Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for September 26, 2012

Your one-stop-shop for political news and opinion. Please forward to friends who need to be informed. This SitRep (Military for “Situation Report”) is created by many readers who send me items for inclusion, which I would have likely missed or skipped. And I can only spend at most three hours a night pulling stuff, plus the healthcare or economic stuff that crosses my desk at work. As always, I—and you—owe them thanks and appreciation. I post articles because I think they are of interest and will stimulate thought and discussion. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article, or that I was able to verify the information presented, which is the responsibility of the author. I try not to post things that are false, or too far a stretch, regardless of the view point, but I don’t always succeed. As always on the Net, or in the legacy media, you must read critically and with skepticism.

AJ Turner, KIA in Vietnam, 1967
I learned just Tuesday from another Marine friend that a buddy I went through electronic school with in 1965 was killed in Vietnam, in a rocket or mortar attack, in February of 1967. Since we were assigned to different outfits after school, though we had the same MOS, I never knew, as far as I can remember. It feels very strange to learn this after 47 years. We had the same job, just the luck of the draw on where we were. He was 21. Semper Fidelis, AJ. ~Bob.

Free Anti-Obama Booklets Offered
They say they will send you copies to distribute. I ordered one of each to check them out. ~Bob.

Comment on Yesterday’s SitRep
Bob, thanks for your continuing service to an America that increasing seems not to appreciate it. I still do. --Steve

Worth Reading: Obama Versus Obama. By Thomas Sowell
Excerpt: Many voters will be comparing Mitt Romney with Barack Obama between now and election day. But what might be even more revealing would be comparing Obama with Obama. There is a big contrast between Obama based on his rhetoric ("Obama 1") and Obama based on his record ("Obama 2").

Important: Panic Cash Withdrawals In Spain Drain Banks; Greece-Style Economic Implosion Now Imminent
Excerpt: Spain appears poised to become the next Greece in the ongoing European Union (EU) implosion, as Spaniards are withdrawing record amounts of funds from Spanish banks to avoid a potential insolvency situation. According to the New York Times (NYT), the equivalent of $94 billion was withdrawn from Spanish banks in July, an amount that equals seven percent of the country’s overall economic output.

Worth Reading: Mr. Obama "Speaks" - Watch the Birdie! By Andy Weddington
Excerpt: How terribly sad many an American can name the starting lineup of their favorite NFL team (maybe the entire roster) but are stumped when asked to name the three branches of government; identify three Cabinet members; name the American ambassador killed in Libya two weeks ago; name one soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine killed in Afghanistan during the past five days; name their congressman and Senator; or locate Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, New Mexico, or their home town on a map.

Amazing! ABC, CBS, CNN, & MSNBC Knock Obama For Campaigning
Excerpt: Every once in a while the Old Media takes a jab at their favorite president and Obama's decision to skip any meetings with the world leaders that are gathering at the UN this week seems to be one of those times.

The Path to War With Iran
Excerpt: In a stroke, Obama took off the table the policy of “containment” and deterrence of a new nuclear power that the United States adopted in response to the Soviet Union, China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea all crossing the nuclear threshold. Either Tehran would have to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program, or the president was all but pledging a preventive war to destroy it. … On Friday evening, the Senate passed a resolution, cosponsored by more than three-fourths of the chamber, ruling out a strategy of containment in response to Iran's nuclear program. (Indeed, Obama did say that, but I doubt anyone took him literally. Personally, I doubt he has the stomach for doing it, even now. And, as long as he thinks he’s ahead in the polls, I don’t believe he would make that “commitment” a reality. If he falls behind in the polls, though, all bets are off. Ron P.)

The Dilemma That Is Radical Islam!
Excerpt: In the middle of last week we wrote an article (“in between the lines of the Parallax Prophecies …..”) on “What the President SHOULD Say to Islam“, in an attempt to elevate the rhetoric about the dismal foreign policy of the Obama Administration as it pertains to the uprising in the Middle East in particular and radical Islam in general. 

#islamophobia (n) The baseless accusation of bigotry designed solely to intimidate political opponents and silence critics.

Pat Condell saying 'the West has had enough of Islam'
This is an election issue. Islam is at war with us. It's time to name the enemy and stop appeasing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCXHPKhRCVg&feature=player_embedded
At lease there is a bit of self-criticism from some Arab intellectuals
"How can we convince the Western citizen that this religion [Islam] is respectable, when all he sees is extremism and terrorism? We cannot convince [the West] that our proud words about the principles of our honorable faith [are true] unless they are implemented in practice... We can never convince the West that those who blow themselves up do not represent Islam when it sees [suicide bombings] justified on some of our satellite TV channels, and from the pulpits of our mosques..." Cordially, Larry Greenberg

@CNN: Benghazi consulate was operating under a "security waiver" at the time of the attacks. Typical security standards "did not apply."

Over Twice as Many U.S. Soldiers Have Died in Afghanistan Under Obama In 3 1/2 Years Than Did Under Bush in 8 Years

Obama Campaign's Flag Poster No Longer Appears In Store
Vets win? ~Bob. Excerpt: The item, known as "Our Strips: Flag Poster" redesigned the American flag using the Obama for America logo. The print was the target of conservative backlash last week. A page where the flag was now returns as error page

UnSkewed Poll Average Overwhelmingly Favors Romney. By Steve Foley
Excerpt: UnSkewing recent polls that falsely project President Obama surging shows a different, yet more accurate, view of the 2012 race. (Hope this isn't just wishful thinking. ~Bob.)

Krauthammer: If Romney Called U.S. Deaths in Libya Bumps in the Road 'It Would Be a Three Day Headline'
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/09/24/krauthammer-if-romney-called-us-deaths-libya-bumps-road-it-would-be-t#ixzz27RG1dcpA
Yup. ~Bob

when I lay down to sleep .On my nightstand a .357 I keep. If I should awake & find you inside, the coroners wagon will be your last ride.

Share with any undecided or wavering friends

The ‘Islamophobia’ myth. By Jeff Jacoby
Excerpt: In fact, as Time pointed out, while there may be the occasional confrontation over a Muslim construction project, “there are now 1,900 mosques in the US, up from about 1,200 in 2001.’’ Even after 9/11, in other words, and even as radical Islamists continue to target Americans, places of worship for Muslims in the United States have proliferated. And whenever naked anti-Islamic bigotry has appeared, “it has been denounced by many Christian, Jewish, and secular groups.’’ America is many things, but “Islamophobic’’ plainly isn’t one of them. 

Gov. Jerry Brown signs Election Day voter registration bill into law
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21621980/gov-jerry-brown-signs-election-day-voter-registration
Excerpt: Californians will be able to register to vote as late as Election Day, though not for a few years yet, under a bill signed Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown. The Golden State just last week implemented online voter registration, so as some states enact voter ID laws placing new strictures on voter access, California is heading in the opposite direction. (That way, you can register before you leave home in Mexico. ~Bob.)

New SARS-like virus detected in Middle East
Excerpt: In the latest case, British officials alerted the World Health Organization on Saturday of the new virus in a man who transferred from Qatar to be treated in London. He had recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and is now being treated in an intensive care unit after suffering kidney failure. Health officials don't know yet whether the virus could spread as rapidly as SARS did or if it might kill as many people. (Want a cheery thought? Mecca is in Saudi Arabia. The Hajj pilgrimage is next month, and will be attended by the faithful from every continent and most countries. What would really be fortunate is if this new virus burns itself out as fast as SARS did. --Ron P.)

What could go wrong? ~Bob. Excerpt: The Obama administration has released a list of 55 Guantanamo detainees who were approved for transfer by the Guantanamo Bay Review Task Force. The task force, which was authorized by President Obama as one of his first acts in office, completed its work in January 2010. The Obama administration has worked to resettle many of the detainees the task force approved for transfer, but the detainees on the newly-disclosed list remain at Guantanamo.

Something Is Wrong: Don't look now, but Islam is becoming the MSM's official religion of America. By Ben Stein
Excerpt: Now, it's not just that no one bats an eye at the amazing truth that the United States is beaming TV ads all over Pakistan apologizing for a derogatory Internet trailer for a nonexistent movie demeaning the being that Muslims call "The Prophet Mohammed." No one in the MSM even slightly hints that doing the kowtow in the same country that sheltered Osama bin Laden to a group that reveled in, delighted in the terrorism against American civilians and still provides the framework for the terrorist Haqqani network, might be humiliating and an insult to the memory of the great Americans who were murdered just last week in Libya.

Rioting Muslims now hit Sydney, Australia (Video, 15th Sept 2012)
Muslims (Surprise! They're offended again) rioting in Sydney, Australia last week. –Larry W.

CBO: Electric Cars Will Flop, Despite $7.5 Billion in Subsidies
Excerpt: Despite the federal government pumping $7.5 billion into the electric vehicle industry in the United States through 2019, overall national gasoline consumption is unlikely to be significantly affected, according to a report released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (Okay, everyone, let me see your shocked face! ~Bob.)

Excerpt: Hey, Obama Lovers, now that our Ambassador is dead, our Benghazi consulate is a smoldering ruin, and its top secret documents have been snatched by Al Qaeda, do you still think your hero's Libyan war is a smashing success? Because I sure do. Not from America's point of view, of course; it's a nightmare for our national security. But from the perspective of Obama's biggest donor, the convicted felon and renowned Israel-hater George Soros, the Libyan War is a triumph. (I can’t imagine this. But, again, I couldn’t imagine many things that happened in the last four years. ~Bob.)

Tax Credit in Doubt, Wind Power Industry Is Withering
Excerpt: Last month, Gamesa, a major maker of wind turbines, completed the first significant order of its latest innovation: a camper-size box that can capture the energy of slow winds, potentially opening new parts of the country to wind power. But by the time the last of the devices, worth more than $1.25 million, was hitched to a rail car, Gamesa had furloughed 92 of the 115 workers who made them. (“How many fantasies can a Progressive believe, before reality sets in? The answer, my friends, is blown in the wind. The answer is blown in the wind.” ~Bob.)

$1.8 trillion shock: Obama regs cost 20-times estimate
Excerpt: Current federal regulations plus those coming under Obamacare will cost American taxpayers and businesses $1.8 trillion annually, more than twenty times the $88 billion the administration estimates, according to a new roundup provided to Secrets from the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute. (Don’t bother Obama with this. He’s busy consulting with top level advisers on The View trying to find out what’s holding the economy back. ~Bob.)

Old allies now on their own?
Not sure, but it looks like the world is no longer confident that the US will come to the aid of its allies. In the Middle East, we are simply stabbing old allies in the back. Syria, for example, is turning to Russia for diplomatic support. What hath Obama wrought?
--Don Hank
 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/world/asia/near-disputed-isles-japan-confronts-boats-from-taiwan.html?_r=1&ref=territorialdisputes
Note how Taiwan now seems to be siding with China, despite a century of friendly relations with Japan.
Elsewhere, banana war:
Antig said his group was convinced that the sudden restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities on Philippine bananas is linked to the ongoing standoff between China and the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal, which is about 200 km from the shores of Masinloc, Zambales province (north of Manila).
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/philippine-firms-stop-sending-bananas-china-054005840.html
China cancels diplomatic event with Japan:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/23/islands-row-china-japan

Excerpt: The official, head-to-head debates begin next week, but Sunday’s “60 Minutes” appearances by President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) provided a contrast in the ideas offered on the nation’s entitlements and spending crisis. For his part, the President punted on a serious question about the nation’s concern over spending—blaming everything on President George W. Bush.

Kuwaitis protest ahead of electoral law ruling
Excerpt: Thousands of Kuwaitis held a protest rally late on Monday ahead of a court decision on an electoral law they fear could weaken the chances of opposition candidates in the next parliamentary vote in the major oil-producing state.

Nigeria Boko Haram crackdown kills 35
Excerpt: At least 35 suspected Islamists have been killed in a sweep against the Boko Haram group in north-eastern Nigeria, the army has said. The army said it detained more than 60 others during operations in Adamawa and Yobe states.

Who’s Threatening World Peace? By James Kirchick
Excerpt: How did it come to pass that Israel is now widely perceived as equally culpable, if not more so, for the potential eruption of another Middle Eastern war? To hear some of America's most influential pundits tell it, Israel - not the state pledging to wipe it off the face of the earth - will be guilty should the latter's pursuit of nuclear weapons result in a military conflagration.

Worth Reading: Living with Islam. By Reuel Marc Gerecht
http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/living-with-islam/
Excerpt: For close to 1,300 years, Muslims cared little what infidels thought of them. The curious caliph, sultan, vizier, or cleric might engage the arguments of Christians questioning the one true faith, but such disputatious exchanges were made as much out of befuddlement as disdain: Any sensible, well-educated man would obviously see the superiority of Islam over earlier imperfections.

Polls: Veterans overwhelmingly support Romney
The people who cared enough to defend the Republic with their lives still do. ~Bob. Excerpt: But recent polls make clear that the president’s campaign is losing the battle. Even as Obama leads in Colorado, Florida, Ohio and Virginia, Mitt Romney is up by double digits among veterans in those states. Nationwide, he’s got a commanding 20-percentage-point lead over Obama and has overtaken the president with younger veterans.

Tweets
The president brought Barbara Walters a birthday basket with White House beer, M&Ms, Marine One deck of cards and a WH golf ball."
What did POTUS bring Ambassador Stevens' family?

Obama offers himself up as 'eye candy' on 'The View'
Personally, I guess I never had a shot at being “Eye Candy” for women. But I wanted to be “Brain Candy” if I could. ~Bob.

Excerpt: Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood has given King Abdullah II notice that he has until October to bow to their demand to transform the Hashemite Kingdom into a constitutional monarchy or face Arab Spring street pressure for his abdication. … President Barack Obama has a balancing act to resolve: On the one hand, the Jordanian king has long been a staunch American ally and friend, its mainstay in many regional crises. On the other, Obama regards the Muslim Brotherhood as the linchpin of his external policy of outreach to the Muslim world. (So Obama dismisses the only ‘people’s revolution against radical Islamism (Iran) while sitting idly by while revolts are perpetrated by the Muslim Brotherhood against governments that have been allied with us …..Not only does this put Israel in an untenable position, but it calls into question both the competence, it not the motives of the Obama Administration …..is it pro-Israel …or is it not ….more importantly, is it pro-American??? --Jim)

Amazing: President Obama Declares The Future Must Not Belong to Practicing Christians. By Erick Erickson
Excerpt: In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly today the President of the United States declared that the future does not belong to practicing Christians. Already, the media and the left are in full denial, probably based on their general lack of understanding of theology. This would have been a gaffe had Mitt Romney said it. But with Barack Obama, he’s just speaking bold truths. His bold truth declares that the future does not belong to practicing Christians.

Excerpt: I know from reading Ayers’ incoherent articles, syllabi, and books on education that his ultimate goal is to prepare foot soldiers for the coming revolution. And what better place to start than in the poorest and poorest-performing schools in inner-city Chicago? After all, in a well-off suburb you might get a parent looking over assignments and noticing the embedded Marxism and historical errors. 

Excerpt: You gotta admire the chutzpah that illegal Mexicans bring to the illegal immigration debate. They violate our immigration laws by sneaking into the country in the dead of night, their journey often funded with a back pack full of pot or cocaine, arrive here, procure phony ID, steal an American's Social Security number, avoid taxes by working for cash, refuse to learn English, breed a pack of anchor babies, curse American values, voice their hate for America, then demand that they be made citizens.

Worth Reading: 7 Incredible Personal Stories About Mitt Romney That You May Not Know. By John Hawkins 
Excerpt: Over the last few months, it has been absolutely stunning to see Mitt Romney, of all people, portrayed as some sort of greedy, ruthless, unfeeling corporate raider who plows over everyone who gets in his way so he can make a few dollars more. Of all the criticisms you could aim at Mitt Romney, there is none that has less validity than that one. In fact, the vast majority of people who read this column -- whether they're liberal, conservative, or moderate -- probably don't personally know a single person who has proven to be more generous and compassionate than Mitt Romney. 

Canada PM To Meet With Netanyahu, Obama To Meet With Whoopi. By Ben Shapiro 
Excerpt: Even as President Obama avoids meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today to save time for hanging with the ladies on The View, Canadian Prime Minister will be meeting with Netanyahu. Sun News reports that Harper will be in New York to receive an award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation for his work on religious freedom. Not coincidentally, Harper stands for religious freedom when he meets with Netanyahu, while President Obama will be apologizing for a Christian-produced anti-Islam film at the United Nations and ignoring Netanyahu.

Clinton Aide To Reporter on Benghazi Questioning: ‘F*** Off.’ By Ben Shapiro24 Sep 2012
Excerpt: The Hillary Clinton State Department has finally come up with an honest answer to reporters on its disgraceful failure to protect our ambassador to Libya: “F*** off.” In an email exchange this morning with Buzzfeed’s Michael HastingsClinton spokesperson Philippe Reines went ballistic when asked about the State Department’s manifest failures in security.

Honor killing caught on film
Excerpt: The Palestinian Authority gives pardons or suspended sentences for honor murders. Iraqi women have asked for tougher sentences for Islamic honor murderers, who get off lightly now. Syria in 2009 scrapped a law limiting the length of sentences for honor killings, but "the new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour 'provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of killing.'" 

Question
So if Harry Reid says that Romney is not a good Mormon, does that give Nancy Pelosi the okay to say Ryan is not a good Catholic? They are running scared!! --Laura. (Laura and her husband, Ron. Were two of my best campaign workers in my five senate campaigns. ~Bob.)

The Great California Exodus: A Closer Look. By Tom Gray & Robert Scardamalia
Excerpt: This study describes the great ongoing California exodus, using data from the Census, the Internal Revenue Service, the state’s Department of Finance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and other sources. We map in detail where in California the migrants come from, and where they go when they leave the state. We then analyze the data to determine the likely causes of California’s decline and the lessons that its decline holds for other states.

Excerpt: Following the revolution in their country, four out of five Yemeni women who spoke to the international group Oxfam said their lives, beset by hunger and violence, had worsened in the past year. “We wanted jobs, security, an end to corruption and an improvement in services,” one woman told the group. “Instead we can’t afford food, there’s no electricity and there are guns everywhere.”

#TheFutureBelongsTo the jihadi children holding signs that read: "BEHEAD ALL THOSE WHO INSULT THE PROPHET"==> is.gd/kGV92G

Satire: Seething Midwest Explodes Over Lombardi Cartoons. By IowaHawk
Excerpt: But by far the fiercest demonstration took place in Green Bay's Lambeau Shrine parking lot where throngs of Packer faithful burned Texas flags and effigies of Roger Staubach as Lutheran pastors led them in chants of "Those who defame the Vince suck" and "Favre is Great." Many of the frenzied demonstrators were seen ritualistically beating themselves with mozzarella sticks.

FLASHBACK: President Obama cut funds for Catholic group helping victims of trafficking. By Charlie Spiering
Excerpt: At the Clinton Global Initiative summit today, President Obama vowed to work with faith based organizations to fight human trafficking, which he called “one of the great human rights causes of our time.” But just last year, Obama ended $19 million in federal grants to the U.S. Catholic bishops for a program dedicated to helping trafficking victims. (Slavery is endorsed by the Holy Qur’an [that which your right hand possesses] and was practiced by Mohammad, who Muslims believe is the perfect example of conduct for all people, so opposing human trafficking is Islamophobic. ~Bob.)

Obama’s Tragic Pander: ‘The Future Must Not Belong To Those Who Slander The Prophet Of Islam.’ By Noah Rothman 
Excerpt: Addressing the representatives of the United Nations General Assembly in a time of global crisis, President Barack Obama opted to legitimize the growing chorus of critics who condemn America’s provocative right of free speech. The president’s address to the world was anything but a full-throated defense of American values. It was, instead, an abundantly disappointing abdication of his responsibility to defend the cherished freedoms of the nation he leads.

Madonna: Vote for the 'Black Muslim in the White House.' By Alexander Abad-Santos
Excerpt: Thanks to her terrible delivery, it's hard to tell whether Madonna is being sarcastic and mocking people who think Obama is a Muslim ( ) or if Madonna actually believes President Obama is a Muslim.

Red wine 'could help you lose weight'
They had me with the headline—no need to read more. ~Bob.

A new form of "flash rob"?
And this is just the first term. I can't even imagine what the next 4 years will look like. Arm yourselves, stash your supplies, move into a neighborhood of like minded prepared people. Pray. --Don Hank

A Nation Betrayed. By: Diana West 
Excerpt: Below is an extraordinary, heart-stopping and historic letter. It is a letter SSG Matthew Sitton sent to U.S. Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young after his commanders in Afghanistan told him to "quit whining" about orders to lead patrols without objective "through, for lack of a better term, basically a mine field on a daily basis," as Sitton wrote. Twice daily basis, in fact. On August 2, 2012, Sitton and another US soldier were killed in one the IED-riddled field he spoke of. (When good soldiers feel backed into a corner and have to write detailed, critical letters describing the unneeded deadly hazards of their service, you know thing are BAD. This is a very upsetting letter, from the grave of one of our best soldiers. People at the upper level of all the military services should be reading this, plus our congresspeople, plus the President and his advisors. And then they should take action to stop putting our people in harm's way for no real purpose. --Del)

Toyota Pulls Plug On Obama, Reid’s Green Car Fantasy. By Lindsay Leveen 
Excerpt: Toyota has scrapped plans for widespread manufacturing and sale of a new mini-car that was to be powered as electric only. Reuters reports that Toyota stated they “had misread the market and the ability of still emerging battery technology to meet consumer demands.” We would all be a lot better off, if Only Barack Obama and Harry Reid had the same amount of guts as Toyota to admit to making gross errors in judgment.

How Liberals Screw the 47 Percent. By Christopher Chantrill
Excerpt: Everyone's getting their knickers in a twist about the 47 percent that Mitt Romney figures are going to vote for Barack Obama, no matter what. But do you know why they will vote for Barack?

Morsi's Election Can't Erase Radical Record
Excerpt: New Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is being received as a visiting dignitary in New York this week for meetings surrounding the opening of the United Nations' General Assembly. He is scheduled to address the assembly Wednesday morning and is meeting with U.S. officials and other dignitaries. On Tuesday, as the Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report noted, he is to appear with former President Bill Clinton at the closing plenary of Clinton's Global Initiative conference.

Ten Recent Underreported Gaffes from Barack Obama and his Administration
Excerpt: There have been plenty of gaffes and negative stories during this campaign season, but many have noticed a trend emerge: gaffes originating from Barack Obama, his administration and his campaign are often mitigated by a lack of coverage. 

Iran test-fires missiles, sinks warship-sized target
Excerpt: Iran has test-fired four missiles designed to hit warships during a drill near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian military commander said. (Obama counters with another celebrity fund raiser. Check! ~Bob.)

'Devil played with my head', says teacher accused of rape. By Salam Al Amir
Excerpt: A Quran teacher told a policeman he raped a four-year-old boy because "the devil played with my head", a court heard today.

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