Quote of the Day:
“Given a choice between watching a debate and the speech I would have watched the debate and I’m not even a Republican or even close to being a Republican,” he said, adding it will be a “barn burner.” –James Carville
Must Read of the Day:
- Victor David Hanson: Strangers in a Familiar Land
California sits in a time warp. Despite tax hikes that make our roughly 10% income tax and 10% sales tax among the highest in the nation, there is little to show for it during the last forty years. I drive often the 20-mile sector of the 99 between Selma and northern Fresno. The freeway — one of the 99’s best sections — is unchanged since I drove it 41 years ago as a high-school junior in 1970, except that it is now crowded, with massive semi-trucks permanently hogging the center lanes, whereas in 1970 it was a near-empty futuristic investment that allowed cars to zoom along unchecked at 70mph. (Again, our sector of the 99 is a model three-lane stretch, not nearly as bad as the nightmarish two-lane, cross-traffic sections to both the north and south.)
A contemporary culture that cannot finish a forty-year-old planned three-lane freeway from Sacramento to Bakersfield has no business borrowing tens of billions to attempt a new high-speed rail corridor. It is characteristic of our present generation to dream and talk wildly of the non-essential as penance for neglecting the very doable and necessary. An alien who landed at a UC campus in 1971 and studied the students and faculty might not be surprised on his return to California in 2011 that things are what they are, given that cohort has finally came of age and taken over the reins of governance. An entire generation that had once defined itself in opposition to “them” has problems when “them” are mostly buried.
Put aside whether there is some bias against Christianity in these baseless charges, or whether liberals are proposing the kind of religious test for office that the Founders explicitly rejected. It has often been remarked that, given today’s terrible economy, Barack Obama cannot run in 2012 on the theme of hope, as he did in 2008. With his record, he’ll have to run on fear — that is, on convincing voters that Republicans are just too scary to elect.
This is what running on fear looks like.
Yet as their financial prospects darken, students’ educational costs are exploding. Like the health care system, the educational system is being overwhelmed by rising costs and rising demand. And as misguided government policies contributed to the real estate bubble by artificially inflating demand, government programs are burdening students with unpayable loans and contributing to relentless and unsustainable inflation in school costs.
And so, dear students, welcome back! Your generation is going to have dig its own way out of the hole my generation has dug for you (thanks for the Medicare, kids, and sorry about the deficit!), but here are a few tips that may help you get the best out of your college years.
Why did the Department of Justice raid Gibson Guitars twice in the span of two years, yet leave competitor C.F. Martin untouched? Both appear to use the same allegedly illegal woods. The allegation floating around is that it’s because Gibson’s CEO supports Republicans and Martin’s supports Democrats, and we have a Democratic administration hell-bent on punishing Republicans. Instinctively, I want to reject that theory. It’s too simple and too, I don’t know, obvious and even un-American. Gibson’s CEO may face jail time, and the company may end up failing under the weight of the federal boot. And over what?
Why does Warren Buffett, billionaire businessman, keep supporting President Obama despite the president’s obvious economic failures? Reading Tim Carney’s piece about Buffett and bank bailouts that appeared yesterday, it’s evident that at every turn over the past couple of years, Buffett has managed to cash in on huge government actions. Carney suggests that Buffett bought a major stake in Bank of America on the belief that the Obama administration will end up bailing that bank out, stuffing more money into Buffett’s pockets. One would expect a savvy and fair-minded businessman to oppose the rampant regulatory state that Obama has unleashed on the nation’s economy, but if the businessman stands to profit from it? If can use his influence to direct it to move in ways that help him? Does Buffett continue supporting Obama because he, Buffett, basically owns the president and knows he can make money off of his policies?
Why did the Obama administration shut down offshore oil drilling? Why did it take some car dealerships from their owners back in 2009? Do we really have an administration abusing its powers to punish its enemies? Is is really that simple?
He might have ideas, but they’re bad ideas.
Must See TeeVee!
Steven Crowder explains why only Democrats and their Big Union paymasters want to extend the economy-hobbling gas tax
Japan and the softly glowing world…
- BBC
- NHK in English (Live feed in upper right corner)
- Telegraph of London
- Kyodo Wire
- Japan Times
- Asahi Shimbun
- The Daily Yomuri
- Japan Today
- ImTranslator – Online Translator, Dictionary, TTS add on for Firefox (It comes in handy)
- Japanese government list of nationwide radioactivity concentration
- Japan Geigermap
- Ibaraki Prefecture Geiger Counter Readings
- US National Radiation Map (updated every minute)
- Via Soylent Green: Radiation Exposure in Daily Life
- Radiation Dose Chart
- Radiation Converter
- ZeroHedge commenter Max2205′s excellent post about radioactivity including a list of radioactive elements and their half lives.
- Donations to the American Red Cross that are being designated to Japanese Earthquake relief are already getting to the folks in Japan and are most helpful.
Wild Lily That Has Really Gone Wild in Saitama City
I know there will be many who will tell me they’ve seen something like this before, or it’s just a normal variation, happens all the time, etc.. If you do, please send the pictures of this happening elsewhere.
Fall Semester in Fukushima Starts with Glass Badges for Children
that quietly monitor the radiation levels. Their teacher hopes the badges “will protect the children”. (Oh boy…)
World News:
Remember European Problems? They’re Baaaack
Retaliation: Greek Budget Expert Fired For Opposing Europe, Telling The Truth About Country’s Insolvency
U.N. Report says Gaza blockade legal and Israel faced “organized and violent resistance” by flotilla
The report is close to a total vindication of Israel. It affirms the legality of the Gaza blockade, which I have noted is designed to prevent shipments by sea of sophisticated weapons from Iran, as well at the fact that the reaction to the Israeli boarding of the ships was met with organized violence. While the report does say Israel used excessive force, that finding now takes place in the context of a legal blockade and a reaction to violent attacks from Islamists on the ships.
Hillary Clinton Tells Libyan Islamist Rebels to Secure Gaddafi Weapons…
We are so screwed.
How al-Qaeda got to rule in Tripoli
His name is Abdelhakim Belhaj. Some in the Middle East might have, but few in the West and across the world would have heard of him.
Time to catch up. Because the story of how an al-Qaeda asset turned out to be the top Libyan military commander in still war-torn Tripoli is bound to shatter – once again – that wilderness of mirrors that is the “war on terror”, as well as deeply compromising the carefully constructed propaganda of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO’s) “humanitarian” intervention in Libya.
I hope you all got a chance to see some of the wonders that are Ancient Egypt. If the Islamofascist have their way everything that remains of ancient Egypt in Egypt will be destroyed by them. EVERYTHING! I hope someone has a plan to get the contents of the Cairo Museum out of Cairo before they do… Egypt: Salafi Islamist Leader Wants Pyramids, Sphinx Covered In Wax Because They Are “Religiously Forbidden”…
U.S. Taxpayer Money Now The Taliban’s Number 2 Source Of Revenue….
Infuriating.
Indonesia: Film Highlighting “Islamic Tolerance” Banned After Islamist Threats…
Asspoding irony.
Australia: Local fanatics plotting terror strikes as anniversary of September 11 attacks nears
Aussie rules: Melbourne ends Vancouver’s decade-long reign as best city to live in
Your tax dollars at work… Once Again… UN Troops Traded Sex For Food With Minors
Once again, United Nations troops were accused of sexual abuse of minors. This time the troops were stationed in the Ivory Coast.
Finally: North Korea Woos Marxist Tourists With Launch Of First Cruise Ship…
America Gives China A Mineral Monopoly
China expands Central Asia pipeline
In the last 1990s, when China first began signalling its interest to construct a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Xinjiang, sceptics mocked at it as the dragon’s pipedream. Well, the pipeline with the impressive capacity of 30 bcm annually has been operational since 2009 and already delivered 13.8 bcm gas to China, as per Beijing’s figures. Now comes a bombshell. China National Petroleum Corporation says it plans to have a 500% increase in gas imports from Central Asia by 2015. To this end, China is expanding the capacity of the pipeline and the construction of two new branch lines will be completed by 2013 so that the pipeline system can deliver a staggering 55-60 bcm annually by 2015.
The Chinese move also means Beijing is not overly anxious to do a gas deal with Russia. During President Hu Jintao’s visit to Moscow in July, Beijing desperately tried to swing a gas deal with Russia after years of negotiations but failed in its diplomacy due to differences over the price of gas. The next round of talks is due in September and the timing of the announcement of the expansion of the Central Asian pipeline suggests that Russia’s plans to export gas to China may no longer be such a priority for China as was imagined. In short, China is signalling that it has other options and is not in such a tearing hurry. The Russian plan was to supply China with 68 bcm of gas per year through two pipelines.
Photos: Chinese Environmental Coalition Issues Scathing Report on Apple and Pollution
Compare and contrast: in America, the EPA is punishing farmers for made-up violations like dust and milk spills. The Labor Department is torturing Boeing for daring to build a factory in a right-to-work state. And various arms of the federal bureaucracy are terrorizing Gibson Guitars for importing wood — legally — from foreign countries.
Meanwhile, companies that manufacture overseas — and/or are in bed with the administration — appear to have not a care in the world.
US News:
BREAKING NEWS: 7.1 earthquake strikes south west of Alaska, threatening devastating tsunami
Virginia shaken AGAIN: More than 20 aftershocks from 5.8 East Coast earthquake now felt
Now Irene’s nuclear threat is revealed: Hurricane flooding causes reactors to shut down
Hundred of homes and farm animals evacuated as huge blaze rips through Oklahoma
The Daily Mail is being a bit overdramatic with this headline. A Tropical Depression is not a Category 4 Hurricane. Sure, New Orleans will probably see some flooding-it is below sea level fercrissakes! Gulf Coast on alert: Louisiana state of emergency over fears of another Katrina as Lee threatens New Orleans floods
Obama Regime: Don’t Think Of Us As The Government, Think Of Us As Your “Federal Family”…
Hell no!
It’s as if the administration, unwilling to fight for anything important — or too politically weak to win any important fight — with the Republicans, decided to fight for something trivial. And the fact that they lost even this juvenile pissing match will only further erode the presidential image.
Which means it’s time for the liberal media to produce another story about how dumb Republicans are.
Proof: Obama WAS Trying to Use Joint Speech One-Upmanship As Political Ploy
The American left and its handmaidens in the Old Media spent 24 hours desperately trying to spin Obama’s attempt to schedule a joint session of Congress on the same day as the GOP debate as an example of how the GOP is refusing to work with him. These leftists categorically deny that Obama was simply engaging in political brinkmanship, using his selection of Sept. 7 as a political ploy. But the very night that Obama was shot down by Speaker Boehner on the date he chose for his jobs address, Obama’s campaign sent out a fundraising letter that pretty much proves that Obama intended the whole episode to be the very political ploy his pals in the Old Media tried to deny was happening.
On Aug 31, President Obama announced as if it were set the date of Sept. 7 for his jobs speech to a joint session of Congress. Of course, he and his staff knew that Sept. 7 was the date scheduled months ago for the next GOP presidential debate. It was clearly an attempt by Obama to overshadow the debate, the first one that Texas Gov. Rick Perry would be a part.
One problem here is that the protocol of scheduling a joint session of Congress was not observed by this White House. The fact is a president cannot schedule a joint session of Congress on his own hook. He simply does not have that power Constitutionally. He must ask the Senate majority leader and the speaker of the House of Representatives if the date he is requesting will work. Such a date has to be agreed upon by Congress before announcements are made. Obama did not do this. He simply tried to decree on what date the speech would be held and announced that date as if it were settled.
This was an unprecedented move.
I wonder if there will be a big group of Obama’s SEIU purpleshirts chanting “Douche! Douche! Douche!” from the gallery during Obama’s speech… White House Continues Putting Country Above Party By Reacting “Furiously” To Silly Speech Schedule
The White House is viewing it as very consequential, however. “It is a big deal,” the source said. “It shows the House Republicans will do no outreach, nothing.”
And who does the White House believe was really behind treating the president so shabbily?
“At first, I didn’t think it was Boehner, but his caucus,” the source said. “But maybe not. Maybe it is him.”
The article details how they’re only concerned with optics — they want the grand stage — and tv viewership, which means this is, in case you were unsure, almost exclusively a campaign event. They are surprised the Republicans aren’t eager to join Organizing for America.
How blatant a campaign move is it? They’ve already leaked their Blame Republicans strategy to the press.
in the forthcoming issue — ‘Can He Step Up His Game? Obama’s next move: if he can’t fix the economy, make sure the Republicans get the blame’
Obama is not looking for solutions; he is looking for campaign attacks. He wants a laundry-list of vague, soundbite-friendly non-initiatives (nonitiatives?) which he knows the Republicans will reject (he’s counting on them to reject them) so he can claim all economic troubles are due to Republicans not wanting to throw more money at high-speed rail and high-speed internet.
Obama’s Jobs Speech to Offer More Failed Stimulus
Recycling the same ideas that didn’t work two years ago.
That way, either the president gives his big speech on jobs and bigfoots the Republican contenders or the Republicans look disrespectful and petulant for turning down the president. Well, if you’re playing rope-a-dope, that’s not a bad maneuver. But it turns out that’s not what he was doing at all. He just stumbled into this problem and then stumbled out when he let Boehner dictate when he could and could not have his speech. That looks so sad.
The post goes on and on. Rope-a-dope. Isn’t that how Mohammed Ali played in the last few rounds of his brilliant career? Isn’t that how he wound up puff-faced and brain damaged? To his credit, Cenk Uygur is too smart to buy into rope-a-dope: “There is no secret, brilliant strategy. This White House is in a bubble. They think they’re winning when the roof is about to cave in.”
Politics ain’t beanbag, but it is not chess either. Boehner has been through the wars for more than 20 years in Washington. He has fought the good fight against corruption, against a Democratic majority and against earmarks. He is 3-0. Obama? Even with the House and a filibuster-proof Senate, he could not pass cap-and-trade or universal health.
Hope and Change™! Remember back six short years when the MSM and the Democrats howled about unemployment being a ‘disasterous 5%’ under Bush? Carney: This New Plan Will Bring Unemployment Under 9.0%
Wow. Dramatic. He’s promising that the plan will lower unemployment from 9.1% to 8.9%. Who knows — maybe even down to 8.7%.
He caveats the hell out of this. Because of course the last plan was supposed to keep it under 8%.
How Was This Helpful To Obama?
SO – just what outcome did Obama’s “strategists” expect? And was this mini-drama helpful to Obama? Does he look like a man who is eagerly trying to present his ideas as soon as possible, now that his vacation is over, only to be blocked by those annoying Republicans? Or does he look like a weak waffler guy who was scheduling the speech as a political opportunity to suffocate the Republicans contending for his job?
Yet another tough call.
“He’s getting kind of pissy, isn’t he?
As a campaign slogan, don’t blame me, it’s their fault doesn’t inspire.
Obama: I’m “Frustrated” Congress Won’t “Focus” On Doing Their Jobs, Never Mind The Fact I’ve Been On Vacation, A Bus Tour And Hitting Non-Stop Fundraisers…
I think the real reason Obama is pi$$ed is that he won’t get to watch the Packers Game… Obama jobs speech up against Packers
Message, in the immortal words of Krusty the Clown: Don’t blame me — I didn’t do it!
Query: What purpose does he think he’s serving by constantly reminding everyone how “frustrated” he is? Is it supposed to be somehow laudable? It’s weak and un-presidential.
Like a small child Obama blames everyone else for his failures. What is next? The dog ate his ‘jobs plan’?
Expect more of this: Obama can’t run on his record. So his opponents must be attacked as “fervant partisan” extremists, gun-toting bitter clingers who have conspired to block the Good Deeds of the Messiah (preventing the planet from healing, punishing the poor, minorities, and children — all in an effort to protect Evil Rich Capitalists, who refuse to contribute their fair share to the Common Weal) — while simultaneously blaming the country’s economic woes on those who Truly Care, be it about clean air, clean water, safe food, fairly redistributing wealth, etc.
– All of which indicates that Obama is running for re-election as a Marxist, and should be challenged specifically on that point.
Go ahead and say it out loud, Mr Moran. Marxist. Honestly. It’s liberating.
Perhaps Obama needs another vacation back to the ‘old country’… Obama to hit Bali Nov. 19
Martha’s Vineyard is OK the first 2 or 3 times you visit. And Hawaii was nice for Christmas, I suppose, but it is not as if President Obama didn’t spend about half his Christmases in Hawaii growing up. And Rio was nice last March, but Michelle missed the Carnivale, didn’t she? Now President Obama may take the Missus with an extra special vacation — er, official trip — planned in November to…
Bali Ha’i may call you,
Any night, any day,
In your heart, you’ll hear it call you:
“Come away. Come away.”Bali Ha’i will whisper
In the wind of the sea:
“Here am I, your special island!
Come to me, come to me!”That’s right boys and girls, Obama is headed for Bali!
Joe Walsh to skip Obama jobs speech, will hold small biz job forum instead
Rep. Joe Walsh has better things to do next Thursday night. Instead of being a “prop” for President Obama’s jobs speech, he will head back to his district and hold a small business job forum.
Obama Sends Biden To Fundraiser For Second Day In A Row…
It’s almost like they don’t want Biden around.
Next time they should just let them get on the ride provided they sign an agreement that they are personally responsible for any injury to them or others or any damage done to property… Deceptive Daily News headline: “Muslims, police scuffle at Rye Playland over amusement park’s head scarf ban.”
The rule barring head scarves? That paraphrase dissserves Tartaglia, but at least they finally give us a direct quote:
“Part of our rules and regulations, which we painstakingly told them over and over again, is that certain rides you cannot wear any sort of headgear,” Tartaglia said. “It’s a safety issue for us on rides, it could become a projectile.”
You cannot wear any sort of headgear…
Many Muslims were given refunds as they left the park disappointed.
“In this heightened state of Islamaphobia, a woman wearing a hajib is an easy target these days,” said Zead Ramadan, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations – New York.
I’d say they were the opposite of an easy target. It was, in fact, very difficult to hold them to a rule that applies to everyone. They demanded a special exception, caused a scene when the didn’t get it, extracted refunds, and brought some terrible press to the park and the police.
The Administration Takes on ‘Islamophobia’
The White House is giving free-speech opponents a megaphone.
Lieberman Rips Obama For Refusing To Use Phrase “Violent Islamic Extremism”…
Yeah, Liberman is a Democrat-at-heart but at least he isn’t blinded by political correctness when it comes to the jihadist threat like the rest of the left.
Carney: No Special Treatment Of Obama’s Drunken Illegal Alien Uncle…
BS.
Obama’s Drunken Illegal Alien Uncle Also a Tax Cheat, Plans to Fight Deportation
A tax cheat? Heck, that should grant him an honorary spot in the Obama administration.
Five of 12 NASCAR Drivers Invited To Meet With Obama At White House Decline Offer…
Bitter clingers.
Your ‘surprisingly unexpected’ economic news of the day:
NFP Misses, Prints At 0 As In Unchanged! Unemployment Rate 9.1%, Underemployment 16.2%
Massive Wave Of Lawsuits To Be Filed By The US Against America’s Biggest Banks As Soon As Tomorrow
In a move that could either send BAC stock limit down overnight or send it soaring (we are still trying to figure out just what is going on here), the NYT has broken major news that the US is preparing to go nuclear on more than a dozen big banks among which Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, in an attempt for Fannie and Freddie to recoup $30 billion if not much more.
The lawsuit is expected to hit the docket in the next few days: “The suits stem from subpoenas the finance agency issued to banks a year ago. If the case is not filed Friday, they said, it will come Tuesday, shortly before a deadline expires for the housing agency to file claims.” Now, taken at face value, this would mean that Bank of America can kiss its ass goodbye as unlike the Walnut Place litigation, this will take place in Federal Court where Article 77 is not applicable. Yet there is something that gives us pause: namely logic, captured by the following words: “While I believe that F.H.F.A. is acting responsibly in its role as conservator, I am afraid that we risk pushing these guys off of a cliff and we’re going to have to bail out the banks again,” said Tim Rood, who worked at Fannie Mae until 2006 and is now a partner at the Collingwood Group, which advises banks and servicers on housing-related issues.” In other words: if the banks are sued, and if justice prevails, the end of the world is nigh and cue TARP 2 – XXX. Now where have we heard that argument over, and over, and over before.
Another Upward Revision As Strike Factors Are Removed Leaves Initial Claims Posts Above 400k For The 20th Time Of Last 21
Following last week’s somewhat twilight zone-like Verizon-strike-driven confusion, today’s initial claims report (once again revised upwards) makes for 20 of the last 21 weeks above 400k and its highest (yet to be revised upwards) since 7/15.
Only 600 new jobs for 17,000 applicants at Ford plant
Why Unemployment Is About To Surge
With the economy chugging along at 1% currently, and most likely lower by the final revision, manufacturing indexes either in or moving towards contractionary levels, housing still under stress and corporate profits coming under pressure and Europe in complete disarray; there are plenty of catalysts to create push the economy off a very narrow ledge.
So, while the Administration is rolling out a new “job recovery plan” in the coming days – the indicators may already be saying that it is a plan that is too late in coming.
Goodbye High Frequency Trading – Regulators Seek Secret HFT Codes
Headline ISM Beats Expectations Even As Core Components Continue To Deteriorate
The problem is that the beat was once again on purely artificial data, with Inventories and Customer Inventories posting the largest increase in the month, or basically the two most hollow economic series. Far more important – Production, dropped to 48.6, the lowest since May 2009. Another Pyrrhic victory was the increase in imports and decrease in exports: we all know what that means for GDP. Lastly employment also fell. The only saving grace was that prices declined too. That said, this response does not make the QE3 case easier, and now this report will have to be offset with a much weaker NFP number tomorrow, in order to keep the speculators guessing as to what is really going on with the economy. One final note: according to the ISM, all responses were received before Hurricane Irene, which means that if next month we see the long overdue sub 50 print, it will be all due to the wind.
S&P: Subprime Mortgages Rated Higher Than US
Poll: 65% Give Obama Thumbs Down On Economy
Far-Left Dem Reps Ellison And Grijalva Urge Obama To Take “Bold Action” With $2.2 Trillion Stimulus Package…
That’s not economic stimulus, it’s economic suicide.
AFL-CIO Demands Obama Initiate More Stimulus Spending…
Hop to it, Barack.
Maxine Waters (D-CA) bullies banks: “We’re going to tax them out of business”
Ah, the Swamp Queen is doing what she does best: Throwing the weight of government around to intimidate private businesses and shake ‘em down.
Democrat Lawmaker Under Ethics Probe For Ties To ‘Gangsta’ Bank Wants to Tax ‘Gangsta’ Banks
Here is a classic case of the kettle calling the pot black. Read all the racist dog whistle crap you want into that.
Maxine Waters is still under an ethics probe for her connections to a bank that she lobbied heavily for to receive special favors from the imperial federal government.
The accusation against Waters is that she arranged a meeting in 2008 between Treasury Department officials and the National Bankers Assn., which represents minority-owned banks. But the only bank with representatives at the meeting was One- United Bank, on whose board Waters’ husband had served and in which he owned thousands of shares of stock. OneUnited later received $12 million in government bailout money. Waters has denied any wrongdoing, insisting that her concern was for minority-owned banks in general.
Flashback to 2008-Maxine on oil companies: The immortal words of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)
“And guess what this liberal is going to be all about! This liberal will be all about socializing — uh… uh…uhm… will be about…Basically taking you over. And the government running all of your companies.”
Wall Street was the enabler, but Main Street was the addict. Americans stopped saving as long as home prices rose; when home prices started to fall, they started saving again.
That is why the national narrative that Westen proposes is ill-informed, innumerate, vituperous, malicious and false. American households levered a $6 trillion net inflow of foreign savings during the decade 1998 through 2007 into a bubble that benefited them far more than it did Wall Street. The impact of the bubble on the household balance sheet exceeds the growth in real-estate assets, moreover, because most small business expansion followed the housing bubble.
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy (except for the UN, of course):
“At N.L.R.B., Flurry of Acts for Unions as Chief Exits”
Must be part of that new Administration promise to roll back regulations and strengthen the private sector.
Couple this with what’s happening at Boeing and Gibson, and what is going on here is clear: the Administration is convinced it can continue the move toward democratic socialism while staving off criticism by manufacturing the perception that it is fiscally responsible and pro-business, aided in this effort by a compliant advocacy press that will dutifully frame its machinations in just that way.
Manufactured consent = “reality”. Whereas actual reality is racist and extremist and needs to be rounded up and shuffled off to reeducation camps until it learns who’s boss.
Up is down. Black is white. Chico is the Man.
Gibson Guitars CEO on DOJ bullies: “[S]macks of something from an Orwell novel”
So the government attacked them in the first place by citing obscure regulations that probably weren’t violated about importation of wood. Now they are suggesting that all these problems would go away if they simply exported their labor.
Had it simply been said in passing by an agent, one could write it off as a lone sarcastic agent, trying to push buttons. But the fact that they actually wrote it in the pleading is a level of hubris that goes well beyond over zealous law enforcement officials and passes straight into what can easily be translated as an out of control and corrupt targeting of an American corporation.
When President Obama gives his jobs speech next week, let’s hope he has an answer for why our government would want to force and coerce corporations to send jobs overseas.
While his overzealous lawyers bully American employers, Obama whines about American jobs.
SC Gov. Nikki Haley Calls on Obama to Disband the NLRB; Calls Obama ‘Cowardly’
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley blasted President Obama and the National Labor Relations Board today. She called on President Obama to address the NLRB’s unprecedented lawsuit against Boeing during his jobs speech on Sept. 8. The South Carolina governor made the comments during a conference call with bloggers and journalists this morning.
Citing the fact that at least 1,000 jobs and the future of American aircraft manufacturing hang in the balance with the NLRB’s lawsuit against Boeing, Haley called the president’s silence on the issue “cowardly” and “unacceptable.” Haley also cited the fact that the current White House chief of staff and Commerce secretary both served on Boeing’s board at the time the South Carolina plant was approved, and demanded that he speak up and go on the record whether he agrees with the NLRB’s actions or not.
SEC record purges at odds with other agencies
The SEC’s practices have been under official scrutiny since an agency whistleblower last year told the National Archives that the SEC was routinely destroying files of inquiries that were closed without any enforcement action or full-blown investigation.
The issue gained wide attention in August when Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) made public an account by the whistleblower’s lawyer. The National Archives has said the SEC did not have authority to dispose of the records.
Labor Rules Thwarting ‘Green Jobs’ Agenda
Looking forward to the impending West Side Story brawl between the Teamsters and the Greensters.
So long, Solyndra: 1100 green tech jobs risk $535 million in tax funds
However, that may not be the whole story at Solyndra, which was (and likely will be) a center of Congressional attention for waste, fraud and abuse of Pres. Obama’s stimulus and green tech programs:
A closer look at the company shows it has never turned a profit since it was founded in 2005, according to its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings.
And Solyndra’s auditor declared that “the company has suffered recurring losses, negative cash flows since inception and has a net stockholders’ deficit that, among other factors, [that] raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a growing concern” in a March 2010 amendment to its SEC registration statement.
“While we understand the purpose of the Loan Guarantee Program is to help private companies engaging in clean energy products to obtain financing by providing loan guarantees, subsequent events raise questions about Solyndra was the right candidate to receive a loan guarantee in excess of half a billion dollars,” [Reps.] Upton and Stearns wrote.
You will be shocked to learn that Solyndra’s majority owner, Oklahoma billionaire George Kaiser, was a major fundraiser for the 2008 Obama-Biden campaign.
Another Cheap Stunt: WH Creating Site for Online Petitions
Here’s how it will work. The failed president will urge people to act and support whatever cockamamie proposal he offers, his brainless Obama zombies will flood the website in support and — presto! — the media will report how popular his proposals are.
2012: The Fork in the Road…
President Downgrade Loses to Rick Perry In Latest Rasmussen Poll
White House Official: Obama Losing In Polls Because Voters Don’t Know GOP Opponents Or Something…
Of course it has nothing to do with a 9% unemployment rate and an economy going nowhere but down.
The Lightworker has lost his Pilot Light
Hey, remember when it was OK to invoke His name on the campaign trail? Let’s take a walk through the monastery down memory lane…
More Evidence of a Thoroughly Unvetted President
It is unbelievable that any government worker or private employee who is privy to sensitive information regarding national security and defense who has the kind of background and prior associates as President Obama does, could then become the foci around which all information is collected and delivered. I know for a fact that if citizen Barack Obama were to apply for any government agency or private contractor he would be denied any special access. He would fail qualifications needed to posses a Top Secret clearance. He would not get past the questionnaire, let alone a background check, and certainly he would fail a polygraph test.
- Foreign intelligence services;
- Organizations or people who wish to overthrow or undermine the United States government through unconstitutional means, violent acts, or other terrorist group activities;
- Individuals who:
- May be susceptible to pressure or improper influence.
- Have been dishonest or demonstrated a lack of integrity that has caused others to doubt their reliability.
Granted, Presidents are automatically granted full approval by virtue of their position and, of course, from the election process where it is believed he has been fully vetted by the American people.
Obviously that was not the case as is evident from the latest skeleton in our President’s closet. While media hired guns were dispatched to Alaska to dig through Gov. Palin’s trash, then surely a dozen could have been sent just to interview Obama’s known relatives living in the US.
Obama hits new Q-poll low, 42/52
The dip in favorability means that Obama’s teflon coating on personal approval is peeling away under the intense heat of a failed economics program. His personal numbers had been his armor, and his one hope for appealing to voters to give him another chance to get things right. These results show an electorate that has tired of Obama and is looking for a better approach to Presidential leadership.
What if President Obama’s Popular Vote Share Matched His Gallup Approval Rating?
Stressing this a second time, this is not the way 2012 looks right now. Far from it. Still, as a historical comparison this would be the largest beating of an incumbent President ever. Hoover carried almost three times the electoral votes the President would in this scenario, Carter twice as many.
Watch what they do, not what the public polls say and in observing you will pretty much know what the internal polls are telling them. In this case the rats are leaving the sinking ship… Democrats Distancing Themselves From Obama
It also means this is going to be an exceedingly nasty campaign by any standard (as if it weren’t already). Obama is going to have nothing to run on and about a billion dollars to knock the GOP and every conservative as an America hating racist. It’s all they have. It won’t work but Team Obama won’t care what damage they do in a failed attempt to prop up this SCOAMF. The death throes of this administration won’t be pretty.
The Democratic Party: the party of class and race war?
With a dismal record in office and with the increasing rejection of progressive ideology by a majority of the nation, all the Democratic Party “leadership” has left to offer is class envy, ethnic vitriol, and social division.
Now there’s Hope and Change.
A Democrat’s ‘race-baiting’ Tea Party attack: ‘Beyond the pale’?
In response to Maxine Waters saying “the Tea Party can go to hell”, Jackson says “hell is in the black communities that the Congressional Black Caucus serves.” Ouch! He also accuses blacks of being racist because they voted for Obama in 2008 based on his skin color, not his qualifications.
That’s putting it rather bluntly, but it’s hard to disagree with Mr. Jackson. Granted, it wasn’t just black people who voted for Obama primarily because he is black, but still. The point is a lot of people in 2008 overlooked Obama’s paper-thin resume (not to mention his far-left ideology) and look at the mess we’re in today – especially in the black community. A perfect case of tragic irony.
Congressional Black Caucus: We’re Not Going To Bother Responding To Allen West…
It’s almost like the CBC doesn’t want Allen West in their little club because he doesn’t blindly follow the Democratic party.
So Much Of What’s Wrong With American Politics In One Tiny Rally
It’s also ironic to see union members talking about the economic “devastation” that someone else supposedly caused. Unions are driving cities and states towards bankruptcy, they’ve decimated the auto-industry, steel industry, airline industry — it goes on and on. Unions have cost Americans millions of jobs — yet they’re the ones protesting.
On top of all that, despite the fact we already have a 1.5 trillion dollar deficit, a $14.5 trillion dollar debt, and $100 trillion dollars in unfunded Social Security/Medicare liabilities, they want to raise more money so that they can “fund projects.” How about paying for some of the projects we’re already funding?
Again, small rally, but big, big stupid.
The left could take lessons in civility from the Tea Party
Candidates were allotted a block of time split between their statement and questions taken from the crowd via volunteers with mikes in the audience.. Both the college and local cable networks covered the event, as did the local paper. Many vital local issues from crime to street lights to the current police contract where discussed. All in all it was an important but totally unremarkable bit of civic activity. Nothing you might not see in any city in the nation.
. …except it was, if Vice President Joe Biden and representative Andre Carson (D-IN) are to be believed hosted by a group of Terrorists who would love to see black Americans “hanging from a tree”.
Yes it was a tea party group, specifically the Twin City Tea Party that hosted the event. Its president Justin Brooks rather than having the normal monthly meeting invited the mayoral candidates to have the floor and present themselves to the voters they hoped to represent.
Maxine “The Tea Party can go to hell” Waters (D-CA) would have been amazed at the courtesy shown to the predominately democratic candidates particularly Mayor Wong an Asian female!, Vice president Biden would be shocked to learn no bombs were planted and Rep Carson would be beside himself to find that all the black and Hispanic citizens who attended left unharmed and unhung,
How Do Obama’s Re-Election Chances Stack Up to Hoover’s?
The problem is obvious, I think: unlike the economic models that rely on external metrics, perception is doing a lot of the work here. Do we count Obama’s stimulus but not Hoover’s? And if so, why? I understand you might say that Obama’s was larger, more effective, etc but this is a political model–it’s about perception, not the economic effect, which is captured in other variables. Hoover’s deficit spending was perceived as a big deal, and became an issue in the 1932 election.
Do we think that Obama is going to be running on either the stimulus, or the health care bill, in 2012?
So there you have it. Five new “controversial” laws signed by Rick Perry. Honestly, folks.. if this is the best you can come up with, just elect the guy now and be done with it.
Bachmann draws Thatcher foreign policy comparison
Freedomworks Is Right: If Mitt Romney Represents The Tea Party, The Tea Party Is Dead
The problem here is that Mitt Romney is a perfect example of the sort of Republican pol whom the Tea Party rose up to fight against. That’s why he’s the candidate of choice for the GOP establishment. The establishment knows what we know: That he’s saying what he needs to say to try to get conservatives on board, but all of that will be forgotten when he gets into office and he’ll govern based on polling. If Mitt Romney’s considered to be someone who represents Tea Party conservatives, then who doesn’t qualify? Why not have Kathleen Parker and Lindsey Graham open up for Romney and then maybe John McCain can close out the whole event?
Gunwalker/Fast & Furious/Castaway
Boom: Congressional Investigators Find Evidence of a Gunwalker Coverup
To their credit, Reps. Grassley and Issa have announced they are expanding the Gunrunner investigation. Particularly galling:
…a court filing by the Phoenix office seeking to deny Mr. Terry’s family rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, and expressed concerns about conflicts of interest in prosecuting the Terry case. “Since your office directed and approved the daily tactical decisions in Operation Fast and Furious, it is hard to avoid the perception that a conflict of interest exists,” the two wrote.What did Eric Holder know — and when did he know it?
And just how high does the coverup go?
Look for the Union Label/Whackademia/The Badger Rebellion:
A study in contrasts: Well-behaved schoolchildren vs. unruly union thugs
Finally, have unions bothered to change their protest marching cries in 40 years? We hear the ubiquitous “hey hey ho ho” rallying cry, and a chorus of “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” last seen on the charts as recently as 41 years ago. For the unions, it’s the same old, tired song, the same old, tired rallying cries, and the same, old, dismal failure in both public schools and public relations. I’d call them childish, but that would insult the well-behaved and well-educated students at Messmer Prep. Let’s just call them ugly. This is what it looks like when those who feel entitled to power and control lose both.
Does that not describe modern-day liberalism to a “t”? Still pushing for old big government ideas that don’t work, and throwing temper tantrums when they don’t get their way. It’s a sad commentary for today’s left that representatives for their warped belief system get shown up by well-behaved young students during a visit from the Governor of their state. And for any liberals reading this who may think I’m suggesting that liberals sit silent, in awe, and giggle approvingly at their political opposition, get a clue. If you don’t understand the reason for the study in contrasts between the school kids and the marchers outside, then you in your infinite cluelessness are PART of the problem, NOT the solution to it – the solution being to respectfully disagree with your political opposition by way of acting like adults who have even the tiniest modicum of understanding about when and where how it is appropriate to stage protests against your government’s policies.
Unionites remind me of little kids who have been given “shut up candy” by their parents for years every time they visit the grocery store. The parents, tired of fighting with the child over the candy request at the check out counter and too weary from a hard day at work to say no, give in to the child and buy it candy time after time, to the delight of the child, who eventually becomes spoiled by it. Then one day, the parent says no, and in response the child pitches a fit in the middle of the store, laying down and stamping its feet, slamming its little fists sideways on the floor as it yells and screams to the point its face gets red. The parent has decided its time to wean the child off the candy, and naturally the child protests violently at this perceived “injustice.”
The Associated Press headline — “Wisconsin teacher retirements double” — surely pleased the teacher unions in their war against Wisconsin taxpayers. But there is more to the tale than the exodus-of-good-teachers meme that teacher unions repeatedly to get their demands. Teacher retirements benefit the school system and the students in two ways. And the numbers show that maybe Wisconsin teacher retirements have been too low in the past.
In Other News…
Disgusting… Beauty pageant mother sparks fury by giving daughter breast and buttock enhancements… at the age of FOUR
No. Who in the hell wants to buy something that costs twice as much which is shoddily built and has half the capability. Also, Nissan honors their warranties, unlike GM who Obama has decreed no longer has to… Nissan Leaf outselling Chevy Volt 2 to 1, can GM catch up?
Valerie Jarrett-managed slum apartments to be torn down with federal cash
Valerie Jarrett, a close friend of the Barack and Michelle Obama is the former CEO of Habitat Company, which managed Grove Parc, a federally subsidized apartment complex on Chicago’s South Side that can be accurately described as a slum. Jarrett is now a senior adviser to the president.
On Wednesday with great fanfare the awarding of a $30.5 million federal grant to revitalize Grove Parc–by tearing it down–was announced.
The irony is thick here. Jarrett’s Habitat runs Grove Parc into the ground, and now the federal government funding its demolition and the building of its replacement.
California Dream Act for Illegal Aliens Approved by State Senate…
Insanity.
L.A. Times Loves Them Some Financial Aid to Illegal Immigrants
Because California state government has so much money that legislators hardly know what to do with it all, state senators passed a bill today to give financial aid to illegal immigrants who are college students. Plenty of U.S. citizens are short financial aid — never mind our eternal budget crisis — but apparently lawmakers still think we have $40 million available to hand over to non-citizens.
Just lovely.
And what do you think the Los Angeles Times thinks of this legislation?
Florida: Flash Mob Football… Thugs Assault Referee After Controversial Call at Kid’s Game
Felony charges could follow an investigation into what happened during the game last weekend between the age 13-14 junior teams of the Sarasota Gators and North Port Huskies played at Riverview High School. The ref was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
Illinois: Sex offenders paid to baby-sit
Cornelius Osborne may not seem like baby-sitting material.
He was convicted of raping two women. A succession of felonies, from robbery to failing to register as a sex offender, repeatedly sent him to prison, state records show.
But over more than two years, the state paid Osborne nearly $5,000 to baby-sit two children, before his latest conviction — for dealing drugs — put him back behind bars.
Osborne, of Chicago, wasn’t the only sex offender paid by taxpayers to baby-sit, according to a Tribune investigation that found cases of convicted rapists, molesters and other violent felons given access to children over the past decade. The money comes from a $750 million-a-year program that subsidizes child care for more than 150,000 impoverished Illinois families.
Video report: Woman convicted in “rare” welfare trial
Here in MI, the GOP is starting to crack down on the leeches, and the establishment MSM is of course up in arms about it. For example, college students can no longer get on the dole for food stamps, wit this reaction by the media: Bridge card victory! Michigan continues its policy of letting college students suffer. Yeah – no food stamps for college kids is ‘suffering.’ Uh um. But where one hole gets plugged, elsewhere a new leak occurs: New program offers affordable Internet service for low-income families. Yup -internet welfare. Ugh.
ReasonTV: Michigan Bar Owners Ban Lawmakers for Banning Smoking! (Nanny of the Month, Aug 2011)
For the first time ever Nanny of the Month is cheering a ban.
That’s right, starting September 1, more than 500 Michigan restaurant and bar owners are banning state lawmakers from their establishments. State Senator So-and-so wants a brew? Too bad. Politicians won’t be served until they revisit the state’s 2010 smoking ban, which, owners say, has devastated business, and left bars like Sporty O’Tooles on the verge of collapse.
Girl Uses Gadget Blog To Make Fun Of Nerds
But to publicly make fun of someone for failing to meet your specifications when he was never anything but nice to you, and furthermore, to say he “infiltrates” his way onto dates with people, as if someone like him is fundamentally un-dateable? That just seems a little bit mean. (And you wonder why there’s so much nerd-on-hipster hatred!) Furthermore, to do so on a site that’s all about gadgets seems a tad…hypocritical. Or, as my friend Chris put it, “it’s one thing to be freaking Samantha. It’s another to brag about it on a site that posts leaked pictures of iPhones.”
I guess what I’m saying is, high school is over. It’s great that you’ve decided you don’t want to be a nerd anymore (or at least, not the kind that plays RPGs?), but being in touch with some semi-imaginary cultural zeitgeist does not give you the right to pick on perfectly decent people who just happen to be different from you. Or at least, not in any public arena. Your horribleness should be the secret shame of you and a few trusted associates. Everything is fair game when you’re three cosmos deep at brunch, amirite ladies?
MSM Circus and Celebutard Side Show:
Mediaite Dunce: Boehner Should Resign for Disrespecting King Putt
Painfully dumb, yet entirely predictable.
The mainstream media, and even some in the liberal opinion media, have completely missed the point of President Obama’s dust-up with Speaker John Boehner over the date for Obama’s address before a joint session of Congress. MSM yakkers have advanced the “pox on both their houses” meme, while liberals like Ed Schultz accuse the President of “caving,” all ignoring the fact that Boehner has insulted and disrespected the office of the President of the United States, and should resign.
Is this clown on the White House payroll? Seriously, there’s near unanimous consensus among the sane that Obama came off looking like a total chump after his fiasco yesterday. Why on earth should John Boehner resign because Obama looks like an idiot?
MSNBC’s Wolff: Opposition To Obama’s Speech Based On… You Know…
Guest Host For MSNBC’s Ed Schultz: In The “Good Ol’ Days” Tea Partiers “Would Be Lynching Real Black People For Real”…
Never ceases to amaze me what a lib can get away with saying.
But I almost drove off the road in amazement the morning when “Morning Edition” (which I typically label “Morning Sedition” to go along with the afternoon marquee show, “All Things Distorted”) got something spectacularly right. And when they do, we should acknowledge it.
The segment came up: “Will Hurricane Cleanup Aid the Economy?” Naturally I braced myself for the usual Keynesian stimulus nonsense. To my surprise, the economic correspondent they had on, Adam Davidson, not only got the conclusion right, but even mentioned the “broken window fallacy,” which he attributed to “this awesome 19th century French writer, Fredric Bastiat.” Bastiat! Mentioned favorably on NPR! Dogs and cats living together! What’s next: Reagan was a great president perhaps?
Davidson didn’t budge when host Steve Inskeep pressed him to find some kind of silver lining. Davidson was clear: the deadweight loss and overall wealth destruction from this kind of natural disaster is negative. Full stop. Krugman’s cat is no doubt cowering in a corner somewhere this morning.
Global Warmening:
From the Pathetic to the Ridiculous
The collapse of Solyndra, noted below, is the pathetic environmental story of the week, if you leave aside the story out a few days ago that global warming will make mental illness worse (hey!, maybe that explains Al Gore?). The ridiculous environmental story of the week concerns “EcoKat,” the enviro-mascot that someone at Kansas State University thought was a good idea. (Maybe it’s just a Halloween costume stunt. If so, I’ll fall for it.)
The Sock Drawer:
Happy Feet has taken to sleeping while standing up, and appears unperturbed by the 7-metre swells which are delaying his release.
The penguin, which is still being kept in his crate on board the research vessel Tangaroa, now looks likely to be set free tomorrow.
The Niwa team onboard the vessel said he was coping well with the sway of the boat which is battling very rough and high seas with strong swells.
“He is even sleeping standing up, keeping perfect balance.”
Yet while he may seem calm, he has lost none of his stroppiness or impatience to be released.
“When he wakes up, he squawks at the crew passing by and seems to know he is near home territory.”
Happy Feet getting anxious for the sea
“He tried to climb out of his crate this morning when we removed the lid! I bet he can’t wait to be free now after sensing that he is on the ocean.”
He was found sick and confused on Peka Peka Beach in June.
Niwa biologists Dan MacGibbon and Neil Bagley have been specially trained to help Dr Argilla handle Happy Feet on board.
The penguin was looking happy and active this morning, but almost too active to handle, Dr Argilla said.
“He also beat Dan [MacGibbon] up after he was caught for his medication and food, just reminding us all who is boss I guess.”
Happy Feet ‘thriving’ on journey home
A NIWA spokesperson says he is on his feet in his specially-made crate, swaying backwards and forwards with the motion of the boat.
“Happy Feet was fed at 11 o’clock this morning. He continues to show our team who is the boss when he’s being fed by giving them a peck.
“He seems to be able to smell the Southern Ocean and is eager to get there.
Sometimes it helps if you just sit down and think about a problem… The cat sat on the CAT: Hilarious moment a bullying cat traps its feline foe in a box
East Timor aims to become a quiet rival to Bali – without the drunken partying and over-development.
Mars rover Opportunity studying new surroundings
Sony unveils world’s first 3D head-mounted display that is as immersive as ‘sitting in a cinema’
Geronimo! The world’s most extreme water slide flings adrenaline junkies 120ft through the air
