Monday, June 02, 2014

The Most Tragic Chart You'll See Today

Any careful and honest analysis of Obamanomics -- which excludes work by propagandist hacks like Paul Krugman and Thomas Piketty -- would reveal some pretty horrifying statistics.

You probably know about the ever-declining Labor Force Participation Rate, but Daniel Halper offers another nasty reality slap for Democrats, drones, progressives and other miscreants.

Startling charts from the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee about male participation in the labor force, particularly men between the ages of 25-54...

"There are currently 61.1 million American men in their prime working years, age 25–54. A staggering 1 in 8 such men are not in the labor force at all, meaning they are neither working nor looking for work. This is an all-time high dating back to when records were first kept in 1955. An additional 2.9 million men are in the labor force but not employed (i.e., they would work if they could find a job). A total of 10.2 million individuals in this cohort, therefore, are not holding jobs in the U.S. economy today. There are also nearly 3 million more men in this age group not working today than there were before the recession began," the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee claim...

"Although defenders of the current economy attribute shrinking labor force participation to the increasing pace of retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, these new statistics above confirm a trend that Barron’s recently diagnosed: 'The ratio of those over 55 in the workforce actually ticked up'—in other words, older Americans are being forced to return to work in a poor economy to make ends meet while many younger Americans simply aren’t working at all. In short, there is an unprecedented supply of working-age Americans who do not hold jobs."

This is a tragedy for working-age Americans, especially the youngest generation of workers.

Hope and change, indeed.


Hat tip: BadBlue News

Harry Reid's Fanatical Jihad Against the Koch Brothers Threatens the Free Speech of All Americans

By Elizabeth Slattery

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has promised the Senate will take up a proposed constitutional amendment this year that would radically alter the First Amendment.

The Senate resolution would allow Congress to limit fundraising and spending on election campaigns and independent political speech. Reid and others insist restricting the amount of money that may be raised and spent on political speech is not the same as limiting speech. That’s like saying that limiting the amount of newsprint a newspaper can buy does not limit its speech.

Having lost the battle at the Supreme Court, Reid and his cohorts are now pushing this constitutional amendment to reverse decisions—including Citizens United v. FEC and McCutcheon v. FEC—that protect the rights of Americans to speak their minds about elected officials and candidates and to engage in the political process.

Shutting down conservative speech certainly appears to be a motivating factor behind this push to amend the First Amendment. Reid has given many interviews and speeches on the Senate floor demonizing the Charles and David Koch for “dumping unseemly amounts of money” into politics, “rigg[ing] the system” and “trying to buy the country.” Of course, he never mentions efforts by big Democratic contributors, such as George Soros and the SEIU. Imagine the audacity of those “un-American” and “shrewd businessmen” (Reid’s words) who would back candidates and causes they believe will make America better.

Very Cool Toy: Osmo

Now this is a really creative idea. The inventor, as I understand it, was concerned that kids no longer talked with one another when playing. They all had their heads buried in their smartphones or tablets, playing individually without collaborative problem-solving, interaction or social engagement.

Not your kids, of course. Other kids.

Anyhow, he created a very cool bundle of hardware and software that allows kids to learn and play together. It's called Osmo and you can check it out at PlayOsmo.com.

Osmo is a unique gaming accessory for the iPad that comes with games that will change the way your child plays.

Setup is a snap. Simply mount Osmo Reflector over your iPad's front‑facing camera. Reflective Artificial Intelligence and a built‑in mirror recognize and respond to your every real‑world move.

Osmo is crafted for kid‑durability and always ready to go: no batteries, electronics, or Wi‑Fi required. Works with the latest iPads including the iPad 2 and iPad Mini.

...Top educators from over 150 elementary schools nationwide, including the Bay Area’s best preparatory institutions, are raving about Osmo’s natural ability to foster creative, social, and emotional learning ‑ and how much their students love it...

...Osmo was invented by young parents out of Stanford and Google. Engineers at heart, the founders are personally committed to innovating new technologies that nurture positive play experiences for kids.

The basic gist of Osmo is that it intelligently reads the surface in front of the iPad when it's on its stand. It thereby allows kids to interact using game pieces, magic markers and the screen. Here are a couple of the games:

SIMPLY DELIGHTFUL: First words of Bergdahl’s father at White House were spoken in... Arabic

The indefatigable Allen West has the scoop:

Clare Lopez is a former CIA operations officer, a strategic policy and intelligence expert with a focus on Middle East, national defense, WMD, and counterterrorism issues, and a friend of mine.

She emailed me this morning a very poignant analysis that only someone knowing language and Islam could ascertain. She wrote:

“What none of these media is reporting is that the father’s (SGT Bowe Bergdahl’s father Bob) first words at the WH were in Arabic – those words were “bism allah alrahman alraheem” – which means “in the name of Allah the most gracious and most merciful” – these are the opening words of every chapter of the Qur’an except one (the chapter of the sword – the 9th) – by uttering these words on the grounds of the WH, Bergdahl (the father) sanctified the WH and claimed it for Islam. There is no question but POTUS knows this.”


Folks, there is a lot to this whole episode — like Benghazi — that we may never know. And this is not conspiracy theory, it is truth based upon Arabic and Islamic dogma and tradition.

Let me guess: we released five hardened terrorists -- who are certain to kill American soldiers and citizens again, perhaps by the score or thousands -- in exchange for an alleged Muslim sympathizer, deserter, and whack-job. With all due respect, of course.

Only in Obama's America.

See the video at Col. West's site.


Hat tip: BadBlue News

Larwyn's Linx: Bowe Bergdahl and His Father Have Some Serious Explaining To Do

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

Nation

Bowe Bergdahl and His Father Have Some Explaining To Do: Nice Deb
Claim: Bergdahl deserted to join Taliban, 6 Died trying to find him: GWP
Illegal Bowe Bergdahl Deal Stinks to High Heaven: MB

Take THIS GOP and Shove It; There Is A Better Way: Jen Kuznicki
Eric Cantor: The Amazing Adventures of Cantor and Gutierrez: MagNote
Barack Obama’s first loyalty is to Barack Obama: DTG

Terrorist freed by White House were labeled ‘high risk’ in 2008: Times
War Is Peace, Citizens Are The Enemy: NoisyRm
Mpls. Park Police apologize to libertarian candidate: KARE-11

Economy

California Senate passes $13 minimum wage, jobs flee in terror: Toldjah
This Is What's Wrong With The Legal System In America: ZH
Detroit east: Wildlife encroaches on Buffalo's thousands of vacant lots: Marathon

Harry Reid Threatens Private Property in America: Star Parker
Mapping 100 Years Of US Immigration By State: ZH
Medicare recipients can seek coverage for sex-change surgery: Fox

Scandal Central

IRS fails to evade discovery in targeting of pro-Israel group litigation: Power Line
UNREAL: Obama Admin Flies 400 Illegals Caught TX To AZ, Drops Them Off At Greyhound Station: WZ
Jewish Lobbying Group Wins Suit Against IRS–Targeted Because of Being Pro-Israel: RWN

Climate & Energy

Obama’s big EPA announcement tomorrow translates directly to higher electricity prices: WUWT
Will Warmists Switch Back To Calling It “Global Warming”?: Cove
EPA Told to Enforce Rules Nationally After Court Loss: Bloomberg

Media

Clinton Hack Stephanopoulos Ignores Benghazi During Interview with Susan Rice on ABC: MRC
NBC Anchor Slammed By Rabid Drones for Hinting at Opportunistic Photo Op With POW Dad: Sooper
Charlie Rose's Hourlong PBS Interview of Susan Rice Never Mentions Benghazi: NB

Amity Shlaes, Artist Paul Rivoche Discuss New Graphic Novel of The Forgotten Man: Ed Driscoll
Chicago Tribune reporter Jeff Coen’s own personal “Tell-Tale Heart” got him arrested: IP2P
Philip Hamburger’s Is Administrative Law Unlawful?: NRO

World

Negotiating With Terrorists: Inside the Capture and Release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl: Brad Thor
Democrat Senate Armed Services Chairman Worried about Taliban Five: WS
Taliban Joyous Over Bergdahl Swap, Vow to Get All Mujahideen Released ASAP: Tatler

China Rises as America Weakens: Bill Gertz
“A Euphemism for Political Cowardice”: GoV
Santa Claus and the Israel Lobby: Daniel Greenfield

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Nissan's magic mirror makes passengers disappear: Fox
Google will reportedly spend over $1 billion to build satellites that deliver internet access: TNW
ARM developing processors to make wearables 'invisible': CIO

Cornucopia

There Is A Good Case For Reparations: Derek Hunter
Scene in Hollywood: Sondrakistan
Beat My Caption: C&S

Image: Amity Shlaes, Artist Paul Rivoche Discuss New Graphic Novel of The Forgotten Man
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: BOOM: Chris McDaniel for Senate

QOTD: "Forty-one Democrats have signed on to co-sponsor New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall's proposed amendment to give Congress plenary power to regulate political speech. The text of the amendment says that Congress could regulate "the raising and spending of money and in-kind equivalents with respect to federal elections." The amendment places no limitations whatsoever on Congress's new power.

Two canards are put forth to justify this broad authority. First, "money is not speech." And second, "corporations have no free speech rights."

Neither contention bears even minimal scrutiny. Speech is more than just standing on a soap box yelling on a street corner. For centuries the Supreme Court has rightly concluded that free speech includes writing and distributing pamphlets, putting up billboards, displaying yard signs, launching a website, and running radio and television ads. Every one of those activities requires money. Distributing the Federalist Papers or Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" required money. If you can prohibit spending money, you can prohibit virtually any form of effective speech." --Sen. Ted Cruz

Sunday, June 01, 2014

Epic Branding Fails

Logo designs gone bad.



"Have We Just Put A Price On Other U.S. Soldiers?" Ted Cruz vs. Clinton Hack/ABC Host Stephanopoulos

Ted Cruz is the real deal, today handling Clinton hack-and-ABC "News" Host George Stephanopoulos as easily as a mama handles a tiny little baby. Read the whole transcript:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: I think where we are today is uncannily, is eerily like the late 1970s. By the way, if there is one person on earth thrilled about the job President Obama is doing, it's Jimmy Carter.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANOPOULOS: Texas Senator Ted Cruz lighting up the crowd at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans yesterday. He won their presidential straw poll after that speech.

Senator, congratulations for that. Thanks for being here this morning.

CRUZ: Thank you, George. It's great to join you.

STEPHANOPOULOS: First let's get your reaction to the Bergdahl deal.

CRUZ: Well, look, all of us celebrate with Sergeant Bergdahl, with his family, I mean, looking at his parents there, I mean, that's emotional and it's powerful.

At the same time the terms of the deal are very troubling.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Why?

CRUZ: Well, for one thing, how many soldiers lost their lives to capture those five Taliban terrorists that we just released? You know, Ambassador Rice basically said to you, yes, U.S. policy has changed. Now we make deals with terrorists.

And the question going forward is, have we just put a price on other U.S. soldiers? What does this tell terrorists, that if you capture a U.S. soldier, you can trade that soldier for five terrorists we've gone after.

ERIC CANTOR: Brazenly Lying to the People of Virginia in Order to Ram Amnesty Down Our Throats

Maggie has an excellent backgrounder on Cantor's immigration deception, which our summer intern Biff Spackle was kind enough to illustrate.


Click here to support Dave Brat for Congress. Send a message to the Beltway Elites who brazenly lie to the American people to push their unpopular and unreasonable agendas.


Larwyn's Linx: Obama's Deal With the Taliban Directly Violates the Law

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

Nation

Obama's Deal With the Taliban Directly Violates the Law: Patterico
Obama (2008): “I Have Never Supported Engagement With Terrorists”: MenRec
AWOL Traitor Traded for Taliban Terrorists?: Pamela Geller

Obama on Veterans Affairs Committee for 4 Years, Still Feigns Ignorance: WZ
Everything You Cannot Know About Obama Is In This Photograph: AmDigest
Obama Just Declared Open Season for Kidnapping Americans: MB

An Americans First Democrat Exposes Another Eric Cantor Lie: VDARE
Carney Quits Circus: Ed Driscoll
Where Things Stand in Mississippi: Ace

A Hillary Presidency Would Finish Off America: Sara Noble
#MSSen: Cruz offers veiled criticism of Cochran: David Freddoso
Obama Golfs with Money Buddy: Dossier

Scandal Central

The Power of the Purse Strings: House GOP Tries to Rein In Holder’s DOJ: Hideout
Government Expands Its Power Into Hundreds of Millions of American Homes: Sara Noble
The Other Guy Blinked: IRS Backs Down – for now: Hideout

Climate & Energy

Obama Uses Sick Children To Push His Climate Agenda: LoneCon
Senator: 'Death by Regulation' Means 'We'll All Be Paying a Lot More for Electricity': CNS
A World Turning Against Biofuels: RWN

Media

THE IRONY, IT BURNS: Ezra Klein in 2009: Does The Government Run Health Care Better?: Instapundit
BLOWBACK: Sandra Fluke's Hilarious Tweet: Twitchy
‘Leadership fraudfest’: Eric Bischoff rips into President Obama and Hillary Clinton: Twitchy

The NYT asks, “How old is too old to be President?”: Moe Lane
Mental Illness and Mass Killings: RWN
Maya Angelou was truly the Barack Obama of poetry: Cube

Laverne Cox Is Not a Woman: Facts are not subject to our feelings. : Kevin D. Williamson
“Heck of a job, Carney!” You too, Ricky S.: MOTUS
Christian Baker Ordered to Make Wedding Cake for LGBT Bullies: Sara Noble

World

Decapitation, Morality Squads and "Five-Star Jihad": A Month of Islam in Britain: Gatestone
The Shagged Sheep: Mark Steyn
Edward Snowden's Unaired Remarks About September 11: ZH

Here are the Taliban Terrorists Obama Released to Free POW Bowe Bergdahl: Eli Lake
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Questions Why America, the West Can Unite Against Apartheid But Not Sharia: Breitbart
Nearly 800 killed in Iraq's bloodiest month this year: U.N.: Reuters

Edward Snowden, Moscow’s Accidental Tourist: RWN
Hamas Pays Muslim Rioters $1,150 a Month to Throw Rocks at Jews: BCF
Why Spy, China?: RWN

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Smile: Your Selfie Is A Mugshot For The NSA: Natasha Lomas
7,000 Vintage Photos From The American Museum Of Natural History: Fastcodesign
Dead and buried: Microsoft's holy war on open-source software: CNet

Cornucopia

Facts suggest vets delayed own tests to make Obama look bad: Cube
A Year of Action - May: The War on Spuds: MOTUS
African comedian: Kenyan Obama puts one over America: FOTM

Image: FOTM Caption Contest
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: BOOM: Chris McDaniel for Senate

QOTD: "In 2012, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs paid at least $11.4 million to 174 nurses, mental-health specialists, therapists, and other health-care professionals who, instead of caring for veterans, worked full-time doing union business...

...In total, the VA spent at least $13.77 million on 251 salaried employees performing full-time union work. Others, who were not included on the list provided by the VA, work part-time for unions at the taxpayer expense. In fiscal year 2011, the latest on record, the VA used 998,483 hours of this “official time,” costing taxpayers more than $42 million...

...In Columbia, S.C., the VA pays one health technician a $40,706 salary to work for the American Federation of Government Employees... At that same location, CNN reported in January, a 44-year-old veteran named Barry Coates was forced to wait a year for a colonoscopy, despite intense pain, constipation, and rectal bleeding. When Coates finally got his appointment, doctors found a tumor the size of a baseball — Stage 4 colorectal cancer that had metastasized elsewhere." --Jillian Kay Melchior

Saturday, May 31, 2014

A Wearable Submarine

Daddy like:

Developed and built by Nuytco Research, this exosuit is made from hard metal and allows divers to operate safely down to a depth of 1000 feet. The suit has four 1.6 horsepower propulsion thrusters, fiber optic gigabit ethernet, and a host of telemetry devices.


The "Exosuit atmospheric diving system" (ADS) will allow wearers to work in deep water without facing problems with decompression. While still in testing right now, diver Michael Lombardi will be taking it out for its first full exploration mission later this summer, at a location called Canyons, approximately 100 miles off the coast of Rhode Island.

Ironman.


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News

BOOM: Ted Cruz Wins RLC Straw Poll

By Conservative Intel

NEW ORLEANS, May 31, 2014 — Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., excited the crowd at the Republican Leadership Conference when he addressed them this afternoon. He followed up his appearance with a victory in the event’s 2016 presidential straw poll, which was sponsored by Conservative Intel.

In the straw poll, 633 ballots were cast, which was attended by more than 1,500 people. The results were as follows:

1. Ted Cruz — 30.33 percent
2. Ben Carson — 29.38 percent
3. Rand Paul — 10.43 percent
4. Mike Huckabee — 5.06 percent
5. Rick Perry — 4.90 percent
6. Curt Clawson (write-in) 4.58 percent
7. Jeb Bush — 4.42 percent
8. Marco Rubio — 3.32 percent
9. Rick Santorum — 2.37 percent
10. Paul Ryan — 2.05 percent
11. Allen West (write-in) — 2.05 percent
12. Chris Christie — 1.11%
 

I’m Here to Chew Bubble Gum and Debunk the 97% Global Warming Myth… and I’m All Out of Bubble Gum

By Jim Lakeley

Climate blogger Tom Nelson alerted us to a study of Australian opinion about man’s role in making the planet boil (or not).

People are more likely to believe that humans cause global warming if they are told that 97 percent of publishing climate scientists agree that it does, a new study has found.

Well, yes. If I was told that, say, 97 percent of dentists agree that chewing Trident is better for your teeth than chewing bubble gum, that would make perfect sense. Trouble is, the idea that “97 percent of publishing climate scientists agree” human activity has created an out-of-control global warming crisis is a myth.

To cop the immortal words of Rowdy Roddy Piper in the B-movie classic “They Live”: I have come here to chew bubble gum and debunk this myth … and I’m all out of bubble gum.

One of the most commonly cited studies of the “97 percent” was conducted by a University of Illinois professor and a graduate student who asked the following questions to 10,257 Earth scientists working for universities and government research agencies:

Larwyn's Linx: 9 Top Lies of Outgoing WH Press Secretary Jay Carney

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

Nation

9 Top Lies of Outgoing WH Press Secretary Jay Carney: TR
Can the Legislative Roots of Obamacare Overturn the Law?: PJM
White House Tried To Cover Up Meeting Between Hillary And Obama: WZ

Hillary Clinton Blames Video For Benghazi Attack In New Book Novel: WZ
Widespread Memorial Day Black Violence Ignored by National Media: AT
House Dems unveil new gun bill: Politico

Boehner's intimidation tactics to keep his speakership: iOTW
Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) seems… worried… about her electoral chances: RS
After primary loss, Tea Party stirs Georgia GOP runoff: Fox

Economy

1 in 6 American Men Between Ages 25-54 Are Not Working: WS
Despite Thomas Piketty, Voters Reject Economic Redistribution: Michael Barone
`Operation Choke Point' Details Disclosed in Government Memos.: WSJ

Scandal Central

ATF Charged with Creating Fictitious Crimes: Instapundit
“Obama Hits Suburbs After Election”: PW
Weekly Update: Fast and Furious Hero: JW

Hillary's Failed Benghazi Spin: Stephen F. Hayes
Woman Who Left Americans to Die: I won't play politics on the backs of dead Americans: JWF
'Dude!' Team Hillary reportedly hires Tommy Vietor for Benghazi spin control yes, that dude : Twitchy

Media

NYT: End Mass Incarceration Now -- A Fisking: TAB
Rolling Stoned: Low-info lies for low-info readers: Tom Blumer
ABC, NBC Ignore GDP Plummet, Again: MRC

Hillary Attacks Critics of Her Benghazi 'Hard Choices': TR
Apple’s newest executive advocating rape and murder of women- a radical homophobic racist: Michael Lofti
Sarah Palin on Veterans Affairs: 'Illegal aliens' get better care: Politico

World

Iranian Power Struggle Reaches New Heights, Threats Exchanged: IPT
Muslims Push for Taxpayer-Funded Halal Food in California Public Schools: Outpost
London’s Drive to Become the Sharia Finance Capital of the West: Breitbart

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

There Might Be 100 Million Planets In The Galaxy With Complex Life: UniverseToday
Home Depot staffer fired, tapped 30,000 accounts, shared card data: Adam Greenberg
Congressman bankrolled by ISPs tries to halt Internet regulation: Ars

Cornucopia

“If I only had a brain…”: MOTUS
This minor-league-baseball player hit a home run and guess who caught the ball?: Rare
Less Than 25% of West Point Cadets Stood Up For Obama After He Was Introduced: RWN

Image: Obama’s boldest move on carbon comes with perils
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Dave Brat for Congress: Fire Eric "Amnesty" Cantor!

QOTD: "With his lame duck status and this being his “year of action,” we should be terribly wary of what institutionalized edicts he’s putting in place — and especially, those we haven’t really heard much about. Because fundamental transformation has been given its legal go ahead through ObamaCare, and the offshoots of that re-imagining of the relationship between the people and the government, with the citizens as subjects and the government the sovereign, will be used in any number of ways to constrain liberty and choice, all in the name of the greater good." --Jeff Goldstein

Friday, May 30, 2014

THE FEDERAL INCOME TAX: Then, Now and the Lies They Told

101 years ago, the progressive movement in America -- an offshoot of the European socialists -- passed the 16th Amendment, which installed the federal income tax. Like all of the progressives' fables, it was predicated on lies.

Consider the dichotomy:



The federal government is insatiable.

It has become what the Framers feared.

It has become an unconstrained leviathan that inserts itself into every aspect of Americans' lives and ruins everything it touches. From Fannie Mae to the VA, from the "Great Society" to public sector unions, from the student loan business to Obamacare, it has a track record of failure and a legacy of misery.

And no matter its failures, it never downsizes. It never turns introspective, examines it failures and course-corrects. The elites who become lifetime politicians take an oath to uphold the Constitution and then refute it. Once in office, they revile its limits and scoff at its intent.

We Americans were blessed with the gift of the finest form of government ever seen in human history. And the progressives are trying to throw it all away, following the same ill-defined game-plan of centralized, authoritarian government with top-down decision-making that hasn't worked in all of human history, can't work, and will never work.

Precious little time remains to save this Republic.


6 STARTLING TIME-LAPSE PHOTO SEQUENCES: The Utter Collapse of the Democrat Utopia of Detroit

Using publicly accessible street maps, the folks at GooBing Detroit compared various Motor City properties over a period of time. Each of the following photo sequences were taken in the 2009 to 2011 time-frame.


Killer's Own Words Confirm NRA's Truism: Only Good Guys With Guns Stop Bad Guys With Guns

By Yehuda Remer

"It would be impossible to kill enough of my enemies before being dispatched by those damnable cops."

Elliot Rodgers, the UCSB murderer who killed six people, seemed to take a chapter out of the NRA playbook, echoing Wayne LaPierre’s now famous words – “the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.”

In his 141-page manifesto Rodgers writes:

“Another option was Deltopia, a day in which many young people pour in from all over the state to have a spring break party on Del Playa Street. I figured this would be the perfect day to attack Isla Vista, but after watching Youtube videos of previous Deltopia parties, I saw that there were way too many cops walking around on such an event. It would be impossible to kill enough of my enemies before being dispatched by those damnable cops.”

In other words, the more good guys on the ground, the more likely mass killings can be reduced. So says the killer.


Read more at TruthRevolt

Larwyn's Linx: Dem Luis Gutierrez helping Eric Cantor get reelected to push Amnesty

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

Nation

Dem Luis Gutierrez helping Eric Cantor get reelected to push Amnesty: Hot Air
Mary Landrieu: Oh, you bet I support Harry Reid for Majority Leader again: Hot Air
Obama Flack: Hey, You Know Obama Can't Fire Shinseki: Ace

10 Questions on the Obama Administration's Release of Criminal Aliens: CIS
Great: Former Republican Senators Endorsing Democrat Senate Candidates: Ace
Obama: Sure I Suffered Concussions Back When I Never Played Football: JWF

Carney Won’t Say Whether Obama Has Confidence in Shinseki: NRO
Meet Corrine Brown (D-FL), vehement Florida VA booster: Moe Lane
Dave Brat Tells the Truth About Eric Cantor on Amnesty: VARight

Economy

Economy Shrinks 1% in First Quarter: Breitbart
Death Rattle Confirmed – First Quarter GDP Revised To -1%: Treehouse
The Real Minimum Wage Is Zero: Fred Wszolek

Congress May Mandate Paid Maternity Leave, Other Women’s Benefits: PJM
Companies Like Uber Encourage Innovation, Improve Consumers’ Lives: RWN
Piketty’s Envy Problem: Peter Schiff

Scandal Central

Shinseki: All Right, Now I'll Start Actually Doing My Job: Ace
IRS Scandal Expands to Include Pro-Israel Groups: LI
ILL-inois: $12 million paid in medical benefits to 3,000 dead persons: Marathon

DOD Memo outlines Obama’s plan to use the military against citizens: Bill Gertz
Smoking gun reveals Obama use of military against US citizens: Anthony Martin
Totalitarian Collectivism: BATR

Climate & Energy

Media outlets continue to push climate crisis scenario, and the public isn’t buying. : John Fund
Obama To Announce Coal Regulation Via Executive Fiat (Recession to Follow): Lid
DoD official: Climate change is critical to national security: GSN

Media

Benghazi Is Such a Non-Issue That Hillary’s Democrat Party Enablers Are Meeting About It: DC
When Bushies blew a CIA cover, it was 'treason'; now, it's a mistake: Byron York
After Weeks of Leftist Harassment, Gay GOP Candidate’s Office Vandalized: GayPatriot

CBS Investigates the Latest on 'Ugly' VA Scandal Without Mentioning Obama's Name: MRC
Mass killers hold culture — and country — hostage: Jonah Goldberg
Killer's Own Words Confirm NRA's Belief: Good Guys With Guns Stop Bad Guys With Guns: TR

World

The Way West Point Cadets React to Obama vs. Bush Tells You Everything You Need To Know: YC
Reporters Openly Mocked the U.S. State Department’s Spokeswoman Today: Tatler
Obama's empty foreign policy vision falls flat at West Point: The Hill

Kerry: Obama Administration ‘More Engaged’ with World ‘Than at Any Time in American History’: PJM
An American’s Experience with Islamic Apostasy: Raymond Ibrahim
Howard Dean: Media Doesn't Know How To Deal With Obama's "More Sophisticated" Foreign Policy: RCP

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Machines v. Lawyers: John O. McGinnis, City Journal
Hackers put security tool that finds payment card data into their arsenal: CIO
In case of a Russian invasion, Estonia is uploading its government to the cloud: QZ

Cornucopia

Climate Change Blamed for 'Icy Reception' to Obama Speech: Cube
Let’s Debate the Logic of White Privilege: MOTUS
The America We Used to Know is Being Erased: Zion's Trumpet

Image: The People's Cube
Sponsored by: Dave Brat for Congress: Fire Eric "Amnesty" Cantor!

QOTD: "I go to Europe a lot for various speeches. I always get asked how come Obama’s not paying attention to us? I think he is. The problem is the Europeans have to change. This is not -- he can't rely only on America with a different policy. The Europeans have to understand now they're equal partners and more is expected of them. I think that's exactly what the president -- the kind of foreign policy the president wants." --Howard "YEEEHHAHHAHAWWWW" Dean

Thursday, May 29, 2014

AWESOME: Because it isn't powerful enough, Feds announce plan to take over local zoning decisions

Last Friday night, as the long holiday weekend began, the Obama administration furtively announced a plan to being controlling local zoning decisions at the federal level. Stanley Kurtz, writing at the National Review, explains:

...not a word has been heard of late about a truly transformative Obama executive action, his rule on “affirmatively furthering fair housing” (AFFH). That rule will push Americans into living how and where the federal government wants. It promises to gut the ability of suburbs to set their own zoning codes. It will press future population growth into tiny, densely-packed high-rise zones around public transportation, urbanizing suburbs and Manhattanizing cities...

You won’t see a more ambitious Obama administration initiative than this. Yet Obama never discusses AFFH. Although a preliminary version of the rule was released in July of 2013, the president didn’t mention it in his State of the Union address. The controversial rule was the subject of a Weekly Standard cover, yet as far as I can tell neither The New York Times nor The Washington Post has ever done a story on AFFH...

[There isn't] an issue more worthy of public debate and discussion in advance of the 2014 midterm election than the AFFH rule and the Obama administration’s “regionalist” housing policies. You can see dry runs for what Obama hopes to do with his new housing rule in recent planning initiatives in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Twin Cities...


How can conservatives help draw the public's attention to these radical and unconstitutional dictates?

HILLARY'S NEW BOOK "HARD CHOICES" AND THE BIN LADEN RAID: 7 Ways POTUS Led From Behind

By Rusty Weiss

With her memoir, Hard Choices set to be released in the coming weeks, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her publishing company have provided an excerpt in which she claims President Obama’s actions during the Bin Laden raid were “as crisp and courageous a display of leadership” that she had ever seen.

Here are 7 reasons that Obama’s leadership during the raid was neither crisp or courageous.

1) Obama Canceled the Mission to Kill Bin Laden Three Times

Clinton writes about one of the strongest examples of decision-making under pressure:

“Perhaps the most famous example from my four years as Secretary of State was President Obama’s order to send a team of Navy SEALs into a moonless Pakistani night to bring Osama bin Laden to justice. The President’s top advisors were divided. The intelligence was compelling, but far from definitive. The risks of failure were daunting.”

The Clinton memoir tries to paint a picture of decisiveness despite “risks of failure” and “far from definitive” intelligence. President Obama made the call despite the numerous doubts. That isn’t necessarily the case, however.

According to a book released in August of 2012, titled Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him, a source “with Joint Special Operations Command who had direct knowledge of the operation and its planning,” claims that Obama squashed the kill order on bin Laden in January, February, and March of 2011. Bin Laden was successfully taken down in early May.

2) Obama’s Indecisiveness Was Decided For Him

CITIZEN OF THE WORLD: Incompetence knows no borders

New York Magazine captured the reactions of seven diverse media outlets to President Obama's foreign policy speech at West Point earlier this week. The highlights included "[he] demolish[ed] straw men" (Slate), "highly partisan and defensive in tone", "weak, indecisive and unconvincing" (Bloomberg), "a defensive, lawyerly answer to critics" (CNN), and "ludicrous" (The New York Times, no less).


As former VP Dick Cheney summed it up: "We've got a problem with weakness, and it's centered right in the White House. It's as though he wasn't even around when 9/11 happened."


Hat tip: Mark Levin.