COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Is Gaza a setup to get the US into a war with Iran?




Many critics have argued that there is a concerted effort to push the United States into a war with Iran by supporters of Israel. Patrick Clawson, director of research for the highly influential pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) think tank, seemed intent to prove those rumors true this week in comments as a luncheon on “How to Build US-Israeli Coordination on Preventing an Iranian Nuclear Breakout.” Clawson casually discusses how to create a false flag operation to push the U.S. into war to overcome any reluctance by the public. We have been discussing how many leaders like Senator Joe Lieberman had begun to use the same rhetoric that led to the last two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how the suggest timing of an attack has been tied to the presidential election.
In his remarks, Clawson helpfully lists a series of historical events used to push the country into war like the Gulf of Tonkin incident that gave us the Vietnam War. Clawson expressed his frustration in acknowledging that it is “[v]ery hard for me to see how the United States President can get us to war with Iran.” However, there is hope. Clawson explains that the “traditional way” to get the country into a war is through false flags or manufactured incidents where Americans are killed. Thus, he observes, “we are in the game of using covert means against the Iranians, we could get nastier about it. So, if in fact the Iranians aren’t going to compromise, it would be best if somebody else started the war.”

151 comments:

  1. Is Gaza a setup to get the US into a war with Iran?


    I would really doubt it, seeing as there have been Iranian made rockets shooting out of Gaza at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I suppose the Jews could have made those rockets in some warehouse in the desert, shipped them into Gaza somehow, then had their guys shoot them off at their mothers and fathers and kids in Israel, but it just seems too far fetched for me. Naw, I think it's the fault of the Palestinians, the Iranians, and the Egyptians, myself.

    I have read the folks in Lebanon may have chemical weapons from Iran now. That doesn't sound like an Israeli trick either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beware, this is by a Jewish professor -

      Opinion: The war in Gaza is really about Iran
      By Jonathan Dobrer
      Posted: 11/16/2012 04:58:43 PM PST
      Updated: 11/16/2012 05:04:13 PM PST

      (Associated Press)

      You can usually depend on the Middle East being more complicated than it appears. This terrible week is no exception. The fighting, the exchanges of missiles and loud threats are on the surface between Hamas and Israel. The normal analysis is that this is because Hamas sent Katyusha short-range rockets into Israel (true). And Israel naturally retaliated by assassinating the chief of Hamas' military Ahmed Jabari (also true). However, this is more profoundly about Iran.

      The Katyusha rockets that have been fired on an accelerated basis into Israel are bothersome but do not pose an existential threat to the state. However, intelligence sources indicated that longer range and truly guided missiles were coming into Gaza. These missiles, thought to be Iranian Fajr-5 class, can hit anywhere in Israel-from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, from Eilat to the atomic facility at Dimona.

      These Iranian missiles apparently are being assembled in Africa and smuggled through the Sinai and into Gaza. ((((This does not appear to be done with the active cooperation of Egypt and the Morsi government.))))

      Egypt is put into an awful political bind by this whole conflict.

      They would like to be supportive of the Palestinians in general, and the people of Gaza in particular, but they have no interest in aiding Iranian influence either in Gaza or on the West Bank.

      While neither Israel, nor any other sovereign state, would tolerate missiles being fired at it, Israel's
      dramatic -- and to critics disproportionate -- response is not about Gaza, Hamas and the Katyushas.

      It is about Iran using the Gazans as proxies -- and therefore unkindly making them into targets.

      Israel is after the stores of Fajr-5s. That is their true objective.

      Clearly the first bombing and missile attacks did not work and therefore no ceasefire could be honored. Those in command and control of the Fajr-5s, whether Iranians or Gazans, did not stand down and let Israel believe that its objective had been achieved. Instead they proved the accuracy of Israeli intelligence, the existence of these missiles and their willingness to use them by firing them at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Until that moment, possession of these missiles was deniable and a ceasefire therefore plausible. Now, indeed, we all have a legitimate fear that, in the words of Hamas, "the gates of hell have been opened."

      Quite aside from any issues of politics or any moral analyses, Israel will not allow Iran to arm Gazans with these missiles. For Israel this is nearly as much a game changer as a nuclear-armed Iran.


      Jonathan Dobrer, a professor of comparative religion at the American Jewish University in Bel-Air, blogs at http://blogs.dailynews.com/friendlyfire/. Write to him by e-mail at jondobrer@mac.com.


      Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_22013552/opinion-war-gaza-is-really-about-iran#ixzz2CThcNSEt

      Delete
  2. who are you going to believe, you’re lying eyes or chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks?


    The BBC has apologised to the chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, after Radio 4’s Today presenter Evan Davis asked him a question about the violence in Gaza without telling him he was live on air.

    When Sacks finished his Thought for the Day on Friday morning, Davis asked him to comment on the Gaza situation before he left the studio.

    Sacks, seemingly unaware that he was live, said "I think it's got to do with Iran, actually", before Davis' co-presenter Sarah Montague whispered: "We, we're live."

    His tone then changed markedly and he called for "a continued prayer for peace, not only in Gaza but for the whole region, no one gains from violence".

    According to a number of BBC sources, Sacks was said to be "angry" about the incident and made his feelings known to Today's production team.

    The BBC said that Davis had apologised to Sacks and the corporation also issued a statement: "The chief rabbi hadn't realised he was still on air and as soon as this became apparent, we interjected. Evan likes to be spontaneous with guests, but he accepts that in this case it was inappropriate and he has apologised to Lord Sacks. The BBC would reiterate that apology."

    However, according to one senior BBC executive, the incident reflects the chaos at BBC News. "This is another cock up for BBC News – they are a law unto themselves on this one," said the source.

    "It is a cardinal law that you don't do that to a Thought for the Day presenter – that's a separate thing and you don't ask them questions like that.

    "Lord Sacks is the chief rabbi. You show him some respect. This may also fuel the idea in some people’s/ minds that the BBC is anti-Israel.”

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here is a video of a good interview between Sean Hannity and Rudy Giuliani -

    http://schnellmann.org/obama-the-liar.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. November 17, 2012
    Sacking General Carter Ham
    By John Griffing

    Just exactly what happened in Benghazi, Libya, in a terror attack that left four Americans dead, is the subject of heated national discussion -- especially now that elections are complete. One critical concern is who issued a "stand-down" order under which help was not dispatched to the Americans under fire from al-Qaida.

    Now apparently one person who would be in a position to offer details, Gen. Carter Ham, has allegedly made the decision to "retire."

    Already uncovered in the controversy is how there had been pleas for more security for the Americans in that location, how forces who were nearby could have responded, and how there were orders stopping that from happening.

    It is within this context that questions are being asked about the replacement of General Ham, head of Africom, only a few years before his mandatory retirement date, especially since his replacement occurred so close to the consulate attacks. Africom is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. This command encompasses all of Africa and its adjacent waters except for Egypt.

    It is notable that Ham was removed from a post with a three-year rotation after only one and a half years.
    When announcing Ham's replacement, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta praised Ham's service. A report from the department said leaders remain "fully confident" in Ham's performance.

    Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said that Ham "has the full confidence of the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." Little attributed the change to Ham's "decision to retire," which he described as "an entirely personal decision."

    Officials have denied there were other reasons for the change. "Gen. Ham's departure is part of routine succession planning that has been ongoing since July," said a government statement.

    And yet, it was on October 18 that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced his plans to nominate Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez to succeed Ham as leader of Africom, and at the time, no mention was made of early retirement considerations. Questions remain, especially because Ham's account of the terror attack contradicts the accounts of both Panetta and Barack Obama.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Panetta is on record as claiming that the refusal to use force was the result of a three-party consultation between Gen. Dempsey, Ham, and himself. At a Pentagon press briefing, Panetta told reporters:

      "(The) basic principle is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on; without having some real-time information about what's taking place. And as a result of not having that kind of information, the commander who was on the ground in that area, Gen. Ham, Gen. Dempsey and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation." [Emphasis added.]

      Ham simply said that he had forces ready and that no order was given, making no mention of a "consensus."

      Also revealed is that the U.S. had drones and real-time visual/audio communication during the attacks. Commanders could watch the entire tragedy unfold. The drone footage of the events in Benghazi has been classified by the Obama administration, which summarily declared the content "Top Secret."

      But these facts reveal an inconsistency in Panetta's narrative, which has led some critics to question Panetta's entire account of the events in Benghazi. According to Congressman Jason Chaffetz -- who traveled with Ham and asked a number of pertinent questions related to Benghazi -- forces were available and "had proximity," but no order was given to use them. Chaffetz sits on several Homeland Security subcommittees.

      Other reports say Special Forces members in Italy were told to wait, or got no orders at all.

      A source at the Pentagon told this writer that the tri-party consultation described by Panetta is unlikely at best and disingenuous at worst, because such decisions in the military are not taken by "consensus." This source, whose identity is being withheld, has extensive contact with the leadership arm of the reconnaissance and intelligence wing of the Pentagon and is very familiar with protocols in "hot" situations like Benghazi.

      He said, "When an incident begins to take shape in an area of responsibility (such as Benghazi in the A.O.R of General Ham), he would immediately activate forces necessary to deal with the crisis. Additionally, he would place additional forces on alert in case of further escalation or need for other aid (i.e. rescue, medevac, or offensive and close air support). Further, beyond his A.O.R., he would request certain forces be made ready in case they needed to called upon (most likely from the closest supporting A.O.R.). I would think that might be Central Command and forces in Italy."



      Delete
    2. He continued, "Once having activated his forces to readiness, he would advise his superior of his readiness to engage -- his immediate superior being the SECDEF. He would also alert him to further developments the SECDEF may not be aware of. Typically, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff is not in the Operational Line of Command. While the SECDEF may have the CJCS advise him if he desires, General Ham would be nearly always be getting orders directly from SECDEF."

      And, he said, "Since this attack on a U.S. consulate had enormous political implications for the president's foreign policy, the SECDEF would find himself in the position as just an 'adviser' to the president. Because the secretary of state implemented a major shift in the foreign policy of the president in the Middle East over the past four years, her input would carry more weight than the input from the SECDEF."

      He continued, "In reality, and considering the White House' personal involvement (through real-time reconnaissance overhead), the final decision was either delegated to the S.O.S or made by the president himself and then passed through S.O.S or SECDEF. To believe that a four-star would make the final decision, or to believe that a decision was arrived at through the consensus of the military arm of the government alone, is a fairy tale." [Emphasis Added]

      That description is at odds with Panetta's account.

      The source also said, "To remove someone prior to the announced change indicates that some event/action/incident has occurred to accelerate that change unless that officer is needed in their new position for a very important/critical position. That is where I would begin to look to get a sense of what has happened." [Emphasis Added]

      The source feels that since Ham was removed before his mandatory retirement date in 2013, there is very likely a circumstantial reason for the premature replacement, remarking, "I suspect that if General Ham spoke to the media and confirmed this sequence of events he would face many more difficulties prior to his retirement."

      General Ham's departure from Africom coincides with the announced removal of Admiral Charles M. Gauoette pending investigation of "inappropriate leadership judgment" during his deployment in the Mideast. The DOD has refused comment on the investigation.


      http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/sacking_general_carter_ham.html

      Delete
    3. Reports are that during the Benghazi attack, Ham was sending help after after either being told "not to" or told nothing. He was relieved of duty for insubordination.

      Delete
    4. I can believe that. Ham seems like a good sort.

      Delete
  5. So, are you going to tell us we were training the Gazan rocketeers in Benghazi?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you are asking me, my hunch is the Iranians are in Gaza helping out with that.

      You could ask President Obama.

      You might get a straighter answer from General Ham, however.

      Delete
    2. The question was for our host.

      Delete
    3. Your so called question is a nonsequitur.

      Here is how it works:

      Quote something that I or anyone else actually said, not something that you fabricate and erroneously attribute to me or anyone else.
      Consider the context and form a sensible question and articulate it.

      Conversely, make a declaration and if anyone is interested, they will answer.

      Delete
  6. Not so funny cartoon -

    http://www.americanthinker.com/cartoons/

    ReplyDelete
  7. .

    Concerning the super PACs, the court — in several rulings, including Citizens United — said the only unlimited campaign expenditures it was enabling had to be “wholly,” “totally” and “truly” independent of candidates and political parties. As for secret donors, the Citizens United opinion stated that, under existing law, the sources of funding for election ads would be fully and speedily disclosed on the Internet — promising that shareholders could hold corporations “accountable” for their political donations, and voters could “see whether elected officials are ‘in the pocket of so-called moneyed interests.’ ”

    Which is worse, Citizens United or the FEC?

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't know about that, which is worse, but maybe we ought to try this way -

      bmatkin

      In Canada recently an election was decided by one vote. Nobody complained.
      The way they do it there could be a lesson in voting down here.
      First, they have id. Usually the government mails a voter card to the household with the name and so on, and you present that to the poll. If you lost it, they scrutinize your id a lot more.
      If you just moved in the area, you can still vote, but you have to have id, (not one piece but two pieces) a household bill with your family name on it (like hydro or taxes) and these ballots are put in a separate envelope and not counted unless these ballots could make a difference. Then, the voters are screened by both parties (or all parties) before being counted.
      If you vote early, your vote is not counted until after the preliminary count and then each name is crossed off the voter list BEFORE the unseen ballot is allowed to be counted. If there is a conflict, those ballots are put in a different place to be looked at by a judge.
      At each poll there are party workers with voter lists that watch everyone entering and leaving the poll, they cross off those that have voted and add names of those not on the list. They can at any time question the poll procedure or ballot. At that point an outside "bigger poll officer" can rule on the ballot. These ballots are placed in a different envelope for further review.
      This works.
      One thing that should occur is no mail in ballots, no electronic ballots, no absentee ballots (except for military, police etc.) and no advance polls. If you're not there on voting day, you don't vote. (you're obviously thinking its not that important)


      Did Obama Cheat? How to Answer the Question

      http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/did_obama_cheat_how_to_answer_the_question.html




      Delete
    2. Some people, usually of the "poorer" variety, can't vote "on election day."

      Then you have states like Floria, and this year, Ohio, that don't put enough polling places in poor neighborhoods, thus causing 8, 10, and 12 hour waits.

      We need reforms, alright; but we have to make sure they are reforms that make it "Easier" to vote, not harder.

      Delete
    3. Make it a national holiday.

      That's bs about Ohio. You could early vote there for at least a week.

      Delete
    4. And, they still cut back the early voting hours, approx. in half from 4 years ago. They had people standing in line in Ohio for four, and five hours, both to "early vote," and on election day.

      It was disgraceful what Husted (Sec of State - Ohio) did.

      Delete

    5. Ohio Absentee Ballot Guide
      Last updated October 17, 2012
      Important Deadlines

      Voter Registration Form: Received on or before October 9, 2012
      Absentee Ballot Application: Received by 12:00 pm noon on November 3, 2012
      Voted Absentee Ballot: Delivered in person by the close of polls on Election Day. Postmarked on or before November 5, 2012, and received no later than 10 days after the election

      How to vote by absentee ballot
      Register to vote

      Recommended: Use our Voter Registration Widget. Enter your information, print and sign the completed form, and mail it to the address printed on the form.

      You can also use the Ohio Voter Registration Form. Mail your completed form to County Board of Elections.
      Verify your registration

      It's best to verify your voter registration before applying for your absentee ballot. If there's a problem with your registration, register again before proceeding.

      NOTE: Most people receive their voter registration cards in the mail 2-3 weeks after registering to vote. Don't worry if you lost or never received it. You don't actually need your voter registration card to vote.
      Apply for your absentee ballot

      Good news! Any registered Ohio voter can vote by absentee ballot.

      NOTE: You may begin applying for your absentee on January 1 of the year of the election, or 90 days prior to the election, whichever date is earlier.

      Download and complete the Ohio Absentee Ballot Application. Mail or hand-deliver your completed absentee ballot application to your County Board of Elections.
      Receive, complete, and return your absentee ballot

      The absentee ballot itself is pretty straightforward. Fill it out, sign where indicated, and mail or hand-deliver your voted ballot to your County Board of Elections. Your voted ballot must be received by the close of polls on election day. If you can't return your ballot yourself, and immediate family member can bring deliver it for you to your County Board of Elections.

      NOTE: If you are outside the United States on election day, your absentee ballot envelope must be signed or postmarked prior to the close of polls, and received by the Board of Elections no later than 10 days after the election or 20 days after the presidential primary election
      Frequently Asked Questions
      Do I need to provide ID when I apply for my absentee ballot in Ohio?

      You need to include your Ohio driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number on your absentee ballot application. If you don't have one of these numbers, then you must a copy of your identification. Acceptable ID includes: a current and valid photo ID that shows your name; a military identification that shows your name; or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document (other than a voter registration notification mailed by a board of elections) that shows your name and address.
      Can I vote in person before the election in Ohio?

      Yes. Check out our Early Voting page for details.
      Additional Information
      State Election Website: http://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections.aspx
      Email: election@sos.state.oh.us
      www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/about/ContactUsAgency.aspx
      Local Election Officials: Your Local Election Official is the best person to contact if you have questions. They'll be able to provide up-to-date information on rules and deadlines.

      Delete
    6. .

      The Canadian system sounds fine to me; however, I disagree with the editorial comment in the last lines.

      Accomodations have to be made to allow everyone a chance to vote. The one instance I don't how they will ever be able to safeguard is the electronic (I assume similar to e-mail) ballots.

      .

      Delete
    7. Fast Facts on Voting in Ohio

      OhioVOTES Election 2012 Fast Facts:

      Election Day Voting Hours: 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

      Tuesday, November 6, 2012



      About Absentee ballots:

      These are ballot applications that were mailed to every registered voter in Ohio in early October. If you did not receive one, you may request one through the Ohio Secretary of State (614) 466-2655. If you request an Absentee Ballot by mail, you can complete and return it by mail, or take it to an early voting location and get answers to questions you might have. Place your completed ballot in the Absentee Ballot box on site.



      Requests for Absentee Ballots must be received by boards of elections by noon on Saturday, November 3; and must be returned in person by close of Election Day, or by mail, postmarked by no later than Nov. 5.



      If you order an Absentee Ballot but decide you want to vote on Election Day instead, you will be provided a Provisional Ballot at the polls.



      About Provisional ballots:

      A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question in regards to a given voter's eligibility, such as when a voter’s name does not appear in the poll book, or does not have required identification. Be certain to fill out the form completely by printing your name, providing the last four digits of your social security number, and signing the affidavit. If you need to update your address, be sure to fill out the back of the form entitled “Notification of Change of Address.”



      About Early Voting:

      Early voting is the same as Absentee Voting, except that you do it in person rather than by mail. Early voting locations may be found HERE. Here are the hours for early voting:

      — Mon., October 29 – Thurs., November 1: 8 AM to 7 PM

      — Fri., November 2: 8 AM – 6 PM

      — Sat., Nov. 3: 8 AM – 2 PM

      — Sun., Nov. 4: 1 PM – 5 PM

      — Mon., Nov. 5: 8 AM – 2 PM



      About Voting on Election Day:

      Anyone who is a registered elector has the right to vote. If there are questions about your eligibility, you have the right to a Provisional Ballot. If you encounter challenges to voting or have questions, call the free hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).



      About Identification Required on Election Day:

      Ohio accepts a wide variety of documents for voter ID purposes:

      A driver’s license or state ID card with your name and photo issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The card must be current (not expired), but it can have an old address.
      A U.S. Military ID with your name and photo (address not required).
      A government ID with your name, current address, and photo. Note that student ID is not accepted.
      An original or copy of one of the following current documents that shows your name and current address: utility bill (including cell phone bill), bank statement, pay stub, government check, or other government document. The document must have a date within one year of Election Day to be accepted as current.



      If you do not have any of the above, you may use the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. You will have to vote a provisional ballot, but it will be counted so long as the number matches your voter registration.



      Remember, You have the right to vote!

      — YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE a regular paper ballot if your county used touch screen voting machines and you would prefer a paper ballot

      — YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE a provisional ballot if your name does not appear on the poll list of if you don’t have identification.

      — YOU HAVE THE RIGHT to be told by the poll worker if you are in the correct precinct line and polling location, and if you are not, the poll worker must tell you the correct location to vote.

      — YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO RECEIVE ANOTHER BALLOT from election officials if you make a mistake. You may receive up to 3 ballots in total.



      If you encounter challenges to voting or have questions, call the toll free hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).

      Delete
    8. I thought it was odd that people were voting before the debates were over. I thought people really ought to listen to the debates, and then vote, but I am old fashioned.

      Delete
    9. The poor blacks have been screwed for so long that they don't trust absentee ballots. They want to fill out their ballots, and SEE them dropped into the box.

      Delete
    10. .

      Given that, it's hard to allege voter supression in Ohio. In their saystem, its sure a lot easier and with more options than we have in MI.

      As for long lines, we had them here also. You can always complain when there aren't enough voting places, machines, or workers to move things along quickly; however, then it becomes a question of is it incompetance on the part of the officials or intent, a hard thing to prove.


      .

      Delete
  8. The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.

    B-HO at the United Nations

    By the way, the guy that made the movie trailer that was blamed for the attack is in jail.

    A political prisoner, in effect.

    Free Whatshisname!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      They got him on a technicality, parole violation.

      He's not going anywhere for a year. He's lucky Obama didn't send him to GITMO.

      .

      Delete
    2. :)

      Hey, they ought to give him a medal. They used the poor guy for their big excuse. I think he deserves some payment for services rendered, maybe a lunch with Susan Rice, or something.

      Delete
    3. If the man was jailed for a parole violation which others would not ordinarily be jailed for, he could make the case that he is a political prisoner. I would like to know what part the Feds played in "getting him".

      Delete
  9. Florida is making it easier to vote. (Not that it was ever that hard) One can register online, vote by mail on extended voting days or on the day of the election. Yes, at some locations and times, there were long (relatively) waits but there's no guarantee of shorter lines that if voting days were extended even longer. For the last two Presidential elections, we have seen historic turnout at polling stations in predominately minority precincts.

    Unsaid is the fact that the Dems turned out their "banked votes" early and without regard to logistics for concern for their peoples convenience. More likely, they actually love it when their people are shown "passing out" in long voters lines because it supports their "disenfranchisement" charges.

    The furor is largely politically motivated and during elections without the racial bias component, turnout will be less and no one should have to complain about being disenfranchised because they had to wait too long.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is total, and utter nonsense.

      Delete
    2. No, it isn't.

      Dems have a long record of voter fraud. They have cobbled together a confederation of minorities and every four years trot out the same of scare tactics to get them to the polls.

      I would refer you to the Bakers Union use of 16,000 people as cannon fodder.

      Delete
    3. Those 8 and 9 hour lines in Florida didn't have Anything to do with any "bakers' union."

      The small amount of "voter fraud" that the Dems could possibly come up with, would Pale in comparison to the attempts by Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and others to Suppress the "Black Vote."

      Delete
    4. Get a grip man. You're admirable with the energy arguments but with the progressive bullshit propaganda; not so much.

      Delete
  10. If you say so Rufus, the working presumption is you are wrong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That might be your "working presumption," but it sure isn't the rest of the World's.

      The whole world was watching Husted (Ohio,) and Scott (Florida) as they made Heroic Efforts to keep the blacks, hispanics, and poor away from the polls.

      Delete
    2. Those poor Blacks? Give me a fucking break.

      Delete
  11. .

    Back to the subject of this stream, Iran.

    I made the point a week or two back that in its intent US foreign policy as promulgated by the neocons of the right or the liberals on the left is identical, it is interventionism.

    The words and means may very but the only wars either party objects to are those started or carried out by the other party. The diplomacy has the same intent and is usually carried out in the same moronic fashion. Obama had a chance to negotiate an agreement with Iran in 2009 but instead gave in to pressure from those on his side. The neocons had their Chalabi in Iraq. The liberals have their Mousavi in Iran. Ideologues and Pollyannish optimists willing to drag the US into war.

    The following article supports that conclusion,

    Liberal Shamelessness on Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How long will it take the world to realize?

      When you lie down with dogs (negotiate with the Ayatollahs, Hezbollah, Hamas, PLO/PLA), you wake up with fleas (in other words, fucked.)

      Delete
  12. I'm beginning to think that there might actually be a time (a line in the sand, if you will) when Obama will proceed to bomb their enrichment facilities into oblivion.

    I'm not thoroughly convinced of that, yet, but my opinion is evolving in that direction (slowly.)

    ReplyDelete
  13. The Palestinians are sending rockets into Jerusalem. I would love to see them score a direct hit on the Dome of the Rock.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Praise be to the almighty Obama. I am sure he will do the right thing at the perfect time.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Here is what the neocons bought us for ten years of treasure and blood:

    ”Iraq will invite (Arab) ministers to use the weapon of oil, with the aim of asserting real pressure on the United States and whoever stands with Israel,” Qais al-Azzawy told reporters in Cairo on Friday.

    Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/16/liberated-iraq-calls-on-arab-states-to-use-oil-as-weapon-against-us/#ixzz2CVQhBjjb

    ReplyDelete
  16. 03/27/2003, Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Defense Secretary

    "There’s a lot of money to pay for this ... the oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years…We’re dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.”

    ReplyDelete
  17. The question is: Should we bow and scrape or bow up ?

    I know what I would do, I'm not sure about Obama.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Let see where this goes:

    Turkish PM in Cairo vows support for Gaza

    THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    CAIRO -- Turkey's prime minister has vowed support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

    Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Egypt's uprising that ousted longtime autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak from power last year as a point of hope for Palestinians. The Turkish leader delivered his remarks in a speech at Cairo University Saturday.

    He also met President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo for the first time since the Egyptian Islamist leader was elected late June.

    The Turkish leader is in Egypt with a delegation of 12 ministers and 350 businessmen.

    Meanwhile, hundreds of people protested outside the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, where Arab foreign ministers are meeting to discuss Israel's expanded fierce air assault on rocket operations in Gaza, which is run by the Islamic militant Hamas group.

    Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/17/3101852/turkish-pm-in-cairo-vows-support.html#storylink=cpy

    ReplyDelete
  19. .

    As I was thinking about the article I posted above about the liberal's inclination towards intervention, in this case on Iran, it reminded me of other instances including the recent Libyan War. In this case, one gets the impression that Obama was intially reluctant to get involved with direct action on Libya but that he eventually succumbed to the presure applied by the hawkish troika of bellicose bimbos within the administration, Clinton, Rice, and Samantha Powers.

    This then brought to mind the recent posts here concluding that all men especially the 'alpha males' are mere troglodytes being led around by their dicks. Initially, I thought the posts were merely clever and ironic similar to an Onion article and I went along. After seeing that some seemed to actually believe what was written, I didn't bother to say anything.

    However, with the Petraeus/Kelly/Broadwell/Allen menage au quatro, there have been a number of articles published trying to assign blame in general terms to one particular side of the sexual divide. On the one side we get, "why are all or at least alpha males like this", or on the distaff side, "why is it always the woman to blame".

    The notion that it is only the male or alpha males that acts this way, or that these actions are inevitible, is quaint. As humor it is effective, since it takes one side of an argument and exaggerates it like most good jokes. However, since it only provides one side of the story, it is inadequate for serious discussion.

    In my experiance, the motivations of men and women in this particular area are pretty similar. To highlight the 'faults' of one side and ignore those on the other are a mistake. The historical difference between men and women is not motivational but cultural with men historically being overwhelmingly situated in the positions of power that provide them with more opportunity to act freely.

    This is all changing. Women now make up at least half the working population. They are moving more and more into high profile, power positions. I have no doubt that in a few years we will be getting a TV series from HBO titled Mad Women.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We could blog 24/7 on the male/female dynamic and never plumb the depths of the relationship.

      Delete
  20. As to Deuce's Iraq link, above:

    C+C (Oil) Production in the OECD Countries (this includes the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Norway, the U.K., Denmark, etc,) despite all the Shale Oil/Oil Sands hype, is Down 1,244,000 bbl/day since 2005.

    EIA Data

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      So what?

      Other than on the East Coast with the current distribution problems, do you see anyone going without gas?

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Recent reports say the EU is in recession, the US barely has its head above water, the Chinese economy has slowed dramatically, emerging markets have suffered, the US has mandated the increasing use of ethanol and has supported a big push in alternate energy, some talk daily about all the things other countries are doing in alternative energy, gas mileage is up substantially across most car lines, and the government has mandated that fleet mileage practically double, people are travelling less by car do to the poor economy, and yet, some still wonder at the fact that oil production is down.

      .

      Delete
    3. I just "Deliver" the news, buddy; I'm not going to try to 'splain it to you.

      Delete
    4. Yeah, dumbfuck, considering that oil was $55.00/bbl in 2005, and is Double that, Now, some people DO Wonder.

      Delete
    5. In fact, they're even "wondering" if the high price of oil might not be contributing to many of those things you listed.

      Delete
    6. .

      Just as I said, SOME do wonder.

      .

      Delete
    7. And, yes, asshole; some people, in this time of declining Median Family Income, are being pushed by the higher gasoline prices.

      Delete
    8. The Energy Crisis That Wasn't

      http://hotair.com/archives/2012/11/17/the-energy-crisis-that-wasnt/


      Another man, another view.

      Delete
  21. CNSNews.com – Rep. Marcia Fudge (D.-Ohio), the incoming chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, is accusing Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) of "sexism and racism" because the criticism leveled at U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice for telling the American people that the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was a spontaneous reaction to a video posted on YouTube.

    Can someone please explain to the brain trust at The Congressional Black Caucus that they by self definition designate themselves as a racial organization. Marcia Fudge?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      It's the same meme they used all through the election.

      It worked then, why change now?

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Earlier, I pointed out the condescending tone used by Obama in defending Rice. There have been numerous accusations about the Obama White House and how unfriendly it is to women; yet, when they talk about the GOP 'war on women' it works.

      They would be silly to change.

      .

      Delete
    3. Some are Racist; some are Sexist; McCain is just batshit crazy.

      Delete
    4. It wasn't the Dems that were talking about a Rapist's Sperm being a "Gift from God."

      Delete
    5. It wasn't the Dems that refused to endorse the "Lily Ledbetter Act."

      Delete
    6. It wasn't the Dems that were trying to curtail women's right to birth control.

      Delete
    7. Back in 1971, I was present as top leaders of two political organizations met to negotiate common actions they could take despite their differences. One of those leaders was a woman. Over and over, she raised points for consideration, only to be ignored by both sides. When someone of the other team did agree with a proposal she made, he would wait a few minutes and then say so to one of her male colleagues, as though the suggestion had been his. "As you said, Jerry," or "That's probably the way to go, Sam."

      No one on her team corrected the misattribution, though they laughed about it afterward. As the woman matter-of-factly explained to me, "He couldn't admit anything we said was right if he also had to admit that it had come from a woman."

      How far have we come in 40 years? According to a new book on the the Obama administration, many of the president's advisers initially showed similar disregard for women. For the first two years, senior female aides complained that male colleagues ignored them, excluded them from key policy meetings, dismissed their opinions and limited their access to the president.

      It is clear, however, that we have come a long way. When told of the women's concerns, President Barack Obama convened a dinner with the female staff and took steps to make the atmosphere more inclusive and empowering. Our nation now has three women on the Supreme Court, all of whom out-talk at least one of their male colleagues. And we have a female secretary of state who by all accounts does not get muscled aside by anyone, male or female.

      ...

      And it remains true that many men are still socialized to put themselves forward too much, and literally cannot hear women who ask for what they want. A wise executive -- in a school, a business, or a nation -- must help his or her team learn to respect all styles of self-presentation and to listen to all views, as Obama evidently did when it was brought to his attention.

      http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/25/opinion/coontz-women-obama/index.html

      Obama's comments on Rice were old style gallantry, like holding a door open for a woman. I always smile and say thank you (well, I did before I became a recluse- no doors per se in my cave.) There are (much) bigger hills to stand on, as Hillary would say.

      Delete
    8. Melinda Gates’ New Crusade: Investing Billions in Women's Health

      She plans to use the Gates Foundation’s billions to revolutionize contraception worldwide. The Catholic right is pushing back. Is she ready for the political firestorm ahead?

      Uhmmmm? Yes.


      From the comments:

      Anyone who believes eggs in women and sperm in men are ALREADY people will then have to concede that all denials of conjugal acts are murder.

      Delete
    9. .

      Interesting that you base your condemnation of the GOP on one man's morality and his theological beliefs despite the fact that the man was never elected. Going beyond that, even if elected, his chances of changing anything related to abortion was minimal. Roe v. Wade is the law of the land and it will remain so unless overturned by SCOTUS at some future date, something that no one is predicting at this point.

      What is even more interesting is your lack of comment on the wig jobs on the left who support abortion under any circumstances, late-term abortion, partial birth abortions, comfort rooms, even those 'ethicists' in the UK that promote infanticide because new borns aren't truly human yet by their definition of what is human. Or perhaps, based on the monetary costs involved as noted on that link you put up, perhaps you believe in some of these yourself, late-term abortions for instance.

      One of your friends in the 'war on women' meme posted a statistic a while back showing that the majority of people in the US support abortion; yet, it was an extensive poll and if you followed the link back, what you found was a majority (68% as I recall) dissaproved of abortion on demand, and didn't think that abortion should be allowed just because pregnancy was an inconvenience.

      Mourdock stated his case and his opposition to abortion on firmly held moral grounds; however, he also said that he understands that many disagree with him and that he respects their views. To me, that is a much more reasonable stand than those whose first words on most subjects are "racist" or "sexist.

      As for tying to the 'war on women' meme to the right, the following is one of the best and most comprehensive arguments against abortion that I have seen. Please note who wrote it.

      How We Respect Life is an Overriding Moral Issue

      Sorry, I'll take sides with those who respect life rather than those who have devolved to the morality of considering a developed fetus the equivalent of tumor or a hemorrhoid.

      .

      Delete
    10. I'll take the side of those who respect the importance of the question: who decides?

      Delete
    11. Have a ball; but your team will continue to lose elections.

      I stated a couple of days ago, that it was Akin that brought the Republican Platform to the Public's attention. The Republican Platform had no exception for rape, or incest (not to mention - health of the mother.)

      Akins/Mourdoch, etal, also brought to our attention that Romney had vetoed a bill that would have made it legal for Hospitals to administer an abortant to Rape Victims.

      Delete
    12. .

      Do you even have a clue as to what the 'Lily Ledbetter Act' is?

      It did absolutely nothing to change the rules about what constitutes discrimination. All it had to do with was the time a person has to file a discrimination suit after the alleged act occurs. It was in response to a Supreme Court decision that set the legal limit to six months. The law might have been a good idea but it was hardly groundbreaking.

      .

      Delete
    13. Yes, I know exactly what it is. I, also, watched Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan refuse to Endorse it.

      Delete
    14. Please note who wrote it.


      I am guessing Ms. 'Roe'.

      Now I will go open it and read it and see.

      Delete
    15. Nope, I was totally wrong.

      Delete
    16. .

      It wasn't the Dems that were trying to curtail women's right to birth control.

      More bullshit. What the Obama team was to turn the Constitution on its head by forcing churces to pay for procedures and devises that they are morally opposed to.

      In my opinion, that is against the 1st Amendment. SCOTUS will decide.

      But then I guess it comes down to 'who decides'. AS long as it's a decision you agree with then the Constitution be damned.

      .

      Delete
    17. Postscript: Though Jackson's view as expressed here is consistent, Jackson himself was not -- later reversing himself for a chance at the Democratic nomination for president, as Colman McCarthhy narrates.

      Not an unusual move by any means.

      Delete
    18. I am absolutely for certain that neither I, nor Todd Akin are qualified to decide.

      I'll vote for the woman, and her doctor - although, I'll concede a possible role for the government in the case of a late-term (potentially viable fetus) situation.

      I am absolutely certain that there is no place for the government in the case of "the morning after."

      And, I'm guessing that a lot of other Americans are somewhere in the vicinity of this camp.

      Delete
    19. The Courts have already ruled on this, I believe. The "Ruling" being that a Church does Not have to provide birth control for those working "within" the church, but cannot withhold bc availability from those working in more secular, but church-owned/sponsored businesses/enterprises such as hospitals, universities, etc.

      Delete
    20. Percent of first trimester abortions in USA: 90%



      Delete
  22. Take your TS card and get it punched by the Chaplain of the Congressional Caucasian Caucus. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now, on one hand you have the Tea Party/Evangelicals,

      and on the other hand you have the above poll (from Rasmussen, remember.)

      The "Latino Vote" is the lesser of the Republicans' immediate problems.

      Delete
    2. La Raza sounds a little racist to me and has a nice ring to it as well.

      Congressional Caucasian Caucus also has a nice ring.

      Delete
    3. .

      See my comment above on abortion polls. It's all about how the question is asked.

      .

      Delete
    4. I agree with Q on this. We are children of the Euph. (Euph for euphemism.) Couch anything in the right term and the unwashed asses of ample are in. Get euph to it.

      Delete
  23. I don't think McCain is bat shit crazy for perhaps suspecting that Obama gave a stand down order at Benghazi and sacrificed those four people in order to protect his campaign narrative that he had gotten Osama and al-Qaeda was kaput, and came up with this non sense about some movie trailer in LA as cover. If that is what he suspects, of course. Many people do suspect just that.

    A man that would vote to kill babies born alive after a botched abortion would have no qualms about human life and might well do just that, a man that is a true narcissist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What about those other 22 Demonstrations at U.S. Embassies?

      Did those not happen due to some "nonsense movie trailer?"

      Delete
    2. I think they happened after the attack. Sept 14th or thereabouts.

      Delete
    3. Fuck No, they didn't. They were all happening at the same time. Don't you ever get embarrassed?

      Delete
    4. There were also protests on the anniversary of Sept 11.

      Again, it doesn't matter. Whether you are getting killed by a mob or a terrorist attack, you'd like to get some help.

      Delete
    5. The biggest one, in Egypt had started a few hours before the Benghazi attack. Here's the News from the 12th.

      Embassies attacked, Worldwide - note the date

      Delete
    6. They were already Dead, dumbshit. Nothing you can do for a dead man.

      The CIA requested "evacuation," and they got evacuation.

      Delete
  24. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/16/ranchers-farmers-brace-for-death-tax-impact/?intcmp=trending

    "The idea behind the estate tax is to prevent the very wealthy among us from accumulating vast fortunes that they can pass along to the next generation," said Patrick Lester, director of Federal Fiscal Policy with the progressive think tank -- OMB Watch. "The poster child for the estate tax is Paris Hilton -- the celebrity and hotel heiress. That's who this is targeted at, not ordinary Americans."

    But according to the American Farm Bureau, up to 97 percent of American farms and ranches will be subject to an estate tax where the exemption is set at $1 million. At that rate, the federal government will pocket $40 billion in 2013 and up to $86 billion in 2021. That contrasts with just $12 billion this year.



    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/16/ranchers-farmers-brace-for-death-tax-impact/?intcmp=trending


    The idea behind it is too suck for money anyway you can find it, the hell with the family farm.

    Why even try?

    ReplyDelete
  25. We get the genuinely unserious government we deserve.

    Republicans have already conceded huge swaths of their argument to the president. Both House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are now ready to meet with Obama to tackle a nonexistent "revenue" problem rather than an unsustainable spending problem. So elections do have consequences—most notably, surrender.

    Meanwhile, as the GOP plots an honorable out, the president is crushing them on the broader political and ideological front. It is the president who lays out the populist parameters of this debate (rich vs. the rest) and the Republicans who are unable to muster a cogent retort or a single enticing reform-minded agenda. Instead, the GOP has cooked up a political strategy that repetitively calls out the president for his lack of "leadership" in hopes of pressuring the White House. Good luck with that!

    Obama went on to say that he remains adamant that taxes rates on the rich must rise—though he is flexible on the details of how he gets to raise tax rates to where he wants them, explained White House Press Secretary Jay Carney this week. In Washington, this is called "compromise." Obama explained in his presser that he's also "very eager" to reform the tax code and claims that entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security need a "serious look," but gave absolutely no hint on how he would move forward.

    The president says he's open to all "new ideas" as long as those ideas "raise revenue, maintain progressivity, make sure the middle class isn't getting hit, and encourage growth." Since the president believes that government spending encourages expansion and that the wealthy should pay for that new spending, where does that leave us on debt? Gallup claims that 45 percent of Americans favor reducing the federal deficit with an equal balance of tax increases and spending cuts—which is up from 32 percent last year. One assumes that balance means a dollar in tax hikes for a dollar in spending cuts. Does that sound like it's about to happen?

    Fox News' Bill Kristol recently wondered why the GOP would "fall on its sword to defend a bunch of millionaires, half of whom voted Democratic and half of whom live in Hollywood and are hostile." They shouldn't. They should fall on their swords—or who knows, even come up with a compelling argument—to institute a modicum of responsible budgeting.


    As it stands today, after all, Obama will never have to fall on his sword, because, let’s face it, he doesn’t even have to bring a weapon to this fight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elections have consequences.

      Obama ran on "letting the tax cuts for those over $250,000.00 expire, and he won. In fact, exit polling showed that more people agreed with him on that than voted for him.

      We have almost always been very close to 20% of GDP in Revenue. Right now, we're running at 15% of GDP. You can't run this railroad on 15%.

      Delete
  26. For The Elephant Bar (via D) -


    HOW DID THEY KNOW?
    SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT IS MUCH GREATER AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE.
    THE ELEPHANT'S JOURNEY TO PAY RESPECT, BUT HOW DID THEY KNOW?
    ele-1

    Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller, The Elephant Whisperer, bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003.
    .
    On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died.
    He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons and numerous elephants.
    Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs.

    Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend.
    A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House.
    ele-2

    Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence 's passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way: Walking slowly - for days - Making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house.

    So, how after Anthony’s death, did the reserve’s elephants — grazing miles away in distant parts of the park — know?

    “A good man died suddenly,” says Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Ph.D., “and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants, sensing that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, almost ‘funereal’ procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man’s home.”

    “If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous ‘interconnectedness of all beings,’ it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart’s stops, and hundreds of elephants’ hearts are grieving.
    This man’s oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend.”
    Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years!

    But yet they knew where they were going.
    The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back.



    Dan Cannon
    MSgt USMC(Ret)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is something really uplifting and heartening about this story, much needed these days.

      Delete
  27. Rufus is batshit crazy!

    ReplyDelete
  28. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me explain how it works Anon. You can say pretty much what you like here, but we have a rule: Say what you like as long as it is something you would say to another patron on a stool next to you. You have some strong words to say to a regular here, put a name to your post. Get it?

      Delete
  29. I was merely giving Rufus a taste of his own medicine which frequently dispenses to others.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Was it something I said?

      a name

      Delete
  31. I refuse to get a Google account but henceforth every comment I make will be signed with " a name" so you will know who the commenter really is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You forgot to sign your comment.

      Delete
    2. Go ahead, say it, "you dumbf...."


      a name

      Delete
    3. .

      Ah, come on.

      You have to realize it's just the Rufus way.

      I get them all the time. For instance,

      Yeah, dumbfuck, considering that oil was $55.00/bbl in 2005, and is Double that, Now, some people DO Wonder.

      Can't take it too seriously. For instance, I could have mentioned that the price of corn has gone up 300-400% since 2005. Prices doubling? Take a look at overall commodity prices in that time span, or metals or food. But why bother?

      Just Rufus being Rufus.

      .

      Delete
  32. Dome of the Rocket - heh

    Sam1427

    Oh by the way, I heard that Hamas almost managed to damage the Dome of the Rock with a rocket. Now that would be appropriate. Have to admit I'd laugh about that one.

    Today 05:38 PM


    BrimmingUSpride

    We need to give them a better targeting system so they won't miss next time:) Let's rename it, "Dome of the Rocket" to help them too:) (sarc/off) God bless you and the U.S.A.

    Today 07:31 PM
    in reply to Sam1427


    Kim Kardashian (still don't know who exactly she is) tweeted something about backing the Jews and all hell broke loose for her -

    She evidently failed to foresee how such an unobjectionable sentiment would be received by some of her millions of twitter followers. Within minutes, the predictable flood of death threats and wishes began rolling in.

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/11/more_liberal_intolerance.html






    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have to admit it would be satisfying to see The Dome of the Rocket take a direct hit from an Iranian missile fired from Gaza.

      :)

      Delete
    2. .

      It would be a little funny. I mean in an ironic sort of way.

      Likely, Ash, would miss the irony though. Dollars to donuts, he would blame it on the papists.

      :)

      .

      Delete
  33. November 17, 2012
    President's Daily Brief after Benghazi called the attack 'terrorism'
    Rick Moran

    Jennifer Rubin has the story:

    In a blockbuster report, John Solomon, the former Associated Press and Post reporter, has ferreted out the president's daily brief that informed him within 72 hours of the Sept. 11 attack that the Benghazi attack was a jihadist operation.

    Citing officials directly familiar with the information, Solomon writes in the Washington Guardian that Obama and other administration officials were told that "that the attack was likely carried out by local militia and other armed extremists sympathetic to al-Qaida in the region."

    He adds:
    The details from the CIA and Pentagon assessments of the killing of Ambassador Chris [Stevens] were far more specific, more detailed and more current than the unclassified talking points that UN Ambassador Susan Rice and other officials used five days after the attack to suggest to Americans that an unruly mob angry over an anti-Islamic video was to blame, officials said.Most of the details affirming al-Qaida links were edited or excluded from the unclassified talking points used by Rice in appearances on news programs the weekend after the attack, officials confirmed Friday. Multiple agencies were involved in excising information, doing so because it revealed sources and methods, dealt with classified intercepts or involved information that was not yet fully confirmed, the officials said.

    How could the president and his senior staff then have allowed (or rather, sent) Rice to go out to tell an entirely different tale to the American people on Sept. 16 on five TV shows?

    This report indicates that the president certainly knew that Benghazi wasn't a rogue movie review gone bad. He had information that plainly spelled out what was later confirmed by additional intelligence. If this information was too confidential to share with the public, at the very least the president and others should not have mislead (sic) voters.

    Solomon cautions that there were bits of evidence pointing to a spontaneous attack but, as Eli Lake of the Daily Beast and others have reported, he writes: "Among the early evidence cited in the briefings to the president and other senior officials were intercepts showing some of the participants were known members or supporters of Ansar al-Sharia - the al-Qaida-sympathizing militia in Libya - and the AQIM, which is a direct affiliate of al-Qaida in northern Africa, the officials said."

    This is a case when the administration believed what it wanted to believe both for political and diplomatic reasons. But there's never a good reason to lie to the American people - especially when the deaths of 4 of our countrymen are being discussed. The PDB proves that the Obama administration has not been forthcoming in explaining how they arrived at the conclusion that the anti-Muslim film was to blame for the attack and not well armed terrorists.

    The issue will not go away anytime soon.




    ReplyDelete
  34. People are starting to get strange ideas --

    LauraR

    The military generals and the Admiral wanted to act, but were arrested for trying to do so. This to me, as far as Obama, and the other leaders who prevented the Generals and Admiral to act, committed treason,and needs to to arrested.





    Today 11:33 AM
    in reply to John From Cranberry


    Deborah

    This is what we need to get a lot of details about. We all know Obama lied about the stupid video. Much worse is that he purposely allowed those four Americans to die over there, ignoring repeated calls for help, preventing the miliary/CIA from helping. If that cannot result in impeachment and bringing down this thug in the White House, nothing will.





    Today 11:52 AM
    in reply to LauraR


    LeslieFL

    Deborah, basically, what you are saying is that the President presided over a massacre of Americans, and would not let the military rescue these defenseless Americans in Benghazi on September 11th, for his own reasons. It even looks like he wanted them without Marine protection, although Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked for Marines to protect the embassy, more than once, in writing. Instead, the President granted Blue Mountain Group, a Libyan agency which stood guard with flashlights and batons to "protect" our Ambassador Stevens.

    As a result, these jihadists walked right into the embassy and lit the place on fire. No resistance, no deterrence whatsoever. No wonder they set a bomb off on June 6th, 2012 and put a huge hole in the embassy wall big enough for a truck to go through. I personally feel the President should have had to stay in this embassy with Blue Mountain Group guards in Benghazi in August or September, knowing that Ghadafi had released 19,000 of his prisoners from his prisons, and they are loose in Libya. (Great place to visit, great place to live)..This information can be found in the cables released by Darrell Issa, and Libya is a land of extreme violence. President Obama knew this and intentionally left Americans to be 'sacrificed' like lambs to the slaughter.




    Today 03:09 PM
    in reply to Deborah


    Burlington

    I want to hear Gen. Carter Ham testify in an open hearing. Admiral Gaouette who was recalled for a "serious error in judgement" while arriving in the Arabian Sea aboard the USS John C Stennis should be subpoenaed if the recall was associated with comments or orders about Benghazi.


    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/11/presidents_daily_brief_after_benghazi_called_the_attack_terrorism_comments.html#disqus_thread

    ReplyDelete

  35. In sworn testimony before closed hearings of congressional intelligence committees last week, the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, acting CIA director Mike Morrell, and former CIA director David Petraeus all pleaded ignorance about who made the changes to the intelligence community’s draft talking points.



    http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/susan-rice-s-talking-points_663527.html


    The elephants have more nobility.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Tribal America


    ...demographics is destiny and, absent assimilationist incentives this country no longer imposes, a Latin American population will wind up living in a Latin American society. Don’t take it from a right-wing bigot like me, take it from the New York Times. In 2009, Jason DeParle filed a story about suburban Maryland, in which he helpfully explained the municipality of Langley Park to Times readers:

    Now nearly two-thirds Latino and foreign-born, it has the aesthetics of suburban sprawl and the aura of Central America. Laundromats double as money-transfer stores. Jobless men drink and sleep in the sun. There is no city government, few community leaders, and little community.

    Golly. You’d almost get the impression that Mr. DeParle thinks that laundromats doubling as money-transfer stores, jobless men drinking and sleeping in the sun, and dysfunctional government are somehow characteristic of Central America. That sounds awfully judgmental for a Times man, no?


    http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/333583/tribal-america-mark-steyn

    ReplyDelete
  37. by Michael CarlEmail | Archive
    Michael Carl is a veteran journalist with overseas military experience and experience as a political consultant. He also has two Master's Degrees, is a bi-vocational pastor and lives with his family in the Northeast United States.




    Jordan’s anti-government riots aimed ultimately at removing King Abdullah from power are so severe that the government has turned 10,000 of its soldiers into riot police.

    Religious Freedom Coalition President and Founder William Murray said the ruthlessness of the rioting prompted the move.

    “The king has given police uniforms to 10,000 soldiers to try to maintain order,” he said.

    Those soldiers-turned-police are not the only ones guarding the king. Terrorism analyst and Act for America President Brigitte Gabriel said there are U.S. troops on the ground in Jordan.

    “We have actually positioned troops in Jordan to protect King Abdullah,” she said. “We’ve said that the Americans in Jordan are just there in case something happens in Syria so we can be close.”

    Gabriel also said the situation has grown more intense: “The reality is, we have placed troops in Jordan so we can protect the royal family in case of an uprising which we are now witnessing before our own eyes.”

    Murray reported that aid workers with his organization in Jordan have come astonishingly close to the action.

    “The riots in Jordan are about one mile from our warehouse,” he said. “The Muslim Brotherhood has cut all roads between Jordan’s cities.”

    Gabriel, who is a native of Lebanon, said the violence is no surprise, and “the Muslim Brotherhood is rising in Jordan.”

    She warned that the king’s position is in danger.

    “King Abdullah is hanging by a thread,” she said. “He has 20 percent approval in the country. The Muslim Brotherhood sees this as their opportunity to rise up after what they saw happen in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and now Syria.”

    However, the king’s decline in approval is a recent development. As WND reported, as recently as October, the king remained popular.

    International Christian Concern Middle East analyst Aidan Clay said most Jordanians support the king.

    “The king remains fairly popular and the king is still a seasoned politician who may be able to offer concessions that the Muslim Brotherhood accepts,” he said. “However, it is also true that every Jordanian is fed up with the widespread corruption within the government.

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    1. “Moreover, the economy is quickly declining, unemployment is rising, and there is a great rift between the rich and poor. The MB is highlighting these widespread concerns in their pursuit of ‘democratic reform,’ which resonates with nearly all Jordanians – whether they are MB sympathizers or not.”

      Clay said the cover for many of the “Arab Spring” movements was the call for democracy. The Muslim Brotherhood’s use of the “democracy” line, he said, could tip the balance in their favor.

      “Of most concern is that the MB is among the primary groups calling for political reform,” he explained. “If that continues to be the case, then many Jordanians may decide to back the MB, whether or not they agree with the Muslim Brotherhood’s religious ideology. Free elections, ending corruption, higher wages, and other claims all sound great, no matter who’s leading the campaign – whether it’s the MB or liberals.

      “Many Jordanians just want change and some are willing to join whatever movement promises political reform.”

      Gabriel said the uprising in Jordan is the product of America’s previous actions in Egypt and Libya.

      “We are seeing a reawakening of radical Islam all over the Middle East empowered by the weakening American perception throughout the Muslim world,” she explained, adding that another factor intensifying the protests is the perception that King Abdullah is a Western pawn.

      “King Abdullah is perceived by the radicals as too secular and a puppet of Western powers. They loathe him also because of the peace treaty with Israel,” Gabriel said. “Most Jordanians are Palestinians who favor Hamas-style leadership instead of Abbas’ negotiating with Israel and trying to be a friend of America.”

      She added that the rebels are learning from recent radical movements.

      “They are learning that what produces results are powerful organizations like Hamas dedicated to jihad and bringing pride and strength back to the Palestinians through Islamic warfare instead of a mamby-pamby let’s sit together and have coffee while we talk about the problem in Abbas and King Abdullah style,” Gabriel said.

      WND also reported that the momentum from the Arab Spring has prompted the radicals to shift their attention to Jordan.

      Following successful campaigns in Egypt, Libya and other Middle East and North African nations, the Muslim Brotherhood now is trying to destabilize and possibly overthrow Jordan’s government, according to reports.

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    2. The Saudi-owned news channel Al-Arabiya, citing leaked files, reported the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies have sought to destabilize neighboring Jordan by manipulating peaceful demonstrations there and turning them into deadly violence.

      Jordan is the latest target in the gun sights of the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical jihadist elements. WND reported in December that the Arab Spring was a front for the expansion of jihadist regimes.

      Center for Security Policy analyst Clare Lopez said those suggesting the world is seeing the rise of Shariah in that region are “obviously onto the reality of the disaster that’s unfolding in front of us in the Middle East.”

      Lopez said the chain of events was a coordinated effort: “The so-called ‘Arab Spring,’ long planned and well-executed by jihadist forces, with deliberate and knowing assistance from the current national security leadership of the [U.S.], is nothing more than the implementation by Islamic powers of Phase 5 of the plan for global domination.”

      Lopez referred to a document introduced as evidence in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terror funding trial.

      “Although, unquestionably, there were both naive and spontaneous elements to uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya,” Lopez said, “the actual course of those revolutions and especially now, their aftermaths, were and are being managed carefully and professionally by the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaida allies.”

      Lopez said there is a traceable timeline leading to the present results in Tunisia and Egypt: “In July 2010, al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula published its first issue of the online magazine, ‘Inspire.’ In it, al-Qaida explicitly called on the Muslim world – and the Muslim Brotherhood in particular – to rise up in jihad and turn the page ‘from Mecca to Medina.’”

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  38. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Send that to Obama.

    You didn't show in Rome.

    ReplyDelete
  40. .

    Who Says the US Doesn't Have Royalty?

    Then-defense secretary Robert M. Gates stopped bagging his leaves when he moved into a small Washington military enclave in 2007. His next-door neighbor was Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, who had a chef, a personal valet and — not lost on Gates — troops to tend his property.

    Gates may have been the civilian leader of the world’s largest military, but his position did not come with household staff. So, he often joked, he disposed of his leaves by blowing them onto the chairman’s lawn.

    “I was often jealous because he had four enlisted people helping him all the time,” Gates said in response to a question after a speech Thursday. He wryly complained to his wife that “Mullen’s got guys over there who are fixing meals for him, and I’m shoving something into the microwave. And I’m his boss.”

    Of the many facts that have come to light in the scandal involving former CIA director David H. Petraeus, among the most curious was that during his days as a four-star general, he was once escorted by 28 police motorcycles as he traveled from his Central Command headquarters in Tampa to socialite Jill Kelley’s mansion. Although most of his trips did not involve a presidential-size convoy, the scandal has prompted new scrutiny of the imperial trappings that come with a senior general’s lifestyle...


    Perks, Power, and Paramours

    Pretty nice.


    .

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    1. .-.. --- ... - / .. -. / - .-. .- -. ... .-.. .- - .. --- -.

      Delete
    2. Dumbas has two s's, dumbass.

      -.. ..- -- -... .- ... ...

      Delete
    3. ..- ... . / - .. -. / -.-. .- -. ... / .- -. -.. / ... - .-. .. -. --. / .--. .-.. . .- ... .

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  42. .

    “There is something about a sense of entitlement and of having great power that skews people’s judgment,” Gates said last week.

    Among the Army’s general officer corps, however, there is little support for Gates’s hypothesis. “I love the man. I am his biggest supporter. But I strongly disagree,” said retired Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who served as Gates’s senior military assistant. “I find it concerning that he and others are not focusing on the effect on our guys of fighting wars for 11 years. No one was at it longer than Petraeus.”...



    Is nayone really surprised at 'General' Chiarelli's view of the subject?

    .

    ReplyDelete
  43. Please Don't Deep Fry The Koran

    Green Room
    Report: Petraeus and Allen asked Jill Kelley for help in preventing Koran-burning
    posted at 10:48 am on November 17, 2012 by Allahpundit

    A few months ago, after we found out that Martin Dempsey had phoned Terry Jones to beg him not to burn a Koran, I wondered if the Pentagon’s next step would be to establish a full-time PR bureau for insta-denunciations of private citizens who criticize Islam. Hey — at least it would free up America’s top officers to tend to their actual duties:

    In a series of emails with Buckhorn in March, for example, Kelley told the mayor that Petraeus, Allen and Vice Admiral Robert Harward had sought her help in preventing a local disc jockey known as Bubba the Love Sponge from deep-frying a Koran.

    The stunt – which never took place – was scheduled for roughly a year after a Florida pastor’s burning of a Koran led to protests and several deaths around the world.

    Before the stunt this year was called off, Kelley told Buckhorn that her military friends had asked her to get involved to try to stop it.

    “I have Petraeus & Allen both emailing me about getting this dealt with,” Kelley told Buckhorn in an email on March 7.

    In a brief reply, Buckhorn said Tampa’s police chief was planning to talk to the radio station manager about the issue.

    “Ok. Can you keep me in the loop?” Kelley wrote back. “Gen Allen will be calling me from Afghanistan at 1 p.m. on this – and our next step.”

    Whether Petraeus, Allen and other military leaders actually called on Kelley in such matters could not be verified on Friday.

    “Buckhorn” is Bob Buckhorn, the mayor of Tampa. So that’s two four-star generals, a vice admiral, the mayor of a major American city and his police chief, all scrambling to mobilize prominent members of the local social scene … to stop a shock-jock stunt by “Bubba the Love Sponge.”

    I’d sure like to hear more about the police chief’s involvement, at least. What was he planning to say to “Bubba” to “persuade” him not to fry up a Koran?

    ReplyDelete
  44. .

    The concept of of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau legislated into Dodd-Frank sounded pretty good when I first heard about it. However, if there is any way to take a good idea and screw it up beyond redemption the boys in OZ certainly have the ability to do so.

    Like the IPAB in Obamacare, the idea of CFPB is FUBAR in capitals.

    Do not look at that Board behind the curtain

    .

    ReplyDelete
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    1. The term, Cordray concedes, is “a little bit of a puzzle.” An “abusive” practice may not be unfair or deceptive yet nonetheless may be illegal. It is illegal, the law says, if it “interferes with” a consumer’s ability to “understand” a financial product, or takes “unreasonable” advantage of a consumer’s lack of understanding, or exploits “the inability of the consumer to protect” his or her interests regarding a financial product. This fog of indeterminate liabilities is causing some banks to exit the consumer mortgage business.

      So the banks and the credit card companies are always at fault.

      Delete
    2. .

      If you write a law vague enough, it can mean anything you say it means.

      And as with most laws (all laws?), ignorance of the law is no excuse.

      .

      Delete
    3. Ignorance of the park closing time didn't save me.

      Delete
  45. How do you catch the gingerbread man?......Surely leaving our ambassador and his staff and those guarding them to die when rescue was possible and then lying to Congress and the public about it for political advantage are impeachable offenses, but in the absence of a Special Prosecutor statute of the sort that permitted the investigation of President Clinton, only Congress can catch the gingerbread man. Are they up to the task?

    Need to unravel it slowly. Nice list of 10 starting questions.

    http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/the_gingerbread_man.html






    ReplyDelete
  46. If we leave them alone they won't leave us alone.

    If our nation is ever going to successfully defend itself from terrorism committed by Muslims, we need to come to grips with the unpleasant reality that the doctrines of Islam animate this behavior. Why did 9/11 happen? Not because the hijackers were a group of mindless radicals; rather, they did what they did because they relied on the teachings of their holy books, which mandated them to commit violence against unbelievers. Why did Nidal Hasan shoot up his fellow servicemen at Fort Hood? Not because he was a disgruntled employee who wanted to take revenge on what he considered to be his noxious co-workers; rather, he fired at them as a self-proclaimed soldier of Allah based on his study and application of the Quran. Why did Benghazi happen? Not because of some perceived offense at a YouTube video (a notion that has been thoroughly discredited), but because, undoubtedly, the terrorists who tortured and murdered Ambassador Stevens and his compatriots simply followed the directive in Quran 9:5, which teaches Muslims to kill unbelievers wherever they find them.

    http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/islamic_terrorism_ignorance_is_not_bliss.html



    ReplyDelete
  47. wrong, wrong, wrong:
    If we hug them, they will hug us.
    It is the ROP, Ya know.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Rufie calls those whackjobs American Stinkers.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Having decided that this nation has passed the point of no return, I was innocently listening to an old Harland Williams (The Harland Highway) podcast, another crazy Canuckistanian Actor and Comedian, when the bastard started ranting about this:

    ...more proof that our offspring are goners, as far as living in a free country is concerned.

    Another Border Patrol Agent convicted...for detaining Mexican drug smuggler

    By Diana Washington Valdez \ El Paso Times

    El Paso native Jesus "Chito" E. Diaz Jr. lost his career with the U.S. Border Patrol and ended up with a felony conviction after an encounter three years ago with a Mexican teenage drug smuggler on the South Texas border.

    On Oct. 20, U.S. District Judge Alia Moses Ludham sentenced Diaz to 24 months in prison for depriving a 15-year-old Mexican citizen of his constitutional rights under color of law. Diaz was accused of pulling off the handcuffs on the boy, an admitted drug smuggler, slamming him to the ground, and pressing the youth's back with his knee. Diaz pleaded not guilty in his trial in February to one count of excessive force and five counts of lying to internal affairs officers.

    The National Border Patrol Council, which represents more than 17,000 Border Patrol agents, and the Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council, an advocacy group, contend that Diaz was unfairly targeted for prosecution and that his case's outcome sets a bad precedent for other agents who serve on the front lines.

    "This case continues the tradition of bias against Border Patrol agents in the Western District of Texas," the National Border Patrol said in a statement Thursday. "Diaz's actions did not rise to the level of a crime ... While the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Texas has a job to do, one that includes prosecuting the criminals who commit crimes, it has shown a distinctly quick trigger in going after Border Patrol agents."

    Diaz, 33, who is in custody, could not be reached for comment. His wife, Diana Diaz, a Border Patrol supervisor in Del Rio, Texas, said her husband should not be in prison. "I am speaking only as his wife when I say that 'Chito' does not belong in jail," she said. Diaz Jr. attended El Paso Community College and also has a brother who serves in the Border Patrol and other relatives in El Paso. He and his wife have six children.

    The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Professional Responsibility cleared Diaz of any wrongdoing in the 2008 incident. However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Attorney's Office proceeded against Diaz.

    Andy Ramirez, president of the LEOAC, said he believes the U.S. government went forward with the charges against Diaz to appease the Mexican government. The Mexican consulate in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, where the juvenile lived, submitted a complaint alleging that Diaz had mistreated the boy while in the agent's custody.

    Rarmirez said GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann, a congresswoman from Minnesota, and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., have offered to help Diaz. Gov. Rick Perry, also a presidential nominee hopeful for the Republican Party, declined to get involved...

    ...it goes on.

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  50. We just love to punish law abiding legal Mexicans to aide illegals and drug runners.

    Makes perfect sense.

    Former Texass Gov Bush as POTUS, did the same thing.

    ---

    "Gov. Rick Perry, also a presidential nominee hopeful for the Republican Party, declined to get involved."

    ...another Texican "Conservative" hero, except when illegality by Mexicans is involved.

    ReplyDelete
  51. IRON DOME INTERCEPTS MISSILES OVER TEL
    AVIV


    Fuckin Genius Joos are gonna invent iron dome yamakas...

    They'll be invulnerable to ROP Hugs and Kisses.

    ReplyDelete
  52. "In total, Palestinians fired 740 rockets toward the Jewish state since the beginning of Operation Pillar of Defense on Wednesday, but only around 30 landed in built-up areas. Iron Dome intercepted 245 projectiles in total, maintaining a 90% intercept rate. Only 27 of the rockets, about 4 percent, ultimately landed in urban areas.

    IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz instructed the military on Saturday afternoon to increase the rate of strikes on terrorist cells, among them rocket launching squads
    "

    ---

    All they need is love.
    ...and Peace, of course.
    PBUH

    ReplyDelete
  53. Some of the videos there are interesting:
    I didn't know they can intercept Howitzer shells.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Our Farming Mother

    Mankind The Story of All of Us


    http://www.historytoday.com/blog/2012/11/mankind-story-all-us

    ReplyDelete