Sunday, February 02, 2014

Larwyn's Linx: Obama’s Weaponization of Government

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Nation

Obama’s Weaponization of Government: Protein Wisdom
How to Confront an Imperial President: Breitbart
Article V Convention: Path of Least Resistance: Robert Berry

Amnesty, but Not for D’Souza: Andrew C. McCarthy
Obamacare refuses to pay for sick kids’ care in Seattle, Washington: Moe Lane
They Don’t Call ‘em the Stupid Party for Nothing: Ed Driscoll

We need to make Progress in understanding what Regress is: Blogodidact
Gowdy Slams Obama for Shredding Constitution: Dancing Czars
Bachmann on SOTU Address: ‘He Declared Himself King Obama’: MRC

Economy

California Gets $155 Million More From Feds To Promote Obamacare: WZ
Mo Money: Fundraising on the Left Coast: MOTUS
Working for the Government: 90 Miles

Scandal Central

Father Of SEAL Claims His Son Was Set Up, Fox Anchor Cuts Him Off: NoisyRm
Time to ignore anything the MSM says about Republicans: Clarice Feldman
Massive military training exercise to be held in February: Savanna Now

Climate & Energy

SLAPPstick Farce: Mark Steyn
Scientists Have Discovered What Is Causing The Cold Weather: 90 Miles
AccuWeather Maps: Monday's Expected Snowfall: ABC-6

Media

Volokh: It Turns Out Conservatives Are More Likely to be Part of a Mixed Race Family: Ace
Firefighters Exploited by Cuomo Over SAFE Act Speak Out – Against the SAFE Act: MenRec
Wendy Davis’ Terrible Week Ends With Her Nabbing a Very Important Endorsement: Bryan Preston

Obama tries to perform without TOTUS: Protein Wisdom
Dinesh D’Souza’s one-on-one debate with Bill Ayers, exclusive Hannity interview: BPR
TSA: Don't Think You're Getting On Board With Your Bullet-Encased-In-Acrylic Keychains: TechDirt

What Moderates? – Karl Rove’s Donations Drop 98% After Targeting Tea Party: IM41
Judge Jeanine RESPONDS to SOTU: this is what you can do with your pen: Scoop
Polls Show No Impact From State of the Union Address: Steven T. Dennis

World

Iranian commander: We have targets within America: Katie McHugh, DC
Ex-CIA Director: Obama’s Dealings with Iran Like Actions of Notorious Nazi Appeaser: Dave Urbanski
Surprise! Man finds himself in audience full of people he saved as children from Nazi camps: Minority Report

What Syria needs now: Israel Matzav
Explaining Oxfam's bigotry against Israel: Commentator
Kerry biased against Israel, soft on Abbas, official says: Times of Israel

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

New Google patent suggests automatically sending your videos and photos to law enforcement: Phandroid
Oldest Known Hearth Found in Israel Cave: NatGeo
Five ways Google could help start an apocalypse: Eric Mack

Cornucopia

Congratulations Budweiser, you just made the best ad of all time: YoungCons
NSA Program For Children Makes Spying on Americans Fun: 21st Century Wire
Political newbie pays for slam dunk Super Bowl halftime ad to call out Obama: BPR

Image: TX Fellowship
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Fire Mitch McConnell: support Matt Bevin for Senate

QOTD: "How come no one’s worried about bringing Dinesh D’Souza “out of the shadows”? After all, the poor fellow didn’t do anything wrong — not really. He just wanted to participate fully in our national life, in our democratic process. He didn’t want to hide — he was forced to take cover by our draconian, inhumane campaign-finance laws.

Mr. D’Souza’s real crime, the only offense that really matters in Washington these days, is being an Obama critic. Oh, they say he borrowed a couple of people’s names, but his real mistake was doing it in the Wendy Long Senate campaign. For Obama 2008 donors, borrowing other people’s names seems to have been a requirement.

And look, it’s not like every moment of D’Souza’s presence in this country has been a violation of law — even if it does rub the regime the wrong way. Nor does his day-to-day life ooze identity theft, tax evasion, bank fraud, Social Security fraud, Medicaid fraud, Medicare fraud, food-stamps fraud, and the like. Those crimes, instead, fill out the résumés of our “undocumented” legions. So ubiquitous is illegal-alien crime that the benumbed Beltway ruling class — very much including its Republican-establishment division — now just shrugs and says, What difference, at this point, does it make?" --Andrew C. McCarthy

Saturday, February 01, 2014

OKAY, NOW YOU CAN PANIC: Harvard Economist Withdraws All of His Money from Bank of America

Terry Burnham, former Harvard economics professor, author of “Mean Genes” and “Mean Markets and Lizard Brains,” provocative poster on this page and long-time critic of the Federal Reserve, argues that the Fed’s efforts to strengthen America’s banks have perversely weakened them.


Last week I had over $1,000,000 in a checking account at Bank of America. Next week, I will have $10,000.

Why am I getting in line to take my money out of Bank of America? Because of Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, who officially begins her term as chairwoman on Feb. 1.

Before I explain, let me disclose that I have been a stopped clock of criticism of the Federal Reserve for half a decade. That’s because I believe that when the Fed intervenes in markets, it has two effects — both negative. First, it decreases overall wealth by distorting markets and causing bad investment decisions. Second, the members of the Fed become reverse Robin Hoods as they take from the poor (and unsophisticated) investors and give to the rich (and politically connected). These effects have been noticed; a Gallup poll taken in the last few days reports that only the richest Americans support the Fed. (See the table.)

Why do I risk starting a run on Bank of America by withdrawing my money and presuming that many fellow depositors will read this and rush to withdraw too? Because they pay me zero interest. Thus, even an infinitesimal chance Bank of America will not repay me in full, whenever I ask, switches the cost-benefit conclusion from stay to flee.

Let me explain: Currently, I receive zero dollars in interest on my $1,000,000. The reason I had the money in Bank of America was to keep it safe. However, the potential cost to keeping my money in Bank of America is that the bank may be unwilling or unable to return my money.

They will not be able to return my money if:

DEMOCRAT LOGIC COMIX: The Fun Never Ends

Ode to the welfare state.


Some things never change.


Larwyn's Linx: Obama Spills the Beans on the Citizenship Fig Leaf

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

Nation

Obama Spills the Beans on the Citizenship Fig Leaf: Daniel Horowitz
Political Auto-Da-Fe: Liberty's Torch
Claim: Chris Christie Knew About Lane Closings: Ace

Did Showdown Kill Boehner's Immigration Dreams?: Jonathan Strong
Republican Fools Are About to Throw 2014 Away: Bryan Preston
Private citizens fire back at Harry Reid: Burgess Everett

The growing distance between Washington and the public it dominates: Dissect
Alinsky's Disciple: FreePost
The War Against Children: Susan Brown

Economy

Obama's New MyRA: The "No Risk, Guaranteed Return" Savings Bond: ZH
Mop Up Operation: Hopenchange
"Secret" Meetings on Greece? Say It Ain't So; Euro Contagion Coming Up: Mish

Experts: Obamacare will be impossible to get rid of: RWN
Bernanke Leaves Fed with Record Balance Sheet of $4.1 Trillion: CNS
That’s an unfortunate ad placement: Troglopundit

Scandal Central

Obama open to executive action on immigration: Meghasyam Mali
Obama Will Take 'Executive Action' to Reduce Prison Population: CNS
Dershowitz, legal experts say vindictive D’Souza indictment came from higher up: RWN

Climate & Energy

Ready To Build The Keystone Pipeline? The White House Says Not So Fast!: Realities

Media

Similarities Between Obama’s America And USSR Frightening And Growing: Dr. Kevin Collins
Another Must-Read from Bracken: Cold Fury
NBC Miami affiliate feels heat after calling GOP ‘Reprehensive Party of Florida’: BPR

World

Betrayed: The shocking true story of Extortion 17: Allen West
Haunting exhibits recalling the grief and terror of 9/11: Daily Mail
45 Years Since the Public Execution of 9 Jews in Baghdad: Israel's Documents

Reinhart and Rogoff: Great Recession may "surpass in severity" the Great Depression: Bill McBride
Calling For Jews To Be Shot Now Legal - Ontario Attorney General: Blazing Cat Fur
Tu Bishvat, a Super Bowl Ad and Israel's Soda Water Company: Rabbi Jason

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News

Hotel Franchise Firm White Lodging Investigates Breach: Krebs
How I almost lost my $500,000 Twitter user name @jb… and my startup: Josh Bryant
Cable lobby will “tweak” bill banning municipal broadband in Kansas: Jon Brodkin

Cornucopia

Grab a Gibson: Cold Fury
The Upbeat Thread: Ace
NFL banned a pro-gun ad during the Super Bowl, NRA’s response is epic: YoungCons

Image: Photos: Boulders just miss Italian home
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Send a pink slip to Mitch McConnell: support Matt Bevin for Senate

QOTD: "Republicans could be chasing Democrats around from coast to coast on Obamacare alone. But instead, they are picking a 3% issue and picking a fight with their own base over it. And they’re picking the fight now, ahead of most primaries and months ahead of the general elections. There is time for the badness that is “comprehensive immigration reform” to sink in and sink the party. If you think the media won’t take advantage of this and try to get Republicans in primaries fighting among themselves over this, you don’t know the media. Of course they will. That’s what they do...

Pushing immigration now undermines the case that Obama is lawless, since any reform depends on him to enforce it and the Republicans are in effect saying that they trust him. Pushing immigration now undermines the rule of law, which also runs against the ability to cast Obama as lawless. Pushing immigration now does nothing for the millions of Americans and legal aliens who cannot find work in the Obama economy.

Pushing immigration now is weapons-grade stupid. Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have struck the right notes on immigration this week. Boehner should listen to them. Stop throwing interceptions, please. Run with the Obamacare ball and wear out the Democrats’ defense. And then break them." --Bryan Preston

Friday, January 31, 2014

WHOA: New Gmail Ads Appear as... Emails

Just spotted this new ad format:



Related: BadBlue Tech News.

BUMMER FOR CLIMATE KOOKS: Final Keystone XL Pipeline Report Reveals No Major Boost in Greenhouse Gas

Guest post by Deena Winter

LINCOLN, Neb. — The U.S. State Department’s final environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline mirrors earlier conclusions that the pipeline wouldn’t significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

The report reiterated last year’s draft report conclusion that the pipeline is unlikely to significantly impact the rate of extraction of oil sands or the continued demand for heavy crude oil in the U.S.

Now that the State Department’s environmental review of TransCanada’s application for a federal permit to build the pipeline is complete, a 90-day review by various federal agencies will commence to determine whether the pipeline is in the national interest, since it crosses a national border. The final decision is expected to be made by Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama.

Canadian pipeline company TransCanada first applied for permission to build the pipeline in late 2008, but it ran into a wall of opposition in Nebraska. Nebraska pipeline fighters have taken part in and helped organize protests from the governor’s mansion to Washington, D.C., even as most of the Republican statewide public officials have pushed for approval.

OBAMANOMICS: Unions Trump Bondholders, Again

Guest post by Tyler Durden

First, the Obama administration showed during the course of the GM and Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings, that when it comes to Most Preferred Voter classes, some unsecured creditors - namely labor unions, and the millions of votes they bring - are more equal than other unsecured creditors - namely bondholders, and the zero votes they bring. Five years later we are about to get a stark reminder that under the superpriority rule of a community organizer for whom "fairness" trumps contract law any day, it is now Detroit's turn to make a mockery of the recovery waterfall. As it turns out, bankrupt Detroit is proposing to favor pension funds at roughly double the rate of bondholders to resolve an estimated $18 billion in long-term obligations, according to a draft of a debt-cutting plan reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The breakdown to unsecured stakeholders would be as follows: 40% recovery for pension funds, 20% for unsecured bondholders - all this to the same pari class of unsecured creditors. Because just like in Europe when cashing out on CDS in insolvent nations is prohibited as it would suggest that the entire Eurozone experiment is one epic farce, regardless of how much "political capital" Goldman Sachs has invested in it, so in the US municipal creditors are realizing that in the worst case scenario, they will be layered first and foremost by all those whose votes are critical in keeping this crony administration in power.

According to the WSJ the plan calls for recovery to be divided among the unsecureds amounting to $4.2 billion, more than the originally planned $2 billion to settle claims which included about $11 billion in unsecured debt, including $6 billion in health and other benefits for retirees; $3.5 billion for retiree pensions; and about $530 million in general-obligation bonds.

Raping the 11-year olds Americans won't rape

Guest post by The Machiavellian

Last year two illegal aliens, both partners in a string of robberies in the Nashville are, were found guilty of a long string of robberies and the rape of an 11 year old girl.

The first criminal alien from El Savador was sentenced to 40 years for rape, kidnapping, and robbery.

His partner was found guilty of 41 charges, stemming from a string of robberies in South Nashville, which culminated in a rape of an 11-year old girl during one of their crimes. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison.

So... here we have a team of illegal aliens, brandishing guns, robbing homes in South Nashville over a three month period and -- in the process -- raping a child.

Yet there are still those who still condone and encourage the illegal invasion of millions of people across our borders. I can’t buy Sudafed with a license, but robbers, murderers, and rapists are allowed to cross our borders freely.

Only after they have harmed American citizens does the government do something. Think about that. It takes rape and murder for the feds to act.

First, we must control our borders. Secondly, only a limited number of highly vetted citizens from Latin and South America should be allowed to enter our nation.

Of course, for our side, that would dry up cheap labor. And for the Democratic-Marxist Party, that would frustrate their plan to change the ethnic makeup of America in order to increase the dependent classes that vote for them, depress wages, destroy the middle class and their bourgeoisie values of faith, hard work, private property, and capitalism.

They raped an 11 year old girl. Do you really want more of this?


Read more at Virtuous Republic

Boehner's Brainstorm

As Bryan Preston observes, "Republican Fools Are About to Throw 2014 Away."


There's dumb. And then there's RINO Establishment Dumb.


Larwyn's Linx: The Time To Stop John Boehner’s Amnesty Plan Is Now

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

Nation

The Time To Stop John Boehner’s Amnesty Plan Is Now: John Hawkins
GOP Amnesty Plan Ignores Will of Republican Voters: JW
Sessions: Amnesty Is an Extraordinary Act of Self-Sabotage: Sara Noble

Mark Levin on how to destroy America: Scoop
Progressives Without Progress: Daniel Greenfield
The Speaker Reaps What the Speaker Sows: Erick Erickson

Obama’s SOTU: 18 Lies and Distortions That Should Concern Us: Sara Noble
GOP Establishment’s War on Senator Ted Cruz Continues: Dan Riehl
Paul Ryan talks about how he’s selling out on amnesty: Minority Report

Support for Obamacare suddenly plummets among the uninsured: ConIntel
Beck Slames Obama "MyRA" Plan: Biggest Heist in History: Blaze
Dear America, I Saw You Naked: Jason Edward Harrington

Economy

School Choice and Common Core: Mortal Enemies: Michelle Malkin
Cruz: GOP immigration plan is 'amnesty': Mario Trujillo
Employees Learn of Increased Health Costs Due to Obamacare: WS

Scandal Central

Alan Dershowitz Rises to the Defense of Dinesh D'Souza: Paul A. Rahe
Trey Gowdy To Eric Holder: ‘Appoint A Special Counsel To Investigate IRS Case’: Nice Deb
TSA Harasses Police Chief: Oath Keepers

Climate & Energy

Yet Another Anti-Fracking Study Bumps Into Reality: Stephen Kruiser
EPA Head to Scientists: 'Speak the Truth' on Climate Change to Meet Obama's 'Needs': CNS
Mayor Mao Bloomberg To Become Grand Wizard Of The Climate Cult Or Something: Stephen Kruiser

Media

Bushies Like Peter Wehner and Rove Fight Against American Greatness: Jen Kuznicki
Book profile: A Conspiracy Against Obamacare – The book based on the blog: Ronald Collins
Malkin 'Brought MSNBC to its Knees' Over Biracial Slam: Jeremy Boreing

Amy Glass: The Epitome of Decadent: A.P. Dillon
Explained: The Media’s Light Touch Toward Barack Obama: Erick Erickson
Poll: NBC, MSNBC Sink to Bottom of Public Trust: John Nolte

"I Stand By Everything I Wrote": Mark Steyn
Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin End ‘Foolish’ Feud, Prepared to ‘Move Together’: Noah Rothman
Krauthammer: If Obama Was A Republican, He’d Be Impeached: Glob

World

The Iranian Threat & Obama’s Deception: FPM
State Department Adviser on Extremism Urges US to “Befriend” Al Qaeda: Daniel Greenfield
Putin: Who's Godless Now?: Marc Bennetts, Times

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News

What does national security have to do with the Lenovo-Motorola deal?: Marc Perton
Ex-network engineer faces prison after admitting he sabotaged employer's system: IDG
NASA is planning to make water and oxygen on the Moon and Mars by 2020: ExtremeTech

Cornucopia

One-sentence smackdowns for liberal propaganda: Looking Spoon
Cafeteria Nazis Take Lunches from Kids - Toss it in the Trash: FreePost
Who Exactly is Barack Obama?: Kengor/Levin

Image: Freak Southern Snowstorm Strands Thousands In Atlanta
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: A Right Wing News Poll on John Boehner’s Amnesty Plan

QOTD: "We live in Arizona, we’re on the front line of the administration’s unwillingness to enforce immigration law and the Congress’ unwillingness to force the administration to enforce immigration law.

Rep. Ryan, your statements are absolute, utter bulls***. [If that’s offensive to you, come to Phoenix, we’ll take you to the border. You’ll see what “offensive” really is.]

This policy is clearly amnesty and the border will not be secured. You and the spineless Democrats and especially Republican “moderates” who are bought and paid for by the Chamber of Commerce don’t want the border secured. If you did, you’d have been raising hell since any of the previous immigration bills were passed ALL of which required the border to be secured." --Minority Report

Thursday, January 30, 2014

While Obama Disarms America's Military, Red China is Quietly Building Game-Changing Hypersonic Missiles

Guest post by Investor's Business Daily

National Security: While the administration guts the U.S. military, Pentagon experts warn that as soon as five years from now our missile defenses might pose little problem for China's new hypersonic strike vehicle.

Behaving as the world power they are becoming, the Chinese are building state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles that Pentagon officials warn could overpower U.S. defenses in five years.

As we recently mentioned, China's defense ministry has confirmed the Jan. 9 test of a hypersonic glide vehicle, known as the WU-14. It was designed to evade our missile and other defense systems, such as the Aegis sea-based missile defense guarding our Pacific fleet and carrier battle groups.

On Tuesday, shortly before our commander in chief addressed his higher priorities, such as income inequality, in the State of the Union address, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, expressed concern during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. He is troubled that Chinese military advances such as the WU-14 would overtake the defense capabilities of the U.S. as soon as five years from now.

REALITY TV: Watch as small company employees find out what Obamacare is doing to their coverage

"They call it the affordable health plan. There's nothing affordable about it. I can't afford it."

A local news station brings viewers inside one Pennsylvania company as the employees there learn about their new health care plans under Obamacare...

"Look at the numbers," says the reporter of two employees. "Jeff and Dave used to have a $1,250 deductible. Since Obamacare went into effect, it's now jumped 60 percent to $2,000. That's nothing compared to Brian, Kristi, and Judy who have kids. they are going to pay twice that, four grand." The reporter adds that co-pays are being increased, too.

"I don't know how President Obama thinks he's helping us because we can't afford this, we can't afford to pay these co-pays, to pay these deductibles on what we're making," says one of the workers.

Now pretend you're in the GOP Establishment.

What would you do to exploit the tidal wave of rage washing over the countryside as Americans discover what socialized medicine really means?

If you answered "Pass Amnesty for Illegal Aliens", you have a future working for Karl Rove and the Chamber of Crony Capitalism.


Hat tip: BadBlue Real-Time News

DEAR ABBY: I'm in an Abusive Relationship with the Republican Party

Guest post by Christine X.

Dear Republican Establishment:

So, what do you need to do to get us to stick with you and get us back into your good graces?
Good question [{I’m glad I asked it}]

1). STOP SUPPORTING AMNESTY FOR 30 MILLION NEW DEMOCRATIC VOTERS.
[Can I be any more emphatic on that point?]
Mark my words, you can either drop the insane idea of amnesty for the illegal invaders or you can destroy the party - It’s your choice.
Pushing amnesty will either create 30 Million new voters for Democratic largess or it will fractionalize the party so badly that it will no longer be the ‘Loyal opposition’ to the Socialist National left.
The GOP will be deader than a Bull Moose as a result – does that sound like a winning strategy?

Either way will mean one party Socialist Democratic national party rule for now until Armageddon.

2). Stop insanely nominating Rinocrats in the futile hope that the media will be ‘nice’ to you and not put the full weight of their propaganda machine to work shredding said candidate.

How many times do you need to repeat that insanity before you learn the lesson?

3). Stop trying to outbid the socialists with government largess – you cannot win the game, because they don’t care if they bankrupt the country in 5 years instead of 20.

You can’t outbid people willing to destroy the nation just attain some temporary power.

It should be plain that you need to stand up for Conservative values – that is the only thing that will save the country from it’s inevitable demise at the hands of the socialists.

IF you do not do those simple things to save the party and save the nation, I will bid you a quick goodbye and be on my way – along with millions of others.

You can stuff your endless appeals for my donations, and your admonitions to volunteer will fall on deaf ears.

We may be on our way to defeat with a third party – but we will do it with our head held high and our Conservative principles intact.

There is no earthly reason to stay with a sinking ship – and you people are heading straight on for an iceberg – and sadly, you don’t seem to know it.

We can and we will leave – many already have and the exits are getting pretty jammed up.

I can envision many of my Conservative colleagues yelling back at the paper – Hey, where have you been, sister? We abandoned the stupid party years ago – well, let me just say in my defense that in most abusive relationships, each has their personal breaking point – many have already reached and are beyond that point. I dare say that if the current events hold to the trends as they are now, many more will join them – as will I.


I encourage you to email this article to every Republican official you know. Time grows short to save the party -- and the country.

Al Gore has a very special message for the citizens of Atlanta

The science is settled...


...Al Gore is a climate grifter.

As Anthony Watts notes, "There’s never been any assertion that climate didn’t change — the idea that somehow this is something new to the 21st century is absurd. And, as science itself has demonstrated through history, it is never settled, it is always searching for new information, retesting, and sometimes discarding old ideas. Saying the science is settled is as ridiculous as the famous quote attributed to Lord Kelvin who said in 1900 ‘There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now.'"

Thus far, I've identified three segments of the population that cling to the notion of anthropogenic (man-made) global warming: nitwits, criminals and Marxists. But I repeat myself.

I found a picture of the President's pen.

It's shiny, smudge-free and fast drying.

I trust every Democrat will receive one:


It's especially useful for signing 2,000-page bills after they're rushed to the floor, loaded with special interests and pork, which not a single person has read.

You know: the ones you have to pass to find out what's in 'em. We know what's in 'em all right.


Larwyn's Linx: 6 reasons Mike Lee’s response to the State of the Union address was amazing

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

Nation

6 reasons Mike Lee’s response to the State of the Union was amazing: Patrick Howley
ICE officer slams Obama for illegal aliens attending State of the Union: DC
The poison of postmodern lying: Victor Davis Hanson

GOP Crafts Plan to Wreck the Country, Lose Voters: Ann Coulter
Governing by Pen and Phone : Victor Davis Hanson
State of the Union 2014: Cal Thomas

Obama is right -- there are two Americas: Bob Lonsberry
Eric Holder can't explain constitutional basis for Obama's executive orders: Exam
Bend Over, America: Paul Ryan Has an Amnesty Colonoscopy Ready!: Hot Air

Economy

IRA confiscation: it’s happening: Simon Black
Mitch McConnell, the Farm Bill and the Power of Logrolling: Daniel Horowitz
Barack Obama's insidious master plan for the United States?: TPC

Incredible video! Black Chicago SOTU response: Allen West
Don’t dare tell me there are no barriers to hiring for small businesses: Thomas Crown
What does Obama really think has gone wrong with the US economy?: Peth

Scandal Central

Ted Cruz reams Eric Holder over handling of IRS investigation: Scoop
Theft of a Nation: Plan of the Day
Feds data-mining hundreds of millions of consumer credit card accounts, mortgages: Exam

Climate & Energy

Climate Change Is Dead Last On List Of American’s Priorities: Cove
Atlanta Is Basically An Episode Of “The Walking Dead” Right Now: BuzzFeed
Freak Southern Snow Storm Strands 8,000 Students: ABC

Media

Ted Cruz: Media Acting as ‘Palace Guard’ to Protect Obama in IRS Scandal: R.S. McCain
Fox Doubles MSNBC's Ratings, Quadruples CNN's: Ace
WaPo: You know, the official GOP response was, er … good: Hot Air

Mark Murray Was Right. Just Not How He Meant It: Erick Erickson
Dude, You Nailed It!: Ace
MSNBC Hits a New Low: GWP

Holder: I really, really wanted to publish photos of Sandy Hook slaughter to push gun control!: Jennifer Koons
Ted Cruz has some things to say about the State of the Union speech: Adrienne
Ben Affleck: ‘Big Republican’ Actors Are Hard to Watch: Larry Elder

World

Israeli Defense Official Offers Dark Security Assessment: IPT
U.S. Intel Chief Confirms North Korean Reactor Relaunch: Diane Barnes, GSN
Malik Obama Found To Be Supporting Muslims Who Kill Christians: Shoebat

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Coveted $50,000 Twitter username swiped in tale of woe: Don Reisinger
New Clues in the Target Breach: Brian Krebs
Apple looking to start producing new 'critical' sapphire component in U.S. by Feb.: Apple Insider

Cornucopia

SOTU Six: Ladders of Opportunity in 6840 Words (just words).: MOTUS
Obama’s High School Pot Dealer Murdered Over ‘Flatulence’: Bryan Preston
The Arrival: Chris Muir

Image: Incredible video! Black Chicago SOTU response
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Send a pink slip to Mitch McConnell: support Matt Bevin for Senate

QOTD: "The University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Database tracks terrorism incidents from 1970 to today: search for “Islam” and you find almost 5,000 entries. Search for “Christianity” and you will find a grand total of 14.

The NSA could probably save a lot of money — as well as abide by the Constitution — if it simply acknowledged the following:

A person with neither a first nor a last Muslim name stood only a 1 in 500,000 chance of being a suspected terrorist. The likelihood for a person with a first or a last Muslim name was 1 in 30,000. For a person with first and last Muslim names, however, the likelihood jumped to 1 in 2,000 (Levitt & Dubner, Super Freakonomics, 2009, p. 93).

Clearly, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, Islam is the world’s major ideological motivator of terrorism and violence. (I have neither the time, nor the patience, to yet again demonstrate the legitimate Islamic roots of violence. Ray Ibrahim’s brilliant article should be all the proof needed for those able to handle the truth.) Yet Eric Holder and his boss would have the federal authorities most responsible for protecting the public — led by the FBI — pretend that up is down, freedom is slavery, and Islam is peaceful except when “twisted” by a “handful of extremists.”

Instead of ardent Islamic beliefs being treated as a clear marker for potential terrorism, they are now a talisman protecting the holder not just from scrutiny, but suspicion.

Obama and Holder are transforming the U.S. into a dhimmi nation: one that cowers before Islamic law and demands that its non-Muslim citizens — especially its 240 million Christians — meekly accept their second-class status and never broach the glaringly obvious fact of Islamic violence, even if this means making all non-Muslims less safe. The question for those of us in the majority, then: just how long will we put up with such a dangerous policy?" --Timothy Furnish

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

LEVIN: He wants to talk about inequality; we want to talk about liberty

Via Mark Levin

Let me be clear about this. Let me help some of these Republicans here and of course tomorrow's hosts, they may want to cherry-pick some of this. This president has created more poverty, more economic inequality, more economic dislocation, more crushing debt than any president in modern American history including Jimmy Carter and Herbert Hoover.

This president has set back the economic progress of women more than any modern president. This president has set back the economic progress of minorities, including African-Americans, more than any modern president. This president has set back economic opportunity for our young people -- our children and our grandchildren -- more than any modern president because he has embraced the most ideological, the most radical form of economics. A system they cannot work; a system that will not work; a system that is impossible.

He's spreading misery, he's spreading destitution and he's spreading poverty. This is not the America that the Framers established. This is not the America that we were born into, each and every one of us. And because he's increasingly frustrated by his own incompetence and failure. What is he doing?

He's dividing this nation, he's Balkanizing this nation along every conceivable route that he can find -- whether it's religious, whether it's economic, whether it's race, whether it's age, whether it's income, whether it's religion. And he's seizing more and more power as he panics, as he becomes desperate, as imperial minds do. Yes, he's an imperial president. And just as I said, this president has been conducting a certain, a sure gradual coup which is now being picked up.

He's also an imperial president, which is also now being understood. He's changing our system of government; he's destroying our economic system. He's nationalizing businesses and industries through the front door and through the back door. Did you know they have over 6,000 regulations and rules that they're preparing to unleash on us?

Do you know that he's put out the word to his cabinet, to his agency heads and to everybody in the federal government that this is their time? Now come hell or high water by 2016 when he leaves office he wants thousands and thousands of regulations pouring out at the EPA, the [Agriculture] Department, the Education department, the Energy department, Interior and all the rest.

This man is a one-man wrecking ball, that's exactly what he is. He wants to talk about inequality; we want to talk about liberty. And it is liberty that we need to talk about.


Via Mark Levin

Illegal Border Crossings Explode as Ruling Elites Plot Amnesty for Millions of Law-Breakers

Guest post by David Inserra

In case anyone needed more proof that amnesty only encourages more illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released its 2013 apprehension numbers that show that southern border apprehensions rose 16 percent last year. While this might seem like the DHS is doing a great job, it actually indicates that more unlawful immigrants are trying to cross the border.

Critically, it means that more unlawful immigrants are crossing successfully, since for every one who is caught another gets through or turns back to Mexico in order to try to cross somewhere else. Of course, some sneak through without the U.S. ever knowing, making it difficult to accurately estimate how many thousands make it across every year.

As more try to cross the border illegally, more will succeed. Regrettably, Congress’s discussion of amnesty has played a role in this increase. Stories from the Mexican side of the border indicate that the word is out among would-be-unlawful immigrants—the U.S. is considering amnesty, so cross now and maybe you can get some kind of legalization. Congress’s very discussion of amnesty, whether it is a special pathway to citizenship or just a pathway to legalization, is encouraging illegal immigration and making it more difficult for the Border Patrol to secure the border.

To try to make it seem like their irresponsible discussion of amnesty isn’t so bad, some in Congress are proposing various security and enforcement bills to crack down on illegal immigration in exchange for amnesty. Most of these policies, however, are incredibly flawed and do little more than create misguided metrics and extra reports for DHS, while providing no real security.

More importantly, why should we assume that these bills would be treated differently than current laws? The DHS is supposed to have already secured the border and be enforcing our immigration laws, but it isn’t doing either.

I GUESS WHINY, DEPRESSING LIARS AREN'T GOOD FOR RATINGS: State of the Union Nielsens Lowest Ever


An anonymous tipster writes, "...according to Niesen, Obama's 2014 SOTU registered only a 20.7 household share rating... and according to the chart in the story below which goes back to 1993, no President has had a lower rating. I don't know how far back you'd have to go to find a lower rating, but it is at least the lowest in over 20 years. He's now historically boring and tough to watch."

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014 President Barack Obama delivered his second State of the Union address of his second term in office. The address was carried live from 9:00 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. on 13 networks and tape-delayed on Univision. The sum of the average audience for those networks was 33,299,172 viewers with a combined household rating of 20.7. The networks carrying the address live were CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, Azteca, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Al Jazeera America, Galavision and Mun2.
Networks Combined Household Ratings No. of Households No. of Viewers (P2+)
CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, Azteca, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Al Jazeera America, Galavision, Mun2, UNI* 20.7 23,949,843 33,299,172
Source: Nielsen

*Tape delay.

Below is a historical look at past State of the Union addresses.

Historical State of the Union Addresses

Date Networks Combined Household Rating Combined No. of Households Combined No. of Viewers President
2/12/2013 FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Azteca, UNI, MFX, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Current, Centric, GALA 21.8 24,767,047 33,497,607 Obama
1/24/2012 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, TF, UNI, CNBC, CNN, FBN, FOXNC, GALA, MSNBC and MUN2 24 27,569,423 37,752,613 Obama
1/25/2011 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, CNN, Centric, CNBC, FOXNC, and MSNBC 26.6 30,871,688 42,789,947 Obama
1/27/2010 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TEL, UNI, CNN, BET, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC 29.8 34,182,725 48,009,595 Obama
2/24/2009* ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, TELEMUNDO, UNIVISION 32.5 37,185,000 52,373,000 Obama
1/28/2008 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, TELEMUNDO^, UNIVISION 24.7 27,702,000 37,515,000 G.W Bush
1/23/2007 ABC, CBS, FOX**, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC, TELEMUNDO**, UNIVISION ** 29.6 32,968,000 45,486,000 G.W. Bush
1/31/2006 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC 26.9 29,578,000 41,699,000 G.W. Bush
  TELEMUNDO, AZTECA AMERICA, TELFUTURA, TELEMUNDO 8.4 950,000 1,480,000  
2/2/2005 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC 25.2 27,699,000 38,382,000 G. W. Bush
  TELEMUNDO, TELEFUTURA 6 660,000 1,050,000  
1/20/2004 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC 28 30,286,000 43,411,000 G. W. Bush
1/28/2003 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC 38.8 41,447,000 62,061,000 G. W. Bush
1/29/2002 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC 33.6 35,547,000 51,773,000 G.W. Bush
2/27/2001* ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC 27.6 28,201,000 39,793,000 G.W. Bush
1/27/2000 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC 22.4 22,536,000 31,478,000 Clinton
1/19/1999 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, FOXNC, MSNBC 31 30,700,000 43,500,000 Clinton
1/27/1998 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, CNBC, FOXNC, MSNBC 37.2 36,513,000 53,077,000 Clinton
2/4/1997 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN 28.4 27,600,000 41,100,000 Clinton
1/23/1996 ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN 29.6 28,400,000 40,900,000 Clinton
1/24/1995 ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN 29.5 28,100,000 42,200,000 Clinton
1/25/1994 ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN 32.9 31,000,000 45,800,000 Clinton
2/17/1993* ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN 44.3 41,200,000 66,900,000 Clinton
Source: Nielsen

I wonder if Chris Matthews got a thrill up his leg when he saw the ratings?

The science is settled: Americans are tuning this colossal failure of a would-be president out.

TED CRUZ: This imperial presidency threatens the liberty of every American citizen      

Guest post by Ted Cruz


Of all the troubling aspects of the Obama presidency, none is more dangerous than the president's persistent pattern of lawlessness, his willingness to disregard the written law and instead enforce his own policies via executive fiat. On Monday, Mr. Obama acted unilaterally to raise the minimum wage paid by federal contracts, the first of many executive actions the White House promised would be a theme of his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

The president's taste for unilateral action to circumvent Congress should concern every citizen, regardless of party or ideology. The great 18th-century political philosopher Montesquieu observed: "There can be no liberty where the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or body of magistrates." America's Founding Fathers took this warning to heart, and we should too.

Rule of law doesn't simply mean that society has laws; dictatorships are often characterized by an abundance of laws. Rather, rule of law means that we are a nation ruled by laws, not men. That no one—and especially not the president—is above the law. For that reason, the U.S. Constitution imposes on every president the express duty to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed."

Yet rather than honor this duty, President Obama has openly defied it by repeatedly suspending, delaying and waiving portions of the laws he is charged to enforce. When Mr. Obama disagreed with federal immigration laws, he instructed the Justice Department to cease enforcing the laws. He did the same thing with federal welfare law, drug laws and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

On many of those policy issues, reasonable minds can disagree. Mr. Obama may be right that some of those laws should be changed. But the typical way to voice that policy disagreement, for the preceding 43 presidents, has been to work with Congress to change the law. If the president cannot persuade Congress, then the next step is to take the case to the American people. As President Reagan put it: "If you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat" of electoral accountability.

President Obama has a different approach. As he said recently, describing his executive powers: "I've got a pen, and I've got a phone." Under the Constitution, that is not the way federal law is supposed to work.

The Obama administration has been so brazen in its attempts to expand federal power that the Supreme Court has unanimously rejected the Justice Department's efforts to expand federal power nine times since January 2012.