Monday, May 27, 2013

England in Denial

Guest post by Douglas Murray


How many ignored warnings does it take? That is one question that should hang over Britain after the horror of the daytime murder of a British soldier on the streets of south London. On Wednesday afternoon, Drummer Lee Rigby was killed in Woolwich by two men wielding large knives and shouting "Allahu akbar"—God is great.

slamists have been saying for years they would do this. They have planned to do it. And now they have done it.

The attack itself is not surprising. What is surprising is that British society remains so utterly unwilling not just to deal with this threat, but even to admit its existence. Politicians have called the Woolwich killing "unforgivable" and "barbarous." But expressions of anger should not really be enough.

Attempts to attack military targets in Britain go back to before the millennium and even before, it is important to note, the war on terror. In 1998 Amer Mirza, a member of the now-banned extremist group al Muhajiroun, attempted to petrol-bomb British army barracks. In 2007, a cell of Muslim men was found guilty of plotting to kidnap and behead a British soldier in Birmingham. The plan had been to take the soldier to a lock-up garage and cut off his head "like a pig." They wanted to film this act on camera and send it around the world to cause maximum terror.

In 2009, al Muhajiroun protested at a homecoming parade in Luton for British troops returning from Afghanistan. Carrying banners saying "go to hell," "butchers" and "terrorists," the group was protected by British police officers from an increasingly irate crowd of locals. The resulting outrage toward the police gave rise to the deeply troubling English Defence League, a street protest movement that often turns violent.

Now comes the attack in Woolwich, which the perpetrators—as with the earlier cell—wished to be observed and even filmed. Reports suggest that they invited people to capture their actions on video. The perpetrators gave interviews, machetes in hand, to bystanders with cameras. This horrific scene is something that will stick in the memory.

But it should also have been foreseen. Instead we entered the stage of denial. For there is already, in the reaction to events, more than a hint of what I have previously termed "Toulouse syndrome." The term is named after the attacks last year carried out by a jihadist called Mohammed Merah, who killed three French soldiers in a rampage that concluded with the murders of four French Jews at a school in Toulouse.

In the early stages of the attacks, when little was known, there was significant speculation that the culprit was a far-right extremist. At that stage everybody knew what they were going to say. But once the culprit turned out to be an Islamist, the gaze nearly fell away completely. "Nothing to see here, please move on" was the order of the day.

"Toulouse syndrome" also touched Boston last month. After the bombing at the marathon, media and politicians waited, hoping—some even said as much—that the attackers would be tea-party types. Then everybody would know what to say. But when it turned out to be Islamists?

So it is with the Woolwich killing, which British officials have lined up to denounce. Yes it is sickening. Of course it is barbaric. But what of it? Even all these years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2011, our societies remain unfit for purpose in facing up to—and facing down—Islamic extremism.

Too many still seek refuge in ignorance and denial that was so memorably displayed by U.S. officials after the Fort Hood shooting in 2009. A man who was a member of the American armed forces, Maj. Nidal Hasan, gunned down his colleagues while shouting "Allahu akbar." On that occasion the American government, like the French government before it and the British government this week, decided to focus on everything about the attack other than what really mattered: the motive. Fort Hood was put down to a case of workplace violence.

There will be many angles to the events in London that must be addressed in the coming days, and we can hope many will receive the appropriate level of public attention. Among them will be one particularly unpleasant irony.

Most of the extremists who have repeatedly expressed their hatred of British soldiers are themselves supported by the British state. A prominent hate-preacher—Anjem Choudary, a leader of the disbanded al Muhajiroun—was even caught on video earlier this year extolling Britain's "jihad-seekers' allowance." As he explained to his followers, "The normal situation, really, is to take money from the kafir"—a slur for non-Muslims. "Allahu akbar. We take the money."

After the video showed up online, a BBC reporter asked Mr. Choudary to clarify how much he's taking—the press has long reported a sum of £25,000 ($37,770) per year. "It's irrelevant," Mr. Choudary replied.

This would not be the first time a country has paid both sides in a conflict. But if the reported figure is anywhere near accurate, it would surely be the first time in human history that a society has paid its opponents better than it pays its own. A British soldier can expect to start in the army on a salary of around £16,000 ($24,172).

The events in south London must cause a re-evaluation by British society of the insanity we have been permitting. The question is not how sad we feel. The only question should be what we do about it.


Mr. Murray is associate director of the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank.

The Sermon on Iwo Jima [MGySgt]

Guest post by the Master Gunnery Sergeant


An interesting fact that many of you may be unaware of is the historic events that surrounded a Jewish chaplain on Iwo Jima, where of 70,000 American Marines, 1,500 were Jewish.

Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn, assigned to the Fifth Marine Division, was the first Jewish chaplain the Marine Corps ever appointed. Rabbi Gittelsohn was in the thick of the fray, ministering to Marines of all faiths in the combat zone. His tireless efforts to comfort the wounded and encourage the fearful won him three service ribbons. When the fighting was over, Rabbi Gittelsohn was asked to deliver the memorial sermon at a combined religious service dedicating the Marine Cemetery.

Unfortunately, racial and religious prejudice led to problems with the ceremony. What happened next immortalized Rabbi Gittelsohn and his sermon forever.

It was Division Chaplain Warren Cuthriell, a Protestant minister, who originally asked Rabbi Gittelsohn to deliver the memorial sermon. Cuthriel wanted all the fallen Marines (black and white, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish) honored in a single, nondenominational ceremony. However, according to Rabbi Gittelsohn's autobiography, the majority of Christian chaplains objected to having a rabbi preach over predominantly Christian graves...

To his credit, Cuthriell refused to alter his plans. Gittelsohn, on the other hand, wanted to save his friend Cuthriell further embarrassment and so decided it was best not to deliver his sermon. Instead, three separate religious services were held. At the Jewish service, to a congregation of 70 or so who attended, Rabbi Gittelsohn delivered the powerful eulogy he originally wrote for the combined service:

Here lie men who loved America because their ancestors generations ago helped in her founding. And other men who loved her with equal passion because they themselves or their own fathers escaped from oppression to her blessed shores. Here lie officers and men, Negroes and Whites, rich men and poor, together. Here are Protestants, Catholics, and Jews together. Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color. Here there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed.

Among these men there is no discrimination. No prejudices. No hatred. Theirs is the highest and purest democracy! Whosoever of us lifts his hand in hate against a brother, or who thinks himself superior to those who happen to be in the minority, makes of this ceremony and the bloody sacrifice it commemorates, an empty, hollow mockery. To this then, as our solemn sacred duty, do we the living now dedicate ourselves: To the right of Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, of White men and Negroes alike, to enjoy the democracy for which all of them have here paid the price.

We here solemnly swear this shall not be in vain. Out of this and from the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn this, will come, we promise, the birth of a new freedom for the sons of men everywhere.

Among Gittelsohn's listeners were three Protestant chaplains so incensed by the prejudice voiced by their colleagues that they boycotted their own service to attend Gittelsohn's. One of them borrowed the manuscript and, unknown to Gittelsohn, circulated several thousand copies to his regiment. Some Marines enclosed the copies in letters to their families.

An avalanche of coverage resulted. Time magazine published excerpts, which wire services spread even further. The entire sermon was inserted into the Congressional Record, the Army released the eulogy for short-wave broadcast to American troops throughout the world and radio commentator Robert St. John read it on his program and on many succeeding Memorial Days.

In 1995, in his last major public appearance before his death, Gittelsohn reread a portion of the eulogy at the 50th commemoration ceremony at the Iwo Jima statue in Washington, D.C. In his autobiography, Gittelsohn reflected, "I have often wondered whether anyone would ever have heard of my Iwo Jima sermon had it not been for the bigoted attempt to ban it."

ANOTHER DAY TO SERVE THE CORPS Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis!

Larwyn's Linx: Obama’s incredible shrinking presidency

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Nation

Obama’s incredible shrinking presidency: Jennifer Oliver O'Connell
McCain-Rubio Amnesty Bill Ends Conservatism in America: RWN
Felon tells us why we need more gun control: This Ain't Hell

Remembering Memorial Day With Ronald Reagan: Joseph Curl
Memorial Day 2013: Walter Russell Mead
Numerous NY sheriffs and county clerks balk at enforcing new gun law: LI

Adam Kokesh, behind Open Carry March, works for Obama: LadyPat
Senators say Holder can’t ‘review’ himself on news media snooping: Times
Richard Milhaus Obama: RWN

Economy

Apple becomes latest target of the Beltway Shakedown: Exam
Sorry, Tom Raum: The Economy Is Not 'Clearly' Recovering: Blumer
Bloomberg To Taxi Co.: “I’m Going To Destroy Your Industry”: Western

Scandal Central

WHOA: News Corp.: no record of DOJ notice of Rosen subpoena: Twitchy
More than all past presidents, Obama targets media: Barone
Lawmakers zero in on IRS meetings at White House: Exam

Climate & Energy

EPA Ammunition Ban Blocked By Federal Court: Albany Tribune
EPA Out of Control: Herald
EPA's back-room 'Sue and Settle' deals require reform: Exam

Media

Letter to PK: Reinhart
Absurd Zimmerman/Martin Farce almost over: Owens
MSNBC Guest Skewers White House: They Think They Don’t Have To Answer Questions: Mediaite

Mother Jones: African Americans are more likely to be murderers, rapists, and pedophiles: Twitchy
As Constitution Shredded, ‘Republican’ Colin Powell thinks Obama doing ‘Reasonably Well’: FAM
Bam! Fox News’ Martha MacCallum slams Obama admin with key question: Twitchy

World

Nuclear-level Burning Stoopid in the UK...: Catalog of Burning Stoopid
Republicans see Obama ‘retreat’ in war on terrorism; Sen. Graham calls it ‘tone deaf’ to threats: Times
Obamacare Preview: 100 patients a day wait an hour or more in ambulances outside hospitals: Daily Mail

Thousands of jihad terror videos urging Muslims to maim and kill can be found within seconds online: JihadWatch
French begin to get the idea that Muslim stabbing of soldier "could be terror": JihadWatch
Australian National University bans Qur'an satire for fear of violent Muslim reaction: JihadWatch

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

The Power of Data Exhaust: Tech Crunch
If everything fades into the background, you may have a high IQ: Ars Technica
US entertainment industry group wants to unleash malware on file sharers: NextWeb

Cornucopia

Mexclusive!! IRS Releases New Simplified Tax Form 1040 TEA-EZ for Tea Party Taxpayers!!: Sooper
This Card is Gonna Be Played HARD – Like It Was Never Played Before: iOTW
The Grey: A Great Reminder of Crucial Truths: ObjStd

Image: William Warren, via iOwnTheWorld
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Soldier's Angels

QOTD: "In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields." --John McCrae

Sunday, May 26, 2013

THE NEW MATH: "That which makes no sense is nonsense"

The indefatigable Tyler Durden relays a must-watch presentation by Grant Williams, best known for his Things That Make You Go Hmmm newsletter. Some of the highlights?

Williams' Problem 1: If the global economy is stalling, Europe is in recession, China is slowing and growth is seemingly impossible to generate, what are equity markets doing at all-time highs?


Williams' Problem 2: If Chinese manufacturing has stalled, demand for raw materials is slumping, imports and exports are declining, and Chinese power consumption is falling, how is China's GDP growing at 7.7%


Williams Problem 3: France!?


Williams' Problem 4: If honesty is the best policy, then is dishonest the second best policy?

Williams' Problem 5: If there were no sponges living in the oceans, would the oceans be deeper?

Williams' Problem 6: Paul Krugman? Really?

Williams' Problem 7: The Gold Price and The Price of Gold are mutually exclusive


As Alan Roth observes regarding the equity markets, "investors rediscovering borrowing on margin and hitting an all-time high is clearly a red flag warning that there may be a rip-tide".


SHHH, NO ONE TELL CUOMO OR BLOOMBERG: Why one police officer carries 145 rounds of ammo with him every day

After a gun battle that changed his life, Sergeant Timothy Gramins dramatically upped the amount of ammunition he carries with him each and every day on the job. And no one tell the aspiring dictators Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg of New York: but Gramin also carries multiple high-capacity magazines.

An expert marksman, Gramins expended 43 rounds (of 47 he routinely carried), before taking down a single assailant. The murderous perp simply would not stop attacking, despite being shot 14 times with .45-cal ammo -- including six hits in supposedly fatal locations.

The most threatening encounter in Gramins’ nearly two-decade career with the Skokie (Ill.) PD north of Chicago came on a lazy August afternoon prior to his promotion to sergeant, on his first day back from a family vacation. [He heard an alert] that a male black driving a two-door white car had robbed a bank at gunpoint in another suburb 11 miles north and had fled... Unknown at the time, the suspect, a 37-year-old alleged Gangster Disciple, had vowed that he would kill a police officer if he got stopped.

...He was scarcely up to highway speed when he spotted a lone male black driver in a white Pontiac Bonneville and pulled alongside him. “He gave me ‘the Look,’ that oh-crap-there’s-the-police look, and I knew he was the guy,” Gramins said... The next thing he knew, bullets were flying. “That was four years ago,” Gramins said. “Yet it could be ten seconds ago.”

With Gramins following close behind, siren blaring and lights flashing, the Bonneville zigzagged through traffic and around corners into a quite pocket of single-family homes a few blocks from the exit. Then a few yards from where a 10-year-old boy was skateboarding on a driveway, the suspect abruptly squealed to a stop.

“He bailed out and ran headlong at me with a 9 mm Smith in his hand while I was still in my car,” Gramins said.

The gunman sank four rounds into the Crown Vic’s hood while Gramins was drawing his .45-cal. Glock 21.

“I didn’t have time to think of backing up or even ramming him,” Gramins said. “I see the gun and I engage.”

Gramins fired back through his windshield, sending a total of 13 rounds tearing through just three holes.

A master firearms instructor and a sniper on his department’s Tactical Intervention Unit, “I was confident at least some of them were hitting him, but he wasn’t even close to slowing down,” Gramins said.

The gunman shot his pistol dry trying to hit Gramins with rounds through his driver-side window, but except for spraying the officer’s face with glass, he narrowly missed and headed back to his car.

Gramins, also empty, escaped his squad — “a coffin,” he calls it — and reloaded on his run to cover behind the passenger-side rear of the Bonneville.

Now the robber, a lanky six-footer, was back in the fight with a .380 Bersa pistol he’d grabbed off his front seat. Rounds flew between the two as the gunman dashed toward the squad car.

Again, Gamins shot dry and reloaded.

“I thought I was hitting him, but with shots going through his clothing it was hard to tell for sure. This much was certain: he kept moving and kept shooting, trying his damnedest to kill me.”

In this free-for-all, the assailant had, in fact, been struck 14 times. Any one of six of these wounds — in the heart, right lung, left lung, liver, diaphragm, and right kidney — could have produced fatal consequences…“in time,” Gramins emphasizes.

...reaching either [of his long guns in the trunk] was impractical. Gramins did manage to get himself to a grassy spot near a tree on the curb side of his vehicle where he could prone out for a solid shooting platform.

The suspect was in the street on the other side of the car. “I could see him by looking under the chassis,” Gramins recalls. “I tried a couple of ricochet rounds that didn’t connect. Then I told myself, ‘Hey, I need to slow down and aim better.’ ”

When the suspect bent down to peer under the car, Gramins carefully established a sight picture, and squeezed off three controlled bursts in rapid succession.

Each round slammed into the suspect’s head — one through each side of his mouth and one through the top of his skull into his brain. At long last the would-be cop killer crumpled to the pavement.

The whole shootout had lasted 56 seconds, Gramins said. The assailant had fired 21 rounds from his two handguns. Inexplicably — but fortunately — he had not attempted to employ an SKS semi-automatic rifle that was lying on his front seat ready to go.

Gramins had discharged 33 rounds. Four remained in his magazine... Two houses and a parked Mercedes in the vicinity had been struck by bullets, but with no casualties...

Before the shooting, Gramins routinely carried 47 rounds of handgun ammo on his person, including two extra magazines for his Glock 21 and 10 rounds loaded in a backup gun attached to his vest, a 9 mm Glock 26.

Now unfailingly he goes to work carrying 145 handgun rounds, all 9 mm. These include three extra 17-round magazines for his primary sidearm (currently a Glock 17), plus two 33-round mags tucked in his vest, as well as the backup gun. Besides all that, he’s got 90 rounds for the AR-15 that now rides in a rack up front.

What the Statist fails to understand is that the law-abiding citizen deserves every bit of protection that a police officer does. Because if the citizen can't be trusted with firearms, why should the government?


Hat tip: BadBlue Guns.

MISTRESS OF DISASTER JAMIE GORELICK: Trust Me, I'm an Expert and Eric Holder's Attack on the AP is Perfectly Fine

Don't know about you, but whenever I need advice I always turn to a woman integral to not one -- but two -- separate trillion-dollar calamities for the United States of America. I refer, of course, to the Democrat hack Jamie "The Mistress of Disaster" Gorelick who helped blind the intelligence and law enforcement communities prior to the 9/11 attacks and then, despite no background in finance, got a cushy position with Fannie Mae where she helped trigger the subprime mortgage meltdown.

Yes, Gorelick's just the one I'd turn to for counsel. Certainly the unhinged editors at The New York Times believe she's credible, which is why she appeared in print there defending the lawless behavior of Eric Holder's DOJ in the matter of its shotgun attack on the Associated Press.

Following the disclosure that the Justice Department obtained telephone records of Associated Press journalists, the AP and other news organizations have criticized the action as unwarranted interference with the ability of journalists to report on government operations.

As former Justice Department officials, we are worried that the criticism of the decision to subpoena telephone toll records of AP journalists in an important leak investigation sends the wrong message to officials who are responsible for our national security.

...the prosecutors were right to investigate this leak vigorously... But after eight months of intensive effort, it appears that they still could not identify the leaker.

It was only then — after pursuing “all reasonable alternative investigative steps,” as required by the department’s regulations — that investigators proposed obtaining logs of calls made and received for about 20 phone lines that the leaker might have used in conversations with AP journalists. They limited the request to the two months when the leak most likely occurred, and did not propose more intrusive steps.

...They were right to pursue the investigation with “alternative investigative steps” for eight months first. Ultimately, they were right to take it to the next stage when they still needed more to make a case against the leaker. If the Justice Department had not done so, it would have defaulted on its obligation to protect the American people.

As is always the case with the ludicrous Gorelick, she gets her analysis completely backwards. Both Democrats and Republicans have slammed Holder for his "unconstitutional" behavior:

...the DOJ failed to notify the AP of the subpoena issued for phone records before obtaining those documents... “The Code of Federal Regulations states that a news media organization [is] supposed to be notified of the subpoena, and they apparently were not notified of the subpoena. Therefore, that’s a big question that needs to be resolved because it looks like an effort by the government to sidestep a requirement,” [House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob] Goodlatte said.

He pointed out that former Attorney General Michael Mukasey believes the subpoena of “20 reporters over a two-month period of time … was too broad.”

“There is no judge — it’s a subpoena, not a warrant — that’s why it’s a big deal,” Goodlatte said before promising that his committee is “going to pursue this for sure.” ... In an interesting twist, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has ripped the Obama administration for the DOJ probe... “I have trouble defending what the Justice Department did. I don’t know who did it or why it was done, but it’s inexcusable. It’s an issue I feel very strongly about.”

And notice that Dame Disaster carefully ignored the other ongoing DOJ scandals that have made a mockery of the department under Perjurer General Eric Holder: the James Rosen wiretap debacle, Fast and Furious, the New Black Panther insanity, and many more. And, worse still, the very notion that Holder is investigating himself for some of these crimes.

That Gorelick would defend the indefensible is utterly bizarre, but not unexpected coming from the Countess of Catastrophe.


Larwyn's Linx: Holder Perjury: Two Judges Refused Before Holder Got Unprecedented Fox News Warrant

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

Nation

Holder Perjury: Two Judges Refused Before Holder Got Fox Warrant: Lid
Lerner Signed IRS Demands Months After She Said Practice Stopped: Nice Deb
DOJ Begged Judge to Keep Fox Reporter in Dark About Monitoring: NewsMax

Justice Department Investigated a New York Times Reporter, Too.: Instapundit
GOP widening Sebelius shakedown probe: Hot Air
Rubio has long history of blocking immigration enforcement: DC

House GOP leadership is botching the Benghazi investigation: DC
The Warrior's Tale: Sultan Knish
Chris Christie snubs Snooki, but rolls out the red carpet for Dear Leader: WyBlog

Economy

Will Congress Get Around to Scrapping Duplicative Programs?: PJM
My Cincinnati IRS Audit Experience: Ushanka
NLRB acting illegally: Will

The Dollar -- and the USA -- is Toast: Monckton
La Raza (The Race) Partners with Feds to Hire Government Employees: Adams
Don't do business in New Jersey. Ever.: AmmoLand

Scandal Central

Obama Donor/IRS Director Monitored IG Interviews Of Employees: WZ
Moseley: The Obama Administration lied about Benghazi: CIF could have been on the ground in 3.5 hours: Owens
How much of Bloomberg’s fortune was gotten from monitoring his customers?: MoneyRunner

Climate & Energy

Oh, good: Iranian hackers trying to break into the American energy grid: Hot Air
Now That CO2 Has Passed 400ppm, We Should All Stockpile Cyanide Or Something: Cove
W.Va. joins fight to EPA greenhouse gas rules: BizWk

Media

CBS Reporter Sharyl Attkisson Reports She’s Been Shut Out By White House: Publius
Fired Over IRS Facebook Post: Larry Conners Speaks Out: Dana Loesch
The Danger in D.C. is Bipartisanship: RWN

See You in the Funny Papers: A tribute to an anti-mentor.: Taranto
Atlantic Magazine's Bogus, Pernicious Meme: Homosexual 'Marriages'...'Happier Than' Traditional Ones: AmPower
The #FreeKate Narrative Melts Down: Lies Exposed in Florida Teen Sex Case: AmSpec

The Words Most Abused by the Left: RWN
Just Plain Mean: RWN
Paul Krugman: Even Dumber Than We'd Thought: NB

World

Obama’s Cynical War Speech: McCarthy
The Stabbing Attack You Haven’t Heard About: WZ
Saudi Arabia Warns Against Iran Nuclear Program: AP

Infiltration? The Alarming Details Surrounding Alleged Hezbollah Member’s Arrest in Texas: Blaze
Netanyahu: Israel is the most threatened state in the world: JPost
Islamists attack kissing couples in Turkey: The Commentator

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

'Batwing' attachment adds new wrinkle to iRobot IED hunters: ArmyTimes
Google Considering 'Wireless Balloons' to Deliver Internet to Countries: PCMag
Google Glass Photographer Makes Picture-Taking Awkward: Mashable

Cornucopia

Voyage into Volvulus: Driscoll
Obama’s Naval Academy Commencement Address: “Sub-Optimal”: MOTUS
The Good Son: iOTW

Image: Voyage into Volvulus
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Benghazi: Demand the Truth (Video)

QOTD: "[President Obama's] speech [at the National Defense University] was bizarre, to put it mildly. It was often incoherent, as when he gritted his teeth and actually admitted that there is an ideological conflict between us and the terrorists. “Most…of the terrorism we face,” he said, ”is fueled by a common ideology…that Islam is in conflict with the United States and the West.” Without taking a deep breath, he hastily added that the “common ideology” was “based on a lie.” Why? Because “the United States is not at war with Islam…”

It’s typical of the president’s world-view that he would assume any such war to be instigated by us, but in this case the jihadis have it right, and he’s got it backwards. There is indeed a war, it is theirs, the jihadis’ war, and they are waging it because they firmly believe they are commanded to do so by the Almighty. They aim to destroy or dominate Western infidels and apostates. Those commands are in the Koran, and are repeated by a great mass of imams, ayatollahs and mullahs. Those thousands of Iranians or Hezbollahis who chant “death to America” mean just that. It’s the reason for their jihad against us." --Michael Ledeen

Saturday, May 25, 2013

EUROPE BURNING: I blame the Militant Quakers

In Sweden, the city of Stockholm has been torched every night for nearly a week. The authorities have responded not by cracking down on the Militant Quakers behind the riots, but by ticketing vehicles destroyed by the barbarians.

STOCKHOLM (FRIA TIDER). Owners of cars destroyed in the riots fined for parking illegally while police adopt non-intervention policy.

Since last Sunday, May 19, rioters have taken to the streets of Stockholm’s suburbs every night, torching cars, schools, stores, office buildings and residential complexes. Yesterday, a police station in RÃ¥gsved, a suburb four kilometers south of Stockholm, was attacked and set on fire...

But while the Stockholm riots keep spreading and intensifying, Swedish police have adopted a tactic of non-interference. ”Our ambition is really to do as little as possible,” Stockholm Chief of Police Mats Löfving explained to the Swedish newspaper Expressen on Tuesday.

In Merry Olde Englande, authorities have responded to this:


With the arrests of Twitter users for anti-Islamic tweets and proposed censorship like this:


Hey, geniuses: blocking the Internet, China-style, ain't gonna solve your radical cleric problem.

Exhibit A: Anjem Choudary, the infamous U.K. Islamofascist hate-cleric, opined on one of the Woolwich savages: "What he said, not many Muslims disagree with."

Best of all, the British citizenry is subsidizing kooks like Choudary. The "cleric" receives £25,000 a year in public assistance benefits — £8,000 more than the take-home pay of soldiers fighting in Afghanistan -- and lives in a £320,000 house in Leytonstone, East London.

Earlier today, a French soldier walking on the streets of Paris was stabbed in the neck by "bearded man of North-African origin."

Europe is doomed.


Hat tip: American Digest.

ANIMATED GIF: Eric Holder, Perjurer General

Holder lied, the free press died.

Feel free to copy, tweet, Facebook, post, and otherwise distribute this animated GIF (our current blogging platform doesn't appear to allow embedding animated GIFs, thus the link to an external site).

The following screen-caps represent the un-animated version.






This malevolent, lawless man makes John Mitchell (Nixon's A.G.) look like Lindsey Lohan by comparison.


15 PHOTOS: Out of the Mouths of Democrats, Perfect Quotes From "Arrested Development"

Guest post by NRCC


If you think about it, Washington Democrats are a lot like the Bluth family. They’re a bunch of out-of-touch, elite big spenders ensnared in scandal who have no concept of fiscal responsibility. To illustrate that, we give you IRS’ted Development: a collection of 15 quotes from Arrested Development that could have come from Democrats:













GAG: More than a dozen TGI Friday's and scores of other NJ bars caught substituting swill for top-shelf liquor

This is truly disgusting.

At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and caramel coloring was sold as scotch. In another, premium liquor bottles were refilled with water - and apparently not even clean water at that... [New Jersey] officials provided those new details Thursday on raids they conducted a day earlier as part of a yearlong investigation dubbed Operation Swill.

Twenty-nine New Jersey bars and restaurants, including 13 TGI Fridays, were accused of substituting cheap booze - or worse - for top-shelf brands while charging premium prices.

...As part of Operation Swill, investigators collected 1,000 open bottles of vodka, gin, rum, scotch, whiskey and tequila from the wells of the bars... [the operation] started after the state began receiving more complaints than usual about possibly mislabeled drinks, said the director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Michael Halfacre.

An informant with knowledge of the industry contacted the agency in the fall to help in the investigation, he said... In January and February, investigators went to 63 establishments they suspected were scamming liquor customers... They ordered drinks neat - that is, without ice or mixers - and then covertly took samples for testing.

...The undercover inspectors tested vodka brands such as Grey Goose and Ketel One; scotch, such as Johnny Walker Black and Dewar’s; and Jose Cuervo Silver and Gold tequila. Of 150 samples collected, 30 were not the brand as which they were being sold.

This practice is an unconscionable betrayal of trust on the part of a restaurateur. Chains like T.G.I. Friday's that engaged in the practice, franchises notwithstanding, will have to prove they're doing the right thing on a national basis.


Hat tips: Weasel Zippers via the BadBlue News Service.

Larwyn's Linx: Eric Holder Lied Under Oath In Front Of Congress

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

Nation

Eric Holder Lied Under Oath In Front Of Congress: RWN
U.S. Military: We Could Have Saved Ambassador Stevens: AT
Team Obama’s dirty war against conservatives: LI

Obama Asks Holder To Investigate Holder--What Could Go Wrong?: Nice Deb
Jarrett Unscathed? Obama's puppet master behind the scandals?: Bookworm
They hate First and Second Amendments, but will take the Fifth: AmSpec

Confirmed: Lois Lerner participated in persecution of Tea Party groups: Events
Conservative Groups, Donors Targeted in 2008: ‘Put Them at Risk’: Tatler
Obama Thugs Began Targeting Conservative Groups in 2008: JWF

Economy

Unions shriek and whine about health care law they fought to pass: WZ
The World's Greatest Gun Salesman: Owens
Cruz calls out McCain on Phony Debt Ceiling Vote: Scoop

Scandal Central

La Raza Partners With Feds To Hire Government Employees: WZ
Cindy Thomas Should be the Next Contestant on ‘I Got a Subpoena!’: Tatler
Bombshell: Holder Lied to Congress Under Oath: PJM

Climate & Energy

President Scandal: ‘Call these deniers out. Hold them accountable.’: JWF
Obama’s Tesla Sports Car Still Sends America’s Children to Bed Hungry and Stupid: Tatler
The H Street Project: Anatomy of a liberal shakedown: WFB

Media

The Inoperative Jay Carney: AmSpec
Dershowitz: Lerner waived right against self-incrimination; should be required to answer questions: Hot Air
Dear Senator McCain: PW (Language Warning)

As Stockholm Riots Move Into Fifth Day, Press Aversion to the M-Word Is Nearly Unanimous: NB
Finally: Britain Cracks Down On Those Exploiting the System to Encourage Hate: Ace
Politico Reporter: Gitmo a 'Really Bad Political Tar Baby' For Obama: Breitbart

Jailbait: PW
Ailes Letter to Journalists is a Battle Cry for Press Freedom: Breitbart
No Special Counsel for the IRS Scandal : McCarthy

World

President Obama Is Tired, So Tired, of Fighting Terrorism: Foundry
Obama Speaks, The Heart Sinks: Ledeen
America's Bubble Economy Is Going To Become An Economic Black Hole: ZH

Fighter jets escort Pakistani plane in British airspace: Commentator
Death of an Empire: The UK Pays Terrorists $38k/yr… While Soldiers Earn Only $24k/yr: GWP
In Wake of Bloody Beheading, British Police Arrest 2 Twitter Users for Anti-Islamic Tweets: Atlas

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

BBC suspends CTO after it spaffs £100m on doomed IT system: Register
Obama: Increase in domestic terrorism fueled by Internet: Exam
Building Spanish Galleons 101: Dream of sailing the seven seas? Pillage? Adventure?: Deep Sea News

Cornucopia

Obama Dramatically Heckled by Medea of Ancient Mythology: Cube
Bartitsu: The Sherlock Holmes Way of Self-Defense: WSJ
Snooki Meets Jersey Shore Hater Gov. Chris Christie, Says She's Told She Is "Bad for Jersey": eOnline

Image: Obama Dramatically Heckled by Medea of Ancient Mythology
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support JudicialWatch's IRS Investigation

QOTD: "...the left’s hollow claim that the [cause of the] IRS mess rests on Citizens United. The left was targeting conservative groups and donors well before the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling on independent political expenditures by corporations.

If the country wants to get to the bottom of the IRS scandal, it must first remember the context for this abuse. That context leads to this White House." --Kimberley Strassel

Friday, May 24, 2013

ROGER AILES: A Battle Cry for Press Freedom

It is absolutely stunning to me that the media remains -- for the most part -- silent on the James Rosen matter. It has yet to unleash the dogs of war on the Obama administration for its unprecedented attacks on the First Amendment. Sure, The New York Times Editorial Board issued a milquetoast, David-Sirota-like warning. As did Erik Wemple of The Washington Post: "Stop! Or I'll yell 'Stop' again!"

Someone needs to sounds the alarm klaxons. The media should be on Star Trek's proverbial RED ALERT, because after Fox and Sharyl Attkisson are dispensed with, the rest of the restive press will be in the cross-hairs.

Roger Ailes, founder of the Fox News network, recognizes this.

Dear colleagues,

The recent news about the FBI’s seizure of the phone and email records of Fox News employees, including James Rosen, calls into question whether the federal government is meeting its constitutional obligation to preserve and protect a free press in the United States. We reject the government's efforts to criminalize the pursuit of investigative journalism and falsely characterize a Fox News reporter to a Federal judge as a "co-conspirator" in a crime.

I know how concerned you are because so many of you have asked me: why should the government make me afraid to use a work phone or email account to gather news or even call a friend or family member? Well, they shouldn’t have done it. The administration’s attempt to intimidate Fox News and its employees will not succeed and their excuses will stand neither the test of law, the test of decency, nor the test of time. We will not allow a climate of press intimidation, unseen since the McCarthy era, to frighten any of us away from the truth.

I am proud of your tireless effort to report the news over the last 17 years. I stand with you, I support you and I thank you for your reporting with courageous optimism. Too many Americans fought and died to protect our unique American right of press freedom. We can’t and we won’t forget that. To be an American journalist is not only a great responsibility, but also a great honor. To be a Fox journalist is a high honor, not a high crime. Even this memo of support will cause some to demonize us and try to find irrelevant things to cause us to waver. We will not waver.

As Fox News employees, we sometimes are forced to stand alone, but even then when we know we are reporting what is true and what is right, we stand proud and fearless. Thank you for your hard work and all your efforts.

Sincerely,

Roger Ailes

Left or right, the media should be terrified at this aggression on the part of the Obama White House. Along with the actions of the IRS, it is intended to suppress and constrain free speech, not encourage it.

It is fascism, straight up.

Tell you what: now that we know Democrats approve of this kind of action, when a Republican gets in power, perhaps we can secretly audit the whacked-out kook Janeane Garofalo. After all, it would appear that vintage media approves.


POTUS refuses to meet with border agents, but welcomes illegal aliens into Oval Office for photo op

I'm not one to criticize the president for forgetting to salute a Marine while boarding Marine One. He had at least enough class to realize his mistake, exit the chopper and shake hands with the young man. That said, the press pool was in attendance, so...

But I digress. As The Washington Examiner reports, Obama has invited a bevy of illegal aliens to events for photo ops in support of open borders, Amnesty and a permanent Democrat majority. Most recently, he entertained a trio of illegals in the Oval Office.

President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with three illegal immigrants who have been granted deferred action legal status in the Oval Office Tuesday...


...All three immigrants apparently received “deferred action” legal status pursuant to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s June 15, 2012, directive. Under the congressionally unauthorized program, any illegal immigrant under the age of 31 can apply for legal status if they claim they entered the country before their 16th birthday and have been in the country for at least five years. Virtually every immigrant who has applied for deferred action, 99 percent, has been granted legal status.

These actions by the administration are plainly unlawful. The DREAM Act was rejected by Congress; these executive actions merely mimic that which American legislators rejected.

Say, that Valerie Jarrett's a looker, eh?

But, again, I digress:

Meanwhile, Obama still refuses to meet with any border security enforcement officers about any aspect of immigration reform...

The union of law enforcement officers charged with protecting our nation’s borders, the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council, has been highly critical of the program because it makes their jobs almost impossible to perform. But Obama has refused to meet with them on that issue, or the immigration bill currently in the Senate.

On Thursday, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., co-signed a letter to Obama asking him to meet with the ICE officers.

“To be effective any immigration reform bill must heed the warnings from our federal immigration agents,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately, far from being included in the process, ICE officers have been shut out and have even had their day-to-day operations handcuffed by DHS officials to the point of being unable to carry out their sworn duties. These brave whistleblowers have been left with no other option but to file a lawsuit in federal court to fight the abuse of power from DHS leadership.”

Once more, I'll ask you to consider the following dichotomy:



It would seem that the far Left Democrat Party believes that illegal aliens and terrorists are noble -- and conservatives, veterans and others who believe in America's Constitution are criminals.


Hat tip: BB.

IRS COMIX: The Adventures of Lois "Lefty" Lerner

Courtesy of FreedomWorks, a comic strip only 100 times more entertaining and truthful than Doonesbury depicts the raw criminality running rampant in the IRS.


As long as FreedomWorks doesn't depict Lerner in Spandex, I'll be fine.


Related: BUSTED: The Complete IRS Scandal Timeline in Spreadsheet Format.


SH** NOW AT CONDITION REAL: "Eric Holder lied under oath and misrepresented facts before a federal judge"

It turns out that the Department of Justice was doing everything it could to keep its search warrant for James Rosen’s private e-mail account secret.

If it weren’t for the Washington Post reporting this, Rosen would still not know that he was being spied on by the federal government. His personal emails, his telephone calls, etc. And it’s been almost 5 years since this began! And all over a freaking leak about N. Korea testing nukes...

...The Obama Administration fought to keep a search warrant for James Rosen’s private e-mail account secret, arguing to a federal judge that the government might need to monitor the account for a lengthy period of time...

Oh, and did I mention that Eric Holder personally approved the search warrant?



According to Reuters,

The Justice Department said on Friday that officials up to Attorney General Eric Holder vetted a decision to search an email account belonging to a Fox News reporter whose report on North Korea prompted a leak investigation.

Why is this so important?

During friendly questioning from Rep. Hank “I fear that Guam will capsize!” Johnson in Congress last week, Attorney General Eric Holder offered the following statement.

In regard to potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material. This is not something I’ve ever been involved in, heard of, or would think would be wise policy.

He made that statement before the facts about the sweep on Fox News’ James Rosen were known. Since then, it’s come to light that Holder himself approved the subpoena that, among other things, named Rosen as a criminal co-conspirator.

So, Eric Holder lied under oath before a congressional hearing.

In addition to that, he may have intentionally misled a judge in the request of Rosen’s phone records according to Jennifer Rubin.

...Eric Holder will [therefore] be investigating Eric Holder to determine if Eric Holder lied under oath and misrepresented facts before a federal judge.


What is it going to take for these ruling class Republicans to act?

Say, during his next State of the Union address, Barack Obama pulls out a Walther PPQ and executes a conservative Supreme Court Justice. Will the cowardly RINO elite take action? Or just talk about the merits of the immigration bill on the Sunday talk shows instead?

Here is a list of the members of the House Oversight Committee. Please contact at least one and tell them the following:

We are sick of being treated as subjects by a lawless ruling class in Washington. We do not tolerate lawbreaking on our city streets, and we certainly can't abide it by our Attorney General, who lied under oath to Congress. We need a Special Prosecutor. And we need one yesterday. Get off your f*****g as* and do something for a change you useless tool!

You may want to skip that last sentence. Then again, you may not.


Larwyn's Linx: Holder signed off on warrant for James Rosen records

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

Nation

Holder signed off on warrant for James Rosen records: Hot Air
Eric Holder signed off on criminal investigation of Fox: Twitchy
Huffington Post: Time for Eric Holder to go: Exam

DC Cronyism: sliming your way up the chain of command: PW
Mark Levin: This isn’t about Lois Lerner or the IRS. This is about Tyranny.: Scoop
Republicans and the Long Game: Domenech

Lois Lerner Directly Involved in IRS Targeting, Letters Show: NRO
Why Attorney General Eric Holder is the worst in US History: RWN
DA Refuses to Prosecute Man Arrested For Having Two Extra Bullets: MenRec

Economy

Obama Parties With Carole King, Gloria Estefan, James Taylor: WZ
Lee, Cruz, Paul, Rubio Try to Stop Another Secret Debt Ceiling Deal: FW
Communist Indoctrination Included in Common Core for First Graders: GWP

Gohmert’s Scandal Fix: ‘Special Counsel and Dismantle the IRS’: PJM
Another Look at Bernanke's Employment Recovery in Chart Form: Mish
Obama met with IRS chief day before union began targeting conservatives: GWP

Scandal Central

GOP lifts subpoena after Benghazi auditor agrees to be deposed: Instapundit
Dem Congressman rips IRS for abuses, threatens bringing in special prosecutor: Hot Air
Did Lois Lerner Botch Fifth Amendment Rights?: ABC

DOJ Blows a “Chill” Wind Through the Media: Foundry
The IRS scandal and Obama’s culture of intimidation: McConnell
Coburn: Oklahoma constituents suggesting that IRS audited major Romney donors: Hill

Climate & Energy

Tesla CEO Musk: 'Reframe' climate argument: Hill

Media

The 6th Annual Poll of Bloggers On The Most Admired People On The Right: RWN
MSNBC STAR HOST AL SHARPTON OWES IRS $2.6 MILLION: Events
White House Feeds IRS Frenzy by Revising Accounts: Bloomberg

Always the Last to Know: Driscoll
How Obama gets his News! The True Story!: Morlock Revolt
Tweet o' the Day: Instapundit

If Only Stalin Knew: MoneyRunner
Mark Levin Blasts Obama: ‘Flat-Out, Bald-Faced Lie’ That He Knew Nothing About IRS Targeting: Mediaite
Jason Mattera asks Chuck Schumer, Al Franken about their letters to IRS: Scoop

What Spurred Woolwich Attacks? What Difference At This Point Does It Make?: Tatler
Medea Benjamin Heckles Obama, and What She Says Is 100% Correct: AllAm
The Telegraph's Jihad on the Truth: Atlas

World

Muslim Acts of Beheading in the West: Pipes
‘WAR IN LONDON TONIGHT’: RIOTERS CLASH WITH POLICE OVER ‘CLEAVER’ TERROR ATTACK: IHTM
White House Spins Obama’s Role in Benghazi: From Competence to Irrelevance: Foundry

Farrakhan Denounces “Satanic Jews,” NAACP head Wendell Anthony, Rep. John Conyers Nod in Approval: Riehl
ENGLAND – BIGGEST COWARDS IN EUROPE! THAT’S A DIFFICULT ACCOMPLISHMENT!: AWD
Riots in Sweden: Cars burn in fourth night of Muslim violence: JihadWatch

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Meet the first guy unlucky enough to lose his Google Glass: VenBeat
Blip Blup Is A Minimalist Mobile Puzzle Game That Lets You Play With Pulses Of Light: TechCrunch
Google researcher reveals another Windows 0-day: NetSec

Cornucopia

Appearing Now: In Performance at the White House: MOTUS
“Coming Home” by Wisconsin student wins U.S. 2013 Doodle 4 Google competition: GoogleBlog
Pic Of The Day: Barry's Prom Night: WZ

Image: Pics From Trayvon Martin’s Cellphone Show Guns, Drugs
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Benghazi: Demand the Truth (Video)

QOTD: "It is time for the political press corps to open themselves to the possibility that this administration is being run just the way President Obama wants it. Enough of this "if only the czar knew "/"if only Stalin knew" excuse-making, and the notion that all of this malfeasance, intimidation, harassment, cover-ups, story-revising, lying, blame-shifting, prosecutorial wild abandon, and strategic leaks are somehow occurring every time Obama leaves the room, perpetuated by a cabinet and staff that nefariously betray the good example he sets.

If Obama continually fails to take actions to suggest that he wants to cooperate, it's time to recognize that maybe he doesn't want to cooperate." --Jim Geraghty

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Highlights from a speech by Bob Woodward [Glenfiddich]

Guest post by Glenfiddich:


I recently attended a speech by Bob Woodward. I thought some of the highlights would be interesting for your readers.

1. Hillary can be a "lamp-throwing woman" with her anger clearly flashing when she is questioned.

2. Al Gore is now a wealthier man than Mitt Romney, but it was achieved through his connections (i.e., government). With his massive and overinflated ego, sitting next to him is the worst seat at dinner.

3. Gerald Ford may have made the most courageous decision in recent history with the pardoning of Nixon; he knew it would cost him his whole political career. I could not believe or disagreed more with the decision at the time. But he did it for the country to end risk of years of distraction.

4. Barack Obama does not have a single personal relationship in all of Washington. Not a single one with either a Democrat or a Republican in Congress. He holds 50 minute meetings in the White House and there is no attempt to reach an agreement or negotiate.

5. A Woodward colleague read all tens of thousands of pages and regulations related to Obamacare. It is “far more complex than the creation of the universe.” The man who read it was physically shaken and said it could be the most serious threat to the future of healthcare and government spending ever.

6. On negotiation: the person across the table on tough negotiations is your best friend. Only they can give you what you need.

7. On friendship and trust: he has learned that it is really hard to not like someone if they say they like you. And that “what you do and who you are must be related to be happy and successful.”


NEW HERITAGE INFOGRAPHIC: The Gang of Eight's Amnesty Scam

While the country focuses on an endless series of scandals emanating from the Executive Branch, the Senate is quietly preparing to vote on the Gang of Eight's Amnesty bill.

...It will go to the Senate floor after the Memorial Day recess. Heritage has pointed out the problems with this “comprehensive” approach — including the staggering costs of amnesty and a failure to secure the border.


This bill would be an unmitigated economic disaster. As the brilliant Milton Friedman said long ago, "open borders are incompatible with a welfare state."


SENATORS: IRS Said to Have Attacked Major Romney Donors

Sen. Tom Coburn isn't exactly a hothead. And, if the reports are accurate, he may have opened up a whole new can of whoop-ass on the IRS.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Thursday his constituents have suggested they were audited by the Internal Revenue Service because they donated to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign...

"What I would tell you, is our whistleblower side is lit up," Coburn said Thursday on the news channel. "And I got a phone call yesterday and one of the things I want to know is, everybody that contributed to Romney, I want to know what their audit rate was because the indications out of Oklahoma are right now is if you happened to be a conservative and wealthy and gave to Romney, you had an audit where you'd never gotten an audit before..."

Coburn's comments come as Congress is investigating the IRS's targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status for additional scrutiny. The IRS has apologized for inappropriately flagging groups for additional scrutiny because they had certain words in their titles, such as Tea Party...

...Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) in a floor speech last week also said that a number of his constituents spoke of being audited during the 2012 presidential campaign for the first time... “These folks believe the audits were conducted for no other reason than the fact that their groups were conservative. And they believe the questions they’ve been asked have more to do with their political views than their business activities," McConnell said.

...Earlier in the week, Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-Ohio) said that people have come to him saying the IRS targeted them for criticizing the Obama administration. Tiberi recounted how a former colleague told him about a radio host who received an audit from the IRS after he criticized the Obama administration... "And this is not a national guy, this is a local talk show host in a city outside Ohio, and he's been very critical of the administration and as soon as he started being critical of the administration, coincidentally, he got audited and he got audited by the Cincinnati office,'" Tiberi said.

To sum up:




Hat tip: BadBlue News.