| Obama: Reverts to the mean, lowers aim, discards Constitution, exposed on TODAY, harbors disgraced BLT Marxist at White House, exposes bias, absolutely empowered. Mismanagement: Big Bedfellows v. liberty, GOP unfocused, special favors for Dem bigs, worker goes postal over illegal dues-grab, P2P rules, Toronto garbage strike update. International: Social justice gone missing, Ayers behind Obama Chavismo, Bolivian Progs advance, Vlad hearts Hugo, Iran charts LatAm strategy. |
Obama reverts to the mean ... I would like to comment on President Obama's response to the way the Cambridge, Mass. police department handled a recent case involving a white police sergeant and a black Harvard professor. Obama was totally out of line in saying that the department "acted stupidly" in how they handled the matter. Since when does a sitting President who has no factual information make a comment like this in a public news conference? Obama could have chosen not to address the question. Instead he had to infuse his personal beliefs into a local issue and set off a firestorm within the law enforcement community. This was not a response you would expect from the President. This was the response of a community organizer and legal representative for ACORN, who worked alongside radicals like Bill Ayers, Father Pfleger, and Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This is the Barack Obama that so few of you knew before he got elected President. (mycentraljersey.com)
New Prog Era derails U.S. prosperity ... What's more likely is that as the economy begins to grow again, there will also be some automatic brakes. Taxes and interest rates will rise, to pay off our debts. Returns on investment will be lower than what we have seen over the past several decades, and this will further suppress the appetite for risk. People will still make good money in this rehab economy. But the wealth accumulation of the past 30 years, when people came to expect annual stock market returns in excess of 10 percent, isn't likely. Growth will be slower. The ups won't be so extreme, but neither will the downs. The rehab economy will also be more collectivist, with a greater public role in health care (not to mention in our banks and auto companies) and a corresponding diminution in private laissez faire. Income distribution will be more egalitarian, with more protection for the poor and more constraints on the rich. (stltoday.com)
Would Obama meet with a constitutionalist without preconditions? ... "Whether or not [Hondurans] agree on how he was removed all of them agree that he broke the constitution, broke the law," Mack said. "A large majority believe he should not return to Honduras and to power." Bilbray said the U.S. can't put itself in a position of supporting a president over a country's constitution and the rule of law. "That's a scary place for us to find ourselves, especially considering our history," he said. "For the [Obama] administration to propose the return of the old president and to put him back into power would really be a slap in the face to constitutional rule," Bilbray said, adding that he believed the administration "jumped the gun" on its assessment of the Honduras crisis. "I think [Hondurans] were absolutely shocked at the American response." (thehill.com)
TODAY takes on MM's 'Culture of Corruption' ... Already the culture of the Obama administration is coming into focus. Its members are twice as smart as the poor reporters who have to cover them, three times if you include the columnists. They typically served in the Clinton administration and then, like Cincinnatus, retreated to the comforts of private life — that is, if Cincinnatus had worked at Goldman Sachs, Williams & Connolly or the Brookings Institution. So many of them send their kids to Georgetown Day School, the posh leftish private school in D.C., that they’ll be able to hold White House staff meetings in the carpool line. (today.msnbc.msn.com)
So-called Harvard scholar is a BLT Marxist and Obama fundraiser ... “This isn’t about me,” says Gates. Sorry, professor, it is about you. You have shown the country why William F. Buckley won laughter all over America when he wittily observed that, rather than be governed by the Harvard faculty, he would prefer to be governed by the first 300 names in the Cambridge telephone directory. (cnsnews.com)
GatesGate exposes Obama bias ... The situation in Cambridge, Mass., surrounding Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s arrest has been analyzed and reanalyzed from nearly every angle. The character of police Sgt. James Crowley has been dragged through the mud, then polished, then dragged through the mud again. But Gates has, for the most part, escaped scrutiny. At worst, he has been described as a racialist, a man who sees every aspect of American life through the lens of ethnicity. At best, he has been described as the “Rosa Parks of racial profiling.” But Gates is more than that. He is a faux moderate who, underneath it all, is convinced that American society is deeply and irreparably racist. He is an opportunist, and a defender and purveyor of the “dominant white racism” myth that continues to plague American society. He is, underneath it all, Barack Obama. Which is why President Obama came to Gates’ defense without knowing the facts and without knowing Sgt. Crowley. He and Gates are on the same wavelength: The police are, by and large, a bunch of discriminatory brutes. Whites can never quite do enough to atone for the sins of their ancestors. And blacks, short of openly violent conduct, can never do anything that would justify arrest. (cnsnews.com)
Big Bedfellows in solidarity against liberty ... 9NEWS is committed to holding those who take out issue-oriented commercials on our station accountable for what they say. The following is a Truth Test on a commercial paid for by a group called Healthy Economy Now which says its mission is "to build momentum for quick action on health care reform in order to accelerate America's economy recovery." The organization is made up of groups like AARP, the American Medical Association, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). (9news.com)
Power tends to corrupt, and Obama enjoys absolute power ... But dear heavens, how in the world can the Obama administration call for Zelaya's reinstatement while cutting off military aid and talking self-contradictorily about "restoring democratic order?" The expression of some concerns about process and, recently, of the Honduran government's censoring a media outlet run by a Zelaya friend, would be understandable, along with urgings of peaceful, courtroom proceedings. Surely, though, the administration would be more discerning than some governments about what is really going on -- we have always had a special interest in nearby Latin America -- and knows the mere fact of election is not democratic order. Would it want to argue that "democratic order" would have been served by Richard Nixon's staying in office after his second term landslide victory, no matter what? One proffered explanation is that the administration is reflexively compensating for America's, strategic backing of coups against any Latin American governments that might align themselves with the Soviets during the Cold War, but what hope is there for our officials if they cannot distinguish between now and then? It has been suggested, too, that there was an initial misreading of what happened -- that this was like all those Latin American overthrows in the bad old days. But has the administration really been that thoughtless about something that matters so much? Here's a fear -- that this administration has deep, abiding sympathy for socialist solutions both in the United States and elsewhere, and believes Zelaya could be just what Honduras needs. Maybe that is a nutty conclusion and absolutely wrong. I hope so, and I hope the administration proves it wrong by changing its stance. (scrippsnews.com)
Fascistic totalitarianism blamed on lack of social justice ... Regarding the question of whether Russia is fit for democracy, there are usually two answers. Some say democracy is unnatural for Russia because the people are not ready for it. Others say the authorities are at fault for defeating popular attempts to create an open, democratic society. The real problem is that no country with a large number of impoverished people is fit for democracy. After the humiliating defeat in World War I, the poor people of Germany voted for Adolf Hitler. Decades later, poor Venezuelans voted for the populist Hugo Chávez, and poor Iranians voted the radical Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into office. (moscowtimes.ru)
GOP loses focus ... As much time as I have spent in this column space on President Obama's big government intentions, especially as revealed in the awful cap and trade and health care bills that must be stopped in their entirety at all costs, the way Republicans have responded to them – or not responded to them, as the case may be – is telling in its own right. There is only one justification the GOP should be citing in opposing these two bills: That they are completely and totally unconstitutional, through and through. Not one article, section, or clause gives the federal government the power to so thoroughly invade our liberty, property and privacy the way these bills do. Since each and every member of Congress has taken an oath – however disingenuously – to uphold that document as written, no matter how they may personally feel about the limitations which it proscribes, there can be only one correct way for them to vote on these bills: NO. (Of course, were they of that mindset at all, these bills would never have been submitted to begin with.) (northstarwriters.com)
D.C. insiders deny special favors ... Despite their denials, influential Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd were told from the start they were getting VIP mortgage discounts from one of the nation's largest lenders, the official who handled their loans has told Congress in secret testimony. Both senators have said that at the time the mortgages were being written they didn't know they were getting unique deals from Countrywide Financial Corp., the company that went on to lose billions of dollars on home loans to credit-strapped borrowers. Dodd still maintains he got no preferential treatment. (washingtonexaminer.com)
Worker goes postal over union oppression ... The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) asking it to investigate charges made by a Nashua-area postal worker who discovered his annual union membership dues were illegally diverted into the union’s political action committee (PAC). In July 2006, United States Postal Service employee Philip Wakeman paid $429 in membership dues to join the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), a division of the Laborers’ International Union. On the “Memo” line at the bottom of the check, he wrote “Union Dues.” A union official later acknowledged receipt of the union dues. In October 2008, over two years after submitting the check to the NPMHU union, a stranger called Wakeman on an unrelated matter and informed him that she found his information on the Internet. The stranger then suggested that he do a “Google” Internet search of his name. After doing so, Mr. Wakeman was astounded to find his name disclosed as making a contribution to the NPMHU PAC in the exact amount of his annual NPMHU union membership dues – all without his knowledge. (nrtw.org)Rep. Jim Gerlach placed on Dirty Money Watch ... WHO: Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.) WHAT: Gerlach received the following dirty money: PMA Group (PAC) $2,000 in 2008 election cycle; $2,000 in 2006 election cycle. WHY IT'S DIRTY: PMA Group (Paul Magliocchetti and Associates) was a defense lobbying group that is now the focus of multiple federal investigations concerning allegations of influence peddling and other corrupt activities, mostly associated with earmarks. Before it was disbanded earlier this year, PMA Group's employees and its political action committee gave current members of Congress $3.4 million between 1989 and 2008, with 79 percent of that going to Democrats, according to OpenSecrets.org. WILL GERLACH GIVE IT BACK: Gerlach did not respond to The Examiner's request for comment. THE SCORE: Number of Democrats who have given it back: 0 • Number of Republicans who have given it back: 0 • YOUR TURN: You can reach Rep. Gerlach's Washington D.C. office at 202-225-4315 (washingtonexaminer.com)
Militant gov't union creates citywide health hazard ... Tough-talking Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti is trash talking CUPE for keeping its picket lines up even though negotiators reached a tentative agreement. "You've got a settlement; go home and relax with your families until you vote on this thing and stop bugging the public," Mammoliti said yesterday. Throughout the strike, the York West councillor and former president of another CUPE local has lambasted civic workers for holding up residents trying to dump trash or access other city facilities. Last week Mammoliti raised the ire of union leaders by collecting his residents' garbage and opening a private dump site, near Finch Ave. and Weston Rd. "One of the biggest frustrations of this whole ordeal has been about how the union has dealt with the public," Mammoliti said. "They have not respected the public and that bothers me to no end. "To turn this city into a health hazard, I think is a total contradiction to what unions are about." (nugget.ca)International Collectivism
Obama-Ayers: Birds of a feather ... A war is being waged on the democratic process around the world, a war which poses ultimately a greater peril than the bombs and bullets from militant Islam. The pattern of attack is similar around the world: a popularly elected leader uses his office to ensure that he remains perpetually in office and establish a socialist/communist regime allied with similar governments; freedom of the press is muted, freedom of expression is suppressed through militant youth gangs, and all meaningful opposition is criminalized. The most obvious example of this perversion of the democratic process is the bumptious Latin American communist, Hugo Chávez, President of oil-rich Venezuela. A self-described follower of the long-dead Bolshevik revolution leader Leon Trotsky, Chávez used his election victory in 1998 to install a neo-communist dictatorship. Chávez controls most major media outlets, and uses a youth gang called the Bolivarian Circle to intimidate those protesting his regime. Chávez has criminalized his opposition and forced politicians, military officers, business leaders, and oil executives to seek asylum outside Venezuela. Waging an open war against capitalism, Chávez is nationalizing all major commercial and financial interests in his nation. Sympathizers of Chávez who have gained power in Bolivia and Ecuador are following a similar program of oppression. Chávez' brand of Marxist totalitarianism, known generally as "Chavismo," is a potent political force throughout Latin America. US "educator," political activist, and early Barack Obama supporter, Bill Ayers, is a strong proponent of the Chávez regime. (vheadline.com)
Bolivia determined to keep up with U.S. ... Bolivia's leftist government said Tuesday it had started negotiations to take control of electricity generation companies as it seeks to increase state control over the economy. President Evo Morales, a close ally of Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, nationalized the Andean nation's key natural gas industry soon after taking office in 2006 and has since taken control of several utility and commodities-related companies. Several companies have launched legal action over the compensation they were offered as part of the nationalization. (forbes.com)
Putin, Chávez get down to business ... Venezuela and Russia signed an agreement on Monday to expand their military exchanges and enhance bilateral cooperation, said Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. During a TV and radio broadcast of the agreements signed between the governments of Russia and Venezuela, at the Palace of Miraflores, the seat of the Executive Office, Chávez said that the agreements reviewed included the "New Regulations for a Military-Technical Cooperation." President Chávez did not elaborate on the scope of the new cooperation agreements. However, according to sources consulted by AFP, the agreements will increase trade between the armed forces of the two countries, including sale of arms, joint maneuvers and technology transfer. "The military cooperation will now have a permanent and binational body whose task will be to provide continuity and consistency and extend cooperation beyond the acquisition of weapons," diplomatic sources said. (english.eluniversal.com)
Rivals close in on weakened U.S. ... US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced concerns about the construction of an Iranian mega-embassy in Nicaragua."Experts" spoke on U.S. television about secret military operations being orchestrated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Latin America against U.S. and Israeli interests. (voltairenet.org)
