Ellis Washington: “Islam is not compatible with a Republic”

Worldnet Daily’s Ellis Washington has an interesting column this morning that states something most people would take for granted, yet Libs seem tohave a lot of trouble with the concept:

“Islam is not compatible with a republic”

Courtesy The Jawa Report

As Nonie Darwish said, Islam is a totalitarian political ideology feigning as a religion; indeed, Islam is anti-religion. It has no belief in a God of love, but in Allah, the pagan moon god that predates the prophet Muhammad and the Quran. Islam has no respect for the intrinsic value of all life, but is a cult of death that celebrates death by promoting homicide bombers and “killing the infidel where you find him.”

America’s republic respects a written Constitution based on God, Natural Law, liberty and truth; therefore, truly just laws should not discriminate based on race, creed, gender or wealth (within biblical traditions, of course). However, Shariah law under Islam openly discriminates against others based on every conceivable difference. In other words, according to the Quran, everyone not a Muslim is considered a second-class citizen or worse, can be abused, sold into slavery or even summarily killed. The Quran commands: “A Muslim must not enslave another Muslim but is free to do so with a non-Muslim.”

And that’s why, in my opinion, Islam is not compatible with a republic.

Excellent reading. Go to it.

~Johnny~

Politically Correct Navy to Court Martial SEALS for giving Terrorist Bloody Lip

Whenever liberals gain the Presidency, I cringe at the politically-correct social welfare experiment the armed services become. When I was in the service during the Carter years, we all had to undergo frequent random drug testing and Anger Management classes. (No, really.) When Clinton was in my friends who stayed in told me much the same thing happened.

And apparently it’s happening again under President Narcissist. And this is completely, totally inexcuseable — in fact, the timing of it looks to me like someone is seeking retaliation against the SEALS for doing their job:

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, spokeswoman for the special operations component of U.S. Central Command, confirmed Tuesday to FoxNews.com that three SEALs have been charged in connection with the capture of a detainee. She said their court martial is scheduled for January.

In case you've forgotten - those are Americans hanging from this bridge in Fallujah

The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph.

Intelligence sources identified Abed as the ringleader, but he had evaded capture until September.

The military is sensitive to charges of detainee abuse highlighted in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

And that last statement is, quite frankly, crap. There is a huge difference between putting naked detainees in a human pyramid and threatening their genitalia with attack dogs, and giving a suspect a bloody nose when he resists detention.

And let us not forget — these are not traffic cops.  They are highly trained professional sailors how are trained to kill people and break things in a stealthy way — not “detain suspects.”  He’s damned lucky to be alive.

So what happened?  Oldest trick in the book; it happens to cops all the time.  Suspect arrested, taken to jail, suspect injures self, blames cops.    Only in this case, Chain-of-command doesn’t believe SEALS, presses charges.

Terrorist wins.

~Johnny~

Obama Makes Decision to Make Decision on Afghanistan Decision – Sort Of

Aparently President Narcissist has made a “decision” on Afghanistan, which is to (1) not give the commander the troops he needs, (2) run up a trial balloon for a week to see how the public likes the idea, and (3) duck and cover while it all sorts out:

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he’s called “a war of necessity” in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told McClatchy.

Obama is expected to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1, followed by meetings on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials said.

The U.S. officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly and because, one official said, the White House is incensed by leaks on its Afghanistan policy that didn’t originate in the White House.

They said the commander of the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, could arrive in Washington as early as Sunday to participate in the rollout of the new plan, including testifying before Congress toward the end of next week.

No, he’s not “incensed” by leaks — he’s counting on them to float his trial balloon, because public opinion is still sharply divided over Afghanistan, and guess who doesn’t want to be the bad guy?

Washington (CNN) – If President Barack Obama decides to send 34,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, a new national poll indicates Americans would be split over whether to support such a move.

Half of the people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey say they’d support such a decision, with 49 percent opposed.

But support for a troop buildup of that size is greater than the 45 percent of the public who support the war in Afghanistan. The survey indicates that 52 percent oppose the war.

Huh? What? If that seems confusing, I apologize for quoting CNN. It’s what happens when they’re desperately trying to twist themselves into an opinion that attempts to offend nobody.

And of course, in the spirit of “not letting a good crisis go wasted, Congress will use Afghanistan as an excuse to raise your taxes.

After months of listening to conservatives caterwaul over deficits and health care, senior House Democrats want a graduated surtax on individuals and corporations to pay for another big drain on the treasury: the Afghanistan war.

Three full committee chairmen — including the House’s top tax writer, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) — are backing the initiative together with the chair of the party caucus, Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), and close allies of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Notice how Pelosi uses her dues to suggest the tax increase. Notice also how she makes a fatal flaw in using noted tax cheat Charlie Rangel to propose the tax increase.

Funny when you think about it, really.

What Dems think of when they think "Big Tent"

So where is Obama while all this is playing out? He’s playing camp-out in the backyard:

An invitation to the event on Tuesday evening has become the most sought-after ticket in the US.

The event, in honor of the visiting Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, is a chance for Mr Obama and his wife Michelle to welcome the Washington elite – and a smattering of Hollywood celebrities – into their new home.

Note to the Obamas — it’s only temporary — don’t get too comfortable. And it’s public housing, at that.

Whereas President George W. Bush would hold his 140-person dinners in the formal state dining room, the Obamas have broken with recent tradition by taking a “big tent” approach that will accommodate 400.

Oh, Come let us Adore him . . .

Perfect clothing for spending the night in a tent

Secrecy surrounds the event with the White House jealously guarding details of the guest list and menu, though produce from Mrs Obama’s new vegetable garden is expected to be used and curry is suspected by some to be on the menu for the first time.

That would b the magical vegetable garden that sprouted fully-grown veggies in only four weeks, and was later found to have unacceptble levels of lead in the vegetables for human consumption?

Hillary Clinton will be a guest, along with Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana, whose parents were Indian immigrants.

Which has to absolutely gall President Narcissist. If Jindal doesn’t completely steal the spotlight, he’ll certainly be salt in the wound.

And I’m not sure it’s exactly camping weather in the District of Columbia.  I know it’s too cold for that crap here in South Texas.

Funny.

~Johnny~

Texas AG Sues City of **Chicago** Over Second Amendment!

Bad News for Chicago’s Mayor Daley: He’s got the Texas Attorney General mad at him now!

AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today took legal action to protect Texans’ Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. In a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court and authored by Attorney General Abbott, 38 state attorneys general explain that law-abiding Americans have a fundamental right to bear arms – and that local governments cannot simply disregard that right and impose an outright ban on handgun possession.

“Just last year we successfully fought to have the U.S. Supreme Court confirm that Americans have an individual, constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms,” Attorney General Abbott said. “Now, the City of Chicago claims that the Supreme Court’s year-old decision does not apply to local governments – so cities and towns can simply ignore the Second Amendment and pass laws that disregard city residents’ constitutionally protected rights. In response, we’ve built a coalition of 38 state attorneys general who reject Chicago’s attempt to circumvent the Constitution and who understand that all Americans – whether they live in D.C. or not – have a fundamental right to keep and bear arms.”

Thirty-eight attorneys general. Mayor Daley must be completely unhinged to think his anti-gun lawsuits were a good idea. In fact, isn’t Chicago in the red now because of the millions Daley’s spent on these suits?

Texas has some small amount of experience here, both with the Supreme Court, as well as with gun cases:

Mayor Daley should really take a gun safety class and learn how to hold a gun.

The attorney general’s brief in McDonald v. Chicago supports a legal challenge by Otis McDonald, a community activist who lives in a high-crime Chicago neighborhood. McDonald’s work to improve his neighborhood subjected him to violent threats from drug dealers, but City of Chicago ordinances prohibit him from obtaining a handgun to protect himself.

Last year, Attorney General Abbott and 31 other state attorneys general filed an amicus brief in District of Columbia v. Heller, in which they urged the Supreme Court to overturn a Washington, D.C., law that banned all handguns and required that rifles and shotguns be disassembled or encumbered by trigger locks at all times. In a landmark 2008 decision, the Court agreed with the attorney general’s position and declared the federal city’s handgun ban unconstitutional, holding that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms.

Heh. Watch for this one to cause great consternation in the greater Chicagoland area. And soon.

~Johnny~

Obama Overall Approval At New Low — AGAIN! (Plus Johnny writes Poetry)

Question: how long will a bull-headed imbecile continue to push against Public Opinion, attempting to Ram through a Health Care Bill that nobody wants?

Answer: Heck if I know, but he shows no sign of slowing down yet!

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that only 27% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15. This is the lowest Approval Index rating yet measured for President Obama (see trends).

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Democrats Strongly Approve while 68% of Republicans Strongly Disapprove. Among those not affiliated with either major political party, just 16% Strongly Approve and 51% Strongly Disapprove (see other recent demographic highlights from the tracking poll).

So, while he still retains Democrat support (and just barely, by 52%), he has comletely lost both Republicans — and Independents as well.

Losing that Independent support will be Disastrous in the mid-term elections.

Pass the Bill, Pass the Bill,
Pass the Bill,onward,
In the well of the House Floor
Rode the Dem Stalwarts.
“Forward, Obama’s  Brigade!
“Charge the neo-Cons!” he said:
As they trashed Public Opinion
Rode the Dem Stalwarts.

2.

“Forward, Obama’s  Brigade!”
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Lord Obama had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Universal Coverage till you die:
On to the Senate Floor
Rode the Dem Stalwarts.

3.

Neo-Cons to right of them,
Libertarians to left of them,
Independents in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at by Fox news’ belles,
Boldly they spoke their shills,
Onto the Senate Floor,
Dashing hopes of second terms
Rode the Dem Stalwarts.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Apologies to the estate of Lord Tennyson.

~Johnny~

The Price of Incompetence: The Carter-Obama Comparisons Begin in Ernest

And you know, that’s NOTHING like good news to be compaed to the most incompetent, bumbling, bungling, naive President in history.

And we’re not talking bomb-throwing right-wing radicals here! No, no, no — it’s Mister Chris “Leg-tingle” Matthews talking here:

In the Carter presidency, the optics were not exactly robust, and Ronald Reagan rode that to a big victory in 1980. Is the Obama White House sending some Carteresque signals these days?

Eeeewww — I feel so dirty quoting Chris Matthews for anything.

And when Chris Matthews agrees with Newt Gingrich, that’s GOTTA be some kind of trouble:

There are many indications that the man in charge at the White House will take a tougher stance in the future. Obama’s advisors fear a comparison with former Democratic President Jimmy Carter, even more than with Bush.  “Carter tried weakness and the world got tougher and tougher because the predators, the aggressors, the anti-Americans, the dictators, when they sense weakness, they all start pushing ahead,” Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker in the House of Representatives, recently said. And then he added: “This does look a lot like Jimmy Carter.”

Emphasis on “One-Term.”

Ouch.

~Johnny~

Support For Healthcare Plummets 9% over the Weekend; Obama Approval Minus Twenty!

Usually I like to try to balance the Good news With the Bad News; but for the Democraps it’s just Bad News with Worse News. The Bad news is that public support for the Healthcare Bill has plummetted from 47% to 38% over the weekend:

Just 38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the lowest level of support measured for the plan in nearly two dozen tracking polls conducted since June.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% now oppose the plan.

Prior to this, support for the plan had never fallen below 41%. Last week, support for the plan was at 47%.

Half the survey was conducted before the Senate voted late Saturday to begin debate on its version of the legislation. Support for the plan was slightly lower in the half of the survey conducted after the Senate vote.

And that’s the kicker — that last sentence there. Very likely had the survey been conducted completely after the Senate vote the results would have been significantly lower than they were. So when i say that roughly 2 out of every 3 Americans now oppose the current Obamacare bill, I have no problems in believing that’s correct — if not an understatement.

Now the worse news — guess whose doorstep the public is laying this foundling on?

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that only 28% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -13 (see trends).

For the first time in the Obama Administration, the Approval Index has been in negative double digits for nine straight days. Among men, the President’s Approval Index rating is -20. Among women, it is -7 (see other recent demographic highlights from the tracking poll).

Among men Obama’s rating is -20 — That’s MINUS TWENTY. That has to be something of a record.

Preparing for Implosion in 2010 and 2012 in three, two, one . . .

~Johnny~

Rep. Kennedy Gets Bishop-Slapped Over Abortion

Oh, there **IS** a God, apparently; and the Rhode Island Archbishop has Him on Speed Dial:

WASHINGTON — Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion because of his advocacy of abortion rights, the Rhode Island Democrat said Friday.

“The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion,” Kennedy said in a telephone interview.

And then there seems to be a difference of opinion . . .

Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him “that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I’ve taken as a public official,” particularly on abortion. He declined to say when or how Bishop Tobin told him not to take the sacrament. And he declined to say whether he has obeyed the bishop’s injunction.

Bishop Tobin, through a spokesman, declined to address the question of whether he had told Kennedy not to receive Communion. But the bishop’s office moved quickly to cast doubt on Kennedy’s related assertion about instructions to the priests of Rhode Island.

“Bishop Tobin has never addressed matters relative to public officials receiving Holy Communion with pastors of the diocese,” spokesman Michael K. Guilfoyle said in an e-mailed statement.

FINALLY! Good for the Archbishop!

Note to Rep. Kennedy: who do you think the general public is going to believe;  an archbishop sworn to the service of his God, or a whiny politician who got his hand slapped and is crying about it publicly?

~Johnny~

Obama Website Calls Free Speech “Dangerous” to Attack Palin & Raise Money

My buddy Marcus Wilder (also on Twitter as @NaiveAbroad) got this letter from Barack Obama’s Organizing For America beggng for money to fight Sarah Palin’s “lies”.

Here’s the text of the entire letter:

Marcus –

Right now, Sarah Palin is on a highly publicized, nationwide book tour, attacking President Obama and his plan for health reform at every turn.

It’s dangerous. Remember, this is the person who coined the term “Death Panels” — and opened the flood gates for months of false attacks by special interests and partisan extremists.

What’s dangerous? Criticizing a sitting president? Nobody thought so when George Bush was President and called him “Chimpy McBush-Hitler”, did they? Or is it just Free Speech that’s “dangerous”?

Whatever lie comes next will be widely covered by the media, then constantly echoed by right-wing attack groups and others who are trying to defeat reform.

Yes, yes — everything about Obama is a lie. He’s pure as the virgin snow and farts sanitary deodorizer while riding his unicorn to work.

As we approach the final sprint on health reform, we can’t afford more deception and delay. We need to be ready for anything — and have the resources to respond with ads, events, and calls to Congress when the attacks come.

If we can’t afford more deception, perhaps you guys should quit putting out so much of it, ya think?

So we’re setting a big goal: $500,000 in the next week to help push back against Sarah Palin and her allies. Please chip in $5 or more to help reach our goal.

No Thank you!

Earlier this month, Palin publicly said that she hopes health reform will be “dead on arrival.” And since then, she’s been working fiercely toward that goal. On Tuesday, Palin went on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show where she outrageously — and falsely – suggested that Americans could “face jail time as punishment” if they don’t buy insurance.

Here’s a news flash for you; It’s not only in the both the house and Seante bills, but Nancy Pelosi thinks jail time for failing to buy Health Insurance is a “good idea”:

Plus President Narcissist recently told ABC News’ Jake Tapper that he shares Pelosi’s belief that jail time is an appropriate punishment for not buying health insurance.

Palin has many more interviews scheduled on Hannity and other conservative shows in the next few weeks, with more platforms to go after the President. As soon as she does, the rest of our opponents will likely parrot those attacks. We need to be prepared. And we’re counting on you help. Can you chip in $5 or more?

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

So what conclusions can we draw from this letter?

1. THE FACTS DON’T MATTER. They don’t care that you already KNOW there will be jail time for failing to buy Health Insurance.
2. THEY THINK YOU’RE STUPID.  They assume you’re too stupid to do your own fact-checking — like I just did with Pelosi’s YouTube video.
3. THEY’RE RUNNING OUT OF MONEY.  If they’re soliciting for funds, they’re low on money.  It’s easy to prove fraud if they’re soliciting for funds and already have money — so very likely they’re running low.

All of which is good news for Conservatives. They’re not very bright; and they’re blowing through money.

Good.

~Johnny~

Miracle on 34th Street 2009: Please Send A Christmas Card to a Persecuted Christian Girl in Solitary Confinement – IN OHIO!

Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs Blog has this astounding story, which I’ll leave for you to click the link and read over there.

For those not familiar with the story of Rifqa Bary:

1. Rifqa is a seventeen-year-old Muslim girl from Ohio.
2. She was baptized into Christianity last year.
3. Her Mulim father threatened to kill her to restore his family’s “honor.”
4. Rifqa fled to Florida for her life.
5. The Florida courts returned her to Ohio, despite ther parents’ inability to produce documentation they are here legally.
6. Rifqa is being held at a Juvenile facility in Ohio incommunicado and in solitary confinement to hinder her ability to talk to others.
7. The Ohio Juvenile Courts are refusing to release any data about the dates or times of Rifqa’s future hearings; probably because they are trying to avoid and “controversies”. (Pam Geller has already lead one demonstration of hundreds on the date of her first hearing.)

However, Pam notes this on her blog:

The Franklin county, Ohio Juvenile Detention Center allows inmates to receive mail. Therefore.. Rifqa should be able to receive Christmas cards from well wishers starting now. You just have to have your return address on the letter and follow a few simple rules HERE.

I am sending her a Christmas card and hope that others will do likewise. Thank you, and God Bless.

Rifqa Bary

c/o Angela Lloyd

255C Drinko Hall

55 West 12th Avenue

Columbus, OH 43201

***NOTE Address Changes *** (Don’t forget your *RETURN ADDRESS*-Mail without a Return Address will not reach her!)

And if you think about it, it’s got a certain “Miracle on 34th Street” vibe to it.  Flood the juvenile detention center with Christmas Cards for Rifqa.  “Mail is not read but will be screened for contraband items. Pictures, money, gang and drug symbols or writing is prohibited.”
/ So no money or photos; sorry/

The more cards the better.  Don’t pass a card around at work or church and have everyone sign it; pass a box of cards and have everyone send their own card.  Money or no money, SEND A CARD. I want her to have so many cards they’ll have to give her a separate room to open them all.

And pray for Rifqa.  Pray Hard.  Pass her name around to your prayer groups and prayer lines and prayer chains and all your friends at church.  Pray for her this weekend and all through Advent.

And send a card.  Send two; they’re  small, after all.

~Johnny~

(Sending mine in the morning. You?)

Arkansas Voters Turn Strongly Against Lincoln’s Support of Health Care Bill

The bad news is: The Health Care Bill is moving to the floor of the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will use every trick in the book to get it rammed through. We can thank Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) for this:

Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana waited until Saturday to say they would vote yes for a floor debate. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska announced Friday his support for moving the bill forward.

All three cautioned that their votes to start debate should not be construed a support for the bill in its current form.

Which just means they’re too chicken to say they’re going to vote for the bill; but they will. Mary Landieu is already bought and paid for; the others will follow.

The good news is that Blanche Lincoln’s seat looks like an easy pick-up for Republicans next election:

That look is not Statesmanship; That look is Nausea, and Dread.

In a telephone survey of 501 likely voters in Arkansas, conducted on November 16-17, 2009, voters reported opposing the healthcare changes with only 29% saying they backed it while 64% said they were opposed. Fifty percent of likely voters indicated strong opposition to the plan while only 17% indicated strong support.

In an initial match-up of Lincoln and possible Republican candidate State Senator Gilbert Baker, the incumbent, Lincoln, holds a narrow 41-39 lead.

But when voters were asked how they would vote in a Lincoln-Baker race if Lincoln voted in favor of the healthcare legislation, the incumbent Democrat fell behind her possible GOP challenger 37-49. In all, 48% of likely Arkansas voters said they would be less likely to back Lincoln’s re-election if she supports the healthcare bill with 38% saying they were much less likely to support her in that event.

See full polling results here.

And Lincoln is up for re-election in 2010. Her vote for the Healthcare bill is by no means a sure thing . . . unless she otes for the bill’s final passage. First casualty of 2010, perhaps?

Big Honkin’ Texas Hat Tip: Libertarian Republican

~Johnny~

School Board Ducks Responsibility in Thug Bus Beatings; Charges Bus Driver!

This story is a prime example of the corruption and ineptitude of the the little fairy kingdon called Porter County Indiana; and is the major reason I left there seven years ago.

They charged the BUS DRIVER with neglect:

VALPARAISO | A jury deliberated about a half hour Friday before returning to find former Portage school bus driver Terry Burch not guilty of felony child neglect on allegations of ignoring various disciplinary problems on his vehicle last school year.

The 69-year-old Portage resident, who had faced the possibility of going to prison for three years if convicted on the charge, said through his attorney that he was glad the experience was over and grateful for each juror who “spoke the conscience of our community.”

Deputy Prosecutor Tim Haraminac declined to guess what, if any impact the ruling could have on the remaining criminal cases involving the three boys believed responsible for sexual assaulting and otherwise terrorizing fellow students on the bus.

“He was told numerous times something was going on in his bus and he did nothing about it,” he said.

You Lie, Tim. Burch filed at least one written student conduct complaint, as well as several verbal complaints with his superiors — and the Schools did nothing — but they blamed him for it anyway.

Burch testified Thursday he knew nothing about the Feb. 5 incident, which involved allegations that a female student had been sexually assaulted by two of the three boys charged.

And it’s really hard to report what the kids didn’t tell you about. He’s a BUS DRIVER, not a Security Guard. His eyes were on the road — not the back of the bus.

And if these little thugs were terrorizing the bus, whose responsibility was it to hire a security guard? NOT the driver’s I’m sure.

Defense attorney Gregory Sarkisian told jurors Friday that Burch is not a criminal, but rather has been made a scapegoat by school administrators, who failed to do everything they could to protect the students.

The defense had faulted the administration this week for failing to notify Burch of the lengthy list of disciplinary problems involving the three boys in question and for failing to respond to numerous student conduct complaints filed by Burch.

“The administration should be sitting right alongside this man,” Sarkisian said referring to Burch.

Haraminac reiterated his argument Friday that Burch filed just one student conduct complaint while failing to respond to incidents such as the alleged sexual assault.

And here the prosecution screws up their kangaroo-court star chamber prosecution of Burch; they admit he had, indeed, filed a written complaint about student conduct on the bus.

Which puts the lie to Deputy Prosecutor Tim Haraminac, doesn’t it?

I don’t know why I expected anything other than a cover-up and the Blame Game from the Libs running the School Board.

~Johnny~

Emerson Electric Votes With Its Feet, Says Government Destroying American Manufacturing

One of the country’s most important industrial companies says the United States is not a good place to manufacture and it will continue moving its assets offshore.

The federal government is “doing everything in [its] manpower [and] capability to destroy U.S. manufacturing,” says David Farr, chairman and CEO of Emerson Electric Co., in a presentation at the Baird 2009 Industrial Conference in Chicago Ill., on Nov. 11. In comments reported by Bloomberg, Farr added that companies will continue adding jobs in China and India because they are “places where people want the products and where the governments welcome you to actually do something. I am not going to hire anybody in the United States. I’m moving. They are doing everything possible to destroy jobs.”

In his Powerpoint presentation available on the Emerson Electric Web site, Farr notes that the federal government is damaging prospects for U.S. economic growth with a $1.41 trillion federal deficit (10 percent of GDP); $12 trillion in government debt that will grow to $20 trillion in 10 years; a policy of printing money; a “non-targeted $800-billion stimulus”; bailouts for Wall Street and the automobile companies; the prospect for cap and trade legislation; a “government takeover” of health care to the tune of more than $1 trillion; increasing taxes and regulations; and a “lack of U.S. $ support” for manufacturing. The global stimulus “soon will fade,” says Farr.

What does it mean for a company like Emerson? “We continue to increase our international and emerging market presence,” says Farr. The company has increased its emerging market sales by 19 percentage points over the past 10 years, from 13 percent of total sales in 1999 to 32 percent in 2009. It is now generating 55 percent of its sales from overseas operations, a figure that will grow to 60 percent by 2014, with 40 percent of total sales coming from emerging markets.

“Emerson’s investment in emerging markets is continuing to pay off with sales growth,” say Farr. In 1999, the company generated $12.4 billion in annual sales from mature markets and $1.9 billion from emerging markets. By 2009, sales from mature markets grew to $14.2 billion, while sales from emerging markets more than tripled to $6.7 billion.

Hat Tip: Patriot Room Blog

~Johnny~

When Union Thugs Threaten Volunteers Part II; A Very Ugly Pattern

YOU – MUST – READ Michelle Malkin’s column today on Big Labor Thug Bullies and how they threaten non-Union volunteers. Not just in the case of the Boy Scout clearing a walking trail earlier this week, but repeatedly, over-and-over again. Here’s a taste:

Last June, union officials in Baraboo, Wisconsin filed a complaint against volunteer firefighters who built sandbag barricades to protect the city from record flooding. They whined that city Department of Public Works employees should have been called first and demanded overtime pay (for work they didn’t do) to compensate them.

Yes, kids, the city was knee-deep in water and the government union got mad that other people scrambled to work together in an emergency to put sand in bags, save homes, and help their neighbors.

SEIU president Andy Stern in Washington speaks for all of Big Labor when he describes his organizing philosophy: “[W]e prefer to use the power of persuasion, but if that doesn’t work we use the persuasion of power.” President Obama, who has made national service an administration priority, has been and will continue to be silent about the Big Labor bullies who make public enemies of Scouts with trash bags and hoes.

“Nation of Cowards” indeed.  And we’re being lead by one, apparently.

~Johnny~

The Coming Depression; And Why It’ll Be Worse Than You Thought

The Asterisk Blog has a very well-reasoned and thoughtful discussion of how the jobs that we are losing in the recent economic downturn may never ever come back:

Let’s bring it home, shall we? Do any of you honestly think that that 50″ LCD screen you got at Costco for $1,499 (minus $150 mail-in rebate) could have been produced in the US for less than $5,000? It wasn’t more than 5 years ago that plasma screens were selling in specialty A/V shops for $30,000! Without competition from China do you think that ANY of you would have a flat screen TV, or a $49 DVD player, or a $189 DVR?

AND, show me anyone that really liked working in a factory in a non-union job (meaning, market wages vs. forced high-end wages) back in the day. Why do you think that manufacturers worked so hard to mechanize their process? That’s right, to squeeze the cost of labor out of their cost of goods. Easier to hire 15 mechanics and engineers to maintain the machines and run the plant, than to have 200 disgruntled, irritated, vacation-taking, sick-time-using line workers. The only way we will get manufacturing back in the US is through efficiencies and machines.

Is it really that difficult to see how we got to where we are today?

Does anyone really think that we can put the genie back into the bottle?

I don’t think anyone really WANTS to put the genie back into the bottle again, either. Very simple-to-understand logic that makes a powerful point.  Must-Read stuff — make the time.

~Johnny~

Obama Administration: 813 Scandals and Counting . . . (Heh.)

Well, I suppose it had to happen . . . and actually, I’m glad Conservative American blog is doing it; keeping track of all the Obama Administation Scandals.

As of this writing, they’re up to 813 Scandals.

I’m fairly certain that beats even the Harding Administration, and most assuredly the Clinton Administration, too.

Well, that’s what happens when you elect inexperienced amateurs and thugs.

~Johnny~

NYT, WaPo, Nat’l Review All Agree: Obama Worse Failure Than Even Carter!

American Thinker Blog has a short article on how the dying Mainstream Media has finally begun to acknowledge the obvious: that the narcissitic, inexperienced, neo-socialist President Obama is failing miserably:

Seth Leibsohn writing in the National Review summarized it this way:

“This is reminiscent of the Jimmy Carter years – the last time the U.S. was seen as weak – unable to move and coax other countries, unable to reassure dependent allies, unable to have the respect of the world and, of course, unable to move the mullocracy of Iran.”

Even the liberal media are beginning to question the effectiveness of the President.

The NYT reports: “China held firm against most American demands. With China’s micro-management of Mr. Obama’s appearances in the country, the trip did more to showcase China’s ability to push back against outside pressure than it did to advance the main issues on Mr. Obama’s agenda, analysts said.”

The Washington Post: “If there was any significant change during this trip, in fact, it was in the United States’ newly conciliatory and sometimes laudatory tone. . . . Obama’s trip stood in stark contrast to visits by his predecessors.”

The Times stated that Obama was given “less respect than was given presidents Bush or Clinton.”

All of the above quotes can be found in this highly recommended post by Seth Leibsohn. He concluded his piece:

“Not a very good first year for America, or the world, under a new leadership that promised a new respect, a new start, and a new way of doing business. It’s new alright – it just isn’t any good.”

And when rats start to desert the sinking ship, it gets ugly.

~Johnny~

How You Can Help Support the Soldiers of Fort Hood

The Jawa Report has this, which I can’t endorse enough:

Fort Hood officials have said they appreciate the out pouring of love and support for their community. Chaplains at the post are accepting donations to help Soldiers and families.

Checks can be mailed to:

Chaplain’s Funds Office
761st Tank Battalion, Bldg. 44
Fort Hood, Texas, 76544.

Checks should be made payable to “CTOF” (Chapel’s Tithes and Offerings
Fund) with a note on the memo line stating “Nov. 5 Tragedy.“

Contributions on behalf of Fort Hood Soldiers can also be made to:

Fisher House
Bldg 36015, Fisher Lane
Fort Hood, Texas 76544
Phone: 254-286-7927 or 254-286-7929

Killeen Red Cross
208 W. Ave. A,
Killeen, Texas 76541
Phone: 254-200-4400 or visit waco.redcross.org

USO Fort Hood
Building 1871, 50th St.
Fort Hood, Texas, 76544
Phone: 254-768-2771 or visit uso.org

Donate early, and often. My check is in the mail today.

~Johnny~

Even Teenagers Can See How DISASTROUS Obama’s NY Terrorist Trial Will Be

One of my relatives on Facebook pointed out to me the obvious flaw in Attorney General Eric “Nation of Cowards” Holder’ decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in civilian court. She noted, “All he has to do is decide to represent himself; then ask fo copies of all the evidence against him. As soon as he has the evidence, he tells the court he’s never been read his Miranda rights and was tortured into a confession by the admission of the President of the United States himself — and then the court throws out his case, he takes all that Top-Secret evidence back to Pakistan to get more Americans killed.”

Cheese Louise — can’t argue that logic. And in case you think her logic’s farfetched:

A disbarred New York lawyer convicted in 2005 on charges of supporting terrorism by helping an imprisoned blind Egyptian cleric smuggle messages to militant followers was ordered to prison by a U.S. federal appeals court that upheld her conviction on Tuesday.

The appeals court also ordered the trial judge to consider lengthening the 28-month prison sentence given to civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart, 70, saying the judge had declined to consider whether Stewart committed perjury.

Stewart was sentenced in October 2006 to 28 months in prison for helping her client, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, contact the Islamic Group, which the U.S. government lists as a terrorist organization.

Prosecutors said messages Stewart passed on for Abdel-Rahman could have incited violence in Egypt.

Gotta wonder what else this dipstick also passed to Muslims in Egypt as well.

This is what we get when we elect amateurs to government positions. Chaos.

~Johnny~

Chinese More Concerned With American Financial Policy Than Obama Is?

So who may b asking the really tough questions of President Obama about the costs of the Healthcare Bill?

The Red Chinese. No ,Really! Look Here:

Guess what? It turns out the Chinese are kind of curious about how President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform plans would impact America’s huge fiscal deficit. Government officials are using his Asian trip as an opportunity to ask the White House questions. Detailed questions.

Boilerplate assurances that America won’t default on its debt or inflate the shortfall away are apparently not cutting it. Nor should they, when one owns nearly $2 trillion in assets denominated in the currency of a country about to double its national debt over the next decade.

And again I have that curious feeling I woke up in a parallel world; where the Communist Chinese are more worried about American fiscal solvency than the President of the United States is.

Can I get a hearty “Oh, Crap!” on that?

~Johnny~

Math Is Hard Part II: Obama Administration Overstates Stimulus Jobs in Tens of Thousands

Kind of makes you wonder about the Unemployment figures, if the Jobs Figures are wrong too, doesn’t it?

First, ABC News found the Obama Administration stripped 60,00 “saved” jobs that never happened:

The Obama administration, under fire for inflating job growth from the $787 billion stimulus plan, slashed over 60,000 jobs from its most recent report on the program because the reporting outlets had submitted “unrealistic data,” according to a document obtained by ABC News.

One recipient – Talladega County of Alabama – claimed that 5,000 jobs had been saved or created from only $42,000 in stimulus funds.

Some of the other recipients whose data was omitted included Belmont Metropolitan Housing Authority in Ohio that reported 16,120 jobs saved or created after receiving $1.3 million in stimulus funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Shelton State Community College in Alabama reported 14,500 jobs saved or created after receiving $27,000 from the General Accounting Office. And Alkan Builders of Alaska reported 3,000 jobs saved or created after receiving $11 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

What, do they just make up numbers out of thin air here? Apparently so; they’re even making up Congressional Districts out of whole cloth in Arizona:

Here’s a stimulus success story: In Arizona’s 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that’s what the Web site set up by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says.

There’s one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the state has only eight districts.

For example, the government’s Web site says $34 million in stimulus money has been spent in Arizona’s 86th congressional district in a project for the Navajo Housing authority, which is actually located in the 1st congressional district.

In another instance in Arizona, the Quechan Indians reported $59,414 in funding through the labor department for a “youth job training and employment” program (creating, they say, 7 jobs). But on recovery.gov, the information is entered as being in the 52nd Congressional District. It’s really in the 7th Congressional District.

In Oklahoma, recovery.gov lists more than $19 million in spending — and 15 jobs created — in yet more congressional districts that don’t exist.

In Iowa, it shows $10.6 million spent – and 39 jobs created — in nonexistent districts.

In Connecticut’s 42nd district (which also does not exist), the Web site claims 25 jobs created with zero stimulus dollars.

They can’t even keep track of their own lies anymore. And apparently they don’t even care to, if they don’t have somebody double-checking their data before releasing it.

~Johnny~

When Union Thugs Threaten Eagle Scouts; So Much for Volunteerism

When I first read this I thought I was reading something from the Onion, which should show you how ridiciulous this whole topic is. But no, there actually is a Union thug in Pennsylvania (who was apparently never a Scout himself) and is brain-dead enough not to understand the concept of Volunteer Labor:

In pursuit of an Eagle Scout badge, Kevin Anderson, 17, has toiled for more than 200 hours hours over several weeks to clear a walking path in an east Allentown park.

Little did the do-gooder know that his altruistic act would put him in the cross hairs of the city’s largest municipal union.

Nick Balzano, president of the local Service Employees International Union, told Allentown City Council Tuesday that the union is considering filing a grievance against the city for allowing Anderson to clear a 1,000-foot walking and biking path at Kimmets Lock Park.

Oh Great — of course it’s the SEIU — the sister organization of the highly-corrupt and multi-investigated ACORN doing the threatening. Figures somehow.

“We’ll be looking into the Cub Scout or Boy Scout who did the trails,” Balzano told the council.

Balzano said Saturday he isn’t targeting Boy Scouts. But given the city’s decision in July to lay off 39 SEIU members, Balzano said “there’s to be no volunteers.” No one except union members may pick up a hoe or shovel, plant a flower or clear a walking path.

“We would hope that the well-intentioned efforts of an Eagle Scout candidate would not be challenged by the union,” said Mayor Ed Pawlowski in an e-mail Friday. “This young man is performing a great service to the community. His efforts should be recognized as such.”

Thug. I don’t think that’s overstating the matter here. Thug. If Nick Balzano, president of the local SEIU is not actually a thug, he’s acting like one and bringing great disservice and harm to the local Union as well as the National Council.

Are you listening SEIU, or do you even care about hat people think of you at this point?

Fire this thug immediately. Anybody who threatens volunteers, and particularly Boy Scouts of all people, is making every single member of the SEIU look stupid.

~Johnny~

What Exactly is a “Reagan Democrat”?

I’m a registered Democratic voter.

No, really. I’ve been registered to vote since March of 1976, and my first Presidential vote was for Jimmy Carter. (In the primaries I voted for Birch Bayh; father of the current Indiana Senator Evan Bayh.) My uncle was the local Republican Chairman in the town I grew up in, but most of the rest of the family were Democrats. My other uncle was a Union shop steward.

Thanksgiving was interesting, to say the least.

But something very odd started to happen about the 1972 election cycle. George McGovern ended up being the Democrat nominee, and a more liberal Democrat you could not find in the party if you tried. Many have speculated that Nixon’s dirty tricks squad manipulated the Dems into nominating McGovern, but still, he had overwhelming Democrat support.

The party started to shift left. I didn’t — I stayed where i was. A lot of us did that, although the leadership o the Democrat Party (who became more liberal) deny we existed. We were ignored, naysayed, pooh-poohed, and generaly treated like traitors to our parties.

We were given many names, as name-calling became the stock-in-rade of the new liberal Democratic Party.

• Blue Dog Democrats
• Conservative Democrat
• Dixiecrats (a holdover from the Truman years.)
• New Democrats
• DINOs (Democrats In Name Only)

And “Reagan Democrats”.

Wikipedia has this nice little article on Reagan Democrats:

Reagan Democrat is an American political term used by political analysts to denote traditionally Democratic voters, especially white working-class Northerners, who defected from their party to support Republican President Ronald Reagan in both the 1980 and 1984 elections. It is also used to refer to the smaller but still substantial number of Democrats who voted for George H. W. Bush in the 1988 election. The term can also be used to describe moderate Democrats who are more conservative than liberal on certain issues like national security and immigration.

The work of Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg is a classic study of Reagan Democrats. Greenberg analyzed white ethnic voters (largely unionized auto workers) in Macomb County, Michigan, just north of Detroit. The county voted 63 percent for John F. Kennedy in 1960, but 66 percent for Reagan in 1980. He concluded that “Reagan Democrats” no longer saw Democrats as champions of their working class aspirations, but instead saw them as working primarily for the benefit of others: the very poor, the unemployed, African Americans, and other groups. In addition, Reagan Democrats enjoyed gains during the period of economic prosperity that coincided with the Reagan administration following the “malaise” of the Carter administration. They also supported Reagan’s strong stance on national security and opposed the 1980s Democratic Party on such issues as pornography, crime, and taxes.^[1]

Researchers have not tracked what political path these voters took after the end of the Reagan and the elder Bush administrations.

Well, I can save them the time and investigation: we’re still here. we still vote conservatively in fiscal matters, and most of us in social matters too.  Like all Democrats we believe that the government has a role in social welfare (as in Medicare and indigent care), but also believe in limited federal government.  (The heart of the Reagan Democrat movement are Southerners and Christians; two groups who have reason to fear governmental largesse and intrusiveness.)

Many “Real Democrats” think that a Democrat has to have certain views.  Pro-Choice.  Pro-Unions.  Pro-Labor. (No, those last two are not the same thing.)  Pro Big Government.  Pro-Diversity.  Pro-Green.  Global Warming Believer.  Pro Civil Unions.  Anti-War.

Yet I’m none of those, for my own reasons.

And I am, indeed, a registered Democratic Party voter.  I get all the newsletters from SEIU and AFSCME and the Democrat Websites.  i read them, I disagree with them.  And many Democrats say I’m not a “real democrat?”

This from the members of the Party of Tolerance.  Go figure.

~Johnny~

Self-Loving Sen. Schumer Shows Stupidity of Second Amendment

New York Senator Charles ‘Chuckles’ Schumer, a lawyer who has never practiced at the bar, shows his ignorance of the American system of jurisprudence by blathering on about buying guns in Texas:

Sen. Charles Schumer says a hole in federal gun laws allowed the man charged with a shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas to purchase a gun.  Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has been charged with the shooting spree that left 13 dead.

Hasan purchased a gun at a store in Texas in August even though the Joint Terrorism Task Force had investigated him for possible terrorist ties.

Authorities had taken a look at Hasan after intercepting messages between Hasan and a radical imam overseas. The inquiry was closed sometime in early 2009.

Now here comes the kicker. Hold onto your hat, brother.

Schumer says that should have been enough to raise a red flag when Hasan tried to buy a gun. He says Hasan should not have passed the background check.

I’m sorry, but this assertion is so stupid if fulfills the first three letters of the word “assertion.” Obviously Chuckles has never practiced law, or he’d understand that an accusation is not the same thing as being found guilty. If the investigation closed and no finding of guilt was made, there was nothing to report, Chuck. And if there was nothing to report, there was no way to ban this guy from getting a gun.

Because if the accusation of a crime were the same thing as being found guilty, you’d be guilty of conflict of interest for investigating republican Attorney General Alberto Gonzales while being Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, wouldn’t you?

You’d be guilty of conflict of interest for accepting $2.5 million in campaign contributions from financial institutions while overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, wouldn’t you Senator?

And then there’s that whole thing about leaking your letter about IndyMac Bank and causing the collapse of the bank for your unfounded slanders too, right?

Now here’s the line that had me screaming out loud:

Prosecutors were weighing whether to charge Army psychiatrist Malik Hasan for a 14th murder for the unborn child of one of the soldiers he killed during his massacre at Fort Hood.

Fo prosecutors to charge Hasan with that 14th murder, they would have to recognize an unborn fetus (to most of us that’s a “baby”) as a human life. And since the Army is a federal institution, it would have federal implications.

If you think President Narcissist is going to allow THAT, you’ve got another think coming.

So why did Senator Chuckles bring up this issue: I’ll give you a hint from Wikipedia:

Schumer’s propensity for publicity is the subject of a running joke among many commentators, leading Bob Dole to quip that “the most dangerous place in Washington is between Charles Schumer and a television camera.” President Barack Obama joked that Schumer brought along the press to a banquet as his “loved ones.” ^{[25] [26] [27] [28] [29]} Schumer frequently schedules media appearances on Sundays, in the hope of getting television coverage, typically on subjects other than legislative matters. His use of media has been cited by some as a successful way to raise a politician’s profile nationally and among his constituents.^[30]

Is narcissism a latent trait among politicians? No wonder he gets along with Barry so well.

~Johny~

GM Abandons Saab; Swedish Refuse to Knuckle-Under to “Chicago Way”

And understandably, the Swedish are highly peed off at the U.S. right now.

What was all that campaign rhetoric about ‘building new international coalitions based on trust and respect” again?

The Swedish government said on Wednesday it would not intervene to take over Saab. Enterprise Minister Maud Olofsson slammed Saab’s US owner General Motors for “abandoning” the struggling Swedish car maker.

 

General Motors has warned that the unit would go under without official help.

Her comment came after GM late Tuesday presented a massive restructuring plan to the US Treasury and said its troubled Saab unit could file for bankruptcy protection “as early as this month” without support from the Swedish government.

The company said last year it planned to try to find a buyer for the brand.

So, they lied about that; alternately, they were too incompetent to find such a buyer. Take your pick.

“They’re basically saying they think the Swedish government should take over Saab, but if we do that we’re talking about an incredible amount of money,” Olofsson said

The hilarious part of this is that Sweden already has Nationalized Health Care; and THEY think it’s “too much money” ??? Heh.

“I’m disappointed in General Motors, because they’re abandoning Saab and are pushing the responsibility over to Swedish tax payers, and I think that is irresponsible,” she said.

While Sweden’s centre-right government has refused to take over Saab it has nonetheless said it will act as a guarantor for a European Investment Bank (EIB) loan of five billion kronor (450 million euros, 566 million dollars) to help keep car maker afloat.

According to the unions, some 15,000 jobs in Sweden would be at risk if the unit were to disappear, since its suppliers would also be hard-hit.

And that last line is misleading. I’s not that 15,000 jobs in Sweden would be at risk; It’s that 15,000 jobs in Sweden ARE at risk, and will probably soon disappear. For Sweden’s economy that would be catastrophic.

And what do you think the EU will do if one of their economic partner’s economies is hit hard by Saab’s collapse?

Watching closely.

~Johnny~