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America Held Hostage- the Obama Files...
various links ^
| 11-8-08
| The Heavy Equipment Guy
Posted on 11/08/2008 3:06:12 AM PST by backhoe
America Held Hostage- the Obama Files...
With a hattip 
to Rush ( His idea during the Clinton plague upon America ) I am starting a file on “The One,” mostly starting from the election date.
Older stuff- links, quotes, quips, and sometimes pointed graphics can be found by scrolling back from these two posts:
-Hillary Clinton- archives, comments, and opposition research--
-Sarah Palin- links, from the beginning--
There is some good material in those posts that raises a lot of uncomfortable questions that everyone ought to be asking, and probably will once the “new” wears off, and we are stuck with four ( more likely eight, since 95% of the news & entertainment media are in his pocket ) years of a typical corrupt Chicago Political Machine Politician trying to jerk the whole country in one direction and then the next.
You've all heard the saying,
”People get the kind of government they want...
...and deserve?”
Well, America, you are about to “get it, good & hard...”
Don't say you weren't warned- we tried to tell you...
We did everything we could, and our state went for the Old Guy & the Naughty Librarian, but too many other voters were made stupid by the TV and public schools for it to matter.
We're in a Hell of a mess, and the worst thing is, "we"- the collective we, not you & I-- got us here.
Is Obama really the Abyss...
staring back at us?
I like to make points with humorous graphics- this one sums it up as well as any:
Then, in a nutshell, "everything I see going bad with all this hopi- changi- stuff The One is peddling-- forced labor, censorship, spin, and pure mean-spirited rudness:
Atlas readers rock! I am blown away by the overwhelming response to this post (and this one) to get involved to take back our country from the Soros, socialists, and the self proclaimed messiah - oy. More than one email brought a tear to my eye but I wanted to share this one with you.
If this best represents who we are, what we want and where we are going, there is no way we can lose. Greatness is in the house. I am proud to count you as my friends. Prouder still to stand with you and fight this great fight.
I want to lead a county.
I was born in Cuba, and know the language of Communism, Obama speaks it well. My grandfather's family had to flee Lebanon because of the Muslims to Cuba. We fled Cuba because of Castro.
This is the best country in the whole wide world. I was a child when I left Cuba with the clothe on my back, we left my parent's sister and I, left behind everything.
America is Worth fighting for and Freedom is worth defending. I do not want my children to grow up in oppression, nor do I wish exile upon them.
Please allow me to help, again, Id like to lead a county.
My name is Ingrid and Im in Miami, in Miami Dade County
May the Light always shine upon America,
Ingrid
UPDATE: In case there was any doubt as to what the victorious zombies have in mind. Check out this comment (left in the comment section) . Can you say rude awakening?
You people are pathetic!
Your racist fear mongering will not go unchallenged! Soon we will shut down your hate spewing web sites. We will confiscate your firearms. In prison, you will get an education on the error of your ways. We will take your children and raise them as our own and instill in them the values of social justice. We will have a new American Republic of justice and order for all!
You time is almost up! Prepare for the dung heap of history!
It sounds insane (which it is) but I believe the writer is quite serious.
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 111th; agenda; americaheldhostage; americans4prosperity; bho2008; bho44; bhofascism; bhosocialism; bhotreason; bhotyranny; bo; davidharsanyi; deemocrats; democrat; democrats; donilon; kochbrothers; mdan; obama; obamafiles; obamatransitionfile; thekenyan; thomasdonilon; usurper; veroniquederugy
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To: All
Turner Admits He Ignored Slaughter by Khmer Rouge Communists...
Federal Reserve sets stage for Weimar-style Hyperinflation
Bullet Serialization Threat in Georgia As I said before, the whole point of ammo serialization is to make ammunition so expensive that most of us won't be able to afford it and the proposed nickel per round tax is just more proof of that.
Make them explain WHY they are trampling on a fundamental part of the Constitution?
:::::::::
You basically answered your own question. They want to neutralize the Second Amendment for the EXACT REASON it was included in the Bill of Rights. The right to armed protection of the citizens from a corrupt-oppressive government.
That is all they are worried about. They KNOW that criminals do not obey laws (they look in the mirror). They know their only defense is to disarm the LAW ABIDING citizen is necessary for their radical socialist agenda.
Review the rise of Hitler in Germany. See what he did to neutralize the threat of Germany’s people being armed -— and look at the huge mistake that countries he overran, made BEFORE he just walked in a took over their lives.....
History does try and repeat itself.
241
posted on
12/15/2008 12:04:35 PM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
At today's press conference, Barack Obama introduced his environmental team. He then took some questions. The only news that has come out of the event was Obama's exchange with a reporter who asked him whether Rahm Emanuel was in contact with Governor Blagojevich. Obama preferred not to answer the question...
Obama's answer has been greeted with considerable skepticism. Michael Ramirez caricatures the Chicago roots that are now catching up with the President-elect; click to enlarge:
The American people share Ramirez's skepticism: Rasmussen finds that "Forty five percent (45%) of U.S. voters say it is likely President-elect Obama or one of his top campaign aides was involved in the unfolding Blagojevich scandal in Illinois....Just 11% say it is not at all likely." That depends, I think, on what the meaning of "involved" is.
...Speaking for myself, though, I'm a lot less alarmed by anything Emanuel did than by Barack Obama's utter ignorance of economics, a subject that was raised again at today's press conference. It's an interesting question whether we've ever had a President who understands less how our economy works than Obama. There is some pretty stiff competition, but Obama has never had a job in the business world, has never studied economics, and, as far as the public record shows, has never made any effort to understand the vast and diverse economy that he proposes to regulate and transform.
I find this scary, and it gets scarier every time Obama talks about how the federal government is going to create "green jobs" having to do with wind power, etc. It's possible that the federal government could have a role in helping to facilitate development of an infrastructure that would enable alternative energy technologies, and if Obama made a coherent argument along those lines I'd be receptive to it. But he's never done so. As far as I can tell, and as far as his press conference today reveals, Obama suffers from the misconception that the government can create wealth and jobs by subsidizing the inefficient production of energy. If he really is that dumb, we are all in big trouble.
To comment on this post, go here.
"When Obama said that he was going to bankrupt the coal industry with out taking into consideration that 52% or all electricity was generated by coal, everyone should have known Obama was an idiot. The MSM has done a major injury to the United States for not pointing out the many faults of this man. "
Oh Brother... Another Obama Team Member Investigated for Corruption
For nearly four decades, Governor Bill Richardson claimed that he had been drafted by the Kansas City Athletics baseball team...
He wasn't.
Now... New Mexico Governor and Obama Commerce Secretary
Bill Richardson is being investigated on corruption charges.
Bloomberg reported:
A federal grand jury is investigating how a company that advised Jefferson County, Alabama, on bond deals that threaten to cause the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, did similar work in New Mexico after making contributions to Governor Bill Richardson’s political action committees.
The grand jury in Albuquerque is looking into Beverly Hills, California-based CDR Financial Products Inc., which received almost $1.5 million in fees from the New Mexico Finance Authority in 2004 after donating $100,000 to Richardson’s efforts to register Hispanic and American Indian voters and pay for expenses at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, people familiar with the matter said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation asked current and former officials from the state agency if any staff members in the governor’s office influenced CDR’s hiring, said the people, who declined to be identified because the proceedings are secret. Richardson, who is President-elect Barack Obama’s designate for Commerce Secretary, has a staff of at least 30 people.
Remember- This is the change you've been looking for.
America Will Soon Owe More Than Its Citizens Are Worth Forget Bernie Madoff, Social Security is the biggest ponzi scheme of all time. The only difference is that Social Security is legal, and everyone knows its a ponzi scheme.
The Chicago Candidate
"Unless we understand the prolific criminal legacy of Alderman Roti, we can't understand how today,in 2008,Alderman Roti along with his friends,relatives,and associates have turned Chicago's city government into a racketeering enterprise..."
The article includes a helpful
family tree...Related - the Blagojevich point of view.
Posted by Kate at
3:56 PM |
Comments (24)
N.C. looks at taxing drivers by the mile [using GPS!]The GPS scheme raises the ante exponentially. This is a "slippery slope" issue, and it needs to be stopped cold. The implications of the State having GPS data from your car is chilling in a number of ways -- privacy chief among them. What next? A State-operated ignition control, preventing you from driving on high air-pollution days, or if you've exceeded a certain milage allowance? How about a little electric shock through your steering wheel if you exceed the speed limit? If you thought we'd safely gotten past "1984" -- think again.
I’m afraid that the people in power right now understand your argument perfectly well. We’re dealing with traitorous scumbags here who think it’s a constitutional right for Americans to kill their babies but don’t think the constitution guarantees an Americans right to keep and bear arms. Think about it. The enemy is no longer at the gates, he is among us. Prepare for the worst.
59. buddy Larsen:
i know i sound nertz, but a Dunbar number of the right people technically could set up and then pop all three of the big bubbles that just popped, then go short (and dark) and remake their bubble losses times orders of magnitude, while throwing a US election to a “change” candidate and taking America (capitalism) and the Dollar (global trade duct tape & baling wire) down, to achieve a signal victory in the Great Game.
Douchebag Oregonian calls for outing of CCW holders
Y2Kyoto: State Of Anorexia Envirosa
Every time I'm tempted to write the phrase "never ceases to amaze", I'm forced to stop myself.
The accounts of western governments (from the local to the federal) kneecapping the very infrastructure upon which modern metropolitan life depends - including reliable electricity, food production, and the transport of essential goods - are so routine now, one can hardly keep track;
Friday eight appointed members of the [California] air board voted to adopt the so called 'Truck Rule', which mandates that nearly a million diesel trucks and busses be equipped with a smog filtering device or replaced outright. [...]
State officials say they have loan programs available to help companies replace their trucks, but Mike Kubar says it's a racket. He says the state program offers about 50 thousand dollars for trucks that cost upwards of 125k.
And that means a trip to the bank for a huge loan.
"Once you're in debt, once you sign that piece of paper, and if I don't have business, then we are deep trouble, he said.
The new regulations start going into effect in 2010 and will phase in over a period of 13 years.
The sweeping new law also applies to trucks registered in other states that drive into California
The day may not be long off when interstate truckers just drop their goods at the border
and let Californians pack them in by mule. The one I'd suggest is January 1, 2010.
h/t Shaken
Posted by Kate at
11:17 AM |
Comments (33)
242
posted on
12/16/2008 2:26:54 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
The bias in our media towards Obama continues to grow. We need no more proof of this fact then watching them report on the Blago scandal. Recall Tom Delay and the outrage, the utter outrage, by the MSM upon learning of the charges that he took corporate money and spent them on a campaign to get Republican control of the Texas Legislature. A great example of that outrage comes from this article in the WSJ:
Whether Mr. DeLay violated the small print of House Ethics or campaign-finance rules is thus largely beside the point. His real fault lies in betraying the broader set of principles that brought him into office, and which, if he continues as before, sooner or later will sweep him out.
And Accuracy In Media does a great job showing the outrage from other outfits.
But now that cohorts of Obama are in the crosshairs its no big deal. Here is Jim Lehrer last Friday: Read the rest of this entry »
With Obama's cabinet picks, particularly with Salazar at Interior...the whole nation is going to go "green"...and it will end up being a sick, puke green before it is over.
Watch for breached dams, irrigation water turnoffs, huge funding for junk science, and commitments and federal jobs being taken away from existing, already paid-for energy projects and turned towards pie-in-the-sky green projects with little or no hope for solid energy production.
It's all coming together as a perfect, marxist storm against the US free market, our economy and our energy production capabilities...and that's just to name a few.
OBAMA, THE STOCK MARKET, AND ENERGY
The Constitution and rule of law are history. We’re gonna see a lot of this kind of thing over the next 4-8 years. The big argument against opposing any black—elected, seeking election or otherwise, will be: “Can’t risk race riots and dividing the nation so we’ll just all roll over and take it in the shorts.”
243
posted on
12/16/2008 11:42:48 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
 |
"You have no right to question my authority! And from henceforward, all supplicants attending my press conferences must be prostrate, with their hands straight over their heads!" |
OBAMA’S NEW NEW DEAL: As bad as the Old New Deal? Or Worse?
http://www.profitadvisors.com/goal.shtml
It’s a simple little book written several years ago called “The Goal”. If you haven’t read it, pick it up and read it. It explains what the REAL goal of any manufacturing company should be and how to best get there. It’s easy to read, told in a story format and I think even a politician could understand it. It may just be a bit over the head of most MBA’s however.
The Facts, Just The Facts, Ma'am Another Clinton crook joins the administration along with Hillary, Bill Richardson and numerous others. By the way, have you heard that Richardson is now under investigation for egregious fraud and corruption scandals that occurred when he was a governor? But, to be fair, Obama intends to balance the Clintonistas with some close associates from the old Chicago gang of thugs like Rahm Immanuel.
By Michelle Malkin • December 16, 2008 11:20 AM
What part of N-O doesn’t the Bush administration understand?
Two headlines this morning:
Majority of Public Opposes Auto Rescue
Poll Finds Most Blame Industry for Problems, Believe Failure Won’t Hurt Economy
Administration says it’s still working on bailout
We will pay a heavy price for the obstinacy of a lame duck.
***
Meantime, more poor decision-making by the auto biz. Autoblog’s Michael Harley reports:
Chrysler’s “sales bank,” the loathed program in which the automaker continues to manufacture and stock cars regardless of demand, is supposedly back through the end of the year. Chrysler LLC co-President Jim Press delivered the news to dealers on Friday during a nationally telecast conference call when he mentioned that district managers will be calling dealers trying to offload 12,000 units of unassigned inventory.
Dealers left the call gasping for air, recalled the summer of 2006, when Chrysler had nearly 650,000 units in the sales bank. At the time, there was a 91-day supply of vehicles. Today, with about 400,000 units in inventory, the automaker is sitting on a 117-day supply.
***
Louder!
White House switchboard: 202.456.1414.
From a handbook used at a state conference of my state education dept. (It fell into my lap)
Regarding getting a hold of the children by age 2 - via 'Head Start' and any other means.
The Rationale: "We must get to the children before their parents have instilled their values into them."
That was in 1981. They'll go into full gear now that they - Socialist's - are in charge of everything.
… As we learn three new words in French. Cuff. Fries. And blizzard. It appears that a fairly large potion of France is being hit with blizzards and/or torrential rain, depending on elevation. Things are so bad that the French authorities are urging foreigners not to drive the roads. Comments (3)
The rest of the nation, down to the southeast, can look forward to multiple strong storms as their warmer air fights with the brutal cold the rest of us are “enjoying”. Comments (3)
The Real Climate Deniers
244
posted on
12/16/2008 4:00:33 PM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
Now You See Them--Now You Don't... Illinois Governor's Website Deletes Obama-Blago Photo
The Illinois State Governor's own newsletter the
"Governor's Gazette" published on November 11, 2008 pictured Barack Obama holding a private conversation with Governor Rod Blagojevich.
The Governor's Gazette reported:
Governor Blagojevich Congratulates President-Elect Obama and Starts Selection Process For Replacement
After congratulating President-elect Barack Obama on his Nov. 4 victory, Governor Rod Blagojevich now begins the difficult task of finding a replacement for Illinois Senate Seat.
Here's a screengrab of the newsletter:
But, as luck would have it, that page is now mysteriously missing!
24Ahead.com reported, via
LGF Quick Links:
Now, the state of Illinois has deleted from their website the PDF that contained the Obama-Blagojevich picture. It was in the state publication "Governors Gazette" and originally at illinois.gov/govgazette/pdfs/Gazetteedition_2008Nov.pdf That page now returns a 404 not found, as does Version 2 of that Gazette (originally located at illinois.gov/govgazette/pdfs/Gazetteedition_2008Nov_2.pdf) and the /gazette directory.
Well, that's odd. The newsletter showing Barack Obama and Rod Blagojevich holding a private conversation has disappeared:
Funny how that works.
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/16/2008 06:31:00 PM
Michelle Malkin: The Real Housewives of Crook County Cable television introduced us to "The Real Housewives of Orange County" -- an estrogen-infused reality show featuring a coven of conniving and ambitious women living pampered lives in Southern California. Blago-gate has brought us something even juicier: The Real Housewives of Crook County, Illinois. The public may be wearying of indicted Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the Chicago boys' club, but the conniving and ambitious women behind the scenes of the corruption scandal are a must-see political drama all their own.
77% of Americans Believe Media Is Making Economic Situation Worse
77 percent of Americans believe that the
US media is making the economic situation worse.
Of course, it doesn't help that a Former Comptroller General says U.S. is now
effectively bankrupt.
Don't worry, though...
Proof of my google ban. Now that Hussein is in the White House, Google (a chief fundraiser and potential member of O's administration) wants to control the news on their man. I never saw this kind of news suppression under Bush. You could say anything, BushChimpHitler, and get away with it.
BLACKLISTED BY GOOGLE
Entering the dark age ....
Google cranks up the Consensus Engine The Register hat tip N47
By Andrew Orlowski
Google this week admitted that its staff will pick and choose what appears in its search results. It's a historic statement - and nobody has yet grasped its significance.
THEY PICK AND CHOOSE?
Not so very long ago, Google disclaimed responsibility for its search results by explaining that these were chosen by a computer algorithm. The disclaimer lives on at Google News, where we are assured that:
The selection and placement of stories on this page were determined automatically by a computer program. A few years ago, Google's apparently unimpeachable objectivity got some people very excited, and technology utopians began to herald Google as the conduit for a new form of democracy. Google was only too pleased to encourage this view. It explained that its algorithm "relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. "
That Google was impartial was one of the articles of faith. For if Google was ever to be found to be applying subjective human judgment directly on the process, it would be akin to the voting machines being rigged.
For these soothsayers of the Hive Mind, the years ahead looked prosperous. As blog-aware marketing and media consultants, they saw a lucrative future in explaining the New Emergent World Order to the uninitiated. (That part has come true - Web 2.0 "gurus" now advise large media companies).
It wasn't surprising, then, that when five years ago I described how a small, self-selected number of people could rig Google's search results, the reaction from the people doing the rigging was violently antagonistic. Who lifted that rock? they cried.
But what was once Googlewashing by a select few now has Google's active participation.
This week Marissa Meyer explained that editorial judgments will play a key role in Google searches. It was reported by Tech Crunch proprietor Michael Arrington - who Nick Carr called the "Madam of the Web 2.0 Brothel" - but its significance wasn't noted. The irony flew safely over his head at 30,000 feet. Arrington observed:
Mayer also talked about Google’s use of user data created by actions on Wiki search to improve search results on Google in general. For now that data is not being used to change overall search results, she said. But in the future it’s likely Google will use the data to at least make obvious changes. An example is if “thousands of people” were to knock a search result off a search page, they’d be likely to make a change. Now what, you may be thinking, is an "obvious change"? Is it one that is frivolous? (Thereby introducing a Google Frivolitimeter™ [Beta]). Or is it one that goes against the grain of the consensus? If so, then who decides what the consensus must be? Make no mistake, Google is moving into new territory: not only making arbitrary, editorial choices - really no different to Fox News, say, or any other media organization. It's now in the business of validating and manufacturing consent: not only reporting what people say, but how you should think.
245
posted on
12/17/2008 2:15:23 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
Toker In Chief Is Man of the Year
Finally we get a glimpse of Obama's early years...
Spleef, anyone?
Drudge reported on
TIME's annual award.
Congratulations to the mainstream media for keeping this one under wraps before the election.
Don Surber reacts to TIME's bashing of Sarah Palin as second runner up.
UPDATE- Leftie commenters say it was a cigarette.
Uh-Huh
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/17/2008 06:12:00 AM
Obama's gay band linked to lewdness Hey, what’s the problem? “We” elected him. We [read Soros and friends] are getting what they paid for.
In 2002-- Jesse Jackson Jr. Got It... Barack Obama Didn't
Jesse Jackson Jr. got it.
Barack Obama didn't.
We're seeing the same pattern repeat itself.
Once again, Just like with Obama's other
shady friends and
associates, Barack was the last to find out the acquaintance was a scoundrel.
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, taking an oath next to Barack Obama pre-2008, allegedly said, "I want to make money" off the power to pick Obama's Senate successor. (
NY Post)
CNN reported on Tuesday that Jesse Jackson Jr. was an informant working with the Blagojevich prosecutor. Jackson told CNN that in 2002 he was asked for a $25,000 campaign contribution for
Hot Rod's 2002 campaign to ensure a job for Jackson's wife at the Illinois lottery. Jackson says he went to the authorities and reported it at the time.
CNN reported:
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. — who was cited in a criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich — has been an informant for at least a decade with the U.S. Attorney's office, and has informed on the embattled governor of Illinois, though not in the case currently under investigation, Jackson spokesman Kenneth Edmonds told CNN Tuesday.
In addition, two sources close to Jackson told CNN that, in 2002, Blagojevich — then running for governor of Illinois — solicited a $25,000 campaign donation from Jackson, which he did not get.
At the time, Jackson's wife, Sandi, was a candidate for the job of director of the state's Lottery Commission, a post she did not win, the sources said.
After Blagojevich took office, in early 2003, he told Jackson something to the effect of, "You see what $25,000 would have done?" the sources said.
In 2006, Jackson reported the incident, which he believed to have been an attempt at a shakedown, the sources said.
Now get this... During that same time in 2002,
Free Republic reminded us that Barack Obama was working for Hot Rod's gubernatorial race.
Funny how things work out, huh?
The
Roaring Republican reported:
Ryan Lizza reported in the New Yorker that Obama received “his first high-level experience in a statewide campaign” while advising Blagojevich during his campaign for governor. Additionally Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s current Chief-of-Staff also was a top strategist for that campaign. From the report:
He and Obama “participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor,” Emanuel said. “We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two.” A spokesman for Blagojevich confirmed Emanuel’s account...
Then again, maybe there's more than one scoundrel...
El Rider adds this in the comments: "The fact that it took the Jackson people a week to get this out to the public makes me suspicious."
More... Macsmind adds this: "The media makes the arraignment look so “innocent”, but ordinarily one only becomes an informant when they have 1) Decide to do the right thing by choice, or 2) Are forced to do the right thing because they’ve been caught doing the wrong thing."
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/17/2008 04:40:00 AM
Didn’t we end that in 1964 with the Civil Rights Act? What did Martin Luther King Jr. say?
Don’t forget about the Man-of-the-year jinx. Ayup.
http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa050400a.htm
The New Face of 0-Merica--
You asked for it,
you got it...
Golden memory is supplanted by blood and fear...shattered glass on the street from Dennis' white Volvo sedan and gray Volvo convertible, vandalism she blames on drug dealers angry at her for refusing to sell them one of her cars. Trash piled on sidewalks, steps from a blinking police surveillance camera...
Coming soon to a state near you...the iPod tax!
Absurd to the insane: muslim immigration into the USA
I tried for years to wake people up. "Racist" ( funny how that works- Islam is an alleged religion, but since a lot of its followers are brownish, if you point out its negative features, you get smeared by the ignorant and malicious ) is the nicest thing I've been called...
At this stage, it's a race to the bottom whether the formerly great US of A will be dragged under by
1) militant Islam
2) the uncontrolled invasion of illegal aliens
3) or the sewer of ( gag! ) "popular culture"
The political right sometimes decries the system as a hidden, unnecessary tax...environmental left sometimes decries it as a bureaucratic mess that won't accomplish anything.Let's see. New Jersey buys carbon credits from New Hampshire. This raises the cost of energy production in New Jersey. New Jersey utilities raise prices to compensate. New Jersey energies transfer their wealth to the state of New Hampshire for nothing. No, it's not just a hidden tax, but taxation without representation, because the people taxed in New Jersey cannot vote in New Hampshire.
The difference between Capitalism and Totalitarianism:
246
posted on
12/17/2008 11:54:15 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
Maroons...
She doesn't have a clue and has no plan...A Canadian lectures us on being un-American, how quaint.
Agreeing with Friedman. In Part. [Dan Collins; UPDATED]
Via Hot Air Headlines:
I have no sympathy for Madoff. But the fact is, his alleged Ponzi scheme was only slightly more outrageous than the “legal” scheme that Wall Street was running, fueled by cheap credit, low standards and high greed. What do you call giving a worker who makes only $14,000 a year a nothing-down and nothing-to-pay-for-two-years mortgage to buy a $750,000 home, and then bundling that mortgage with 100 others into bonds — which Moody’s or Standard & Poors rate AAA — and then selling them to banks and pension funds the world over? That is what our financial industry was doing. If that isn’t a pyramid scheme, what is?
Far from being built on best practices, this legal Ponzi scheme was built on the mortgage brokers, bond bundlers, rating agencies, bond sellers and homeowners all working on the I.B.G. principle: “I’ll be gone” when the payments come due or the mortgage has to be renegotiated.
What’s missing, here? Could it be any mention of . . . Congress?
Oh, wait. USA Today gives them two lumps of coal (h/t Insty), as though that were legal.
UPDATE: At Salon, Mr. Anxious, Mike Madden asks, Dude, where’s my $700 billion?
Dude! They’re printing it as fast as they can!
Oil, And The Calvinistic Conscience Problem, Part 1
I don't have a problem with Al Gore being a religious nutcase. He can worship Gaia and wave his carbon offset fetishes all he wants - that's protected by the US Constitution.
I do find it amazing that so many seem to need to walk up and donate when he passes the plate. For what? What do you expect to get out of it? Gore's an old-fashioned southern stump preacher pushing a slightly different doctrine, but I note that he passes the plate just like they do and he lives like the most successful and most hypocritical of the breed.
Perhaps you folks who are falling for this junk need to go to church more and listen to some fire and brimstone sermons. That should allow you to assuage your Calvinistic consciences in a more adaptive manner.
Prominent among the Gorish doctrines is the idea that US gas prices are too low. Too low for what, you ask? Too low to force Americans to adopt more environmentally responsible lives, he answers, as he descends from his jet, climbs into his SUV and drives off to his mansion, escorted by Secret Service vehicles. But that does not ring a skepticism bell in your Calvinistic conscience, which is why I think Americans are acting out some cultural mandate. Even Americans aren't this stupid.
I'll pick on two non-stupid people who I think have strong focuses on duty: Tom Carter at Opinion Forum and Carl at No Oil For Pacifists.
Tom Carter read this WaPo editorial and got all enthused about a federal gas tax hike, quoting from the editorial to explain all of the wonders this will accomplish:
…would stimulate the market for new fuel-efficient cars; defund mischief-making petro-states; and cut carbon emissions. Not only that, it would reduce traffic, curb urban sprawl and, by giving drivers an incentive to drive more slowly, improve highway safety. …
A higher gas tax would buy valuable public goods: national security; a cleaner environment; and safer, less congested streets. No matter what, Americans will have to pay for all of that. Why not do it the simple, straightforward way?Carl looked at the oil situation mostly accurately, but concluded that federal intervention was necessary to prevent a "market failure".
This, of course, is the dilemma of both new fossil fuel fields and alternative energy development: Pumping crude from under Arabian and Iraqi deserts costs under $5/barrel; oil sands/shale, new off-shore drilling, and all renewable sources costs well more. Falling oil prices--or, what is the same thing, increased OPEC production quotas--can wipe-out alternative capital investments at a stroke.
This, I think, is the principal energy market failure, and the sole area where (departing from MaxedOutMama) I support government intervention. Not a gas tax, but perhaps forward government energy purchases to keep energy projects active during periods of falling crude prices. It's better than rooting for the OPEC cartel to cut supply.
I hate to get in the way of all of these bugle calls to duty, honor and self-sufficiency, but let's be honest. If the market cannot absorb the cost of oil at $100 a barrel without the world economy tipping into a recession, then a retraction in the demand for oil and consequently lower prices are not a market failure. Those consequences are instead the effect of the market functioning. The reason that the alternative energy sources will be wiped out is therefore structural reality in the world economy, and raising the cost of oil artificially to compensate will just prolong and/or deepen the disaster.
If you want to dispute the bolded statement above, please explain why the energy prices that collapsed the world economy will be any less damaging if you are using biodiesel. Seriously. I await this explanation with great interest. We know we can produce biodiesel at $95 a barrel. We may be able to eventually do it at around $75 a barrel in reasonably large quantities. Let's be optimistic and say we get it to $65. What's it going to do to our ability to compete and produce goods if the rest of the world is slurping oil up at $38?
Brazil produces ethanol at substantially lower costs than recent gas prices, but the US government imposed a high tariff on Brazilian ethanol to prevent it from beating out US-produced corn ethanol. In 2006, after adding transport costs, etc, Brazilian ethanol should have had a wholesale US price of slightly less than $2.00.
So the effort, all told, in the US of government policy has not been to fuel alternative energy in a cost effective manner - no, it has been mostly a vote-buying mechanism which had unfavorable implications for the many sectors of the US economy. (Background: see the much higher energy efficiency of ethanol in Brazil, and a CARD article.)
Electric vehicles, if we ever decide to start producing enough cost-effective electricity to power such a fleet, are also a possible alternative.
But do we really need to worry about importing oil from Canada? Seriously? The major effect of the current downturn in oil prices is that it will knock out some investment in the oil sands there. To recover start up costs, it's estimated that an assured market cost of over $45 is necessary for most of the planned projects to be built and recover their capital investment cost. This is so far below the cost of biodiesel and US-produced ethanols that it is obviously the better option. Besides, we like the Canucks, we trade with the Canucks, and it is very much in our interest to have a strong, healthy Canuckian population up there, nor does buying oil from the Canucks contribute to any world disaster of which I am aware. So we are subsidizing a few gay parades. Is that going to kill us?
A lot of Canadian oil sand projects were planned. The Saudis really want to let costs drift just below the magic Canuck price line (see Wikipedia article):
Countries like Iran have to be pretty worried about that projected doubling of production from Canada's Athabasca sands by 2014. So, you say, I'm making Carl's point? Well, unless we outright subsidize the Canadian oil sands, raising internal energy prices won't move those projects into production. We could do that, you know. We could tell Canadian producers "Here, chaps, we'll write you a contract guaranteeing 20 years of purchases at $43 per barrel for all you can produce", and let them take that to the bank. It's a better profit margin than US Treasuries right now, so it ought to have considerable value.
But we won't. Doing so would raise questions about why we should subsidize Canadian oil mining when we won't allow it in the US. The US has big oil shale deposits, and the estimate for production runs right around $45 a barrel. Writing such a contract would get those projects in gear, and would greatly stimulate the US economy. Further, oil shale deposits are better suited to diesel production; world demand for diesel is rising far higher than for gasoline, and it is the demand for diesel that is our worst oil sufficiency problem, and the segment of the that problem least addressed by measures such as auto efficiency, electric vehicles, and ethanol.
But we won't. Anyone reading this knows we won't. The US federal government has already blocked the development of those projects when it was outright feasible to do so and when it would have required no federal subsidy. Why are we so psychologically invested in "alternative" energy sources? Why?
We already get more crude oil from our Canuck neighbors than from any other country. EIA report:
Crude Oil Imports (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day) |
| Country |
Oct-08 |
Sep-08 |
YTD 2008 |
Oct-07 |
YTD 2007 |
|
| CANADA |
2,055 |
1,923 |
1,910 |
1,898 |
1,894 |
| SAUDI ARABIA |
1,427 |
1,429 |
1,519 |
1,370 |
1,416 |
| MEXICO |
1,254 |
890 |
1,180 |
1,322 |
1,419 |
| VENEZUELA |
1,014 |
944 |
1,037 |
1,221 |
1,131 |
| NIGERIA |
908 |
508 |
941 |
1,184 |
1,055 |
| IRAQ |
575 |
543 |
652 |
490 |
493 |
| ANGOLA |
527 |
416 |
504 |
342 |
511 |
| BRAZIL |
344 |
197 |
228 |
172 |
173 |
| ALGERIA |
305 |
319 |
312 |
213 |
479 |
| KUWAIT |
235 |
110 |
199 |
150 |
179 |
| ECUADOR |
192 |
227 |
209 |
222 |
202 |
| UNITED KINGDOM |
165 |
92 |
72 |
161 |
108 |
| COLOMBIA |
162 |
142 |
182 |
164 |
134 |
| AZERBAIJAN |
125 |
69 |
73 |
35 |
47 |
| EQUATORIAL GUINEA |
114 |
40 |
70 |
49 |
54 |
Nor can I see why we should worry about imports from Mexico; Canada and Mexico are our neighbors, and we should want them to prosper. The reason we currently buy oil from Saudi Arabia is that it is cheap, but if we were to develop more of our own resources, and if the planned Canadian projects went ahead, I think the US would be in a good position with regard to oil.
We'd be in a better position with regard to oil if we stopped focusing on pie-in-the-sky measures and started focusing on the highly achievable stuff that requires minimal government subsidy. However, that doesn't mean biodiesel, etc, except in the smaller projects. It also doesn't mean much wind power. It means coal or nuclear or both for electricity consumption. When the market cost of oil moves high enough to make electric cars an option, they will come. Until that time, they are wasteful boondoggle; the money spent subsidizing Prius purchases would have been far better spent subsidizing Hyundai purchases. It's energy efficiency that matters. In terms of energy, the political structure in the US is recommending a diet of pure potato chips - and offering to pay for it. The long-term health effects will produce a severely malnourished economy!
There have been only a few oil shocks post WWII, and each has resulted in a global economic downturn. (See Roubini/Setser 2004). Note that the "shock" price they are worrying about is about the average price of the last month. Do we really want to raise total energy costs more than the "shock" price about which Roubini was worrying then? Trying to artificially raise the cost of energy now will just cause worse economic problems, which will further decrease the price of oil, which will cause alternative energy to require even greater subsidies. It's a losing battle.
To consider further, take the example of the Brazilian ethanol industry. It has been a success, but the US does not currently have the capacity to produce ethanol nearly as efficiently as Brazil. Further, the success is limited. The end result of the Brazilian ethanol industry is that about 20% of vehicle miles are powered by ethanol. The trucks and so forth still run on oil.
In part 2, let's take a look at that outstandingly silly WaPo editorial. Even for WaPo, it is hilariously superficial.
Y2Kyoto: I Too, Am Embarrassed That She's A Canadian
Lizzy, "It was embarrassing being a Canadian at these meetings..." Pozzy,Time for Mass Mobilization to Stop Global Warming Emissions and the planet Gore.... I went to Chicago for a meeting with president-elect Barack Obama and he emphasized that the climate crisis will be a top priority of his administration,”
|
 |
Will someone please stop these people before we all freeze to death?
Temperatures were 20 below zero and lower across the northern Plains, and a band of snow, freezing rain and sleet stretched from Kansas along the Ohio Valley to Maine. Dozens of schools closed in Kentucky and Tennessee because of slippery roads and salt truck crews started working before dawn. Up to a half-foot of snow had fallen in parts of Kentucky.
[...]
Some of the sharpest cold Tuesday was in northern Minnesota, where Hibbing bottomed out at 32 below zero and International Falls dropped to 28 below. In the middle of the state, St. Cloud fell to 24 below, breaking its old record of 21 below set in 1963.
In Vancouver,
global warming's latest cooling trend threatens lives...
The arctic front that has the whole of British Columbia in its grip has caused road chaos, left thousands without power and is especially tough on the homeless. [...] In Vancouver it has been a frantic rush to get vulnerable homeless people off the streets.
Northeast Siberia
braces for extreme cold of -60C.
“However, this is not the limit - in the next few days weather in the town of Krestyakh could drop below minus 58 degrees Celsius (minus 72.4 degrees Fahrenheit),” the meteorological service spokesman said.
While here, in Saskatchewan, we
continue our patient vigil, waiting and watching for the long promised tropical warmth and ocean beach fronts...
(Related - "By far the most terrifying blog you will ever read.")
Posted by Kate at
10:22 AM |
Comments (42)
247
posted on
12/17/2008 3:43:02 PM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: backhoe
248
posted on
12/17/2008 5:00:12 PM PST
by
piasa
To: piasa
249
posted on
12/18/2008 12:50:13 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
In case you don’t have enough to worry about.
Brrrr... It's Snowing in the Desert But Gore Warns the North Pole Will Be Gone in 5 Years
The Goracle spoke to an audience in Germany this past week and warned that "the entire North Polarized cap will disappear in 5 years."
It snowed in the California desert this week:
Reader Chip says his brother-in-law is stationed at Ft. Irwin, which is in the middle of the southern California desert, about halfway between LA and Las Vegas. Last night, his sister posted several photos of snow on the desert palm trees.
It also snowed in Las Vegas today.
Here's more photos of the snow near Fort Irwin.
Let's see...
The oceans have been cooling since 2003.
Sea ice is growing at the fastest pace on record.
A rare 50 year arctic blast is cooling the west coast.
There are growing fears of a coming freeze worse than the ice age.
Alaskan Sea Glaciers are advancing for the first time in 250 years.
And, for the second straight year the Earth is, in fact, cooling... not warming.
This US Climate Map October 2007-November 2008 shows that temperatures are well below normal throughout the US this year.
But, Al Gore warned just last week in Germany that the "North Polarized Cap" will be completely gone in 5 years.
ManBearPig.
More... Scientists scoffed at the AP global-warming hysterics this week.
Previously:
Brrrr... Antarctica Records Record High Ice Cap Growth
Brrrr... South America Has Coldest Winter in a 90 Years
Brrrr... Iraqis See First Snow in 100 Years As Sign of Peace
Brrrr... Worst Snowstorms in a Decade in China Cause Rioting
Brrrr... Jerusalem Grinds to a Halt As Rare Snowstorm Blasts City
Brrrr... Worst Snowstorms in 50 Years Continue to Cripple China
Brrrr... China Suffers Coldest Winter in 100 Years
Brrrr... Pakistan Suffers Lowest Temps in 70 Years-- 260 Dead
Brrrr... Record Cold Hits Central Asia-- 654 Dead in Afghanistan
Brrrr... Severe Weather Kills Dozens in Kashmir
Brrrr... Tajikistan Crisis!! Coldest Winter in 25 Years!
Brrrr... Record Cold Wave Blasts Mumbai, India
Brrrr... Snow and Ice in San Diego?
Brrrr... Wisconsin Snowfall Record Shattered
Brrrr... The Disappearing Arctic Ice Is Back And It's Thick
Brrrr... Turkey's snowiest winter continues.
Brrrr... Record Cold & Snow Blankets Acropolis in Greece (Video)
Brrrr... Longest Ever Cold Spell Kills Cattle & Rice in Vietnam
Brrrr... Most Snow Cover Over North America Since 1966
Brrrr... Australia Suffers Through Coldest Summer in 50 Years
Brrrr... Record Snowfall Slams Ohio River Valley
Brrrr... New Data Gives Global Warming the Cold Shoulder
Brrrr... Global Cooling Causes Armed Clashes in Canada
Brrrr... Snake Oil Salesman Admits to Ca$hing In on Global Warming Hysteria
Brrrr... New Research Claims Earth Sliding Into an Ice Age
Brrrr... Blizzard Blasts South Dakota-- 4 Feet of Snow Reported
An Inconvenient Debate... Czech Pres. Challenges Gore On Warming
Brrrr... Record Snow Blankets Spokane, Washington In June!
Brrrr... Peru Declares Emergency-- Record Cold Kills 61 Children & 5,000 Alpacas
Brrrr... Arctic Sea Ice Levels Are Up By 1,000,000 Square Kilometers
Brrrr... Denver Breaks 118 Year-Old Cold Record-- Arctic Ice Refuses to Melt
Brrrr... NASA Reports Bogus Global Warming Numbers- Again
Brrr... Goracle: Mayan Civilization Collapsed Because of Climate Change, Too
Brrr... Global Warming Predictions Overestimated-- Its a Hoax
Kevin Martin Correctly Predicts Rare Arctic Blast to the Southwestern USA.
OWSweather.com Forecast Office ^ | December 17, 2008 | Joshua Young
Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 9:47:14 PM by JohnJeykis
Over ten days ago, Meteorologist Kevin Martin from OWSweather.com predicted a rare arctic storm to the Western United States, including the Southwestern states. Well, that time has come and Martin's prediction was correct.
Kevin Martin predicted back on December 7, 2008 that a rare near historical arctic blast would hit Southern California and the Southwestern states. On December 17, 2008 this blast hit within the 13th-20th window, proving that Martin correctly predicted this arctic blast.
250
posted on
12/18/2008 1:23:53 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
251
posted on
12/18/2008 4:15:13 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
MATT WELCH: “After two months of relentless scaremongering by the nation’s elite politicians and journalists, how’s that whole bailout thing doing at the polls?” Not so well. . . . Matt concludes: “Like Dick Cheney, I don’t believe in governing by poll. But that won’t prevent me from taking heart in the fact that, once again, Americans seem to have more instinctive faith in capitalism and less enthusiasm for government blank checks than their elected representatives.”
MORE ON THE NIGHTMARE THAT IS
Zimbabwe. "The costs of Mugabe's illegitimate reign are not only political repression and human rights abuse. Once prosperous Zimbabwe is crumbling and for many it is in a free fall toward catastrophic collapse."
Nine Days of Silence--
Have you seen Rahmbo?
Since the Blagojevich scandal broke and it was reported that the feds have
21 taped conversations of Rahm Emanuel, Obama's Chief of Staff has been keeping to himself.
Hmm.
Just a preview of 0-Merica:
http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The threat that is Mexico has FINALLY hit the media!
You know it’s BAD, when they finally report it. Last night, CBS Nightly News with Couric did a solid 10 minutes on the WAR in MEXICO that has NOW spilled over our borders.....More deaths than Iraq....more beheadings (even showed the bodies!)....5th journalist killed this year....citizens in terror...and ALL the stuff we’ve been crying about for how many years??
Well, McCain, et al’s PC immigration experiment has finally left us with what I believe is a terrible dilemma. We will be overrun with an exodus from Mexico like nothing this nation has ever seen. We will either take them or we will be forced to send troops to Mexico to work along side a corrupt army and police.
One way or another a lot of people are going to die over some people’s greed/ideology.
WATCH THE VIDEO!
http://www.cbsnews.com/
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4672298n
AND even Associated Press suddenly ‘gets it’
Mexican drug smugglers pose top crime threat
Associated Press
Dec. 15, 2008, 6:34PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6166344.html
WASHINGTON — Mexican drug traffickers who pair up with gangs and use a sophisticated network to smuggle drugs across the border have become the biggest organized crime threat to the United States, the Justice Department reported Monday.
Most of the cocaine available in the U.S. is brought across the southwest border by Mexican groups, according to the annual report by the Justice Department’s National Drug Intelligence Center.
Additionally, Mexican drug smugglers are increasingly working with Italian Mafia and other traditional organized crime groups nationwide, the report says.
“Mexican drug trafficking organizations represent the greatest organized crime threat to the United States,” the report concluded. “The influence of Mexican drug trafficking organizations over domestic drug trafficking is unrivaled.”.[snip]
MORE:
Unruly Passenger Forces Emergency Landing
A JetBlue flight headed from New York to Burbank was forced to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City late Monday night (Illegal Alien......)
Air travel.....and this today about rail travel...
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/12/15/heightened-awareness-recommended-for-railways-operating-along-the-us-mexico-border/
GlobalIncidentMap.com Recommends Heightened Awareness For Railways Operating Along The US-Mexico Border
“Based on information from trusted Law Enforcement sources, we are recommending a heightened state of awareness for all railway operations along the USA-Mexico border, based on recent threats and observed activity”
Heightened Awareness Recommended For Railways Operating Along The US-Mexico Border
Submitted by national on Monday, 15 December 2008
Note: Special thanks for much of this information
from our retired border agents group.
Meet them here: http://www.nafbpo.org
12 posted on
Thursday, December 18, 2008 3:17:25 PM by
AuntB
252
posted on
12/18/2008 12:41:08 PM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
"...an insult to all the queers and non-believers"
President-elect Obama chooses "eliminationist hate preacher Rick Warren to give the invocation at Obama's Inaguration"
Our plan is falling into place...
Posted by Kate at
11:29 AM |
Comments (39)
"Wanker" Obama Defends Rick Warren Decision (Video)
"Wanker of the Day" Barack Obama throws the radical gays under the bus.Barack Obama defended giving "homophobe" Rick Warren a role at Inauguration:
"Wanker" Obama Defends Rick Warren Decision (Video)
"Wanker of the Day" Barack Obama throws the radical gays under the bus.Barack Obama defended giving "homophobe" Rick Warren a role at Inauguration:
Ann Althouse asks, "Who needs omens when Obama was always clear that he opposed same-sex marriage? He said so every time he was asked."
Glenn Reynolds adds:
Yep, but Obamania was such that even those who pride themselves on seeing what is in front of their faces ignored it.
What a pity...
The Left had their hearts set on a
passionate sermon by Jeremiah Wright.
Instead, they are going to forced to listen to a gay marriage basher.
12/18/2008 06:00:00 AM | "If homosexuals want the rights that those have in marriage, then they should go fight for those rights to be in civil unions, not in marriage."
Robert Redford: Bush Was Morally Criminal, Devious and Sneaky
Bush or
Obama?
Another Hollywood libtard bashes Bush.
Video
Here.
Greenie Robert Redford says Bush was morally criminal, devious and sneaky.
The
DC Examiner reported, via
Drudge:
"I think very highly of [Salazar]," Redford stated, echoing sentiments made by Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., and other NTHP representatives, all of whom were there to speak out against the possibility of the Bureau of Land Management selling new oil and gas leases around Utah's Nine Mile High Canyon.
Redford warned that leases around the canyon "need to be stopped."
"Bush may be a lame duck, but he knows how to quack," said Redford. He warned: "We should not leave one more debt" of the Bush administration for Obama to fix.
"These lands are part of our legacy ... not Cheney's and Bush's," he continued. "[They've] been trashing the environment since they came in, like it was their prerogative."
But he was just getting warmed up: On top of Redford's criticisms of the Bush administration's environmental policies, he called Bush "morally criminal" on three separate occasions and said he "was shocked about how devious and sneaky" Bush has been while in office.
Obviously, Redford did not take into account that
greenhouse gas emissions have decreased during the Bush years.
He also may want to read up on the
Iraqi Marsh Arabs.
President Bush helped revive the marshes of Iraq after Saddam drained them in one of the world’s worst environmental disasters ever.
You can be sure this fact did not come up during the interview.
What's criminal is that leftists like Redford and his democratic pals have
choked off this nation's energy supply for over 30 years.
That's morally criminal.
Related... Jack Cafferty's deranged Bush hatred comes in a very close second to Redford in today's polling.
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/18/2008 05:36:00 AM "This pisses me off in so many ways I don't know where to start first. Redford is soooooo concerned about the "environment" but could not give a damn less about Joe Average who is trying to put gas in his tank just to get to work so he can earn enough to go see one of Redford's stupid movies."
December 18, 2008 10:54 AM by Michelle Malkin
After years of pressing the Clintons to disclose their foundation funders, the time has come. As part of Hillary’s Secretary of State deal with Barack Obama, Bill Clinton has finally coughed up his donor list. The contributors’ list was published today on the Clinton Foundation site here.
We already knew the Saudis were funding Billy Boy’s presidential library and that other foreign interests had forked over tens of millions.
There’s much more where all that came from:53 Comments "What does the source of the money (their own or someone else’s)have to do with buying or not buying influence? According to liberal dogma, it’s ALL everyone’s money anyway."
If you want to see what Democrat solutions are or what dems provie - look at MI, CA, NY, IL and NJ. They are all either bankrupt or have insane taxes.
The problem is residents flee to the south or SW states and they bring their same psychosis and ruin those states. An example in NC morphing into NJ South.
These dead bankrupt shells of former states become illegal alien magnets and welfare states. Possibly the best result is these states would implode, govt would change, low taxes and people would move back. The problem is illegals flood in and these zombies stay alive with federal dollars. So while I had hope Red states would thirve and blue states would die has not turned out that was.
253
posted on
12/18/2008 3:34:07 PM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
Herb London is the President of the Hudson Institute, a Professor Emeritus at NYU, and a former candidate for Governor of New York on the Conservative Party ticket. He took the results of November's election harder than we did, and wonders whether this country has undergone a profound change for the worse. Herb wrote this provocative essay for Power Line:
The results are in and my candidate lost the presidency. Since I love this country, I wish the newly named President Barack Obama every success. But this was an election unlike any other. I don't think the Republicans merely lost an election, I believe many of us lost a country.
This was a land that once rewarded hard work and enterprise. A place where one's word was his bond. America was the land of opportunity. If you can't do it here, you cannot do it anywhere. We were a people to be envied, not only because we had the highest standard living, but because we had the greatest degree of stability.
Americans were notoriously optimistic because we counted on tomorrow being better than yesterday. We were an open people dependent on fair play and a free market bounded by a standard of virtue. With all the blemishes in our past and breaches in our own ethics, we were a model of civic rectitude. "Dems that gives, gets;" those who wish to bilk the system will be discovered and isolated.
There was a time not so long ago when people did not depend on government to bail them out of financial difficulty, a time when the nanny state bred apprehension, not affection. Now, it seems, in the new America almost everyone wants a free ride. The non-tax payer wants a rebate from the taxpayer. The poor man wants everything the rich man has and he wants the rich man to give it to him.
Enemies of the nation, it turns out, are not enemies at all; we merely defined them as adversaries. Had we been clever in the past, we could have defined them out of existence. All we have to do is engage in "soft power," diplomacy and clever negotiating skill. Surely those who want to kill us will be persuaded that swords should be converted into plowshares. It's odd, but Osama bin Laden doesn't seem to embrace this position.
The America of now is one where Orwellian logic rules. Redistribution of wealth is fairness. Taxes are patriotic. The free market should be a regulated market. Big government is good for you. Politicians know what kind of health care is best for you. Choice should be limited, except when it comes to abortion. Power comes from being powerless. Progressive education is designed to promote progress toward socialism. Race doesn't count unless a person of color tells you it counts. Higher education gets lower each year. Those who create our problems should be asked to solve them. Religion should be a private matter that does not inform public morality. Liberal is radical. Free speech is selective speech. Courage is impetuousness.
Yes, Americans - many Americans - want change. The level of dissatisfaction runs deep. But the national cri de coeur hasn't a direction. That's what makes it so dangerous. Americans live better than at any moment in our collective history, notwithstanding the meltdown on Wall Street, yet despair is ubiquitous. Admittedly observing 401K accounts disappear as soap bubbles will make anyone angry. Nonetheless, it is a privilege to live in the land of the free, a privilege now regarded as an entitlement.
It was once wrong to use community groups such as ACORN to steal an election. It was once wrong to conceal one's past in order to invent an identity. It was once wrong to use the instrument of government finance to satisfy a constituency and then claim an unregulated market is what ails us. It was once wrong to lie in a campaign and still is except when the media panjandrums avert their gaze for the lies of a favored candidate.
Surely we face threats across the globe that cannot be easily forestalled. Arguably the most significant threat is from within in the form of an unregulated government, a government large, intrusive and seductive. This is the new American government that promises everything and demands very little from its citizens. "Shop until you drop" is the national anthem. After all, you don't have to fight if you don't want to and you don't have to sacrifice if that's too much for you. All you have to do is visit malls and keep opinions to yourself. Opinions are important since Truth Squads want to be sure you don't criticize the chosen candidate.
Where is my America, the place of fair play, individual rights, the rule of law and respect for private property? Was the past merely a dream from which I have awakened? Can that America of exceptionalism return? Can it find its way back into the public consciousness?
I have my doubts. Now the change agents scream "everything will be different." Alas, they are right. It appears as if everything will be different, most especially the end of an America I loved.
To comment on this post, go
here.
"IMO, we are on track for becoming if not a “lost country” a “fallen” civilization. "
SUN-TIMES: Deeper involvement for Emanuel. “President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had a deeper involvement in pressing for a U.S. Senate seat appointment than previously reported, the Sun-Times has learned.”
JERRY POURNELLE: “Obama says that if we drill we won’t have any new oil in the pipelines for ten years. Ten years from now someone will be saying the same thing, of course. The only way out of our energy dilemma is to pursue all fronts: domestic production, nuclear power, and some of the ‘alternate’ ’soft path’ alternatives even when they are not cost/effective as insurance. And research. But this means an integrated energy strategy that allows the market a fair amount of influence while guiding the nation toward, not energy independence in normal times, but a capability of survival when energy sources are interrupted, and ways to ease economic disaster when oil prices skyrocket. None of this is impossible or even all that difficult, but it does require attention to reality and priorities.” Uh oh.
UPDATE: Some similar thoughts from Jay Leno.
December 18th, 2008
From a conflicted Associated Press:
Obama’s choice of evangelical pastor draws ire
12/18/2008
WASHINGTON – Gay rights advocates are criticizing President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of a popular evangelical minister to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, saying it shows disrespect for a constituency that strongly supported his campaign.
Pastor Rick Warren, a best-selling author and leader of a Southern California megachurch, is one of a new breed of evangelicals who stress the need for action on social issues such as reducing poverty and protecting the environment, alongside traditional theological themes. But the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights organization, said Warren’s opposition to gay marriage is a sign of intolerance.
"We feel a deep level of disrespect when one of the architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination," the group said in a letter to Obama, asking him to reconsider…
Gay rights advocates say they are troubled by Warren’s support for a California ballot initiative banning gay marriage, approved by voters last month. "By inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table," the letter said.
Homosexuals have a lot in common with our “Islamic extremists.”
Just about everything seems to tick them off.
Meanwhile, where was the outrage when Mr. Obama was going to have the Reverend Doctor Jeremiah R. Wright, Jr. give the invocation at the announcement of his Presidential bid?
(Of course Mr. Obama eventually revoked the invitation, thanks to our posts about the Reverend here at S&L.)
18 Comments » "The One ™ is taking it from all sides right now - talk about buyers remorse."
i mean, can we even SAY the word “Black-mail”?First, I denounce You!
Then, I denounce Mysef'!
Then, I turn us both over to
for Re-edumacation!
Lol. Say What?
Go screw yourself. You work for me, pal. I pay your salary.
254
posted on
12/19/2008 2:39:29 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
10 Years Ago Today-- President Bill Clinton Impeached
Ten years ago today- President of the United States Bill Clinton was
impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998.
Once again, here's video of the historic Bill Clinton testimony with the Independent Council where he denies he had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky:
Iraqi Press: "To Iraqis, the shoe tossing incident represented a major insult to the U.S. president."
My friend Iraqi-American
Haider Ajina sent this tip from the Iraqi press today.
A major Iraqi news source "Aswat-Aliraq" is speaking out against the shoe-chucker
Muntadar al-Zeidi.
This goes hand in hand with the other articles published this week
denouncing the hooliganism of al-Zeidi.
Aswat-Aliraq reported:
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq – The written apology sent by famous Muntather al-Zaydi, a local TV reporter who threw a pair of shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush at a press conference in Baghdad a few days ago, to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will not affect the trial and the investigation, a closed source said on Friday, noting that al-Maliki has only the right to give up his personal right.
“Al-Zaydi presented a written apology o al-Maliki, asking him to pardon him, reminding him that he visited him at his house in 2005 to make an interview with him,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq, asserting that the apology will not affect the trial...
...Zaydi is considered one of the journalists outspokenly criticizing the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq. He had written several reports opposing the U.S. military presence in the country.
To Iraqis, the incident represented a major insult to the U.S. president.
You probably won't see that reported at CNN.
It doesn't go with their Bush
loathing.
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/19/2008 12:08:00 PM |
Condi Blasts "Loathsome" CNN Reporter For Trashing US (Video)
CNN reporter
Zain Verjee interviewed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the shoe-chucking incident in Baghdad. Vergee asked Condi how it feels knowing America is so loathed.
Condi's response to this Canadian US-basher was excellent:
Here's part of the exchange:
Zain Verjee: ...But the United States is so loathed!
Condoleezza Rice: The United States is not loathed. The policies of the United States are sometimes not liked. People don't like that we've had to say hard things and do hard things about terrorism. People don't like that we've spoken fiercely for the right of Israel to defend itself at the same time we've worked for a Palestinian State. But I have to go back. So many people in and around when that incident happened told me how embarrassed they were by the fact that that had happened.
Verjee: Do you regret...
Condoleezza Rice: No. Only that the focus of those who were supposed to be reporting history didn't focus on the historical moment which was- This was the president of the United States in Baghdad, for goodness sakes, with the freely elected prime minister in a show of friendship.
-Zing-
Hat Tip Jamie Allman
Of course, we all know the "lothing" will stop once
the Messiah rides in on his unicorn.
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/19/2008 06:04:00 AM |
Surprise!... Iranian Regime Supports a "Shoe-Chucking Intifada"
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati (
IRNA)
A leading Iranian ayatollah announced at Friday prayers that the regime was
supporting the "shoe intifada" that took place in Iraq last week.
Judeopundit and
Iranian Republic News Agency reported:
Substitute Friday prayers leader of Tehran Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati here Friday hailed Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi's recent shoe-tossing at the US President George W. Bush and said the "shoe Intifadha" should not be taken for granted.
"The shoe Intifadha in Iraq should not be overlooked easily. Well done to Iraqi journalist for throwing the shoes at the US President.
His shoes should be kept in Iraq's political museum. The pair of shoes are more valuable than crowns, medals and signs," Ayatollah Jannati told large groups of Tehrani Friday prayers worshipers at Tehran University campus.
He suggested carrying shoes in all the anti-US demonstrations held in Iran and Iraq.
"The shoe hurling by Iraqi journalist had many messages which the world received them and Iraqi people too held demonstrations afterwards. People should support the Iraqi journalist," he added.
The shoe-chucker and Far Left hero Muntadar al-Zeidi is a
supporter of Muqtada al-Sadr who is aligned with the Iranian regime.
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/19/2008 05:57:00 AM |
White House Bails Out Auto Industry With $17.4 Billion Loan
The White House will loan the ailing automakers
$17.4 billion in exchange for concessions from carmakers and their workers. President Bush said the loans will be called back if the companies are not viable by March 31.
HotAir posted video of the announcement.
Michelle Malkin calls it an expensive joke on taxpayers.
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/19/2008 05:46:00 AM |
10 Years Ago Today-- President Bill Clinton Impeached
Ten years ago today- President of the United States Bill Clinton was
impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998.
Once again, here's video of the historic Bill Clinton testimony with the Independent Council where he denies he had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky:
(2 minutes 5 seconds)
Upon the passage of
H. Res. 611, Bill Clinton was
impeached on December 19, 1998, by the House of Representatives on grounds of perjury to a grand jury (by a 228-206 vote) and obstruction of justice (by a 221-212 vote).
Maybe the most disturbing aspect of the impeachment vote was that
200 democrats actually knew Clinton committed perjury but voted "no" anyway.
So, do you suppose this will make any headlines today?
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/19/2008 05:28:00 AM
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Democrats Are The New Ethics Story: “Democrats now have an image problem.
One of the most insulting things which has ever been foisted upon Americans, especially black Americans, is the entirely fraudulent “traditional African holiday” called “Kwanzaa” by its inventor and principal perpetrator.
"It starts on a cold November night. You went to sleep, comfortably warm, after listening to the late news: a nor’easter coming through, the worst storm in several years. You go to bed, quietly excited at the thought of the fairly certain snow day — build a snowman with the kids, maybe work through the email that has piled up, and do a little online shopping; after all Christmas is coming.
That’s not the way it works out, though — about 3 a.m., you awaken, cold. The house is too cold. You get out of bed — the hardwood floor icy against your feet — and when you flip the hall light switch, nothing happens. Odd, the power is out. Automatically, you look out the window and realize the whole neighborhood is dark; in fact, there is no sky glow — usually, you can see the red shimmer of New York City on a cloudy night. It’s darker than you’ve ever seen it."
255
posted on
12/19/2008 3:09:55 PM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
Obama Team: Pumping Billions Into Socialized Healthcare Will Reduce Bankruptcies & Improve Competitiveness
This is what we have to look forward to for the next four years.
The inmates are taking over the asylum.
The Obama Team announced this week that pouring billions into new socialized health-care programs will boost the economy.
Of course it will.
The Washington Post reported:
President-elect Barack Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress are devising plans to significantly expand the health provisions in next month's economic recovery legislation, arguing that pouring billions of dollars into an array of health programs will not only boost the economy but also make a down payment on promises of broader health-care reform...
...Daschle, a former Senate majority leader, said that "addressing our health-care challenges" offers the best hope for reducing personal bankruptcies, improving American competitiveness and helping "pull our economy out of its current tailspin."
OK... I give.
How does pumping billions into socialized health-care reduce bankruptcies, improve competitiveness and help pull the economy out of a tailspin?
Please help me
unicorn rider.
I'm confused.
Let the mullahs, the imams, the governments of the M.E. KNOW that if there is a nuclear detonation on American soil, MECCA AND Medina will be incinerated...........no questions asked. THEN, let them police their own....
256
posted on
12/20/2008 2:16:51 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
I was reading in the net like I always do and I came across something really disturbing.
As someone born in Ecuador with friends and relatives in Latin America, I’m terrified watching how people in the United States are being manipulated just like people in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador to put a Marxist in power.
257
posted on
12/20/2008 6:10:05 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
Surprise!... Obama's Change.gov As Shady As His Campaign Website!
Change!Barack Obama ran the
largest election donation's fraud in history.
Anyone from anywhere could donate to the campaign. The Obama Campaign even
accepted illegal donations that could not be tracked.
Now, we find out the Obama Team is running a
shady operation at
Change.gov, too.
The perpetual Obama campaign is using a ".gov" domain name for what appears to be a
fund-raising front.
We're all shocked.
Protein Wisdom calls it Obama's
exemptfromtherules.gov website.
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/20/2008 09:38:00 AM "Look we got illegal people going into our President's office in January, a broken Supreme Court which will not even investigate and decide that his birth certificate does not state and validate his place of birth and a Congress which is intent on ignoring the entire fiasco and is willing to throw away taxpayer money to big corporations without our consent. It's morally broken...The Second American Revolution is coming. It's just a question of whether it starts because of the obamanation or the islamofascists..."
"WTF is our nation coming to?
I had a long conversation Thursday evening with a woman who "escaped" from Cuba in 1961. After Castro confiscated all her families wealth, and took her dad out three times, shoved him up against a wall and fired blanks at him, her family decided to leave. Her father was allowed to leave, but she, her brothers and mother had to stay behind until they were allowed to leave in '61 (her father left in '59).
She is afraid. Really afraid. She says she sees the same thing in Obama she saw in Castro. The same "for the people" rhetoric, the same "redistribution of wealth for the good of the country" all of that. She told me if I didn't own a gun, to buy one. She also said that her dad had told her that when the press starts lying to you to put into power the person they want, your country is in real trouble.
Why does it take those who have lost their freedoms to show us how we are about to lose ours?"
California AG Jerry Brown Urges Court to Void Prop. 8
Beautiful. At first they
threatened and
attacked those who supported Proposition 8.
Now the hooligans have a new tactic.
They're just are going to ignore the wishes of the people and discount the vote.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown is urging the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8.
The
AP reported:
Who said, "Elections matter?"
The hooligan party has outdone itself this time.
posted by Gateway Pundit at 12/20/2008 08:19:00 AM
Nothing would throw this nation into Civil War Two like a constitutional convention that is opposed by half of the population. This is a major part of my new novel. The included excerpt on my website has a long discussion of how calamitous a disputed con-con would be for our nation.
Blog Of The Gods
258
posted on
12/20/2008 1:14:01 PM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
Portland; a snow storm; a video camera - and history is made. I like the bit where they are yelling warnings from the top of the building. I break out in uncontrollable laughter every time I see this. This is what would happen in south Georgia.
259
posted on
12/20/2008 3:25:01 PM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
To: All
260
posted on
12/21/2008 1:56:12 AM PST
by
backhoe
(All across America, the Lights are going out...)
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The election results were long expected, but now that the day has arrived it’s quite a letdown, anyway. Reading about the joy expressed by Hamas and Syria and Italy and Indonesia… contemplating Obama’s Secretary of State, or (God help us) Defense… Thinking about the USA becoming just like Sweden, only with a real army, and aircraft carriers, and nukes… First Lady Michelle…
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
you too!
![[obama-unicorn-300x450.jpg]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_L6pDyjqqsvY/STrE-QMjQcI/AAAAAAAAXSw/qDnW8xhl2NA/s1600/obama-unicorn-300x450.jpg)
