry

Obama Unveils His “Take it Or Leave It” $3.77 Trillion Budget: RWN
Obamacare architect Rockefeller: It's 'beyond comprehension': Exam
Radicalism 101: Why Do Our Universities Hire Terrorists as Profs?: NewAm

Ohio Health Care Freedom Act Tabled By... Republicans?: FreeWorks
Union Prevents Teachers from Voting on Contract: CDN
Good luck finding a doctor who will take Medicaid next year: ChiBiz

Scandal Central

Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Daughter Indicted: Marathon
Anti-Anxiety Medication Used as Pretext to Confiscate Firearms: MB
Planned Parenthood’s defense of infanticide: Thiessen

Climate & Energy

EPA Administrator Nominee Gina McCarthy: In Her Own Words: Heritage

Media

A Culture of Death is their choice: LI
The Height Of Craven Narcissism ==> Michelle Obama: “Hadiya Pendleton Was Me”: Bruce
Mother Jones’ Source May Be in a Mother Lode of Trouble: Spakovsky

Toomey-Manchin Sellout Bill Is Worse Than Feinstein Gun Ban: FreedomOutput
USC professor trashes Republicans as racist, stupid during election 2012: Scoop
Caught in the act: High school teacher uses class to bash Fox News: Twitchy

New York Times Deliberately Falsifies Chronology to Whitewash L'Affaire Weiner: Ace
It was California’s Understanding That There Would be No Math: Driscoll
Huffington: "So how long is it going to be before Washington admits the truth -- that the emperor has no jobs?": Ace

World

No Tears for the Traitorous Lynne Stewart: Malkin
The Unfinished Revolution: Steyn
20,000 U.S. M-16s stolen from unguarded warehouse in Kuwait: WorldTrib

A prediction on the Venezuelan election: Fausta
Leftist and Islamists force cancellation of Pamela Geller speaking event: JihadWatch
The New Wedge Issue: Gold: RWN

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

The IRS is reading your email, and doesn't care a court said they can't: WyBlog
A promising 'Home' for the Facebook obsessed: CNet
The Facebook Phone Consensus From 7 Reviews: An Impressive First Try For $99: Crunch

Cornucopia

Party like it’s 2008! More Green Onions!: MOTUS
15 Of The Best Margaret Thatcher Quotes In Pictures: RWN
Is America arming up for war?: Ace

Image: Fed Flub Sparks New Data Concerns -- WSJ
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Write your Reps: The Second Amendment Isn't Up for a Vote!

QOTD: "David Corn posted [the secret tape of Senator Mitch McConnell's office]; he and Mother Jones posted the secretly-recorded video of Mitt Romney making his "47 percent" comment. Boy, he sure got past his Bush-era qualms about secret wiretapping, huh?" --Jim Geraghty

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Gun Control -- For the Children

In a vapid and disappointing Wall Street Journal op-ed, the editors assert that Constitutional conservatives in the Senate are facing a political backlash by threatening a filibuster on gun control.

...a faction of Republicans [including] Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas ... late last month said they'll use the filibuster to prevent the Reid bill from coming to the floor. On Tuesday Minority Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed the gambit, and the Heritage Action for America PAC says it plans to "score" the filibuster as a key vote for election purposes.

In an instant, these GOP wizards have taken the onus off Senate Democrats and made Republicans the media's gun-control focus.

The Journal is -- as usual -- either over-thinking the issue or simply parroting the Boehner-Rove-McCain establishment line. You make the call.

Where are their principles?

Hey, schmucks: the Constitution and Bill of Rights aren't up for debate. Legislation developed in secret, without a deliberative process, left us with Obamacare -- a disaster in every sense of the word. And that is precisely what is occurring with the Senate's "gun control" bill.

No more "Gangs of Eight". No more secret deals between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce that are hidden from the American people.

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights aren't up for election every two years with these temporary hack politicians.

Is it a winning formula to parrot losers like Reince Preibus, John McCain and John Boehner? These numb-skulls have spent more time, money and energy waging war on the Republican base than on the Marxist Left. This country is crumbling, economically and morally, and the Journal is cheering on the guys who cower in the interest of "moderation".

There is no moderation when it comes to our nation's highest law. There is either fidelity to it -- or infidelity.

At the Journal's site, commenter George Wickham nails it when some Leftist tool named "Derrek Saber" (heh) quotes Obama:

"What's more important to you: our children, or an A-grade from the gun lobby?"

From the environment, to our schools, to guns in our streets - Republicans are clear on one thing: Special interests are more important to them than our children.

Wickham's reply is stark and brutal:

Special interest controls the Democratic party - that is why we have so many smoke-filled backroom deals since Obama became President. The more secretive the legislation, the more it favors special interests.

Concerning your B.S. about our children: let's consider how Democrats treat our children. It is okay to abort a fetus and kill a newborn child. It's okay to push children into failing schools just to protect the unions. It's okay to load our young people down with onerous debt so they can be used to funnel monies to the liberal universities. And it's okay to pile debt upon debt upon our young so the Dems can buy a few votes now. For Democrats, children serve as nothing more than props for their selfish greed. And now Obama wants to take away even their right to self-defense.

Props. Because the ends justify the means.


POWERPOINT: Federal Government's Facial Recognition Technology

Reproduced here without comment:





Our Response to North Korea [Papa B]

Papa B emails:


Ironic: the same Democrats that ridiculed Reagan's missile defense initiative are also the first to beg the Pentagon for protection using those very same systems.


Hussman: The market can't see the froth for all of the bubbles

John Hussman, founder of Hussman Funds, offers a view into a stock market fueled by Ben Bernanke's magic inkjet printer:

...As in 2000, and as in 2007, it is not necessarily the case that stocks will decline immediately. Still, the percentage of bearish investment advisors reported by Investors Intelligence has declined to just 18.6%, from 18.8% the week earlier. The last times that bearish sentiment was below 20%, at a 4-year market high and a Shiller P/E above 18 ... were for two weeks in May 2007 with the S&P 500 about 1525, two weeks in August 1987, and 3 weeks of a 5-week span in December 1972 and January 1973, which was immediately followed by a 50% market plunge. Still, a handful of observations in March-May 1972 preceded the late-1972 peak and were followed by a modest further advance, and that lag is enough to discourage any near-term conclusions in the present instance. To complete the record, the instance before that was in February 1966, which was promptly followed by a bear market decline over the following year.


When you realize that the 2000-2002 decline wiped out 6 years of S&P 500 total returns in excess of T-bills, and that the 2007-2009 decline wiped out 14 years of excess returns, it may be clear why I am unsympathetic to the idea that we should abandon our discipline in response to a mature - though seemingly endless - market advance today. It’s been said that the best time to invest with a good investor is when he is having his own bear market. The difficulty today is the same one I described approaching the 2000 top – “over the short term, arrogant imprudence will continue to be mistaken for enlightened genius, while studied restraint will be mistaken for stubborn foolishness.” ...

Quantitative easing is not rocket fuel. At best, it is a bungee cord. ...if recent decades have taught investors anything, it is that every time the Federal Reserve drives interest rates to negative levels after inflation, it creates a bubble that subsequently bursts. As part of this painful learning experience, investors have become at least somewhat practiced in identifying bubbles within individual sectors – technology, housing, and debt, for example. The problem, in my view, is that the present bubble is systemic – with short-term interest rates at zero, the prospective returns of nearly every asset class, looking out over a 5-7 year horizon, is also close to zero. Equity investors, in particular, don’t see it because part of this bubble is captured in profit margins rather than in prices (unless one uses cyclically-adjusted earnings, which make the overvaluation more evident). But the result is the same – stock prices are dramatically elevated on the basis of the long-term stream of cash flows that investors can actually expect to receive over time. It may make investors feel better that current profit margins are elevated enough to make price/earnings ratios seem “reasonable.” But then, that’s the hook.

But don't worry: this time is different.



PAT TOOMEY THINKS YOU'RE STUPID: Avoids being photographed with Schumer to hide his betrayal of his constituents and the Constitution

The Senator from Pennsylvania, swept into office by Constitutional conservatives and Tea Party activists, has executed the consummate betrayal:

...the Toomey-Manchin-Schumer sell-out [is] worse than the Feinstein gun ban, which will reportedly be tied to it and offered simultaneously in a Senate procedure known as an “amendment tree.”

Toomey and Manchin will claim that their bill only covers “gun show sales” and Internet sales. But if you’ve ever talked about your gun and /or let it be known you’d like to sell or buy a gun on the Internet, this language covers you. If you advertise your gun in the church bulletin and the bulletin is put on the Internet, you’re covered.

The only exemption is for sales that are sold exclusively by word of mouth. The increased number of background checks would likely exacerbate the system breakdowns (inherent to NICS) which have shut down gun shows over and over again. It would mean that Americans who were illegally denied firearms because their names were similar to other people's would effectively be barred from owning a gun. (We would never tolerate such delays for voting rights or other freedoms that we are guaranteed.)

And for those Republicans who think they’re going to be able to offer their useless amendments, guess what? Reid is reportedly going to use a procedure to block out all amendments (called an “amendment tree”). And there are plenty of Senators standing in line to make sure that the Senate doesn’t give “unanimous consent” to let those Republicans offer their amendments.

So if you live in a rural area, you’re effectively barred from selling or buying a gun... [and the] Toomey-Manchin-Schumer “national registry” language is full of holes. There will be a national gun registry as a result of this sell-out.

Toomey is helping the Marxist Left set the stage for universal gun registration and, ultimately, confiscation.

Illustrating just how deceptive Toomey has had to become on this issue, Roll Call is reporting that the Republican Senator from Pennsylvania refused to be photographed with Schumer at the gun deal press conference -- as if that would fool his constituents somehow.

Four senators may have signed on to a gun background check deal Wednesday, but only two showed up for the news conference — in part because Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Patrick J. Toomey’s public support for the bill hinged on not having to stand next to Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York.

The background check bill, which would close the gun show loophole and expand checks to online sales, is officially co-sponsored by Schumer; Toomey; Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va.; and Mark S. Kirk, R-Ill. But only Toomey and Manchin appeared before the cameras. Toomey, the former Club for Growth president, had told Manchin he would not speak at the news conference if he had to get on stage with Schumer, according to two sources familiar with the talks. Schumer obliged, and Kirk also agreed not to appear in order to provide cover to Schumer.

In other words, Pat Toomey thinks you're an idiot. That because he avoided appearing in a photograph with Schumer that he can somehow divorce himself from the bill he co-sponsored with the very same loathsome, Leftist hack.

Call Toomey now at 202-224-3121. Tell him that the Bill of Rights isn't up for a vote. Be polite, but firm: infringing upon the Second Amendment is a violation of his oath of office.


Hat tip: BadBlue Gun News.

Larwyn's Linx: Levin goes Nuclear: There is No "Up-or-Down" Vote on the Constitution!

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

Nation

Levin goes Nuclear: There is No "Up-or-Down" Vote on the Constitution!: Scoop
Rand Paul: Filibuster is coming for Democrats' gun ban bill: FreeLight
Sources Report Senate Republicans Caving on Guns: RS

14 Stabbed in a Knife Rampage; Where are the Calls for Knife Control?: TPNN
Why Some Gun Owners Won’t Be Happy with Pat Toomey: Pagun
Collecting Student-Specific Data is unnecessary and Orwellian: NSLDA

Holder Joins Administration's Gun Control Push: MainJustice
Chicago’s weekend forecast: Violent, with a chance of deadly: GSL
Manchin, Toomey Prepare to Unveil Gun Deal: Roll Call

Economy

Tonight Marks Tenth “Command Performance” for the Obamas: Dossier
White House: Obama Budget Contains Middle Class Tax Hike: ATR
Despite salary rate freeze, average federal salary rises: WaPo

Schools teaching kids that citizens have no right to own guns: GWP
Colt: You can go to Hell, we’re going to Texas: Owens
IRS High-Tech Tools Track Your Digital Footprints: Yahoo!

Scandal Central

Sequester This: Billions Wasted on Duplicative Federal Programs: IBD
Unsilent Scream; Update: Witness saw 100 "snippings," "Literally a beheading": Pundette
Child Abortion Pill Is More Judicial Imperialism: IBD

Climate & Energy

Chinese Flee Deadly Smog: Mead
Maryland's Governor Unveils Plan to Burn Chicken Poop: BSCN

Media

Ann Coulter is an enemy to conservatism, and should be treated as such: Kuznicki
Obama Compliments a Woman, Draws Fire: Taki's Magazine
Rockford, IL anti-gun rally turns out… 7?: GSL

LA Times Debunks Schumer's Border Security Claim: Breitbart
Melissa Harris-Perry Doubles Down: she was talking about the Marxist intent to destroy the family: PJM
Conservatives suggest bumper stickers for Anthony Weiner mayoral campaign: Twitchy

HYPOCRISY: Mother Jones Writer Behind McConnell Bugging Railed Against Bush Wiretapping: Lid
If you haven’t heard about the Gosnell abortion case, it’s probably due to the media blackout: Tatler
Low Life Gay Radicals Send Profanity Laced Screeds to Two Girls: Clash

Biden Mocks the Basis of Second Amendment: Dossier
MSNBC host: I’m not backing off my point that children belong to whole communities: Hot Air
Police Gun Control Survey: Are legally-armed citizens the best solution to gun violence?: PoliceOne

World

Sick: Liberals Have Street Party To Celebrate Margaret Thatcher’s Death: RWN
Obama Congratulates Kenyan Election Victor Who Bankrolled Death Squads: PJM
In Hindsight, Carter Book Seen As Part of an Awkward Pattern: Sher

The U.S. Air Force as you know it no longer exists: beginning today, 17 combat units grounded: Aviationist
Newly Approved Arms Trade Treaty Could Shut Down Flow of Surplus Ammo: AmmoLoand
The 25 Margaret Thatcher Quotes that Crush Obama and the Left: TPNN

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Electrical Engineer Unemployment Soars; Software Developers' Rate Drops to 2.2%: Slashdot
Study: percent of consumers logging into sites with Facebook dips as Google gains: InsideFB
This Video Explains Everything You Need to Know About Bitcoin in Three Minutes: Gizmodo

Cornucopia

For the Children: DayByDay
What Makes America Great: Women With Guns: RWN
Common Sense Gun Control Tuesday: MOTUS

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Fill His Voicemail Boxes – All of Them

QOTD: "Compare this quote from an April 2012 Wall Street Journal article written by George P. Shultz and Eric A. Hanushek:

But the averages mask the truly sad story in the Latino population, soon to become California’s dominant demographic group. Hispanics attending school in California perform no better than the average student in Mexico, a level comparable to the typical student in Kazakhstan. An alarming 43% of Hispanic students in California did not complete high school between 2005 and 2009, and only 10% attained a college degree.


Where did all that massive money spent in remedial help and education go, if Mexico does as good a job as the U.S?" --Victor Davis Hanson

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

RED ALERT -- TAKE ACTION NOW: Mark Levin warns Senate will try to erase the Second Amendment on Thursday

The Right Scoop headlines its audio snippet: "Mark Levin goes NUCLEAR: An up and down vote on the 2nd amendment is UNCONSTITUTIONAL!":

Mark Levin says that on Thursday the Senate intends to vote to change the 2nd amendment without any pretense of going through the amendment process, on a bill that hasn’t even been written yet. He says that this isn’t republicanism, it’s democratic tyranny. And the senators arguing to filibuster are being demonized, but Levin says that an up and down vote on the 2nd amendment is unconstitutional, that there is no up and down vote on the Constitution.

Write your Representatives now. The Second Amendment isn't up for debate or modification. This lawlessness must end.

And the survey (of 15,000 law enforcement personnel on the Democrats' proposed gun control bill) says...

A March 2013 survey of 15,000 police officers covering proposed gun control legislation and attitudes about concealed carry laws had some surprising results:

The survey, which was conducted in early March 2013, received 15,000 responses from law enforcement professionals. It found that the overall attitude of law enforcement is strongly anti-gun legislation and pro-gun rights, with the belief that an armed citizenry is effective in stopping crime. Response percentages varied only slightly when analyzed by rank and department size. Among the results:

• 86 percent feel the currently proposed legislation would have no effect or a negative effect on improving officer safety

• Similarly, 92 percent feel that banning semi-automatic firearms, or “assault weapons,” would have no effect or a negative effect on reducing violent crime ...

• Respondents were more split on background checks, with 31 percent agreeing that mental health background checks in all gun sales would help reduce mass shootings, while 45 percent disagreed

• 71 percent support law enforcement leaders who have publicly refused to enforce more restrictive gun laws within their jurisdictions ...

• 91 percent support the concealed carry of firearms by civilians who have not been convicted of a felony and/or have not been deemed psychologically incapable

• Likewise, 80 percent feel that legally-armed citizens would likely have reduced the number of casualties in recent mass shooting incidents

...The survey was promoted by PoliceOne exclusively to its 400,000 registered members, comprised of individually-verified law enforcement professionals. Only current, former or retired law enforcement personnel were eligible to participate in the survey.

The results are conclusive: police officers believe that more gun control laws are useless and that concealed-carry by law-abiding citizens makes society safer.

Which makes it even more certain that Democrats will ignore the will of the people to continue their efforts to eradicate the Second Amendment.

For the children, dontcha know?


Hat tip: BadBlue Gun News.

It turns out someone really does agree with Melissa Harris-Perry: our kids belong to the state

The peerless Investors Business Daily reminds us that at least one historical figure of note actually agrees with MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry, who recently opined that children belong not to parents, but to the state.

Collectivists throughout history have said that children do and should belong to the state and that if you control the children, you control the future.

One well-known collectivist echoed such sentiments when he said, "Let me control the textbooks and I will control the state. The state will take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing. Your child belongs to us already... what are you?"


So said Adolf Hitler, who founded a sate-run youth group that bore his name.

Those who forget history, according to Santayana, are doomed to repeat it. If we fail to eject these collectivists from positions of power in rapid fashion, we are indeed doomed.


Yo, Jacques Tous-tight, how's that "Taxing the Rich" strategy working out for you in France?

IceCap Asset Management, via Zero Hedge, relays the economic results of taxing the hell out of the rich (in this case, levying a 75 percent top rate on "the wealthy"):

...in France, the rock-star status enjoyed by the newly elected president Francois Hollande has completely vanished. In fact, over 67% of people disapprove of his handling of the economy, and this just 10 months into office. Considering the French economy is firmly entrenched in recession (see Chart 2...), exactly how Mr.Hollande plans to ignite a turn around remains unknown.

Tell me, Leftists: can you point to a single instance in all of history where raising taxes grew the economy for a substantial period of time (say, even a decade)?

And, no: Bill Clinton's record doesn't cut it. His "surplus" -- it ignored entitlements and other off-the-books spending -- was the product of a Republican House that was willing to shut down the government to stop Clinton's profligate spending. Furthermore, the gap was short-lived.

Clinton left office just as the tech bubble was imploding.

The real story behind the nineties economic boom has as much to do with Bill Clinton's leadership as Al Gore had to do with the invention of the world-wide web. Which is to say: none.


IF IT BLEEDS, IT LEADS: Except for Kermit Gosnell's Fourth Trimester Abortions and Other Stories of the Amoral Left

The timeless editor's truism is no longer timeless nor much of a truism in a world where ostensible journalists exist only to parrot the Statist's press releases. Case in point: abortionist Richard Gosnell's House of Nazi-esque Horrors, a story virtually ignored by antique media:

Gosnell Worker: Baby "Jumped" When I Snipped Her Neck in Abortion

Jury Sees Photos of Unborn Babies Kermit Gosnell Stabbed in the Neck

Planned Parenthood: Baby surviving botched abortion can legally be executed

Gosnell Joked: 'This Baby Is Big Enough to...Walk Me to the Bus Stop'

Gosnell employee: baby screamed during live-birth abortion

Perhaps the "progressives" can describe the limits of this "woman's right to choose": we already know what Barack Obama thinks.

But, in general, perhaps the fourth-trimester abortion crowd can tell us how long a baby can live outside its mother's womb before it becomes illegal to execute it?


Larwyn's Linx: While the Left Consolidates Power, RINOs Continue to Undermine the GOP

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

Nation

While the Left Consolidates Power, RINOs Continue Undermining GOP: TPNN
Secret Immigration Bill to be About 1,500 Pages: Sentinel
John McCain: “I Don’t Understand” Filibustering Gun Control: RWN

Gang of 8 refuse GOP senators briefing on immigration proposal: Breitbart
The Prime Minister Did Not Accept the Premise: Driscoll
Black Conservatives Weigh In on Hannity Panel: Mediaite

Obama’s 1 Percent Lifestyle Enrages Americans: WZ
Terrorist Ayers confirms he launched Obama's career: GWP
Colt Competition Rifles Coming to Texas-Where it Belongs: AWD

Economy

The Pension Fund That Ate California: Malanga
As Dollar Wanes, Over A Dozen States Push For Gold As Legal Tender: ZH
The Japanese Buy In: RefBrok

HUD shills for Sharia in ‘Fair Housing’ ads: Creeping
Obama Budget Strategy Irks Democrats: Roll Call
How Obamacare Will Distort the Health-Care Market: Bloomberg

Scandal Central

DHS Ammo Shortage: RWN
Democrats Get Caught ‘Fixing’ Redistricting Maps in Florida: Shark Tank
“Married” Homosexuals Go to Trial for Raping Adopted Boys: MB

Climate & Energy

Hooray! Warmists Says Warming No Longer Requires Noticable Warming: RWN
UK: Five million households in debt to energy firms: Telegraph
Energy Secretary Nominee Faces Tough Natural Gas Decision: Foundry

Media

The Grocer’s Daughter: Palin
A tale of two A.P. obituaries: Thatcher and Chavez: Babalu
Conservative Blogs debunked the anti-Palin Thatcher story months ago: Riehl

Press Ignores Pat Smith: Ace
Emotional Newtown dad: More gun control is not the answer: Hot Air
Going 'Nuclear'? Democrats Ratchet Up Talk on Judicial Picks: Roll Call

54% Think It's Not Possible to Work Hard and Get Rich in America: Rasmussen
NBC's Lauer Parrots 'White House's Argument' to Curb Gun Rights: NB
Bozell: MSNBC Stands for 'My Son Needs to Belong to the Collective': NB

World

Man who escaped Castro’s Cuba: ‘You people don’t know what freedom is because you never lost it’: Malkin
“The World Has Lost One of Its Greatest Champions of Freedom”: Foundry
The Iron Lady Passes On: Loudon

Rocket from Gaza strikes south of Israel during Holocaust memorial ceremony: JihadWatch
Obama Administration Lectures Europe: Lay Off Austerity: WZ
UN Warns Of Increasing Risk Of Social Unrest In Europe: EFXnews

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

10 Must-Follow Breaking News Accounts on Twitter: Mashable
EPIC presses FBI in lawsuit for details on biometric database: CIO
Inside that traffic data concerning Y Combinator companies: NextWeb

Cornucopia

Towards a New America: Captain's Journal
Awesomest Headline of the Day: OTB
6 rejected Disney theme park rides: The Week

Image: "The Grocer's Daughter", by Sarah Palin
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: BadBlue Gun News

QOTD: "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." – Mark Twain

Bonus QOTD: "Because the president has failed to lead on this matter, your group has secretly met for months and not consulted with members of this Committee about major changes to our nation’s immigration laws. The time for transparency has come. Given the Majority’s rushed timetable, we believe it is time for you to discuss the status of your negotiations, disclose what concessions have been made, and provide details to members of the Judiciary Committee as well as the entire Republican Caucus." --Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)

Monday, April 08, 2013

FINALLY: President Obama to decide how much money you need for your retirement

Mark Levin's been warning about this for years, ever since a Marxist crackpot was asked to testify about nationalizing retirement accounts in front of a Congressional committee.

You can think of that as showing some ankle. Now the president has hiked up the entire skirt.

Welcome to the new U.S. Socialism always has the same predictable process. Once the government collectivizes a sector then the politicos and bureaucrats get to work on "improving the system". In a private enterprise, that'd mean offering more to your customers for a cheaper price. In government, it is always the opposite, finding ways to reduce benefits for their "customers".

This is why Obamacare is and will be a disaster to anyone interested in having quality medical care and choice... Once the government uses its force to gain a monopoly on a sector like medical care then all of a sudden it now becomes everyone else's business what you do with your own body. You smoke? You should be stopped! Don't wear a seatbelt? You should be fined. Why? Because we are all paying for each other's medical care and so it now becomes everyone else's business what you do with your health because it could potentially cost them more money.

The same has been happening since the U.S. government has had a multi-decade long monopoly on retirement savings (IRAs). Since they get to make the rules they get to decide just how much is enough for your retirement and that is exactly what will be happening next week when President Obama will be releasing his budget plan which will limit how much a wealthy individual can keep in those tax-reducing IRA plans and other retirement accounts.

According to a senior administration official, wealthy taxpayers can currently “accumulate many millions of dollars in these accounts, substantially more than is needed to fund reasonable levels of retirement saving"... What is the "reasonable amount" that he thinks is enough? The numbers being bandied about seem to indicate $3 million. Sounds like quite a bit, right? Well, let's look further at the proposal.

"The budget would limit an individual’s total balance across tax-preferred accounts to an amount sufficient to finance an annuity of not more than $205,000 per year in retirement, or about $3 million in 2013."

[But] if you lived in any number of states where total income taxes are over 50%, very quickly brings that number down to around $100,000... Of course, that is just the beginning of other payments to the state. Your average person with a $3 million IRA probably lives in at least a $1 million house. If that person lived in New Jersey where property tax averages 1.89% of property value, then you can take another $19,000 off of the remaining $100,000 for property tax payments to rent his own home.

Of course, there will be numerous - countless really - other taxes paid over the course of the year... gasoline tax, cigarette taxes, alcohol taxes and numerous others. But, even without including those we are already below $7,000/month.

But here is the real kicker. If that person did take the $205,000/year annuity, their retirement funds would only last them fourteen years. Of course, some may state that they could and should be earning a return during that time which will extend it.

...These are the wonders of the American Dream today. It is turning into a nightmare. They have you coming and going from all sides. And then, if you manage to survive all the taxes and inflation, whatever remaining money you have left will be mostly gutted by the death tax. Yes, there is a tax to die in the land of the free. And don't try to commit suicide either. That's illegal.

And, like the Alternative Minimum Tax, which was originally designed to target only "the rich" but trapped everyone, rest assured that all Americans are in the cross-hairs. To deploy another cheesy metaphor, Obama's effort to cap retirement accounts at $3 million is the camel's nose under the tent.

This Marxist class warfare, which is provably destructive of the civil society and free enterprise, must be stopped. And if that means crushing the RINO establishment along the way, so be it.


Fed Training Material: Evangelical Christians, Catholics and Jews are Among the Most Dangerous Extremist Groups

And the hits just keep on coming:

The Obama administration ... was caught training U.S. troops that Catholics, orthodox Jews, and evangelical Christians are to be considered “religious extremists,” [PDF] even equating the major religions representing more than half of Americans with truly violent groups such as al-Qaeda, the Ku Klux Klan, and Hamas... Now, critics are calling for an immediate public apology to the soldiers exposed to the hateful propaganda, as well as to the Christian and Jewish communities targeted in the presentation...


...Between evangelical Christians and orthodox Jews was the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamo-socialist group ruling over [the same] Egypt that Obama is supplying with advanced military weaponry including fighter jets and tanks — not to mention billions more in aid. Along with the Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, the Nation of Islam, a Filipino Islamist group, and Hamas were listed, along with Sunni Muslims in general. The U.S. government claims to be at war with some of the Islamist groups, while others are openly receiving American taxpayer dollars, weapons, and training from the administration...

Well, that's not confusing.

Considering this administration now demands "obedience" of its trainees, portraying the most peaceful people on Earth as homicidal nut-jobs is par for the course.

7 Timeless Margaret Thatcher Quotes for Conservatives

Spotted at RedAlert, seven of the Iron Lady's finest:

Today is truly a sad day for conservatives everywhere as news traveled fast that Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of Britain, has died at the age of 87. But as we mourn her death, we also celebrate the life of one of the most inspirational conservatives of all time by highlighting seven of her most memorable quotes.

Thatcher once said, “I fight on. I fight to win.” Her legacy lives on through these powerful words:

1. “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”


2. “Pennies don’t fall from heaven, they have to be earned here on earth.”


3. “No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions; he had money as well.”


4. “Economics are the method; the object is to change the heart and soul.”


5. “My policies are based not on some economics theory, but on things I and millions like me were brought up with: an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay; live within your means; put by a nest egg for a rainy day; pay your bills on time; support the police.”


6. “The choice facing the nation is between two totally different ways of life. And what a prize we have to fight for: no less than the chance to banish from our land the dark, divisive clouds of Marxist socialism and bring together men and women from all walks of life who share a belief in freedom.”


And finally (paraphrasing St. Francis of Assisi):

7. “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope.”


And Ann Althouse reminds us of another classic retort to liberalism:

"He would rather have the poor poorer, provided that the rich were less rich. That is the Liberal policy."


Godspeed, Milady. Godspeed.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

Law Firm: New York Matching Up Private Health Records With Gun Permits to Confiscate Firearms

Amazing, isn't it? The Aurora, Colorado movie shooter was on all sorts of prescription medications, warned his psychiatrist of violent fantasies and even left her a notebook. That book remains sealed. The defense has argued, successfully thus far, that it is not evidence because it "is part of doctor-patient privileged communication".

Yet, according to New York's Tresmond law firm, some of that state's law enforcement agencies are dipping into private medical records for the purposes of gun confiscation:

John Doe, an upstanding professional with no outstanding criminal convictions and no history of violent action received a letter from the Pistol Permit Department informing him that his license was immediately revoked upon information that he was seeing a therapist for anxiety and had been prescribed an anxiety drug. He was never suicidal, never violent, and has no criminal history. The New York State Department of Health is apparently conducting a search of medical records to determine who is being treated for anxiety drugs and using this as a basis for handgun license revocation.

I would like to add that the police departments are demanding that whomever turns in a pistol also turn in accessories for that pistol such as magazines, despite the fact that these magazines are not firearms themselves and anyone can purpose a magazine without a pistol license. Even more troubling was the fact that the police officer taking custody of the pistols cheerily informed the client that "the department" would be destroying his pistols if they were not retrieved within one year. When she was questioned as to what he should do should he choose to sell the pistols out of state, given that he has a property right to the monetary value of the gun, she became confused, her expressions changed to perplexed, and she made a referral to another officer.

Those are the facts. Nothing more, nothing less. (Signed, Max Tresmond)

Aside from being clearly unconstitutional and a violation of all standards for professional medical ethics, New York's actions seem entirely above board.

Which reminds me: in Missouri, of all places, the Department of Revenue, which issues concealed carry permits, may have been caught transmitting private information on permit holders to DHS.

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder held a press conference to announce his involvement in an attempt to stop the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) from transmitting ... private data to the Federal Government. The data transmission was discovered after ... Missouri resident Eric Griffin’s concealed carry permit was denied when he refused to let the DOR scan and transmit his private data...

According to Lt. Gov. Kinder, this information is not only being turned over to [the federal government], but also to a private agency in another state. Both actions are specifically prohibited by State Law...

This case has issues of statewide importance implicating serious privacy concerns for law-abiding citizens. These folks have followed the letter of the law and been approved for concealed carry by the proper authorities. They must not be required to share that information with any third parties or the federal government.

In my opinion, this is just another example of why gun registration is a very dangerous thing to allow. Nowhere in the Constitution are we required to register our weapons, or apply for any sort of permit to carry them. In fact, the second Amendment itself should be our conceal carry permit.

The Orwellian nature of this Missouri program highlights our need to be vigilant when it comes to suggestions of further gun registrations and legislation. The farther we allow them to go down this road, the easier it becomes for them to implement their ultimate agenda of gun confiscation.

Put simply: gun registration is gun confiscation. It must be rejected.

Also, if you are a New Yorker and need legal advice, Max Tresnmond indicates he can be contacted at info@tresmondlaw.com. Full disclosure: I don't know the man and I can't vouch for his services, but he may be a place to start.


Hat tip: BadBlue Guns.

Larwyn's Linx: ACLU: Next week's Senate bill is essentially gun registration

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

Nation

ACLU: Next week's Senate bill is essentially gun registration: Lott
Protesters greet Obama on S.F.’s Billionaires’ Row: Zombie
The "Need" for Immigration Reform: Townhall

Beat Thy Enemy III: Celebrity Culture: Dewey
Clueless McCain doesn't understand filibustering gun control: PatriotUpdate
Is Ammo Supply Beginning to Catch Up With Demand?: TAG

Liberal States Look To Tax Guns And Ammunition: RWN
Aurora as an Argument Against Concealed Carry: MB
ObamaCare takes friendly fire: Hill

Economy

How They Will Steal Your Retirement: Denninger
Legislation Via Regulation: RSM
‘Massive’ Florida Food Stamp Scam Uncovered, Two Arrests Made: Inquisitr

WH: GOP Must Stop 'My Way or the Highway' Budget Negotiations: Breitbart
Protecting Yourself From Japanese Insanity: ZH
Cuomo Closed NY Budget By Raiding $1.75B From Workers Comp: LoneCon

Capitalism Isn't Dying: Marsden
EU Warns Portugal on Austerity Measures: Mish
Japan Bond Market Halted For Second Day In A Row: ZH

Scandal Central

Mother Of Slain Benghazi Officer To Sean Hannity: ‘They Want Me To Shut Up’: Mediaite
700 Retired Military Special Ops Tell Congress to Form Select Committee on Benghazi: Breitbart
The Little Girl Was Kidnapped and Raped — Thank You, Governor Jerry Brown!: RSM

Media

The Truth About Pamela Geller: Lid
Nightfall: Woodpile Report
Another not racially motivated Hate Crime: First Coast News

‘Illegal we do immediately; unconstitutional takes a little longer’: Kissinger in new mass WikiLeaks release: RT
Social Media used by Newport Gang Members: Social Barrel
Katty Kay: Marriage Is 'Old Fashioned' If You Want to Have Kids: NB

World

Barack Obama blames US Navy for increased North Korean tensions.: RS
NoKo-a-NoGo: NoisyRm
Canadian Dad banned from watching daughter's Swim meets because of Muslim Immigrants: LibRep (NSFW)

Anonymous Hackers Arrested In Jordan For Op Israel Cyber Attacks: WZ
U.S. Wargames North Korean Regime Collapse, Invasion to Secure Nukes: ABC
Top US General in South Korea Cancels Trip to Washington Due to North Korea Situation: Yahoo!

Pentagon to Buy Russian Helicopters Despite Ban: RiaNovosti
Photo of the Day: Mama Mia! NO SHARIA! (NSFW): Holger Awakens (NSFW)
Mexico Becomes a Stable, Politically Diverse Neighbor: Barone

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Phantom Flex4K camera unveiled, blasts through 1000 4K frames per second : Engadget
Maker of Taser introduces headcam that turns every policeman into a Robocop: Daily Mail
Silicon Valley's Mouthwatering Tax Break: WSJ

Cornucopia

You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till It’s Gone: MOTUS
TeaMZ Exclusive: JayZ and Beyonce Cuban Vacation: Morlock
weekend paroxysm: Sondrakistan

Image: Zombie: Protesters greet Obama on S.F.’s Billionaires’ Row
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rank Doug Ross @ Journal on WOT's Reputation Scorecard

QOTD: "Leave it to my state of California to head off in radical and expensive directions. Legislation has been filed that would require group insurance to cover gay and lesbian infertility treatments just as they do heterosexual. But, as I note elsewhere, AB 460 isn’t limited to a finding of actual infertility. Nor does it require that gays and lesbians have tried to conceive or sire a child using heterosexual means, natural or artificial. Rather–as with heterosexual couples–merely the inability to get pregnant for a year while having active sexual relations is sufficient to demonstrate need for treatment, meaning if the bill becomes law, it would require insurance companies to pay for services such as artificial insemination, surrogacy, etc. for people who are actually fecund. Indeed, since the bill prevents discrimination based on marital or domestic partnership status, theoretically every gay and lesbian in the state could be deemed infertile for purposes of insurance coverage merely by the fact that they don’t wish to engage in heterosexual relations." --Wesley J. Smith, "Ca Legislation Would Require Insurance for Gay “Infertility”"