Monday, August 12, 2013

Full-auto Gauss gun "has 3D printed guns running scared"

Daddy like.

3D-printed guns have been making the news a lot recently. That's not to say that they and their creators don't deserve the press — people arming themselves without so much as a permit is pretty terrifying. But whoever it was that said 3D printing was the only way for people to circumvent the law and arm themselves just might not have seen this bad boy.


This fully-automatic Gauss gun, dubbed the CG-42, has a 15-round capacity and can fire an entire clip of ammo in 1.5 seconds. What it fires is almost as frightening as the gun itself, because the CG-42 is armed with nails, side-stepping the need for even the slightest of paper trails.

A Gauss gun, also known as a coilgun, is a battery-operated, electromagnetic linear motor which pulls a projectile forward faster and faster until it exits the weapon's muzzle, no gunpowder required. The CG-42 has a muzzle velocity of 138 feet per second, which doesn't sound like a lot until you see it put a nail right through a laptop's casing. Gauss guns also get more powerful the longer you make them, so a Gauss "rifle" would be capable of much more destruction...

The video at the link won't have anyone trading in their AR-15, but the technology does show a great deal of promise.


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News.

INFOGRAPHIC THAT HAS LIBERAL HEADS IMPLODING: Gun sales keep a-rising and the crime rates keep a-dropping

For, as Robert Heinlein said, "an armed society is a polite society."



Hat tip: BadBlue Gun News.

FINALLY: First Dog Bo Takes a Well-Deserved Vacation

Well, I can rest easy tonight knowing that Bo is enjoying the kind of posh vacation that most Americans can only dream of.

Americans can go to bed with a story to warm the cockles of their hearts tonight. First Dog Bo has been successfully transported to join the First Family on their well-deserved vacation on Martha's Vineyard.


...Bo was transported from Washington to the island on board a specially modified Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey. For security reasons similar to those of Vice President Joe Biden, President Obama and First Dog Bo cannot travel on the same aircraft, thus making a separate flight necessary...

In the event of an emergency involving the President, I believe the current Continuity of Government plan calls for Bo to assume the presidency, followed by Harry Reid, then Michael Moore, Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn, and then -- if memory serves -- Madonna.

I didn't see Biden on the list, but be sure to read the article and double-check my math.


CLASS ACT: This is who @BuzzFeedAndrew is

Several years ago, Daily Caller writer Jim Treacher was involved in a devastating auto accident in Washington, D.C. that left him hospitalized and in rehabilitation for years.

And several years ago, Andrew Kaczynski became a left-wing hack, writing for BuzzFeed, the terrifically mindless aggregator of hard news and funny cat videos. When called out on Twitter by Treacher for his various, laughably false defenses of Democrat politicians, Kaczynski demonstrated all of the class you've come to expect from a left-wing hack:




You can follow Treacher on Twitter at @JTLol.


You know that totally insane Benghazi conspiracy theory? Yep. It keeps getting less insane each and every day

Word broke today (via the outstanding Pajamas Media) that Arabic language media is confirming strong ties between the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

Multiple Arabic media sources have reported that the purpose of the Libyan intelligence chief’s recent trip to Cairo was to share information about Mursi’s involvement.

Other Arabic sources (1, 2, 3), including Masress, have reported on the details of the charges being filed against Mursi. They involve his release of [terrorist Mohammed Jamal] Al-Kashif...

If Mursi was involved, what were his possible motives? Indisputably, the two most prominent voices as of late demanding the release of “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdul Rahman were Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Muhammad Mursi. Interestingly, Mursi made such a demand before and days after the attacks in Benghazi.


Which begs the question: why are President Obama and same-sex senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham lobbying so hard for the Muslim Brotherhood?

Word of Egypt's involvement in the assassination of Ambassador Christopher Stevens had circulated in intelligence circles since September. Raymond Ibrahim reported then on a troubling Libyan intelligence document. It asserts that the Muslim Brotherhood, including Egyptian President Morsi, were involved in the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

On Wednesday, June 26, several Arabic websites ... quoted the intelligence report, which apparently was first leaked to the Kuwaiti paper, Al Ra’i... It discusses the preliminary findings of the investigation, specifically concerning an “Egyptian cell” which was involved in the consulate attack. “Based on confessions derived from some of those arrested at the scene” six people, “all of them Egyptians” from the jihad group Ansar al-Sharia (“Supporters of Islamic Law), were arrested.

According to the report, during interrogations, these Egyptian jihadi cell members “confessed to very serious and important information concerning the financial sources of the group and the planners of the event and the storming and burning of the U.S. consulate in Benghazi…. And among the more prominent figures whose names were mentioned by cell members during confessions were: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi; preacher Safwat Hegazi; Saudi businessman Mansour Kadasa, owner of the satellite station, Al-Nas; Egyptian Sheikh Muhammad Hassan; former presidential candidate, Hazim Salih Abu Isma’il..."

This jibes with original reporting from last September by Walid Shoebat. A cellphone video taken during the attacks depicts gunmen running toward the camera. At one point an approaching gunman cries, "Don't shoot us! We were sent by Morsi!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In October of 2012, a comment by "Kozy" posited that the Benghazi attack was an "October Surprise". Easily dismissed at the time as some sort of conspiracy nonsense, with each passing day the scenario appears to become more plausible:

Starting in late March, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz begs the State Department for more security assets. These requests are flatly refused.

Also early in the year (February, March and April), White House visitor records show several lightly documented -- and possibly confidential -- visits by Hillary Clinton to the White House.

In May, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz is swapped for Chris Stevens.

In June, Egyptian President Morsi publicly pledges to secure the release of 'The Blind Sheikh', the extremist cleric responsible for the first World Trade Center attack.

Also starting in June, Ambassador Stevens' security teams are systematically removed from Libya, despite increasingly urgent requests and dire predictions. By the time of the 9/11 attack, Stevens has not a single personal bodyguard. These stunning actions effectively remove any barriers to the capture of the Ambassador for use as a hostage.

Did back-channel communications between the White House and the Blind Shiekh's legal representatives confirm that a swap could be achieved with a high-level hostage exchange? Were the Sheikh's cronies informed that Ambassador Stevens had no security in Benghazi? This would enable the Sheikh to be secured through a trade after capturing Stevens; after all, the ambassador has had his security teams completely stripped away.

Someone -- it is not clear who -- arranges a meeting between Stevens and Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akinin in Benghazi, not Tripoli, late in the evening of 9/11. It is during this meeting that terrorist checkpoints are established around the compound. The terrorists know precisely where Stevens is and are prepared logistically to capture him.

The initial attack involves only small arms fire. A fire was later used to smoke out the Ambassador from a safe room. In other words, the lack of RPG and mortar rounds during the initial attack means it is highly likely that the operation was a "smash and grab" designed to capture the Ambassador, not assassinate him. RPGs were only used later at the annex, hours later, after Stevens was known KIA.

And, as stated above, during the initial attack, a video shot via camera phone records men yelling "Don’t Shoot us! We were sent by Morsi!"

Hostage swap

Under this operating theory, had all gone according to plan, the Obama administration would have secretly facilitated the capture of Ambassador Stevens. This would have permitted Obama to safely trade the Ambassador through the release of the Blind Sheikh.

The trade of the Sheikh for Stevens would have occurred, of course, just before the election. Obama would take very public credit for Stevens' safe return as well as a newly strengthened relationship with Egypt's Morsi.

Photo ops featuring Obama and Stevens would be splashed along the campaign trail, ostensibly solidifying the president's foreign policy qualifications.

Sound too far-fetched? Consider the following unanswered unanswered questions:

Why did State repeatedly deny requests for more security in Benghazi, despite increasingly dire predictions? Instead, State completely stripped security from Stevens. No credible explanation has been offered for the removal of security by the White House or the State Department. It has been confirmed that the budget excuse proffered by State was completely false.

Who arranged Stevens' meeting with Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akinin in Benghazi, not Tripoli, so late in the evening?

Why on 9/11 -- of all dates -- was there no special security posture ordered in diplomatic installations around the Middle East?

Why did so many people in the administration publicly lie about the nature of the attack when it was clear from the onset that it was an organized attack by terrorists?

And, once again: why are President Obama and same-sex senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham lobbying so hard for the release of Muslim Brotherhood terrorists including Mursi?

Why did the president go to sleep after getting word of the attack?

Why did he reportedly refuse security briefings in the aftermath of the attack, instead simply departing for a fundraiser in Las Vegas?

The theory being: the President didn't need to stay awake after hearing of the attack. He didn't need any briefings. He knew exactly what had happened.

A review of the Complete Benghazi Timeline makes some of these anomalies apparent. It's high time for a special prosecutor and a full, Watergate-style investigation into this madness.


Hat tips: Wanda and MOTUS.

Larwyn's Linx: Capsizing the Republic – Cloward and Piven Strategy Operating on the Southern Border

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

Nation

Capsizing the Republic: Cloward and Piven on the Southern Border: NoisyRoom
The Sunday talk show clip that has every vulnerable Democrat cringing: Twitchy
Power to ‘We the People’: Alan Wallace, TribLive

Rep. Gohmert: President Lied about Republicans and Obamacare: Rick Moran
Sudden Flood of Asylum Requests At U.S./Mexico Border: Breitbart
Joe Biden: Hey, Don't Forget About Me for 2016!: Abby Ohlheiser

Rafael Cruz: “ObamaCare is Going to Destroy the Elderly”: FreeLight
Beck Wrong – Nancy Mace Will Hand Lindsey Graham His RINO Butt: IM41
Creepy: Libs Have Child Pray To Barack Obama: WZ

Economy

California surfer uses food stamps to buy sushi and avoid work: RedAlert
American Education Nears Its Collectivist Goal: Alan Scholl
The LA Times Is Jealous Of Texas. Obviously: Tony Katz

Transformationalism on Walled-in Pond: MOTUS
Ah, It’s Good To Be King: Obama Begins Vacation: WZ
Austerity: First dog Bo is airlifted to Obama holiday home: Instapundit

Scandal Central

Double talk from the spymasters: Andrew Napolitano
Pat Caddell On Obama: ‘The Man Is An Egomaniac!’ : Nice Deb
Rep. King to religious conservatives: ‘Go ahead and defy the IRS’: Tom Tillison

Climate & Energy

New regulations czar to get right on that backlog of regulations: Jazz Shaw
Signs of Recovery... Or Not: Ace
Associated Press retracts ‘global warming’ North Pole photo: RedAlert

Media

CNN & NBC’s Close Ties to Obama, Anita Dunn, Bob Bauer and IRS Intimidation: Publius
Feinstein looks to exclude bloggers, new media from press shield law: Rick Moran
CVS implements obviously racist ID requirement to purchase nail polish remover: WyBlog

The competition for the most loathsome news organization in the U.S is fierce.: Tom Blumer
Cancel the 2016 election, because it’s going to be ‘Madam President’ Hillary, Sez Dowd: Michelle Malkin
How not to defeat Lindsey Graham: Kill challengers’ candidacies in the cradle: Jacobson

The White House Press Corps Falls Down: Keith Koffler
Obama’s Presser: What the Media Did and Didn’t Ask: Bryan Preston
You should probably follow this Missouri State Fair thing…: Moe Lane

World

State Dept. Spokeswoman Psaki Denounces ‘Enemies of Islam’: Patrick Poole
CAIR tries to ban professor’s speech on ‘The Islamic Threat to America’: Eric Owens
Cass Sunstein and the power of ‘nudge’: Luiza Ch. Savage

Mark Levin: States Should Call Convention to Propose Amending Constitution: CNS
Illegitimate foreign policy from an illegitimate president: J.P. Travis
Islam - Now You Know: It Don't Make Sense

Sci-Tech

Worst tech predictions of all time: Mark Spoonauer, Fox
Why can’t we talk about IQ?: Jason Richwine
Elon Musk Unveils His Latest Taxpayer Boondoggle: Ace

Cornucopia

Michael Bloomberg's "Sweatin' Cause I Told Ya!" : Morlock Revolt
Photos of the day: Anthony Weiner unveils Carlos Danger at Dominican Day parade: Twitchy
Usain Bolt Is Still the Fastest Man Alive: Connor Simpson

Image: @TheObamaDiary via FireAndreaMitchell.com
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic

QOTD: "Why bother getting a job when you can jam out, surf and enjoy sushi with your bros, thanks to government food stamps?

That was the attitude displayed by Jason Greenslate, a 29-year-old California surfer and musician, interviewed by Fox News‘ John Roberts during “The Great Food Stamp Binge,” Friday night special.

Though he’s trained as a recording engineer, Greenslate prefers to sing explicitly about what little desire he has to hold down a job and has “f**k no” guilt toward his taxpayer-funded lifestyle. Greenslate also lives rent-free, occupying the homes of family and friends while occasionally shacking up with girlfriends — a lifestyle that he said is “wonderful, man.”

...[They] followed Greenslate to the grocery store to see what items fill his cart using the $200 monthly payment he receives from enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Roberts watched as the beach bum picked out gourmet sushi and lobster, “all paid for by our wonderful tax dollars,” according to Greenslate." --Gabriella Morrongiello

Sunday, August 11, 2013

10 Worst Technology Predictions of All Time

Writing at LaptopMag, Mark Spoonauer offers the following list, which I've summarized here along with some additional commentary.

10. “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.” --Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO (April 2007). Talk about a patient board of directors. Under Ballmer's stewardship, MSFT appears to have whiffed on every significant consumer technology trend over the last 10 or 15 years.

9. “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” --Ken Olson, president Digital Equipment Corp (1977). Not long after, DEC was toast, forced into a merger with Compaq to survive.

8. “We’re going to become better than No. 1 (in tablets).” --Eric Cador, senior VP, Hewlett Packard (2010).

7. “Within the next two decades autos will be made with folding wings.” --Eddie Rickenbacker, pilot (1924). Rickenbacker, the famed World War I ace, might have been off by a century or so.

6. “Cellular phones will absolutely not replace local wire systems.” --Marty Cooper, inventor (1981).

5. “In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore.” --Thorsten Heins, BlackBerry CEO (2013). Well, he could be right. He still has 'til 2018 to be proven right.

4. “The subscription model of buying music is bankrupt.” --Steve Jobs (2003). At least Jobs course-corrected quickly.

3. "Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will flop.” --Time Magazine (1966).

2. "Windows Phone will be No. 2 in Smartphones by 2015" --IDC, Gartner, IHS. Well, two years to go.

1. “I predict the Internet in 1996 [will] catastrophically collapse.” --Robert Metcalfe (1995). Metcalfe, one of the inventors of the Internet, appears to have underestimated his own child.


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News.

Things According to Randy

Via ImageBlitz

Yet Another Curious "Coincidence" Involving a Donor to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's Campaign

Andrew Cuomo is truly a diabolical character. Few know that his fingerprints are all over the 2008 financial crisis. As the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Bill Clinton, Cuomo forced banks -- yes, forced banks -- to dispense with their longstanding mortgage underwriting practices and begin issuing no-documentation-required home loans. In the interest of fairness, of course.

We all know how that particular Cuomo brainstorm worked out.

Now Wynton Hall reports that New York's governor is involved with another peculiar case of financial skulduggery, one I'm sure he'll chalk up to "coincidence".

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo bagged $100,000 in campaign donations from a developer that, two days later, received tax breaks that will cost New York taxpayers $35 million in revenue over 10 years.

The company, Extell Development, made two $50,000 contributions to Cuomo through two of its corporations. Three weeks after Cuomo signed the bill granting Extell and four others the generous tax breaks, Extell President Gary Barnett stroked another $100,000 check to a state Democratic Party account that the NY Daily News says is to be used to push Cuomo’s policies.

Neither Extell or its president had previously donated to Cuomo... “To suggest any connection,” says Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa, “is an irresponsible distortion of the facts.”

A special New York state corruption commission has subpoenaed Extell and the other companies who received the lucrative tax breaks.

Had Cuomo been serving in the private sector and pulled off some of these hijinx, it's likely he'd be serving a 30-year stint in Attica.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

A Country of Sheep

Guest post by Monty Pelerin

The word tyranny is thrown around rather carelessly, especially when politicians invoke it. When Bush was president, it was a popular Democrat word. With Obama in office, it is used as frequently, but now by Republicans and rarely by Democrats. Tyranny and accusations of it are serious. Sadly, politicians use it whenever they disagree with the policies of the opposing party.

True tyranny is serious and should not be used as a tool to smear political opponents. It is a specific condition, one which the Founders found serious enough to initiate a revolt against England.

Now it is used more as political invective than in its true meaning. Sadly, the politicians who bandy the word about for advantage are unaware of true tyranny or are in fact guilty of committing it.

Distorting words or misunderstanding them, however, does not alter the consequences of the acts. It is important to understand the true meaning of the word itself.

Larwyn's Linx: Obamacare In the First Person

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

Nation

Obamacare In the First Person: Power Line
Picturing The Plunge In Gun Crimes (As Gun Sales Surge): ZH
OR Nixes Chemo for Medicaid Patients With Short Life Expectancies: Ace

Bob Filner: Quite Typical of Democrats' 2007 Class : Moe Lane
Is Dick Durbin the Dumbest Democrat?: Power Line
Michelle Malkin: Bob Filner and The Great #WarOnWomen Cover-Up: Ace

Harry Reid Lets the Cat Out of the Bag: Samuel Gonzalez
The "Compassion" That Kills: Liberal Logic 101
Missing Teen Rescued After FBI Shoots and Kills Kidnapper: R.S. McCain

Economy

Duh-troit: $1 million check misplaced : Marathon
Another Brilliant Idea: Second City Cop
The Top 5 Bogus Public Health Scares: Reason

ObamaCare's Hazardous Subsidy Cliff: IBD
Bring on the Draconian Cuts: Kevin Williamson
The tragedy of America's great food stamp binge: Patrick Caddell

Scandal Central

GreenTech's Charles Wang throws McAuliffe under the bus: Bearing Drift
How Hillary Made $100,000 Trading Cattle Futures: iOTW
Obama pal says he's cooperating with feds in grant scam case: Ray Long and Hal Dardick, Trib

Climate & Energy

Man With Giant Carbon Footprint Sees Stopping Climate Change As Part Of His Legacy: William Teach
EPA's bizarre and twisted rules will kill Arizona's economy: Sid Wilson

Media

Alleged Murderer Is an Illegal Alien, but Washington Post Won't Say So : David North
Michael Voris: "Obama holds nothing sacred except that which is evil": Adrienne
Speech: Western Rifle Shooters

Instapundit turns 12 and the perils of blogger burnout: William A. Jacobson
Mark Levin to Eric Cantor: “The government is already shut down, you idiot!": Ramparts360
Hugo Schwyzer on Twitter! : American Power

Two Classics From Glenn Beck: Ace
Critics blast Jackson, Sharpton over silence on Florida school bus beating: Fox
This Week in Pictures: Power Line

World

Know Thine Enemy: Mark Steyn
When failure carries no cost: Caroline Glick
The New York Times Tries to Smooth Over Tom Friedman's Incredible Blunders: CAMERA

Ft. Hood shooting: Terror or not?: AirForceTimes
If they send Lon Horiuchi after you, they mean business ...: Winter Soldier
Solutions - Follow Up to The Home Invasion Dilemma : Max Velocity

Sci-Tech

30-Second Tech Trick: How to Find a Lost or Stolen Android Device: TechLand
The paintings in this gallery aren't real: Chris Ziegler
The coolest photo ever of Seattle’s skyline is going viral: John Cook, GeekWire

Cornucopia

2013 Miss Mugshot: iOTW
If Obama had a bored kid in the classroom, he’d look like Putin.: MOTUS
Better Mars Than Obama's America : Outcast

Image: Western Rifle Shooters
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Find (or Demand) a Townhall Meeting Near You

QOTD: "I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desart. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

--Percy Bysshe Shelley

Saturday, August 10, 2013

NEW COMIC STRIP: The Press Conference

Based on real events!


Wouldn't you love to see a real press conference? One in which all questions were asked by, say, Mark Levin? And which had a "no filibuster" rule, preventing the president's usual Castro-like responses?


HARRY REID: Obamacare's only the first step we're taking to destroy the entire American health care system

The Statist's work is never done.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Friday that Obamacare isn't the final word in government health care reform, it's just a big step toward the real solution, which is a single-payer system.

..."Reid said he thinks the country has to 'work our way past' insurance-based health care during a Friday night appearance on Vegas PBS' program Nevada Week in Review...

In other words, Democrats want to 'work our way past' the free-market system.

..."When then asked by panelist Steve Sebelius whether he meant ultimately the country would have to have a health care system that abandoned insurance as the means of accessing it, Reid said: 'Yes, yes. Absolutely, yes.'

"The idea of introducing a single-payer national health care system to the United States, or even just a public option, sent lawmakers into a tizzy back in 2009, when Reid was negotiating the health care bill... [and] then-Sen. Joe Lieberman's opposition to the idea of a public option made them abandon the notion and start from scratch."

"Single-payer" is a system in which only the government provides and funds health care to citizens. Typical examples of single payer systems supported by U.S. advocates of the approach include Britain's National Health Service [NHS] and Canada's Health Canada program (which is also known there as "Medicare").

Ah, yes: Britain's NHS, authors of such classics as:

• "The NHS kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year"

• "Horror: 13,000 dead patients, left without food and water"

• "NHS darkest hour: 1,200 'appalling' deaths at Stafford hospital but NO ONE blamed"

Yeah, that single-payer system.

Socialized medicine has three priorities:

...the scheme requires complete government control of the national healthcare system. In this way, the government can control prices, costs, medical treatments, standards, and so forth. This is necessary because healthcare consumes a huge portion of government resources.

...socialized medicine is about providing equal care to every citizen. This is the basic pretext for instituting socialized medicine – to extend healthcare to those who do not already have it or cannot afford it. However, instead of merely providing taxpayer subsidized care to the have-nots, the promoters of Big Government seize the “crisis” opportunity to take control over everyone’s healthcare... schemes like ObamaCare and the NHS seek to ensure only that no one gets better care than anyone else.

...socialized healthcare is about rationing... The need for rationing is quite obvious... [as central planners try to control supply and demand]

We are watching the Statists dismantle the greatest health care system on Earth in pursuit of a Utopian fantasy. And the feckless "opposition party" won't even fight.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

Larwyn's Linx: Conservatives hate Harry Reid because he’s white

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

Nation

Conservatives hate Harry Reid because he’s white: David Freddoso
GOP Ready to Cave on Amnesty: Arnold Ahlert
Obama on Lack of Benghazi Arrests: I Got Bin Laden: Ben Shapiro

The Next Threat to Your Privacy is Obamacare: Chris Jacobs
Impeach Obama Campaign Catches Fire In Florida: RWN
Canadian Newscaster Tears Obama Apart for Benghazi Response: WFP

Tyranny Rules: Monty Pelerin
Is Obama a Gift from God?: Scoop
Black senator to Harry Reid: Opposing Obama is not racist: BPR

Economy

The self-inflicted contraction of Cleveland — and its newspaper: BizzyBlog
When Will Spanish Banking System Collapse?: Mish
House conservatives to unveil ObamaCare fix: Elise Viebeck

Scandal Central

John Sexton exposes IRS Political Pressures: Breitbart
For NSA, Americans' Emails Are an Open Book: Richard Adhikari
FBI ties Chicago Democrats to tyrant Mugabe, illicit lobbying: Emma Dumain

Despite Scandal, IRS Is Still Targeting Conservative Groups: LoneCon
Cruz Faces Off With Durbin on ‘Stand Your Ground’ Inquiry: Meredith Shiner
Benghazi Bombshell Report Update: Shoebat

Climate & Energy

New Report Confirms Keystone Pipeline Won’t Increase Emissions: Walter Russell Mead

Media

20 Questions The Media Would Be Asking Barack Obama If He Were A Republican: John Hawkins
Washington Post Writer Wrong about Religion, America, and the Constitution: Outcast
Matt Drudge hears Huffpo lost $7 million last year: Twitchy

Andrea Mitchell: If Republicans Know What's Good for Them, They'll Accept Biased Debates: Kyle Drennen
Hannity responds to Fox News shake-up: People going nuts: Tom Tillison
School bus beating provokes Zimmerman brother to slam Sharpton, Jackson: Tom Tillison

World

Religion of Peace: Power Line
Canadian Newscaster Tears Obama Apart for Benghazi Response: Christopher Cook
The PowerPoint rant that got a colonel fired: ArmyTimes

Ropes Of Sand - Why The Latest Round Of MidEast 'Peace Talks' Will End In Failure: JoshuaPundit
When Obama Even Ticks Off Canada, Something Has To Give: WZ
On Oprah and her Attempted $38,000 Purse Buy in Switzerland : Diplomad

Sci-Tech

After Lavabit shutdown, another encrypted e-mail service closes: Joe Mullin
IBM Creates Software Ecosystem for Thinking Chip: Richard Adhikari
3D-Printed Glasses Are Customized to Fit Your Face: Mashable

Cornucopia

Man Tries To Beat Bank At Its Own Game With Fine Print That Gives Him Unlimited Credit: Consumerist
Proud father shows the world his brilliant method for keeping his son cool...: Daily Mail
‘OMG’: Brit Hume weighs in on ‘largest conference ever devoted to female orgasm’: Twitchy

Image: Filner's ex-communications director questioned
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Follow @TedCruz on Twitter - Help #TedGetaMillion

QOTD: "Mr. Obama will likely be remembered as a political form of John the Baptist, one who was significant and abetted what comes next. Some unknown successor will be the real thing. He may be Democrat or Republican. He may come next election or ten elections from now. But he or she will come. Such is the nature of men, power and history.

At some point a ruthless politician will gain total control. He will have the power and control of a Stalin, Hitler or Mao. How that power will be used is moot, but power gained is never not used. Hoping for a benevolent dictator is worse than trying to draw to an inside straight. Even if you get lucky, you will lose with his successor.

America is now run by political sociopaths, unrestricted by laws, ethics or tradition. That characterizes both political parties. It does not matter whether we elect a “good man” next. No country survives dependent on the masses electing the right man.

Countries survive with systems that protect them against the wrong man. We have lost that protection." --Monty Pelerin

Friday, August 09, 2013

President Filibuster finally holds a press conference: magnanimously entertains a grand total of 9 questions

From the official transcript:

Julie Pace of AP: Has relationship worsened with Russia because of Snowden?

Obama: 7 paragraph response.

Julie Pace of AP: Will there be punitive measures against Russia?

2 paragraph response.

Chuck Todd of NBC: Given your reforms of intelligence-gathering, is Snowden a whistle-blower? A patriot? Does he affect the Putin relationship?

12 paragraph response.

Major Garrett, who knows what network: Female Federal Reserve Chairman to break non-existent glass ceiling?

6 paragraph response.

Garrett follow-up: whatever.

1 paragraph snide response.

Carol Lee, who knows: Why should the public trust you on surveillance now that you've announced reforms?

8 paragraph response.

Carol Lee: re-asks question because of blathering non-answer.

4 paragraph response.

Jonathan Karl, ABC: If Al Qaeda is on the run, why is it kicking our asses all over the world?

6 paragraph response.

Ed Henry, Fox: Why'd you delay a key part of Obamacare unilaterally? And why haven't the Benghazi killers been apprehended, even though they've been interviewed on CNN?

Obama response: I got Bin Laden.

13 paragraph response.

Jessica Yellen, who knows: If the GOP gives you the choice of de-funding Obamacare or shutting down the government, what will you do?

Obama response: I won't discuss hypotheticals.

Scott Horseley: Why are white Republicans racists?

8 paragraph response.

### End of Press Conference ###


Gee. And no one bothered to ask what the president was doing for eight and a half hours as the Benghazi attack raged. Shocked. Shocked, I say.


SOUNDS PLAUSIBLE: Driver clocked at 148 mph was 'airing out' his 2001 Ford Mustang

Remind me not to use this particular excuse:

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KARE11) - It's a number that grabs attention immediately.

Seriously... 148 miles per hour.


The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says a man from Darwin was the champ when it came to citations during a recent statewide crackdown on speeders. Richard Bernhagen, age 41, was ticketed for doing 148 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone on a road just outside Hutchinson.

State Patrol spokesman Lt. Eric Roeske says a trooper stopped Bernhagen's 2001 Mustang GT on Tagas Avenue just before 2 p.m. July 17. The trooper says Bernhagen stated "I haven't driven it in a while and was airing it out, I was wrong."

Roeske says the driver admitted to doing 135 mph...

Can't you just imagine the judge at the hearing?

"Son, you were going about a hunnert miles an hour... over the speed limit!"


Hat tips: Jalopnik and BadBlue Car News.

CONFIRMED: John Boehner holding secret meetings with Chuck Schumer to slip Amnesty for Illegals past the GOP base

Awesome: Your Republican "leaders" are conspiring with one of the most malevolent and nefarious Statists ever to set foot in the Capitol Building to create a permanent Democrat majority. We know this because of an inadvertent slip by that very same Statist -- a lifetime politician who has never held a real job in his life -- and a man who can't seem to resist a reporter's microphone.

The most dangerous place in Washington: standing between Chuck Schumer and a camera.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made his clearest indication yet that he would be fine with a piecemeal approach to immigration reform preferred by the Republican-led House.

Schumer, the leader of the Gang of Eight whose comprehensive immigration reform legislation passed the Senate in June, said even if the House passes separate bills, those measures could eventually be bundled in a House-Senate conference committee...

Schumer let slip that he is "having discussions" with House Republicans to get this deal done.

In other words, John Boehner and/or his committee chairs are secretly conspiring with Schumer and other Senate leftists to pass a series of "Security First" immigration bills to fool Americans into believing they're serious about border security.

Spoiler: they're not.

So Boehner and Schumer are hoping to get the package of bills into a conference committee, after which the full-blown Democrat Amnesty bill will emerge.

• It will be rushed to the floor of the House and Senate.

• It will consist of more than 1,000 pages of carve-outs, legal exceptions, payoffs to separatist groups like La Raza, bribes, wealth redistribution and corporate reach-arounds.

• Your elected representatives and the American people will have virtually no time to read the bill or understand it; they will be instructed to vote for it, or else.

“We would much prefer a big comprehensive bill, but any way that the House can get there is OK by us,” Schumer told CNN Wednesday. “I actually am optimistic that we will get this done.”

...Schumer also noted on CNN that a few of the House bills — such as one on agriculture workers and another on high-skilled immigrants — are “very similar” to components in the Gang of Eight bill.

Suffice it to say that Boehner and his apparatchiks, Paul Ryan among them, are conspiring against their base, their children, the American citizenry, and fiscal prudence.

Why am I certain Ryan is complicit with Schumer?

As a very visible spokesman for the corporatists' Amnesty campaign, I believe the odds that Ryan is scheming along with Schumer are slightly higher than the likelihood Lindsay Lohan will fall off the wagon.

By putting their own petty interests and personal power over principle, Boehner and Ryan appear ready to have the Republican Party commit political suicide.


Hat tip: Mark Levin.

An Open letter to House Republicans

Guest post by HotSpot


An open letter to House Republicans – I didn’t bother with the Democrats because … well, you know.

It has come to my attention that a recent decision by the Executive Branch provides that Congressional staff will have their costs for compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) subsidized, ultimately by the taxpayers, in the amount of 75% of the cost.

Accepting a perquisite such as that completely breaks faith with your electorate – who receive no such subsidy. Moreover, to permit such an offset for your staff would seem to be a violation, in spirit at least, of your oath to support and defend the Constitution.

One might expect an ethical and committed Congressional Representative to reject this special exemption (deduction, carve-out, spiff, payoff – or whatever term you care to apply) and require his staff to remit the full amount, as does every other Citizen for whom the law applies.

Can you assure me that this is and will continue to be the case in your office?

Please, no excuses, weasel-worded answers, or bureaucratic legalese. Just a simple statement such as, “I and all of my staff will accept no such exemption, subsidy, discount, or reduction. We will, as obligated by our committment to our constituents, now and in the future, pay exactly the same as demanded of the taxpayers we serve.”

And if you have no choice – that the subsidies are, ahem, ‘forced’ upon you and your staff (employees, advisors, consultants – again, let’s not play with words, eh?) – then nothing less than a personal check written to the U.S. Treasury in the full amount to reimburse each and every individual subsidy will suffice, with evidentiary documention publicly provided.

I expect to see an unequivocal statement to that effect on your official House website before you recess and return to meet with constituents.

Don’t tell us, “It’s not that simple.” Yes, it is.

Either you stand with those who sent you to represent your district, or you do not.

Either you are willing to set the example for your constituency and for other, less motivated members of the House and Senate, or you assent to be counted among those for whom personal privilege, power, and ‘perks’ are more important.

Hopefully, we can attend your upcoming rallies, townhalls, and fundraising events, look you in the eye, shake your hand, and say, “Thank you for taking a principled stand.”

If your actions make such expressions of gratitude impossible, you can expect us to be somewhat more direct, and less polite, when next we meet.

Your choice, Congressman.


Hat tip: BadBlue Real-Time News.

Larwyn's Linx: Let There Be Amnesty!

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

Nation

Let There Be Amnesty! : Mark Krikorian
We Should Not Have to Hold Our Noses: Erick Erickson
Government of the people, by the people, and for the people has perished: Book

Ex-Border Patrol Agents Warn: U.S. Politicians Aiding Cartels: Matthew Boyle
Here We Go: Some Republican House Members Now Pro-Amnestys: Ace
Chris Christie Signs 10 Gun Bills Into Law: CJ Ciaramella

Obama Who?: Victor Davis Hanson
Armored Vehicle Requested To Deal With Libertarians: Outcast
Ted Cruz crushes competition in 2016 presidential straw poll: Scoop

Economy

Obama’s HUD Goons to Track So-Called ‘Diversity’ in Your Neighborhood: JWF
Confrontation at TX school board gets physical: Watch-dog
Easy Money Policy Will Lead to World’s Greatest Credit Collapse: Matt Nesto

Gov. Christie's shameless $2M self-promotion: NJ
Chicago Public School Teacher Attacks Capitalism, Predicts Violence: Publius
AFL-CIO’s Membership Plummets: WZ

Scandal Central

The Obama Administration’s War on the Constitution: Streiff
NYT: No spying on Americans? Au contraire: Ed Morrissey
Snowden's Email Service Provider Shuts Down Following Government Pressure: ZH

The Obamacare Carve-Out for Congress Rivals the House Bank Scandal: Rush
Pete Sessions: Why are you blocking a Select Committee on Benghazi??: AWD
Janet Parshall: Walid gives clues about Bombshell Rpt: Shoebat

Media

Wasserman Schultz’s epically stupid tweet ignites lib-bashing firestorm: BPR
Mark Levin slams Freedom From Religion Foundation for bullying Christians: Scoop
Senator Brian Schatz (D, Hawaii): did you have carnal relations with that sheep?s: Moe Lane

Newspaper publishes map of gun owners. Editor fired in mass layoffs.: SlowFacts
Profile in Bias: Andrea Mitchell's 35 Years of Liberal Advocacy: Kyle Drennen
.@CSGV Geography Fail: Days of our Trailers

Race Fatigue: Derryck Green
Obama Gives Press Corps the Finger. Will it End Friday?: Keith Koffler
Mark Levin: Bill Clinton is the first impeached, disbarred president to get the Medal of Freedom: Scoop

World

America as Pill Bug : Victor Davis Hanson
McCain and Graham Lobby for Muslim Brotherhood: Dave Blount
Getting nickeled and dimed to death in Europe: Bookworm Room

Sci-Tech

US court rules Bitcoin is a legit currency: IT News
'Iron Man' jetpacks spark concerns in Hawaii: Audrey McAvoy, AP
California escrow firm shuttered after cyberthieves drained it of $1.5 million: Sophos

Cornucopia

Someone and Something Wonderful: Grace and Her '57 Chevy: American Digest
Weekly pics from the Interwebz!: Morlock Revolt
Bloomberg Deploys The Limbaugh Theorem.: MOTUS

Image and sponsored by: Can you help this soldier?

QOTD: "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value -- zero." --Voltaire

Thursday, August 08, 2013

TOWN HALL FURY: "Stop acting like Boy Scouts! You've got to fight!"

On Fox News, Greta van Susteren highlighted some Town Hall meetings held by Congressional representatives. Voters are hopping mad about Obamacare, Benghazi, Fast and Furious, the NSA scandal and the IRS to (*whew*) name but a few.

GRIFF JENKINS, FOX CORRESPONDENT: If it's August, it's town hall season, and some brave members of Congress actually held them in 2013.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When is this government going to come clean with the American people and tell us what this secret law says, how it's being secretly interpreted, how it's being secretly implemented, and what it means to every person in this room!

REP. ANDY HARRIS (R), MARYLAND: I am very, very worried about what the NSA is doing.

We're going to find out that the NSA was not complying with the law. I don't know about you, but I'm offended by the government knowing the record of every person, of having access to every person I call.


UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... now they have all these embassies closed, and they still don't know what's going to happen there!

HARRIS: You have not seen the end of Benghazi. You have definitely not seen the end of the IRS investigation. There's no question you're not seeing the end of that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innocent people, if you will, are getting slammed by partisan politics.

HARRIS: Let me ask you a question...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are going to be losing (INAUDIBLE)

HARRIS: I think we heard some discontent with what's going on, with not taking care of the problems in this country. And I think you heard a lot of criticism of the president here tonight. You heard some criticism of Congress. You heard about the issues that people are worried about. People are frustrated. They're seeing an economy that's not recovering. They're seeing a president that is sitting on the sidelines, literally playing golf, literally fiddling while Rome is burning.

EUGENE CRAIG iii, MARYLAND RESIDENT: We do not feel that John Boehner effectively represents us. I mean, as the voice of the House of Representatives, I think John Boehner could do a much better job.

ED HUNTER, MARYLAND RESIDENT: I want Boehner up there defying this guy and saying, We're going to [file for] impeachment with you if you do not start obeying the laws!

(CROSSTALK)

HUNTER: Listen, we're dying out here because you guys are being nice guys! This is not a Boy Scout meeting!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not! And you're acting like Boy Scouts! You've got to fight!

HUNTER: Because we're losing the country! I want to see more defiance!

We've seen this dozens of times, where Boehner will not -- will not fight or McConnell will not fight, where Paul Ryan and the debate with Joe Biden sit there and sat there and took it from him! And we're -- the American people are putting our hopes on these people to defend us, and we get nothing!


Via: FoxNation (thanks to BB).