Wordless Wednesday

Check out http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/ for more great pictures.
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Cap and Tax to cost each family 4K per year?

An MIT Study put the cost to each American family at $3900/year.

"Not only is the link of carbon dioxide to global temperatures in question, our economy is struggling. We have unemployment rates approaching 10% and now we’re looking to pass a bill that will cost jobs and add burden to our families. This leaves an opening for the Republicans to step up and be a voice of reason. The question is, will they step up to the plate? " More at Right Wing Nut Job.

Tilt

I seem to have hit my limit. I just found out that I am not allowed to follow more than 300 blogs on my Google dashboard. Has anybody else had this problem? I may have to change my followers contract (see left column). I agree to follow those who follow me. So how can I continue to do that if my followers number over 300?

White House calls reporter the night before

I know we all suspected that the state-run media and the White House were in cahoots. But here it is. Bright as day. Hat tip to Gateway Pundit.

Funny Money Economy

The world believes that the US is borrowing money from capital markets. It is often said that the Chinese and the Japanese will buy government bonds. But the truth of the matter is that trust in the gravitas and reliability of the United States has suffered to such a great degree that fewer and fewer foreigners are purchasing its government bonds. That's why the Federal Reserve is now buying securities that it has printed itself. The Fed's balance sheet has more than doubled since 2007, making the US central bank one of the world's fastest-growing companies. The purpose of this company, though, is to create money out of thin air.

Can this be true? Gabor Steingart of Der Spiegel says so. He also says that Obama follows Larry Summers, his senior-most economic advisor, around like a lap dog.

The crisis, Summers intoned last week at a conference of Deutsche Bank's Alfred Herrhausen Society in Washington, was caused by too much confidence, too much credit and too many debts. It was hard not to nod along in agreement.
But then Summers added that the way to bring about an end to the crisis was -- more confidence, more credit and more debt. And the nodding stopped. Experts and non-experts alike were perplexed. Even in an interview following the presentation, Summers was unable to supply an adequate explanation for how a crisis caused by frivolous lending was going to be solved through yet more frivolity.

I am no economic expert. But even I know that this sounds bad.

Cap and Kill the Economy

You may have seen the gravestone citing America's creation date and the day of it's death. We now know the official death date of the United States of America was June 26, 2009. It didn't take a missile loaded with nukes from North Korea. It didn't take Al Qaeda to attack the economy with terrorism. It took eight Republicans and a few Democrats who failed to represent the people so they can relish in their narcissism.

In the coming years you will see factories close and go overseas--tired of trying to be patriotic and keep the jobs in America because of taxes on their production of carbon dioxide--a gas needed on the planet for life to exist. For you environmentalist who can't think beyond today, they will head to a country where there are no regulations, so tell me what did you win yesterday? One day you will realize you lost. You lost freedoms, jobs, and affordable energy.

I mourn today knowing the final knife into the back of great industrial power known as America was at the hands of eight Republicans--Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Mike Castle (R-DE), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), John McHugh (R-NJ), Dave Reichert (R-WA), and Rep. Chris Smith (NJ). If you seriously believe nationalized healthcare can be beat, you better look at how the Democrats bribed spineless politicians to change their votes during the cap and trade debate.

From Bungalow Bill's Conservative Wisdom.

This has special meaning for me. I live in the State of California. There are many people here who wonder why this state is almost bankrupt. Falling tax revenue and increased spending has certainly been a problem. The liberal-dominated state legislature has shown little, if any, restraint. But the crux of the issue began with creating a climate that was business-unfriendly. Businesses in this state were chased away by punitive taxes and rules. This created job loss. It was not remarkable that lower tax revenue resulted.

Obama, in his Saturday morning radio address today, touted the hundreds of jobs that are being created by his green projects. Those few jobs are a drop in the bucket compared to the number of jobs that should be available through a thriving free-market economy. Government jobs, in the economic sense, are not real jobs at all. They are paid with funny money. Picture this. Imagine a state where there is NO private economy. Everyone who works, works for the government. The government pays them, and they pay taxes back to the government, in addition to the costs of daily living. Their taxes are not enough to sustain the government. The system begins to starve. The only option is to borrow, which we do WAY too much. Print money, ala Monopoly, creating vicious inflation that impoverishes everybody. Or go bankrupt.

No, what this country needs is commerce. Private enterprise. Brave Americans with the confidence that their hard work will not earn them a kick in the teeth.

If the Cap and Tax bill passes the senate and is signed into law, don't come back to me and ask why our country is in financial trouble. Don't come crying and whining about jobs. If we allow our representatives to chase our businesses overseas, we have only ourselves to blame. You might need to polish up your passport and get a Rosetta Stone program and move your family overseas to get one of those jobs. Comprende?

Ladies at the Mall

Look Out! Can you believe she will be 21 soon?
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I love me some News Busted!

Conservative views. Free of posthumous content.

Contact rep TODAY re Cap and TAX

click to enlarge

If you want to see your country drown under a punitive energy tax system, move on and ignore this blog post. Otherwise, please contact your congressional representative TODAY and tell them to vote NO on Cap and Tax (trade) legislation. Here is a graphic, courtesy of Susan Duclos, that shows how this travesty of an idea will affect commerce and EVERYBODY in our (once) great nation.

Michelle Malkin lists those congress-people who are in need of a little push from us to help them to decide how to vote. Please, please make time for this.

Rally Against ObamaCare

There was a rally last night in front of the Salt Lake City ABC building, protesting the one-sided Socialized Healthcare Extravaganza. There were some really great signs. I just had to show you. Thanks to Just Another American Patriot.

Save Me From Government Health-Destruction

I didn't watch the ABC health-destruction extravaganza last night. I don't know where ABC is on my program lineup. However, I hear that there was a chink in Obama's armor. Obama admitted that he would not subject his own family to the care rationing and denial that he wants to foist on the rest of us.

Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the New York University Langone Medical Center, said that elites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick, they will be able to afford the best care available, even if it's not provided by insurance.

Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise that he wouldn't seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he's proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get.

The president refused to make such a pledge, though he allowed that if "it's my family member, if it's my wife, if it's my children, if it's my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care.

more here at Chicago Ray.

Gibson interjected that often patients don't know what will work until they get every test they can.

Hot Air calls it Obama's Michael Dukakis moment. He exposed himself as a hypocrite.

If ObamaCare isn’t good enough for Sasha, Malia, or Michelle, then it’s not good enough for America. Instead of fighting that impulse, Obama should be working to boost the private sector to encourage more care providers, less red tape and expense, and better care for everyone.

"Doctors can give survival odds to their patients, but the decision on what is and is not futile, when it comes to an individuals life, should be made by that individual.

Hope should never be ripped away from a person by the government, simply because that hope isn't cost effective." says Susan Duclos at Wake up America.

Those who celebrated 9 11 2001

I will not forget.
I have not yet been to the site of ground zero at the World Trade Center in New York. A buddy of mine was there visiting recently. My most vivid memory is of the jumpers who plummeted from the buildings. Here is a moving and graphic video.


9/11: Remembering the Jumpers (Edit 1) - video powered by Metacafe
Video from Bare Naked Islam.

And I will never forget the dancing Palestinians. They handed out sweets and danced in the streets. This is no faked-up video. I remember seeing this footage THAT DAY on September 11, 2001. Can you imagine my fury. Can you imagine that I will never forget. Actions have consequences.



The following is an excerpt from a story about Osama Bin Laden's reactions on September 11, 2001 from cnn.com, dated September 10, 2002.

It is September 11th, 2001, in Afghanistan. According to the accounts of men -- later interrogated by coalition intelligence officials - who were present through the night before and much of that day, bin Laden is observed in deep prayer and meditation.
As the hijackers board their planes in the United States, those sources said, only three people in Afghanistan have exact knowledge of the attack: bin Laden, his trusted military commander, Mohammed Atef, and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who was wanted by the U.S. since 1995 for his alleged role in a plan to blow up U.S. airliners flying from Southeast Asia.
They are the only ones of a group gathered in a safe house in Afghanistan who know precisely what is about to happen, according to coalition intelligence sources.
By the time American Airlines flight 11 slams into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, those intelligence officials said, bin Laden is sitting beside a short-wave radio and waiting for news. He says nothing. As people gather around, there is a bulletin about the first plane.
This seems to agree with bin Laden's version of events in the tape of the November meeting that was obtained by the U.S. government in Afghanistan and released last December.
On that tape, bin Laden is heard to say, "We had notification since the previous Thursday that the event would take place that day. We had finished our work that day and had the radio on. It was 5:30 p.m. our time. I was sitting with Dr. Ahmad Abu-al-Khair. Immediately we heard the news that the plane had hit the World Trade Center, we turned the radio station to the news from Washington. The news continued and no mention of the attack until the end. At the end of the newscast, they reported that a plane just hit the World Trade Center."
Citing accounts of the men who were with him, intelligence sources said bin Laden begins weeping and praying, then shouts "Allah Akbar" (God is great). Then, in a chilling sign he knows what is still to come, the sources said, bin Laden raises his arm and lifts 2 fingers.
This is perhaps what bin Laden's spokesman, Sulamein Abu Gheith, is talking about on the tape in his account of what happened.
"So I went back to the Shaykh (Bin Laden) who was sitting in a room with 50 to 60 people. I tried to tell him about what I saw, but he made gestures with his hands, meaning 'I know, I know.'"
After first plane hit, 'be patient'
On the tape, bin Laden himself also offered a clue to his behavior.
"They were overjoyed when the first plane hit the building so I said to them: 'Be patient.'"
Bin Laden then moves to an adjacent room equipped with satellite TV. More people gather to watch with him -- and they begin to record coverage of the events. One of the videotapes among those in the archive of al Qaeda tapes recently obtained by CNN in Afghanistan also included recorded television news coverage of the attacks.
At this point, the sources said, bin Laden is silent. Then cameras catch United Airlines Flight 175 as it crashes into the South Tower.
"After a little while, they announced that another plane had hit the World Trade Center. The brothers who heard the news were overjoyed by it," bin Laden would later say at the November meeting.
When the second tower was (is) hit, according to the intelligence sources, Bin Laden again prays and weeps, shouting "Allah Akhbar." Then he lifts three fingers and it becomes clear to the people in the room that he is signaling that a third attack is still to come, the sources said.
It does: American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.
Bin Laden recounted what happened next on the November tape. "The difference between the first and second plane hitting the towers was 20 minutes. And the difference between the first plane and the plane that hit the Pentagon was one hour."
Again bin Laden prays, weeps and shouts "Allah Akhbar." This time he lifts four fingers.
Those beside him wait for the fourth attack. Only the select few know this hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 is aimed, as US investigators now believe, at the White House.
"They were overjoyed when the first plane hit the building so I said to them: 'Be patient.'"— Osama bin Laden
But passengers on United Flight 93 rush the cockpit to prevent the hijackers from achieving their aim and the plane crashes in a Pennsylvania field.
Even as the fourth attack fails, the World Trade Center towers collapse -- something that bin Laden, who once worked in his family's construction business, anticipated in part, according to the meeting tape.
"Due to my experience in this field, I was thinking that the fire from the gas in the plane would melt the iron structure of the building and collapse the area where the plane hit and all the floors above it only. This is all we had hoped for," bin Laden said on the tape.
As night fell on Afghanistan on September 11, bin Laden's followers again watched as he prayed and wept. They waited for him to raise his hand to indicate a fifth attack. He never did.

I think I found KOOK's tinfoil hat

This is not the post you were looking for.
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Hello from the Beauty Salon

I am waiting to get my hair done and I thought of you. I hope this pic is good. I can't always tell the quality of the pics on my little cell phone screen. But I will just have to take that chance.
I have an idea for a blog post for later, but I need to do some research first.
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Iranian students in garage after shoot-out

Warning: graphic. Iranian students are getting slaughtered every day. "But, Barack Obama is STILL waiting to see if "Iran chooses a path that abides by international norms and principles" before he cancels the party with the regime on the 4th of July," says Gateway Pundit.

This Burns Me Up

Obama says that the FEDERAL DEFICIT is caused by health care. Ya. Crisis, crisis! And the solution happens to be whatever is at the top of Obama's agenda at the time. Nice try, BOZO. Then he goes on to talk about Medicare and Medicaid growing at an unaffordable rate. And his solution is to SPEND MORE MONEY COVERING MORE AMERICANS. This is the most bass-ackwards reasoning I have ever heard!

President Obama blamed health care costs for the mounting federal deficit, saying Tuesday the country will spend $1 out of every $5 on health care within the next 10 years if the government does not mandate reform.

Describing the need to control costs as the administration's "top priority," the president said health costs as the "primary driver" of the federal deficit.

"The U.S. government is not going to be able to afford Medicare and Medicaid on its current trajectory," Obama told reporters during his fourth solo news conference Tuesday. "The notion that we can somehow keep on doing what we're doing and that's somehow OK, that's just not true."

More here.

9 Simple Truths

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.


- William J.H. Boetcker, 1916, often attributed to Abraham Lincoln

I saw this in a post by Left Coast Rebel, in which he goes on to describe each of these 9 points. Very nicely done. Thanks for the reminder. I recommend following the link to his blog to see his thoughtful expansion on these ideas.

Boys+dirt equals fun

We made a Home Depot run and put some six packs into the ground. It's great to have helpers.
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It's a daunting task

Jimmy d wrote about a speech by Charles Krauthammer.

1. Mr. Obama is a very intellectual, charming individual. He is not to be underestimated. He is a ‘cool customer’ who doesn't show his emotions. It's very hard to know what's ‘behind the mask’. Taking down the Clinton dynasty by a 'political neophyte' was an amazing accomplishment. The Clintons still do not understand what hit them. Obama was in the perfect place at the perfect time.

2. Obama has political skills comparable to Reagan & Clinton. He has a way of making you think he's on your side, agreeing w/ your position, while doing the opposite. Pay no attn. to what he SAYS; rather, watch what he DOES!

3. Obama has a ruthless quest for power. He did not come to Washington to make something out of himself, but rather to change everything, incl. dismantling capitalism. He can’t be straightforward on his ambitions, as the public would not go along. He has a heavy hand, & wants to ‘level the playing field’ w/ income redistribution & punishment of the achievers of society. He would like to model the USA to Great Britain or Canada.

4. His 3 main goals are to control ENERGY, PUBLIC EDUCATION, & NAT’L HEALTHCARE by the Fed. govt. He doesn't care about the auto or financial services industries, but got them as an early bonus. The cap & trade will add costs to everything & stifle growth. Paying for FREE college education is his goal. [O'D NOTE: Cuz LEFTISTS control MOST universities` already.] Most scary is healthcare program, because if you make it FREE & add 46,000,000 people to a Medicare-type single-payer system, the costs will go thru the roof. The only way to control costs is w/ massive RATIONING of services, like in Canada. God forbid.

5. He’s surrounded himself w/ mostly far-left academic types. No one around him ever has run even a candy store. But they’re going to try & run the auto, financial, banking & other industries. This obviously can’t work in the long run. Obama’s not a socialist; rather a far-left secular progressive bent on nothing short of revolution. He ran as a moderate, but will govern from the hard left. Again, watch what he does, not what he says.

6. Obama doesn’t really see himself as President of the USA, more as a ruler over the world. He sees himself above it all, trying to orchestrate & coordinate various countries & their agendas. He sees moral equivilency in all cultures. His apology tour in Germany & England was a prime example of how he sees America, as an imperialist nation that has been arrogant, rather than a great noble nation that has at times made errors. This is the 1st President ever who has chastised our allies & appeased our enemies!

7. He’s now handing out goodies. He hopes that the bill (& pain) will not ‘come due’ until after he’s reelected in 2012. He’d like to blame all problems on Bush from the past, & hopefully his successor in the future. He has a huge ego, & Mr. Krauthammer believes he is a narcicist.

8. Republicans are in the wilderness for a while, but will emerge strong. We’re ‘pining’ for another Reagan, but there’ll never be another like him. He believes Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty & Bobby Jindahl (except for his terrible speech in Feb.) are the future of the party. Newt Gingrich is brilliant, but has baggage. Sarah Palin is sincere & intelligent, but seriously really needs to be boning up on facts & info if she’s to be a serious candidate in the future. We need to return to the party of lower taxes, smaller govt., personal responsibility, strong nat’l defense, & states’ rights.

9. The current level of spending is irresponsible & outrageous. We’re spending trillions that we don’t have. This could lead to hyper inflation, depression or worse. No country ever has spent themselves into prosperity. T he media are giving Obama, Reid & Pelosi a pass because they love their agenda. But eventually the bill will come due & people will realize the huge bailouts didn’t work, nor will the stimulus pkg. These were trillion-dollar payoffs to Obama’s allies, unions & the Congress to placate the left, so he can get support for #4 above.

10. The election was over in mid-Sept. when Lehman brothers failed. Fear & panic swept in, we had an unpopular President, & the war was grinding on indefinitely w/o a clear outcome. The people are in pain, & the mantra of ‘change’ caused people to act emotionally. Any Dem would have won this election; it was surprising is was as close as it was.

11. In 2012, if the unemployment rate is over 10%, Republicans will be swept back into power. If it's under 8%, the Dems continue to roll. If it's between 8-10%, it’ll be a dogfight. It’ll all be about the economy.

I hope this gets you really thinking about what's happening in Washington & Congress. There’s a left-wing revolution going on, according to Krauthammer, & he encourages us to keep the faith & join the loyal resistance. The work will be hard, but we’re right on most issues & can reclaim our country, before it's far too late.

Thanks to Aristotle the Hun for sharing this post.

Obama's healthcare Deception

I'll give you a hint. It's not about choice.

Hello from graduation

My son. I cannot be more proud of you than I am today. Congratulations on seeing your years of hard work come to fruition. I am excited to see your future unfold. You are going places, kid!
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High school graduation

My 18-year-old son is graduating from high school at this moment. He is in this crowd of students. I love mobile blogging.
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Internet=favorite source of news, Zogby says

...by a WIDE margin.

A majority of adults nationwide - 56% - said that if they had to choose just one source for their news information, they would choose the Internet, the poll shows. In a distant second place was television, as 21% said they would prefer that medium over online sources.

Says Zogby International. Note that 10% choose paper newspapers.

Democrats were more likely to favor traditional sources of news than were Republicans. Among Republicans, 56% would prefer the Internet as their lone information source, while 50% of Democrats agreed. But when it came to newspapers, the difference was notable - 17% of Democrats would prefer newspapers as their only news source, while just 5% of Republicans agreed.

This makes sense. More Democrats prefer the liberal state-run media than Republicans.
The poll goes on to say that in 1998, the preference for internet news was at 38%, and television news was at 17%. Paper newspapers were at 16%, much higher than today. Gosh, what could have happened to cause Americans to become disillusioned with the nation's newspapers????!
Here is the part of the story that I disagree with.

By contrast, the political blogosphere was seen as much less important to most adults across the country. Just 28% said blogs that shared their political point of view were important, and 14% said they felt blogs from the opposite position on the political spectrum were important.

Where was the comparison to 1998 blog preferences? I bet it is MUCH higher now than then. So where does Zogby get the notion that the blogosphere was "much less important to most adults"? Compared to what? Less than other internet sources? That is the only thing I can think of. Because even if you take the average of 28% and 14%, which is 21%, this is still EQUAL to the number of people who prefer television news. THIS IS HUGE. Who would have ever dreamed that citizen journalists, Bloggers, would attain this type of stature so quickly. I see that the influence of the internet, and bloggers, is on the upswing. Look at the Tea Party movement. How did all those people get their information to show up at events? The internet. How are the Iranian protesters getting their information? The internet. Blogs. Twitter. We are growing in number and influence, folks. No doubt about it.
Face it. WE ROCK!

Edited to add an enthusiastic HELLO to the lovely ladies of Ann's Virtual Girl's Night Out.



Have I been told I look like a celebrity? Meredith Baxter Birney, on occasion.

"What would we do, baby, without us? What would we do baby, without us? Well there ain't no nothin' we can't love each other through. What would we do, baby, without us. Sha na na na."

The boy loves to play

He has hit a very cute stage, if I may say so myself.
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It's a sorry sight

Here's a new word. Apologism. I am against it. Along with socialism, communism and liberalism. Not the medicine America needs.

Thatcher mops floor with Socialist Imbeciles

"Yes, he would rather have the poor poorer, provided that the rich are less rich...so long as the gap is smaller, they'd rather have the poor poorer. You don't create wealth and opportunity that way....A single currency is about the politics of Europe; it is about a Federal Europe through the back door. I'm enjoying this!"
Thank you Nearly Nobody's News.

Swordless Sailors

From the Washington Times.

Graduating midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis are being told in writing to leave at home or in their vehicles all "ceremonial swords" and anything else "that might be considered a weapon or a threat by screeners" for Friday's outdoor commencement ceremonies featuring an address by President Barack Obama.
Inside the Beltway has obtained the academy's list of prohibited items for this year's graduation exercises, which, besides ceremonial swords, includes umbrellas.

Barry Carson has this take on it:

From today's you couldn't make it up if you tried file.......Obama's protectors have ordered graduating Midshipmen....and I suppose Commissioned Officers through Flag rank...to leave their swords at home. Full Dress White includes "wear sword".
More to the point...those badges of office have been earned in a manner Obongo and his minions just wouldn't begin to understand.
Important traditions that inspire are kind of lost on the red banner crowd, apparently.
Further, ceremonial swords never seemed to bother the Secret Service for any previous President. And before World War II, the swords were not particularly "ceremonial", I've seen some of those blades, boarding actions did occur on the China Station pre-war against river pirates, warlords, etc.

Those swords were worn not just to graduation, but to Inaugurations, in the receiving line at the White House afterward, to the Inaugural Ball. Somehow nobody gave it a second thought. Somehow even Presidents in the past didn't presume to specify items of uniform.

But of course, what worked for Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, F.D.R., the Bushes, T.R., any other rational non-cult leader.....doesn't work for this former state senator anointed by the Chicago machine.

Does he secretly consider our Naval and Military leaders "the enemy"?

Perhaps the message this sends escaped his handlers. Sad.
And .....follow me on this Obama and minions.....insulting. Actually it's contemptible.

I am truly speechless.

Is it over for Achmadinejad?

(Daylife)

Azarmehr thinks it's over.

"There is so much to post, I don't even know where to begin! but as I said on Aljazeera English, once the crowds reach 2 million that is it, there is no going back. This is the critical mass I have always talked about. This is what tips the balance, when people see such large numbers, their fear disappears and at the same time the riot guards become more unwilling to beat up the protesters and scared of their own future. We have now reached that point. So long as people lead with their demands and are not fooled by compromises designed to take the sting out of their momentum, then our day has finally come!"

The Basji thugs have begun to use machetes and shooting into the crowds from the rooftops. There is blood in the streets. It may be that this will inflame the Iranian people to stand up for democracy. Azarmehr is hoping for the establishment of a secular democracy in Iran. Could we, as a world, be so lucky? If it happens, it will be no thanks to Obama.

Thank you, Gateway Pundit, for pointing me to these stories.

The Obama Effect? Iran's election result proves the US formula in the Middle East is not working

I thought you might enjoy reading this article by Michael Rubin from the Middle East Quarterly.

"On June 4, President Barack Obama declared, "I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world." Awed by Obama's rhetoric, many commentators -- blogger Juan Cole and MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann, for example -- suggested that an "Obama Effect" could usher in a new era of hope and change in the Middle East, and a pro-American outcome in Lebanese elections earlier this month seemed to cooperate with the theory.

After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection in Iran, we can now say with confidence: There is an Obama Effect, but it has less to do with reform and more to do with American arrogance and the triumph of advocacy over analysis.

Look carefully at how things unfolded in Tehran. Outreach to the Islamic Republic is Obama's signature foreign policy issue. A week into his presidency, Obama extended an olive branch to Tehran, asking the regime to unclench its fist. Two months later, Obama broadcast a message to Iran, for the first time recognizing the ayatollahs as the legitimate representatives of the Iranian people. Last month, Obama acknowledged the Islamic Republic's right to enrich uranium and, in Cairo, the he acknowledged CIA involvement in the overthrow of an Iranian government more than a half-century ago.

Rhetoric, concession and apology, however, are not enough to alter reality. On Friday, millions of Iranians cast votes in hotly contested presidential elections, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Holocaust-denying president who defies nuclear safeguards and mocks U.S. weakness, won a second term.

Many journalists and diplomats believe the election was fixed. Perhaps it was. But this is Iran, where the word of the Supreme Leader trumps everything.

Obama, embracing what might be called born again diplomacy, believes he can reset all bilateral relations with the press of a button. But the failure of engagement with rogue regimes has less to do with his predecessors and more to do with the nature of the enemy. If the Islamic Republic blatantly throws an election, why should the White House believe they will honor diplomatic commitments?

Obama's partisans misunderstand Lebanon as well. The victorious coalition coalesced in anger to the Syria-sponsored assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister. George W. Bush responded by isolating Damascus diplomatically to force Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon. Rather than maintain pressure on the Syrian regime, Obama has reversed Syria's isolation. Recognizing that it will not be held to account, Syria will simply accelerate its provision of weaponry to Hezbollah so it can achieve through guns what it has not at the ballot box.

Both Iranians and Lebanese deserve praise for engaging enthusiastically in the democratic process. Both peoples are courageous in the face of oppression. But Obama has no magic wand. The more his policy rests on rhetoric alone and ignores reality, the greater the ultimate risk of conflict.

Michael Rubin, a senior editor of the Middle East Quarterly, is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School."

This type of an effect reminds me of the weakness of the Carter years. President Carter, a sweet man with a smile to win the world, did not win the world. He won us derision. Obama, at home, is a hell-bent socialist/communist (advocating government takeovers). Abroad, he is another smiling, hand-shaking Jimmy Carter. Let's just all get along now, OK? We'll negotiate with the moderate taliban. Obama's anti American rhetoric emboldens our foes and puts our allies in danger.

Hello from Adventure City

Now this is real-time mobile blogging. The kids and I are here with friends to celebrate my son's 6th birthday. The birthday boy is wearing the blue shirt and baseball cap. This is a preschool-sized amusement park.
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No Government Heathcare, Please.

It is time to look at another poster from Michelle Malkin's Obamacare poster contest. If you are worried about Nationalized Healthcare, please take the time to call, email or fax your congressman or senator. I did a google search for my reps, found their official websites, and used their own email contact form. That way they know for sure that I am a constituent. And I told them clearly that I am against Socialized Medicine. Please do the same, if you care. If you don't wish to live under socialism, now is the time to speak up.

The Harry Potter Incentive

Getting boys to *love* reading can be a tricky business. Having the Harry Potter series in the house makes it easier. The most crucial time is the mid-grade-school years. If kids don't develop a love of reading by then, it may never happen. Enter Harry Potter. I have read this entire series to my 10-year-old boy already, and he asked me to start it again. But this time he began reading ahead. I come back for the next evening's bedtime story and we have skipped 3 chapters. I can't describe the feeling of exultation that this brings. Like watching a child swim across the pool alone, or wobble on their first solo bike ride. When a child reads for pleasure, and not because it is an assignment, a huge chasm has been crossed. And this affects the child's future. The best writers I know are people who love books.

Verizon Blackberry is Useless Today

In their infinite wisdom (NOT), Verizon Wireless chose today to send a notice to ALL U.S. Blackberry customers. It is time to log on and update your email password. This has caused the system to crash. I can't even get onto the internet from my cell phone. I told the customer service rep that, in the future, they should figure out a way to break it up into small groups so that the system is not overloaded. No mobile blogging for me today.

Obama reveals hatred and struggle dealing with White Folks

This is all in Obama's own words. Shocking when you see it all together. Worth the 9 minute investment of time.

Thank you again Nearly Nobody's News.

Still time to defeat Obamacare?

Dick Morris writes, "The old recession — that the public says was caused by Bush — shows signs of winding down. But the new recession and/or inflation — triggered by Obama’s massive deficits — is just now coming upon us.

If Obama refuses to cut back on his spending/stimulus plans (despite convincing evidence that Americans are not spending the money), he has three options:

a) He can raise taxes, which will trigger a deeper recession;

b) He can print money, which will trigger huge inflation;

c) He can pay more interest to borrow money, which will send the economy diving down again.

The blame for these outcomes will fall squarely on Obama’s deficit and spending policies. The fact that Americans are aware of these issues, and already disapprove of Obama’s performance on them, indicates that they will be increasingly receptive to blaming him for the “new” recession.

Interestingly, Obama’s polling is now the exact opposite of President Clinton’s in the days after Monica Lewinsky. Back then, the president’s approval for handling specific issues was his forte, while his job approval remained high but his personal favorability lagged 20 points behind. Ultimately, it is a politician’s performance on specific issues that determines his electability. Personal favorability withers in the face of issue differences. Obama is about to find out that you cannot rely on image to bolster your presidency when the underlying issues are crumbling.

All this data suggests that Obama might run out of steam just as he gets to his healthcare agenda. As unemployment mounts, month after month, and Obama’s claims of job creation (or savings) ring hollow, it is possible that he will not have the heft to pass his radical restructuring of the healthcare system. The automaton Democratic majority may pass it anyway, but it will be a one-way ticket to oblivion if they do." (emphasis mine)

I can only hope that government healthcare is dashed on the shoals of the American independent spirit. If there is anybody here who insists on living under government healthcare, there are plenty of places in the world in which to live. And I hear they are accepting immigrants.

I will be emailing and faxing my congress-people to remind them of their "one-way ticket to oblivion".

Above is a submission to Michelle Malkin's Obamacare poster contest.

Wordless Wednesday

More Wordless Wednesday here.

Sweet Baby

From Michael Josephson: "The best graduation speech I've ever heard was only five minutes long. It got a standing ovation – something I never saw before at a graduation ceremony. Most surprising of all, the speaker was an eighth grader.

It was my daughter Abrielle. For listeners who hate my proud daddy moments, turn the volume down.

Sure, I’d given her advice (“Make ’em laugh, make ’em think, and make ’em cry”) and she let me read and comment on her text, but she was adamant that this was to be her speech, not mine. And it was. It was uniquely Aby, not just in content but in a poised and charming delivery – despite wind blowing the graduation certificates off a table and having to pause to deal with her own unexpected tears.

She told funny stories, poking fun at herself, her classmates, and especially her teachers. Then she complimented the teachers and led a “give it up” cheer for them, only to conclude: “Okay, teachers are important, but let’s not get carried away. Getting an education is a side benefit. The real purpose of middle school is to make friends and have fun – am I right?”

Then she changed the mood, reminding her classmates to think about the three years of intense adolescent emotion – conversations, fights, getting caught between feuding friends, sharing deepest thoughts, and crying on each others’ shoulders.

Summing up, she said, “When we think back on these years, we will think about what happened to us and around us. But what was really the most important was what happened in us.

“When all is said and done,” she added, “the crucial years we spent in middle school were really about growing up…and you know what? That’s what high school is going to be like. And, in fact, the rest of our lives.”

I, of course, cried when I realized how much she has grown up.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts."
I sometimes listen to the radio in the wee hours of the morning to sooth myself back to sleep if I awaken. I often hear commentary by Michael Josephson from charactercounts.org. I have meant to share his commentary with you, but don't tend to remember to do so in the light of day. This morning's commentary brought tears to my eyes. As a mother of 2 grown and 4 growing children, this cuts straight to my heart. Bravo, little one!

How many lists are you on?

"The ratio of donations for dealers that were shuttered was 42 to 1, GOP to Democrat.

Again here is what we know so far--
** Earlier it was reported that the Obama Administration may have targeted GOP donors in deciding which Chrysler dealerships would have to close their doors.
** Later it was discovered that a Big Dem Donor Group was allowed to keep all 6 Chrysler dealerships open.... And, their local competitors were eliminated.


Lets see, which lists am I on?

- believer that BHO will stop at nothing to attain power
- believer that our Democracy is at serious risk, and am afraid
- Love my country, don't apologize for anything
- believer in Liberty, not Tyranny
- Love Country music
- Reagan conservative, registered constitutional party
- believer that the country is being pushed towards European style socialism
- donor to many Republican candidates in the past
- physician who is opposed to Socialized Health Care
- pro-life, advertise that fact with pro-life car tags
- listener to conservative talk radio
- watcher of Fox news
- refuse to watch CNN, MSNBC, or any of the network news programs
- thinks that the New York Times is no better than Pravda
- reader of the Constitution, and wonders why BHO is trying to tear it down
- anti-illegal immigration, pro legal immigration
- Vigorous 2nd Amendment supporter
- gun owner
- attender of gun shows
- NRA Life member, sports NRA bumper stickers, T-shirts, etc.
- Believer in God, wants to keep "In God we trust"
- vehemently opposed to the massive government spending of late
- contributor to political PACs
- believer that we are at war with Islamofascists, user of the term "Terrorist"
- believer in term limits - "throw all the bums out and start new"
- supporter of the Fair Tax
- supporter of Israel, and believer that they have the right to take out Iran's nukes
- supporter of "Drill here, drill now, pay less"
- thinks that man caused Global Climate Change is BS
- opposed to government bail outs of Banks, Auto companies, whatever
- thinks that Supreme Court Justices should interpret the law, not make policy
- believer that the country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles
- don't want to pay any one else's mortgage
- believer that BHO is dangerous and often blog to that fact
- supporter of the military
- retired USN"

Thanks to 1veritas.

The Welfare State (interpretation of Psalm 23)

"The GOVERNMENT is my shepherd: I need not work!
It alloweth me to lie down on a good job;
It leadeth me beside still factories;
It destroyeth my initiative.
It leadeth me in the path of a parasite for politic’s sake;
Yea, though I walk through the valley of laziness and deficit-spending, I will fear no evil, for the government is with me.
It prepareth an economic Utopia for me, by appropriating the earnings of my own grandchildren.
It filleth my head with false security;
My inefficiency runneth over.
Surely the government should care for me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in a fool’s paradise forever"

Author Unknown

I love Psalms. A timeless message.

Quotable Sunday

"Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born."--Ronald Reagan

Stolen from Bungalow Bill's Conservative Wisdom.

More quotes at A Daily Dose of Toni.

Boys Ready For Summer

They were too excited to stand still, so I took an action shot. Fun in the sun.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

New Car from Congressional Motors

Fun video. "Base Model Pelosi with sassy styling pizazz. You'll never be late to the disco or day labor shelter, lol. Slices through the wind like an omnibus spending bill, he he." Thank you to Lady Di.

Dick Cheney's Popularity is on the Rise-News Busted

I know the news isn't fun lately. But you may change your mind when you see these clips. Have a laugh and feel vindicated at the same time. The top one is the most recent.



Thanks you to Nearly Nobody's News for finding another great video clip!

The Technorati List

Posted by

It's time to repost our list.
If you want to join, follow these simple steps.

~Copy and paste this blog post into a new blog post on your site.
~Come back here and leave a comment with a full link address to direct us to your post.
~Your link will then be added to the list.

When the list ends in late June, come back and update your list with all of the members. We are atttempting to limit this list to 100 blog links.

SitedandBlogged

The Contest Hub

I am Harriet


Lifes Perfect Pictures

Diana Rambles

Insanity and Bliss

Lolas Diner

Life is Sweet

Happy Healthy Families

Five Monkeys

http://www.mftawk.com/2009/05/

http://www.ilikeitfrantic.net/2009/06/technorati-list.html http://theredheadriter.blogspot.com/2009/06/technorati-list.html http://yesiknowwhatcausesthat.blogspot.com/2009/06/technorati-list.html

Remember to post your links to Harriet's list on Sited and Blogged. It is her club, through MBC. So happy to see that the rules are being tightened up a bit. It will be better for everyone in the long run.

June Pleasures

I have been sticking with my exercise program. One of the rewards is that I get to see, up close while I walk, the gorgeous blooming trees of our neighborhood. One tree in particular, the Jacaranda Mimosifolia, is covered in purple blossoms. I fell in love with this tree when I came to So Cal back in my college days. In June these trees burst forth, and pedestrians walk decadently on a tender carpet of purple blossoms.
One thing that didn't strike me until this year was that the Jacaranda blooms at the very same time as its namesake, the Mimosa tree. Mimosifolia means that the foliage of the Jacaranda tree resembles that of the Mimosa tree. And Mimosa trees remind me of a very good friend of mine, may she rest in peace, who used to live across the street from me when I was in high school. This lady taught me to cook on my long latchkey afternoons. Here's to you, Lin Isabeau, wherever you are.

Cover-up: CBS bans eligibility billboards

"The company touting itself as the "world's largest out-of-home media" enterprise has banned WND's national billboard campaign that asks one simple question: "Where's the birth certificate?"
CBS Outdoor, a division of CBS Corp. that sells more outdoor advertising than any other billboard company in North America, refuses to accept purchases of space on any of its 550,000 displays nationwide, media buyers for WND report.
The billboard campaign was begun last month by Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, due to his frustration with media colleagues not giving attention to what he sees as critical questions about Barack Obama's constitutional eligibility to serve as president.
"Here we have one of the largest media companies in the U.S. now not only refusing to allow news coverage of a vitally important national question being asked by millions of Americans, but one that won't even permit the purchase of space to raise the question," said Farah. "What is the value of a First Amendment in a country when this kind of self-censorship is at work – self-censorship specifically geared to stifle inquiry and debate about the most powerful person in the country."', according to world net daily.

Indefinite Detention? Shame on you, Mr. Obama

Rachel Maddow, of the most liberal MSNBC, is aghast that Obama's plans for Prolonged Detention exceed those of any president EVER.

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew;
And then... they came for me... And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

China blocks access to Blogger, Twitter...

...as the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protest (Thursday) approaches. "Beijing turned up the volume on the "Great Firewall of China" Tuesday, blocking nearly a dozen Western Web sites and search engines.
Thursday is the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and as a foretaste, Chinese users were denied access to Blogger, Flickr, Twitter, Livejournal, Tumblr, the Huffington Post and Microsoft's Live.com, Hotmail, its MSN Space blog tool and its new search engine Bing," and You Tube. More info here.

I guess mainland Chinese bloggers will not be able to see my post about this guy.

And they will probably also miss my post about Penn and Teller and the Chinese Bill of Rights.

edited to add: Left Coast Rebel posted a nice summary of the events surrounding the Tiananmen Massacre. It is imperative that we understand history, so that we will not have to relive it.

My wish is for all people to live with the blessings of peace and freedom from oppression.

Hottie Carrie Prejean on Fox and Friends

Local girl makes good.

Thanks to Nearly Nobody's News.

Israel Prepares for the Worst

The Dry Bones Blog talks about how Obama is talking to Israel and the Palestinians. "When Obama met Israel's leader, he stated firmly what Israel needs to do! And then, when he met with the Palestinian leader he did exactly the same. He stated firmly what Israel needs to do!"
The cartoonist goes on to describe the civil defense exercise. "The script assumes that we've been simultaneous hit by Hamas, Hezbollah, attacked by local Arabs, and bombarded by missiles. All of our hospitals, civil defense people, police, army, and the general public will take part in the exercise. Testing sirens, setting up road blocks, running to municipal bomb shelters, evacuating "the wounded".
We're looking reality in the eye."