From Reuters:

NATO admitted it carried out an air strike that killed civilians in Tripoli on Sunday.

“Although we are still determining the specifics of this event, indications are that a weapons system failure may have caused this incident,” said Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, Commander of Operation Unified Protector in a statement.

NATO said a military missile site was the intended target of the air strikes and acknowledged the civilian casualties…

We’ve been at this three months and we’re still fooling around with knocking out Libyan missiles sites – 9 civilians are dead and calls for an end to this campaign will just grow from this point on. Had we fought this war as a war from the get-go and with full effort to end it swiftly, then this campaign would have ended within two weeks of its start, and thus there would have been no need to try and take out a missile site three months on.

When you go to war you go to war, darn it. You don’t half-in, half-out maybe we’ll fight today, maybe not tomorrow. The way we’re conducting the war in Libya is asinine beyond belief. While we can hope that the President will see the folly of his plan and change it, the more likely outcome will be some liberal hand-wringing and then some sort of sorta-ending which likely will leave Ghaddafi in charge.

Just disgusting.

J E Dyer over at Hot Air has the story of the collection of kooks and scoundrels who are setting up another “Gaza flotilla” to “break the blockade of Gaza”:

…The ships left in the flotilla are the US and Canadian “Boats to Gaza,” the Irish Boat, the Swiss-German Boat, the Italian Boat, the Greek Boat, the Netherlands Boat, the Norwegian-Swedish Boat, and possibly one or two Spanish Boats. (CrethiPlethi has a very extensive write-up from late May.) That tally squares roughly with the Wednesday statement of activist Adam Shapiro (founder of the International Solidarity Movement, or ISM) that about 10 ships, other than the IHH contingent, would sail in the flotilla, which will reportedly get underway next week.

Thus, it is ships sailing under the flags of NATO and the EU that will be attempting to break the blockade of Gaza. But not all the flags of NATO; only the flags that fly over the liberal, democratic, traditionally Christian nations. In the surreal progress of events, Islamic Turkey has dropped out…

There is, actually, no blockade of Gaza. You can get pretty much anything you want in to Gaza – you just have to get the cargo inspected by Israelis because for some strange reason, the Israeli government frowns upon sending weapons to people who have pledged to kill every last Jew…and who fire rockets on a regular basis in to Israel. I know, go figure: what are the Israelis thinking? But, still, you can get stuff in. So, that isn’t what this “break the blockade” stuff is about.

It is also said that the purpose here is to help the people of Gaza be free. Trouble is, the government of Gaza is a collection of corrupt terrorists who will never, ever allow the people of Gaza to be free. The government of Gaza is like a normal, Third World government – it had a one man/one vote election, one time. The people who won will never voluntarily surrender power. And there is plenty of evidence to indicate that the government of Gaza is quite ruthless in suppressing anyone who doesn’t toe the line. So, this isn’t about freedom – in fact, by bringing in aid, you are probably solidifying the control of Hamas.

So, why is this flotilla going forward? Because the Big Lie works. Remember what the Big Lie is – the people will often not fall for a little lie, but if you tell a really gigantic whopper and just keep repeating it, people will come to believe.

The Big Lie in Gaza is that the Jews of Israel are the source of the trouble. This lie has been repeated endlessly and it has wormed its way in to the Western world. It took a good, long while – Israel, when it started out (and believe it or not) was considered heroic on the left. Jews had suffered from discrimination culminating in the Holocaust; the Jews or Israel were mostly of some socialist ideology; they were fighting against tyrannical regimes. What wasn’t to love? But after the 1967 and 1973 wars, a subtle line of propaganda began to be advanced that some how, some way, the people who had triumphed against the worst sort of enemies had done something wrong…that Israel owed redress to the defeated who had started unjust war. It took decades of advancing this before it started to become respectable, but now there are plenty of people who subscribe to it whole heartedly…even to the point of becoming the most rancid sorts of anti-Semites in their words and actions.

The end result of this is that a large collection of Americans and Europeans will spend a great deal of money and time on what they, themselves, will view as an heroic attempt to fight the oppressor. They simply will not see that what they are doing is helping an oppressor to attack a small, heroic nation of free men and women who want nothing more than to be left alone to live their lives. People who will, if they can get any kind of assurance against attack, will give land back to the enemies who tried to destroy them. People who will gladly help the people of Gaza raise their living standards. The topsy-turveydom of this effort is astounding – it is as if a group of people were trying to liberate Nazi-occupied France by sending weapons to the Germans.

Presumptively, the IDF has set afoot more efficient means of thwarting these fools so if push comes to shove they can be easily arrested – without any harm being done. But just imagine if you were an Israeli in 2011 who has been rocketed a dozen times by the Hamas thugs in Gaza…you’re at risk of death at any moment but the people who are coming to your land don’t want to help you; they want to help the people who are firing upon you! A hundred years from now people will look back in shock at this time and wonder just how we got ourselves so immersed in lies that murderers are eagerly assisted in murdering their victims…

From Reuters:

The International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for U.S. economic growth on Friday and warned Washington and debt-ridden European countries that they are “playing with fire” unless they take immediate steps to reduce their budget deficits.

The IMF, in its regular assessment of global economic prospects, said bigger threats to growth had emerged since its previous report in April, citing the euro zone debt crisis and signs of overheating in emerging market economies…

Gee, ya think? You mean that massive money printing to give China 10% “growth” and gigantic debt in the United States and Europe can cause a problem? Who would have thunk it?

Well, I did. So did anyone observing this who isn’t some sort of mindless drone or Ruling Class scam artist. There is nothing at all surprising, at this late a date, in the fact that fake money and high debt cause problems…one way or the other the debt has to come down. And it can only come down by spending cuts. Don’t fall for the siren song of higher taxes and expectations of higher growth – that is a dead end. The higher taxes will crush any higher growth you can expect. Only cuts will do it.

Our fundamental problem in this is that we’ve got President Obama. As long as he is President we simply will not get the policies necessary to fix the problem. Its not a matter of him being hostile to good policies – he lacks the knowledge and experience to even realize that there are different policies to be pursued. If you tried to bring up the things we need to do you’d probably get a blank stare…it is outside his experience; he’ll have no frame of reference to judge the policies.

So, just hang one. Get out of debt, save your money…hunker down and hope it doesn’t get too bad. If in January of 2013 we’ve got a new President and a GOP Congress, then we can set to work to fix things…until then we can only hope to hold the line.

Like the bits about Jindal – almost like he’s pre-selecting a VP. Perry/Jindal? It could work.

Anyways, the most important bit is the call to stop trying to make nice with liberals. While we must not hate them, we must recognize that they do hate us – and hate us with a white-hot passion. Nothing we ever do will change their views. We will always be racist, sexist, homophobic, bigoted bitter-clingers…so, don’t worry about what they think. Fight them, beat them…but don’t worry about what they’re saying or thinking except as it allows us to destroy them.

From the AP:

President Barack Obama may have been in Puerto Rico for only four hours, but his brief fundraising visit has unleashed a growing political furor in this U.S. Caribbean territory.

Legislators of Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood ruling party say they are resentful that he swooped in to raise about $1 million and did not offer any help or solutions as the island battles a soaring crime rate and higher unemployment compared with any U.S. state.

One legislator threatened to derail one objective of the president’s June 14 visit: to woo Hispanic voters on the mainland in his quest for re-election.

Local Sen. Melinda Romero, a delegate of the island’s chapter of the Democratic Party, said she has demanded an apology from Obama and will travel to the U.S. next week to meet with Puerto Rican leaders in key states including Florida and New York…

Talk about the gang that couldn’t shoot straight! You go to one of the poorest areas of the United States, raise a million dollars and then take off without offering anything…and all of it done as a cynical ploy to woo mainland hispanic voters for 2012! This guy Obama is a roving political disaster just waiting to happen.

The more I look at 2012 the more I see it as liberalism’s last stand – all the pandering, race-baiting, deal making, gamesmanship…it is all at long last wearing thin. The people see the naked emperor and are not inclined to play along anymore.

From Rasmussen:

…A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 77% of Likely Republican Primary Voters think that every one of the party’s presidential candidates would do a better job than the current occupant of the White House…

…Eighty-three percent (83%) of primary voters say they will vote for the Republican candidate even if their favorite does not capture the party’s presidential nomination. Seven percent (7%) will vote for Obama if that happens, while five percent (5%) will go for a third-party candidate.

Perhaps surprisingly, Tea Party members are more committed to supporting the GOP candidate than other Republicans. Among GOP primary voters who are Tea Party members, 92% will vote for the Republican candidate even if their favorite falls short of the nomination. Among non-Tea Party members, only 78% are that committed to the Republican candidate…

This is interesting for a couple reasons. First off, it shows that any of the current or prospective GOP field can win and unify the party behind him- or herself. Secondly, it shows that the people most likely to bolt the party if they don’t get their way are the more RINOish elements. That moderate GOPer who would like us all to unify behind that sorta-pro-life, kinda-fiscally-conservative candidate…he’ll take off if his man doesn’t get the nod. Meanwhile, the TEA Party fanatic will swallow pride and do what is right for America…getting the liberal out, no matter what.

To me, this is an overall healthy development for the GOP. It shows a growing sophistication on the right – a willingness, as long as core principals aren’t violated, to do what is necessary to win. I mean, there is a “RINO-too-far” possible – such as what happened in Delaware last year when TEA Party people backed the loser because the winner would have been so awful. But aside from really blatant examples of RINOism like that, TEA Party people have a realistic approach to politics. Additionally, as the GOP gains new adherents we are seeing the old RINOs fade from the party. They are probably leaving us – and soon will be gone. The last of the go-along-to-get-along GOP is either dying out or moving to the Democrats. We won’t long be troubled by them.

The GOP needs to be a firmly conservative/libertarian party in order to defeat liberalism. Only those who are willing to fight on principle can really help us to victory. It is an odd coalition – normally, libertarians and conservatives cannot work in harness – but it is the necessary coalition for the vital goal: getting liberalism out of power permanently. I think this is what we’re seeing in this poll – the development of that coalition. And I think it will win in 2012 and beyond, until liberalism really is destroyed.

After that, of course, it will promptly fall apart and libertarians and conservatives argue about various issues…but that is ok; if our two major parties are a Conservative and a Libertarian party, then America benefits.

For some odd reason, however, the KKK has not been invited – it must be an oversight:

Saturday, June 25th is heating up as Blacks nationally and worldwide are organizing rallies, boycotts, marches, teach-ins, free food and clothing drives and other strong actions in over 50 cities. This mobilization is being spearheaded by a national and international coalition of organizations and activists in conjunction with the New Black Panther Party…

…The “Day of Action and Unity II” promises to be exciting as these grassroots activist have selected such controversial locations such as the Weinberg Jewish Center, located at 5700 Park Heights Blvd. and also Platinum Jewelry in Harlem, New York, located at 326 W. 125th street, where the organizers plan to reach their goal of “boycotting all non-Black Businesses”…

Boycotts of non-black businesses? I’m sure I’ve heard of something similar before…let me think, I’m sure it will come to me…oh, yeah. Now I remember:

But, hey, what is a bit of racism and anti-Semitism? I mean, what harm can it do? We all know that the real problem is in those mean, old, bitter-clingers…nothing to see here, just Move On…

From David Isaac over at Shmuel Katz Blog:

A little over a month after former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s fall, Ayman Anwar Mitri, a Coptic Christian, was beaten by Islamists inside his apartment, which they had torched.

“When they were beating me, they kept saying: ‘We won’t leave any Christians in this country,’” Mr. Mitri recalled to The Wall Street Journal.

Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, recently wrote: “Since [late February], a heightened campaign of violence is being directed against Egypt’s Copts and is presaging a mass exodus from the country…”

All of you out there who support the Palestinian “right of return” – what of the Coptic “right to stay”? The Copts are the original Egyptians – Egypt has been their land since before recorded history began…and yet not a peep out of anyone for the fate of these poor people, now soon to be subjected to an Islamo-fascist, Moslem Brotherhood government. They are being persecuted for no other reason than the fact they are Christian – and far from offering any justification for attacks the Copts have, if anything, been entirely too supine in face of Moslem bigotry. Where are the demands for action?

Ah, but it doesn’t fit the narrative – which is that Moslems are just misunderstood and are, at any rate, far more tolerant than those mean, old Christians ever were. All of that being pure, unadulterated BS…a lie first created centuries ago when the original liberals in the 18th century wanted a handy club to beat Christianity with…and so they made up a story about enlightened, tolerant Islam.

What I really want to know is how long we Christians are supposed to just sit there and take it – how long will my brothers and sisters in Christ have to be sacrificed before we are allowed to stand up and oppose Islamism? What is the number of deaths, rapes and other outrages before we reach a number which justifies us striking back?

Rather disturbing report over at NRO – first off, the Susan B. Anthony List has created a pro-life pledge for potential GOP candidates:

Only nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, not legislating from the bench;

Select pro-life appointees for relevant Cabinet and Executive Branch positions, in particular the head of National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health & Human Services, and the Department of Justice;

Advance pro-life legislation to permanently end all taxpayer funding of abortion in all domestic and international spending programs, and defund Planned Parenthood and all other contractors and recipients of federal funds with affiliates that perform or fund abortions;

Advance and sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion.

And then NRO notes Romney has refused it – and given the following explanation as to why:

“Governor Romney pledged in the last campaign that he would be a pro-life president and of course he pledges it today,” Romney spokesman Andrea Saul told National Review Online in a statement. “However, this well intentioned effort has some potentially unforeseen consequences and he does not feel he could in good conscience sign it. Gov. Romney has been a strong supporter of the SBA List in the past and he looks forward to continue working with them to promote a culture of life.”…

…Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul e-mails NRO the details about the unintended consequences Romney is concerned about: “This pledge would require cutting off funding to thousands of healthcare facilities, including VA hospitals, that currently receive funding . It would also place severe restrictions on federal appointments to a broad variety of agencies.”

First off, if you are performing abortions you are not a “health care facility” – and if a determination to butcher children is so ingrained in an organization, then taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be going there, no matter what else they do. Secondly, if you are a pro-life President – as Romney claims he would be – then appointing a pro-abort to a position in which abortion is relevant would be a negation of “pro-life President”. I hate to say it, but it appears that all Romney wants to do is gain pro-life support without having to do all that tiresome, pro-life policy which would only crimp his style…after all, there might be some pro-abortion fanatic that Romney owes a favor to and what better way to reward such a person than to make them, say, head of the National Institutes of Health?

You either are or your are not pro-life – if you are pro-life, then the thought that an action of yours might in any way, shape or form advance the cause of abortion is a horror. Any pro-life person would eagerly sign such a pledge as this – and no one is forcing Romney to do so, but if you want to be pro-life it requires more than just a bit of lip service. Hopefully Romney will re-consider and do the right thing.

You just gotta love this guy:

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1

I do have my doubts that Christie has the understanding of the need for revolutionary change in the United States. That our problem is not just mis-management (though that is a huge problem) but the very system, itself. The combine of Big Government and Big Corporation all dominated by a liberal Ruling Class and entirely devoted to self-perpetuation – that is our problem. We have to dismantle it – break it down and allow the American people to live free. But, my goodness, Christie does have guts – I don’t know of any politician, even Ronald Reagan, who ever had so much willingness to completely speak his mind…and tell the truth, even when it can come across as brutal (it isn’t, really: it is actually quite nice…it is just that we are so used to going along with lies that truth seems out of place).

If he wants to get in for 2012, now is the time…