The first item-of-business is to recognize that a new-recipient said he wants to stop-smoking; thus, he may wish to interact with Bill Godshall @ Smoke-Free-PA, whose yeoman-efforts have been expended for a quarter-century [and who is now fighting for e-cigs, noting they create vapor and not smoke]. {Once Bill uploades his weekly literature-summaries onto scribd, they will be disseminated (hint/hint); meanwhile, he may confront the claim that Plain Packaging Failed as Cigarette Sales Rise in Australia.}
Victor David Hansen concluded Americans are getting the full measure of Brothel Government. We get lied to, everything is under the covers, we pay too much for the experience and what we get...may have consequences for which we never bargained. There no truth in a brothel. When a Republican holds office the media act as the Vice Squad; in this Administration, they are just down the hall with their legs in the air. And during Obama's second term, we are learning the true meaning of flexibility.
Next, it is desirable to summarize what was disseminated on Saturday by updating key-components thereof; for example, there will indeed be a high-profile effort to initiate a LGBTQ [with my son advising Q denotes Questioning and not Queer] entity within the loco-regional GOP, even as THE END OF GOPROUD has been declared [opening the way for the Log-Cabin effort to expand, one would presume]. Symptomatic of the challenge, here, is the fact that the CONSERVATIVE MEDIA REFUSE TO COVER NEW BOOK ON GAY MOVEMENT and that Hellfire and Brimstone Flew Over Gays at Texas GOP Convention [with Young Republicans Rejecting its Platform and its declining to Pass the Marijuana]. {Also, note that participants in this effort have a facebook page [Log-Cabin-Republicans-of-Pennsylvania].}
One point must be clarified; the Hellfire piece APPROPRIATELY [in my view] opens with a double-negative ["The Texas GOP Platform committee approved language in the 2014 Texas Republican Platform to prohibit Texas from creating laws to ban reparative therapy when such treatment is sought by a patient. Other states, like California and New Jersey have passed laws that interfere in the doctor or therapist-relationship.]. Thus, recognizing the importance of the competition extant in the free-market [and the ability, over many decades, for physicians to prescribe The Pill for dysmenorrhea], it is desirable to allow for people to pursue what others might condemn [without passing judgment on the posture of either individual]. This encompasses the Q-point made [perhaps inadvertently] by my son, namely, that a Questioning individual may wish to try-out what it might mean to go-straight [regardless of the outcome of this effort].
Regarding POTUS-16, Hillary claimed she differed with BHO on Middle East and dodged responsibility for Benghazi Security ['That's Why We Hire People'], although she Will Have 'Difficulty' Distancing herself from Obama. Hillary also claimed her family had a Knock Life After the White House, was dead broke by the time that her husband President Bill Clinton left the White House, but the couple still spent 1465
millions on expensive homes in Washington D.C. and New York. Even Chris Cuomo said Media Have Given Hillary a 'Free Ride.'
Political-controvesies debated currently that undoubtedly will rage into 16 include the effort to kill Common Core [The Texas GOP Convention, Public Education and Efforts to Stop Common Core; Bill Gates: Common Core Meant to Close Gap Between Poor and Wealthy Students; Strong Stop Common Core Plank Could Make GOP Platform], the VA [More than 57,000 veterans awaiting initial VA visits and Over 100,000 Veterans Face Delays Receiving Health Care]; ObamaDontCare [Fox News Poll: Voters regret ObamaCare, say country is worse off under new law and six Million Medicaid Enrollments Since Rollout of Obamacare].
Cruz Crushed Perry/Bush in Texas GOP Straw Poll and, as he chalked-up ANOTHER WIN, he showed TEXAS IS CRUZ COUNTRY [All Aboard the Ted Cruz Photo Train!]. This may be why the GOP Establishment [permanent political class in Washington, D.C.] is Ready to Wage War on Ted Cruz after the midterm elections, having failed to co-opt him, thus far; as has been noted repeatedly in these Blast e-mails, he is rapidly becoming the consensus of the Conservatives [even if its possible that pragmatic folk would slot him as veep behind Scott Walker]. Cruz @ the Texas-GOP Convention: 'Today Liberty Is Under Assault Like Never Before' and Texas Will Lead the Way in the Fight for Freedom. Once an outsider, Cruz is now Texas GOP's mainstream; the Republican establishment has regrouped and managed to brush back the tea party, except in Texas.
Meanwhile, Rand PAUL noted a 'CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REPUBLICAN' CAN'T WIN WH. He has been doing the most visible spadework of the partys potential presidential candidates; his PLAN TO TAKE OVER REPUBLICAN PARTY entails invoking SURVEILLANCE ISSUE AS KEY TO GOP RECOVERY WITH YOUTH and MINORITIES. He also said he would consider running for reelection and president at the same time, and that a Kentucky ballot law against dual candidacies would not be an obstacle. In this regard, both Noam Chomsky [Obama Determined To Demolish Our Civil Liberties] and Richard Murdoch [WARNS U.S. HEADING WAY OF NAZI GERMANY IN DRAMATIC FAREWELL SPEECH] are raising this concern; this may be the first time I ever agreed with Chomsky, on anything. {Also, inexplicably, a Judge Changed Mind & Said NSA Can Resume Destroying Evidence.}
The Trouble with 'Reform Conservatives' [according to JOEL B. POLLAK] is that these "policy wonks" [who want to "move the GOP beyond its Reagan-era script of cutting taxes and shrinking government and toward a focus on what a more limited government can and should do, especially for the middle class"] is that they failed to distinguish itself sufficiently from the liberal model because they regard citizensespecially in the so-called "middle class"primarily as consumers of government services; having failed to anticipate just how radical the Dems' agenda would be [and how urgent a response would be needed], their pitch contains elitism, ironically, when seeking a more populist GOP and, thus, their policy ideas are helpful as 2016 approaches but, for vision, the GOP must look elsewhere.
BHO seemingly presents an increasingly clear and present danger, imperialistic [WEEKLY ADDRESS: OBAMA VOWED TO GO AROUND CONGRESS ON STUDENT LOANS] and abandoned by DEMS; also, Rush noted the Bergdahl-capitulation led to BHOs having replenished-the-enemy [while we remain chronically at-war with radical-Islam]. Thus, MONICA CROWLEY claimed 'THIS IS A HOLY WARWHETHER IT'S POLITICALLY CORRECT TO SAY IT OR NOT'; meanwhile, Ben Shapiro's Obama Solution is Prosecution 1466
as opposed to Judge Pirros suggestion, impeachment. It has gotten to the point whereby the media ignored the fact that [at least] five OBAMA OFFICIALS LIED, THEN LIED ABOUT LYING, and even the Left now questions Susan Rice's credibility; for example, note multiple quotes by Sen. Feinstein and that Another Dem Quit on Obama claiming 'Even I have had enough.' {BHO has gone-rogue, according to an e-mail from David Horowitz, and a psychologist worries erratic-obama-may-not-be-sane.}
Thus, the challenge facing the GOP is not only to trumpet the severity of the above, but also to formulate a positive/assertive social-policy platform that can [at the very least] entice wayward-Dems to try-it-youll-like-it regarding fundamental Republicanism. This challenge does NOT focus on Domestic Policy [limited taxes & government, etc.], for leaders such as Sen. Cruz are subject to the claim that they disrespect equal rights due to vehement opposition to gay marriage; it is not viewed as hypothetical or subject to federalism [i.e., states rights] and, although public renouncement from the national party is felt to be required to quell such concerns, it seems support for Cruz is growing. {Some suggest HOMOSEXUAL ACCEPTANCE is weakening AMERICAS INSTITUTIONS because the gay movement transformed from an initial plea for tolerance into a movement that forcefully demands universal acceptance by all societal institutions; also, Liberals and Conservatives United in DC to Launch Gay Marriage Initiative.}
Cruz has fought to protect innocent human life, having played a leading role in key-cases have all been part of ongoing efforts to ensure that every child in America receives the protection and respect he or she deserves; telegraphing his punch is use of the word child rather than fetus. This has been manifest in his defense of the partial-birth abortion ban and parental consent laws, and also in his defense of a Texas law prohibiting state funding of entities that perform abortions].
This latter item has been attacked [Women's rights advocates battle new restrictions on abortion access and The Texas legislature has almost succeeded in making it impossible for women to recieve abortions] and, an updated legal-opinion by the successor to Cruz explores this issue. When asked a key-question [How can you not say that his long-term goal is to further impede access to abortion when his rhetoric talks in this context about the protection of the child?], my initial reaction is that he is defending Rider 8 in conjunction with his being Texas-AG; what must be determined is whether he would adopt a posture c/w that which I articulated supra regarding reparative therapy, to wit, that federalism and limited government would preclude his advocating adoption of rigorous federal law proscriptions in this particular regard.
Cruz feels that companies should have the ability to deny women birth control coverage at their discretion, based upon owners religious views. This posture supersedes a tantential argument [If one is so against abortion, should we not encourage easy access to birth control that may employ medications, devices and/or medical procedures?] buttressed by the claim that half of all pregnancies are unintended [December 2012 Committee Opinion of the American College of Obstetricians and 1467
Gynecologists. Also, this view supersedes tagential data in statements from medical societies suggesting unintended pregnancies are associated with negative consequences to the pregnant woman and, regarding short inter-pregnancy intervals, yield adverse neonatal outcomes [costing taxpayers $11.1 billion]. {Ref. Burnt Orange Report on 2012 Texas Senate Debate, Apr 16, 2012.}
Cruz opposes gay-pride parades and opposes gay marriage (Feb. 2012) because he feels one-man-one-woman marriage is the building block of society (Jul 2011), supporting definition of traditional marriage (Oct. 2012). {Ref. On the Issues and the political guide.]
In my view, although debate is vital regarding how a multiple choice stance on abortion is to be manifest in each state, none of these issues rises to the level whereby the pro-choice concern trumps worriment regarding the survival of America. Noting that abortion survived the Presidencies of Reagan, Bush-41 and Bush43, it would be difficult to surmise that it would not survive GOP-leadership in 16 [c/o Cruz].
Applying these concerns to the Gubernatorial race, That 20-point spread will narrow but, No matter how good Kane's report, Corbett is not out of the PSU woodshed yet; concerns regarding the timing of the home-inspection are dwarfed by the need to know why he assigned so few troopers for years; that may be why a Penn State trustee said, absent reading the text, its too soon to judge the report on Corbett. [As anticipated, those who've seen drafts say it DOES raise some serious questions about probe.] Meanwhile, completing the legislative-agendaincluding a LIQUOR REFORM PLAN [SUNDAY, HOLIDAY HRS FOR STATE STORES, 6-PACKS SOLD IN GROCERY STORES] and legislative downsizing [for PA Senate Appropriations], and a pension-fix [in the House] would afford him a rating-boost; so, too, would passage of paycheck-protection [with the base] and, naturally, the Holocaust-Education-Mandate [in a bipartisan fashion]. {These views accommodate input by Mike Vereb, re-elected as MCRC-chair.}
One avid reader wrote, regarding the Temple U. anti-Semite, that he was probably raised and educated in the Catholic school system; since I see he has an Italian last name, he has to be Catholic. My three, all went to Catholic schools and they never mentioned the Holocaust to them at all. I told them about it. Catholics dont mention the New Testament at all to the kids. All they teach is the Catholic Church Dogma. The kids should boycott this ignorant shmuck! Everyone whos not Catholic knows that Israel belongs to the Jews, so saith the Lord. {It is unclear what should be done in this regard, but it cannot be ignored.}
Among GOP-Primary Civil-War, there was only Polite Criticism of Lindsey Graham at South Carolina GOP Senate Debate But No Fireworks and Tea Party's McDaniel Took Slight Lead Over Thad Cochran Heading Into Runoff; also Joni Ernst Leads Two IA Polls after Bruce Braley Insulted Women and Farmers. {Note also, Busted was Charlie Rangel when he was Caught Using His iPad During Primary Debate.}
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As ILLEGALS POUR INTO USA, headlines are unnerving: Arizona Still Struggling with Shipment of Foreign Children from Texas Border RICK PERRY: WE'VE WARNED FEDS ABOUT WAREHOUSED CHILDREN SINCE 2012 Sen. Inhofe: Forcing Military Bases to Shelter Illegal Immigrants Threatens National Security NYC Bar Association Backs Plan for TaxPayer-Funded Lawers for Illegals White House Launches Program to Provide Lawyers Texas GOP Reaches Illegal Immigration Compromise at Convention OBAMA ADMIN TO DUMP OVER 1,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN AZ THIS WEEKEND Enjoy your deliberate crisis, border states AMERICA STUGGLES WITH SURGE IN CHILD MIGRATION JUDGE: 'Government has simply chosen not to enforce border security laws' Sheriffs: Feds Should Pay for Housing Agents threatened with firing after photos leak FEDS DROP PLANELOADS OF ILLEGALS IN EL PASO...'YOU ARE FREE, YOU CAN LEAVE' HUNDREDS MORE SHIPPED TO AZ 230,000 children expected over 24 months Growing concern of diseases ILLEGAL ALIENS NOT SCREENED FOR DISEASES UNTIL AFTER PROCESSING BORDER CRISIS WILL ONLY GET WORSE No end in sight for 'dumping' policy GOHMERT: RUSH AT BORDER 'EVERY TIME SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT LEGAL STATUS' More from Border 'Insecurity': Texas Taking Charge Officers diverted from handling crimes '40% of agents not at border' Cruz: Obama 'lawlessness' responsible for crisis Supreme Court rules against immigrants over visa eligibility FLORIDA GRANTED IN-STATE TUITION TO ILLEGALS Sen. Jeff Sessions: Obama 'Committed to Escalating' Lawlessness at Border Numbers USA Mobilizes Activists to Protest House Immigration Reform Push Ingraham, Fmr SEIU Official Square off on Immigration
Politically, there is no doubt that this issue has affected at least one GOP-Primary race, as Dave Brat claimed Illegal Immigrants are Pouring into USA After House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) betrayed his district on amnesty, Announced 'Kids Are Welcome,' and shares the blame for surge in illegal immigrant children flooding into the country. When his Hometown Paper Endorsed Cantor, it Made No Mention of Amnesty; perhaps, as a result, a POLL showed CANTOR'S LEAD had been CUT TO 52-39 IN VIRGINIA PRIMARY. Nevertheless, Cantors comment on Border Crisis [incomprehensively] was: Let's Work with Obama to Give 'Kids' Amnesty.
No immigration is in GOP's June plans, explaining [perhaps] why BHO is holding-off any action on deportations to give House Republicans time to act [and to experience the passive-aggressive effects of their not capitulating to his will]; now, Obama claims there is a 50-50 chance House will act on amnesty next month and RYAN RENEWED AMNESTY PUSH. Quietly, immigration is being pushed by a group of key Republicans including Mick Mulvaney, spending a Summer Of Apostasy, knowing that Congress' legislative agenda for 2014 will be swallowed in the summer recess within only a few weeks.
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Politico-Libs [falsely] claimed IMMIGRATION HAS HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON PRIMARIES by ignoring other factors affecting local races and by cherry-picking analysis of the national races, ignoring Cantors: Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared to put himself in political jeopardy when he wrote and championed an overhaul of immigration laws, but he is poised to lap the field in Tuesday's Republican primary in South Carolina. GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who also backed the bill, is in a strong position ahead of his primary this August. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R., N.C.) easily survived a primary challenge after backing liberalized laws. And Tim Donnelly, a leader in the movement to stop illegal immigration, lost to another Republican this month in California's open primary for governor. Opposition to an immigration-law overhaul remains high within the Republican Party, but primary season is showing that support isn't necessarily a career-ending move, nor is opposition a clear path to the nomination. That could factor into the decision by House GOP leaders on whether to move broad immigration legislation this year. Boehner (R., Ohio) hasn't brought any immigration bills to the House floor, allowing his members to avoid taking a position. Defeats of Republicans who back new legislation surely would have hurt the measures' chances.
It has been suggested that the Phillies can't get any worse, but they can, as other teams improve and they dont; note that they havent been hitting during the past five weeks [Marlon Byrd .241 Ryan Howard .220 Dominic Brown .194 Jimmy Rollins .221].
The Bergdahl Dozen: Thirteen Reasons Why the Story Has Legs encompass these headlines: Sgt. Bergdahl Wandered Off Base on Multiple Occasions BERGDAHL'S FATHER PRAISED SON'S CAPTOR'S IN 2010 SPEECH After arriving in Qatar, Noorullah Noori kept insisting he would go to Afghanistan and fight American forces there, a Taliban commander told NBC News via telephone from Afghanistan. WHITE HOUSE CLAIM BERGDAHL'S LIFE WAS IN DANGER RECEIVES BIPARTISAN REJECTION BOWE BERGDAHL PHYSICALLY WELL ENOUGH TO RETURN, 'NOT READY PSYCHOLOGICALLY' BILL RICHARDSON: THERE IS NO EVIDENCE BERGDAHL IS A DESERTER [he cant watch FNC?] Detainees-On-Year-Long-All-Expenses-Paid-Vacation John Kerry Talks Tough to the Taliban Five - The United States may have released five dangerous Taliban detainees in exchange for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, but Secretary of State John Kerry reminded them that they shouldnt feel safe. Max Hastings: 'Obama Is a Pygmy When Compared to Wartime Leaders Like Roosevelt' David Brooks: Obama Thought Bergdahl Would Be the 'Oprah Show' BOWE WON'T SPEAK TO FAMILY WH grants parents access to briefings Dianne Feinstein: I See No Signs of the Taliban Relenting House Intel Chair: Bergdahl Swap Empowered the Taliban Bergdahl-Taliban Swap Resurrects Charges of 'Imperial Presidency' for President Obama Poll: Veterans Overwhelmingly Oppose Obama's Bergdahl Swap WH Orchestrated Campaign Of Threats and Intimidation Against Servicemen To Keep Them Quiet About Bergdahl Secretary of State John Kerry was caught napping during a news conference held by President Barack Obama and his Polish counterpart in Warsaw on Tuesday. 1470
MSNBCs Morning-Joe crew were universally condemnatory, and one claimed the BHO-clan was so very out-of-touch that they perceived the one-year Qatar-residency mandate as a Junior Year Abroad. The NY-Times rationalized-away one defense of the BERGDAHL SWAP by claiming, "When the heads of the two major intelligence committees criticized the Obama administration on Sunday for swapping Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five members of the Taliban, they homed in on one part of the deal that the White House has struggled for a week, unsuccessfully, to explain. The question is why the five were released without any commitments to a larger agreement, under which the Taliban would renounce international terrorism, and begin a process of reconciliation with the government of Afghanistan. ... "It was abandoned last year ... because the Taliban were no longer interested in a broader deal - probably because the Taliban understood American forces were leaving. Now, both in Afghanistan and in Washington, there are questions about whether the release of the five men gives the Taliban legitimacy, and enhances their power over a weak government in Kabul. Like the senior members of Congress, Afghan officials said they were caught off guard by the prisoner swap for Sergeant Bergdahl. According to one Afghan security official and another former official who maintains close ties to the presidential palace, many in the Afghan government believed that American officials misled them into thinking that the prisoner swap would not be done unless it was connected to a broader peace effort."
Regarding the Middle East [and Israel]: No End to a Self-Inflicted Tragedy of Palestinian Arabs upon themselves. Israeli-Palestinian Collision Course - New York Times Editorial - The U.S. and other countries that consider Hamas a terrorist group may find it impossible to continue aiding the Palestinians if Hamas plays a more pronounced role. There are the inescapable facts of Hamas' hatred of Israel and its heavily armed militia. The U.S. has to be careful to somehow distinguish between its support for the new government and an endorsement of Hamas and its violent, hateful behavior. To have some hope of doing that, the U.S. and Europe must continue to insist Abbas stick to his promises and not allow Hamas to get the upper hand. Palestinian Leaders Don't Want an Independent State Facing pressure and incitement, Palestinian professor resigns over Auschwitz trip Pro-Palestine Charity Head Refused to Condemn Stoning of Adulterers A Palestinian terrorist opened fire Monday night at Tapuah Junction, marking the second attack at the crossing in less than a week. Israeli forces stationed at the junction returned fire and killed the attacker on site. Abbas Is Lying to Americans, Says Former Hamas Spokesman "Cold-Blooded Murder" or a War on Terror? Israel Won't Negotiate with Palestinian Hunger-Striking Security Detainees Jihadist Group More Extreme than al-Qaeda in Battle to Establish Islamic State across Iraq and Syria IDF Chief: Dramatic Armament Taking Place in Gaza
Iraq Attacks, Bombs at Kurdish Offices Kill 29
El-Sisi sworn in as Egypt's president, cool reception from West
Iran's Ballistic Missile Program 1471
Steinitz: A Bad Deal Will Lead to an Iran with Dozens of Nuclear Bombs Ten Years from Now
Pakistan Weighs Strike Against Taliban Over Airport Attack
Boko Haram Abducts 20 Additional Women Near Chibok
Worldwide Islamism also rages [recommending another resourceful website, elder of ziyon]:
Report: Venezuela, Cuba Providing Easy Access for Islamists to US and Canada - A report by the Secure Free Society reveals this week that Venezuela and Cuba have been providing passports and national identification cards to Middle Eastern immigrants, later used to surreptitiously enter the United States and Canada, with Venezuela providing a passport to the right-hand man of the head of Hezbollah in Lebanon. German Security Police Failed to Stop Brussels Killer as He Returned from Syria Brussels killer 'no lone wolf' and Europe must expect more Syria-linked terror - European Union officials have told a Lebanese newspaper they do not believe the Algerian-French gunman who allegedly murdered three people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels and seriously injured another acted alone, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post. Schools being investigated over an alleged Islamist takeover plot tried to trick inspectors by hiding evidence of wrongdoing. May aide quits in 'Islamist' schools row - Home Secretary Theresa May's special adviser has resigned in a row between two prominent government ministers over claims that Islamists took control of some schools in Birmingham. Activists Hijacking Feminism to Attack Israel at Women's Studies Association Meeting - The next National Womens Studies Association annual meeting will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 13-16, 2014 and is aptly named Feminist Transgressions. Indeed, the conference itself is transgressive in that it minimizes the cause of women to focus, yet again, on the cause of Palestine, aka the destruction of Israel. student-leaders-and-jewish-kids are frightened-at-ucla Cleveland convenience store features antisemitic murals 'Anti-Semitic Filth' Remarks by old Le Pen Tarnish his Daughter's Victory [Islamic-prayers held-at-the-Vatican]
Lest we forget the antics of Putin: VLADIMIR PUTIN ORDERS MORE SECURITY ON RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN BORDER Pro-Russians Claim Ukraine Shelling Killed Three Civilians in Slaviansk - Pro-Russians in Slaviansk claim three civilians died from Ukrainian government shelling while Kiev announced the three pilots died after pro-Russians shot down their An-26 plane. The plane carried humanitarian cargo for people in the war-torn east. World View: Russia Forced to Change Tactics after Ukraine's Election Crimea's Leaders Resolute Against Rejoining Ukraine Pro-Russians Claim Ukraine Shelling Killed Three Civilians in Slaviansk Fighting Continues in Slaviansk, Luhansk in East Ukraine 1472
Vladimir Putin: Volgograd Could Be Stalingrad Again With Votes - Putin claims he does not want to put back together the USSR, but the little things he does says otherwise.
Also noted: CNN CO-FOUNDER said 'ZUCKER'S HEAD MAY ALREADY BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK' and CNN Promoted David Chalian [Who Was Fired by Yahoo For Racist Comments]. Raising sour-grapes to a new level, California Chrome Owner said Tonalist Took 'Coward's Way Out' by skipping prior races. And the DoD and DoS were Sued for Congressional Benghazi Briefing Records by Judicial Watch.
Jim Geraghty appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher to promote his book, agreeing because of the need to break out of conservative comfort zones and preach beyond the converted; one portion is here and the web-only "After-Time" portion is here. Every topic and statement is another opportunity for the host to remind his audience that religious people are fools and that Republicans are stupid, racist, hypocritical lunatics. Here's the Washington Times report about scrubbed rescue missions for Bergdahl that Maher contended was simply made up. For what it's worth, the Daily Beast cites "U.S. officials" saying no rescue was attempted because Bergdahl's captors moved him around too much; the Daily Mail cites an unnamed Pentagon official saying the president wanted to establish a precedent for removing detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Now? Now? Now You Guys Want to Talk Up an Immigration-Reform Bill? What could wreck GOP unity heading into the midterm campaign season? How about an immigration-reform bill that a good chunk of the grassroots will call "amnesty," at a time when the Obama administration has proven itself ruthlessly partisan and blatantly duplicitous at every opportunity? How could Republican leaders on the Hill possibly think this is a good idea? Mickey Kaus lays out the unintended consequences of seemingly-compassionate proposals such as offering a path to citizenship to those who came into the country illegally as children: The "kids," often unaccompanied, started surging across the southern border, causing a humanitarian and policy crisis just as [Eric Cantor] was facing a challenge in Tuesday's Virginia primary. Even the New York Times couldn't help but notice that the young illegal migrants said they were motivated, not just by conditions back home in Central America, but also by the prospect that they'd qualify for Cantoresque amnesty."Central Americans, [said a Salvadoran immigration official] were left with the sense that the United States had 'opened its doors' to women and children." . . . You'd think the embarrassment of this latest surge with thousands of recently arrived illegals being shipped all over the country, obviously never to leave would be enough to kill amnesty, at least for this year. But you'd have thought the slack job market would be enough to kill amnesty, and you'd have thought Obama's troubles (and the chance for the GOP to retake the Senate) would be enough to kill amnesty. You'd have thought Marco Rubio's precipitous drop in the polls, after he championed the 1473
"Gang of Eight bill, would be enough to kill amnesty. And you'd have thought the administration's release of illegal-immigrant criminals back into the population would be enough to kill amnesty. But amnesty is hard to kill. It's as if, at the height of the "welfare explosion" in 1970, Congress were seriously considering a bill to double welfare benefits and Ronald Reagan was nowhere to be found. What, are these guys thinking that the midterm outlook is just too good and they have to do something to disrupt it? Another Reason to Miss Having Leon Panetta in Obama's Cabinet Easily overlooked from last week: A former top adviser to President Obama on Wednesday questioned the release of dangerous terrorists in exchange for an imprisoned American soldier as anger spread among lawmakers in Washington over the secret deal to free Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. "I don't fault the administration for wanting to get him back. I do question whether the conditions are in place to make sure these terrorists don't go back into battle," former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told a gas-industry gathering in Pittsburgh. Panetta, who was in the Cabinet for four of the five years Bergdahl spent in Taliban custody, said he opposed a swap for the terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when he was Defense secretary. "I said, 'Wait, I have an obligation under the law,'" Panetta said during a lunchtime address at the Hart Energy Developing Unconventionals DUG East conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. "If I send prisoners from Guantanamo, they have to guarantee they don't go back to the battlefield. I had serious concerns." He said talks fell apart because the Taliban "asked for five top guys." He did not say when during his 2011-13 tenure in the Pentagon that discussions took place. "I just assumed it was never going to happen," Panetta said. If only our president also thought he had an obligation under the law to get a guarantee that any released prisoners from Guantanamo would never go back to the battlefield. A friend noted the absence of graphics, lately, and attemped to compensateto wit:
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Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 2:05 AM Subject: Action-Items-CLII [Israel, Social-Issues, Generic-Follow-Up]
The purpose here is twofold. First, myriad follow-up points are provided regarding key-components of the immediate-past Blast e-mail; second, the reaction of a Dem/lib to my social-policy analysis is to be parsed-out. The former doesnt add substantially to what had already been covered; the latter perhaps refines what everyone already knows, even after painstaking analysis of key-dynamics. [The immediate provocation for this fast follow-up is the need to provide an erratum: reference to BHOs "Brothel Government" was from a comment to Victor David Hansen's article; he didnat write it himself.]
Know that efforts are ongoing to address two facets of Holocaust remembrance; in addition to attempting to push for a Senate-Vote on the Mandatory Holocaust Education bill, efforts have been triggered to communicate directly with the Temple University Government and Community Relations Department regarding its decision not to fire the Holocaust-denier on its faculty. [Rumored is the defense that a language-barrier may explain why this guy both denied the Holocaust and attacked Zionism by claiming Jews are too influential, while lobbying for adoption of an anti-Israel resolution by his academic society; this is quite-a-stretch.]
Illustrating the ongoing potency of Senator Ted Cruz is the video of his speech to the Texas-GOP.
Illustrating the fact that BHOs pacifism is increasingly manifest, note that RUSH said today [as did I, last week] that OBAMA HAD BEEN 'CHOMPING AT THE BIT' TO RELEASE THESE 5 TALIBAN due to the grinding-desire to close GitMo; also, in Europe, Obama Refused To Salute Marines. {Note that CRUZ FILED A BILL FREEZING FEDERAL FUNDING ON ACTIONS RELATING TO GITMO DETAINEE TRANSFERS,}
Here are 10 key passages in Hillary's book; also note the claim that Hillary has been Anti-Israel.
Regarding Illegals, CHUCK GRASSLEY DEMANDED DHS PROVIDE DETAILS ON RELEASE OF IMMIGRANT MURDERERS and REPORTERS REVOLTED AS OBAMA OFFICIALS STONEWALLED ON ALIENS RELEASED FROM CUSTODY.
CHUCK TODD QUESTIONED THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF BHOs STUDENT LOAN EXECUTIVE ACTION; tryting to change the subject [prior to Mid-Terms], OBAMA claimed GOP lawmakers CARE MORE ABOUT OIL COMPANIES THAN KIDS.
Regarding Bergdahl, Bergdahl declined to Call his Parents and SoS Kerry said it is 'Baloney' to Think Released Taliban Will Kill More Americans; Rogers charged Obama empowered the Taliban The implications are intuitively conveyed by the titles in a bunch of essays from todays Townhall [Kerry: Americans Shouldn't Worry About the Released Taliban Leaders; Iran's Takeaway From Obamas West Point Speech: America Cannot Do a Damn Thing; Bergdahl Confirms Obama and the Dems as the Damnedest Fools; Treason: Obamas Gitmo Five; Bergdahl Release Reveals a Presidency Out of Control; and Liberals Bogus Lashback against the Bergdahl Backlash]. A high-level intelligence official involved in efforts to find and rescue the Army sergeant said Details about Bergdahl Dont Add Up. Finally, analysis of intertwined issue The Taliban/Bergdahl Swap, Gitmo, and the Revenge of the Lawyer Left reflects, 1479
also, the view that BHOs primary focus has been upon ways to close GitMo prior to the end of his term. {Again reflecting the severity of this problem, The Taliban Swap and High Crimes and Misdemeanors.}
Liberal Al Hunt said Obama is Waging War on Media.
Regarding Iran, a Conference Call was held TODAY at 12 noon EDT with former IAEA Deputy Director Olli Heinonen themed on this topic ["Deadlines and Oversight: Iran Talks, Sanctions, and Congress"], addressing recent reports that wide gaps remain in negotiations between the P5+1 global powers and Iran, coupled with consistent patterns indicating that the Islamic republic is busting through limits on energy exports set by the interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA), have renewed calls by lawmakers for a stronger congressional voice in shaping and overseeing progress in the talks. [Leaders from both sides of the aisle and both chambers of Congress have signaled that they intend to hold hearings in the coming weeks on the issue. The House Foreign Affairs Committee will meet on Tuesday to hear testimony from, among others, Olli Heinonen, former deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and current senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Governments Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.For further information, contact The Israel Project [melissaw@theisraelproject.org]. judging from a follow-up Blast e-mail, it seems spekers at this phone conference raised concerns that Surprise U.S.-Iran talks risk deepening fears that Western allies are being outmaneuvered. {Also, BHO told the US delegation not to leave talks with Iran without an improved interim deal.}
Because this TIP [The Israel Project] sheet is replete with hyperlinks, it is provided as it arrived via e-mail; anyone wishing to subscribe thereto will be able to access considerable cogent-analysis and synthesis of what emerge as utile Action-Items.
Iran officials over the weekend acknowledged plans to hold meetings with the United States and Russia outside of ongoing negotiations between the P5+1 global powers and Tehran, a development that media outlets described as everything from evidence that the parties were scrambling to reinvigorate faltering talks over the Islamic republic's atomic program to a breakthrough in bilateral relations. Reuters characterized the meetings, which began Monday, as coming "after the most recent round of nuclear talks between Iran and the six powers in Vienna last month ran into difficulties, with both sides accusing the other of having unrealistic demands." Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Iran's official IRNA news agency, which was in turn quoting Iran's Foreign Ministry, announcing Tehran's intentions to hold "negotiations with...American counterparts," which the wire characterized as "unprecedented." AFP read the Iranian move against recent remarks from Tehran's leaders "urg[ing] western powers to resist pressure from third parties not directly involved in negotiations," and told readers that "Israel and lawmakers in the US Congress have repeatedly warned against lowering the pressure... on Iran." Calls by Arab states for a hard line on Iran, some of which have included transparent threats of nuclear proliferation across the region, were not mentioned by the outlet. That the Iranians use divide-and-conquer tactics in nuclear negotiations has become somewhat commonplace. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani bragged in his autobiography that he had managed to divide the Americans and Europeans in the early 2000s as Iran's nuclear negotiator, and that the moves had enabled Iran to lock in nuclear progress. Last April, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani urged European nations to "chart an 'independent' foreign policy course" from Washington. Two weeks ago rumors emerged that the White House was considering potential bilateral negotiations with Iran - which would partially freeze out 1480
France and Britain - with the news breaking just a week after Reuters assessed "with concerns rising among Iran's foes, especially Israel and the Gulf states, that the United States has turned softer on Iran, France has become a key player in defending their interests." Evidence that U.S. diplomats are being outmaneuvered by Iranian counterparts would likely become an issue as Congress gears up for a series of hearings evaluating the progress of the nuclear negotiations.
An official visit to Turkey by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani triggered a flurry of diplomatic statements and economic agreements celebrated by both sides on Monday, announcements that were read by observers as straightforward evidence that relations between the two sometimes rivals were on the upswing. Turkey's office of the presidency issued a press release - and linked to it from the office's official Twitter account for good measure - declaring that "Rouhanis visit will open a new chapter in our bilateral relations." The mostly Persian-language Twitter account thought to speak for Rouhani boasted that "Turkish and Iranian presidents signed 10 documents of cooperation" during the visit. Ankara has come under increasingly public criticism from Washington over literally years of sanctions-busting transactions with Iran, and the Washington Free Beacon quoted Jonathan Schanzer - vice president of research at the Foundation of Defense of Democracies (FDD) - explicitly contextualizing Monday's events as coming amid "massive sanctions busting facilitated by Turkey on behalf of Iran.... some $12 billion in oil sales... followed up by revelations of sanctions busting on the part of Iranian businessmen in Turkey to the tune of 87 billion [Euro]." Relations between Ankara and Tehran have in recent years been complicated as each sought to maneuver within and across three regional blocs - a camp of Washington's traditional Arab and Israeli allies, an Iranian-dominated Shiite crescent, and a Turkish/Muslim Brotherhood/Qatari axis - but Schanzer told Bloomberg that "there appears to be far more drawing these two neighbors together than driving them apart... [t]his, of course, raises questions about Turkeys reliability as a U.S. ally and as a NATO ally." Reuters was a little more terse in conveying the same dynamic, publishing its article under the headline "Iran, Turkey pledge cooperation despite split over Syria." Merve Tahiroglu and Behnam Taleblu - respectively a research associate and an Iran research analyst at FDD - assessed that "Iran appears intent to peel Turkey away from the Western block."
Egyptian media outlets hailed the Sunday inauguration of the country's former military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as a victory for democracy and the rule of law, even as various Western powers continued to respond with something less than warmth to last month's election, which saw Sisi win 97 percent of the popular vote. Publishing under a staff byline, Al Arabiya opened by declaring that "For the first time in Egypt's history an outgoing president has peacefully handed out power to an elected leader," and describing how "the 'unprecedented' ceremony in Egypts modern political history saw both men signing the 'handover of power document' in the presence of dozens of local and foreign dignitaries." Outgoing interim president Adly Mansour - whom the outlet noted is "known by some as the 'man of the law'" and will not take back his post as chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court - became the only president in modern Egyptian history to leave his post voluntarily. Reuters noted however that the West has continued to be cool to Sisi, who last year led army moves that ousted the country's Muslim Brotherhood-linked former president Mohammed Morsi amid unprecedented mass demonstrations calling for the resignation of Morsi's Islamist 1481
government. Al-Monitor revealed last week that the Obama administration has continued to withhold counter-terrorism assets from Cairo, which have been partially frozen over concerns stemming from the overthrow and the interim government's subsequent actions against the Brotherhood. The freeze has been blasted by analysts from across the ideological spectrum for among other things abandoning seven decades of bipartisan U.S. policies aimed building alliances that would block out Russia and other rivals from the Middle East.
Washington Institute Managing Director Michael Singh two weeks ago outlined ways to restabilize U.S.-Egyptian relations, while warning that "Egypt has had the upper hand in the relationship despite its troubles, mainly because it believes it can turn to others to meet its needs in the short run -- Russia for military equipment, the Persian Gulf states for aid, and the international community for validation. Washington, in contrast, has no geopolitical substitute for Egypt."
Hamas is using the current period of political and military calm - most recently locked in by a unity pact between the terror group and its rival Fatah faction - to build a missile arsenal that can blanket population centers throughout Israel during any future conflagration, according to remarks made by IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz on Monday. The Israeli leader described "a dramatic increase in medium- and long-range rockets." The recent Palestinian unity deal - publicly aimed at paving the way for elections throughout the Gaza Strip and West Bank - saw Fatah abandoning its long- standing demand that Hamas put its fighters and missile arsenal under Ramallah's control. Hamas officials quickly bragged that they had secured a kind of "Hezbollah model," boasting that the Iran-backed Lebanese group had used a similar arrangement - allowing the central government to establish civil authority, even while maintaining an overwhelming military presence - to dominate the political and security institutions of Lebanon. Meanwhile a top Israeli security source revealed on Sunday that Hamas was also moving to establish a shadow civilian infrastructure throughout the West Bank, which would leverage a rebuilt socio-economic infrastructure to "enable the replacement of the PAs secular government with an Islamic government whose ideology will be similar to that of Hamas."
To understand contemporary Israel and the emotions present in any discussion of Middle East peace, one needs to grasp the significance of two dates,The Seventh of June and the Ninth of Av. Lieberman slammed Netanyahus lack of leadership [although this is probably more for internal political consumption than a reflection of reality, noting the degree to which the Palestinian Arabs are bickering and BHOs Policy that, Come hell or high water, there will be a Palestinian State].
Similarly, when Finance Minister Yair Lapid threatened to bring down govt if it annexes Judea/Samaria, he also called for a freeze on settlement construction and construction of a map of Israel's future borders; in addition, he criticized BB and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, and urges a halt of construction in the West Bank, particularly in areas Israel was not expected to keep in any future peace accord. Predictably, Hawks questioned the need for peace with Palestinians at the Herzyliya Conference [available on-line]. Bibi may very well pursue A New Plan of Peaceful Non-Reconciliation.
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Finally, Obamas Outrageous Decision to Fund the Hamas-Aligned Palestinian Regime may soon unravel [along with everything else he has done in the realm of Foreign Policy.] {Finally, even those who had lived through the six day war are advised to review its history, particularly parallels between its prodrome and the current [increasingly unsettled] atmospherics in the region; also note Anti-Israel, anti- Semitic Arab cartoons published on the eve of the Six Day War.}
Regarding anti-Semitism, the war against the Jews is being waged as it becomes clear that Western citizens who go to Syria to join jihadist militias and return after being indoctrinated in fanatical Islam constitute a danger to Jews wherever they go.
Regarding Jewish anti-Zionism/anti-Semitism, the liberal fringe group J Street is facing renewed questions over its purported dishonesty to journalists and editors after one of its top campus officials penned an op-ed that was so thoroughly riddled with factual errors that a leading Israeli publication was forced to delete the piece and apologize. Also, illustrating the deterioration of American Foreign Policy during the past half-decade, analysts claim the wave of Iran-Turkey economic and political coordination undermines Western diplomacy and "raises questions about Turkeys reliability as a U.S. ally."
This is the reaction to my analysis of how the GOP must neutralize the social-issuesand my response:
Sorry to say, but you have not persuaded.
My dual-goal was to articulate these details [and then to note the feedback] and to provide suasion [recognizing that hard-core Dems would likely be unmoved].
Comparing reimbursement of the Pill outside of its approved labeling to providing coverage for so-called reparative therapy falls flat. This is not about the free market. Anyone can seek psychological therapy (now, fortunately, a more consistently covered service under Obamacare) if they struggle with their sexual orientation. What data exist that reparative therapy does anything positive All references I see cite negative consequences and the suggestion that very often such "therapy" is being pushed by parents and / or religious leaders unaccepting of someone's sexuality. I am all in favor of fully supporting someone who is "questioning." We have existing medically appropriate support systems in place for that. We do not need to foster reimbursement for "providers" motivated by the thought that there is something inherently wrong with being gay.
Inherent in this set of assertions is a query [What data exist that reparative therapy does anything positive?] that has been addressed in a disinterested survey of this issue; after having cited multiple condemnations by medical societies, the conclusion is instructive:
However this distinction between religious identity and sexual orientation may be viewed, psychology does not have the right to interfere with individuals rights to seek the treatments they choose. This is why the mental health organizations have adopted advisory policies about conversion therapy that affirm the right of LGB clients to unbiased treatment in psychotherapy and that reject treatments based upon the premise that homosexuality is a treatable mental disorder. They do not, however, ban the practice of conversion therapy outright 1483
out of concern for the individual whose personal spiritual or religious concerns may assume priority over his {or her} sexual orientation. [10]
Therefore, identical considerations regarding insurance policy options are applicable to decisions regarding coverage of contraceptives [plus the morning-after pill] and/or psychotherapy [that would reasonably be intended to provide a patient surcease].
Why do issues such as abortion / birth control and gay rights matter so much Both are matters of human rights and economics.
They matter, but pivotal is whether they should be controlling.
In certain demographics, it would be hard to discount the logic that the cycle of poverty for women starts and/or is perpetuated by unintended pregnancies - a situation which in turn leads to a demand for more government services. No one should be "for" abortion per se; hence the need to provide ready-access to birth control. I certainly hope those companies which claim religion as a reason not to cover birth control have beefed-up their support for adoption services. If not, I fail to see the "godliness" of their personnel policies.
Regardless of your personal assessment of what others prioritize, pivotal is the need to preserve their right to differ from what you may view as Politically Correct.
Gay rights is straightforward - it's a fundamental issue of respect. If you want to get religious, then "do unto others" seems to be appropriate. Should we have opposed bra burnings in support of women's rights? Presuming the answer is no, then why should we be afraid to watch a gay-pride parade?
I think most do not fear watching such events, but many feel force-fedan emotion that then could retard achieving what the LGBTQ movement avers is highly-desired.
As you have suggested, these social issues should be areas where liberals and "true" conservatives readily agree in the spirit of keeping the government out of the bedroom. But instead, many on the right like Cruz let their presumably religious views overpower their political positions. You say there are bigger concerns on which I should focus. That these leaders won't be successful in pushing what I see as a radical agenda. Perhaps. But, I am not trusting of political leaders who allow their religion to interfere with common sense and humanity.
Your skepticism was not warranted, as previously noted, regarding the three most- recent GOP-POTUS politicians [Reagan, Bush-41 and Bush-43]; actually, because there are many characteristics of religion in the pursuit of contemporary secularism, it is far easier to muster extreme-distrust of BHO and Dems who are so extremely ideological. And we have yet to hear if Cruz would adopt the federalism approach that I advocate, thereby reassuring reasonable libs/Dems that privacy-rights wont be attacked.
I respect that the US was founded on the principle of religious freedom; yet, we also recognize a separation of church and state. While perhaps hyperbole, your opposition 1484
to extremists among Islamists has been discussed in the context of their "fundamentalist" Interpretation of their theology. You can suggest it is different - that the religious views of folks like Cruz are not killing people. I would respond that their beliefs are indeed damaging to the fabric of society.
First, the separation myth must be debunked; this quote is not from the Constitution, and all 50 states mention the Deity in their Constitutions; thus, it is incumbent upon you to document your claim that Cruzs beliefs have damaged the fabric of society.
You can discount these concerns as peripheral to what you see as immediate "threats." But, if you have not convinced me - who has been open to listening - you will have a very challenging time overcoming Ds concerns. It remains very easy to claim that conservative Rs just don't get or care about people, despite protestations about individual rights. Social policies matter - they are reflective of our leaders' ethical compass - a compass imperative to remain in or in your mind re-gain) a position of national exceptionalism.
Your broad-brush assumption [It remains very easy to claim that conservative Rs just don't get or care about people, despite protestations about individual rights] is facile; notwithstanding the right of any individual to claim anything [Everyone has the right to be stupid], you must show how your belief-system has initiated and promoted this idea for, otherwise, it would be just as easy [perhaps] to level this charge against BHO and his brand of collectivism. And then you must demonstrate why all of these issues trump worriment about the survival of a secure America [noting multiple debacles overseas].
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Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 9:15 AM Subject: Action-Items-CLIII [Foreign-Policy]
The headlines appearing this-a.m. servein the aggregateto illustrate why BHOs Foreign Policy is increasingly exposed as unabashedly-disastrous; those who reflexly elevate social-policy over such considerations are thereby oboigated to explain why they would deem to sacrifice Americas potential demise for maintaining a 100% pro-choice abortion-policy [reducing the argument to its fundamentals]. BHO is outa-control, and only the GOP can help America escape a fate worse than that that was almost imposed by Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter [and, even then, expunging the damage he has wrought will require at least two election-cycles]; what is most amazing is that Americas enemies arent even waiting until after the mid-terms to achieve their goals, for they are that confident that BHO has such an uncanny ability to maintain his in-your-face egocentric postures regardless of what transpires. Wayward-Dems must accept the fact that this is an emergency, for they can return to their traditional home after they have helped to staunch now-gushing hemorrhage [and after it has rediscovered and elevated those within its midst such as Scoop Jackson and Joseph S. Clark, Jr.]; compare this state-of- affairs with the qualities exuded by the House GOPs top recruit and by the GOP'S safe-bet MIA LOVE; meanwhile, BHO is rapidly bleeding-away Americas greatness, hanging a shattered Dem-ideology on is own petard {mixed metaphor, sorry}.
1. Illustrative of what is wrong with depending upon drones for targeting the enemy [BHOs video-game strategy] is the fact that five U.S. troops were killed by friendly fire air strike in Afghanistan; denying yourself a ground-troop presence predisposes to such errors [which include under- reported civilian tragedies that reinforce the Ugly American imagery].
2. Iraqi troops fleed as insurgents seize control of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul including the provincial government headquarters, certainly a key city; this offered a powerful demonstration of the mounting threat posed by extremists to Iraqs teetering stability.
3. Iran and Turkey Met Amid Massive Sanctions Busting Schemes, and Iranians solidly support their government; meanwhile, a NY Dem Invested in Irans Biggest Oil Customer.
4. Illustrative of how BHO hides behind secrecy to achieve short-term politicized-goals are the facts that the State Department Still Wont Say If Bergdahl Ransom Was Paid, that Feinstein feels she is out-of-the-loop because she receives little outreach from the Obama administration on the Bergdahl deal, and that the HOUSE GOP is justifiably outraged that YOU TOLD THEM OF BERGDAHL BEFORE YOU TOLD US?
The Obama administration had its first chance to convince House lawmakers it made the right call to trade five Taliban detainees for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. It didn't work. House Republicans came out of a more than hourlong classified briefing by top national security officials on Monday complaining they'd learned nothing new about the incident that hasn't already been disclosed in the news media. GOP lawmakers, in particular, were upset that an estimated 80 to 90 executive branch officials in the Pentagon, White 1486
House and the intelligence agencies, but no members of Congress, were informed beforehand, including the chairs of the House and Senate intelligence panels.
The Bergdahl briefing kicked off what could be a tough week for Obama on Capitol Hill. The House will continue to dig into the VAs 'secret waiting list' scandal, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee will begin its own hearings on Iran's nuclear program. DEFENSE SECRETARY CHUCK HAGEL will defend the prisoner exchange when he testifies Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee; he will make the legal and policy case for it, and he will discuss broadly the reassurances the U.S. was given that the Taliban officials released from the Guantanamo Bay prison would be monitored [notwithstanding the fact that press-reports already include the stated-plan of at least one of them that he will return to the effort in Afghanistan to kill Americans].
5. Illustrative of the profundity of the VA-Crisis is the VA AUDIT that IDed the startling-fact that 120K VETS SAW LONG WAITS FOR CARE at 731 VA medical centers nationwide; they misrepresented or sidetracked patient scheduling for more than 57K former military personnel, and about 64K were not even on the agency's electronic waiting list for doctor appointments they requested. These data further verify wrongdoing uncovered in Phoenix and show that dysfunctional practices permeate the agency's medical system and jeopardize health care for 9.3 million enrolled veterans; there was widespread confusion about record-keeping practices and pressure at some locations for schedulers to 'utilize unofficial lists or engage in inappropriate practices in order to make wait times appear more favorable.' {This includes a handy graphic to show at which facilities vets waited for care; in Philly, 754 cases were delayed and the average weight-time was 43 days.}
6. Yaalon concluded Israel successfully took peace talks off the agenda [although BHO keeps trying to resurrect them, by pressuring Israel to relent on its policies in Judea/Samaria despite increased Hamas-generted disruption [promulgated by the reconciliation with the PA that BHO/Kerry endorsed].
7. Z-Street is the Lower Merion group that is at the center of IRS allegations, an atmosphere which has recently been characterized as BHO is doing what Nixon only imagined he could do. {This is not to be confused with J-Street, which Fayyad considers Irrelevant.
8. Even ultra-lib Politico acknowledged that Hillarys stint at Foggy Bottom constituted a mixed legacy, illustrating the damage that occurs when a real diplomat runs up against a dont do stupid s*** foreign policy [BHOs avowed Doctrine], and even ultra-lib DAVID IGNATIUS concluded that Hillary portrays herself in her book [Hard Choices] as hesitant to take big risks; there are times when the reader feels he is being 'spun' rather than enlightened. Futher illustrating why lionizing Hillary would relocate Ameica from the skillet to the fire is the fact that Hillary Got a Key Benghazi Fact Wrong in her book; the Benghazi chapter states that, unlike at the embassy in Benghazi, there were U.S. Marines stationed at the embassy in Tripoli, even though Marines were not sent until after the deadly terrorist attack. [The Clinton camp maintained that the version of the story told in the book is factually accurate, though they agree that the passage could have been written more clearly.] This is how CNNs Jake Tapper [who also could double as a cartoonist] has explained the factual mistake:
Noting how many members of the public and Congress were surprised upon discovering there were no U.S. Marines assigned to our Benghazi compound, Clinton notes that Marines are assigned to only slightly more than 50% of the diplomatic posts throughout the globe, focused primarily on protecting and, if need be, destroying classified items. 1487
So while there were Marines stationed at our embassy in Tripoli, where nearly all of our diplomats worked and which had the capability to process classified material, because there was no classified processing at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, there were no Marines posted there, Clinton writes. [...]
But, as General Carter Hamm, the former commander of Africa Command, testified before Congress on June 26, 2013, there was no Marine security detachment in Tripoli.
It wasnt until after the attack that Marines were sent to the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, a contentious issue before and after the attacks, since so many diplomatic officials and security forces before the attack had been pleading to the State Department for greater military protection in Libya. The former regional security officer at the Embassy in Tripoli, Eric Nordstrom, testified that the most frustrating part of his job had been dealing and fighting against the people, programs, and personnel who are supposed to be supporting me For me the Taliban is on the inside of the building.
9. Also, domestically, U.S. in Talks with Snowden on Possible Plea Deal, ObamaDontCare Penalty to Hit One Million Low-Income Americans, Kentucky-Senate candidate, Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, STEERED CLEAR OF 'COAL' AT D.C. FUNDRAISER, and avowed-environmentlist Tom Steyer Remains Invested in Fossil Fuels Despite Divestment Pledge.
10. Finally, domestically, not to be ignored is the GOP-Establishments messaging, which touts a new Poll that allegedly [inexplicably] found that 60% of Americans and 37% of tea party respondents back path to citizenship for Illegals; the smear-campaign has also predictably launched via the WaPo against McDANIEL, 41, who GIVES the GOP ESTABLISHMENT HEARTBURN, allegedly embodying everything mainstream Republicans fear about the tea party movement. [He is aggressive, unpredictable and, at times, allegedly-insensitiveif not offensiveon matters of gender and race; party leaders worry about feeding an impression that could hurt their chances elsewhere, in the same way Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri tarnished the GOP in 2012 when he referred to 'legitimate rape.' {Note innuendo that permeates the illustrative claims, none of which impacts the policies he has articulated.}
-- In his former role as a talk-radio host before becoming a state senator, McDaniel referred to Hispanic women as 'mamacitas,' proclaimed that he would never again pay taxes if African Americans were paid reparations for slavery, mused about whether 'homosexual churches' exist and wondered aloud whether former attorney general Janet Reno 'was a woman.' -- McDaniel is dealing with problems that arose during his campaign, in which he and his supporters at times have appeared disorganized and careless. -- Hinds Countys DA is looking into why McDaniel allies were found trapped in a courthouse hours after polls closed on the night of the primary; four men were arrested in connection with illicitly taking a photo of Cochran's bedridden wife, Rose, who has dementia and lives in a nursing home.
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Although I feel Pot should be legalized, it has been suggested that it may be playing a larger role in fatal crashes; as more states are poised to legalize medicinal marijuana, Columbia University researchers performing a toxicology examination of nearly 24,000 driving fatalities concluded that [1]marijuana contributed to 12% of traffic deaths in 2010, tripled from a decade earlier; [2]nearly a quarter of drivers killed in drug-related car crashes were younger than 25; and [3]nearly half of fatally injured drivers who tested positive for marijuana were younger than 25.
Lest we forget about the dangers of Islamism, note the topics covered yesterday by Pamela Geller:
Jihadists Have 170,000 Missiles Aimed at Israel Media Alert: Pamela Geller Radio Appearances Muslims attack French Jewish Teens with Axes in Paris Inter-faith groups protest truth on AFDIs bus ads Metro DC buses Honor killing in Scotland: Muslim burns ex-wife to death for being too Westernised, twin daughters: We had an hour to say goodbye. She was so badly burned we were told we couldnt look at her face. Who Guards the Guardian The Guardian may be Britains most dishonest newspaper Obamas Spiritual Adviser Visited Iran to Discuss Religious Tolerance, Will Brief President on Trip Pamela Geller, WND: Bergdahl: The tipping point Sharia: Saudi divorces wife for buying beverage can Taliban jihadists attack Pakistans largest international airport, 24 dead, disguised as police guards and wearing suicide vests, five-hour siege
Corroborative data abound [after watching this fantastic swing-dance]; following a digest thereof [plus a few elabortive essays], the ongoing dialogue with a lib/Dem continues.
In Pa. a Pollster suggested the Sandusky Report could help Corbett's reelection bid [it cost $180K+], and a Reader Poll @ PoliticsPa suggested the Sandusky Scandal will affect Voting. That is why it is vital to maximize the deliverables that the GOP can muster in November, as Weak tax collections will test Corbetts tax pledge; meanwhile, the Senate GOP and Gov restarted campaign to loosen PA alcohol sale laws and the PA HOUSE WAS SCHEDULED TO DEBATE 'HYBRID' PENSION PLAN. {Also, the Philly pot bill's future unclear and to-be-investigated is the fact that the State gave embattled ex-NAACP head $100K to fix a football field [which was financed by Vick].}
Regarding Bergdahl, in its umpteenth iteration, after rapidly recognizing that its Rift with Congress over deal had deepened, the White House blamed Hagel for Bergdahl terrorist swap, which a HOUSE PANEL IS TO INVESTIGATE; pilloried for its dependence upon anonymous sources and innuendo, the NYT STICKED-UP FOR WHITE HOUSE and SLAMMED BERGDAHL'S PLATOON MATES as others perceived it as Treasonous. Meanwhile, State Dept Spokeswoman Marie Harf Called Terrorists Released in Bergdahl Trade "Gentlemen" while appearing on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell, who also disputed her claim [citing personal experience] that Congress had Not been Briefed on Bin Laden Raid. One commentator [mirroring my view] has remitted a Memo to Krauthammer, reminding him that, When It Comes to Bergdahl, America Is Not Israel; almost none of Obamas usual media enablers have defended, let alone supported, last weeks Taliban-terror-masters for alleged-army-deserter swap, but Krauthammer did so [although has backtracked since] by citing Israel [forgetting major differences, among them BHOs having pressured Israel to release prisoners]. {Also, LETTERMAN WAS THE ONLY LATE NIGHT COMIC TO POUNCE ON OBAMA'S TALIBAN SWAP.}
Immigration: Republicans should take the president to task for unlawfully enticing thousands of "unaccompanied illegal children" from Latin America to cross the border. Instead, a GOP leader asks for an amnesty deal. What is at the top of the Republican wish list? A vibrant economy? An America strong and respected in the world? Capturing the Senate? A Republican elected to the White House in 2016? Nah. The GOP wants amnesty for illegal aliens. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., made that abundantly clear in an interview with a local Virginia TV station WTVR last Friday. He said he told President Obama that "we can work on the border security bill together. We can work on something like the kids." 1490
And Breitbart reports that Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is secretly gauging House GOP support for action on amnesty legislation before August. On almost every issue, it makes more sense to wait until Republicans fulfill their current excellent chances this year of getting a Senate majority and retaining the House before considering dealing with Obama. But on immigration it makes no sense at all to make a deal. Democrats use immigration to smear Republicans as racists. Expanding immigration will give Democrats millions of new votes in the coming decades, destroying forever the political forces that oppose big government. The more than 90,000 children who crossed the Mexican border into the U.S. and were apprehended this year, and the more than 140,000 expected next year, could and should turn the immigration issue into a GOP weapon against Democrats. Instead of sending them back home to their parents, Attorney General Eric Holder made it a priority to hire taxpayer-funded lawyers for them. Why don't we hear Cantor, Ryan and other GOP leaders shout that Democrats are exploiting children to further their political agenda? Moreover, this whole crisis is of the administration's making. Its Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program two years ago prevented minors' deportation for two years, and now Obama has added two more years. As the immigration system becomes overloaded, disease and hygiene issues are coming into play. Cantor himself is suffering for defying his base. A June 2 Daily Caller/Vox Populi poll found him at only 52% against GOP primary challenger Dave Brat. Obama is equating immigration law enforcement with cruelty to children in the public's mind. Instead of holding him responsible, Republicans are asking how they can help him. Regarding other Domestic Policies, there is Growing Rejection of Common Core, which has been viewed as a 'Gross Abuse of Democracy' [as Arne Duncan Threatened Entire State Of Oklahoma Because State Backed Out Of Common Core and Common Core contains a strong whiff of Orwellian indoctrination]; regarding gun-laws, the libs are exuding frustration [Esquire: Police Who Support NRA Are Traitors 'to the Uniform' and The Daily Beast: Gun Rights Opponents Need to Go Big or Go Home]. Regarding Politics, A DEM REP CLAIMED BOEHNERS CALLING TALIBAN TERRORISTS 'NOT NECESSARILY ACCURATE' AND JONI ERNST LEADS IN THIRD STRAIGHT IOWA SENATE POLL AND COCHRAN SAID HE DOESN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT TEA PARTY FOR THIRD TIME!; regarding BHOs Scandal-Sheet, Obamas IRS ILLEGALLY Sent CONFIDENTIAL Taxpayer Info to FBI. Regarding Climate-Change, Australias Prime Minister Tony Abbott is seeking out like-minded countries to form an alliance to thwart climate policies being pushed by President Obama and other world leaders and Krugman wrote that climate denialism is Ayn Rand's fault. Regarding the Media, JUDICIAL WATCH THREATENED TO SUE FEDS OVER COMMUNICATIONS BEHIND DINESH D'SOUZA'S ARREST and a new NY Times App ["NYT Opinion"] is to Charge $6 a Mo. for Opinion Pieces and Will Run Paid-Ads as Op-Eds; meanwhile, FNC appears unstoppable, as FOX TROUNCED CNN AND HUMILIATED MSNBC AS MOST TRUSTED, Megyn Kelly Topped O'Reilly in the ratings for the First Time For Entire Week and Adam Housley, a senior Fox correspondent Blasted White House and 'Washington Post' for alleged coordination [an end-around] 1491
Over a Diplomatic Security Report related to a story that was critical of the administration's post- Benghazi security for American diplomats overseas.
Regarding Israel and the Middle East: Reuven Rivlin Elected New President of Israel Amidror: U.S. Is Israel's "Irreplaceable" Ally, But Israel May Have to Stand Alone The establishment of a Palestinian Authority (PA) unity government that includes Hamas is the last inning of a ballgame which has been in extra innings far too long. Ministerial committee to vote on contentious bill defining Israel as Jewish state Israel: Inspectors Won't Derail Iran Nukes Israel: Hamas Aiming to Boost West Bank Support, Terror via Charity Groups BB was accused of having no plan [when he actually continues reacting to events] Iran Closed Border with Pakistan after Terror Attack in Balochistan Iran Claims Missiles Can Reach Strategic U.S. Base in Indian Ocean How Iran Gains from Assad Victory Syrian Rebel Infighting Kills 630 Egypts president punished Hamas, Jihadi Islami in Gaza, and fired up strife in Palestinian government Senate Foreign Relations Committee to Review U.S. Aid to Palestinians Will the West Fund Hamas? Ya'alon: Land for Peace Paradigm Has Brought only Terror and Rockets Palestinian Lecturer Who Led Auschwitz Trip Quits after Backlash - "My letter of resignation from Al-Quds University was a kind of litmus test to see whether the university administration supports academic freedom and freedom of action and of expression as they claim or not." Palestinian Forces Clash with Hamas Loyalists in West Bank
Further Ugly Vibes from the Obama Administration
The gloves are off. The White House has now unequivocally designated Israel as the scapegoat and is meting out punishment for the disastrous outcome of the peace negotiations it initiated. The process began in March when President Obama publicly lambasted Prime Minister Netanyahu in a brutal and offensive manner the day before their scheduled meeting in Washington. It climaxed last week when the White House reneged on its commitment to Israel, announcing that it would continue business as usual with the new PA government after the merger with the genocidal Hamas, the terrorist organization which remains utterly committed to the destruction of Israel.
Prior to this, administration spokesmen had been campaigning behind the scenes to undermine the standing of Israel with the American public. That Israel had frozen settlement construction for nine months and conceded to an abhorrent release of bloody Palestinian terrorists were facts they simply ignored. Conversely, the Palestinian refusal to make a single concession or agree under any circumstances to an end of conflict was rarely mentioned.
Even following the announcement of the PA-Hamas union, Secretary of State John Kerry continued blaming Israel, making bizarre predictions about it becoming an apartheid 1492
state, which followed his earlier warnings of an impending third intifada and international boycotts all of which he subsequently retracted.
Kerrys views were echoed by his envoy, Martin Indyk, whose feral hatred of Netanyahu should have disqualified him from assuming any mediating role. When Netanyahu agreed to the wretched terrorist release, he made it clear to both the US and the PA that construction in the settlements would resume. Yet, in a series of background and open briefings, Indyk laid the primary blame for the collapse of the peace negotiations on Israel for having announced building tenders for 700 homes, not in some obscure or isolated settlement, but in Gilo, a suburb existing for over 40 years in the heart of Jewish East Jerusalem. And so it was that this provocative action, the poof which scuttled negotiations, became the basis for condemning Israel by the administration.
To make matters worse, unsubstantiated allegations were circulated that Israel was engaging in massive espionage activity against the United States. Despite angry disclaimers from Netanyahu and leading government officials, the Administration failed to refute the charges which were even used to justify denying Israel eligibility for the US Visa Waiver Program.
However, with Obamas current catastrophic ratings and the impending congressional elections, it was assumed mistakenly that at least in the short term, the White House would avoid a frontal confrontation and merely give Europeans the wink to intensify the pressure and avoid a frontal confrontation.
But the Administration shocked Israel by accepting the new PA-Hamas government even before the consummation of the union. This was in flagrant breach of former undertakings, betraying its long-standing ally by announcing disingenuously that it would work with the new PA- Hamas government, as long as it abides by the principles mandated by the US. Yet, far from renouncing terror, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal boasted that the reconciliation will actually consolidate the resistance from one of intifada to another until the liberation of Palestine.
The US initiative was clearly designed to pave the way for Israels further global isolation. It was immediately endorsed by the European Union, the United Nations, the UK and France and of course China, Russia and India all of whom praised the union as an important step towards Palestinian reconciliation.
AIPAC, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and other Jewish agencies immediately condemned the charade stressing that US law expressly prohibits funding to a Palestinian government in which Hamas participates. They urged Congress to conduct a review of assistance to the PA and ensure implementation of the law denying support to the PA if it cooperated or bonded with Hamas.
There were senior lawmakers Democrats as well as Republicans who also condemned the move and insisted that the Palestinian anti-terror act passed in 2006 specifically precludes the US government from funding any government in which Hamas is involved or exercises influence.
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Although there is no certainty that Congress will, in the short term, force the White House to back down, public opinion unquestionably opposes the Obama policy. Despite the hostility generated by the anti-Israeli liberal media, opinion polls all indicate record levels of support for Israel amongst the American people. The most recent, conducted last month by Paragon Insights on behalf of the Israel Project, showed that a 2-1 majority blame the Palestinians for the breakdown in negotiations and agrees that Israel cannot be expected to deal with a PA which merges with genocidal Hamas terrorists.
Over recent months, Congress has also displayed a lack of confidence in the Obama administrations lack of accountability and transparency in foreign relations. This has created major tensions, particularly amongst Democrats who do not wish to be obliged to choose between abandoning their President or supporting Israel.
That is the reason why Democrat Senator Robert Menendez, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a powerful supporter of Israel, temporarily withdrew the US Israel Strategic Partnership Act from the agenda. He did so out of concern that an amendment, introduced by Republican Bob Corker reflecting congressional distrust of the presidents handling of nuclear talks with Iran and demanding greater accountability, could create major splits in the ranks of the Democrats. The bill, which designated Israel as a strategic partner and had already been passed in the House of Representatives by 410 to 1 majority, was designed to expand US weapons stockpiles in Israel and extend areas of joint US Israel collaboration in areas such as energy, water and homeland security.
Ultimately a compromise will be found, but this behavior reflects the turmoil even amongst President Obamas Democratic supporters concerning the administrations appeasement of the Iranians and pressure against Israel.
In the meantime, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act which included major boosts for Israels missile-defense programs as well as sections highlighting concern about negotiations with the Iranians and was carried on a bipartisan majority of 325 to 98.
It is indicative of the direction in which the wind is blowing when potential presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in her new memoir, signals her disapproval of President Obamas policies when referring to the tactical error in trying to enforce a hardline on settlements. She also criticized Obama Iranian policy, telling a gathering of the American Jewish Committee: I personally am skeptical that the Iranians will follow through and deliver No deal is better than a bad deal.
After the November midterm elections, the president will increasingly become a lame- duck and with the onset of primaries and campaigning for the next presidential election, there is every probability that the Senate and Congress will act against Obama if he makes further excessive demands on Israel or totally capitulated to the Iranians. However, it should be noted that, despite the Obama administrations harsh political behavior towards Israel, it has in fact strengthened the crucial US-Israel defense relationship.
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Israel must weather the remainder of Obamas presidential term, diplomatically balancing resistance to the negative pressures without severing its crucial relationship with the US. It should simultaneously seek to further strengthen the public support it currently enjoys amongst the American people and throughout Congress.
Regarding Hillary: Hillary Clinton's Book Is Being Destroyed By Critics 'NEWSLESS SNORE': POLITICO TRASHES HILLARY CLINTON'S 'HARD CHOICES' BOOK PRICES WERE ALREADY SLASHED
HILLARY CLINTON: OBAMA AND I RESTORED AMERICA'S LEADERSHIP IN THE WORLD
'SEXISM' IN '08 Palin: Hillary Book Proves Obama Campaign Fired First Shot in Real 'War on Women'
First Gaffe Of Campaign? Super-PAC in fight over 'Ready for Oligarchy' merchandise
No Regret For 'What Difference Does It Make' Benghazi Investigations 'More Of A Reason To Run' For President
'We Came Out Of White House Dead Broke' BACKED DOWN FROM 'DEAD BROKE' COMMENT; 'WE'RE OBVIOUSLY BLESSED' RAND PAUL: HILLARY SHOULD SHARE HER SOB STORY WITH REAL AMERICANS BRZEZINSKI AND HALPERIN SLAMMED 'TONE DEAF' HILLARY
Hillary Clinton: John McCain My Favorite Republican
With a smile, Hillary deflected tough questions on the eve of the release of her book Hard Choices. Diane Sawyer asked Clinton if there was "anything you personally should have been doing to make it safer in Benghazi Clinton responded that she gave very direct instructions that the people who have the expertise and experience in security, because she is not equipped to sit and look at blueprints to determine where the blast walls need to be or where the reinforcements need to be. Sawyer continued to ask Clinton about her role in Benghazi by saying I wonder if people are looking from a sentence that begins from you, I should have. . CNN'S COSTELLO: HILLARY'S BENGHAZI ANSWER 'DIDN'T RESONATE'
Morning Jolt . . . with Jim Geraghty
Why Hillary's 'Dead Broke' Comment Matters Hillary's "Dead Broke" comment is the 2016 presidential cycle's early version of her "Tuzla Dash," when she claimed that during a visit to Bosnia as First Lady, "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." Of course, there is no record indicating any danger to her. {And this was confirmed on videotape.} 1495
Hillary Clinton misremembers events so they fit into her own personal heroic narrative, not as they actually were. Lots of people do this, particularly politicians, but this is a dangerous habit for a leader to have. If they cannot assess and interpret past events clearly, how much faith can we have in their ability to assess and interpret what's in front of them now? Or in the future? In case you missed it . . . Hillary Clinton said she and husband, Bill, were "dead broke" when they left the White House in 2001 with a meager income of $416,039 and $11 million in debt, as she defended her $200,000 speaking fee to ABC's Diane Sawyer. Clinton insists the speaking fees were necessary for the family of three to make ends meet, managing two mortgages and the steep bills for daughter Chelsea's private school education. "We struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea's education. You know, it was not easy," Clinton told ABC's Diane Sawyer, in an interview to air Monday. Remember when I chuckled about a New Yorker writer referring to her as "Lunch-pail Hillary," suggesting she will run a populist campaign that is "critical of the Wall Street types"? Apparently she really intends to do this. A woman with a net worth of $200 million, who gives speeches to Goldman Sachs for $200,000 each, is perhaps the single least plausible populist of all time. She may attempt to pose as this reform-minded outsider who will shake up "The System," when she is perhaps the personification of "The System." You can count on one hand the number of people who have had more influence over public policy than her since January 1993. But she's going to try it, because she is apparently incapable of perceiving herself as she is. Because massive wealth is seen as suspicious or inherently corrupting in today's political culture, particularly in Democratic circles, she has to pretend she's middle class, that her personal-finance worries are just like those of Americans making mid five- figures or less. The "he's unbelievably rich and out of touch" attack clearly did damage to Romney in 2012. Hillary Clinton has to hope lots of people don't react the way Jimmie Bise Jr. did: "I know of dozens of ridiculously-talented, hard-working people who'll never set foot in a mansion. But Hillary Clinton buys two and weeps." Our Charlie Cooke: Leaving aside for a brief moment how utterly farcical it is to use "struggle" and "houses" in the same sentence, the notion that the Clintons were presented in their post-presidency with anything other than a license to print money is unyielding in its abject hilarity. By 2001, Bill Clinton had made $200,000 per annum for eight years while paying nothing toward his housing or upkeep, and, 1496
in addition to the extraordinarily lucrative speaking gigs that American ex- presidents are now to expect, he had a lifetime of pensions and benefits to look forward to. (David Graham points out that, in the last 14 years, he has received nearly $16 million from the government.) By the end of the year in which he left office, the couple had made $16 million and enjoyed between $5 and $30 million in assets. By 2004, they had $50 million to their names. And by 2014, Clinton had become the highest-earning former president in America's history, with net assets of nearly $200 million. Being smart sorts, the couple knew full well that this was coming, which is why in 1999, with their apparently destructive legal bills still racking up, they bought a $6 million house in Chappaqua, N.Y., so that Hillary could legally run for the Senate. One suspects that, if the Clintons had been genuinely worried that their legal fights might bankrupt them, they would not have done this, nor would friend Terry McAuliffe have agreed to loan them $1.3 million toward its purchase. Hillary argues that Benghazi investigation is "minor-league ball" unworthy of the country: In an interview with ABC News, Clinton said the Benghazi inquiry from Republicans gives her a greater incentive to run for president because she considers the multiple investigations into the attacks "minor-league ball" for a country of the United States' stature. But she said she's still undecided. "It's more of a reason to run, because I do not believe our great country should be playing minor-league ball. We ought to be in the majors," Clinton said emphatically. "I view this as really apart from even a diversion from the hard work that the Congress should be doing about the problems facing our country and the world." (Tapper also offered a balanced, clear, detailed assessment of the deaths of those six soldiers after Bowe Bergdahl's disappearance. It's not quite so simple as to say that the search-and-rescue missions got those soldiers killed . . . but it's not quite accurate to assert, as the Pentagon did, that the solders' deaths had nothing to do with Bergdahl's disappearance. The adjustments from the Bergdahl search put U.S. forces into more dangerous territory and pursuing leads that they might not otherwise pursue -- leading to a higher risks, and eventually, the six soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice.) The back-and-forth regarding a putative GOP-effort to attract support ASAP to thwart BHOs initiative to manifest the Cloward-Piven strategy follows:
This is the ongoing reaction of the liberal mindset that truly must be calmed for your movement to become more readily acceptable, regardless of whether it is based in reality/fact, in your view. Positions are perceived (rightly or wrongly) as equally dogmatic on your side. Perhaps, if the conservative leadership just stops talking about these policies (to appease your base), you can minimize the impression that they will indeed be important causes which will have an important impact on decision-making.
The Dems/Libs keep raising social-issues to retain their caring base; the GOP keeps trying to discuss substantive issues such as debt/deficit. 1497
Giving an inch or two on issues related to gun ownership might go a long way.
Mentation is on-the-table.
Also, while you place a lot of emphasis on current challenges in foreign policy understandable given the worlds events and your stated position on the role of the federal government, I would be interested in data (perhaps previously shared but I do not recall) about the relative importance the public at large places on foreign vs. domestic policy. If it is domestic policy that leads, these social issues become even more important.
Regardless of such fluctuating data, Foreign Policy must be confrontedalong with its Domestic import.
Positions on immigration, which of course is a domestic issue, have led to differing political outcomes.
This is untrue; Immigration has both domestic and foreign-policy implications, for it not only relates to the Islamism that threatens the world, but it also threatens to flood America with social-service needs [n.b., Cloward-Piven, which Rush just discussed].
If that is correct, the economy and social issues (the definition of which I view broadly because these matters are so intertwined) are the key issues.
They can be lumped/split depending upon the point that needs to be established.
I suppose it is about jobs but also, importantly, how federal and state resources will be appropriated.
This is true, and a balanced-budget is mandated on state-levelswhich is why it is vital to keep as much spending of this ilk dispersed, as possible.
One concern liberals have relates to the lens through which decisions would be made about cutting funding. If, for example, there continues to be a push to kill Obamacare and replace it with competitive risk pools with no individual mandate and no expansion of Medicaid, can a commitment truly be demonstrated by your wing of the Rs that broad-based access to healthcare is indeed a priority?
Yes; witness the pre-BHO world, and superimpose interstate competition [for starters] plus the age-26 and pre-existing illness criteria [stare decisis].
Without that perception of commitment and just a philosophical debate about spending and the role of the federal government, your argument that Obamacare has not expanded access to the extent predicted will fall short among skeptical Ds. I suspect the general reaction will be yes, not yet give it a chance. You must convince folks that your policies are not simply about stopping Obama. Its not enough.
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That commitment existed within prior GOP-Administrtions, so it did not merely result from a philosophical discussion; skeptical Dems will have to recognize that socialized medicine via ObamaDontCare [admittedly, as a prelude to a single-payer system] has been given a chance, and has been demonstrated to be a fiscal black-hole without any major redeeming outcome yet generated [with more people net uninsured than when it was initiatedand with millions to be pushed into the Exchanges after large-scale employers are encompassed]. The GOP has an alternative philosophy and practicality, starting with the RSCs Scalese, whose work is based on that of John C. Goodman.
While you personally are deeply entrenched in facts, politics is as much about reality as it is about perception and likeability. You may not like it, but the so-called soft stuff ones emotional/gut reaction to what a candidate/elected official says which may or may not result in actual outcomes truly matters if you want to win elections and build a broad base. So criticize as much as you like about the lack of facts, but failure to acknowledge the underlying concerns which motivate the opposition will continue to breed skepticism.
This initiative recognizes the trenchant need to tackle the heart as well as the mind.
Your lack of trust in Obama is driving you. You argue that stopping him should be the sole motivator that trumps all other concerns. Yet, for that to be accepted, the Ds must be convinced we can trust that in that process you (conservative Rs) will not muck in social issues or decimate non-defense federal spending (at least not at a rate where states have no ability to pick up the slack). This is the soft stuff. It matters as much as fact. It is why platforms and stated positions matter as they suggest what motivates someone to want to come into political office.
The Dems/libs must first concur that BHO is out-of-control [seriatim, regarding foreign policy and domestic policy] and then the GOP must present cogent alternatives; once yall realize the profound predicament BHO has created during the past half-decade, alternatives to the GOP [in this two-party system] will be recognized not to exist. Then, both the hard/soft stuff will converge effectively, yielding a far greater shellacking than occurred in 10. And if you arent part of the solution, youre part of the problem.
Every time I try to think that I have covered-the-bases [Jaws-II: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!], glancing through Facebook [and other sites] invariably provides further grist for dissemination that appears even more definitive than its predecessors. Apparently, its open-season for Americas enemies, as they detect blood-in-the-water and a POTUS who clearly isnt up to the job. Organizing these data conceptually entails dealing with Foreign Policy [regardless of how its popularity polls on a given-day] and Domestic Politics [no matter what is viewed as politically-correct]; thus, focusing upon the Middle East and Hillary yields ahead-of-the-curve perceptions that promise to be durable [the former, sadlythe latter, less-so]. One wonders if the American People are paying attention to how quickly the world is collapsing around them; it would seem that irreversibility has set-in. {FLASH: Eric Cantor LOST in his primary, viewed universally as a victory for the TEA Party Movement! This was based on the issue of Illegals, contradicting the view posited by Politico as I IDed a few days ago).} Also, the following hyperlinks are so unbelievable that they are included both here and @ the end: Hillary Clinton Accused Israel of Being Occupying Force, angering pro-Israel community and Hillary Clinton claimed Israel denies dignity and self determination to Palestinians in the West Bank. One would think that this will kill-off her POTUS-16 Campaign.
Levity is needed [Combination of dance, technology, and light into unforgettable pieces of performance art; Dance Using LCD Projector; Beyonce performs Run The World; Nine- Year-Old Piano Prodigy; and a disabled-vet performs If Tomorrow Never Comes by Garth Brooks]. And a series of pieces on the Turing Machine seems apt to group [TuringTtest; chatbot passed the Turing Test; Computer Program Passed the Turing Test For the First Time; Why The Turing Test Is Bullshit; and No, A 'Supercomputer' Did NOT Pass The Turing Test For The First Time And Everyone Should Know Better]. Finally, note the explosion of name-dropping embedded within this Conspiracy Theory: Obama Killed Top Philly Mob Boss [Lewis Katz?] Linked To JFK Assassination.
Islamism is rampant, worldwide: Honor killing in Scotland: Muslim burns ex-wife to death for being too Westernized, twin daughters say that: We had an hour to say goodbye. She was so badly burned we were told we couldnt look at her face. Wife and Doting Mother Beheaded by Muslim Husband in West London Home Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and especially Iran have been violating every possible international norm of human decency over the last few decades; although graphic videos are difficult to watch, sometimes they are vital to watch in order to set the record straight.
Anti-Semitism is rampant in Europe: Jewish Teens Escape Axe Attack Near Paris, Hatchet-Wielding Man Chased Synagogue-Bound Brothers 500 Muslims entered a CARREFOUR store in Paris, collected from the shelves all products imported from Israel, destroyed them, and called for a boycott; French police did not intervene, the management of the supermarket stayed away, and other buyers did not intervene. A Jews, Out of France! rally video reflects how widespread this movement appears to be. 1500
The current issue of The Economist suggested that, although Jews are unnerved, Europe is not sinking into violent anti-Semitism; curiously, this lib-magazine characterized GOP-primaries as mud-wrestling [in mississippi, iowa-and-california], but it did not cover the biggest story of last week, the Bergdahl-swap. A European Commission official sent an expletive-filled and anti-Zionist email on Sunday to the rabbinic director of a pro-Israel organization following a newsletter he received from him.
The Middle-East is Exploding: The Egyptian authorities have sent invitations to major world leaders to attend Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's inauguration as the new president of Egypt, excluding four countries [Qatar, Turkey, Israel and Tunisia]. Hamas called on armed wing to kill soldiers and settlers - Gaza-based groups rift with Fatah deepened after PA suppressed its West Bank rallies and refused to pay employees salaries; this illustrates why one cannot construct a Chinese Wall between its military and its social welfare components [as the media did with regard to Hezbollah in Lebanon]. The nytimes.com published an Opinion by former-Ambassador [to Syria] ROBERT S. FORD advocating efforts to Arm Syrias Opposition; his opening-lines constitute a direct attack on BHOs stewardship: In February, I resigned as the American ambassador to Syria, after 30 years foreign service in Africa and the Middle East. As the situation in Syria deteriorated, I found it ever harder to justify our policy. It was time for me to leave. Jews and Palestinians: A little history remembered The media wrote that militant Jews danced and prayed, a corruption of common usage of this term. {Peres is no longer Israels Presidentand his resemblance to Chamberlain is uncanny} {Rivlin is now Israels Presidentand reflects Israeli Reality}
Swap-Gate is uncontrolled: HuffPo Sources: Bergdahl a Traitor; Obama Silencing Soldiers At the time Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings was killed under suspicious circumstances, he had recently written a huge expos on Bowe Bergdahl, revealing that he had deserted his unit and actively sought out the Taliban. Hastings had also revealed Bergdahls anti-American sentiments, publishing the emails to his father that so shocked America: I am ashamed to be an AmericanThe horror that is America is disgusting. BOB BERGDAHL SENT ANOTHER 'JIHAD MESSAGE' - At the White House, he said in Arabic, In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate, which, according to an Islam expert, amounted to him claiming the White House as a spoil of war. Watters World Goes to Sgt. Bergdahls Hometown Obama had ordered the soldiers picking up Bergdahl to execute him at first sight, according to the Facebook page called Bowe Bergdahl is a Traitor. BenghaziGate - Narrative State Dept: Five Guantanamo Detainees Will Not Have Substantial Impact on Battlefield Democratic Senator Blumenthal: Obama Made A Mistake By Not Telling Congress About Bergdahl Krauthammer: I Find It Odd That Congress Didnt Complain About Obama Changing Health Care Law 38 Times, But Is Complaining About Bergdahl Exchange Obama officials hit Kerry on Taliban risk 'baloney' remark Dem rep compares Taliban to soldiers in American Revolution
BHOs Scandal-Sheet is expanding: Benghazi could have been a Bergdahl Gambit that Went South The House Oversight Committee revealed the IRS sent the FBI a database containing more than a million pages of confidential taxpayer information that is protected by federal law; AG-Holders DoJ admitted 1501
the FBI should never have had those data in the first place. The information was delivered just weeks before the 2010 elections to the FBI, after a conversation between Richard Pilger, an official with the Justice Departments Election Crimes Branch, and former IRS Director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner, a central figure in the scandal. BHOs anti-Zionism is palpable: Obama in 2008 --- 'I've been adamant about not negotiating with Hamas' 1939 letter found, plea to FDR to save Jewish kids! Victor Davis Hanson Warns of Isolationist Sentiment Social Security Administration Rubber-Stamped $400 Billion in Disability Claims
BHO is decompensating: Liberalism Unrelinquished [This piece differentiates classical from modern] Key to Obamas Diplomacy Giving Up Perfidious President - Barack Obama is worse than lawless.he is profoundly dangerous. {This provides an overview of his major errors.} Obama could face 10 years to life in prison, says Judge Napolitano, for aiding a terrorist organization Judge Jeanine Pirro demanded Obamas impeachment for endangering national security in violation of his oath; she vilified him for breaking the sacred trust between himself and the people he leads.
The Dems are desperately trying to change-the-subject: Wendy Davis: Republicans dislike 'people who don't look like them' Harry Reid Calls Udall Challenger a Loser
Domestic-Affairs are chaotic: Dem Crusade Against E-Cigs Drags On {much to my dismay, as also documented by Bill Godshall} The U.S. Chamber Of Commerce calculated that BHOs EPA proposals which require states to make major cuts in pollution from coal generators, will, by 2030, cost upwards of $51 billion and an average of 224,000 lost jobs per year. white-house-hid data and blamed-gop-for-border-flood [regarding Illegals]
Pennsylvania appears to be abusing The Forgotten Taxpayer [Guzzadis term]: $1 Billion And Counting For States Taxpayer-Funded Stadiums chester-soccer-stadium-failed-to-revitalize-city Five Facts about Pennsylvania Public Schools School district revenue is at an all-time high. Total school district spending is also at a record high, at $25.56 billion. School district reserves grew by $445 million. Property tax growth has slowed. Employee benefits continue to outpace other categories.
Cultural-Issues abound: Planned Parenthood Used Taxpayer Funding To Teach Teens Violent Sex Acts [explaining Texas policy] Dating Lesson Asks 8 th -Grade Girls to Declare Publicly How Far They Will Go Sexually [causing revulsion] Veteran-taught 3-black-thugs-a-hard-lesson-in-humility-and-respect Mississippi sailed through its first test of the new Voter-ID Low attendance, 70% drop in children and a decrease in Gay Day [@ DisneyWorld] patron visibility and revelry means the warning banners and their implications of the event made a huge difference for families with children. 1502
Homophobia in Russia Is Taking a Kafkaesque Turn {contrasting with the healthy debate in America} Jews gamble $11m. to save fading Pennsylvanian community - Faced with withering institutions and a mean age of 60, residents of Wilkes-Barre form an ambitious plan for a central Jewish hub Kill Keystone, Kill People ObamaDontCare May Saddle Taxpayers With Thousands in Unexpected Dues
Regarding Gun-Laws, a Dem-lib friend raised a number of possible solutions [For your eyes only] that led to three conceptual views [which provoked open-minded reactions]:
Regarding your patter, its goal [None of these provisions keeps guns out of the hands of responsible owners for the purpose of self-protection or hunting even though I would not object if they did. I am not talking confiscation of legally purchased guns.] is laudatory, as is your sensitivity to state/federal division-of-labor; looking forward to the fruit of your research.
Regarding this point [While I would like to kill access to guns with multiple rounds, without doing the research, I suspect it is the simple handgun that is causing much of the problem. Simply want to make people really think before purchase and use - to know that gun ownership is a big deal which comes with a host of responsibilities.], you are correct; research is needed as per my letter-to-the-editor, which notes the inability of gun-control advocates to cite science to buttress their public-health claims.
Regarding this point [Both the states and the feds are increasingly putting restrictions on access to opioids solely out of concern about illicit use. Certainly, we can do the same for guns. And I don't buy the argument that we don't have a constitutional right to pain medications. This is a public safety issue not simply a constitutionally-based argument. And assuring public safety is something in which the government clearly has a role and responsibility.], you essentially answered your own question; remember, rule-of-law!
Hillary has not done well during the roll-out of her book-tour [and testing of the waters for 16]: hillarys-greatest-accomplishment her-non-answer Hillary Clinton said it doesn't matter if Bowe Bergdahl deserted his unit because one of our values necessitate we bring everybody home. Hillary Clinton 21 highlights 1503
Clintons State Department allegedly broke the law by intentionally obfuscating and downplaying to Congress the terror threat posed by the Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram. Hillarys Broke Gaffe and Inevitability MSNBC Broke Into Laughter As They Mocked Hillarys Dead Broke Comments
Clinton Accused Israel of Being Occupying Force, angering pro-Israel community Clinton claimed Israel denies dignity and self determination to Palestinians in the West Bank. Clinton recalls being surprised by what she termed life under occupation for the Palestinians, according to the book. Pro-Israel officials and insiders on Capitol Hill have called Clintons comments tone deaf and said that her claim that Israel is an occupying force reveals a bias against the Jewish state. When we left the city and visited Jericho, in the West Bank, I got my first glimpse of life under occupation for Palestinians, who were denied the dignity and self-determination that Americans take for granted, Clinton writes. Clintons comments demonstrate that she supports the Obama administrations efforts to pressure and marginalize Israel, which current Secretary of State John Kerry recently accused of becoming an apartheid state, said one senior GOP Senate aide, who worked with Clinton when she was at the State Department. What we see here is the true Hillary Clinton, no longer muzzling herself for fear of reelection in New York or Senate confirmation fightsthe woman who embraced Suha Arafat after smiling through anti- Semitic tirades, said the former senior GOP Senate aide who for years battled Clintons State Department. The source referred to a 1999 incident in which Clinton sat by smiling as the wife of former terrorist leader Yasser Arafat went on an anti-Israel tirade. This should put every American on notice that Hillary Clinton plans to continue Barack Obamas failed Middle East policy that coddles terrorists and castigates democratic allies, said the former official. Clinton knows she lost to Obama in 2008 because she was outflanked by the leftshe wont make that mistake twice and she knows how much the left hates Israel. Clinton goes on to take aim at the Netanyahu government for not returning land to the Palestinians that she claims has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Clinton is referring to territory seized by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, in which Egypt, Jordan, and Syria attacked Israel from every side in a bid to destroy the Jewish state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Clinton claims, is not serious about the peace process. This claim has been echoed by senior State Department officials, several of whom have sought to blame Israel for the recent failure of peace talks. Netanyahu has been deeply skeptical of the Oslo framework of trading land for peace and a two-state solution that would give the Palestinians a country of their won in territory occupied by Israel since 1967, Clinton writes. One senior pro-Israel official who reviewed Clintons comments dubbed them as troubling. 1504
The quotes, which gives insight into Clintons thinking, are troubling, the official told the Washington Free Beacon. Most Americans, when they first experience the tiny distance separating average Israelis from enemies pledged to their destruction, immediately think of the difficult security situation that our allies have to negotiate. Not Clinton though. Clinton has come under fire from a pro-Israel group for not publicly condemning Kerrys apartheid remarks about Israel, which were criticized by many Democrats.
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Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 10:55 PM Subject: Action-Items-CLVII [Cantor-lost-to-Brat]
For the first time in American history, David Brat defeated the incumbent Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated in a primary election; DC WAS ROCKED and GOP Leadership is in 'chaos' because this was a Referendum Against Amnesty. Cantor was defeated by the Tea Party he helped create, as highlighted by Drudge [and RedState and the right's frenzied paranoia]; Immigration Reform Will Go Down With Cantor, with Brats achievement characterized by his supporters as The Great American Miracle. Thus, The Secret Immigration Whip Count ['Now, Later Or Never?'] has, to some, set the stage for BHO to act imperially, again, by granting blanket-amnesty to the Illegals.
More: Illegals flagging down border patrol to gain entry to USA Child Alien Crisis Obama's Fault, But GOP Won't Pounce Central American newspapers tout Obama amnesty program CONDITIONS DETERIORATE AT AZ SHELTER Kids Complaining Burritos Making Them Sick Chicken pox, staph infection fears Widespread sexual activity Feds violating child abuse laws? Valerie Jarrett in secret meetings with activists Influx 'threatens to transform nation' WHITE HOUSE ADMITS BORDER CRISIS IS 'LARGER THAN WE ANTICIPATED' CONDITIONS DETERIORATE AT ARIZONA SHELTER Zuckerberg's FWD.us Revamps Pro-Amnesty Push with Two TV Ads Border Crisis Will Only Get Worse Rush Limbaugh: Drop Illegals Off in D.C. Suburbs Obama's Criminal Activity on Immigration Gosar: Latino Voters Don't Support Amnesty Illegal Immigrants Intentionally Surrendering to Border Patrol to Gain Entry to US
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Thus, the TEA [Taxed Enough Already] Party Movement has been emboldened: Cochran Attacks Tea Party's McDaniel: 'Extremist' Who'd Be 'Dangerous' if Elected Cochran Says Other Senators Approved Executive Assistant's Extensive Travels John McCain: No Good Options for Dumped Border Kids John Cornyn: America Needs To Care For 'Dumped' Children
Rand Paul finds himself on the wrong side of this issue: Rand Paul Teams Up with Michael Bloomberg Group to Discuss Amnesty Ron Paul Backs Tea Party Challenger McDaniel in Miss. Race Sen. Rand Paul: 'We're Not Going to Get Involved' in Mississippi Senate Primary [Rand Paul to Hillary: Take Your 'Sad Song' of Financial Difficulties to the American People]
Ted Cruz finds himself on the correct side of this issue: WH Mocks Ted Cruz for Blaming Influx of Illegal Immigrants on Obama 'Lawlessness' Rafael Cruz: 'The Bible Tells You Exactly How to Vote' Ted Cruz on Border Crisis: Obama, Reid 'More Interested in Partisan Politics'
The Ever-Changing Bowe Bergdahl Narrative Dem Senator: Obama Simply Did Not Have Time to Tell Congress About Bergdahl Swap 1507
Four of Five Taliban Released in Bergdahl Trade Will Likely Fight Again CNN: Bergdahl Requests Not to Be Called 'Sergeant' Boehner: 'We're Going to Pay' For Bergdahl Swap
ABC Newss Diane Sawyer destroyed Hillary Rodham Clinton on Benghazi Hillary Won't Say if She Called Lewinsky 'Narcissistic Loony Toon' Hillary's Bad Choices
GOP Senator: WH Exposed CIA Station Chief Forced Out of Afghanistan
Poll: Plurality of 48% Want Full Repeal of ObamaDontCare
If Republican Boehner doesnt like Mexican food, he must be racist and should be removed from office
Gates Foundation Backs Away from Using Common Core Tests for Teacher Evaluations How Bill Gates pulled off the swift Common Core revolution Anti-Common Core Speech by Dr. Duke Pesta A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has struck down teacher tenure as unconstitutional, ruling in the highly-anticipated Vergara v. California case that such protections "disproportionately affect poor and/or minority students." Judge Rolf Treu found that laws granting tenure after two years, prioritizing seniority in layoffs, and making it difficult to fire teachers violate state constitutional guarantees of adequate public education.
Guns: Chicago Death Toll from Fri. to Mon.: 7 Dead, 28 Wounded
Proposed Voting Rights Bill a Huge Step Backwards
FIRST TIME EVER that the GOP marched in the Philly Pride Parade
Muslims Gas Jews Outside Paris Israeli Defense Minister: 'Zero Percent Chance' of Hamas Recognizing Israel Most of the people in the Middle East have no idea that Jews once lived among themvirtually all signs of Jews there have been erased. Jewish Holy Places in Judea and Samaria
A few years ago, the terrorist organization Hamas, decided to send a gift to the President of Israel. They sent him an elaborate box with a note. The President opened 1508
the box and saw that the content was feces ( shit, merde). He opened the note which said, For you and the proud people of Israel.
Since the President of Israel, Mr Shimon Peres is a wise and experienced person, he decided to reciprocrate and he sent to Hamas a very nice parcel and a note. The leaders of Hamas were very surprised to receive the parcel and opened it very carefully suspecting that it might contain a bomb. After opening they discovered that it contained a small chip that was rechargable by solar energy with 1800 Terabyte memory and a 3D hologram display capable of functioning in any type of cellular phone or Tablet or laptop. In other words the most advanced technological invention and development made in Israel.
The Hamas leaders were very impressed and read the note which said Every leader gives the best his people can produce.
Putin risks a war in Ukraine to build his Eurasian Union because he is implementingin whole or in partthe Eurasianist doctrine developed by the man know as Putins Brain, Aleksandr Dugin. Petro Poroshenko Orders Humanitarian Corridors in East Ukraine; Slaviansk 'Mayor' Ousted, Arrested Ukraine and Russia Reach 'Mutual Understanding' to End Violence in East Ukraine
Spanish King Abdicated so His Son Would Not 'Wither Waiting like Prince Charles'
[This above-the-fold announcement serves as a culmination of a -year of intense lobbying: the Mandatory Holocaust Education Bill passed the Senate unanimously [with only Sen. Washington absent] and, presumably, will fly through the House and be signed by Corbett; common-ground was IDed via an amendment by Sen. Folmer that would allow for a voluntary initiative during the next two years, with a mandate imposed if fewer than 90% of the school districts comply. Needless to type, we are thrilled.]
[Meanwhile, daily calls are being generated to Temple U. regarding ongoing presence of a Holocaust-Denier on its faculty; the initial effort will be focused upon the need for this anti-Semite/anti-Zionist to recant (and later to explain the origin of these ideas).]
Needless to write, there is a certain celebratory atmosphere abounding among those who have labored within the TEA {Taxed Enough Already} Party Movement; captured here are the highlights of the flying e-mail and phone-chats that have emerged overnight. Key-concepts that must be dismissed [after the pundits @ FNC/MSNBC have been duly monitored] is that turnout was HIGHER than it had been in 12 [despite the rain]; its possible a chaos project drew Dem-votes [recalling the concept that was coined by Rush during the primary with Hillary in 08], but Cantor lost everywhere [urban/suburban, including in his home-county] and that a harbinger had occurred [when his handpicked candidate for party-chair had been defeated]. Last Thursday, Id noted Cantor was forced to respond to competitive pressure when contrasting what occurred in Richmond with what didnt happen in PA [regarding Mike Fitzpatrick] and Id also noted deceit [Eric Cantor Sends Another Deceptive Anti-Amnesty Mailer] when disagreeing vigorously with predictions [re-stated yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, on Election Day, which claimed 'Immigration has been a No-Show in GOP Primaries']; this is what I wrote in response to such claims [48-hours ago], noting that graph #1 is my view and graph #2 is that of Politico-Libs:
Politically, there is no doubt that this issue has affected at least one GOP-Primary race, as Dave Brat claimed Illegal Immigrants are Pouring into USA After House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) betrayed his district on amnesty, Announced 'Kids Are Welcome,' and shares the blame for surge in illegal immigrant children flooding into the country. When his Hometown Paper Endorsed Cantor, it Made No Mention of Amnesty; perhaps, as a result, a POLL showed CANTOR'S LEAD had been CUT TO 52-39 IN VIRGINIA PRIMARY. Nevertheless, Cantors comment on Border Crisis [incomprehensively] was: Let's Work with Obama to Give 'Kids' Amnesty.
Politico-Libs [falsely] claimed IMMIGRATION HAS HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON PRIMARIES by ignoring other factors affecting local races and by cherry-picking analysis of the national races, ignoring Cantors: Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared to put himself in political jeopardy when he wrote and championed an overhaul of immigration laws, but he is poised to lap the field in Tuesday's Republican primary in South Carolina. GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who also backed the bill, is in a strong position ahead of his primary this August. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R., N.C.) easily survived a primary challenge 1510
after backing liberalized laws. And Tim Donnelly, a leader in the movement to stop illegal immigration, lost to another Republican this month in California's open primary for governor. Opposition to an immigration-law overhaul remains high within the Republican Party, but primary season is showing that support isn't necessarily a career- ending move, nor is opposition a clear path to the nomination. That could factor into the decision by House GOP leaders on whether to move broad immigration legislation this year. Boehner (R., Ohio) hasn't brought any immigration bills to the House floor, allowing his members to avoid taking a position. Defeats of Republicans who back new legislation surely would have hurt the measures' chances.
GOP NEEDS TO FOCUS ON 'MAIN STREET OVER WALL STREET' [per Brat]; Id add that this constituted a defeat by Main St. over BOTH Wall St. AND K St., as was noted obliquely [Lamar Alexander and Thad Cochran Braced for Falls After Cantor Crumbled and TN SENATE CHALLENGER claimed LAMAR ALEXANDER IS THE NEXT ERIC CANTOR]. Additional commentary [c/o Drudge/Breitbart] serves to amplify the historic nature of this event [assuming the GOP-Establishment adjusts accordingly]:
GOP Leadership Fallout: House Of Cards Meets Game Of Thrones Cantor to resign as House majority leader July 31 House Republicans up late weighing strategy in wake of Cantors shocking defeat Cantor loss throws Congress into disarray MCCARTHY VS. SESSIONS FOR MAJORITY LEADER, ROSKAM VS. SCALISE FOR WHIP MCCARTHY'S DO-OR-DIE MOMENT CANTOR CANCELED KEYNOTE ADDRESS TO PRO-AMNESTY GROUP AFTER LOSS ANALYST: JEB BUSH 'BIG LOSER' IN CANTOR DEFEAT INGRAHAM: Reporting ON CHILDREN IN BORDER FACILITIES 'SIGNIFICANT' IN BRAT WIN LAURA INGRAHAM: CANTOR LOSS 'MASSIVE WAKE-UP CALL' FOR GOP ON AMNESTY [Rush said that Amnesty is NOT-DEAD, recalling how ObamaDontCare passed after Scott Brown was elected Senator.] Exclusive: Laura Ingraham Savors Historic Brat Upset She Helped Fashion Cantor's Graceless 'Concession Speech' Eric Cantor's Election Rally Stormed by Immigration Protestors David Brat On His Amazing Victory: 'It's Like My Life Dream On Steroids, Right?' White House: Cantor Lost Because He Wasn't More Pro-Amnesty Cantor loses primary to tea party challenger in a stunning upset GOP trying to assess impact of Cantor loss Jews Wrestle with Cantor Defeat WAPO: Loss is Bad News For Big Business Chaos erupts at Cantor election night headquarters House Majority Leader Ignored Voters' Frustrations New York Times: Ingraham, Levin, Breitbart Powered Brat Past GOP Establishment Mainstream Media on Cantor Shocker: We Should've Read Breitbart News WSJ Ran Dumbest Media Attack On Dave Brat, So Far [Epstein really piled it on by opening his piece with a non-sequitur connecting Brat's writing about Hitler and the fact that Cantor is Jewish. Epstein then quoted a perfectly reasonable, factually accurate, and articulate depiction of Nazism, a Nothingburger from a 13-page essay Brat wrote in 2011. Epstein closed with a whipped-up word soup about "Hitler, Rise Again, Tea Party, Defeat, Jewish."] 1511
The Top 8 Consequences of Cantor's Defeat Cantor spent $168,000 on steakhouses; Brat spent $200,000 in total BRAT HAD RAISED ONLY $231,000; Cantor $5.7 million Eric Cantor Primary Loss a Referendum Against Amnesty Earthquake: The Cantor Story that Caught the Political World by Surprise BLOOMBERGS AL HUNT: 'BIGGEST SHOCK I HAVE EVER SEEN IN ELECTORAL POLITICS' Video Montage: Stunned Cable News Hosts React to Eric Cantor's Primary Defeat Eric Cantor Loses to Tea Party Challenger! House Majority Leader Eric Cantor falls to tea party challenger in Virginia primary Big Upset in Primary Ousts Eric Cantor [Time Mag] DC ROCKED: David Downs Goliath Miller on Tea Party Victory in Virginia: We the People Put Establishment in Its Place COULTER: AMERICANS 'WOULD LIKE A MORATORIUM ON IMMIGRATION GENERALLY'
GOP's habit of eating its own, reflecting a well-established pattern of insurgent attacks on the establishment. {This snarky topic by Politico covers-up its prior erros, vide infra.} The GOP leadership scramble - Eric Cantor was presumed to be John Boehner's heir. Cantor loss kills immigration reform - Tuesdays result is likely to raise pressure on Obama to use executive authority on deportations. {Note suggestion that BHO would only be doing anything due to external pressure rather than acting on personal views.} Pelosi: 'Whole new ballgame' - Eric Cantor has long been the face of House Republicans extreme policies," she says. [Email from a Democrat close to Pelosi: "This is the biggest upset of all of our political careers. Republicans and Democrats of all stripes on K Street and especially in the tech world are shocked and ultimately depressed. We all know that this will only lead to more Republicans being scared of bipartisan issues, which will only lead to further gridlock."] Boehner's status now seems more secure For Obama, Cantor loss at a price - The expectation is that Republicans will now stay further away from immigration and other issues. Brat, the college professor, said he won because he benefited from Cantor's attack ads. {This is c/w my conclusion (vide infra drawn last week, regarding Cantors deceit.} Cantor raised more money from the New York City area this cycle than metro Richmond Big Money failed to rescue Cantor - The darling of Wall Street, K Street and the Republican establishment goes down in flames. {Note (accurate) inclusion of K St.] 5 takeaways from Cantor shocker - What his loss means for the Virginia GOP, immigration reform and the tea party. Who is Dave Brat? [rsum] Poll: Immigration didn't doom Cantor - The survey says the majority of registered voters in his district support reform. {Once a goal is fixated, its difficult to dislodge; such abject intransigence is remarkable, and reminiscent of this summary of current journalism: Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), perhaps the most outspoken amnesty proponent in Congress, said the stunning defeat of Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the primary Tuesday is no impediment to President Obama moving forward with immigration unilaterally.
"Dont Sweat the Details; Dont Question Authority; Remember Your Job Is to Advance Narratives, Not Report Facts; Quote Directly from Press 1512
Releases; Pick Sides (i.e., promote sympathy for one side and hostility for the other; Dont Describe People: Label Them; Hype the Issues You Personally Care about and Downplay Those You Dont; Listen to the Insects of the Hour; and Use Language Tricks to Obfuscate."
This was the WaPos pre-election posture: Responsible Virginians, even Democrats, may have an obligation to vote for Cantor to make sure Brats politics are rejected. {Rush opened his mologue with this precise point, noting that the poll didnt discuss Amnesty. Thus, he corroborated the manipulation Id sensed, per this analysis.}
One commenter wrote the following:
Cantor a political hack. Didn't care about the details of gun control, kowtowed to short term business interests on illegal aliens, diluting our democracy. GOA ran up the middle against him. The guy was spineless. Establishment hogs neglected to acknowledge or recognize the Republican base, which is speaking ever stronger, failed to acknowledge or recognize winner Brat, or to ask him to stay the Cantor course on Israel. More DC beltway people totally out of touch with the voters, taxpayers, citizens, moms, dads, out of work car won't run Americans.
[GOA = Gun Owners of America. Long-time sleeper, now emerging as replacement for NRA, which is seen as an arm of GOP-Establishment [confirmed by personal experience] {I had also heard of this split, but hadnt recognized its intensity.}
Note this commentary [Cantor loss is shocking only to those who are not paying attention]:
Yes, yes, yes, Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) was an important man, high up, famous, powerfulblah blah blah. And he lost his five-million dollar primary campaign to a grass roots candidate who spent a couple hundred thousand dollars. Hey, Republican establishment folks, are you now paying attention? Do you maybe now understand what so many of your own voters have been telling you for years? To wit: America is worth saving, and it can only be saved by breaking from the creeping Big Government identity of moderate Republicans. That means No on amnesty, No on gun control, No on universal background checks aka gun owners database, No on ObamaDontCare. In other words, Hell Yes on freedom and liberty. Cantor failed on these issues, and his voters punished him for it. While the NRA lost out to Gun Owners of America in this race, probably no group was more closely identified with Cantor, and the Republican establishment around him, than the Republican Jewish Coalition, a nice group I have had some exposure to. Sadly, RJC mishandled Cantors loss in a gargantuan way that may spell the organizations descent 1513
or even demise. In many ways, Tuesday nights RJC is emblematic of the larger Republican establishment, which also seems determined to drive itself over a cliff. Late Tuesday night, 11:26 PM, to be exact, the RJC issued a brief lamentation about Cantors electoral loss and how great Cantor was and blah blah blah. Did RJC acknowledge that REPUBLICAN voters had spoken? Nope. Did RJC congratulate the winner, economics professor David Brat? Nope. Did RJC publicly stake out hopes for Brat to follow closely in Cantors pro-Israel shoes? Nope. Instead, RJC came across as soundly rejecting the wisdom of REPUBLICAN voters in Cantors former district, and failing to acknowledge the Big Government issues of a) gun (citizen) control and b) illegal aliens, who are destroying American democracy, disenfranchising American voters, and robbing American taxpayers. RJC may be a small group with great intentions, but Tuesday night, they were the lost voice for the entire Republican Establishment. And it shows just how out of touch the establishment is with the American citizen. Every conservative activist who reads the RJC statement will wonder what the hell is in the DC Beltway water, because it sure isnt anything theyd want to drink. The folks who ran and funded Cantors campaign, who issued public statements for him, who stood by him when he wafted in the wind on critical issues, and who bewailed his loss, are incredibly out of touch with the actual voters, taxpayers, citizens, moms, dads, students, and out-of-work-car-wont-run Americans who are slowly, surely, awakening to the crisis we are in, and who are not not shocked that Cantor lost. But the expertsthey are shocked. Another individual wrote the following: From personal experience, in 08, I learned that there is a divide between [Jewish] Conservatives and the rank-and-file in DC. The Republican Jewish Coalition will give Brat full support as it does all GOP candidates. There are more Conservatives in the RJC than may be apparent; for us, this is a victory. It is also proof that term-limits are important to keep leaders on point rather than politically expedient. David Brat's support for Israel has yet to be examined. Domestically, he hit every note Conservatives care about. As a professor of economics he brings a refreshing, knowledgable voice of reason to Congress. He made himself available to constituents and provided a plan of action for domestic problems. He did not get big money from Tea Party groups despite being characterized as a Tea Party darling. Eric Cantor seemed more interested in DC politics than the concerns of the people in his district. Eric is a nice guy and a Conservative on most issues but Immigration/amnesty and being inaccessible cost him the primary. Unfortunately, I understand he became arrogant in the past 4 years. Based on the lightening speed response from DWS [both on TV and via an immediate fundraising letter] characterizing Brat as a Tea Party insider, he is a greater threat to the Dem (Obama) agenda than Cantor would have been. Amnesty is on the table for 2014. 1514
Pundits expect Obama will sign another executive order today on immigration based on election results from this contest. {Ive read that he wont do this until after mid-terms.} It should be noted that both of the above-authors [and myself] are Jewish, illustrating the preference that is shared among true-conservatives to promote key-policies @ the risk of losing a strong supporter of Israel. [Subsequent colloquy among us has reinforced this viewpoint, recognizing that the RJC may be lamenting what we actually are praising.] Here is another personal reaction:
David Brat ran as a REPUBLICAN, and with the support he garnered from grass-root REPUBLICANS he took down the bully. The tea party may have backed Mr. Brat, but its support [in particular in the $$$ part of the campaign] was woefully inadequate. Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin were piviotal; thus, the support for this candidate needs to go straight to this candidate [not the republican party or the tea party]. Vet your own candidates whom you want to support and support them; this "we did it" mantra from everyone saying they helped David, the only people who helped and won this campaign was DAVID BRAT and his intelligence, honesty and support of principles, and oh yes the people who voted for him to take down the bully cantor. {Plus TALK RADIO, in my view.} This is what NUMBERS-USA announced:
PROF. BRAT WHO PLEDGED TO SUPPORT ALL 12 OF NUMBERSUSA'S SURVEY GOALS Immigration was the key issue in what numerous national commentators are indicating was one of the biggest political upsets in congressional history. David Brat was incredibly outspent and little known, but defeated the man who most Congress observers expected to be the next Speaker of the House. Throughout Wednesday, we will be updating our news coverage of this biggest election story of the year that came out of Richmond, Virginia today. Check it out at: www.NumbersUSA.com Chuck Todd told Rachel Maddow on MSNBC that Rep. Cantor's defeat in the Republican Primary today killed any chance of "immigration reform" this year. Many others are concluding the same. We certainly hope they are right. My public statement this evening was: "The wage-earning voters of Rep. Cantor's district apparently felt abandoned by his immigration positions that virtually ignored their anxiety about stagnant wages and high unemployment and that projected primary concern for unlawful foreign visitors and employers seeking more foreign workers. "Prof. Brat's insistence that immigration policies should focus on the needs of American workers and taxpayers provided a sharp contrast to the corporate-driven vision of the top echelon of the Republican Party that Rep. Cantor exemplified. 1515
"Prof. Brat pledged to seek all 12 of NumbersUSA's legislative priorities, which essentially are the recommendations of the bi- partisan U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform to cut legal immigration by half and to turn off the magnets for illegal immigration." Brat is an economics professor who understands that even Congress can't revoke the law of supply and demand. He believes that if Congress floods labor markets with foreign workers, wages will be depressed, and that the government shouldn't do that to its citizens. Novel thoughts, right? View Prof. Brat's immigration survey Prof. Brat said he supports eliminating birthright citizenship for the births to illegal aliens and foreign visitors, eliminating chain migration and the lottery, and stopping the importation of unnecessary foreign workers. Rep. Cantor, on the other hand, was part of the House Republican leadership in 2011 and 2012 who refused to allow a floor vote on an exceptionally strong E-Verify bill passed by the House Judiciary Committee. Behind the scenes all last year, Cantor sought to engineer passage of a series of bills that apparently would have given amnesty to at least a couple of million illegal aliens while greatly increasing the number of new foreign workers brought into the country. While Cantor was willing to require additional enforcement along with those increases, his influence repeatedly watered down the effectiveness of any new enforcement that was written into bills. Nonetheless, none of those bills has come to the floor -- and he never unveiled the "Kids Act" amnesty despite talking about it for a year and giving ammunition to those who sought to unseat him. Cantor's plummet from public approval based on the amnesty issue is even greater than that of Sen. Marco Rubio last year who went from being the most popular 2016 GOP presidential contender to an also-ran after leading the charge for the Gang of Eight amnesty. We tend to agree with TV commentators tonight who suggest that Cantor's loss today threatens to greatly unsettle the House GOP leadership in ways yet to be determined. Our interest, as always, will be only on how it affects immigration. Keep coming back to NumbersUSA.com to follow the story. I know you are especially appreciative of our NumbersUSA staff who have kept you informed about this Virginia contest over recent months. A friend forwarded this essay exploring The Other Reason Eric Cantor Lost [which recalls the observation that he had lost a county-level GOP election approximately a month ago and also notes the problems (which exist also in PA) related to the endorsement process]: 1516
Eric Cantors defeat has finally given me cause to rejoin to share with you a smaller, yet I think just as important reason for Eric Cantors defeat. It boils down to one word. Slating. Starting this spring, Eric Cantor and his chief consultant Ray Allen, along with various other goons from his Young Guns network, invaded county and congressional district Republican conventions and manipulated the rules to slate off Republican activists to deliver congressional district chairmanships to his allies. This first happened at the Virginia Beach mass meeting back a few months ago. The contest was between State Sen. Frank Wagner and Republican activist Curtis Colgate for the chairmanship of Virginias second district. Wagner was the establishment pick and Colgate the grassroots. Wagner and his Young Gun allies slated off hundreds of activists that were being elected to the second district convention. It was petty, unfair, and ridiculous. When the 2 nd CD convention met thankfully the slating was reversed and Colgate was elected chairman, though as of now I do believe it is still being contested to the State Central Committee. There was another story out of rural Campbell County in Virginias 5 th district where Allen and Cantors Young Guns succeeded in slating and later on winning the 5 th District chairmanship. A sitting Republican delegate was actually slated. The tide was turned in the 3 rd District, where 2012 Ron Paul state chairman turned 20-something conservative leader Chris Stearns beat back slating to get reelected to his chairmanship. The real omen came a few weeks ago right there in Cantors 7 th district when incumbent chairman Linwood Cobb was ousted shockingly by Dave Brat-backed Fred Gruber. So what does all this mean? If it wasnt for Cantors bullying across the state, his attempt to disenfranchise Republican activists (and not just tea partiers), outraged Republicans across the state. The blogs, Facebook, and Twitter exploded in the last few months over these actions and it gave Brat at the very least statewide sympathy if not an army of potential volunteers who didnt need much motivation. Cantors district is dead center in the state and its not that hard to get to. Nobody would have given Dave Brat the time of day no matter what he attacked Cantor with if it werent for this colossal mistake rooted in Cantors vanity and dream to somehow become the Republican boss of Virginia. Cantor needlessly angered so many people that suddenly everyone was willing to give Brat a listen. He is a college professor, this is not someone who will easily be distorted as some sort of nut job unfit for office. He is thoughtful, smart, and hardworking. Cantor then went into negative overdrive, calling Brat a liberal college professor and pointing to a paper one of his students wrote who he was an adviser to, all the while insulting everyones intelligence. He is also notorious for not having very good constituent service. In short, Dave Brat is talking to the air if Eric Cantor doesnt decided to bully his way through the state party, slating good activists and creating enemies everywhere. Forget amnesty, forget asking if Democrats voted (its an open primary Eric Cantor lost because he attacked his own party across local, county, and congressional district conventions. Around Virginia, the word slating was spat out and Cantor owned it. Let 1517
me tell you, the supporters of Young Guns and slating where all over social media laughing, bragging, and making fun of the grassroots for beating them at their own game, meaning conventions. It was nasty. It was only after all of that was Brat then able to expose Cantors record on amnesty, spending, TARP, etc etc. It was just the icing on the cake. As further evidence of the ascendency of the Conservative message, note:
Ken Cuccinelli, the former Attorney General of Virginia, will serve as the president of the Senate Conservatives Fund! Hes a principled fighter who is respected by the grassroots and is passionate about electing the next generation of conservative leaders. Throughout his time in public service, whether in Virginias State Senate or as Attorney General, Ken led the fight to defend constitutional rights, protect life, stop tax increases, and keep Virginia a low-regulation state. As Attorney General, Ken fought the federal government to reduce burdensome regulations from the EPA, FCC, National Labor Relations Board, and -- most famously -- was the first to sue to stop Obamacare. Ken Cuccinelli is the perfect person to continue and expand on what former Senator Jim DeMint started with SCF. Watch Ken's Video Message to SCF Members Were confident that Ken will help the grassroots do even more to help elect principled conservatives to the U.S. Senate. And Ken could not be joining our team at a better time. The Washington establishment is spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat conservative candidates, but the grassroots are fighting back. Not only did Dave Brat win in Virginia last night, but thanks to your support, Ben Sasse won in Nebraska and Joni Ernst won in Iowa. And now we're on the verge of nominating Chris McDaniel in Mississippi and T.W. Shannon in Oklahoma on June 24 th . Conservatives are on the move and it's more important than ever for the grassroots to work together to support principled candidates. 1518
Please watch Ken Cuccinelli's video message to all SCF members and then send him a quick note welcoming him to the team. Ken explains why he's excited to join SCF and why it's important for Americans to stand up to the Washington establishment. Thank you for your dedication to our nation's founding principles and thank you for supporting SCF. You're changing Washington one election at a time. Best regards,
Matt Hoskins Executive Director Senate Conservatives Fund
Rush Limbaugh advised that America Use the 'Elian Gonzalez Doctrine' on Children Illegals, even as RYAN SECRETLY WHIPPED ON IMMIGRATION AS BORDER CRISIS WORSENED. Contrasting with Virginia, LINDSEY GRAHAM AVOIDED RUNOFF WITH EASY VICTORY IN SOUTH CAROLINA GOP SENATE PRIMARY because he paid attention to the locals [and also because he has continually distinguished himself on the Foreign-Policy front]. Also, Senator Tim Scott Won a HUGE Victory in Primary; Left Goes on the Attack.
Obama Popularity Hit Low [44%] in Poll After Prisoner Exchange, per Bloomberg; it is down from his previous low of 46%, in December. Fifty-two percent see him unfavorably, matching the December high. And majorities disapprove of his job performance across a spectrum of issues. Fifty-eight percent of Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of health care, 4 percentage points higher than in March, even as the law exceeded its original signup targets. Fifty-seven percent disapprove of his management of the economy, with just 38 percent approving. [A WaPo-lib claimed BHO is trapped in a self-constructed bubble, a prisoner of groupthink.]
Recalling how RMN was nailed via Watergate due to the cover-up and that this, in turn, was blown after he was forced to divulge the raw-tapes, it seems that the same could occur with Benghazi-Gate; instead of reading her 33-page chapter on the topic, one would think that Gowdy will want to read raw-data, perhaps explaining why Hillary Clinton Doesn't Want to Turn Over Her Benghazi Notes. With Huma back by her side, it seems Hillary conjured [a flimsy] Benghazi Video Explanation ripe for probing; her slipping popularity will fall further as her dead broke quote takes hold (notwithstanding claims of a WaPo-lib that its only a teachable moment that points to a hole in Hillary Clintons argument.
Another Hillary gaffe occurred when she said Abraham Lincoln had been a senator; actually, he lost to Stephen A. Douglas after the Lincoln-Douglas debates {listen here}.
I actually write about Rahm in the book. I asked him not to read it before we sat and did our interview! But it was in the very first chapter, the chapter I rightly call Team of Rivals because thats what it was in the beginning. A senator from Illinois ran against a senator from New York just as had happened way back with a senator from Illinois named 1519
Lincoln and a senator from New York named Seward. And it turned out the same way.
[A Dem/lib who watched most of the last half of the Sawyer interview felt Hillary's answers often were not compelling; she was reluctant to take personal responsibility, not even of the "the buck stops here" variety.] This is precisely what Talk Radio has been observing, and it suggests she will probably not want to tarnish her image by subjecting it to media-scrutiny [particularly noting that shell probably testify publicly to Gowdy.]
Regarding other domestic issues, NSA claimed it is necessary to destroy documents because its Systems Are Too Complex To Stop Deleting Evidence. A Secret Bergdahl-Swap Prediction was that only one Will Shun Taliban and two are LIKELY TO RETURN AS HONCHOS; Obama claimed he owed no explanation to Congress for having Released Terrorists. Marijuana gaineds ground in the PA-Senate. Tom Ferricks last column for AxisPhilly focuses on Philly-Corruption. {Also note that a first-grader in Cobbs Creek brought multiple bags of heroin to school.}
Obama is looking to Act 'Administratively and Unilaterally' on Guns because Obama said "mass shootings have become run of the mill" and the U.S. is "the only developed country where this happens." In contrast, BHO praised Australia's firearm confiscation. When expressing a preference for scrutiny over eliminating guns, a WaPo-lib may be retreating. {Also, Sun News will no longer report killers' names or show photos.}
Noting the Anti-Zionism of J Street and that synagogues are being targeted by vandals across world, it is not surprising that an Expert Said a European Intifada is Coming; this is congruent with this spate of topics covered yesterday by Pamela Geller:
VIDEO: Muslim Viciously Beats, Punches and Kicks his Wife in a Department Store Beliefnet Whitewashes Quranic Anti-Semitism Taliban stage 2nd attack on Pakistans largest international airport .@BarackObamas #epicfail: Al-Qaeda seizes Iraqs third-largest city as terrified residents flee Devout Muslim group Boko Haram kidnaps up to 40 young mothers Belgium: Jihadist Calls On Young Muslims To Follow Example Of Jewish Museum Killer Muslim cop chops off child brides nose Muslims Gas Jews Outside Paris Hamas Reveals: Abbas Told Us He is Tricking the Americans
Regarding Iran: Cruz: Israel Strike Against Iran 'Could Happen In Matter Of Months' U.S., Israel Vow "No Surprises" Policy on Iran Nuke Talks Congress demands Iran come clean on "possible military dimensions" as basis for verification regime, sets red lines against further sanctions relief France: Iran Needs to Give Up Centrifuges for Nuclear Talks to Succeed Why Iran's Nuclear Demands Could Backfire Inspections: The Weak Link in a Nuclear Agreement with Iran Worries grow of international split as Iran announced bilateral negotiations with more than half of P5+1
Regarding Israel: Dangerous Unity: The Perils of the New Fatah-Hamas Government - Elliott Abrams (Weekly Standard) Netanyahu's bitter enemy elected as new Israeli president 1520
Rivlins victory, Netanyahus defeat Meet Israel's New President: The Noble History of the Rivlin Clan Meet Israel's 10th President Israel Seeks Return of PA Forces to Gaza, Dismantling of Hamas Military Arm IDF: Gaza Terrorists Have Hundreds of Rockets Aimed at Tel Aviv Hezbollah-linked groups blasted for trying to lock in presidential political vacuum, as sixth election effort fails
Regarding Iraq: Apocalyptic Assault by Islamist Militants Underway in Mosul, Iraq Washington Watches As Iraq Speeds Toward Disaster 'Mass beheadings' by al-Qaeda forces in Mosul and Tikrit Iraq governemt on brink of collapse Turkey calls for emergency NATO meeting Jihadis Become World's Richest Terror Outfit after Looting Bank for $429 million Terrified residents flee SPIRAL: Al-Qaeda seizes Iraq city Insurgents Overrun Northern Iraqi City of Tikrit Surprise Assault...Arms windfall for insurgents Terrified residents flee Maliki offers weapons to citizens willing to fight White House Struggles With Naming Foreign Policy Achievements Al Qaeda offshoot overran Iraq's second largest city, threatening to reshape regional balance of power Stability is deteriorating quickly in Iraq, where officials are confirming that Islamist militants have seized control of a second city, Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Officials tell the AP that the provincial governor based in Tikrit is missing, while the New York Times notes that militants encountered precious little resistance and appear to be on their way to Baghdad. Iraq Crisis: Islamists Force 500,000 to Flee Mosul ISIS: The Al-Qaeda-Linked Islamists Powerful Enough to Capture a Key Iraqi City Jihadists Seize Areas in Iraq's Kirkuk Province Super-Lib, David Ignatius, noted the return of al-Qaeda by declaring And its a good time for Obama to explain more about how he plans to fight this menace without making the mistakes of the past.
As gleeful as one might be after having noted the defeat of Cantor by Brat and passage by the PA-Senate of the Mandatory Holocaust Education Bill, it is vital to recognize what is occurring urgently in Kurdistan; my recent essay [America Must Recognize Kurdistan] MANDATES that BHO help to-the-max ASAP the struggling Syrian-Kurds, as well as the Iraqi-Kurds who just re-took Kirkuk from the Islamists, even as the the Iraqi army is Joining With Kurdish Forces In Effort to Retake Mosul after 500,000 Fled and Sunni radicals seized Turkey's Mosul consulate. Key cities in Northern Iraq have been overrun by Sunni- insurgents, and Militants are now Sweeping Toward Baghdad; as ISLAMISTS CLOSE-IN, BHO Demanded Iraq 'Step Up to the Plate' on Terror Surge which they acknowledge is rapidly deteriorating. Meanwhile, an al-Qaeda Splinter Group ISIS is Marching Towards Iraq's Biggest Oil Refinery as Refugees flee tide of terror provoked by this 'full-blown army'; Thousands of Iraqis have taken-up arms as the Government is on brink of collapse. IRAQ ANARCHY IS SPIRALING, as CBS Reports Iraq is Falling Into Chaos.
Rebuffed [secretly] Last Month was al-Malakis urgent request for air-strikes, which he has again requested. As the Mideast's colonial borders broke, countries reacted [Turkey calls for emergency NATO meeting, Iran Deployed Forces, and Germany called on its citizens to leave immediately]. Ralph Peters concluded that, in the Middle East, the U.S. is in the "Weakest Position Since 1945" & "Jihadis Are Winning." Thus, Medieval Sharia Law was Imposed [and far more heads have been rolling in Iraq than SHOULD roll in America], recalling the [false] claims by Obama ["The World Is Less Violent Than It Has Ever Been"] and Biden [Iraq is One of Obama's 'Great Achievements'].
Obama isn't ruling-out any potential responses to escalating violence in Iraq and has long been monitoring the situation on the ground there. "What we've seen over the last couple of days indicates Iraq's going to need more help" from the United States and from the international community; he has been working "around the clock" on options for how to respond. "We do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria for that matter."
BHO should know that Sic vis pacem, para bellum. [If you want peace, prepare for war.] Noting also that al-Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan claimed responsibility for Karachi Airport Attack, the below-photo suggests there are potential-targets for the USA to bomb caravans of ISIS-terroristsif only BHO would stop talking and start acting.
Illustrating, again how Putin is playing chess while BHO plays checkers, note his multi-front moves: Putin Brings China Into Mideast Strategy 1522
Russian Bombers Fly Within 50 Miles of California Coast Young Russians yearn for glory days of Soviet Union T-shirts, Merchandise Showing Off Vladimir Putin's Triumphs on Sale in Moscow Russia Seeks to Develop Nuclear Energy in Argentina Russia, Ukraine Continue Gas Talks as South Stream Construction is Stopped Former Belarus Leader Stanislav Shushkevich Says the USSR is Returning MOLDOVA, GEORGIA TO SIGN EU TRADE AGREEMENTS DESPITE RUSSIAN WARNINGS
Yesterday, it was noted that the Holocaust Education Bill was passed unanimously by the PA-Senate, resulting from intense efforts [documented herein] that were initiated this past November. It should be recalled that the article on this topic in the Exponent a fortnight ago [Debate Continues Over Holocaust Education] was problematic, as per my input [how-to-be-a-really-lousy-journalist-for-fun-and-profit: "Dont Sweat the Details; Dont Question Authority; Remember Your Job Is to Advance Narratives, Not Report Facts; Quote Directly from Press Releases; Pick Sides (i.e., promote sympathy for one side and hostility for the other; Dont Describe People: Label Them; Hype the Issues You Personally Care about and Downplay Those You Dont; Listen to the Insects of the Hour; and Use Language Tricks to Obfuscate."]; thus, it is not surprising that the article in the Exponent regarding what just transpired was also profoundly flawed, as per my input [which, when noticed by another reader, prompted a set of follow-up notes that provided hyperlinks to key-articles that had been composed previously]:
Omitted from this piece, unfortunately, is the pivotal component of this legislation; it will "REQUIRE SCHOOL ENTITIES TO OFFER INSTRUCTION IN THE HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS...IF THE STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION [a report on the "voluntary" nature of this initiative, to be issued no later than November 30, 2017] DEMONSTRATES THAT LESS THAN NINETY PERCENT OF THE SCHOOL ENTITIES ARE OFFERING INSTRUCTION IN THE HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS."
Perhaps the full-length article to be published in next week's Exponent will include this information, for it was the stumbling-block during the past -year of intense lobbying that was pursued regarding this trenchant issue.
Meanwhile, efforts continue on multiple fronts to address the existence of a Holocaust-denier acting as a Temple University Professor; one need only recognize the need for such a rudimentary education through primary/secondary schools, so as to minimize the production of such anti-Semites who might infest the College/University campus. Some feel efforts should be made to boycott his classes, but this is a rather labor-intensive concept that fails to invite the perpetrator to fess-up [noting also that this type of deviation from recognized societal norms would be viewed as unlawful were he to be in Europe]. Other symptoms of anti-Semitism relate to Israel [Peace will occur when Palestinians Accept Jews as Neighbors], a college-campus [first proactive anti-BDS student resolution passes at Western Washington U.] and in a secondary-school [Anti-Semitic Slur Published in Silicon Valley High School Yearbook. {Also, note that Islam is the second-largest religion in twenty states.}
Now that Obama is as unpopular as Bush, he may wish to recognize that even his friends have concluded that Obama's Being Pretty Stupid for a Smart Guy; he continues fanning racism while playing the blame-game ['A Lot of Young Men of Color Aren't Doing Well'] instead of listening to people such as Charles Krauthammer [BHO "Should Try Telling The Truth, because It's Easier To Memorize"]. As a result, compiled have been the Top Ten Casualties in Obamas WarsTo Whom He Wont Apologize.
Hagels testimony regarding Bergdahl did not go over very well [Hagel Gets Testy With Lawmaker Over Bergdahl: I Dont Like The Implication Of The Question; Hagel admits White House mishandled some aspects of prisoner trade; Hagel: "I Know Trust Has Been Broken" Over Bergdahl Trade; Hagel: Bergdahl Deal Was "Imperfect" But "Right Decision"; and Hagel: 'Offended and Disappointed' at Treatment of Bergdahl Family] as Dems trotted-out more inane rationalizations [DEM SENATOR: OBAMA SIMPLY DID NOT HAVE TIME TO TELL CONGRESS ABOUT BERGDAHL SWAP] that raised the question as to whether Dems will Pay a Price for Bergdahl Deal. It was revealed by the DoD that Bergdahl Spent 'Much of His Captivity' in Pakistan and was Not Traded for Money and that Bergdahl Heading Back to USA on Friday; also, it was discovered that his Prison Letters Revealed Frustrations With Army and that [contradicting prior assertions] this Prisoner Exchange Wont Bring Peace Talks, Taliban Said. As Opposition to Bergdahl POW Swap Rose to 54%, a lib Law Professor Jonathan Turley said BHO would be Heading Into A Buzzsaw If Obama Defies Congress Over Bergdahl. {Also note: 'None of the Above' Won Dem Primary for Governor in Nevada.}
Guns: CNN Slashed School Shooting Stats Claim By 80% FAILED SENATE GUN BILL WOULD NOT HAVE STOPPED OREGON HIGH SCHOOL GUNMAN 1524
Anti-Gun Group Demands Boycott of Hallmark over Neutral CEO: 'Not Choosing Is a Pro-Gun Choice' - National Gun Victims Action Council (NGVAC) is calling for a boycott of Hallmark cards this Father's Day because Hallmark refuses to publicly support universal background checks. Obama Lamented Lack of Passion for Gun Control
Culture National Park Service Seeking Ways to Honor Historical LGBT Achievements
Cantor Brandon Darby's Border Scoop Stoked Cantor's Defeat Eric Cantor Announces Exit; Asks Republicans to Put Aside Differences McCarthy vs. Sessions for Majority Leader, Roskam vs. Scalise for Whip CHAOS! Activists Storm Cantor's HQ After Concession Speech POPULISTS REJECT 'BROOKS BROTHERS ELITIST' IN CANTOR DEFEAT GOP Rep. Diaz-Balart: Cantor Defeat 'Clearly Doesn't Help Our Cause' of Immigration Reform Al Sharpton: David Brat 'More Than A Brat -- He's A Threat' to Civil Rights Laura Ingraham: Reporting on Children in Border Facilities 'Significant' in Brat Win Limbaugh: Cantor Lost Because 'His Constituency Became Barack Obama And House Leadership' INGRAHAM: National Tea Party Groups Didnt Help Brat Cantor fallout will shift the GOPs 2016 contenders to the right on immigration Giddy Dems' new strategy: Watch the GOP implode due to their allegedly being extremists. Brat Wins, House GOP Shuffles Their Cards Brat Beat The Establishment -- Now He Gets to Fight The Machine Ball: Nobody Saw This Coming Tracinski: Why We Fired Cantor Dionne: The Tea Party Purge Fund: Looking Back at the Tea Leaves on Eric Cantor's Defeat Purdum: GOP Circular Firing Squad Podhoretz: An Appalling Cantor Meme 1525
Establishment support for McCarthy is building Cantors ambitious maneuverings are one reason he is the first House majority leader to lose a primary. No Cantor, no Obamacare 'replace' vote Gone is the majority leader who wanted a Republican alternative to Obamacare according to libs. Cantor to Step Down as Majority Leader After Primary Defeat, effective July 31. Cantor's loss scrambled 2016 immigration picture The political earthquake following Cantor's defeat affects potential candidates out front on reform. Cantor lesson to GOP is Stray at your own risk; Cantor, no ideological moderate, was in many ways an unlikely target for a conservative insurgency House Leadership Shake-Up Sets Off Scramble in Republican Party There Were Warning Signs; Cantor Missed Them. Cantor Loss a Blow to Wall Street Brat: Republicans Not Paying Enough Attention to Main Street Cantor Backs McCarthy as Successor Cantor: The Fire This Time? Goodbye GOP, the Tea Party Has Won [a typically-Dem view] What Cantor's Loss & Graham's Win Mean Cantor's Defeat Is One for the History Books Virginia-7: Here the People Rule 11 Political Lessons From Eric Cantor's Loss [all of which are typically-lib views, regardless of the issue] Cantor's Loss Especially Bad News for Big Business Yes, Eric Cantor, There Is a Virginia Let the Republican Infighting Begin DC Paying Too Much Attention to K St. & Wall St. Eric Cantor Out in Tea Party Shocker Cantor's Fall Leaves Defense Hole in Congress Brat Teaches D.C. a Lesson in Humility Why Eric Cantor Lost The Triumph of Rightwing Populism Chuck Todd on Dave Brat: "South In A Different Place On Immigration" Than Everywhere Else 1526
Cantor's Defeat May Signal a Populist Revolution
http://dailycaller.com/author/mickeykaus/ cantorgeddon Benefits of Beating Cantor Cantors Mistake Smoking Gun on Cantor and Amnesty Virginia GOPs were not fooled
Politico reported that Rep. Marlin Stutzman will enter the race for House Republican whip, complicating the competitive race. Stutzman, a third term lawmaker from Indiana, will face Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise and Illinois Rep. Peter Roskam. [Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) will not run for House majority leader, according to GOP sources. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) are running to replace Eric Cantor for the No. 2 slot in GOP leadership.]
Heritage Action remitted a communication that mirrors conclusions drawn previously:
A political earthquake rocked Washington, DC last night.
The implications of Dave Brat's stunning victory go well beyond politics, however. As the Weekly Standard's William Kristol explained, the race became "a broad populist case for a Republican party focused on Main Street and Middle America, not on Wall Street and corporate interests."
For the past four years, Heritage Action has been making the case that conservatives should not be in the business of protecting or justifying corporate welfare. Instead, we should confront the Bigs Big Wall Street, Big Government, Big Labor, Big Education and Big Business head on, and fight for the conservative policy solutions that will save the country, not simply those that help the well connected.
And last night, voters made DC listen.
1527
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2014 3:51 AM Subject: Action-Items-CLX [Glick, Iraq, Mandatory-Holocaust-Education, Illegals, Cruz, GOP, Cantor, Hillary, PA-GOP]
Just heard Caroline Glick discuss her version of the one-state-solution [maintain status quo, based on 1922 League of Nations Treaty, which has never been superceded]; she emphasized that even the Israeli Arabs are recognizing the stability of the Jewish State is desirable, manifest as their voting for non-Arabs for the Knesset. Additional business was conducted, including the provision of rather potent negative feedback to Eric Berger, the author of the faulty report on the Mandatory Holocaust Education Bill; amazingly, his rationalization for having failed to note the delayed-mandate phraseology was that he wrote was he was told to write rather than bothering to check the primary-source in the process. Caroline has also worked with Sherkoh Abbas [the source of a series of articles Ive written regarding Kurdistan, including one published two months ago, America Must Recognize Kurdistan, and I took the opportunity to pitch formal recognition of Yom Knisa as a holiday commemorating the date when the Jewish State was first established [by Joshua, A Holiday for the Ages and Today - American Thinker]. Finally, efforts to expose the Holocaust-Diminisher @ Temple were reviewed with Mort Klein who, again, provided a gripping intro to Caroline; I will report the results of my efforts, probably, tomorrow.
A reader recalled the classic stand-up work by Woody Allen: The Moose.
The impending collapse of Iraq weighs upon those who had hoped BHO would muster some semblance of sensitivity for those who worked with America during the past decade-plus but, alas, his icy-heart has apparently [again] prevailed: skim/read and weap/seethe:
Decapitated heads of policemen and soldiers line the streets of Mosul as ISIS imposes Sharia ISIS just stole $425 million, Iraqi governor says, and became the worlds richest terrorist group BAGHDAD FALLING NANCY PELOSI: IRAQ IS NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY Romney: US in 'very difficult position' on Iraq UK Will Not Help Iraq Retake Mosul ISIS, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Sweep Across Iraq, Capture Tikrit IRAQ CIVIL WAR IS EXACTLY WHAT DEMOCRATS WANTED ISIS Threatened to Invade Jordan, Slaughter King Abdullah White House Statement on Iraq: 'We Offer Our Condolences'
The impending collapse of East-Ukraine weighs heavily upon those who had depended upon NATO, regardless of the claim that, After Ukraine, U.S. Trains More Special Forces in Eastern Europe; note that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov finally Admitted Russia Helps Rebels in East Ukraine as Pro- Russians Capture Children in Snizhne, a revelation that emerged while Interfax-Ukraine reported three Russian tanks entered Ukraine near Snizhne and gunmen captured a bus full of children in the city.
The impending collapse of the US-Mexican Border weighs heavily upon those who prioritize rule-of-law:
OBAMA USING infamous socialist strategy ['CLOWARD-PIVEN MANEUVER'] by flooding the border with illegals 1528
Sarah Palin: 'Amnesty Will Decimate Main Street' HHS MOVED DETAINED BORDER CHILDREN TO CALIFORNIA NAVAL BASE ARIZONA AG THREATENED TO SUE BHO OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DUMPING HHS: Grantees Sheltering Illegal Alien Children Must Provide 'Family Planning Services' CRUZ: BORDER CRISIS FOR KIDS RESULT OF OBAMA'S MESSAGE Ted Cruz on Unaccompanied Child Crisis: Little Girls Are Being Sold Into Sex Slavery Sheriff Arpaio Likened Influx Of Illegals To Hurricane Katrina and Worried Of Disease Being Brought Into USA Zuckerberg Pushed Skewed Amnesty Poll To GOP SESSIONS: OBAMA 'LEGAL DISASTER' TO BLAME FOR CHAOS ON BORDER Trust Me! I Told Them Not to Screw You Until August Texas Rep. Farenthold Responds to Crisis at Texas Border - With the cartels being squeezed out of money due to the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and other states, theyre looking for new sources of revenue and it looks like theyre turning to trafficking children; theyre bringing them across the border in dangerous conditions or, worse yet, theyre selling them into slavery. Cruz: Explosion Of Minors At The Border Is A Direct Consequence Of Obama's Policies FEDS PROPOSE SENDING BORDER CHILDREN TO BALTIMORE EX-BORDER AGENTS: IMMIGRANT FLOOD 'ORCHESTRATED' Crisis leaves border unprotected, cartels 'in control' Illegals being shipped to Massachusetts? Homeland Security chief: Isn't Obama's fault Biden: Need 'constant, unrelenting stream' WHITE HOUSE AVOIDS DISCUSSING DEPORTATION OF WAVE OF FOREIGN YOUTH CENTRAL AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS ENCOURAGING MINORS TO ENTER US ILLEGALLY CRUZ ON FOX: BORDER CRISIS FOR KIDS RESULT OF OBAMA'S MESSAGE Cruz Blasts Obama Admin Over Texas Border Crisis AP: CANTOR LOSS A BLOW TO OBAMA, AMNESTY DOOMED Flake, McCain: Obama Needs to 'Send Clear Message' New Illegals Not Eligible for Amnesty Ingraham, Mulvaney Duel on Immigration ABBOTT CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO TEXAS BORDER CRISIS Gov. Rick Perry Again Calls on Obama to Secure the Mexican Border DHS on Border Crisis: We Will 'Act in Best Interest of the Child' Crisis Leaves 'Vast Swaths' of Border Unprotected, Cartels 'in Control'
A friend communicated these thoughts in response to prior Blast e-mails {with comments}:
While I agree with most of your federal policy views, I'm shocked and disappointed with your comments opposing immigration reform (and your dehumanizing reference to many immigrants as "illegals"). {That term is used as short-hand, but it does define their status with precision.}:
Please remember that the outrageous US war on illegal drugs and drug users created the criminal drug gangs and skyrocketing violence in Mexico and Central American countries (where many of the migrants have escaped from). {Noted, but indubitably a mutually-exclusive consideration.}:
Besides, comprehensive immigration reform is needed now just as much as it was after WWII when many Jews and other Europeans escaped from racial and ethnic 1529
persecution. {LEGAL immigration is needed, not ILLEGAL immigration, and one cannot claim that they are escaping from being exterminated.}:
I don't know how much Brat's opposition to immigration reform influenced voters to reject Cantor, but both the liberal news media and the conservative news media quickly claimed that was the key reason (as doing so was throwing red meat to both of their rabid partisan loyalists). {The supplied hyperlinks note this was the tipping-point that embodied distrust of D.C., etc.; this was an accurate portrayal, particularly noting the videos of the influx of kids from Central America.}:
Other than Brat's stated opposition to immigration reform (which Brat's research likely found to be a winning election issue), he appears to be a smart and reasonable libertarian economist (and nearly all libertarian economists support immigration reform). {Concur, except for the last assertion.}:
It seems Pamela Geller [vide infra] has fallen for Ted Cruz [as have I], noting Ted Cruz on Cantor Loss:
The times they are a-changin. Taking back America. In my column on Monday, I wrote: How many times does Obama [and the left] have to show [themselves] to be an enemy of the American people and American interests before the people take action? What American politician is going to take the lead and impeach this jihad agent in the White House Who is going to save this country from this coup
We have our answer.
Following is a statement from Sen. Cruz on last nights Virginia election result:
The results of last nights election in Virginia are reverberating all through the nations Capitol. Eric Cantor is a good man, but last night, voters in Virginia made D.C. listen loud and clear. This election should be a reminder to all in Congress Republicans and Democrats alike that the conservative base is alive and well, and the American people will hold us all accountable. Each of us needs to do what we said we would do and tell the truth. Washington needs to listen to the people, stop spending money we dont have, and stand up and defend the Constitution. I look forward to working with soon-to-be-elected Rep. Brat to help turn our nation around, to pull back from the fiscal and economic cliff we are facing, and to bring back jobs, growth, and freedom in America.
Also want to point you to excerpts from an interview on Glenn Becks radio show this morning regarding the engagement and impact of the grassroots this election year:
As bad as it is getting, and it is getting bad, were seeing liberty under assault, were seeing an administration trampling our constitutional rights, disregarding the rule of law, but as bad as it is getting, it is waking people up. You look at the results of last night. Dave Brat was 1530
outspent 50 to 1, and yet the people woke up and said were tired of business as usual in Washington.
You look at the results in Mississippi, where the fourth longest-serving member of the Senate has suddenly found himself in a runoff because Chris McDaniel is running a strong grassroots campaign. How does Washington respond? By heaping lies and personal attacks, and trying to attack any candidate who takes on the Washington status quo.
You asked what we can do. The biggest thing we can do is rise up and demand that our elected officials in both parties listen to the people, and that we hold every elected official accountable, and I think 2014 is going to be a very strong election year, but I think 2016 is going to be even stronger, because sometimes things have to get really bad to startle people out of their slumber, to wake them up and say its now or never. We either stand up now or we will lose the greatest country in the history of the world.
The collapse of Cantor weighs heavily upon the GOP-Establishment:
Dear Tea Party, On Cantors loss- You didnt build that Steve King: Cantor's 'Cataclysmic' Defeat 'Most Shocking Election Results That I Remember, Ever' CANTOR'S AVAILABILITY TO CAPITOL HILL REPORTERS MAY HAVE DAMAGED VA GOP'ER - Soon- to-be former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was not just reportedly unavailable to the constituents in his own district, Cantor made himself reliably unavailable to Capitol Hill reporters when his staff stopped his weekly pen and pad pressers with reporters almost two years ago. Boehner Not Sure If Immigration Related To Stunning Cantor Upset Cantor Continues Push for Amnesty for "Kids' After Primary Defeat Obama: I 'Fundamentally Reject' Cantor Loss Means Immigration Reform Is Over Dave Brat a Libertarian? His 23-year-old campaign manager is, and the media isnt happy
The collapse of the GOP-Establishment is exploding:
PALIN, LEE, CRUZ: SEND T.W. SHANNON TO SENATE TO FIGHT DC INSIDERS Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said T.W. Shannon, Chris McDaniel, and Rob Maness Can Topple Establishment Like Dave Brat, noting that Dave Brat's shocking victory can give momentum to conservative Senate candidates in Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Retired Col. Rob Maness, the conservative candidate in the Louisiana Senate race, claimed Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is an Eric Cantor Clone on Amnesty. THAD COCHRAN: I GREW UP DOING 'ALL KINDS OF INDECENT THINGS WITH ANIMALS' GOP Senators Scurry from NRSC HQ After McConnell's 'All In' for Thad Cochran Fundraiser - Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Lamar Alexander (R- TN), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Barrasso (R-WY), John Thune (R-SD), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bob Corker (R-TN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Dean Heller (R-NV), Richard Shelby (R-AL), and McConnell (R-KY).
PETE SESSIONS PUSHED BORDER SECURITY IN HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER RACE 1531
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) Called on Boehner to Delay Leadership Elections in Wake of Cantor Ouster so House Republicans can elect leaders who better represent the will of the conservative voters that ousted House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) in Tuesday's primary for embracing amnesty legislation. This Conservative Favorite, Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, Opened The Door To Run For GOP Leader Hensarling Bowed Out Of Majority Leader Race, Stuzman Launches Whip Bid
political hierarchy [in the form of the state] has met its match in todays networked world GOP ESTABLISHMENT VOWS 'NO MORE SURPRISES' FROM TEA PARTY IN 2014 10 Voices Shaping the Modern Republican Party Mark Levin to GOP: "Stop Chasing Ethnic Groups, Stop Chasing Genitalia" The Limits of Electoral Libertarianism GRAHAM: IMMIGRATION AND JUDGES BENEFITED ME
The collapse of Hillarys book-tour continues: Sawyer Destroys Clinton on Benghazi Hillary Snapped at Tough Questions... from NPR! Clinton defended change in gay marriage stance in tense interview how-to-interview-hillary-clinton Reading Between the Lines of Clinton's 'Hard Choices' Cantors Defeat Isnt Good for Hillary; its Bad for Her. Hillary: Asking Why We Need Immigrants When Americans Are Out Of Work A "Fair Question" Clinton: Released Taliban "Not A Threat To The United States" O'Reilly: Hillary Clinton Should Run As A Republican
The collapse of gun-control efforts continues: Far More People Killed In Chicago Than In All Mass Shootings Combined New Mass Murder, Old Lesson
The collapse of efforts to expand big-government continues: Schumer: Time to Penalize Colleges with Tuition Increases Above the Rate of Inflation Dem Rep: Obama "Has Not Been Very Good About Keeping In Touch With Congress"
The collapse of everyone-but-Cruz for POTUS-16 continues: CRUZ ON RENOUNCING HIS CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP: 'AMERICAN AND ONLY AN AMERICAN' Peter King: I Fear Rand Paul-Ted Cruz Takeover RAND PAUL JOINS AMNESTY MOVEMENT Rand Paul: Let's Compromise on Amnesty Rand Paul: Secure the Border [doomed, it is hoped]
The collapse of MSNBC continues: Chris Matthews: "Looking Down Our Noses At Tea Party Has To Stop" Chris Matthews scolds Ronan Farrow: Liberals need to stop looking down on tea partiers MSNBC'S FUGELSANG: 'RIGHT-WING CHRISTIANS' WOULD AGAIN NAIL JESUS TO THE CROSS WHOOPS! MSNBC played SEN. JEFF SESSIONS FOOTAGE during report on REP. PETE SESSIONS
The collapse of many cultural-norms continues, as the GOP attempts to define itself: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Flew Gay Pride Flag over Tel Aviv Embassy 1532
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Said It Will No Longer Fund Abortion because abortion and family planning have [inappropriately] become conflated. Libertarians Versus Conservatives RICK PERRY DEFENDS MARRIAGE AFTER COMPARING HOMOSEXUALITY TO ALCOHOLISM Pope Francis Is Right About not preferring Pets to Children George Will, Feminist Theorist
The collapse of Bergdahl-rationalizations continues: Inhofe: US Commanders in Afghanistan Not Advised on Taliban Release from Gitmo
The collapse of BHOs anti-terrorism activities continues: In Downplaying Boko Haram Threat, Obama Administration Makes Crucial Error Understanding the Haqqani-Taliban-Al Qaeda Relationship--in the Haqqanis' Own Words - There have been occasional suggestions amoung some in the media that the Haqqani Network (who were the terrorists Bowe Bergdahl was with) is somehow a separate entity from the Taliban. And Al Qaeda is not even being mentioned in this regard. This is a grave error. MUSLIMS ARE THE NEW JEWS IS another excuse for ISLAMISTS [by HUFFPO'S MEHDI HASAN]
The collapse of ObamaDontCare continues: Obama Admin Approves Another Year-long Delay For Obamacare Small Business Exchanges Majority of Americans (Still) Wish Obamacare Had Never Passed The Short Unhappy Life of Obamacare
The collapse of the PA-GOP is not a foregone conclusion: Corbett sat down with feuding UPMC and Highmark Corbett read Sandusky investigation report Folmer: alcohol & pot hypocrisy PA voters not solidly behind drilling tax PROPOSAL TO THIN LEGISLATURE GROWING COMPLICATED IN STATE SENATE Brouillette: Different rules for unions PA ALCOHOL DEBATE BATTLE: BEER DISTRIBUTORS VS. CONVENIENCE STORES
Katie McGinty running for state Dem Party chair Wolf endorsed McGinty PA Democratic Party chairman to oppose Wolf's choice for seat Here is the Dem-rationalization to oppose Paycheck Protection: From: "Senator Rob Teplitz" <rteplitz@pasenate.com> Date: June 12, 2014 3:37:57 PM EDT Subject: Re: Paycheck protection / taxpayer funded dues collections
Thank you for taking the time to contact me about Senate Bill 1034/House Bill 1507. I appreciate the opportunity to help address issues of concern to Pennsylvania families, taxpayers, and other stakeholders.
I am opposed to these bills because they appear to be simply an attempt to prevent working men and women from exercising their right to participate in the political 1533
process. They are based on two false premises first, that payroll deduction for union dues and fair share fees is a unique and costly endeavor, and, second, that employees are forced to join a union or work in a union-organized workplace and make those payments in the first place.
I would prefer that state government focus on strengthening working families by pursuing and implementing common-sense public policies in areas such as public education, job creation, and health care.
Robert F. Teplitz State Senator, 15th district (Dauphin/York) (717) 787-6801 Senate Box 203015 Harrisburg, PA 17120-3015 www.senatorteplitz.com
Miscellaneous: US Navy Secretary Wants To Ban Tobacco Sales On Navy And Marine Bases House Committee: VA Stonewalling Subpoena, Legal Action Could Be Taken Wendy Davis Replaced Campaign Manager as Bid for Governor Struggles BENGHAZI ATTACKERS COMMUNICATED VIA STATE DEPT. CELL PHONES MICK MULVANEY SAID HE OPPOSES EXPORT-IMPORT REAUTHORIZATION A Historic Victory for Kids in California Dreaming the Impossible Green Dream - Keeping up with electricity demand means covering 108,000 square miles with new wind turbines, every year. A Fight Against the End of the Planet
Venezuela Shortages Reach the Grave Five big EU countries press Israel to delay settlement plans
Iraq continues to revert tragically and, thus, the lengthy analysis provided by NRO [acquired via e-mail, so necessarily reprinted infra] congeals key-data in much the same way as is done when preparing these Blast e-mails [embedding hyperlinks]. In follow-up of a few prior items, consider first how BHO Operates Under His Own Constitution, "Ruling Like A Banana Republic", ignoring corruption [Obama Judicial Nominee Accused Of Unethical Political Donations] and setting the tone of lawlessness for everyone with whom he works, including his Veep [Joe Biden: We Need More Illegal Immigrants] and the Senate Majority Leader [Reids Sale of Mining Rights Revives Allegations of Cronyism]. {And, soiling his POTUS-office, Obama Blasted GOP at High School Graduation, Telling Students To Vote for Dems.}
Regarding POTUS-16, whereas Chris Christie cavorts with Jimmy Fallon ["Dad Dancing"] and Sen. Ted Cruz advises Politicians to Get Back to Listening to Main Street, the Dems are probably wondering if Hillary will run; each Clinton book tour stop is the result of painstaking planning and, during her book tour, she claimed she has a "deal" not to talk to reporters who are not pre-screened and dismissed Matt Drudge and Karl Rove as gamers trying to plant false information in peoples heads. These feed into the view that Hillary is Unlikable [and subject to scathing satire] so, perhaps, she will run on a platform of being famously famous. {Also, Hillary said she 'Couldn't Predict' a Group Named 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' Would Advance into Iraq.}
Post-Mortem quotes flourish about Cantor's campaign [which allegedly was bedeviled from the start]; Boehner blamed it on Obama and Obama blamed it on Americas Cynical Mood Because Of George W. Bush. I subscribe to the view that Cantors Defeat was due to the fact that the GOP Establishment channeled their conservatism not toward downsizing government but to thinking that they can run government better than the Left [citing immigration and elitism as manifestations of that paradigm]. Indeed, its refreshing to Meet Dave Brat, as he explains why he dislikes the term RINO and admits that, even as an Economics Professor, 'I Don't Have A Well-Crafted Response' On Minimum Wage. Perhaps inevitably, McCarthy put a stranglehold on the race to replace Eric Cantor with an aggressive whip operation [which is not surprising, because hes next in line]; the key-conflict will be over who might replace him [as Whip].
Illusstrating why the media remain corrupt is the fact that MSNBC again was caught Selectively-Editing its Dave Brat Interview; indeed, reflecting their skewed priorities, rather than report on the fact that the FBI has opened a criminal investigation into the VA Scandal, ABC & NBC highlighted the 20 th anniversary of the infamous O.J. Simpson slow-speed chase in the white SUV. Ethics are also askew in the print-media, noting that the NY Times wont investigate Hedges work amid plagiarism charge.
A former Bergdahl Platoon Member concluded 'Now We Know He Deserted For a Fact' after having reviewed his Letters From Captivity; after the Obama State Department suggested Soldiers Are Lying 1535
About Bowe Bergdahl, the Bergdahls Team Leader said Attack Us All You Want, But Were Not Going Away. As the USA quietly moved detainees out of a secretive Afghanistan prison, Cruz condemned the exchange. {Bill Maher said Obama "Kind Of Did Do It Illegally."} This is Speaker Boehners Statement on Congressional Concerns Raised About Prisoner Exchange:
More than two years ago, Members of Congress were briefed on the possibility of such an exchange, and the chairmen at the time and I raised serious questions to the administration. Unfortunately, the questions and concerns we had were never satisfactorily answered and they remain today. At the time, the administration deferred further engagement because the prospects of the exchange had diminished. The administration provided assurances, publicly reiterated by the White House in June 2013, that its engagement with Congress would resume if the prospects for an exchange became credible again. The briefings in late 2011 and January 2012 were highly compartmented to ensure the safety of Sergeant Bergdahl and to preserve space for diplomatic negotiations. While press reports at the time citing administration sources revealed that the White House was considering this prisoner exchange, Congress kept the serious ongoing policy and ethical discussion with the administration private. There was every expectation that the administration would re-engage with Congress, as it did before, and the only reason it did not is because the administration knew it faced serious and sober bipartisan concern and opposition.
The Illegals continue to arrive, into BHOs open-arms: Officials Overwhelmed by Influx of Children Crossing Mexican Border into U.S. on Their Own Obama Admin Forbids Lawmakers From Taking Photos Of Illegal Immigrant Facility Gutierrez on Flood of Illegal Minors: 'Shame on Anybody That Wants to Demonize Children' BORDER PATROL UNION VP: CRISIS ON BORDER 'FAILURE OF POLICY,' CREDITS BREITBART TEXAS FOR ALERTING PUBLIC Horowitz: Forget Amnesty, Congress Voted to Give Welfare to Illegal Immigrants Border Patrol changing diapers, heating baby formula for surge of children 'Our Future Rests' on DREAMers ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO HID IN CHURCH ALLOWED TO STAY IN US Feds vow to 'reunite' minors with parents in USA VIDEO: TX deputies chase SUVs loaded with migrants AP on Cantor Loss: Amnesty Legislation Now 'on Ice' Until After '16 Texans Organize Rescue Posse for Children from Border Crisis DONALD TRUMP: 'EVERYBODY' IN CONGRESS IS VULNERABLE IF THEY SUPPORT AMNESTY
10 Surveys From Republican Polling Firms Show Support For Immigration Bill, and Republicans who dont do the bidding of corporations are getting bulls-eyes this primary season. Attempting to inject clarity, mark-levin said the republican-controlled- congress-acts-like-it-has-no-power and that people are tired of the status quo and of Republican leadership attacking their base rather than standing up on the principles that the party is supposed to support.
Regarding other Domestic issues, Thanks were extended to Taxpayers for a Subsidized Ticket on an Airplane Gutted to Meet Stupid Regulations; also, Obama allowed 18 states to continue delaying a key part of ObamaDontCares health insurance exchange for small businessesemployee choicefrom being implemented until 2016, if then. Noted also is the fact that Wendy Davis' campaign is like that 1536
AMC series; it halted and caught fire. {Heres a Conspiracy Theory: Benghazi Filmmaker CONFIRMED To Be An Agent Of Eric Holder Justice Department.}
Regarding Israel, a HOT MIC picked-up a Top Palestinian negotiator referring to BB thusly: 'I don't say shoot him. He isn't worth bullet.' On the bright side, Gorgeous wall paintings recounting the Crusader history of Jerusalem were recently exposed when the sisters of Saint-Louis Hospital, near the Old City, were organizing the storerooms. {Also, Sen. Leahy is Holding-Up Egypts Apache Attack Helicopters.}
Regarding education-related issues, the fall of teachers unions may be due to plummeting revenue, declining membership, and/or damaging court cases; perhaps related, one-third Of all Pa. Job Applicants Eliminated By Mandatory Drug Tests. Although a Loophole allows school districts to raise property taxes; school districts can apply and qualify for an exception from the PDE in the instances of excessive special education costs, grandfathered debt from school construction, and retirement contributions. {Also, Facing a $1.5 billion state deficit, lawmakers are taking another look at taxing natural gas extraction despite Gov. Tom Corbett's opposition, and the PA House fails to act on state pensions.}
Regarding Common-Core, the Gates Foundation determined, for the next two years, that assessment results should not be taken into account in high-stakes decisions on teacher evaluation or student promotion; although everything you need to know about Common Core has been compiled, The Insanity of Common Core Math was Revealed in Under Two Minutes [and, retroactively, satirized by Abbott And Costello [13 X 7 is 28]. Regarding grammar, people have proffered 7 Helpful Tips and the 23 Worst Parts About Being Good At Grammar, and a grammatically-conscientious person found ways to cope. {Also, parochial schools are excluded from the Holocaust-Education Mandate.}
Regarding Cultural-Wars, a new undercover investigation of teen sex education by Planned Parenthood [which receives taxpayer funding under Obamacare] exposed its counselors as providing graphic sexual advice to minors; this type of information may justify Texas denying reimbursement to this entity. Also, offsetting prejudice emerged from the GOP [Rick Perry compared homosexuality to alcoholism at San Francisco event] and a top-Dem [AG-holder-slammed-boy-scouts-as-bigots]. It may be recalled that, as a college student, AG-Holder participated in armed takeover of former Columbia University ROTC office; also, hAG-holder is to-create-homegrown-terrorism-task-force. {Also, SMOKE-FREE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TARGETED TEXAS CITIES.}
Iraq
5 Times Obama Abandoned US Allies ABC's Jon Karl Grills Carney over Obama's Claims Al Qaeda Is Decimated, Destroyed Obama Team Predicted Rosy Future for Iraq in Congressional Testimony Obama warns of jihadists in Iraq, confirms emergency situation may require military force Obama: U.S. considering 'all the options' to stop insurgents in Iraq The Presidents National Security Team Isnt the Problem. Obama Is Obama can't get out of Iraq because the situation constitutes another potential foreign policy mess AP Reporter to Obama Official: People Predicted this Would Happen if We Withdrew from Iraq New Al Qaeda Group Produces Recruitment Material for Americans, Westerners Iranian troops crossed border and joined Iraqis in Islamic civil war Baghdad prepares for the worst as Islamist militants vow to capture the capital 1537
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Helps Iraqi Government Retake Tikrit "This is the consequence of a president that did not take the right actions at the time opportunity presented itself." Mitt Romney Drudge: IRAN TO THE RESCUE? BAGHDAD FALLING... Exodus as chaos spreads... UN: 800k refugees... CHRISTIANS ON THE RUN... Terrorists 'full-blown army'... Medieval Sharia Law Imposed... 'Roads lined with decapitated police and soldiers'... Iraqi government 'paralyzed'... VIDEO: Thousands of soldiers captured... Iran Deploys Forces... Americans evacuated... USA Secretly Flying Drones... PAPER: 'Worst case scenario'... Vets: 'What was point?'... 'It's LIke Punch In Gut'... Oil Soars...
Jim Geraghty - Some Big Questions to Consider on Iraq
First, the obvious: Is ISIS bad for our interests? Does anyone want to dispute this?
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has thrived and mutated during the ongoing civil war in Syria and in the security vacuum that followed the departure of the last American forces from Iraq.
The aim of ISIS is to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria . . .
It wants to establish an Islamic caliphate, or state, stretching across the region.
ISIS has begun imposing Sharia law in the towns it controls. Boys and girls must be separated at school; women must wear the niqab or full veil in public. Sharia courts often dispense brutal justice, music is banned and the fast is enforced during Ramadan.
Sharia law covers both religious and non-religious aspects of life.
Some may point to their dispute with al-Qaeda . . .
The stories, the videos, the acts of unfathomable brutality have become a defining aspect of ISIS, which controls a nation-size tract of land and has now pushed Iraq to the precipice of dissolution. Its adherents kill with such abandon that even the leader of al- Qaeda has disavowed them. "Clearly, [leader Ayman] al-Zawahiri believes that ISIS is a liability to the al-Qaeda brand," Aaron Zelin, who analyzes jihadist movements for the 1538
Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The Washington Post's Liz Sly earlier this year . . .
But a dispute with al-Qaeda does not indicate they're any less dangerous or ruthless:
But in terms of impact, the acts of terror have been wildly successful. From beheadings to summary executions to amputations to crucifixions, the terrorist group has become the most feared organization in the Middle East. That fear, evidenced in fleeing Iraqi soldiers and 500,000 Mosul residents, has played a vital role in the group's march toward Baghdad. In many cases, police and soldiers literally ran, shedding their uniforms as they went, abandoning large caches of weapons.
Two: Is the preservation of the existing government in Iraq in the U.S. interest?
It's understandable if Americans feel no particular affection for Nouri al-Maliki . . .
The stunning gains this week by Iraq's Sunni insurgents carry a crucial political message: Nouri al-Maliki, the Shiite prime minister of Iraq, is a polarizing sectarian politician who has lost the confidence of his army and nation. He cannot put a splintered Iraq together again, no matter how many weapons the Obama administration sends him.
Maliki's failure has been increasingly obvious since the elections of 2010, when the Iraqi people in their wisdom elected a broader, less-sectarian coalition. But the Obama administration, bizarrely working in tandem with Iran, brokered a deal that allowed Maliki to continue and has worked with him as an ally against al-Qaeda. Maliki's coalition triumphed in April's elections, but the balloting was boycotted by Sunnis.
. . . and it's understandable if Americans see this as similar to Syria an Iranian-backed leader stuck in a bloody fight with Islamist extremists:
In the worst case, if Mr. Maliki were driven from power, the shrines were threatened and radical Sunni insurgents were killing Shiite civilians, Iran would more than likely be compelled to intervene, say experts close to Iran's leadership.
"They are our ally and we will help them," said Hamid Taraghi, a political analyst who is close to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But exactly how Iran would do so is unclear.
But we do have interests in keeping the country stable:
Iraq is a major oil-producing country that shares borders with Iran and Syria. The United States has a large embassy in Iraq, and the country has attracted sizable foreign investment. "We're committed to this country," [James Jeffrey, a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq], said. "Its stability is important." Growing chaos in Iraq would lead to a spike in oil prices and would likely spread instability throughout the region.
Three: Can we make a difference? Obviously Maliki thinks we can, otherwise he wouldn't be asking for the airstrikes, and Obama wouldn't be considering them. 1539
While initial reports indicated that the Iraqi army turned and ran, there are some men in Iraq willing to stand and fight against ISIS:
Volunteers flocked to protect the Iraqi capital on Friday as militants inspired by al-Qaeda seized more territory overnight, continuing a rampage that is threatening to tear the country apart.
Iraqi officials said tens of thousands of volunteers had answered a call to join the ranks of the crumbling security forces and repel advances by heavily armed fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as the group seized the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla north of the capital.
Iraqi state television showed the new unpaid volunteers scrambling to get on packed army trucks at recruitment centers after a call from the Shiite-led government. The mobilization of the irregular forces, as well as Iraq's notorious Shiite militias, to battle the radical Sunni Muslim insurgents threatened to plunge Iraq into large-scale sectarian bloodletting. The volunteers also appeared to be mostly Shiites.
For what it's worth, some like Leslie Gelb argue we need to ensure our help is minimal:
And before the U.S. government starts to do the next dumb thing again, namely provide fighter aircraft and drone attacks and heaven knows what else, it should stop and think for a change. If America comes to the rescue of this Iraqi government, then this Iraqi government, like so many of the others we've fought and died for, will do nothing. It will simply assume that we'll take over, that we'll do the job. And when things go wrong, and they certainly will, this cherished government that we're helping will blame only America. Don't think for a moment it will be otherwise. Don't think for a moment that the generals and hawks who want to dispatch American fighters and drones to the rescue know any better today than they've known for 50 years.
Sure, I'm in favor of helping governments against these militant, crazy and dangerous jihadis. But first and foremost and lastly, it's got to be their fight, not ours. As soon as the burden falls on the United States, our "best friends" do little or nothing and we lose. If they start fighting hard, and we'll know it when we see it, there will be no mistaking it. Then the military and other aid we provide will mean something.
That's persuasive in the abstract, but what if the Iraqi government is just short of being capable of pushing back ISIS? Is it worth withholding our assistance to make the point that they need to be independent? How much can fear of future scapegoating limit our options in the here and now? If we really are going to adopt a philosophy of "we could help you, but we suspect you'll grow dependent upon us and blame us for problems down the road", could we please apply that to domestic spending programs as well?
Four: What is the risk to our forces? We already have drones over Iraq.
The U.S. since last year has been secretly flying unmanned surveillance aircraft in small numbers over Iraq to collect intelligence on insurgents, according to U.S. officials.
1540
The program was limited in size and proved little use to U.S. and Iraqi officials when Islamist fighters moved swiftly this week to seize two major Iraqi cities, the officials said.
Before the Islamist offensive, the program was expanded based on growing U.S. and Iraqi concerns about the expanded military activities of al-Qaeda-linked fighters.
Officials wouldn't say what types of drones were being used but said the flights were conducted only for surveillance purposes. The program was launched with the consent of the Iraqi government.
A senior U.S. official said the intelligence collected under the small program was shared with Iraqi forces, but added: "It's not like it did any good."
Obviously, manned flights would include more risk to pilots than unmanned drones. Downed helicopters are more common that fixed-wing aircraft getting shot down, but sometimes the enemy is lucky, and sometimes accidents happen.
We already have Americans in harm's way:
U.S. contractors began evacuating the air base in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, that is being prepared for the arrival this year of F-16 aircraft purchased by Iraq. The international engineering and electronics company Siemens was trying to move 51 people out of Baiji, about 30 miles farther north, where they are upgrading Iraqi power plants . . .
About 10,000 American officials and contractors are in Iraq.
Looking for a 'Weh' Ahead in a Bad Situation in Iraq
As the GOP candidate for Senate in New Mexico, Allen Weh has a tough road ahead.
But he might be a good guy to have in Washington right now. He's one of the guys who spent some time training the Iraqi forces:
"Regrettably, the current administration's failure to consummate an agreement to leave a residual force for training and counter insurgency operations has directly contributed to the deterioration in security conditions in Iraq and a deterioration in military capability."
Weh, a retired Marine colonel, was the Chief of Staff of the original Coalition Training Team sent to Iraq in 2003 to begin organizing and building the new Iraqi Army and Air Force. Among other initiatives he was personally responsible for obtaining approval to establish an Iraqi Special Forces capability that could employed in the growing fight against Al Qaeda.
Weh was the only American officer assigned to a joint selection board that selected the first group of Iraqi general officers appointed in the Army and Air Force. Weh was also directly involved in getting a cadre of Iraqi officers assigned to coalition country military 1541
service schools such as The Australian War College, the Jordanian Army Command & Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.
The nucleus and planning for an effective Iraqi Defense establishment was accomplished beginning in 2003 and continued for several years thereafter.
Weh returned in 2008 as a guest of the Deputy Commander of the Iraqi armed forces and given three days of briefings on the progress made after he left in April 2004.
"In 2008 our progress was impressive," said Weh. "There was no question then that this Army was on track to become the stabilizing force it was intended to be for both the country and the region."
{[(PLEASE, if you must choose between mine and that of someone else, read the essay by Jonah Goldberg @ the end; it is replete with truisms and is extremely well-written, and attempting to distill key-concepts within is absolutely-simply impossible.)]}
{[(Then note the gorgeous graphics accompanying an insightful-challenge to those who aspire bridging the R/D-schism [publicly and privately] due to BHOs abject-failures: Political Polarization in the American Public - How Increasing Ideological Uniformity and Partisan Antipathy Affect Politics, Compromise and Everyday Life.)]}
{[Both of the aforementioned prompt reading the entire text; headlines dont suffice. Each time these blast e-mails are initiated, they appear shortand then necessarily become amplified as keepers arise]}
The one positive outcome of what is transpiring in Iraqper Krauthammer, again last-nightis that Kurdistan appears to be emerging as an independent entity; it may be recalled that Id starting advocating USA-support for this effort [via ghost-writing essays with Sherkoh Abbas, the President of the Kurdistan National Assembly] starting in 2008 [The Road To Iran Runs Through Kurdistan And Starts In Syria] which was inadvertently reprinted as if in mint-condition a half-decade later by Israpundit. Having discussed this on Thursday-p.m. with Caroline Glick, I learned she had been trying to get people in D.C. to meet with Sherkoh but, alas, to no avail; this explains his frustration [along with the loss of his brother, in combat] until, finally, he emerged to collaborate with the piece published this-past-April [America Must Recognize Kurdistan]. Perhaps, finally, BHOs foreign-policy team will listen to him.
To be summarized prior to addressing other issues MUST be the explosion of info regarding whats happening in Mesopotamia [which may become forcibly trisected]; again, my view is simply that America must support Kurdistan and, to whatever degree el-Maliki aligns himself with a pluralistic-future, the Baghdad government [as long as it abides by guidance provided by the Kurds]; indeed, this is the precise model that has been consistently advocated regarding what should transpire in Syria, as per our essay.
Obama ruled-OUT sending troops back into combat in Iraq but promises to review military options including air strikes; OBAMA'S 'ALL OPTIONS' INCLUDE SURRENDER and Obama Told Iraqis To Play Nice With Terroristss.
Former President George W. Bush's office says he won't weigh in, telling MailOnline that he has 'decided not to criticize his successor' President says ground forces are off the table but other options will be among what his national security team presents him 'in the days ahead' 1543
Republicans in Congress insist that waiting shouldn't be an option: 'We need to be hitting these columns of terrorists marching on Baghdad with drones now' A senior Air Force official in Afghanistan said air bases there and across the Middle East expect 'contingency plans' in the next 72 hours Obama could have airstrikes underway in 24 hours, according to one retired general The president is traveling to North Dakota for a Sioux tribal event, and his national security adviser is not with him His authorization from Congress for military force in Iraq has never expired, so he could legally do it without approval from Capitol Hill American surveillance drones have already been flying over Iraq for weeks Iraqi army units have been overrun by ISIS in Mosul and Tikrit, but gov't forces have held them in check for now without surrendering Baghdad
Dana Perino, Bob Beckel Bitterly Argue Over Iraq Implosion ISIS Issues Rules for a New Islamic Caliphate isis-death-squads-killing-without-mercy-on-iraqi-roads ISIS LEADER TO AMERICA IN FEBRUARY: 'SOON WE WILL BE IN DIRECT CONFRONTATION' ISIS Path Of Destruction Towards Baghdad CALIFORNIA SENATORS FEINSTEIN AND BOXER WRING HANDS OVER IRAQ Beck Issues Dire Iraq Prediction: This Is the Beginning of Whats Going to Spiral All Around the World 200 U.S. CONTRACTORS SURROUNDED BY JIHADISTS IN IRAQ - No help from military as escape routes cut off Iranian troops cross border, join Iraqis in Islamic civil war ISIS butchers leave 'roads lined with decapitated police and soldiers': Battle for Baghdad looms as thousands answer Iraqi government's call to arms and jihadists bear down on capital Carney Believes Iraqi People Should Determine Future Of Iraq Two divisions of Iraqi soldiers - roughly 30,000 men - simply turned and ran in the face of the assault by an insurgent force of just 800 fighters. Thousands of IRAQI SOLDIERS, MEN & BOYS Captured By ISIS Jihadists 25 miles from Baghdad, line Tikrit road with beheaded troops and police Sunni vs. Shia Explained Baghdad braces for siege Fall Would Make Current Gas Prices 'Look Like Bargain' Iraqi volunteers join fight Vets watch as insurgents undo sacrifices ISIS Leader: 'See You in New York' PENTAGON SENDS WARSHIP TO GULF McCain: Iraq Conflict Poses 'Existential Threat' to US Robert Gates' quote about Joe Biden getting almost every foreign policy/national security issue wrong in recent memory seems pretty fitting right about now. Joe Biden Called Iraq One of the Great Achievements of This Administration NBCs Tamron Hall Is Worried About Iraq Because People Are Blaming Obama Al-Qaeda kicked this group out for being too vicious. On Tuesday, they conquered Iraq's second- largest city. Analysts and lawmakers press White House on Iranian issues beyond nuclear program Iran-backed Iraqi PM blasted for sowing seeds of expanding sectarian war Iran and the US: The Enemy of My Enemy Is Iraq Still "Signature Achievement" of Obama's Presidency? 1544
Obama Found He Can't Put Iraq War Behind Him [analysis of NY-Times] Alarmed by Iraq, Iran open to shared role with U.S. [analysis by Reuters] While pundits on both side of the aisle proclaim the problem in Iraq is not BHOs precipitous pullout from Iraq and that a terrorist takeover of Iraq could not have been predicted, it was predicted by that hated harbinger of militarism, President George W. Bush, in July 2007:
I know some in Washington would like us to start leaving Iraq now. To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we are ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region, and for the United States. It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al Qaeda. It would mean that wed be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It would mean wed allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan. It would mean increasing the probability that American troops would have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous.
ANGELINA JOLIE: WE SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE IN SYRIA Saudi Scholar: Mickey Mouse, Sesame Street Part of 'Jewish Plot' Kerrys Top Officials: We Need Another Intifada Against Israel for Progress ISRAEL: THREE TEENS, ONE AMERICAN, LIKELY KIDNAPPED BY PALESTINIAN TERRORISTS A branch of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria terror group has claimed responsibility for the disappearance of three Israeli teens in the West Bank PA spokesperson denounces Israel for blaming kidnapping on Fatah-Hamas unity government, says PA not responsible for safety of settlers in Israeli-controlled Area C. Palestinian factions celebrate reports of kidnapped Israeli teenagers, risking diplomatic deterioration Netanyahu confirmed: Teens kidnapped by terrorist organization Palestinian Authority Corruption is Eating the Palestinians Alive Growing radicalism in Palestinian-controlled territories generates unity deal criticism
In other international news illustrating the failure of BHOs foreign policy, note that the Bergdahl-Swap continues to fester [The Taliban Five had 9/11 roles that were worse than imagined, The Taliban Wanted A 6th Guy Back, But He Died On An Elliptical, and the Daughter of first American killed in Afghanistan learned that freed Taliban leader was behind it]. BHO failed to condemn worldwide Islamism [Muslims gas Jews outside Paris; Brussels Jewish Museum Shooter Had Waged Jihad with ISIS in Syria Before Returning to Europe; VIDEO: Devout Muslim Group Boko Haram Stoned Young Girl to Death; and while BHO remained silent, Congress moved to rescue Meriam Ibrahim]. {Also, 29% of Americans want to close the GitMo terrorist prison and move detainees to U.S. prisons, while 66% dont; these views have stayed roughly the same since 2009.}
TRYING TO "DIVIDE AND CONQUER"? IRAN HOLDS BILATERAL TALKS AHEAD OF THE NEXT P5+1 MEETING IN VIENNA
The final round of meetings between the P5+1 partners (U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and China) and Iran is scheduled for Vienna next week. This week, Iran is holding bilateral talks with the U.S., France, Russia, and Germany, leading to worries that Iran's leaders are hoping to implement a "divide and conquer" strategy. It has worked for them before: 1545
Iranian negotiators have a history of seeking to divide international coalitions in the context of nuclear negotiations. A top Iranian official bragged in his autobiography that in the early 2000s, when now- president Hassan Rouhani headed Tehran's nuclear talks with the West, the Islamic republic had managed to divide the Americans and Europeans in order to lock in Iranian nuclear progress.
Russian sources said they were "relatively optimistic" about the upcoming meeting in Vienna after their talks with Iran this week. The French were not as pleased with their bilateral meeting, according to a Bloomberg report:
"We are still hitting a wall on one absolutely fundamental point which is the number of centrifuges which allow enrichment," Fabius said in a radio interview. "We say that there can be a few hundred centrifuges, but the Iranians want thousands so we're not in the same framework."
Iran is also talking about a 6-month extension to the negotiations if an agreement can't be reached by the July 20 deadline. Such an extension is provided for in the November 2013 interim agreement on which the talks are based, and there was concern at the time that this provision would lead to Iran dragging out the process and trying to secure more time for its ongoing uranium enrichment program. Amb. John Bolton warned:
In exchange for superficial concessions, Iran achieved three critical breakthroughs. First, it bought time to continue all aspects of its nuclear-weapons program the agreement does not cover (centrifuge manufacturing and testing; weaponization research and fabrication; and its entire ballistic missile program). Indeed, given that the interim agreement contemplates periodic renewals, Iran may have gained all of the time it needs to achieve weaponization not of simply a handful of nuclear weapons, but of dozens or more.
Congress is monitoring the developments closely. The House Foreign Affairs Committee held the first in a series of hearings this week on Iran, with a particular emphasis on the verification process for any final agreement with Iran.
BHOs Scandal-Sheet also must be updated [pilots account reveals new cracks in the Benghazi cover-up; 1546
IRS: Lois Lerner's Emails to Outside Agencies Are Gone; and Senator Ted Cruz Wondered what the IRS would say if we told them we couldnt submit tax documents because of a computer crash]. GALLUP has found that Obama is not 'honest, trustworthy' and Jimmy Kimmel Explained the Differences Between Putin and Obama [noting that Russia Sent Tanks to Ukraine Rebels; BOMB FOUND NEAR UKRAINE PRESIDENT POROSHENKO'S OFFICE IN KIEV; and 49 people died when pro-Russian separatists shot down a military transport]; BHO can continue to ignore signs that the beating heart of the US economy is failing by promoting reverse-racism and gun-control [thug-playing-the-knockout-game-gets-shot-twice- by-victim] supported by Dems [CA SENATOR PUSHES GUN DATABASE CHECK AND FUNDS FOR FIREARM CONFISCATION] and the media [CNN'S TAPPER CITES INCIDENTS WITH ONE FATALITY AS EXAMPLES OF 'MASS SHOOTINGS'] but, ultimately, his secrecy will continue to erode support among Generation-X. Note that BHO has been intervening in public records requests that seeking info from local police departments about a piece of cellphone surveillance equipment that can sweep data from entire neighborhoods; even an aligned puter entity like GOOGLE [which collects personal health data from fitness apps and Android wearables] cant explain-away its bias, for example, manifest when its definition Of 'Bigotry' only uses 'Right Wing' as an example. {Also, New legislation just passed by Congress in response to the VA scandal could cost $500+ billion over the next decade.}
It is necessary to recall how liberal-fascism is being manifest on the campus [Professor 'terminated' for challenging 'global warming'] and it is also necessary to recall that a Philly-local, Chubby Checker, has yet to be inducted into the Rock$ Roll Hall-of-Fame. {Also, know that China used more cement in the last three years than the U.S. used in the entire 20 th century.}
The invasion of the child-Illegals continues, c/w BHOs efforts to implement Cloward-Pivin ASAP: Border Agents: We're Letting In Gang Members ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSERS OFFERED MOVIES, PING PONG, SAUTED ZUCCHINI OBAMA ADMINISTRATION RISKING LIVES OF AGENTS, SAYS BORDER PATROL UNION PALIN ON BORDER CRISIS: CONGRESS LACKS GUTS TO IMPEACH 'TYRANT' OBAMA OVER LAWLESSNESS OBAMA'S HHS FORBIDS CONGRESS FROM TALKING TO KIDS IN BORDER CRISIS SHELTERS Immigrant parents urge U.S. officials to help their children flee Central American violence More than 35,000 illegals entering TX each month CA Native Can't Cross Border While Hundreds of Illegal Children Head to Military Bases
The fall-out regarding Cantors loss continues to rage, both nationally and locally [noting that I triggered a stir while waiting-in-line for Caroline Glick to sign her book, Thursday-p.m., when I averred this was good for America, even if the only Jewish Republican in Congressand Speaker-in-waitingwas soon to depart]; Limbaugh argued Cantor lost because his constituency became Obama And House Leadership. [Also, for Cantor, Loss of Leadership Role Means Far Fewer Perks.] Overnight, Ral LABRADOR ANNOUNCED RUN FOR MAJORITY LEADER, thereby rising to Challenge McCarthy after both Steyn Bashed 'Tin-Eared' Promotion of McCarthy and hugh hewitt took to imagining the impact of house-gop-majority-leader-ral-labrador. Finally, as quotes from David Brat have suddenly become subject to intense scrutiny, his claim that The government holds a monopoly on violence has been morphed into an effort to marginalize him; in counterdistinction, like-minded people have decided that a 'Libertarian Moment' in Politics can Be Very Libertarian.
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Meanwhile, Hillary's Bad Week Showed What a Difference the Media Can Make, as she discovered that identity politics might not be as easy as it looks; the media have turned [CNNs New Day anchor Chris Cuomo commented that she had better run, after all the media have done for her], perhaps noting that Iraq cast a shadow over Clinton and that 'Broke' Clintons Reported $12M Income in 2001. Ironically, Hillary has experienced Hard Choices and Tough Interviews, particularly when Clinton Got Testy With NPR Reporter Asking if She Always had Supported Gay Marriage; such combat [Hillary Clinton vs. Terry Gross] served to expose cracks in her support from mainstream left. Her sycophants were unrelenting [Carville: If GOP Loses Against Hillary, "The Republican Party Will Be Extinct" and Woman who lied about 'Mitt Romney causes cancer' campaign lied about Hillary's 'accomplishments'], but most everyone else recognized that she's running in 16 after, again ironically, she Delivered a Strong Critique on Income Inequality; why Hillary spoke-out against Scottish independence is unclear. LEST WE FORGET, Hillarys Ex-Boss Said He Fired Her from the Watergate Committee for Being a "Liar" and "Unethical." [Allegedly, she gave "erroneous legal opinions and wanted to deny Nixon representation by counsel; she was even unwilling to investigate Nixon because (after having regularly consulted with Ted Kennedy's chief political strategist, violating House rules) she channeled the desire of some Dems that Nixon not face an impeachment trial lest heas a part of his defensecite abuses-of-office by JFK.] {Also, noting sparse productivity, it is unnerving that Chelsea Clinton made $26,724 for each minute she appeared on NBC.}
Within the political world, Cochran seemed to continue to regress [TEA PARTY PRESSES COCHRAN TO NAME THE 'OTHER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS' WHO APPROVED YOUR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT'S TRAVEL; GOP Sen. Thad Cochran didnt know Eric Cantor lost primary; Michael Bloomberg (the gun-grabbing, New York billionaire) gave $250,000 to the super PAC supporting Senator Cochran; and, when asked by a local television reporter to respond to his bizarre comments about unsavory acts he said he committed with animals as a child, Cochran said he didnt remember]. Chris Christie appeared at a $10K-Per-Head San Francisco Luncheon Friday and JOE SCARBOROUGH advocaed DRAFTING MITT ROMNEY IN 2016, while Alison Lundergan Grimes was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren.
When recalculating Corbetts chances in November, it is instructive to note that, after a Messy Battle, Virginia Legislature Rejected Obamacare Medicaid Expansion; also, Corbett signed legislation creating panel to develop new school funding formula. As the legislature pieced-together PA's revenue puzzle, one Senator was to seek a vote on competing pension bill. Also, perhaps explaining why Katzs son has decided to sell his half of the Inqy to Lenfest [after lerning that pilot error may have contributed to crash of Katz's jet], the Thursday-issue of Metro averred that he had been miffed because Lenfest hadnt been sufficiently sensitive even to have called him to express condolences.
As per yesterdays Blast e-mail, investigative reporter Dennis Owens [of abc27] exposed Taxpayers for Integrity [Collegeville, Montgomery County] as having smeared Marc Woerner via anonymous robocalls and, perhaps, having cost him the election as a member of the GOPs State Committee; he had been polling-well until the last-minute smear-campaign disseminated allegedly-outright misstatements of fact. Although the named principals [Maria Cusick and David O'Connell] have been IDed, no one yet knows who had financed mailers [~$10,000]; rather than having been perpetrated by one of his challengers, some blame a cynical and sleazy Establishment operative.
10 Things to Know About Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl.
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This is Jonah Goldbergs weekly Blast e-mail; it is chuck-full of thought-experiments:
The big news of the day doesn't lend itself to excessive jocularity. Nor should it lend itself to partisan gloating. This is awful, awful, stuff.
I supported the Iraq war. But for at least the last half decade or so, I've said it looks like it was a mistake. I've said "looks like" not to weasel out of anything, but to simply acknowledge that things change. If after a wobbly start Iraq got its act together and turned into a stabilizing, democratizing force in the region, then it wouldn't be a mistake. If it continued to slide into Iran's orbit, possibly breaking apart en route, then the war would have been for naught. Sometimes you can't get to a good place without going through a bad place first. That's true in our own lives and it's true of nations.
I truly believe that the Arab Spring and Iran's Green Revolution were aftershocks of the Iraq war and that we could have advanced the cause of liberty if we'd taken advantage of those opportunities. I'm not saying it would have been easy or that more chaos wouldn't have come with such efforts; I am saying that it was worth trying.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, believed the Iraq war was a mistake from day one and that conviction informed every foreign-policy decision he has made since. He has said, insinuated, implied, hinted, and shouted as much almost every day of his presidency. So invested in the Iraq war being a mistake and so invested in received opinion celebrating his foresight he has not merely acted on the reasonable view it was a mistake, he appears to have done everything he can to make sure it is remembered as a mistake for all time. The Left wanted the Iraq war to be Vietnam, and Barack Obama has given them what they wanted. All that's missing now are the images of Americans clinging to helicopters.
Let's Get the Spin Right and Everything Else Will Follow
The president deliberately let negotiations over the status of American forces in Iraq deteriorate until there was nothing to do but lament that we couldn't work things out. Indeed (as I write in my column today), his entire Iraq policy his entire foreign policy has been driven by a need to make it conform to his political talking points, rather than the other way around. There's nothing wrong with presidents keeping their promises, but presidents have an obligation to do so with the stipulation that the national interest might diverge from what Jen Psaki can vomit up on Crossfire.
Consider the White House's claim of "decimating" "core al-Qaeada."
This is a metric designed to conform to talking points, it's not an actual foreign-policy objective. Whenever someone points out that al-Qaeda has "metastasized" and controls more territory than ever, the White House falls back on the claim that we've taken the fight to those who actually attacked us on 9/11. That's great, or at least it sounds great. But how is that a strategic objective? What does that do to further America's interests? If the U.S. had wiped out most of the Japanese generals who plotted the Pearl Harbor attacks, but Japan was still at war with us, would anyone say "Well, we can wrap things up now"? 1549
As for the word "decimated," I often wondered if they're hiding behind the popular meaning of decimated i.e. "crushed" or "destroyed" while keeping its traditional and literal meaning kill 1 out of 10 in their back pocket in case they need it to defend against the fact-checkers. Something like:
Carney: We've decimated core al-Qaeda.
Reporter: Jay, we've checked and most of the original al-Qaeda members are still alive.
Carney: I refer you to Webster's dictionary. "Decimated" means to kill every tenth member of an army. We are well ahead of that standard. Frankly I think you should salute our rhetorical restraint.
We Change the Past
There's a staple of physics and life that the present can't change the past. What's done is done. Don't cry over spilt milk. The horse has left the barn. We already emailed the pictures of you with the hooker. Etc. Given the riot of unknowns that is physics today, I'm not sure that will always be true. And, in a very real sense, I'm not sure it's true about life either.
No, you cannot change the facts of the past. But you can change the significance of those facts. I'm not talking about Orwellian lying or Soviet airbrushing or the shoving of innocents down the memory hole. When new events take us by surprise the events that led up to it suddenly take on greater meaning.
From an old-school G-File:
In 2002, Adam Garfinkle, then of The National Interest, wrote a wonderful essay about Saudi Arabia. He quoted R. G. Collingwood's observation that "every new generation must rewrite history in its own way," and proceeded to argue that at least part of what Collingwood meant by this "is that what interests us about the past is at least partly a function of what bothers us or makes us curious in the present."
For example, for the French and British, when war broke out in 1939, the years 1918-19 became less significant and the years 1870-1871 loomed large. Or, when the Berlin Wall fell, 1917 the year of the Russian Revolution suddenly became much less interesting, but 1914 the dawn of imperial implosion and nationalist explosion became much more important. This is all a lesson in the obvious for my beloved bride, who studied U.S.-Soviet relations in graduate school. By the time the ink was dry on her diploma, there was no Soviet Union.
The point of all this for Garfinkle was that, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, a whole new narrative of the 20th century was written. While 1550
on September 10, the years 1914, 1945, and 1989 seemed of paramount importance to historians, on September 12, the year 1924 suddenly leapt onto the stage that was the year the House of Saud emerged as the dominant power on the Arabian continent. Before that, 1924 was the answer to a few trivia questions and little more (e.g., In what year was the People's Republic of Mongolia established? When was Frank Lautenberg born?).
Right now, the most important thing about 2011, according to conventional wisdom, is that Barack Obama authorized the killing of Osama bin Laden. It was certainly a good day, and a glorious one for the White House communications team which immediately turned it into a Caesarian argument for his domestic political authority. But what if ISIS succeeds in holding onto Mosul and Nineveh? Or even goes on to grab Baghdad? What if Iran is fully drawn into the conflict, rendering vast swaths of the Middle East a literal battleground and not just a figurative one for a bloody Sunni Shia civil war? Suddenly, the most momentous thing about 2011 wouldn't be the killing of one aging terrorist hermited away with his "Girls Gone Wild" DVDs. It would be the White House's passive-aggressive acquiescence to the abandonment of Iraq. Again, as it stands, the Iraq war was a mistake. What we're seeing now are the fruits of a policy aimed at making sure it stays that way.
Cantoragnarok!
I'm already exhausted by all of the commentary about Eric Cantor's defeat by David Brat. I would have said three days ago that its significance can't be exaggerated. But I would have been wrong. The Democrats' glee is certainly overblown. I heard Nancy Pelosi say yesterday "I can't close my eyes! I can't close my eyes! Can someone get me some eye drops!?"
Just kidding. I just always expect her to say such things given that she has the eyes of a Moloid caught off-guard by a camera flash. She said yesterday that Cantor's defeat means the midterms are "a whole new ballgame." She continued:
"Eric Cantor has long been the face of House Republicans' extreme policies, debilitating dysfunction and manufactured crises. Tonight is a major victory for the Tea Party as they yet again pull the Republican Party further to the radical right," she said in a statement.
Bless her heart.
The thinking seems to be that the GOP will be pulled further to the right in future primaries, or something. Meh. There aren't that many primaries left, never mind ones in districts where Democrats could win. Regardless of whether it made sense to fire Eric Cantor the guy had an ACU rating of 95 and putting aside any questions about David Brat, I think his victory is a positive sign for the midterms. Base elections are about intensity and turnout. Can anyone dispute that the results in VA-7 demonstrate that the GOP base is energized? 1551
Anyway, I'm exhausted by all the winners and losers talk.
Frank Meyer and Fusionism
But I'm never too tired to talk fusionism!
Brian Doherty has a very good post on the limits of libertarianism during this so-called "libertarian moment." Doherty observes that Brat is very libertarian on many issues dear to libertarian hearts, but he is not a Reason magazine libertarian. That's right. He's a mainstream conservative, at least in his ordering of principles (though he may be more intense about those principles than your average conservative). He's for limited government, traditional morality, individual liberty, and free markets. In short, he's a fusionist.
Just in case you didn't know, the unofficial official philosophical position of National Review is fusionism (except on Cinco de Mayo when it's "Two for One All You Can Drink Margaritas!"). It's also worth noting that the unofficial official position of modern conservatism itself is fusionism. Ronald Reagan all but declared it so in his famous speech to CPAC in 1981, delivered shortly after his inauguration:
It was Frank Meyer who reminded us that the robust individualism of the American experience was part of the deeper current of Western learning and culture. He pointed out that a respect for law, an appreciation for tradition, and regard for the social consensus that gives stability to our public and private institutions, these civilized ideas must still motivate us even as we seek a new economic prosperity based on reducing government interference in the marketplace.
Frank Meyer was the long-time literary editor of National Review. The basic idea of fusionism is really easy to understand. A virtuous society must be a free society because virtue not freely chosen isn't virtuous (if I hold a gun to your head and say "Mend that bird's broken wing," you don't get a lot of credit for being kind to animals). Of course, the fuller idea is more complicated. As Daniel McCarthy notes, fusionism is often described as a political rationalization for constructing a coalition of libertarians and traditionalists. McCarthy even gently and largely correctly criticizes me for using the term that way from time to time. More on that in a moment, first I have to clean his blood and viscera from my halberd.
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. McCarthy is absolutely right that Meyer's argument was more sophisticated than the shorthand. Fusionism was a metaphysical argument, not merely an organizing principle. Meyer believed that the tradition of Western Civilization is liberty and that our cultural institutions are valuable and glorious and worth preserving precisely for the role they play in protecting liberty. For Meyer, "the Christian understanding of the nature and destiny of man" was what conservatives were trying to conserve and that the best way to do that was for the libertarians and the traditionalists to embrace the fact that the core idea of Western Civilization was the glory of "reason 1552
operating within tradition." And reason pointed to the glory and necessity of individualism.
Abstract principles were everything for Meyer (this mindset might explain his early betrothal to Communism) and the highest principle was "the freedom of the person." This sometimes led him into some ridiculous ideological cul-de-sacs. Writing about the need to stop the spread of Communism, even if it meant using nuclear weapons, Meyer wrote:
[E]ven granted the most horrendous estimates of the effects of their use, the preservation of human life as a biological phenomenon is an end far lower than the defense of freedom and right and truth. These the victory of Communism would destroy. These it is our duty to defend at all costs.
Now I am a pretty proud anti-Communist, but this is where I say, "Uh, maybe you should sit out the next couple plays and think this over." The preservation of the "biological phenomena" called "human life" strikes me as pretty high priority, not least because without it, only the cockroaches' definition of freedom, right, and truth will prevail. Life is hope. Without it there's no one to do the hoping.
So where was I? Oh right, fusionism. I think one of the reasons why the definition of fusionism has drifted from a philosophical approach to an organizational one is that, philosophically, fusionism doesn't work that well. Oh, I certainly believe that the fusionist goals of a free society, limited government, and individual liberty are sound and coherent approaches. But the actual case that Meyer laid out for fusionism is simply too dismissive of the importance of community, tradition, order etc. Not every moral choice should be made from a bill of fare that contains every conceivable immoral choice. A healthy society takes some things pedophilia and incest come to mind off the menu, even if that means denying individuals the added virtue of voluntarily refusing such options. In a world where everything is permitted, virtue has a very hard time poking up from the weeds. The challenge for conservatives is how to balance the cherished principle of individual liberty with other cherished principles that are just as essential to the preservation of the Western tradition Meyer holds so dear.
But, as an organizing principle, as the locomotion that keeps the bicycle of conservatism from falling over, fusionism is extremely useful and very, very widely held. The vast majority of libertarians in this country don't call themselves libertarians, they call themselves conservatives, and rightly so. Because they we! are fusionists.
Professor Brat, Fusionist
And that goes for Dr. Brat. Here's an excerpt from an essay he wrote in 2011, which grapples with the tradeoffs between order and liberty:
Let me add one more definition to the picture to heighten this tension. In economics and political science, it is common to define the government as the entity that holds a monopoly on violence. This 1553
definition goes back to Max Weber, but it is used by recent Nobel laureates in economics as well. It does not mean that the State alone uses violence, but it does mean that when push comes to shove, the State will win in a battle of wills. If you refuse to pay your taxes, you will lose. You will go to jail, and if you fight, you will lose. The government holds a monopoly on violence. Any law that we vote for is ultimately backed by the full force of our government and military. Do we trust institutions of the government to ensure justice? Is that what history teaches us about the State? Or do we live in particularly lucky and fortunate times where the State can be trusted to do minimal justice? The State's budget is currently about $3 trillion a year. Do you trust that power to the political Right? Do you trust it to the Left? If you answered "no" to either question, you may have a major problem in the future. See Plato on the regime that follows democracy.
So now, I hope you are feeling even a bit more ill-at-ease. The logic above is inescapable for a Christian. If we Christians vote for what we consider to be good policies, we are ultimately voting to ensure that our will is carried out by the most powerful force on earth, aside from God. The U.S. government has a monopoly on violence, and that force underlies the law of the land.
Do we have the right to coerce our fellow citizens to act in ways that follow our Christian ethical beliefs?
He goes on to discuss usury the topic of his essay but that there is how a fusionist wrestles with trade-offs.
A Monopoly on Ignorance
I bring this up because the other day I caught Rich Lowry (Praise be upon him) and Alan Colmes discussing the Brat victory on Fox. Colmes tried to make the case that Brat is going to be an embarrassment because of his allegedly crazy statements. Exhibit A was that Brat thinks that Hitler's rise could happen again. Now I think Brat's not quite right about this, but it's hardly like he's endorsing the return of Hitler. Rather he's repeating an utterly commonplace, bipartisan, and healthy concern that is usually summed up in the phrase "never again."
Then there was exhibit B. Colmes noted that Brat had written that the State has a "monopoly on violence" as if this is crazy talk. Rich quickly noted as the conversation was being cut off that this is pretty much the standard definition of the function of the state. Charles Cooke goes on quite a tear defending Brat on this point. They're both right. My only complaint is that as Brat notes in the original essay but Charlie doesn't "monopoly on violence" isn't even Brat's phrase, it's Max Weber's. His claim of Gewaltmonopol des Staates is nearly a century old.
All of these people getting bent out of shape about Brat saying such a thing are betraying their own ignorance of a really uncontroversial even boring staple of 1554
political philosophy and political science. Charlie is right that Brat's claim is a neutral and non-partisan one. But the irony here is that liberals want the most expansive definition of Gewaltmonopol des Staates. Under Weber, the State isn't the only entity that can employ violence, but it is the only entity that can regulate it. The State, and the State alone, determines which violence is legitimate and which isn't. In effect it licenses individuals to commit or threaten violence in very specific circumstances.
Liberals want the state to cancel many of those licenses. That's what gun control is largely about, the rescinding of permission or ability to use violence (or effective violence. You'll always be free to slap and scratch your robber, assassin, or rapist). Almost everyday someone on MSNBC wets himself over the fact a free citizen somewhere is carrying a gun. Their proposed solution: the State should better enforce its monopoly on violence.
Various & Sundry
Happy Father's Day everybody. I thought about running through a lot of the social science on fathers but it can all be summed up by saying "Dads matter." The rest is commentary. Still, for those interested, here's my eulogy to my Dad. Every year I hear from a dozen people who write to tell me that they read it every Father's Day. So do I.
Zo Update: She's in jail. Our dog-sitter(s) fell through at the last minute, and so she's at a lavish kennel that bills itself as a dog resort. It remains to be seen whether she sees it that way. What was it William Blake said, "A Robin Redbreast in a cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage, but a Dingo on a chain, isn't such a pain." Anyway, she's just there for the weekend. I tried to teach her how to sharpen a chew toy into a shiv for when she's out in the yard. But she didn't seem interested.
London Calling: I will be at the Center for Policy Studies' big conference in London next week (the National Review Institute is a co-sponsor). I'm really looking forward to it, though how I ended up on the "New Media and Liberty" panel is a bit of a mystery to me. If you have any suggestions for in-flight reading on this topic, please send them along: "New Media and Liberty: Why is the US pre-eminent in digital innovation? And what are the lessons for policymakers in the UK/Europe in areas such as regulation and freedom of speech?"
People say I'm too obsessed with dogs. I say, it could be worse: Woman who cares for 100,000 cockroaches in home: 'These are all my children'.
A Father's Day Story (Language warning)
Stanley Kubrick was overrated as a director, IMHO, but he knew how to write a letter. Though he might have ended with "May your genitals sprout wings and fly away" or one of these other literary insults.
Though none of these were Great Moments in Punctuation!
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For the Liberal Fascism file: Employees sue company claiming they were forced to say "I love you".
Um, doctor could you pay more attention to my spleen? Doctor's license suspended after allegedly sexting during surgeries and sending semi-nude selfies.
What was I saying about the state having a monopoly on legitimate violence? At least this guy wasn't waiting for Uncle Sam to get off its rear and nuke the moon.
Arizona man arrested for shooting at moon.
And they said Rick Santorum was crazy! Amphibians Wed in India.
'Meat Rushmore' Sculpture Shows Presidents Covered In Jerky.
Ex-Air Force Law Enforcement Agent Says He Hoaxed Major UFO Mythologies.
Spanish dog gives birth to bright green puppies.
Tetris!
Drums!
Five great books crazies love. (Waiting for someone to say, "If banning Catcher in the Rye saves just one life, it's worth it.")
After he received eyeball-to-eyeball [negative] feedback c/o moi, The Jewish Exponents Josh Berger updated a previous version to reflect a more accurate descrption of the legislative measure. He kindly preserved my provision of hyperlinks to what had been accomplished to document my assertions, and additional observations were provided in an effort to flesh-out the import of what has been achieved with regard to educating youth about Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Violations:
Thank you, Eric; readers may also wish to know that advocates for this end-point have accommodated other voices by working to ensure that this UNIT will not only encompass the Shoah, but will also confront other genocidal events [such as the Armenian massacre] within the context of human rights violations. The goal is to ensure that curriculum is not just "historic" in nature; rather, we envision students learning of more modern manifestations of such mass-cruelty [e.g., Rwanda] so that they can be encouraged to maintain vigilance when future behaviors comport with these templates. We want our youth to recognize that the "bases" for such inhumanity may vary and may overlap; sociological, religious, economic, political forces must all be weighed when conveying an appreciation for the profundity of this particular lesson-plan.
This was accomplished without having first acquired clearance from Chuck Feldman and/or Rhonda Fink-Whitman and, thus, no effort was made to critique past/current statements they may have made; regardless of the implications regarding the shift-of-focus of the article [from unabashedly claiming that the Federation position had emerged victorious to recognizing that a (delayed) mandate existed], it was felt desirable to ensure an accurate and complete presentation of the info had been conveyed publicly. Confronting these lobbyists [notably Hank Butler] during -year of playing whack-a-mole to ensure policy was based on TRUTH, this was not fun, and an effort will be made to educate his clients as to how his reputation was impugned by his [mis-]conduct regarding this Motherhood/Apple-Pie issue. {Perhaps raising another level of scrutiny, Liberals are Furious over SC Law to Teach the Constitution in Schools.}
Efforts will continue tomorrow to chat with the office of the Provost @ Temple U due to the continued employment of a Holocaust-denier [and Israel-basher]. As key-precedent, it is noted that Jim Keegstra, who has died @ age-80, was a Holocaust denying high school teacher, mechanic, and mayor of Eckville, Alta.; his prosecution for the wilful promotion of hatred went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the controversial law was upheld as a fair limit on free speech.
After McConnell Called for Military Aid to Iraqi Government and IRAN ASKED U.S. TO INTERVENE IN IRAQ AND OFFERED HELP, Sen. GRAHAM CALLED ON 'DELUSIONAL, DETACHED' OBAMA TO ENGAGE IRAN, recognizing the existence of an Israeli-Saudi-French military alliance against Iran. Know that this was not a sudden event, for this Sunni extremist group [renowned for the mayhem it has inflicted] set clear goals for carving-out and governing a caliphate, an Islamic religious state spanning Sunni-dominated sections of Iraq and Syria; it has published voluminously, even issuing annual reports, to document its progress in achieving its evil-goals. *SHOCK PHOTOS* have been posted by ISIS OF MASS EXECUTIONS IN IRAQ, and 1557
A Fmr Army Vice Chief lamented that It Seems Like U.S. Sacrifices in Iraq Were All For Nothing.
On Fridays Morning Joe on MSNBC, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) went head to head against show co-host Mika Brzezinski and Huffington Post correspondent Sam Stein over changes to U.S. policy regarding Iraq under President Barack Obama as ISIS forces approach the capital city of Baghdad. McCain first took Brzezinskis query that some of this could be pinned on the Bush administration for churning the hate and taking Sunnis out of leadership position in the Iraqi government.
What about the fact that we had it won he said. What about the fact that people like me said we got to fire [Donald] Rumsfeld. Weve got to get the surge going and what about the fact Gen. [David] Petreaus had the conflict won thanks to the surge? And if we have left the residual force behind that we could have, that we would not be facing the crisis we are today. Those are fact. Those are fundamental facts. I expect you and others to blame it on all these different events. The fact is we had the conflict won and we had a stable government.
The Huffington Posts Sam Stein questioned McCain on the definition of victory and said he was confused by what McCain was attempting to convey.
I think you are confused because you didnt know what happened with the surge where we basically had the country pacified. We had a stable government in Baghdad and we the conflict basically won, McCain replied. Weve still got troops in Bosnia. A residual force would have stabilized the country. Military experts will tell you that. So, Im sorry about your confusion, but the facts on the ground were that Al Qaeda had been defeated almost completely.
Apropos to the tenor of this discussion are observations of Tony BLAIR ['It would be worse if we hadn't invaded'] and others [IRAQ: A SUNNI-SHIA HOLY WAR TO COMMENCE IN BAGHDAD?].
These events have also been experienced in England [BRITISH-BORN ISIS FIGHTERS VOW TO BRING JIHAD BACK TO BRITAIN; ISIS COULD BRING TERROR TO BRITAIN; and FARAGE: BLAIR WRONG TO URGE IRAQ INTERVENTION]. {Also, Maher Hit Islam Again ['The Sunnis and Shiites Are Going to Have This Out'] and a CNN REPORTER DROPPED an EXPLETIVE ON AIR WHILE DISCUSSING IRAQ.}
Again illustrating how BHO is failing to help putative allies of America, nine Moderate Syria rebel [from the moderate Free Syrian Army] officers quit over shortages and mismanagement of military aid from donor countries to their uprising against President Bashar Al Assad; We are fighting both the army and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ISIL, Abboud said, referring to a jihadist group operating in Syria and Iraq that Syrias opposition turned against in January.
FREED PALESTINIAN TERRORISTS ARE BEHIND KIDNAPPING OF ISRAELI TEENS, as the media try to blame anyone and everyone except for the terrorists and others probe Jihad and the Culture of Hostage-taking; 1558
predictably, the media have provided poor coverage of the Kidnapped Israeli Teens. Also, one wonders why BHO has not openly condemned the kidnapping.
OBAMA FLEW TO PALM SPRINGS FOR A WEEKND OF GOLF, again AWOL while churning problems have exploded over the weekend [e.g., introduction of tanks and anti-aircraft weaponry into Eastern Ukraine by Russia; Finland's Next PM Wants to Join NATO; and Protest at Russian Embassy in Kiev Against Aggression Towards Ukraine]. Indeed, MARK LEVIN wonders WHAT KIND OF MIND IN THE WHITE HOUSE WOULD RELEASE 5 MASS MURDERERS? and Obama's Iraq Statement, per Krauthammer, was amateurish ['It's as If He's Learning How the Presidency Is Done']; such observations prompt some to claim the Curtain is Closing on Obama Presidency.
Meanwhile, lawlessness abounded along the Mexican border as Illegals flowed into the USA, [Teenage Latin Horde; OBAMA KNOWINGLY OPENED BORDERS, THUS LETTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MEXICAN GANG MEMBERS INTO US; FEDS SEEM TO BE SHIFTING MINORS BETWEEN FACILITIES TO AVOID STATE SCRUTINY; AZ threatens legal action on Fed's immigrant dumping; PALIN said OBAMA is EXPLOITING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT KIDS; and Obama Admin Forbids Lawmakers From Taking Photos Of Facility]; politically, as LUIS GUTIERREZ CLAIMED HE'S 'NOT FOR AMNESTY' {?}, Cantor Said Immigration Views Angered People in Both Parties and JEFF SESSIONS said CANTOR PRIMARY LOSS 'A MAJOR DEFEAT' FOR IMMIGRATION AGENDA. The post-mortem continued, as Top Jeb Bush Adviser [Mike Murphy] said Cantor Didn't Lose Because of Amnesty and 'McLaughlin Group' Panelists said 'No Doubt' Cantor Lost Because of Amnesty. Regarding forces affecting Illegals who are not @ the border, an Illegal Immigrant Who Hid in Church has been Allowed to Stay in US and an explanation has been offered to explain Why Many Illegal Immigrants Don't 'Wait in Line Like Everyone Else.'
He has also not explained why, although the IRS COMMISSIONER TESTIFIED IN MARCH LOIS LERNER EMAILS WERE ARCHIVED, it was leaked on Friday that Lois Lerners Emails were lost; thus, Sharyl Attkisson formulated a few questions for the IRS in this regard. Thus, Palin said, regrding the IRS 'Losing' Lerner Emails, Obama is Worse than Nixon.
Hillary's Book tour from Hell [during which she has been stalked by a Giant Squirrel] has prompted CLINTON ALLIES TO CLAIM HER BROKE COMMENTS WERE 'WHINY,' 'DETACHED'; one person she scorned, Kathleen Willey, said Let me tell you about 'dead broke.' Also, Hillary averred that she opposes Scottish Independence and, perhaps in reaction to the furor she has provoked, HILLARY concluded THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM IS 'MOST BRUTAL' IN THE WORLD. Also, an MSNBC Panel Slammed Hillary over Gay Marriage Dodge and Gallup found her era of high favorability Ended as Poll Numbers Plummet; FOURNIER has depicted How Clinton Could Squander Her Second Chance.
Regarding the GOPs Civil-War, SHANNON and LANKFORD are NECK-AND-NECK HEADING INTO FINAL STRETCH OF OK SENATE PRIMARY; also, Establishment forces officially wrested control of the Iowa Republican Party from supporters of Rand Paul to those loyal to Gov. Terry Branstad. {Also, Cantors loss spurred business leaders to mobilize to preserve their clout in Congress and MICHAEL STEELE claimed there is 'A LOT OF INTEREST IN' ERIC CANTOR FOR RNC CHAIRMAN; a reasonable reaction would be to wonder if the business-leaders have ever stopped mobilizing to lobby for their pet- causes and to wonder what they dont like about Reince.}
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Regarding other domestic-issues, a CRIMINOLOGIST SAID [TO CNN] MASS SHOOTINGS NOT INCREASING, as CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS PUSH AMMUNITION REGISTRATION, 'AMMUNITION PURCHASER PERMIT'; multiple explanations have been proffered to explain why OBAMA FLUNKED CLIMATE SCIENCE 101. {Also, Anthony Weiner said he Favorited a Hookup App Tweet 'Accidentally.'}
In PA, Senate negotiations regarding a bill to expand sales of beer and wine have intensified; also, a study ranked PA as the 5 th most corrupt state. {Note 8 actors whose boxoffice draw is nosediving.} There is no shortage of suggestions for candidate Corbett, and Sen. Mike Stack Lt. Gov bid is a boon for Philly Councilman Brian O'Neill (R).
Finally, although I have not yet thought-through Caroline Glicks thinking about a one-state solution [detailed in her book]although Im a bit skepticalher message isnt dissimilar to that conveyed here:
If-you-voted-for-obama [and havent recanted this decision]
If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him why he supports the Hamas/Fatah unity government even as Hamas rains rockets on Southern Israeli civilians. If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him how many rockets have to fall before he pulls the funding from the Hamas/Fatah unity government. If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him what it means when Jen Psaki says he is watching the Hamas/Fatah unity government closely. If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him why he is funding the Hamas/Fatah unity government if Fatah is unable to do anything about Hamas missile-launching spree. If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him why he is funding the Hamas/Fatah unity government if Hamas controls Gaza and Hamas rains endless numbers of rockets on Southern Israel. If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him why he continues to support the Hamas/Fatah unity government now that a U.S. citizen, a minor, has been abducted by Hamas. If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him why Canada condemned the kidnapping of three young boys while he remains silent. If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him if he is able to point to this kidnapping and state unequivocally that it is terror. If you voted for Obama, you may want to ask him if he can state that the kidnappings are not Israels fault but a matter of pure terror, by one party alone. Because if he cant name the kidnappings and rockets for what they are: pure unadulterated one-sided terror alone, he is blaming the rape victim for the rape. 1560
The enemy rapes us daily, for years on end. And like an unwilling rape victim in a Muslim country, we are told to marry our rapist, or hang in the condemnatory atmosphere of world isolation. If you voted for Obama, you voted for our slow torture. You keep us awake at night, twisting and turning, worrying for the safety of our children, begging us to adopt a false narrative that makes no sense whatsoever. We are not the stumbling block to peace. We ARE peace. If you voted for Obama, you voted against peace.