Month: September 2011

A Smart Kid

Mark Noonan11 Comments

This was apparently first given a bit more than a year ago, but it is well worth listening to.  She sees through the scam:

It isn’t a matter of agreeing with everything she says – no fully matured, capable adult would.  Smart and perceptive as she is, she yet lacks the experience of someone who if 40 or 50 years old.  But she’s thinking – she understands that what was spoon fed to her in the public schools is not all there is.  It is amazing that someone who went through the whole grind to become valedictorian and yet retains originality of thought.

All is not lost – the youth of America have lots of problems and a gigantic burden we adults have laid upon them in the way we’ve wrecked the family, wrecked the faith and ruined the economy.  But they are not lifeless, the young…there is spirit there and a willingness to challenge and demand better.  I rest far more content after hearing this young lady speak than I have for a long while.

HAT TIP:  Zero Hedge

Steve Chapman: Maybe Obama Should Quit?

Mark Noonan3 Comments

Yet more speculation that it would be best for Obama to not seek a second term – from the Chicago Tribune:

… there is good news for the president. I checked the Constitution, and he is under no compulsion to run for re-election. He can scrap the campaign, bag the fundraising calls and never watch another Republican debate as long as he’s willing to vacate the premises by Jan. 20, 2013.

That might be the sensible thing to do. It’s hard for a president to win a second term when unemployment is painfully high. If the economy were in full rebound mode, Obama might win anyway. But it isn’t, and it may fall into a second recession — in which case voters will decide his middle name is Hoover, not Hussein. Why not leave of his own volition instead of waiting to get the ax?…

Mostly he won’t because I suspect he doesn’t realize just how bad its getting…and even if he does, there still is that chance of a massive rebound in the economy and/or a complete implosion by the GOP.  Neither is very likely (in the end, we GOPers will end up nominating someone who can do all that is necessary:  merely be a credible alternative to Obama), but it won’t become crystal clear for months…perhaps too long down the road for Obama to quit and allow time for Democrats to pull it together and get a credible nominee.

To be sure, it would do Obama good to get out – as Chapman observes, even if Obama wins, second terms don’t tend to work out very well.  Obama’s second term would be harder than most – he would have managed to scrape to a win with an economy plunging back in to recession and he’d be dealing with a Congress likely completely controlled by his opponents.  The scandals brewing now would come to a head, then…nothing but a four year long headache for Obama.  Quitting now would mean an almost-certain Hillary nomination…and she could actually win next year; thus Obama would saddle her with all the headaches while he goes on to write his memoirs, make bags of money and perhaps become head of the United Nations in the by and by.

We’ll see how this comes out – it gets more interesting as more and more liberal voices join the Chorus of Concern.  But don’t mistake it – its not a worry about Obama:  it is entirely a concern that with Obama at the top of the ticket while Reid and Pelosi still lead the Congressional Democrats that the party is on the road to a blow-out defeat…the sort of crushing defeat which ushers in 50 years of the other guys running things.  The sort of defeat which could result in the dismantling of the liberal welfare State and the revival of an America that our grand-fathers knew.  Nothing can be more frightening for liberals than that…a confident, growing America running the world based on core, American values.  Makes ’em shudder just to think about it.

As of now, it is a million to one against Obama declining to run…but that is very different from “absolutely impossible” as it was just a month or so ago.  And its only a thousand to one against a serious primary challenger…far different from the million to one against a little while ago.

Liberals Afraid of Armed Americans

Mark Noonan20 Comments

Ah, the typical debate – from the LA Times:

On Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk is a bid to bar Californians from openly carrying firearms, legislation that could open a new front in the state’s decades-old gun control debate.

The measure, aimed at an increasingly popular tactic used by 2nd Amendment activists, would make California the first state since 1987 to outlaw the controversial practice of publicly displaying a weapon…

…Gun control advocates hope that California will now pave the way for the rest of the country to outlaw the practice.

“Openly carrying a gun with [an ammunition] magazine in your back pocket into Starbucks and other establishments creates a culture of fear and intimidation,” said Brian Malte, director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “It is irresponsible and dangerous.”…

I don’t know about you, but seeing someone openly carrying a weapon doesn’t intimidate me…by nature, criminals don’t want anyone to know they’re armed until they commit their crime.  Honest men and women legally carrying firearms, in my view, increases public safety:  it is highly unlikely that a criminal will commit a crime if some of the people in the area are clearly armed.  Criminals are not brave – they are cowards who prey upon the weak.  So, don’t be weak – be armed.

The liberal gun-grabbers, though, will never give up…somewhere deep inside them is a desire that all Americans be good, little slaves.  Disarming us is vital if liberalism is ultimately to gain full control of the United States.  Thwarted in one area, they’ll just try another…and they’ll keep at it and at it and at it until they have disarmed the American people.  Or, alternately, we stand so firm in defense of our liberty that it becomes the rock-solid law of the land that any law abiding citizen can carry whatever personal weapon he likes anywhere in the great Republic.

The Ultimate Motive of “Gunwalker”?

Mark Noonan13 Comments

Interesting take over at Pajamas Media:

…Gunwalker purposefully increases social unrest (increased gun violence/destabilizing Mexico), with the possible result of overloading the U.S. public welfare system (more illegal aliens fleeing the violence in Mexico and Central America). Gunwalker’s perpetrators could then use that influx to create an insurmountable constituency of poor seeking handouts from the Democratic Party. The hope of the strategy is to force a system-wide collapse of the current system, and then to rebuild the government in a variant of the strongest socialist model they think the public will accept.

It sounds too devious. It appears to fit.

Take Operation Fast and Furious in Arizona, the two suspected operations in Texas, Operation Castaway in Tampa, and the newer allegations of “Gangwalker” in the Midwest — they make sense only in the larger context of a Cloward-Piven framework.

These operations could not possibly succeed at interdicting straw purchasers, smugglers, and cartel bosses. No one actually involved in law enforcement could possibly believe that such idiotic operations could work. But these operations are logical when viewed through the context of their implementation as tactical applications designed to support a Cloward-Piven strategy…

Which is an interesting idea – with Democrats viewing illegal immigrants as “undocumented Democrats” the fact of lower numbers of illegals is dismaying.  No one knows for sure, of course, but it does appear that as our economy has deteriorated, millions of illegals have self-deported.  Even out here in Las Vegas, we can see it – enrollment in the public schools is down, and you don’t see nearly as many Latinos around as you used to.  How do you get them to come back if there are no jobs?  Perhaps you aggravate violence back home and scare them in to coming here?

I know, rather Machiavellian, isn’t it?  But what other explanation can you come up with?  Only others equally Machiavellian.  Unless one wishes to think that the people running the law enforcement departments are utter idiots (which is a possibility) you are forced to come up with a nefarious, secret reason for things like “Gunwalker”.

There is no logic behind it if the intent is law enforcement.  Remember what it amounted to – the United States government legally purchased firearms in the United States and then illegally transferred the weapons to criminal gangs.  My view has been it was an effort to re-start gun control:  send the guns down there, wait until hundreds of Mexicans are killed by them, then instruct the MSM to issue breathless, heart-rending reports about how American gun dealers are fueling violence south of the border (none of us were ever supposed to find out about “Gunwalker”…we only did because after a Border Patrol agent was murdered with one of the guns, some whistle blowers stepped forward).

If it isn’t rank stupidity, then it is a wicked plan to get something that should not be had – whether its gun control, more Democrat voters or an attempt to overload the welfare system in a Cloward-Piven strategy is unknown…what we need to do is unravel the scheme and see where the evidence leads.

Shocking News: The MSM Didn’t Do its Job!

Mark Noonan68 Comments

Just a bit flabbergasted by this from Rex Murphy at the National Post:

As the bad economic news continues to emanate from the United States — with a double-dip recession now all but certain — a reckoning is overdue. American journalism will have to look back at the period starting with Barrack Obama’s rise, his assumption of the presidency and his conduct in it to the present, and ask itself how it came to cast aside so many of its vital functions. In the main, the establishment American media abandoned its critical faculties during the Obama campaign — and it hasn’t reclaimed them since…

…The media trashed Hillary. They burned Republicans. They ransacked Sarah Palin and her family. But Obama, the cool, the detached, the oracular Obama — he strolled to the presidency…

This is, I guess, all a bit of a surprise for Murphy – but, for me, the surprise is that in 2011 anyone could still be shocked by the MSM liberal bias.  I mean, come on:  let’s review:

1.  The MSM covered up relentlessly for the Clinton’s when Bill was in office.  No real questions about the massive, illegal fundraising (it is actually illegal for Al Gore to have collected a bag of foreign cash from a Buddhist monastery).  No real attempt to investigate just why the Congressional GOP decided to impeach (honestly, it really is illegal for a President to lie under oath and suborn perjury…even if it is “just about sex”).

2.  Hillary was allowed to coast to the Senate in New York without the MSM ever asking just why a first lady of no discernible gifts or experience should be allowed to carpetbag her way in to the Senate.

3.  Al Gore was puffed up like no tomorrow in spite  of his part in illegal fund raising and his definite lack of intellectual heft, executive experience or leadership ability.

4.  John Kerry got a complete pass on how badly he lied about American soldiers in Vietnam and was allowed to present himself in the MSM as a war hero, rather than being correct portrayed as a back-stabber who threw his war comrades under the bus in order to ride anti-war, liberal sentiment in to high office.

5.  And then comes Barry – the fifth in the series.  And someone is surprised that the MSM carried his water?  Covered up for him?  Slandered his opponents?  This isn’t about a love affair with Obama; it is the MSM determination that whomever opposes a Republican will get good press.  Sure, there was probably an added zest to MSM lies and cover-ups as they were thrilled that they got to do it for a black man (convinced, as they are, that we’re all racists, this was just another way for them to stick it to us, in their minds)…but had Hillary got the nomination, they would have been just as sycophantic to her, just as slanderous against McCain (and Palin) and just as determined to re-elect her as they are, today, to re-elect Obama (stories of the MSM turning on Obama are false…one or two MSMers with a shred of honor might, but most of them will never stray from the party line).

This is what the MSM does – and I was delighted the other day to hear Rush refer to an AP reporter as the “stenographer” of the report…that is pretty much it:  whatever comes out of the DNC and the Obama campaign will be slavishly retailed to the American people.  A few oddities will creep in – the MSM does like to be able to refer to those few instances where they spoke the truth (usually on page 3 or later and always outweighed many times by the lies and cover-ups)…but the basic thrust of MSM reporting will be the burnish Obama and his Democrats and slander the Republicans.  And if the GOP wins next year, the MSM won’t learn their lesson, at all…they’ll just keep slandering the Republicans and wait for the next liberal messiah (which will be fun for us, because it will probably be governor Cuomo of New York).

It doesn’t matter how stupid a Democrat is:  the MSM will say they’re smart.  It doesn’t matter how corrupt a Democrat is:  the MSM will always say that the GOP is more corrupt.  It doesn’t matter how incompetent a Democrat is:  the MSM will just say he has an unusual leadership style.  Short of murdering someone on live television, there is nothing a Democrat can do to break MSM support…they will always find some justification for him; some excuse for failure; some slander to hit back at the GOP with.  In a real sense it has gone beyond bias and turned in to slavish devotion…that the MSMers feel any dissent from the Democrats is treason to all that is good and beautiful in the world.

And, so, don’t anyone act surprised…but, also, don’t anyone act concerned.  The people have tuned out the MSM – automatically discounting any bit of nonsense they put up and learning to read between the lines, just as citizens of totalitarian nations are required to do.  By filling in the gaps with what is not reported, but is obvious, the truth is made clear…and made doubly so by the increasing number of people relying on the New Media for the full story.

California’s “Suicide by Liberalism” Continues

Mark Noonan15 Comments

Bankrupt State falling apart?  Then what you need to do is continue to erode the moral values which once upon a time made your State great…hey, you’ve already got one foot in the grave and another on banana peel, might as well go for it!  From California Catholic Conference:

On Sept. 6, Archbishop José H. Gomez issued the following statement on California Assembly Bill 499, which would allow children 12 and older to be vaccinated against sexually transmitted disease without parental consent or knowledge.

I am praying that Governor Brown will veto AB 499, which passed the California Senate last week.

Parents have a fundamental right and duty to be responsible for their children’s physical and spiritual well-being. Children have a fundamental right to the guidance and protection of their parents.

This legislation would deny those rights.

AB 499 would allow children as young as 12 years old to decide by themselves — without their parents’ involvement — to get vaccines to prevent sexually transmitted diseases…

Come on, Archbishop – who you trying to kid?  We know that all parents can ever do is get in the way.  It is always better if bureaucrats and politicians are in control.  Parents might try – horror of horrors! – to convince their kids that sex before marriage is wrong…better if we just piece by piece remove all parental authority and allow the kids, carefully guided by liberals, decide “for themselves” what to do. Geesh, next thing you know that crazy priest will be asserting that parents can even tell kids what to wear and what to buy!  Where would this all end if it weren’t for liberals?

It is just amazing, isn’t it?  Its sort of like they know they are dying out, but they just want to do as much damage as they can before they go.  California teeters on the edge of bankruptcy, but someone in the legislature found time to draft and pass a bill requiring something that no one other than a tiny minority of anti-family fanatics cares about.

I do wonder how long it will go on – just how utterly destroyed will California be before the people wake up and elect some Republicans to save the State?

 

Solyndra Scandal Update

Mark Noonan23 Comments

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

The Obama administration restructured a half-billion dollar federal loan to a troubled solar energy company in such a way that private investors — including a fundraiser for President Barack Obama — moved ahead of taxpayers for repayment in case of a default, government records show.

Administration officials defended the loan restructuring, saying that without an infusion of cash earlier this year, solar panel maker Solyndra Inc. would likely have faced immediate bankruptcy, putting more than 1,000 people out of work…

Which is a rather stupid defense – because now we’ve got the 1,000 people out of work, plus an additional half billion dollar burden on the American taxpayer.  When you start making stupid defenses of your actions, it means you know you’ve really screwed up and are just hoping that it doesn’t entirely blow up in your face.

This scandal, though, is starting to show signs of getting legs – legs which will keep it walking through American politics for quite a while.  And legs which just might lead us to ever more scandals just like this.  It is clear from Solyndra that at least some in the Obama Administration were happy to make deals which were bad for the taxpayers and good for Obama donors…the only thing we don’t know is the “Watergate” question:  what did the President know, and when did he know it?

In a lot of ways, Obama had better hope he loses next year – the rising tide of scandal bodes ill for an Obama second term, and after the 2012 elections, even if Obama does win, he is likely to be faced with a Congress entirely controlled by the GOP…no friendly Reid holding back the Senate half of government oversight.  A re-elected Obama might be forced to do nothing but defend himself against scandal after scandal flowing out of his complete control of government 2009-11.

UPDATE:  More information emerging in the “LightSquared” scandal – seems that President Obama was an early investor in the company.  To remind, there is evidence that Administration officials pressed an Air Force general to change his testimony to be more favorable to LightSquared.  This is getting to be the sort of run-of-the-mill corruption we see out of Chicago…has Obama really been playing that particular game while in DC?  Only an investigation will settle the matter…

On Immigration, Border Security Remains Key

Mark Noonan16 Comments

From Rasmussen:

With the Legal Workforce Act, a bill forcing companies to check the immigration status of their employees, working its way through Congress, voters nationwide continue to believe overwhelmingly that when it comes to immigration legislation the focus should be on the border.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters say it is more important to gain control of the border than to legalize the status of those already living illegally in the United States…

This just reaffirms what I have been saying for years – before anything else regarding immigration is tackled, the border must be made secure.  Whether or not we’ll amnesty those already here or deport all or do a mix is irrelevant in political terms until the border is secure.  The reason for this is that the people simply do not trust the government…any proposal for reform which does not emphasize border security first will be seen by the people as a mere amnesty bill with the problem of illegal immigration never to be solved.  Liberals can put it down to nativism or racism all they want, but the overwhelming majority of Americans simply want the laws enforced.  It is against the law to illegally cross our borders…make sure the law is being enforced and then get back to us on your other issues.

In my view, this poll also indicates that we Republicans will not be punished if we make border security an important, 2012 issue.  Not the most important issue, but it is an issue none the less…and an issue where we can draw stark contrasts between ourselves and Democrats.  Remember what really happens in illegal immigration – our liberals like to concentrate on those who have got here and are working hard, but they never talk about those robbed, raped and murdered before they get here…nor do they talk about those who don’t work hard but, instead, choose to abuse our social welfare programs.  The contrast being drawn would be one of responsible government vs feel good politics which lead to death and poverty.  This can be the opening wedge in a general discussion of all liberal feel-good policies which lead to disaster.

Some Republicans worry that a strong stance in favor of border security will cost us Latino votes.  In this, they are right…a certain, small segment of the Latino population of the United States does vote on whether or not there are open borders.  But it is a small group…most Latino voters vote sensibly, just as most Americans, overall, vote.  Bottom line, I don’t want those votes – and if it costs us votes to do the right thing, then that is the most honorable cost you can incur.

We can own this issue and make it work to our advantage…just as soon as we brace ourselves to do the right thing; and the right thing to do, first, is to secure the border.

Egyptian PM: Peace With Israel “Not Sacred”

Mark Noonan20 Comments

From the Jerusalem Post:

Egypt’s Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said a peace deal with Israel was not “sacred” and could be changed for the benefit of peace or the region.

His comments, made in an interview with a Turkish television channel and broadcast on state television, were the strongest yet by the new government which took over after president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February.

“The Camp David agreement is not a sacred thing and is always open to discussion with what would benefit the region and the case of fair peace … and we could make a change if needed,” he said in the interview…

My suggestion to Israel is that they re-open the “discussion” of peace by pushing the Egyptians out of the Sinai.  When you’ve got them by the privates, it is said, hearts and minds will follow…the Suez Canal is one of Egypt’s few money-makers and Israeli control of it might remind Egypt’s government of just why the Sadat regime sought a peace treaty in 1979.

Israel is in her most difficult position since just prior to the 1967 war – rising Islamism; Turkish hostility (it looks as though the Turks are asserting themselves for the Palestinians in order to forestall Iranian efforts…but, no matter, it still works out bad for Israel); threat of Iranian nukes…and a US government which actually believes that Israeli/American actions are the cause of the conflict (instead of it really being nothing more than a manufactured issue by Islamic leaders who want a short cut to personal power and wealth…and scapegoating Jews is just easy).  Israel had to both tread carefully but at the same time be willing to act with lightening speed to disrupt the Islamists.

Right now, those Islamsits are looking forward to re-starting the war with Israel – confronting Israel with massive terrorist attacks from the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and southern Lebanon.  Israel, caught between four fires, will be terribly vulnerable.  Better if one or more of the fires could be put out before it gets started.  As Israeli re-occupation of the West Bank is impractical (ties down too many Israeli units in occupation duty), the logical place to strike is in the Sinai…minimal Egyptian civil popualtion to control, it cuts off Gaza (thus putting that fire out) and would allow the IDF to concentrate on south Lebanon and the West bank with their southern and western fronts secure.

The worst thing Israel can do is just hunker down – MacArthur was once asked his formula for defensive war.  His answer?  “Defeat”.  Sitting there and waiting for the terrorists to strike won’t help…better a spoiling attack against them, throwing their plane in to confusion and allowing Israel a breathing space until a new American government comes to power…hopefully one with a more realistic understanding of the Islamists.