Doug Ross @ Journal: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

North Korean Deklaration of Konflict Kaption Kontest

North Korea announced Saturday that it has entered a state of war against South Korea. In a special statement, the North said it will deal with every inter-Korean issue in a wartime manner.

Therefore Zero Hedge is running the obligatory caption contest with this gem:

The best captions thus far?

• "...and the last nuke is for Florida Gulf Coast University for busting my NCAA bracket."
• "Why would I want billions, when I can have millions? How do you spell 'War'?"
• "For the love of God, where's Rodman?"

• "Anyone notice the iMac on his desk!? Long live Jobs!"
• "...and clam chowder, and a large bowl of chili con carne, and a side order of bacon, with sour cream, and cream-filled doughnuts, ice cream with marshmallow topping, and chocolate syrup, and..."
• "Wasn't he the guy that made that Gangnam Style video?"

• "Dear Un, if you are going to take a shot, aim at the District of Criminals."
• "Hory shit! According to my carcurations, I rost f---ing errything in Cyprus! Damn you, Deeser-broom!!! Damn you straight to herr!!!"
• Is that a Bic pen he is using to plot the overthrow of western civilization?

• "Dear Pen Pal, I was so happy to get your letter. I have just returned home from a trip to threaten the world powers. I am 30 years old and have worked really hard to destabilize the region. It has been very difficult to carry on ever since my father died..."
• "Dear Steve, My dogs and I were working on this new nuke project plan, but every time I try the save on iCloud, I get 'Server not found - check your internet connection'. What is going on? Also what is this yellow cable for? Un"

• "Hmmm... So I can save money if I use FedEx"
• "It took me like three hours to finish the shading on your upper lip. It's probably the best drawing I've ever done."
• "Let's see ... they have three longbowmen to my two horse archers. They get additional strength for city defense. I'm going to need the war elephants."

Related: Don't miss The 15 Funniest Staged Kim Jong-un Military Photos.

The Hegemony of the U.S. Dollar as the World's Reserve Currency Coming to a Quick and Untimely End [Cary]

Guest post by Lee Cary:

It’s happening incrementally – the unwinding of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. We're seeing trading countries strike reciprocal alignments to exchange each others currencies and not deal in the USD. And it’s picking up speed. Not overnight – but the end of the USD’s dominance is coming faster than we’re prepared for as a nation. And the media is largely silent on the topic. Go figure.

Thanks, World Reserve Currency, But No Thanks: Australia And China To Enable Direct Currency Convertibility
Over the weekend, Australia appears to have come to the same conclusion, with the Australian reporting that the land down under is set to say goodbye to the world's "reserve currency" in its trade dealings with the world's biggest marginal economic power, China, and will enable the direct convertibility of the Australian dollar into Chinese yuan, without US Dollar intermediation, in the process "slashing costs for thousands of business" and also confirming speculation that China is fully intent on, little by little, chipping away at the dollar's reserve currency status until one day it no longer is.
That said, this latest development in global currency relations should come as no surprise to those who have followed our series on China's slow but certain internationalization of its currency over the past two years. To wit: "World's Second (China) And Third Largest (Japan) Economies To Bypass Dollar, Engage In Direct Currency Trade", "China, Russia Drop Dollar In Bilateral Trade", "China And Iran To Bypass Dollar, Plan Oil Barter System", "India and Japan sign new $15bn currency swap agreement", "Iran, Russia Replace Dollar With Rial, Ruble in Trade, Fars Says", "India Joins Asian Dollar Exclusion Zone, Will Transact With Iran In Rupees", and "The USD Trap Is Closing: Dollar Exclusion Zone Crosses The Pacific As Brazil Signs China Currency Swap."

Last week, it was China and Brazil.

China and Brazil agree currency trade deal
China and Brazil have agreed to trade the equivalent of up to $30 billion per year in their own currencies, moving to take almost half of their exchanges out of the dollar zone.
The three-year swap line agreement, signed before the start of a BRICS nations summit in South Africa, marked a step by the two largest economies in the group to change global trade flows long dominated by the US and Europe.

It was suggested as a goal early in the first Obama term when Tim Geithner let it slip (then backed off) that it wouldn’t be a bad thing to happen.

500 "Youths" That Could Have Been Obama's Kids Rampage Through Chicago's Magnificent Mile, Assault Shoppers and Police

CBS Channel 2 calls the rioters "mischievous".

The warmest day of the year so far brings hundreds of mischievous teens to Michigan Avenue... [But] Police are calling it ‘mob action’.

CBS 2 is learning about multiple incidents in at least four different locations along the Magnificent Mile and in the Gold Coast, yielding a slew of arrests.

Things got pretty bad, very quickly with many innocent shoppers and tourists caught in the middle of a very chaotic situation... Hundreds of teens littered Michigan Avenue and State Street near Chicago... Things started to go bad around 6:00 p.m. Saturday, with teens purposely bumping into people, and causing fights among themselves.

... “You had a group of teens, close to maybe 500. They assaulted a Chicago police officer that was on a mounted on a horse and all of a sudden they assaulted a citizen walking the streets, just a normal citizen shopping and enjoying the weather,” said [an eyewitness].

Later that night, a man was attacked around 10:45 p.m. while walking near Chicago and Dearborn. Sources tell us he was jumped and punched in the face by a group of teens. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

In a separate incident, a group of woman say they were attacked by a mob of girls on the CTA Red Line. The women reported a robbery once they got off the train at the State and Monroe station. Eleven females were arrested—10 juveniles and one adult—and charged with battery. Two of the teens were charged with strong- armed robbery.

According to commenters at Chicago police blog Second City Cop, not only isn't national media covering the story, even the local media isn't telling the whole story:

TOURISTS BEWARE: You are not getting the whole story. I was coming home from work at 7:30. The savages were randomly attacking people. Go to Woodfield if you want to shop. Chicago is not safe.

You'd think such vicious racially motivated hate crimes would receive wide-spread national media attention, but they don't. As a rule, reporters and prosecutors ignore the racist motivations of black-on-white mob attacks. In news articles like this one the thugs are invariably described only by their age -- "kids" or "teenagers" -- while any mention of their race is studiously omitted, as if it had nothing to do with the crimes.

Or "mischievous teens".

In related news from gun-free Chicago, "2 dead, 20 wounded over the Easter weekend."

Thank goodness law-abiding citizens can't defend themselves in Chicago. Some of those poor "youths" might have been hurt.

Chicago, like Detroit, represents Democrats' policies writ large: as with the Motor City, we are witnessing the breakdown of the civil society, brought to you by secular immorality, unfettered redistribution of wealth from makers to takers, and incentivizing the single-parent family.

But don't worry, folks: if Michelle Obama has her way, at least the "youths" who attack you during your next shopping trip won't be obese.

15 Funniest Staged Kim Jong-un Military Photos

I don't know where these photos came from (they were emailed to me without attribution), but my guess is they don't do what they're supposed to do. That is, if the intent was to strike fear into the hearts of imperialistic running-dog lackeys otherwise known as Americans.

"So if you hit the asteroid with one of your missiles, it breaks apart like this."

"I'll be damned! It is David Hasselhoff!"

"Hey, schmucks: does the lack of tread-marks anywhere on this field mean what I think it does?"

Read more »

Larwyn's Linx: When Men Forsake God, Tyranny Always Follows

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QOTD: "Same-sex marriage is, by far, the most important issue of our generation - even more important than having others to pay for our free access to birth control. War, terrorism, and taxation are laughable matters compared to the tragedy of two or more men who are in LOVE being unable to commit to each other unless they have a government-issued license. Without a license, how could they demonstrate their LOVE to the rest of the public in front of Chick-Fil-As across the country? It is, after all, their right as human beings." --The People's Cube

Saturday, March 30, 2013

The Ultimate Survival, Prepper, Economic Collapse and SHTF News Site: BadBlue Prep

You don't have to be a conspiracy nut to recognize that we live in perilous times.

Europe, with its decades of deficit spending and ill-conceived monetary union, is nearing a final reckoning. The United States has passed the historically significant mark of a 90 percent debt-to-GDP ratio, which means an economic decline is all but certain.

Iran will soon deploy its first nuclear weapons, North Korea is threatening ICBM attacks on the United States itself, Russia resembles the old Soviet Union more and more each day, and the People's Republic of China is engaging in a massive military buildup.

We will get through these things: Americans always do. But the possibilities of economic dislocation, market instability, bank runs, and supply chain disruptions are real. And so the choice is simple: do you take simple precautions for yourself, your family, and your neighborhood? Do you anticipate temporary glitches in the fabric of infrastructure we take for granted? Do you plan ahead?

Or are you a drone?

BadBlue Prep -- http://BadBlue.com/Prep -- is a news site specifically designed to keep you current on the news that matters most. From preparing for a natural disaster, to survival skills, and everything in between, BadBlue Prep gives you the critical information you need to stay a step ahead.

Are you ready?

A Child's First Book of Government Regulations

The Obama Administration's Official Alphabet Guide for Learning Government's Role in Your Life

Hi, I'm Omar, the Obama administration's official kid's ambassador. Today I'll be guiding you through some of the many necessary regulations that government imposes on us for our protection -- and we'll learn the alphabet at the same time!

A is for auto. The size, speed, fuel and bumpers of autos must be regulated to protect us from ourselves!

B is for business. Government must levy taxes, regulations, fees, surcharges and paperwork on businesses, lest they take advantage of workers.

C is for cupcakes. Every aspect of child nutrition must be controlled -- because we can't leave it up to the parents!

Read more »

Larwyn's Linx: Obama Scolds Nation for Insufficient Gun Control Fervor

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

Nation

Obama Scolds Nation for Insufficient Gun Control Fervor: TAG
Obama and Bloomberg try to pressure Senate Dems on gun control?: Lott
Utah Sheriffs Association to Obama: From Our Cold Dead Hands: Breitbart

Beating Thy Enemy II: the Media (conclusion; operating within the tent): Dewey
Obamacare facilitates voter registration and intimidation: Breitbart
SICK: Planned Parenthood Official Argues for Right to Post-Birth Abortion: WS

Friday Free-For-All: Hillary’s Benghazi Lies Unraveling?: Nice Deb
Obama To Continue His Finger Wagging Tour On Gun Control In Denver: RWN
Mark Levin: Obama is Trying to Nationalize Our Election Process: Townhall

Economy

Cyprus: Can It Happen Here?: Sowell
Food stamp rolls explode after Obama loosens rules: Exam
$100 Million Loan: SCC

The Student loan crisis keeps getting worse: AT
ACLJ, Sekulow Call in Sequester Of Anti-American Muslim Brotherhood: RWN
Marc Faber on why This Disaster is Different: JohnGaltFla

Scandal Central

Labor Department Sued for “Stonewalling” Hilda Solis-Illegal Alien Records: JW
Nixon has won Watergate: Turley
Homeland Security Demands “Obedience” in Message to Agents: NewAm

Climate & Energy

Climate Change Endgame In Sight?: Power Line
Energy gap leaves Britain freezing in the dark: Exam
EPA Plans to Require Cleaner Gas: Could Hike Gas Prices $0.10 a Gallon: WSJ

Media

Associated Press: Newtown gunman was equipped with tiny shotgun with 6-foot tall magazines: Owens
Jon Stewart Goes Off on Obama’s Incompetence and Broken Promises to Fix the VA Backlogs: Clash
Cheney: “Preventing this president from enacting devastating policies is not obstructionism. It is patriotism.”: Scoop

Benjamin Carson Smeared on Polygamy Comments, Yet Justice Sotomayor Raised Same Concerns: AmPower
Carson Willing to Step Down as Commencement Speaker After Protests: NewsMax
“Being Biden.” It’s a Gift, Harry.: MOTUS

Piers Morgan’s Ratings In The Toilet After Gun Control Rants: RWN
Horrifying NYT Article Praises Jim McGreevey, Absolves Him of His Sins, Just For Being Gay: Ace
Time Magazine, Concern-Trolling for Holy Thursday: "Can Your Child Be Too Religious?": Ace

World

Islamists enter military in Egypt as part of Muslim Brotherhood effort to take control, US says: WFB
After U.S. Unblocks Aid to Palestinians, Abbas Flouts U.S. Wishes by Advancing Push for Statehood: CNS
Obama's nightmare of a second term: AT

Muslim "Secret" Courageously Outed: Gatestone
Greeks find cause of all their woes: the Jews: Times of Israel
First Civil Union Between Three Partners in Brazil Sparks Outrage: NOM Blog (2012)

Mexican Cartel Captures Rivals, Then Dismembers and Boils Men and Women in Acid: Borderland Beat
So Long, Yankees! China And Brazil Ditch US Dollar In Trade Deal Before BRICS Summit: IB Times
Jim Rogers: 'Run for the Hills,' I'm Doing It: Yahoo! Finance

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Where Have All The Physical QWERTYs Gone?: TechCrunch
Smartphone running 'Facebook OS' said to debut next week: Register
Here’s Why You Hate Your Cable Company: AllThingsD

Cornucopia

Everything you ever wanted to know about progressives part 562.84: Sondrakistan
FPSRussia Home Raided by ATF: Guns
FBI 'flying saucers' NM memo bureau's most viewed: AP

Image: Sondrakistan
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support Constitutional Conservative Ken Cuccinelli for Governor

QOTD: "The grotesque mishandling of Britain's energy policy by politicians of all parties, as they chase their childish chimeras of CO2-induced global warming and windmills, has been arguably the greatest act of political irresponsibility in our history." --London Daily Telegraph

Friday, March 29, 2013

Another horrifying assertion by Planned Parenthood

No matter where you stand on the issue, the allegation that a baby surviving a botched abortion can legally be executed is noxious, repellent and -- yes -- evil. Yet this is the position of Planned Parenthood.

Florida legislators considering a bill to require abortionists to provide medical care to an infant who survives an abortion were shocked during a committee hearing this week when a Planned Parenthood official endorsed a right to post-birth abortion.

Alisa LaPolt Snow, the lobbyist representing the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, testified that her organization believes the decision to kill an infant who survives a failed abortion should be left up to the woman seeking an abortion and her abortion doctor.

"So, um, it is just really hard for me to even ask you this question because I’m almost in disbelief," said Rep. Jim Boyd. "If a baby is born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, what would Planned Parenthood want to have happen to that child that is struggling for life?”

"We believe that any decision that's made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician," said Planned Parenthood lobbyist Snow.

...Rep. Jose Oliva followed up, asking the Planned Parenthood official, "You stated that a baby born alive on a table as a result of a botched abortion that that decision should be left to the doctor and the family. Is that what you’re saying?”

Again, Snow replied, “That decision should be between the patient and the health care provider.”

“I think that at that point the patient would be the child struggling on the table, wouldn’t you agree?” asked Oliva.

"That’s a very good question. I really don’t know how to answer that," Snow said. "I would be glad to have some more conversations with you about this.”

David Steinberg is as nauseous as I am.

...there is no daylight between her testimony and an advocacy of decriminalizing murder.

If a child brought into the world under such circumstances is unworthy of life via the intentions of the mother, logic dictates that the child would be placed in such limbo indefinitely, until such time as the mother chooses to kill it. Two minutes later, twenty-five years later: if this monstrous woman could shape a society according to her testimony, then the mother would necessarily have a permanent right to slaughter her child.

But Todd Akin is the extremist, don't ya' know?

Which brings me to Kermit Gosnell.

And one Illinois State Senator Barack Obama.

FINALLY: A Proposal for a Gun Control Law That Might Have Stopped the Sandy Hook Massacre

Based upon the recent release of information related to the Newtown shootings (timed, coincidentally I'm sure, with President Obama's latest lies about gun owners) I feel certain that there is one gun control law that might have stopped the killings.

"If your family member has a known mental illness, do not give him guns for a Christmas gift!"

The search warrants and inventories of items seized during the investigation of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting last December have just been released this morning. As it is essentially “breaking news”, a thorough analysis has not been done. However, there are a few good articles out there listing some interesting facts. Check out these three:

• Warrants Reveal Multiple Weapons in Home of Newtown Shooter

• Finally some answers about the Sandy Hook school shooting

• Newtown search warrants released

1) Active Shooters almost always carry more than one weapon and will be prepared to fight. The warrants revealed that the shooter was wearing a bullet proof vest. Did he expect the school kids to fight back? Nope. He was preparing for a confrontation with the cops...

2) His mother provided the funds for at least one of the weapons. According to the warrant, they found, "a holiday card containing a check made out to [Scumbag] for the purchase of a firearm, authored by his mother..." If your family member has a known mental illness, please do not give him guns for a Christmas gift!

3) Shooters will obsessively study past active shooting incidents in order to “improve their score”. They want infamy and a high body count. Warrants detail that they found clipped articles about past school shootings in [Scumbag]’s bedroom.

4) Shooters will create evidence detailing future plans. Investigators seized seven journals written by the shooter. Investigators wouldn’t have seized them unless they had relevance to the case. They likely contained his plans for the massacre. Be alert for such evidence. Don’t discount it or trivialize it if found. Report it to school authorities or police.

5) All of the shooting happened in a five-minute period. These things happen quickly! What is the response time for your local police department? In an urban area that is well staffed, it is likely to be 4-6 minutes before an officer will be on scene. You cannot expect the police to protect you. Statistically, the attack will be ending as police arrive. You are on your own!

The NRA was right all along. Only an armed teacher or security guard could have prevented Sandy Hook.

Hat tip: BadBlue Gun News.

Yet Another Creepy Email From Obama's Perpetual Campaign Machine

"Now it's time to finish what we started."

I wonder what Messina, Axelrod and the other Marxist kooks pulling the strings on this operation mean when they say "finish what we started"?

PHOTO: The Creative Genius of the Dependency State

Spotted at Common Sense Post:

Why expend all of that energy standing in line while waiting to get your government check? Just put your flip-flops in line -- that way you get to continue sitting on your butt and playing games on your free Obamaphone.

Thoughts on Gay Marriage

The bedrock of Western Civilization is the family unit. That is, a man and a woman together forming a bond for the purposes of procreating and raising a family. The pairing of a man and a woman is the only way that the human species can perpetuate itself (various modern biotech and medical experimentation notwithstanding). And the notion that the law should provide formal recognition of this pairing is a concept that is centuries, if not millenia, old.

To insist that legal constructs recognize other types of unions -- based upon behavioral preference, religious belief, or genetic predisposition -- serves only to diminish the family unit. Once lawful status has been granted to same-sex marriage, where does this "right" end? Would polygamists someday lobby for their "civil rights"? Couples engaging in incestuous relationships? Perhaps progressives can outline for us the contours and limits on this new "right" as it pertains to marriage and the law.

I can hear the critics now. "But, Doug," they might say, "That's ridiculous. You're conflating same-sex marriage with all sorts of other types of unions that no civilized society could endorse."

Perhaps so. But the state of California, just four years ago, voted overwhelmingly to reject same-sex marriage. Many observers say that it would pass today. In other words, societies morph. They change. But still they must operate under their existing legal frameworks.

Our framework, tattered though it may be by political infidelity, had its genesis in a moral certitude codified with the motto, "In God We Trust", which has appeared on United States coinage since the Civil War. To reject that framework is to reject the very principles that created our nation. The religious underpinnings of this nation's founding are indisputable. And those same Judeo-Christian principles have overwhelmingly refused to sanctify same-sex marriage.

Furthermore, to reject the legal protections offered only to the heterosexual family is to embrace collectivism. Simply put, arbitrary collections of individuals could claim to represent a family unit and demand such protections and benefits. Is this healthy for the civil society? Does it open the door to an ultimately destructive form of collectivism (e.g., "It takes a village")?

And for those who make the tangential claim that same-sex spouses deserve the health insurance benefits and other perquisites afforded their heterosexual counterparts, I argue simply that the federal government is responsible for the vagaries and distortions of our current health care system, not our concept of marriage. Every intrusive step taken by the government -- from employer-based coverage to Medicare's price controls -- has served only to make health insurance more expensive and treatment harder to find. In other words, just because the federal government broke the health insurance system doesn't mean that it can similarly deconstruct the family unit.

It truly is a case of "In God We Trust" versus "It Takes a Village". Which do you choose?

This post began as a comment on Ann Althouse's blog.