Friday, June 05, 2009

Brand Spanking New Katherine Sebelius Motivational Poster


Barack Obama's HHS Secretary -- Katherine "Plan B" Sebelius -- followed orders to a tee this morning, Sergeant Schultz-style. She announced that America needs socialized medicine because, well, she just made some s*** up.

In her honor, I created this motivational poster that I hope you will copy and forward.

Could a single member -- just one! -- of our beloved mainstream media ask Sebelius how we will pay for the $57 trillion in unfunded entitlement programs... before we create a gigantic new entitlement program?

That $57 trillion represents $190,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States at this very moment!

How are we gonna pay for that? Any of you drones care to explain the magic behind the madness?

Cue the crickets.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Check out some of the recent headlines from the U.K. and its "National Health Service" (NHS). This is the type of system that Obama, "Plan B" and the rest of the Democrat-Statists intend to implement. Feel better yet?

NHS 'failings' over elderly falls: 3/25/2009 [BBC]
Learning disabled 'failed by NHS': 3/24/2009 [BBC]
Cancer survivor confronts the health secretary on 62-day wait: 3/21/2009 [The Scotsman]

Culture of targets prevents nurses from tending to patients: Patients Association, 3/21/2009 [Telegraph UK]
Children being failed by health system, says head of watchdog: Sarah Boseley, 3/21/2009 [Guardian Unlimited]
Our cancer shame: Survival rates still lag behind EU despite spending billions: 3/20/2009 [Daily Mail(UK)]

Failing hospital 'caused deaths': 3/17/2009 [BBC]
Health gap drive 'wasted money': 3/14/2009 [BBC]
Longer GP opening hours branded wasteful 'PR exercise' by doctors: 3/13/2009 [The Scotsman]

"Political meddling" threatens general practice, warns GP leader: 3/13/2009 [Management in Practice (UK)]
Children at risk through lack of training for doctors and nurses, report warns: 3/13/2009 [Telegraph UK]
Chocolate should be taxed to control obesity epidemic, doctors are told: 3/13/2009 [Telegraph UK]

1,000 wait for a dentist after just one NHS practice opens: 3/10/2009 [Daily Mail(UK)]
Study proves the folly of NHS Alzheimer's drug ban: 3/7/2009 [Daily Mail(UK)]
NHS charges to rise in England: 3/5/2009 [BBC]

Disabled children wait up to two years for wheelchairs: 3/4/2009 [Guardian Unlimited]
NHS under fire over waiting times: 2/25/2009 [The Scotsman]
Specialist nurses 'vastly overworked': 2/20/2009 [Harwich & Manningtree Standard]

Hundreds of operations cancelled at Lothian hospitals: 2/19/2009 [The Scotsman]
Stop asking for antibiotics to cure coughs and colds, Government tells patients: 2/17/2009 [Daily Mail(UK)]
Stroke services are 'UK's worst' : 2/17/2009 [BBC]

Hospitals curb caesarean births: 2/15/2009 [The Times]
Only five out of 51 hospital trusts pass hygiene test, say inspectors: 11/24/2008 [Guardian Unlimited]
Top doctors slam NHS drug rationing: 8/24/2008 [The Times]

Heart patients dying due to poor hospital care, says report: Sarah Boseley, June 8/2008 [Guardian Unlimited]
NHS dentistry loses almost a million patients after new dentists' contract: David Rose, 6/6/2008 [The Times]
Private healthcare managers could be sent to turn round failing NHS hospitals: 6/4/2008 [The Times]

Cancer patients ‘betrayed’ by NHS: Sarah-Kate Templeton, 6/1/2008 [The Times]
NHS scandal: dying cancer victim was forced to pay: Sarah-Kate Templeton, June 1/2008 [The Times]
Pensioner, 76, forced to pull out own teeth after 12 NHS dentists refuse to treat her: 3/26/2008 [Daily Mail(UK)]

Dental patients face care lottery: 3/26/2008 [Metro(UK)]
Lung patients 'condemned to death as NHS withdraws their too expensive drugs': 3/24/2008 [Daily Mail(UK)]
Women in labour turned away by maternity units: 3/21/2008 [Guardian Unlimited]

Health inequality has got worse under Labour, says government report: 3/13/2008 [Guardian Unlimited]
Angry GPs reluctantly accept plan for weekend and evening surgeries: John Carvel, 3/7/2008 [Guardian Unlimited]
NHS chiefs tell grandmother, 61, she's 'too old' for £5,000 life-saving heart surgery: 2/28/2008 [Daily Mail(UK)]

Patient 'removed' from waiting list to meet target: 1/31/2008 [The Scotsman]
NHS patients told to treat themselves: James Kirkup, 1/4/2008 [Telegraph UK]
NHS is 'failing patients' despite record funding: 10/4/2007 [Telegraph UK]

NHS rationing rife, say doctors: 9/24/2007 [BBC]
One in eight patients waiting over a year for treatment, admits minister: 6/8/2007 [Guardian Unlimited]
Audit Office asked to investigate record £500m NHS underspend: John Carvel, 5/30/2007 [Guardian Unlimited]

The drugs the NHS won't give you: 5/11/2007 [Telegraph UK]
UK lagging behind on cancer drug access, study finds: 5/10/2007 [Guardian Unlimited]
One in six trusts is still putting patients on mixed-sex wards: Daniel Martin, 5/10/2007 [Daily Mail(UK)]

Specialist stroke care 'lottery': 5/9/2007 [BBC News]
Smokers and the obese banned from UK hospitals: 5/2/2007 [Healthcare News]
Cancer patients told life-prolonging treatment is too expensive for NHS: Lyndsay Moss, 2/13/2007 [The Scotsman]

UK health service "harms 10 percent of patients": 7/7/2006 [Reuters]
5,000 elderly 'killed each year' by lack of care beds: 6/26/2006 [Telegraph UK]
Pay for nurses and surgeons doubles NHS overspend: 4/23/2006 [Telegraph UK]

The money addicts: it's your cash they are gambling with: 4/23/2006 [Telegraph UK]
NHS chiefs get luxury car deals: 4/9/2006 [The Times]
Secret NHS plan to ration patient care: 4/7/2006 [The Times]

British Healthcare To Be Rationed: 4/7/2006 [UPI]
British body rejects EPO drugs for cancer patients: 3/17/2006 [Reuters]
National Health Service - Grappling with Deficits: 3/9/2006 [Economist.com]

Hundreds wait to register as another dentist quits the NHS: 9/23/2005 [The Herald (Scotland)]
Life-saving cancer drugs 'kept from NHS patients by red tape': 9/20/2005 [The Times]
NHS slides into the red despite record increases in health care spending: 9/20/2005 [Telegraph UK]

Alzheimer's sufferers hit by further delay in NHS approval for vital drugs: 9/18/2005 [Telegraph UK]
We all pay a price for our 'free' NHS: John Smith, 8/19/2005 [The Scotsman]
2,000 British doctors out of work: 8/14/2005 [The Washington Times]

UK health 'unsustainable': 8/14/2005 [Finance24]
NHS faces rising bill for negligence claims: 8/8/2005 [Financial Times]
British boy to go to India for operation: 8/5/2005 [United Press International]

NHS failed to stop doctor raping scores of women: 7/31/2005 [The Times]
Top crimewriter funds drugs for cancer victim refused by NHS: 7/8/2005 [Telegraph UK]
Report says NHS is mired in huge debts: David Simms, 6/25/2005 [ABC Money (UK)]

U.K. set to restrict smoking: 6/21/2005 [The Associated Press]
NHS ‘fund bias’ against men cost 2,500 lives a year: 6/19/2005 [The Times]
Doubts on funding NHS 'monuments': Nicholas Timmins, 6/10/2005 [Financial Times]

17 million reasons why we must improve hospital meals: 6/7/2005 [Cambridge Evening News]
Figures show more patients waiting for operations: 6/3/2005 [Guardian UK]
Scarcity of NHS dental treatment is revealed: Celia Hall, 5/19/2005 [telegraph.co.uk]

Why NHS Opposes 'Treatment by Demand' for the Dying: 5/18/2005 [Scotsman]
800 queue for NHS dentists: 5/5/2005 [telegraph.co.uk]
Hundreds more heroin addicts to be given a fix on the NHS: Nic Fleming, 4/25/2005 [telegraph.co.uk]

British health service facing nurse exodus: 4/25/2005 [United Press International]
About 400 patients a year in Scotland succumb to MRSA: 4/25/2005 [Scotsman]
NHS debts soar to over £1bn: Karyn Miller, 4/24/2005 [telegraph.co.uk]

British taxpayers foot $26.5 million bill for abortion tourists: 4/18/2005 [Catholic World News]
U.K. Liberal Democrats Would Raise Taxes to Pay for Health Care: Reed Landberg, 4/14/2005 [Bloomberg]
Number of NHS Bureaucrats 'Rising Faster Than Health Staff': 3/22/2005 [Scotsman]

'£500m hole' in hospital budgets: 3/21/2005 [telegraph.co.uk]
1,000 Scots desert NHS every week: 3/5/2005 [Scotsman]
British NHS facing financial crisis: 3/3/2005 [Washington Times]

NHS drugs regulator to withdraw approval of Alzheimer's treatment: Nicholas Timmins, 3/2/2005 [FT.com]
NHS waiting list rises: 2/11/2005 [Guardian UK]
Tumour patients hit by NHS shortages: 2/6/2005 [Guardian UK]

NHS financial crises set to outlast winter: 2/4/2005 [Yorkshire Post]
NHS 24 'priority' callers wait four hours for advice: 1/14/2005 [Evening Times (UK)]
'No strategy' on NHS waiting time: 1/14/2005 [BBC]

Output figures show NHS decline: John Carvel, 10/19/2004 [Guardian UK]
Heart patients die on waiting lists: 10/18/2004 [Manchester Online]
£25bn overspend feared for NHS computer network: 10/12/2004 [telegraph.co.uk]

Gaps in care cost £7bn, says charity: 10/4/2004 [Guardian UK]
NHS excluding poor people, UK: 9/15/2004 [Medical News Today]
Smokers 'should not get NHS care': 9/6/2004 [BBC News]

Waiting list row blights Brighton: 9/4/2004 [Guardian UK]
Patients are denied the last rites under data protection law: 7/25/2004 [telegraph.co.uk]
Shortage of dentists to double by 2011: 7/24/2004 [Guardian UK]

Britain's stiff upper lip gives way to a snarl: Sarah Lyall, 7/18/2004 [The New York Times]
Hospital Overcrowding A Cause of Superbug Infections: John von Radowitz, 7/1/2004 [Scotsman.com]
Hospital Crisis: Fallen Angels: Lindsay Mcgarvie, 5/23/2004 [Glasgow Sunday Mail]

Gee, I feel better, don't you?



Linked by: Protein Wisdom. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: A 10-Minute Leadership Course

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email!

Nation

Sotomayor Thesis Disqualifies Her for High Court Service: Ace
The Meaning of Bloody Omaha: WSJ
Petraeus' 10-minute leadership course: Crittenden

Unaccountable Commission May Run Healthcare: LegalIns
Open letter to Obama speaks volumes: BMW
The Next 100 Years: CK MacLeod

A concoction of canards: Hammer
The Unreality of Obama's Remarks: Hewitt
Can there be 'Peace through Weakness'?: PJM (Hawkins)

Lolcat and a Mustache: Anchoress
Reading Sotomayor's Thesis: Fausta
So many apologies, so little time: Aces

Jihadist may have had ties to pesky Ohio mosque: HyScience

Business & Economy

Ballmer Says Tax Would Move Microsoft Jobs Offshore: Bloomberg
Obamanomics failing: Morris
Real Implication of the Next Round of Bailouts: Uprising

The $108 billion IMF bailout moves forward: Malkin
GM, Chrysler and Uncle Sam have already failed: PJM (Blumer)
Well, that ain't gonna help the housing market: MND

World

Quick notes on Obama's speech: Elder of Ziyon
The Fragile Flame of Freedom: Doc Zero
"Islam... carried the light of learning through so many centuries": Instapundit

Cairo Reaction Roundup: Founding
Is there a war?: Atlas
Frum analyzes Cairo speech: HyScience

US lawmakers say Saudi texts incite hatred: Maktoob
Top Ten Mistakes in Cairo: Telegraph
The End of a Strategic Alliance: Glick

Platitudes and naivete: Obama's Cairo speech: Spencer

Media

Virginian Pilot and the Climate of Hate: MoneyRunner
Olbermann's Mosquito Bites: NatJournal
Is Atlas Shrugging? Book Sales Are Up: NWRepub

A statement -- or an aspiration?: Spectator (Phillips)
Write your own Obama speech!: Beast

Cornucopia

Gitmo Detainee Petitions Canadian Prime Minister For Relocation: TNOYF
Men's Health Advisory: Live Longer with Young Babes: Jawa
Keith Olbermann Smacks Down New PJTV Commentator Steven Crowder: PJTV

Vote For Your Favorite Islamic Rage Boy Video: : TNOYF

Flashback [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

President George W. Bush, Dec. 2008, to NR: "You can get short-term popularity if you want to in the Middle East by blaming all problems on Israel. That'll make you popular. …It would have made me wrong, however. And ultimately, you earn people's respect by articulating a set of principles and standing by them. You know, popularity comes and goes…but principles are enduring."

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Rumor: Lambo short-wheelbase V12 Reventón Roadster


Autoblog has the complete gallery.

If you've been waiting for Lamborghini to replace the aging Murcielago and were disappointed by recent reports that its successor may not arrive until 2012, the mavens over at Autogespot may have some good news for you...

Absolutely stunning.


2011 GM and Chrysler model preview (if the Democrats get their way)


You're looking at the future of the American-made automobile if our beloved leaders Henry Waxman and Barack Obama get their way.





Them's some sweet rides!


Via: IZI.

Barney Frank exposes Barack Obama's GM lie in only 72 hours


On June 1, ABC's outstanding reporter Jake Tapper quoted President Obama regarding the government takeover of GM.

...we are acting as reluctant shareholders -- because that is the only way to help GM succeed...

...What we are not doing -- what I have no interest in doing -- is running GM. GM will be run by a private board of directors and management team with a track record in American manufacturing that reflects a commitment to innovation and quality. They -- and not the government -- will call the shots and make the decisions about how to turn this company around. The federal government will refrain from exercising its rights as a shareholder in all but the most fundamental corporate decisions.

ABC 6 reported earlier today that Barney Frank flipped the President the bird -- metaphorically, that is -- by micro-managing GM's corporate activities. In a story titled "Local GM Plant Scheduled to Shut Down, Will Remain Open", ABC stated that Rep. Frank played a direct role in keeping a Norton, Massachusetts GM plant open.

Congressman Barney Frank released a statement Thursday, announcing that the GM parts distribution center in Norton will be open for at least 14 months...

It was announced a week ago that the Norton plant would be shutting down, putting at least 80 employees out of work, but Congressman Frank spoke with General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson on June 3rd, urging GM to reconsider that action, arguing that the plant was an important part of the local community... General Motors [then] called Congressman Frank Thursday, to inform him that they now plan to keep the Norton plant open for at least 14 months.

..."The UAW is very appreciative of Congressman Frank's assistance," said Bob Madore, Director of UAW Region 9A. "The workers in Norton now have some time to show how important their plant is to GM's overall operations. Representative Frank is a congressman who doesn't just talk the talk for workers - he walks with us and we walk with him".

A whole 80 employees qualifies as a "fundamental corporate decision"?

Well, that debunking of Obama's statement didn't take long.

Usually it's a full week before his public statements are exposed as pure fiction.


Media Matters, Huffington Post Beclown Themselves... Again


Moi? They came after Moi'?

Huffington Matters and Media Post, two of the finest websites that George Soros' money can buy, coordinated twin hit pieces this afternoon. Timed within minutes of one another, PuffHo and MediaShmatters alleged that the Dealergate fiasco was the concoction of the "right-wing blogosphere" (by the way, George, I'm a centrist).

Here's MediaMutters (all emphases mine):

Right-wing blogger who concocted phony Dealergate story is back with new anti-Obama conspiracy (And Michelle Malkin loves it!)

That's the genius of the right-wing blogosphere. Instead of being penalized, or ostracized, for concocted nutty, dead-end capers, you're rewarded. You become a rising star. Your link count goes up. Why? Because the right-wing blogosphere is literally built upon fabrications. And because that's the road to stardom, everybody's eager to hatch new whodunits.

Just ask Doug Ross. He's the part-time dick [Ed: Gold, Georgie, that's comedy gold!] who uncovered the blockbuster story about how the Obama White House punished Republican donors by shutting down Chrysler car dealerships owned by Republican donors. It's true that statistically, pretty much any dealership owner whose shop was shut down likely gave more money to Republicans, because that's what dealership owners do.

But still, the whole story had a great what-if ring to it, which was good enough for the right-wing bloggers. (And Neil Cavuto.)

Well, Ross has another big story. (How does he do it?!) This one, a "RED ALERT" jobber, is about how the the FBI was told to "back off" investigating the nefarious activities of Black Muslim converts; an investigation that might have detained the Arkansas gunman--and Muslim convert--before he allegedly killed an Army recruiter this week. Who told the FBI to back off? It could have been the Obama White House!!! (BTW, Ross has zero sources to back up the tall tale, but still.)

Zero sources: now that's the accuracy we've come to expect from Media Sputters! Just for comedic purposes, let's review the first five words of the White House/Muslim Convert post: "Today's update from Stratfor Research..."

Stratfor, of course, is one of the best known intelligence and forecasting firms in the world. As of this moment on Google News, Stratfor analysis is referenced by the Kuwait Times, the UN Dispatch, IndyMedia, The Tehran Times, Investment News, the News of Australia, the Business Standard, Daily Kos, Forbes, the Brisbane Times, the Seattle Times, Time Magazine, the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, the New Zealand Herald, Asia Times, the Denver Post, the Malaysia Star, and many, many more.

The first five words of the post mentioned the source... and Media Matters got it wrong.

As for the Stuffington Roast, senior conservative blog watcher and Media Matters UberGruppenFuhrer Terry Krepel decided to call Dealergate dead. A fantasy hatched by the right-wing blogosphere. A fairy tale.

Right-wing bloggers were abuzz last week with news of its conspiracy du jour -- that the Obama administration is deliberately targeting Chrysler dealers for closure whose owners have donated to Republican candidates.

Loath to ignore any opportunity to smear President Obama, the right-wing media were quick to jump on the conspiracy. But even as they reported evidence that debunked the claim, they clung to it anyway.

Newsmax's Ken Timmerman appeared to embrace the conspiracy in a May 27 article -- "Many of the closed dealers were also major donors to Republican candidates and political action committees, a review of campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission shows"...

Pity Terry doesn't get out much. He might have noticed this perfectly timed Zero Hedge post by Tyler Durden.

Durden reviewed the sworn declarations of dealers at today's bankruptcy hearing. Almost all of the dealers were compliant with Chrysler's strategic Alpha and Genesis initiatives (combining various brands into a single store); furthermore, most of the dealers had significantly above average sales performance and customers satisfaction ratings.

One particular declaration caught my eye, that of Ethel L. Cook, a dealer based in downtown Little Rock, a town near and dear to the former resident. I believe readers can draw their own conclusions based on Mr. Cook's sworn testimony (highlights mine).

On May 13, 2009, I received a letter from Chrysler notifying the Dealership that Chrysler had elected to “reject” our Dealer Agreement. I am obviously very familiar with the Little Rock, Arkansas dealer network and was surprised because both Cook and Crain, the only Chrysler dealers in Little Rock, were both rejected. Therefore, Chrysler’s action would, on its face, result in a complete lack of representation in a major American city. Since that would be a ludicrous result, one can only infer that Chrysler has a more sinister motive.

Because it is inconceivable that Chrysler will not have a dealership in Little Rock going forward, the only conclusion that one could draw is that, after review, the evidence in other markets in the region, that Chrysler now intends to “give” the Little Rock market to a Landers-related dealer.

Having reviewed the pattern of assumption and rejection of dealers throughout their region, I have detected a pattern: In every market where there is a dealership connected with former Penske Automotive executive Steve Landers, or his new automotive partnership with “Mac” McLarty (former Chief of Staff for President Clinton) and Robert L. Johnson (majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats), the competitors are rejected.

In the Little Rock, Landers Chrysler Dodge Jeep is located far out of town in Benton, Arkansas. Nevertheless, the two Little Rock dealers, Cook and Crain were rejected.

In the Fayetteville, Arkansas area, Landers-McLarty Dodge Chrysler Jeep is located far out of town in Bentonville, Arkansas. Competitors Springdale Dodge Chrysler, Steve Smith County Jeep and Jones Brothers were all rejected.

In the Shreveport, Louisiana market, Lee’s Summit Dodge Chrysler Jeep (a Landers McLarty dealership) is located in Bossier City, Louisiana. Both competitive dealers, Claude de Beaux in Vivian, Louisiana and Greater Birmingham Dodge Chrysler in Shreveport were rejected.

In the Springfield, Missouri market, Tri-Lakes Motors (a Landers-McLarty dealership) is located in Branson, Missouri. Competitors Heritage Chrysler Jeep in Ozark, Missouri and Ramsay Motor Company in Harrison, Arkansas were rejected. A pattern seems to be emerging. Everywhere there is a Landers-McLarty dealership, Chrysler has rejected the competition.

In the Huntsville, Alabama market, Landers McLarty Dodge Chrysler Jeep, is located in Huntsville. Competitor Cloverleaf Chrysler Dodge Jeep was rejected.

Favoritism and cronyism towards preferred dealer group is not a valid exercise of business judgment.

Of course, this aligns almost precisely with the findings that Joey Smith and I championed.

Media Fatters and The Gruffington Host really should ask Papa Soros for a new workstation and an upgrade from dial-up. This kind of thing is an all-too-familiar embarrassment for the sultans of sophistry.



Update: Michelle Malkin, Wizbang, Secrets of Vancouver and Holy Coast have more.

Larwyn's Linx: Stopping Government Motors

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email!

Nation

Sotomayor's Supporters May Spin Her Out Of A Job: LegalIns
Identical speeches: except for the enormous differences: Maguire
Two Presidential Speeches in Egypt: Perrino

DOJ already winning the 2010 elections for the Dems: Corner
Obama's DOJ Rejects George's Voter ID Plan: Ace
Uhm, 'Fight the Smears' website apparently lied: GWP

Reaching 'Better Conclusions' on the Supreme Court: New Editor
Near and Dear: Lucianne
Obamacars and Obamacare: Hewitt

Holder Reverses Mukasey Ruling on Aliens' "Right" to Counsel: Corner
A Disturbing Trend Continues: LawHawk
Pvt. Long’s assassin roamed free because of “insufficient evidence” for wiretaps: Aces

Stopping Government Motors: Hewitt
Figures: Sotomayor made same comments before: GWP
Chrysler Bankruptcy Case to Be Heard by Second Circuit Friday: Volokh

World

A Rapid and Harsh Turn against Israel: JPost
Abandonment of Israel: Times (Williams)
Good News: President With 'Muslim Roots' Declares America a Muslim Country: JWF

Media

ABC, CBS spike Muslim convert shooting story: MRC
Anatomy of a smear: JOd

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Dealergate: Some minorities more equal than others


Eearlier today, Chrysler claimed that it had carefully selected under-performing dealerships when deciding which outlets to close. A spokesperson stated that the decision about cutting dealers weighed serious factors such as location, customer satisfaction ratings and sales growth potential.

But, tellingly, no detailed explanation of the process was forthcoming.


"Car Czar" Steve Rattner, who oversees the Chrysler and GM reorganizations, said earlier this week that the government made "no plant decisions, no dealer decisions, no color-of-the-car decisions."

But a Chrysler executive, under oath, is reported to have differed with that take. An attorney who
deposed Chrysler President Jim Press last week said that he left believing that Press does not support the closures.

Lawyer Leonard Bellavia, of Bellavia Gentile & Associates, who represents some of the terminated dealers, said he deposed Chrysler President Jim Press on Tuesday and came away with the impression that Press did not support the plan... "It became clear to us that Chrysler does not see the wisdom of terminating 25 percent of its dealers," Bellavia said. "It really wasn't Chrysler's decision. They are under enormous pressure from the President's automotive task force."

He added the government task force, which he criticized for having no members with retail experience was, in effect, attacking U.S. entrepreneurs.

The answer as to who really called the shots in the closings of the dealerships -- can be told through a simple sequence of events.

Little more than two weeks ago, minority dealer-owners worried that their ranks would be devastated by the closings.

The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers estimates that 140 of Chrysler's 170 to 175 minority-owned franchises could be closed...

...[the] minority-owned dealerships are at risk because many are small stores that offer only one of the company's three brands, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. Fewer than half have converted to the company's "Genesis" format that puts all three makes under one roof, NAMAD said. That compares to the approximately 60% of all Chrysler dealerships that have the three-brand format... Genesis stores are usually more profitable because they sell and service more vehicles than single-brand dealerships. Chrysler plans to emphasize Genesis dealerships under its reorganization...

...Many minority dealers operate in cramped downtown locations that are less desirable than the spacious suburban auto malls that are now popular, said Mr. Lester and other dealers. Urban franchises typically draw fewer shoppers and carry less inventory for customers to choose among. Both factors tend to limit sales...

In other words, roughly 82% of minority-owned dealerships were originally anticipated to close, but after the dust settled, it turned out that only 5% 25% of African-American-owned dealerships had been shuttered (corrected: thanks, Tom Blumer for the heads up).


Thomas A. Lamb provided an in-depth look at the down-selection of minority dealerships.

In looking at the data and the reported account of 52 African American dealerships in 2007 and the substantial decrease in dealerships in 2008, it seems that most of the remaining balance of 32-38 closures will fall on either Hispanics or Asian owned dealers. There are only four African American dealerships closed with the latest up date and two of the closures started last year.

Put simply, Hispanic-owned dealerships appeared to be extraordinarily hard-hit:

At least three of [the closed Chrysler dealerships] make frequent appearances on Hispanic Business Magazine's annual list of the 500 largest U.S. Hispanic-owned companies. They are Burt Dodge, Chevy, Jeep in Colorado, owned by L.G. Chavez; Greenway Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge in Orlando, owned by Frank Rodriguez; and Signature Jeep in Michigan, owned by Irma Elder.

Sure enough, the closed Burt, Greenway and Signature dealerships all appeared in a recent Hispanic Business Magazine's Top 500 businesses list.

Hispanic Business Magazine's list included three Chrysler dealers in the top 10. The top dealer, ranked No. 3, was Lloyd Chavez Jr. of the Burt Automotive Network in Centennial, Colo., which includes Burt Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Parker, Colo., and other franchises. The dealership group boasted $2.12 billion in revenue last year. The second dealer was Ernesto Ancira Jr. of Ancira Enterprises Inc., which was ranked No. 7 and grossed $691.26 million. Ancira Enterprises includes Ancira 281 North Chrysler Jeep; Ancira Dodge; and Ancira Motor Co., among its many franchises. Also on the list was Frank Rodriguez of Greenway Ford Inc., at No. 9, which grossed $520.13 million. Rodriguez's franchises include Greenway Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Orlando, Fla.; and Atlanta Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Atlanta.

These large, Hispanic-owned businesses were all shuttered -- inexplicably -- despite their excellent track records. In fact, 42% of Hispanic-owned Chrysler dealerships were closed.


The owner of another top 100 Chrysler dealership -- third in the state of Florida and Hispanic-owned -- was stunned to discover his "Genesis" dealership was shuttered.

Tamiami Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Miami is one of the largest volume dealers in the Southeast and one of the biggest Hispanic-owned Chrysler dealers in the nation, its owners claim... Yet those distinctions weren't enough to keep the store at 8250 SW Eighth St. from being listed among the 789 dealerships that Chrysler plans to shed by June 9. The carmaker on Thursday asked a New York bankruptcy court for approval to trim about a quarter of its 3,200 stores...

...''I was surprised, concerned and upset, in that order,'' said Carlos Planas, Tamiami Chrysler Jeep Dodge's president and CEO, on learning of Chrysler's decision. ``I didn't think that was something they would do after 20 years of being the largest volume dealer in Dade, third in the state and top 100 nationwide.''

When dealerships had to be closed, it would appear political correctness trumped merit.


And like so many things, the government wants to rush the reorganization of Chrysler. No one should be surprised, then, that the wheels of justice appear to be greased:

On Monday, one of the country's leading bankruptcy experts told us he was surprised by how little "push back" Judge Arthur Gonzalez gave to the government's controversial plan to sell Chrysler's best assets to a new entity headed by Fiat and the United Auto Workers -- junior creditors who will come out ahead, critics say, of senior secured lenders.

Starting tomorrow, there will be at least some token push back both in Gonzalez's courtroom, and perhaps more importantly, at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, where what remains of a once-large group of dissident lenders will argue on Friday that the deal is essentially illegal...

The process that Chrysler used to kill dealers remains opaque. And there must be a good reason for hiding the process. It's therefore likely that politics played a significant role.

That's why you haven't seen any rational explanation of the process used to select dealerships for closure. Nor will you.

Perhaps some of the dealers -- who deserve a better explanation -- will able to discover the real rationale in a court of law.


DEALERGATE DIGEST
06-01-2009: Stillborn Motors
05-31-2009: Dealergate Maps: Zero Hedge understated 'The Clinton Effect'
05-31-2009:Quantitative Analysis Indicates Clinton Donors Rewarded By Selective Closings

05-29-2009: Olbermann, 538.com accidentally confirm bias in dealership closings
05-29-2009: Dealergate: 40 Democrat-friendly Dealers Become 42 After The Dust Settles
05-27-2009: Dealergate: Stats demonstrate that Chrysler Dealers likely shuttered on a partisan basis

Update: Appeals Court To Hear Chrysler Objection, Delay Bankruptcy Emergence. Hat tip: Reliapundit, who was among the first to notice the statistical anomalies associated with minority dealership closings. Linked by: Daily Uprising.

RED ALERT: Did White House order FBI to "back off" anti-terror investigations of radicalized Muslim converts?


Today's update from Stratfor Research describes the background of a recent attack on U.S. soldiers in Little Rock, Arkansas. One soldier was killed and another critically wounded by a lone gunman who began shooting from a pickup truck.

Police quickly apprehended a suspect, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, a 21-year-old African-American man and convert to Islam. In his vehicle, police recovered an SKS rifle and two handguns. Muhammad reportedly admitted to the shootings and claimed he had specifically targeted U.S. military personnel; he stated had more soldiers been in the parking lot, he would have shot them too.

A disturbing aspect of the attack is that Muhammad had been brought to the FBI’s attention months ago, according to ABC News.

But U.S. counterterror teams may have been intentionally prevented from investigating radicalized converts to Islam:

Several weeks ago, STRATFOR heard from sources that the FBI and other law enforcement organizations had been ordered to “back off” of counterterrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts. At this point, it is unclear to us if that guidance was given by the White House or the Department of Justice, or if it was promulgated by the agencies themselves, anticipating the wishes of President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.

Stratfor implies, however, that the investigations were canceled for purely political reasons.

...politics have proved obstructive to all facets of counterterrorism policy. And politics may have been at play in the Muhammad case as well as in other cases involving Black Muslim converts...

Is it possible that the White House or Eric Holder's Justice Department "turned off" counterterror investigations that could have saved the targeted soldiers?

This paragraph would appear to make clear that such an order was given:

Many FBI supervisors are reluctant to authorize investigations that they believe may have negative blow-back on their career advancement. In light of this institutional culture, and the order to be careful in investigations relating to Black Muslim converts, it would not be at all surprising to us if a supervisor refused to authorize a full-field investigation of Muhammad that would have included surveillance of his activities... Had the FBI opened a full-field investigation on Muhammad, and had it conducted surveillance on him, it would have been able to watch him participate in preoperational activities such as conducting surveillance of potential targets and obtaining weapons.

Congress must demand the release of this order and a complete explanation of its issuance.

Furthermore, the White House was silent on this incident, but immediately issued a press release in the case of the slain Kansan abortion doctor.

Congress must demand an immediate investigation of these reports. Our men and women serving in the military deserve better.



Important Update: Media Matters, Huffington Post Beclown Themselves... Again.

Linked by: Michelle Malkin, Pat Dollard, Atlas, Atlas, Behind Blue Lines, RWN and Memeorandum. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Edmund Burke's letter to Barack Obama

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email!

Nation

Edmund Burke (1729–1797) has a lot to say about Obama: Sowell
Sotomayor Says She Will Now Start Following the Law: GWP
Emergence of Obama's Muslim Roots: ABC News

U.S. Accidentally Releases Secret List of Nuclear Sites: Gray Lady
Sheriff Arpaio strikes back!: YWL
This is your anti-war left: Scoffery

Minnesota, land of murky elections: Examiner
Obama: America on of the largest Muslim countries: PJM (Wretchard)
Shocker: Feds encourage vote fraud in GA: SanDiego

Meet Harold Koh, Obama's Most Radical Nominee: GWP
Al Qaeda eyes bio attack from Mexico: Times
IRS files $800,000 lien on '04 Kerry campaign: Times

Business & Economy


What we must do now: Doc Zero
LaHood Overhauling Mexican Truck Program: BMW
GM's Bankruptcy and the History of Longitude: MYODBP

GM and The Continued Assault On Business and Commerce In This Country: Logistics Management

Media

The Obama Infatuation: Samuelson
Krugman's Nobel was for Fiction: Foundry
NYT stuggles to candy-coat Obama's GM disaster: Patriot Room

Michael Moore 'filled with joy' over GM's demise: BlogProf
Keep up with the spin: PJM

World

Al-Qaeda Pursuing Worldwide Jihad, Says Expert: Epoch Times
Aftermath: trade, commerce shudder to a halt: MinnPost

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Navy initiates catch-and-release program for Gitmo prisoners


With plans to shutter Gitmo, the U.S. Navy has announced its new "catch-and-release" program for terrorists captured on the battlefield.

Yesterday, Navy officials announced that -- consistent with President Obama's directives -- it has released a senior Al Qaeda Terrorist after questioning him extensively for 27 days while being held prisoner aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.

As a humanitarian gesture, the terrorist was given $50 US and a White 1962 Ford Fairlane automobile upon being released from Custody.

The attached photo shows the terrorist on his way home moments after being released by the Navy.


Hat tip: Dave W..

I hate when that happens







Click any picture to see the complete album.

Obama denounces 'irresponsibly large' debt of GM while bankrupting America for generations


Yesterday, in announcing the nationalization of General Motors, President Obama stated, "...for years, GM has been buried under an unsustainable mountain of debt... And piling an irresponsibly large debt on top of the new GM would mean simply repeating the mistakes of the past."

That clanking sound you just heard was America's Ironometer exploding, its housing shattering into a million pieces (for those of you unfamiliar with the complex instrument known as an Ironometer, it is the most sensitive device ever invented for measuring levels of irony in the atmosphere).

Piling on an irresponsibly large debt on top of the old debt would mean simply repeating the mistakes of the past?

Just four weeks ago, even the Democrat Party's public relations newsletter -- The New York Times -- was forced to admit the catastrophe facing this country's next generation.

Already, in the first six months of this fiscal year, the federal deficit is running at $956.8 billion, or nearly one seventh of gross domestic product — levels not seen since World War II … Debt held by the public is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to rise from 41 percent of gross domestic product in 2008 to 51 percent in 2009 and to a peak of around 54 percent in 2011...

...Then there is the concern that the interest the government must pay on its debt obligations may become unsustainable... The Congressional Budget Office expects interest payments to more than quadruple in the next decade as Washington borrows and spends, to $806 billion by 2019 from $172 billion next year...

Less partisan than the Times, the Congressional Budget Office expressed the calculations in candid terms:

• In just five months, the the 2009 budget deficit exploded by 50% over initial estimates.

• And in just one month, CBO estimates had to be revised to show that we will be forced to borrow $9.3 trillion over the next ten years, which is $2.3 trillion more than Obama predicted just a month ago!

• The result, according to the CBO, would be a national debt that threatens the full faith and credit of the American monetary system with a national debt in excess of 82% of the entire economy by 2019.

To make matters worse, the impact of a myriad of additional taxes planned by Democrats plan haven't even been factored in yet, such as:

• Letting the Bush tax cuts expire, which will increase taxes on every working American earning over $42,000 a year;

• Adding a VAT tax (10% federal sales tax) on every retail transaction;

• Adding a new carbon cap-and-trade tax that will impact the cost of energy for all Americans, rich and poor;

• Oh, and paying for socialized medicine -- even though America's unfunded entitlements like Medicare are already $57 trillion in the hole, with no word on how to repair those disastrous programs;

So when Obama says that GM was "buried under an unsustainable mountain of debt... and piling an irresponsibly large debt on top of the new GM would mean simply repeating the mistakes of the past," is he doing a comedy bit?

Or does he not even realize what his teleprompter is telling him to say?

Whether the issue is ignorance, ideology or malice I leave as an exercise for the reader.


"I have to admire the residents of Iroquois territory..."


Layer by layer -- like an onion -- we unpeel Barack Obama's disdain for America's allies. And each layer is more disturbing than the last.

Earlier today, President Obama said that Iran has a right to pursue nuclear technologies.

In May, Secretary of Defense Gates stated that a "military strike wouldn't halt Iran's nuclear program", apparently giving the all-clear to the fanatical Mullahs, with their twin desires of martyrdom and acquisition of nuclear weapons (not necessarily in that order).

And now, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has levied new demands on Israel and its tiny sliver of land, which is roughly the size of New Jersey.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued an unprecedented statement clarifying President Barack Obama’s demands for Israel to stop expanding Jewish communities in areas it acquired following the 1967 Six-Day War, including Jerusalem...

One of the Jerusalem neighborhoods resettled by Jews after the 1967 war is the Old City of Jerusalem, which hosts the Temple Mount, the holiest place in the world to the Jewish people.

Ms. Clinton’s press spokesman was asked if President Obama’s demand to halt expansion of “West Bank Jewish communities” included a demand to stop expansion of Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

The answer was affirmative. The U.S. State Department demands that Israel limit Jewish growth in these areas of Jerusalem, “whose status remains to be determined” in negotiations.

Israeli Government Press Director Daniel Seamen reacted to this Obama administration statement by saying: “I have to admire the residents of Iroquois territory for assuming that they have a right to determine where Jews should live in Jerusalem.”

Aside from the snippy comeback, one thing is clear.

Obama is more of a friend to Iran than to Israel or the United Kingdom. This wasn't unexpected, of course, for a man who frequented a church friendly to Hamas and home to coterie of anti-Semites.

It's gotten so bad for the Left that useful idiot Alan Dershowitz, who endorsed Obama, now calls him "dangerous for Israel."

Gee, what gave it away?



Update: What really happened in the Middle East?

Redneck Tractor Pull


Papa B always seems to find these strange shots.

I've stopped asking how he gets them.


Logistics Management Magazine Goes Off on Obama


Is Logistics Management Magazine the finest conservative publication on the web? Probably not, but this column by business owner Michael Regan ("GM and The Continued Assault On Business and Commerce In This Country") is as fine and heartfelt a piece as you'll read all day.

...Recently I had an interesting conversation with a seasoned business executive about the risk assessment process that companies use to gauge the threats to their business. This individual shared that in a meeting with other business executives they concluded that the number one threat to their respective businesses was our government, or more specifically, the actions of our political leaders in Washington DC. As I have had to say in other Blog postings, this is not a Donkey/Elephant issue, it is, as the President of a multi-billion dollar company stated, a very real threat to our freedoms and way of living in the United States of America.

For those who believe this is a bit melodramatic, you should have been at a small luncheon I attended with one of our Congressional representatives. During the questions and comments portion of the event, the CEO of a very successful company stood up and shared some facts, thoughts and comments that left the group speechless. His main theme was that at this moment, he has no idea (and neither do our politicians) how much the Waxman Markey Cap and Trade legislation will cost this country, or his business. (In fact, Rep Waxman acknowledged recently that he hadn’t even read his own legislation.) He has no idea what his business will look like if the Employee Free Choice Act (or Card Check) legislation passes...

...What he does know is that if Cap and Trade and Card Check passes he will shut down his three plants in this country and move the manufacturing facilities elsewhere, and this country will lose a couple thousand jobs.

For those who believe that this is just one successful business person who can’t accept or deal with "hope and change," you need to pick up the clue phone and dial reality. There are lots of CEO’s and business owners who are thinking the same exact thoughts. They will not sit idly by as our politicians pass legislation that they believe will ruin their businesses. And when – not if - they move their manufacturing out of this country, we will literally be saying goodbye to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of good jobs.... As I write these words, no can tell us:

· What or how the health care legislation will impact our business. All we know is that the President wants it fixed this year. And, oh by the way, we’re likely to have our health care benefits taxed.

· What the Federal Tax picture will look like when the current rates expire in 2010. All we know is that it’s time for the rich (a.k.a. many of whom are small business owners)...

· How the repatriation of foreign earnings will affect where American companies choose to relocate their headquarters. Keep in mind, it’s pretty easy to move and there are lots of countries that would love to roll out the welcome mat for these companies.

The list of potential legislative actions that will have an adverse impact on business could go on and on...

It's quite startling -- and sad -- to find that Logistics Management magazine has a more honest opinion piece than 95% of newspapers will have all year. That said, we won't have to worry about 95% of newspapers by this time next year.

As the man says, read the whole thing.

Larwyn's Linx: GM, the Autopsy

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email!

Nation

Bring it!: GWP
A matter of law: IBD
Chrysler Sale Approved; Indiana Funds Appeal: Zero

No wonder liberals hate Charter Schools so much: STACLU
Black Panthers in Philadelphia: Corner
What taxpayers are getting for their billions: Protein Wisdom

The GOP looks battered: AT (Donovan)
Sotomayor's view of discrimination comes in focus: Aces
Cheney Derangement Syndrome: Elevated Discourse: Corner

Citizen Audits: New Way for Taxpayers to Fight Back: Cato
Is $50 billion the limit?: Kaus
General Motors: an Autopsy: PJM (DeRussy)

Uncertain terrain: Dealer saddled with inventory when Chrysler pulls his franchise: Missoulian
Forget guns and ammo: it's time to hoard ink pens: BMW

World

Iran and North Korea make a mockery of Obama: Post (Peters)
Cairo is the wrong venue for Obama's speech: Spengler
Caroline Glick: Guardian of Zion Acceptance Speech: CSP

Shades of Beslan: LawHawk
Grandma makes the Hajj this year: Atlas
Chinese audience laughs at Geithner's reassurances: Anti-MSM

Media

What would the media say?: Parkway
Kos kills a military recruiter: Blatt
The UK press only ones reporting on the $70,000 date: GWP

Ex-Gitmo Prisoners stars in New Xbox Video Game, Shooting His Way Out of Guantanamo: Weasel Zippers
No more bailouts: Red State Rockers (music video)
Government Motors: Devore

Climate & Energy

Boasting 'Warming Expert' Backs Off His Challenge: Depot
U.N.’s ‘Global Warming=300,000 Deaths a Year’ Report – Kofi Annan implies: “close enough for government work”: Watts