Sunday, December 25, 2011

Larwyn's Linx: Silent Night For Christians In Afghanistan And Iraq

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Silent Night For Christians In Afghanistan And Iraq: IBD
Obama to ignore 20 policy riders in omnibus funding bill: AT
The Reagans at Christmas: Foundry

Obamacare is DOA, How Scams Will Break the Plan: LoneCon
Day Two of the Great VAGOP Meltdown: RS
Gingrich attacks Va. for keeping him off ballot: DC

Ron Paul!: Ace
Just Words: Cold Fury
Gingrich Presses Ron Paul to Explain Racist Newsletters: ABC

Economy

Governor of the Year: Scott Walker: GovJrnl
Published: So What If Corporations Aren’t People?: Cato
Conquering the private sector: Philanthropy Daily

Ogabenomics: hasn't worked, won't work, can't work: Cold Fury
Obama Goes Shopping for His Kids at Best Buy: Dossier
NLRB could be shut down in new year: Trib

Gunrunner & Energygate

Congressman trumps Holder’s race card, asks if Mexican gun-walking deaths were ‘racially motivated’: DC
Angry former ATF chief blames subordinates for Fast and Furious: LAT
Opinion: Remember Post-Racial America? Neither Does Eric Holder: WNYC

Climate & Energy

Lights Out, America: Hayward
Insiders: serious misgivings about data at the center of the greatest scientific fraud in history: Nelson
Mann hockey stick co-author Bradley: “it may be that Mann et al simply don’t have the long-term trend right”: Watts

Media

Allen West, The Liberal Media’s Boogeyman: RWN
#Hacked!: Ron Paul's Claims About His Newsletters Are Less Plausible Than Anthony Weiner's: Ace
Michael Tomasky: Time for Ron Paul to Fully Answer Racism Charges: Tomasky

Exposing the Palestinian Narrative Gingrich-Style: BigPeace
Moore: "Wall Street Has Their Man And His Name Is Barack Obama": RCP
Manhattan Mini Storage really, REALLY Hates Rick Perry: Urban Infidel

Michelle Obama Insisted on $4 Million Trip to Hawaii When Barack Wanted Local Vacation: GWP
ZoNation: Why Ron Paul is the Jeremiah Wright of the Right: Scoop
Yes Virginia The Internet Does NOT Replace Old Fashioned Politics: Publius

World

Mark Steyn on Ron Paul’s worldview: ‘Sheer stupid, half-witted parochialism’: DC
Muslim sect claims Nigeria Christmas church attacks; 25 dead: AP
Pope delivers message of peace on Christmas: CBS

Unlimited Muslim Entitlement: Sultan Knish
"Arab Spring" cleaning: The "religious cleansing" of Christianity from the Mideast: JihadWatch
Richard Dawkins, who claims to oppose genocide, vows to “destroy” Christianity: Wintery Knight

Egyptian Youth Disillusioned: Was Life Any Worse Under Mubarak?: BigPeace
Six Degrees of George Soros: Loudon
Permit needed to sing Christmas carols, move in groups in Muslim Malaysia: Creeping

Sci-Tech

21,000 domains transfer out of Go Daddy in 1 day: CNet
Stratfor Hacked, 200GB Of Emails, Credit Cards Stolen, Client List Released: ZH
Rare Galaxy from 'Dawn of Time' Photographed: Fox

Cornucopia

Something Wonderful: Last Minute Shopping: AmDigest
Portal Xmas Tree: Boing Boing
Says It All: Green Mountains

Image: Adapted from Rian.ru
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "You guys need to — you need to stop this. It’s not an organic thing that’s just happening. You guys are behind it.” --Eric Holder

Saturday, December 24, 2011

15 Crazy Photos From the Air Jordan Riots #AirJordans #Riots #Retro

Not, it's not the Occupy movement, though the resemblance is uncanny -- what with the pepper spray, the gunfire, and the riots. But in this particular case, the unrest accompanies the release of the new Air Jordan sneakers.















It's gotta be the shoes.


Hat tips: Mediaite, WCHS-6 and Blippit.

Screenshots: Stratfor Research Website Pwnt by Attackers

The website of intelligence firm Stratfor Research appears to have been defaced and then DOSed (suffered a denial-of-service attack) by attackers.

The message traffic (below) -- if accurate -- portrays a defiant IT manager offering a, eh, perhaps unwise challenge.

The Google cache recorded some of the content including shadow files and other sensitive info apparently rooted from Stratfor's servers. I've tactfully redacted some of the more sensitive info.

// OH STRATFOR. IF YOU ONLY KNEW WHAT ALL IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN.
// 'BUT WAIT', YOU ASK. 'IS THIS IT?' 0H N0, WE GOT MORE IN STORE...
// BUT FOR NOW, SOME INSPIRING WORDS OF WISDOM FROM IT MANAGER FRANK GINAC:

"You do realize how preposterous it is to suggest that stratfor simply
shutdown completely for 2 days, right? The plan that you've attached paints a
gloom and doom picture claiming no chance that such a move will succeed. Does
that really seem a rationale conclusion?"

// YOU DONT EVEN KNOW THE EXTENT OF THE GLOOM AND DOOM WE HAVE PLANNED, FRANK


"Attended the TakeDownCon security conference. Focus of the conference was on
wireless and mobile security. No vendors pushing product or service at this
conference. Instead, great presentations by renowned white hat hackers (good
hackers) and security experts. Bottom line is that no mobile platform is
secure, including the Blackberry, but there are best practices that minimize
the risk of their use within the enterprise. We will be incorporating these
best practices in our operation over the coming months."

// INCORPORATING PRACTICES FROM "GOOD WHITE HAT HACKERS"? HOW'D THAT WORK OUT?

"It blew my mind to discover that our email server backups are being stored on
the same physical server. I'm affectionately referring to these little
discoveries as 'Mooney turds'."

// SO SAD WE RM'D YOUR MAIL SERVER AND ALL BACKUPS, FRANK

"Most if not all of us use professional and social networking sites like
LinkedIn and Facebook. All offer levels of privacy ranging from wide open
where everyone can see your profile, activities, and posts to closed allowing
only your immediate connections (or friends) access. As a private intelligence
company we must all take extra care to protect our personal information from
those who would use that information to exploit us personally or
professionally. Although we don't have hard and fast rules on how to set your
privacy settings nor do we restrict use of such sites, I suggest that you
temper your need to share with prudence and consider the business that we are
in. It's also important to check your privacy settings regularly to ensure
that the sites you use haven't changed the meaning or scope of privacy
settings -- we've all heard or read the news regarding this practice at
Facebook. I suggest that you never include any information in your profile --
regardless of privacy setting -- that could be used to compromise your
identity. Specifically, never include: your birth date, your exact street
address (although this information can usually be found on the web quite
easily), your cell phone number, SSN or other government issued ID number
(that should be obvious), or any other information that someone could use to
compromise your identity if your account were compromised."

// EVEN WITH ALL THE BEST SECURITY PRACTICES LEARNED FROM THE "RENOWNED WHITE
// HAT HACKERS" WE STILL MANAGED TO STEAL ALL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION. UMAD?

Interesting, to say the least.

Update: Cryptome:

Subject: Important Announcement from STRATFOR
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:49:58 -0500
From: STRATFOR

Dear Stratfor Member,

We have learned that Stratfor's web site was hacked by an unauthorized party. As a result of this incident the operation of Stratfor's servers and email have been suspended.

We have reason to believe that the names of our corporate subscribers have been posed on other web sites. We are diligently investigating the extent to which subscriber information may have been obtained.

Stratfor and I take this incident very seriously. Stratfor's relationship with its members and, in particular, the confidentiality of their subscriber information, are very important to Stratfor and me. We are working closely with law enforcement in their investigation and will assist them with the identification of the individual(s) who are responsible.

Although we are still learning more and the law enforcement investigation is active and ongoing, we wanted to provide you with notice of this incident as quickly as possible. We will keep you updated regarding these matters.

Sincerely,

George Friedman

STRATFOR
221 W. 6th Street, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78701 US

Update II: Police-Led Intelligence:

PLI is far more concerned about the state of the classified information provided by STRATFOR to the US Government... STRATFOR maintains separate classified and unclassified networks and information, and PLI understands that none of the STRATFOR data has been spared the attention of the hacking group. Of course, had STRATFOR placed any classified data on the server which we know has been hacked, they’d be in blatant violation of the laws of the US and of common sense, but it’s against the law why? Because it’s happened before.

If classified data has been compromised in the hack, it will create a larger impact – and response – than if it is unclassified commercial intel. In addition, Sabu, a leading member of the group, boasted on Twitter that... "Over 90,000 Credit cards from LEA, journalists, intelligence community and whitehats leaked and used for over a million dollars in donations..."

The AntiSec/LulzSec crowd, on the AnonymousIRC Twitter channel, has promised that this is the first of many attacks.


Major Screw-up... or Grand Design? [Dan from NY]

Dan from NY:

Guess what? It doesn’t matter. What we’re witnessing could be part of Obama’s plan or a byproduct of Obama’s negligence, and either way the results are still the same. Only three years into his first term and Obama has turned the Mideast and North Africa into a hotbed for sharia and political Islam (terms his administration has expressly forbidden). At the same time he's made the rest of the world much more unstable. Extrapolate, if you dare. Four more years of Obama... and you won’t recognize this place. Guaranteed.

Egypt: Islamists consolidate gains in 2nd round of parliamentary elections


By Associated Press, December 24

CAIRO — Islamist parties have consolidated earlier gains in Egypt’s multistage parliamentary elections, winning nearly 70 percent of the seats determined so far, according to results announced Saturday.

...the Muslim Brotherhood says it won around 86 of estimated 180 seats up for grabs in the round, or 47 percent. The Al-Nour Party, the political arm of the ultraconservative Salafi movement, won around 20 percent of the vote.

The secular and liberal forces that largely drove Egypt’s uprising against former leader Hosni Mubarak were trounced, failing to turn their achievement into a victory at the polls. The secular alliance of Egyptian Bloc and youth Revolution Continues won less than 10 percent of the seats.

...A third round of voting is to be held Jan. 3-4. It is not expected to alter the result and could strengthen the Islamists’ hand.

Just to keep everything straight in my mind... as I understand it, the Obama Doctrine consists of the president staying completely silent on:

...murders of peaceful protesters by Iran's vicious dictators
...murders of American evangelists by Somali pirates
...Iran's continual threats to wipe America and Israel "off the face of the Earth"
...murders of Christian Copts by "freedom-loving" Egyptians
...incessant rocket attacks by Hamas into Israel
...the continued build-out of Iran's nuclear weapons program
...the transit of the Suez Canal by Iranian warships in an outright provocation of Israel
...Iranian military personnel operating with impunity in Venezuela on missile technology
...a failed narco-terror state descending into civil war on our unprotected southern border

However, the president is willing to courageously speak out on:

...how our Egyptian ally Mubarak should leave office and/or stay but work on "an orderly transition"
...how Libya's rebels -- who turned out to be hard-core Islamists aligned with Al Qaeda -- are worthy of our military support
...and how Israel's construction of apartments in its capital city is a "provocation"


Image: The Fire at the Institut d'Egypte Cairo, by AncientWorld.

Congressman calls Holder's race card, raises: asks whether Gunwalker's Mexican deaths were racially motivated

You gonna put some ice on that, Mister Holder (if that is your real name)?

Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar told The Daily Caller that Attorney General Eric Holder’s race-card play to attack his critics is “absolutely horrendous.” But Gosar said he thinks race may have played a role in the Department of Justice’s execution of Operation Fast and Furious — but in a different way from how Holder is framing it.

“He [Holder] brought up the race card, and while I think it’s absolutely horrendous that he would bring up the race card, in Fast and Furious, we were in fact impugning the Mexican people,” Gosar said in a phone interview. “About 300 people have lost their lives.”

When the attorney general brings up the race card, he’d better be very, very careful — particularly for the Hispanics and what’s happened to them,” Gosar adds. “He’s been very insensitive, not only to the [U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian] Terry family in making an apology and making it very public, but where’s the apology to the Mexican government and the families of the victims in Mexico?”

My pet conspiracy theory regarding Operation Fast and Furious is simple: foment an all-out civil war in Mexico by arming the rival Zetas and Sinoloa cartels. Consider:

• The ATF armed the Sinaloa cartel
• The State Department armed the Zetas
• The combination could help fuel a full-blown civil war in Mexico
• Civilians would start streaming north to safety

The resulting humanitarian crisis would be used as a lever for a mass immigration event. The resulting influx of refugees -- fleeing the violence and demanding asylum in the U.S. -- would provide a nice, hefty bump of undocumented Democrats just in time for the 2012 presidential election.


Larwyn's Linx: The Devolution of Society

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

The Devolution of Society: TL in Exile
The Obama-mas Choir sings “Home for the Holidays”: Malkin
Ryan: We Cannot Survive Another 4 Years of Obama: HE

Virginia Primary To Be Romney Vs. Ron Paul: RightPer
Santorum Surges: Morris
Gingrich demands Paul explain anti-gay, racist newsletters: Dollard

Gingrich fails to make Virginia ballot too: RSM
Obama: ‘There’s a laziness in me’: DC
Are Our Nuclear Secrets Safe In Obama's Hands?: IBD

Economy

Stopping SOPA: Erickson
Washington DC Dangerously Out Of Control: Strata-Sphere
Romney: I'd consider a Value-Added Tax: WSJ

Lighting Up Democratic Crony Capitalism: AmSpec
Class envy-produced unemployment defines year in review: DeVine
Fights for new Nikes break out across U.S.: Tele

Gunrunner & Energygate

"Maybe it is time for him to get another job.”: SSI
Calling Out Attorney General Eric Holder: The Razor
Holder's Voter ID Fraud: WSJ

Climate & Energy

Alt Power Gestalt: AT
NYT reporter engages in zany conspiracy theory – suggests bloggers “knew” FOIA emails were coming: Watts
Lead global warming author quits IPCC project: Surber

Media

Inside Game?: DC
Obama “won’t release his college transcripts” campaign criticizes Mitt Romney…: Lane
Dog days: Bo's whereabouts spark latest White House controversy: LAT

TNR Exclusive: A Collection of Ron Paul’s Most Incendiary Newsletters: New Republic
Classics of the Golden Age of Fringe, Or: Ron Paul Digs the Beatles’ White Album: RSM
Ron Paul Denies Writing the 'Coming Race War' Letter He Signed: Atlantic

Alex Massie Discovers the Most Offensive Newspaper Column of the Year: Ricochet
Paul's Attack On Perry Based Upon Lies, A Pattern For Paul: Riehl
Journalists complain the White House press office has become overly combative: WaPo

World

Iran Launching "Massive" Ten Day War Game Tomorrow In Close Proximity To CVN-74 John Stennis: ZH
Patriot Missiles Found on China-Bound Ship: BlackFive
North Korea Demands South Korea Attend Kim Jong Il's Funeral: Atlantic

Syrian Government Hit By Suicide Car Bombings: Atlantic
The Fire at the Institut d'Egypte Cairo: AncientWorld
Italian 10-Year Yield Back Over 7 Percent: Mish

Mr. Islam's Blindfold and Machete: Knish
Courageous Ex-Muslim Woman in Muslim Country Starts Extraordinary New Website: HyScience
French Muslim Man Imprisoned After Punching a Nurse Who Removed His Wife's Burqa: Blaze

Sci-Tech

For Bloggers at Risk: Creating a Contingency Plan: EFF
Can Loving a Robot Lead to Divorce?: HuffPo
Go Daddy spanks SOPA, yanks support: CNet

Cornucopia

A Brother’s Lesson on Christmas: Anchoress
Last Minute Gift Idea For Him: C&S
The Little Drummer Boy’s World Tour: A Christmas Card for You: MOTUS

Preparing To Celebrate The Twelve Days Of Christmas: Wolf Howling
"Mission Impossible": I Don't Understand How Tall Everyone Is: Awl
You're a good Jihadi, Charlie Brown: BNI

Image: "New Air Jordans cause shopping frenzy"
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Jim DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "Despite all [the misgivings], I prefer [Newt] to all the others. Much like Abraham Lincoln said of General Ulysses Grant, “He fights”. I want someone in the White House who won’t shy away from a fight over conservative principles. I want someone who will kick recalcitrant Congressional Republicans in the tail, like he did when he was Speaker of the House (and don’t think for a moment that they removed him from the position for any other reason than because he upset their apple carts). I want someone who will look Democrats in the eye, grin, and take them to school so quickly they barely have time to figure out how they lost.

I believe Newt Gingrich will be that man and so he has my support." --Jimmie Bise, Jr.

Friday, December 23, 2011

The Islamist's M.O.: Obliterating the Past [Dan from NY]

Dan from NY:

If there is a recurring theme within political Islam it is the permanent jihad to wipe out any trace of non-Muslim civilization. Once you appreciate that you’ll begin to see the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Mosque built over the Jewish Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the persecution of Christians in Muslim lands and the spread of “no-go” neighborhoods in Europe in an entirely new light.

###

Ynet News, 12/23/2011, by Guy Bechor

Welcome to Cairostan


Op-ed: Egypt’s radicals eliminating country’s connection to West, but does anyone care?

It was barely mentioned in the Israeli and global media, but the following event pertains to the whole of Western civilization: Last Saturday, violent groups of Islamic-Salafi radicals burned the famous scientific institute established by Napoleon in Egypt after its first encounter with the West. Some historians consider it the start of modern times in the Middle East.

The site, L’Institut d’Egypte, held some 200,000 original and rare books, exhibits, maps, archeological findings and studies from Egypt and the entire Middle East, based on the work of generations of western researchers. Most of the artifacts were lost forever, burned or looted.

It’s difficult to understand the modern Middle East without these studies, which were overcome by an immense fire. The large building was situated in the center of Cairo and torching it was a symbolic, intentional act. Those who burned the building and its artifacts meant to burn the era of logic, enlightenment, research and individualism.

This was a grave provocation against the whole of Western civilization, a desire to disconnect from science, research and modernity, while cynically using a Western means – that is, democracy – in order to take power.

One need not go all the way to blowing up the pyramids, as some of Egypt’s Salafis wish to do after they seized some 35% of the new parliament seats (alongside 40% of the Islamic brotherhood,) and there is no reason to go as far as Afghanistan, where the Taliban blew up the huge Buddha statues. The elimination of Egypt’s non-Muslim past is already here.

...This isn’t a new phenomenon, and in Jerusalem as well we see elements associated with political Islam trying to erase any presence of the 3,000-year Jewish existence there, on Temple Mount for example – existence that pre-dated Islam.

... And who is supposed to raise a hue and cry over the burning of Egypt’s Western past? Who is supposed to be greatly disturbed by the fact that Egyptian authorities are having trouble protecting their own museums? UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Yet not much is happening there. Well, we can’t blame this organization; after all, it is preoccupied with admitting “Palestine” into its ranks.


Images: Ancient World Bloggers Group - "The Fire at the Institut d'Egypte Cairo"

Hard-hitting ABC special: Barbawa Wawa asks Obama what super-power he wants

Oh, that cwazy, whacky legacy media. And I do mean legacy, since Barbawa Wawa recently celebrated her 160th birthday (but doesn't look a day over 150).

In one of her hard-hitting, cut-to-the-chase interviews, Barbawa sat down with President Obama and asked not about his record-setting deficit spending, the country's loss of its AAA credit rating, the hundreds killed by Operation 'Fast and Furious', the dozens of Congressional leaders to call for the resignation of his attorney general, the record number of Americans living in poverty and receiving food-stamps, or even his 'Arab Spring' diplomacy, which has seen the rise of Islamists around the Middle East.

No, Barbawa was interested in what super-power Obama would like to have:

WALTERS: What's the trait you most deplore in yourself and the trait you most deplore in others?

BARACK OBAMA: Laziness. [Ed: gee, you'd never know if from his schedule.]

WALTERS: You're lazy?

BARACK OBAMA: You know, it's interesting. There is a deep down, underneath all of the work I do, I think there's a laziness in me. I mean, it's probably from growing up in Hawaii. It's sunny outside, sitting on the beach.

...On Monday's "View," Walters played this clip: "We asked middle school and high school students to throw a few questions. I'd like to read their questions. If you were a super hero and you could have one super power, what would it be?"

The President relayed that he'd like to be able to fly.

Please, no jokes about the president's admitted use of cocaine and reefer.

Oh, and can someone put Barbawa back in formaldehyde to preserve her for the next hard-hitting ABC special?


Cartoon: Ramirez, IBD.

Oh, the Irony, It Burns: Obama Campaign Rips Romney For Failure to Release Records

The official public relations journal of the Democrat National Committee (sometimes referred to as The New York Times) offers this hilarious insight into Leftist logic:

A spokesman for President Obama‘s re-election campaign blasted Mr. Romney and questioned whether he had something to hide in his finances.

“Why does Governor Romney feel like he can play by a different set of rules?” said Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign. “What is it that he doesn’t want the American people to see? Governor Romney, who has favored secrecy over openness time after time, should live up to the same standard of disclosure his father and others set.”

Meanwhile, seven years after Barack Obama burst onto the national political scene, we still await the disclosure of his background records.

1. Occidental College records and transcripts -- Not released
2. Columbia University records and transcripts -- Not released
3. Columbia Thesis paper -- 'not available'
4. Harvard University records and transcripts -- Not released
5. Medical records -- Not released
6. Illinois State Senate schedule -- 'not available'
7. Illinois State Senate records -- 'not available'
8. Law practice client list -- Not released
9. Certified Copy of Original Birth certificate -- Not released
10. Harvard Law Review articles published -- None
11. University of Chicago scholarly articles -- None
12. Record of Baptism -- Not released or 'not available'

Of course, there are different standards for legacy media's preferred candidates. Remember how the media unearthed Rick Perry's college transcripts within 48 hours of the announcement of his candidacy?


Related: The secret scrapbook of Barry Soetoro Barack Obama


Hat tip: Brad.

Larwyn's Linx: White House: What Does $40 Mean to You?

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

White House: What Does $40 Mean to You?: Malkin
GOP Caves On Fight Which I Frankly Did Not Even Understand: Ace
Fiasco: Bachmann, Santorum fail to make Virginia ballot: Hot Air

Sometimes Caution Can Backfire: RWN
Arpaio: ICE refuses to take illegal immigrants from MCSO: KPHO
Perry: I don't have problem with drug-testing welfare recipients: CBS

About Those Racist Newsletters that Ron Paul Didn’t Read: RS
Paul in 1995: Say, have you read my newsletters?: Hot Air
Ron Paul's Telling Speech At The John Birch Society: Riehl

Economy

Supers Ignore the ‘Tea Party Budget’ — and Reality: Blumer
Newt slams Harry Reid for leaving DC amid Payroll fight: Scoop
West: It’s about time we change the leadership in DC: Fox

Did Bo Return From Hawaii for Obama’s Photo Op?: Dossier
NV Teachers' Union Lays Off 1,000 to Preserve Its Ins. Co.: BigGovt
Sad Stories Roll In at Request of Obama White House: CNS

Gunrunner & Energygate

The Justice Department Condones Perjury … Again: PJM
This is why life in the system is so thoroughly permeated with hypocrisy and lies: MoneyRunner
Holder Cites Race in Explaining Scrutiny of Justice Department Actions: Fox

Climate & Energy

Nothing is Sustainable: Ace
Why is the anti-mercury EPA trying to shove mercury-laced light bulbs into our homes?: IBD
Report: Every Chevy Volt has over $250,000 in government subsidies: Jalopnik

Wasting Away in Obamaville: MACT Rule May Shut Down a Whole Town: Tatler
Thanks Barack… Gas Prices Hit Record High in 2011 Under Obama: GWP
EPA Tries To Pull a Fast One: RCM

Media

I'm for Newt, and Here's Why: Sundries
Thomas Friedman Drops the Mask: Driscoll
She demands welfare reform — and gets marriage offers: MSNBC

Cultural Winners and Losers, 2011: Bozell
WaPo's Gowen Hits Hard at Kansas Governor Sam Brownback's First Year in Charge: Blumer
As political season heats up, Politico’s Web traffic cools down: DC

O.K. Paul-Bots, Explain This Or Shut the Hell Up!!!: Lid
What Ron Paul Thinks of America: WSJ
Ron Paul 2012: Six comments he needs to explain: Politico

World

As Iraq Bombings Grow, Dems Have Much To Answer For: IBD
Army to allow hijabs, turbans in Junior ROTC: DC
Boston University Muslim Chaplain Raising Funds for Al Qaeda, Mass. Pols Embrace Him: STACLU

Patriot Missiles Found on Ship Bound for China: LoneCon
Saudi textbooks instruct children in how to carry out amputations for Sharia punishments: JihadWatch
Harvard Fires Critic of Jihad: Geller

Sci-Tech

Coders Are Already Finding Ways Around SOPA Censorship: Atlantic
Test your creativity with our search caption challenge: Google
Five predictions for security in 2012: CNet

Cornucopia

Modern Christmas Songs: Ace
What's Barney Frank Wearing Today?: Bruce
HAL-Pacino: YouTube (Language Warning)

Image: iOwnTheWorld
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "Has anybody asked the president yet why to millions of Americans $40 is a matter of survival?" --@TylerDurden

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Found: Congressman Ron Paul's solicitation letter warning of "coming race wars" and a "federal-homosexual cover-up"

But maybe he didn't read his solicitation letters -- written on "Congressman Ron Paul" letterhead -- either.

A direct-mail solicitation for Ron Paul's political and investment newsletters two decades ago warned of a "coming race war in our big cities" and of a "federal-homosexual cover-up" to play down the impact of AIDS.

The eight-page letter, which appears to carry Paul's signature at the end, also warns that the U.S. government's redesign of currency to include different colors - a move aimed at thwarting counterfeiters - actually was part of a plot to allow the government to track Americans using the "new money."

...The letter's details emerge at a time when Paul, now a contender for the Republican nomination for president, is under fire over reports that his newsletters contained racist, anti-homosexual and anti-Israel rants.

Reports of the newsletters' contents have Paul's campaign scrambling to deny that he wrote the inflammatory articles.

Among other things, the articles called the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a "world-class philanderer," criticized the U.S. holiday bearing King's name as "Hate Whitey Day," and said that AIDS sufferers "enjoy the attention and pity that comes with being sick."

Oh, yes, but he's sooo mainstream.


Jesse Jackson's advice for black fathers: teach your children the value of reading. Just kidding, he wants them to teach kids how to fight.

Mush-mouthed race hustlers hardest hit:

There’s no guarantee the being a black father will stop this because they’re killing black fathers too. One of the tragedies of this [garbled] is that you don’t have to be guilty to be crucified – killing the innocent. Therefore we must overwhelm them with numbers. That becomes our strength to fight back.

When I was younger I would say I wanted my children to get educated so that they wouldn’t have to go through what I’ve gone through. I’ve changed that position now. I want them to get a good education so they can have more tools with which to fight. The fight will not stop. I want them to have more tools. I want black fathers to have more tools with which to fight.

So when it’s time for Operation Black Vote to have massive registration, responsible black fathers vote to make a difference. They demonstrate. They march. They fight back.

So I say ‘fathers, teach your children how to fight for jobs and justice and healthcare using the weapons of your mind, your vote, and your marching feet.’

It will be a good day when professional race-baiters like Jackson and Sharpton are finally given all the respect they deserve. Which is to say, none.


Related: The Democrats' "War on Poverty"

What does $40 mean to me? I can pay my SEIU union dues (and other tales of woe)

In his ongoing effort to bribe voters with a $2.85/day Payroll Tax Cut -- which simply raids the sacrosanct Social Security Trust Fund (heh!) -- President Obama's Axelrodian campaign machinery is collecting sob stories from voters.

The White House says it's been flooded with responses to the question it posed Wednesday: "What does $40 mean to you?"

One day after the White House asked "working" people to "tell us what your family will give up if your (payroll) taxes increase," the stories are rolling in, including one from a person who worried about not having enough to pay the cable bill -- or continue family pizza nights.

In an effort to help the Obama administration, Cub Reporter Biff Spackle collected tales of woe from typical members of "the middle class", asking them what they could do with that $40.

• "Pay my SEIU union dues (which average $36.75 and are recycled back into the Obama campaign against my will)"

• "Buy 11 toxic, mercury-filled CFL bulbs, as opposed to 66 safe and cheap incandescent light bulbs."

• "Buy 12 gallons of gas, versus 25 gallons when Barack Obama was elected President."

• "Pay for 1.4 days of health insurance coverage, as opposed to 2 days when Obama was elected."

You get the picture. President Subprime McDowngrade is trying to distract citizens with a $2.85-per-day bribe when his catastrophic policies are literally destroying the average American.

As Tyler Durden noted earlier today on Twitter, "Has anybody asked the president yet why to millions of Americans $40 is a matter of survival?"


Cheat Sheet for Undecided Voters

With 2012 approaching, please print out a few copies and hand 'em to any undecided voters you know.



Civility: Ron Paul Storms Out of Interview With "CNN Media Whore"

The aptly named YouTube user RonPaul2012Truth was kind enough to upload and caption the video of his favorite candidate running away from a CNN interviewer ("Ron Paul Walks Out On Interview With CNN Media Whore").

Apparently, Paul will no longer entertain questions about his newsletters -- edited and published by Paul, according to the masthead -- that market a vicious, throwback form of racism, antisemitism and anti-government conspiracy theories.

Of course, the entire Paul phenomenon in Iowa is built on smoke and mirrors, as ABC News discovered.

...just 37 percent of Republican and Republican leaning independents nationally think Paul has the kind of personality and temperament to serve effectively as president and just 42 percent of Republicans think he would pursue policies that most Americans would find acceptable.

ABC News polling also finds that in a potential matchup, President Obama holds a significant lead over Paul.

...political observers say that Paul’s support is built in large part with the support of non-Republicans.

In other words, the Republican Primary process in Iowa will be polluted -- once again -- with non-Republican voters.

And rather than close the primary (as many other states do), the hapless GOP lets this inane process occur election cycle after election cycle. Which is why kooks like Ron Paul get to crow about how close they are to winning the Iowa Primary.

Because in the real world of Constitutional Conservatism that is beginning to take over the Republican Party, Ron Paul is a fringe nobody wearing an ill-fitting suit.


Related
The Company Ron Paul Keeps
The Truth About Ron Paul: Delusional, Power-Hungry and Dangerous
Ron Paul's Greatest Hits


Larwyn's Linx: Grieving at Christmas

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Grieving at Christmas: Cal Thomas
The 50 Best Political Quotes Of 2011: Hawkins
The Black Occupy Protester — Missing in Action: RWN

Mark Hemingway on ‘Fact-Checking’: NRO
Ron Paul's Dangerous Campaign: PJM
No on Mitt Romney: Shapiro

Ron Paul Walks Out of CNN Interview: Ace
Let's Move! Michelle Obama Throws a Hawaiian Pizza Party: WZ
Dates set for Supreme Court Arguments on Obamacare: CNN

Economy

Fitch threatens U.S. downgrade as Obama shops: GWP
It's Official: US Debt-To-GDP Passes 100%: ZH
Congressional insider trading runs amok: Insider

L.A. Mayor: Budget Cuts To Offset Occupy LA Cleanup: WZ
$30B Fund Manager Makes Case for Being Totally on Sidelines: Mish
Obama’s America: Only 17% Satisfied With U.S.: RWN

Gunrunner & Energygate

BREAKING: Confessions of Perjury Inside DOJ: Adams
‘Bloggers’ continue to beat media at their own game on ‘Gunwalker’: Codrea
Lieberman directs staff to investigate Fast and Furious coordination: DC

Climate & Energy

EPA’s New Mercury Rule? Environmental Hocus Pocus: Foundry
Your Government At Work, EPA takes Mercury out of the air and puts it in light bulbs instead: WyBlog
Gov’t subsidies for Chevy Volt up to $250,000 per car?: Hot Air

Media

Kamikaze conservative: LI
“Politicos for Romney, Bloggers for Perry”: ProWis
Figures: Iowa Kook Who Called Gingrich a "F***ing A**hole" is a Progressive Loon: GWP

I’m With Hillyer, And He’s With Boehner: Hayride
House Republicans' Christmas Present to Obama: Ace
Feeling The Heat: Wasserman Schultz Has Media Do Her Bidding Against Harrington: BigJourn

Shocking Truth About 'All-American Muslim' Star, and Lowe's Good Call: HE
Obama’s Media Flying Monkeys Get Their Marching Orders, Gear Up To Do Battle: IBD
Simpsons episode: Sharia law in Dearborn (video): Creeping

World

More Mystery Iran Disasters: Major Fire At Isfahan Refinery, Huge Blast At Revolutionary Guards Base: Joshua
Hitler admired in PLO youth magazine because he murdered Jews: PalWatch
Jimmy Carter Sends Condolences to Kim Jong-un, According to N. Korean Media: Malkin

Berkeley Hillel’s Betrayal of Israel: Greenfield
Does the Times regret the error? Probably not.: Power Line
Banks gorge on ECB loans, market cheer short-lived: Reuters

Time to Attack Iran: Foreign Affairs
Two Bad September Days: Hanson
Syria: Assad Regime Losing Control As 10,000 Soldiers Desert Military: WZ

Sci-Tech

15 Nissans that get an enthusiasts thumbs-up: Motor Trend
IBM's Top 5 Technology Predictions for the Next 5 Years: ABC
Verizon's 4G network: Can you hear me now?: CNet

Cornucopia

How Computers Work: Boing Boing
Stockbroker, 106, still on Wall Street: KGO-TV
Utah man wins Lamborghini, crashes it hours later: AP

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "Is that [Ron Paul's] actual, considered position? That the newsletters are incendiary only due to a Liberal Media making them so?

He actually has made that claim before. When these first came to light, he did not disclaim authorship. He simply said you had to read them all "in context" and not seize upon any particular sentence, but read everything he's said "in context."

So he has in fact attempted to claim that these newsletters, like the Ron Paul Survival Report (!!!), were not actually a problem at all as far as substance.

Just this darned liberal media (and only this darned liberal media) making a stink about it.

More: Ron Paul endorsed Cynthia McKinney in 2008 (did you know that?) and yes, Ron Paul gives sneaky little-shout-outs to Truthers. --Ace

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Say, anyone know how I get a sweet gig as a teacher in Illinois?

Champion News:

As Illinois citizens struggle with the severe economic downturn plaguing the state, [the state's] public school employees enjoy another record year of salaries, fringe benefits and pensions.

In 2011 an amazing 14,866 public school employees made more than $100,000, up 18% from 2010’s 12,588.

Apparently there is no tax money for the barren shelves at food pantries or the lack of beds at homeless shelters or to support the handicapped.

But there is enough tax money to pay for:

• A Phys. Ed teacher $203,154 for a 9 month work year.
• 14,866 teachers made more than $100,000 in 2011.
• 21 who made more over $1,000/day ($170,000/yr.)
• A Drivers Ed teacher who salary is $18,222/month to teach teenagers how to parallel park.
• 13 teachers make more than the Governor’s $177,500.
• Top 100 Teachers average $18,169 per month salary ($163,579/yr).

And all of that is for a 36-week work-year (182 day contracts).

These Top 100 Salaries Do Not Include Massive Amounts of Fringe Benefits

Add about $48,000 each for state pension contribution (30% of salary) and at least $7,500/yr health insurance benefits. Then include 15 days sick leave payable at retirement if not used, 2 personal days [a year] and up to $300,000 payment to the Teachers Retirement System by the local school district if they decide to take early retirement (see "Anatomy of a Teachers Contract" here).

And what is the value of a guaranteed $100,000 job (called “Tenure”) for as long as you want it?

Bill Zettler asks, "Should public employees who average a mere 32 years of 9 month work retire at an average age of 57 with an average payout of $3.7 million?"

After only 20 months of retirement, the average teacher will have received more in pension benefits than the sum total of all of their contributions.

For instance, Karen Koval, a dance teacher, received a taxpayer-funded $188,837 early retirement payout. That will be added to her salary of $165,888, for a taxpayer total of $354,725. Therefore, dance teacher Koval will retire with a pension that will payout about $3.5 million over her expected lifetime.

Sounds real sustainable to me.


Hat tip: Just the Tip.

Obama Reelection Campaign Thinks You Can Be Bribed For $2.85 a day...

...while robbing the Social Security Trust Fund. Because that's what "the Payroll Tax Cut" is: it's reducing the funds available to Social Security, which is already speeding toward insolvency.

I just received this email from the White House, marketing the president's raid on the Social Security Trust Fund:

The email includes touching stories of families that really, really need that $2.85 a day.

Curious how Democrats never consider the next generation of Americans who will have to repay these debts -- this money borrowed from the future -- that were used to pursue a reelection campaign for a temporary politician.

And notice President Obama's cynical use of official White House email infrastructure to wage his reelection campaign.

Pretty sneaky, eh?

Well, I have news for the president: $40 for two weeks is a "big deal", especially for the next-generation -- which will have to repay this borrowed money with interest.


The Curious Case of 3,000 MSM Stories That All Mention The Same (Completely Wrong) Number of "Workers" Marketed by the DNC

Oh, that Nancy Pelosi, she's such a card:

One claim made by supporters of extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits is that 160 million Americans will have their taxes increased if the legislation does not pass. For example by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: “The payroll tax cut that the president proposed would put $1,500 in the pockets of 160 million Americans.”

Tony writes:

I noticed that Dem pols and most news stories were claiming 160 million workers will be hurt if the Republicans don't extend the payroll tax bill.

They are all using that same exact number.

Now, I'm a numbers guy and the 160 million seemed high to me so I went to the BLS [Bureau of Labor Statistics] website. They report there were only 140 million people working in the civilian workforce [see attached PDF]. The military would only add another two million at most.

Next I googled "160 million workers" and I got about 3,000 news hits. It seems the MSM must be getting their stats and data from Nancy Pelosi!

Well, truth be told, she is an impeccable source if you're looking for Marxist class-warfare rhetoric.


Hat tip: Tony. Related: The curious case of 200 nearly identical MSM headlines

A gift idea for you [Papa B]

Papa B:

I would call Papa B a throwback, but he might take that as a compliment.


More: Water-cooler here.