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."

Monday, February 08, 2016

Russian Air Force, Syrian army, Hezbollah are pushing north to fully surround Aleppo



Hezbollah and Shia militias from Iraq and Afghanistan, all directed by senior officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, are leading the ground battle on the regime side, while Russian jets continue a week-long blitz from above.



Opposition fighters in Aleppo’s besieged east have said they are counting on the military support of Arab states, which announced they will send ground forces to Syria to save them from defeat at the hands of Russian bombers and pro-Assad militias.

With the war now in a decisive phase, rebel groups said they cannot hold ground without similar weapons and manpower to those of the Assad loyalists who continue to narrow a gap around the north of the city, while thousands more refugees made their way to the Turkish border.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE all committed over the weekend to sending ground forces to join the conflict. However, the extent of their mooted commitments has yet to be confirmed amid sustained pressure from allies, including the US, to keep any deployment largely symbolic.

199 comments:

  1. .

    Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE all committed over the weekend to sending ground forces to join the conflict. However, the extent of their mooted commitments has yet to be confirmed amid sustained pressure from allies, including the US, to keep any deployment largely symbolic...


    Ground troops? Pressure from allies to keep deployment symbolic? Heck, I doubt you'll get any argument from the UAE or Bahrain on that point. And with the mess they got themselves into in Yemen, I would think the Saudis would be reluctant to send any ground troops into the meat grinder.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  2. .

    Dispute their specifics, if you can.

    There is no needs as WiO points out. As with most numbers put up here they merely tell a partial story.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. So there is no real objection that can be quantified.

      Delete

    2. And you are unwilling or unable to tell the 'rest of the story'.

      How quaint, Q.

      Delete
  3. Too Weak, Too Strong
    Patrick Cockburn on the state of the Syrian war

    The military balance of power in Syria and Iraq is changing. The Russian air strikes that have been taking place since the end of September are strengthening and raising the morale of the Syrian army, which earlier in the year looked fought out and was on the retreat.

    With the support of Russian airpower, the army is now on the offensive in and around Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, and is seeking to regain lost territory in Idlib province. Syrian commanders on the ground are reportedly relaying the co-ordinates of between 400 and 800 targets to the Russian air force every day, though only a small proportion of them come under immediate attack. The chances of Bashar al-Assad’s government falling – though always more remote than many suggested – are disappearing. Not that this means he is going to win.

    The drama of Russian military action, while provoking a wave of Cold War rhetoric from Western leaders and the media, has taken attention away from an equally significant development in the war in Syria and Iraq. This has been the failure over the last year of the US air campaign – which began in Iraq in August 2014 before being extended to Syria – to weaken Islamic State and other al-Qaida-type groups.

    By October the US-led coalition had carried out 7323 air strikes, the great majority of them by the US air force, which made 3231 strikes in Iraq and 2487 in Syria. But the campaign has demonstrably failed to contain IS, which in May captured Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria.

    There have been far fewer attacks against the Syrian branch of al-Qaida, Jabhat al-Nusra, and the extreme Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham, which between them dominate the insurgency in northern Syria. The US failure is political as much as military: it needs partners on the ground who are fighting IS, but its choice is limited because those actually engaged in combat with the Sunni jihadis are largely Shia – Iran itself, the Syrian army, Hizbullah, the Shia militias in Iraq – and the US can’t offer them full military co-operation because that would alienate the Sunni states, the bedrock of America’s power in the region. As a result the US can only use its air force in support of the Kurds.

    {...}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. {...}

      The US faces the same dilemma in Iraq and Syria today as it did after 9/11 when George Bush declared the war on terror. It was known then that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, Osama bin Laden was a Saudi and the money for the operation came from Saudi donors. But the US didn’t want to pursue al-Qaida at the expense of its relations with the Sunni states, so it muted criticism of Saudi Arabia and invaded Iraq; similarly, it never confronted Pakistan over its support for the Taliban, ensuring that the movement was able to regroup after losing power in 2001.

      Washington tried to mitigate the failure of its air campaign, officially called Operation Inherent Resolve, by making exaggerated claims of success.

      Maps were issued to the press showing that IS had a weakening grip on between 25 and 30 per cent of its territory, but they conveniently left out the parts of Syria where IS was advancing. Such was the suppression and manipulation of intelligence by the administration that in July fifty analysts working for US Central Command signed a protest against the official distortion of what was happening on the battlefield. Russia has now taken advantage of the US failure to suppress the jihadis.

      {...}

      Delete
    2. http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n21/patrick-cockburn/too-weak-too-strong

      Delete
    3. ... The crippling weakness of US strategy in both Iraq and Syria has been to pretend that a ‘moderate Sunni opposition’ either exists or can be created. For all America’s fierce denunciations of Russian intervention, some in Washington can see the advantage of Russia doing what the US can’t do itself. Meanwhile, Britain is wrestling with the prospect of joining the US-led air campaign, without noticing that it has already failed in its main purpose.

      23 October Patrick Cockburn on the state of the Syrian war

      Delete

    4. Syrian commanders on the ground are reportedly relaying the co-ordinates of between 400 and 800 targets to the Russian air force every day,

      Close Air Support, directed by local forces, breaking a five year stalemate in four months.
      Tried to tell you that the Rat Doctrine was the way to go.
      The Russians are proving my point.

      Delete
    5. Bullshit.

      You were predicting the extinction of ISIS back for Memorial Day, LAST YEAR.

      And only a dick like you would try to stick his stupid name on an idea that has been around since the beginning of flight.


      Delete
    6. It's working, now, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson.

      Better late than never

      Delete
  4. It is a stunning development. How dangerous? I’m not sure because the US has no real interest in a destabilized Syria. Turkey has long since slipped as being nothing more than an Israeli style “allyability”. Oil has become much less important.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Replies
    1. 23 October? Cockburn knows what he is/was talking about.

      Delete
    2. Then he must have just forgot that the Iraqis took Ramadi back?

      Delete
    3. And, he doesn't even bother to pay lip service to all that we did for the Kurds in Northern Syria?

      Delete

    4. As a result the US can only use its air force in support of the Kurds.


      a kiss

      Delete
  6. Syria doesn't export any oil. In fact, it doesn't even use much oil.

    Syria is just an ill-considered political entanglement that Obama needs to find a way out of.

    Iraq IS important, and we're starting to kick a little Isis ass, down there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Iraq's oil exports are up around 100 Million BBLs / mo., now - and, rising.

      Delete
    2. However

      Syrian oil production has been about 379,000 barrels per day

      That still worth a ton of cash.

      At 60 bucks a barrel, that's $8,300,100,000 or 8 BILLION, 3 hundred Million dollars a year.

      Delete
    3. The Israeli were paying $15 to $18 per barrel and selling it for $35, last November.

      Israel has become the main buyer for oil from ISIS controlled territory, reports "al-Araby al-Jadeed."

      Kurdish and Turkish smugglers are transporting oil from ISIS controlled territory in Syria and Iraq and selling it to Israel, according to several reports in the Arab and Russian media. An estimated 20,000-40,000 barrels of oil are produced daily in ISIS controlled territory generating $1-1.5 million daily profit for the terrorist organization.

      Delete

    4. “Israel has in one way or another become the main marketer of ISIS oil. Without them, most ISIS-produced oil would have remained going between Iraq, Syria and Turkey. Even the three companies would not receive the oil if they did not have a buyer in Israel,” an industry official told the newspaper "al-Araby al-Jadeed."


      Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 30, 2015

      http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-buys-most-oil-smuggled-from-isis-territory-report-1001084873

      Delete

    5. According to a European official at an international oil company who met with al-Araby in a Gulf capital, Israel refines the oil only "once or twice" because it does not have advanced refineries. It exports the oil to Mediterranean countries - where the oil "gains a semi-legitimate status" - for $30 to $35 a barrel.


      http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/features/2015/11/26/raqqas-rockefellers-how-islamic-state-oil-flows-to-israel/

      Delete
  7. ...Russia created a situation in which it is perceived as the only power that is willing and able to stabilize all of Syria, not only the regime, in the face of a host of militias and opposition movements that fail to reach political agreement and constitute a viable alternative. It turned Syria into its exclusive project. The Russian monopoly presents Europe and the United States with a fait accompli: Anyone who wants to intervene in Syria, politically or militarily, will be forced to either clash with Russia or to cooperate with it. Because Washington has neither the will nor the inclination to take action against Russia in Syria, but is also unable to persuade the fractured Syrian opposition to adopt a united position, it will continue to bite its fingernails as Russia advances.
    But even from the perspective of Washington, and not only Washington, the “Russian solution” is not necessarily a terrible one. It would seem that anyone who seeks to fight the Islamic State organization needs a stable and unified Syria, and Assad is the only one who can guarantee that. This view is rooted in a small bluff, as there is no certainty that a “new” Syria under Assad would agree to fight the Islamic State, with which it cooperates. But even assuming that Russia and Assad do join the fight against the Islamic State, Russia will still be the one to dictate the rules of the game.

    There is nothing new about that. Before the eruption of the Syrian civil war it was Russia and Iran, not the United States and Saudi Arabia, that held the reins of influence in Syria. The possible innovation is that Russia’s standing will be superior to that of Iran, which was pushed aside somewhat from the battlefields and decision-making centers, especially regarding diplomatic dialogue. The Iranian leadership is not blind to Russian ambitions, but Tehran cannot give the Syrian forces the arms and airpower that they need, and that Russia supplies. In this contest between Iran and Russia, it is interesting to observe that the Iranian media recently ignored Russian airstrikes. To go by them, only Hezbollah, the Syrian forces and Iran’s own Revolutionary Guards are involved in the fighting.



    read more: http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-1.702157

    ReplyDelete
  8. As for those people that don't think Employment and Income numbers are important - I would like to ask just what numbers they do think are of value.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If employment were based on a steady non changing definition? it would be important. But the term's definition has changed so the number is bullshit.

      Delete
    2. You are clueless. The term's definition hasn't changed since, at least, WWII.

      Don't attach your stupidity to my posts.

      Delete
  9. When Russia launched its military intervention in Syria last year, many in Washington felt that Moscow had made a serious mistake. Suspecting that Russian forces would become bogged down in an intractable conflict, “knock yourselves out” was the dismissive response of one Obama administration official to the Kremlin’s move.

    http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/battle-for-aleppo-will-reveal-putins-true-intentions

    As the Syrian government’s troops, backed by Russian air strikes, tighten their hold on the city of Aleppo, the initially disdainful reaction in Washington now looks seriously misplaced. The US and its allies are now faced with an intensified humanitarian crisis and the real possibility that Bashar Al Assad’s regime will secure a potentially decisive military victory.

    The recent abortive talks in Geneva on a possible political solution in Syria served as a smokescreen for a determined government attempt to crush rebel units operating in Aleppo and the surrounding area. If the original Russian intervention appeared limited to bolstering Mr Al Assad’s then-precarious position and stemming the advance of ISIL, there can now be little doubt that Moscow is seeking to neutralise all of the anti-regime forces that have previously received support from the US and its allies in Europe and the Middle East.

    The advance on Aleppo also serves the Kremlin’s aim of isolating and presuring Turkey since a Russian Su-24 jet was shot down after being accused of intruding into Turkish airspace last November. Having previously been one of the major backers of anti-Assad forces, Ankara now finds itself facing an escalating refugee crisis and the severing of communications links with rebel groups. Russia has bluntly warned Ankara not to attempt to redress the deteriorating fortunes of the opposition groups by sending its own forces into Syria.

    Moscow’s support for the advance on Aleppo effectively undercuts Turkey’s ambitions to manipulate the Syrian crisis to secure a friendly regime in Damascus. The Russians have further alienated Ankara by building up Kurdish factions as a valuable force countering ISIL to the extent that they insisted on Kurdish groups attending the Geneva talks.

    For Vladimir Putin, the principle purpose of the intervention is to further his wider geopolitical tussle with the West by fragmenting the EU and Nato.

    ReplyDelete
  10. On balance, I think Putin did us a favor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Putin is slaughtering thousands of arabs civilians, men women and babies.

      And that you are fine with..

      As long as it's not the Jews doing the killing?

      Delete
    2. Syria was not annexing territory. Israel does so on a daily basis. Syria was not attacking Israel. Israel was bombing Syria at will. Syria was the victim of outside instigation of rebellion and terror in Syria. Israel, Saudi and US intelligence agencies.

      Syria did not destabilize the ME. Israel, the US and the UK has.

      Putin outsmarted Israel, Turkey and Saudi.

      Israel will no longer be able to attack Syria and Lebanon with impunity. Iran is rising. A stabilized Syria will be the end of ISIS.

      With all that, the Neocons will have been defeated.

      Delete

    3. The Israeli will also lose that Daesh oil they've been buying 'on the cheap'.
      The Zionists will have to find another form of profiteering from the conflict in Syria

      Delete
  11. Deuce, I also think Putin did us a favor. I don't think Obama and Kerry think so, and I doubt very much that Putin meant to; but he did.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I hope that Hezbollah kills scores of ISIS and ISIS kills scores of Hezbollah.

    ReplyDelete
  13. No one seems upset by the hundreds (probably thousands, by now, I'd guess) of civilians the Russians kill with dumb bombs from 30,000 ft., but they get their noses completely out of joint if, once a year, one of our smart missiles go offcourse, and kills a non-combatant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are not Russians, nor subsidizing them.
      The Russians are not a proxy for the US.

      Delete
  14. .

    No one seems upset by the hundreds (probably thousands, by now, I'd guess) of civilians the Russians kill with dumb bombs from 30,000 ft.,


    Bullshit.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  15. HERE IS THE REALITY ON THE GROUND

    The Syrian army, backed by volunteer forces, has launched successful offensives against Takfiri militants in the coastal province of Latakia, winning back four strategic villages.

    Syria’s official news agency (SANA) said army troops managed to retake the villages of al-Hoor, al-Rweisat, al-Sweidia and al-Wadi al-Azraq in Latakia’s northeastern countryside on Monday.

    Syrian forces later took several other strategic areas and hills in the area, the report said.

    SANA said the terrorists suffered heavy losses and casualties, while a number of them fled to areas near the Turkish border.

    The recapture of al-Hoor and Rewisat brings the Syrian forces closer to Kinsabba, the last militant stronghold in Latakia’s northern countryside.

    The developments came a day after the village of Bashora near the Turkish border was purged of militants. The village was considered a main route for terrorists to infiltrate into Syria.

    Elsewhere, the Syrian army gained control of several positions held by Daesh between the town of Mahin and the city of Qaryatayn in Homs’ eastern countryside.

    Dozens of militants were killed or injured in the operation, SANA said. Syrian troops also defused explosive devices and mines that terrorists had planted in the liberated areas.

    The foreign-backed conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and displaced almost half of the country’s population.

    http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/02/09/449337/Syria-Latakia-coastal-area/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Syrian government troops have killed over 300 members of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front group during clashes in the northwestern Aleppo province.

      The Takfiri terrorists were killed near the village of Ratian, during the Syrian forces’ latest offensive in the province, the al-Mayadeen television network reported on Sunday.

      Al-Nusra has confirmed the deaths stating that they occurred over the last few days during heavy fighting in the region.

      Syrian forces backed by Russian air support are currently engaged in one of their most significant campaigns since Moscow joined the battle against Daesh Takfiri terrorists September 30, 2015.

      According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Sunday, thousands of terrorists are on the run as Syrian forces head towards the town of Tal Rif’at, close to the Turkish border.

      Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman noted that recapturing the area would stem the flow of militants and arms entering Syria via Turkey.

      The strategic town is considered the last militant stronghold in the volatile border region. Syria’s Arabic-language newspaper al-Watan has said that the recapture of Tal Rif’at would be a major blow to the militants.

      "If it falls, the army will be able to progress and seize control of all of the northern part of Aleppo province," al-Watan reported.

      Delete

    2. It's great to finally see the "Rat Doctrine" being put into effect against al-Qeada.

      Delete

    3. Especially without US troops, or even aircraft, being involved.
      A really low cost solution to Islamic extremism, having the Russians inolved.

      Delete
  16. WHAT SEEMS FALSE ABOUT THIS REPORT?

    Following allegations by NATO that Moscow is hindering peace efforts in Syria, Russia’s Defense Ministry has struck back, saying the US-led military alliance is to blame for growing tensions in the war-torn country.

    Major General Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, made the remarks on Sunday in response to a statement from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who criticized Russia’s military campaign in Syria as “undermining the efforts to find a political solution to the conflict.”

    NATO states had been involved in Syria for three years, before Russia began its air campaign against Takfiri Daesh militants, pretending “they were eliminating the international terrorists,” Konashenkov said.

    During this period, “nobody in the West, or in Brussels, would not even consider any talks in Syria. They were only verifying the deadline for the final collapse of the country [Syria] under the scenario used in Libya, where those were the NATO countries, which established without hindrance the "democracy" of Western sort," he added.

    The spokesman further noted that the Russian airstrikes proved to Syrians that “it is possible to fight and eliminate the international terrorism in their country,” and thus they “could begin considering Syria’s future."

    Konashenkov stressed that “terrorists” operating in Syria are feeling “tension” as a result of Russia’s airstrikes in Syria, asking why a similar sentiment is felt by some NATO states.

    http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/02/07/449122/Russia-NATO-Syria-Daesh-Stoltenberg-Konashenkov/

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Zionist controlled western press is aghast.

    ReplyDelete
  18. ROBERT FISK

    After Entering Aleppo With Russia’s Help, The Syrian Army May Set Its Sights On Raqqa

    By Robert Fisk

    February 08, 2016 "Information Clearing House" - "The Independent" -

    After losing up to 60,000 soldiers in five years of fighting, the Syrian army has suddenly scored its greatest victory of the war – smashing its way through Jabhat al-Nusra and the other rebel forces around Aleppo and effectively sealing its fate as Russia provided air strike operations outside the city.

    The rebel supply lines from Turkey to Aleppo have been cut, but this does not mean the end of the story. For many months, the regime’s own military authorities – along with tens of thousands of civilians, including many Christians – were trapped inside Aleppo and at the mercy of shelling and mortar fire by the Nusra fighters, who surrounded them until the army opened the main highway south.

    During this period, the only way to Aleppo was by plane because the army held a tiny peninsula of territory going to the airport – I flew out one night on a military aircraft crowded with wounded Syrian troops.

    But the tables have turned. It is the rebels themselves who are now surrounded, along with the tens of thousands of civilians in their sector of the city – but they have no airport to sustain them. On the basis of so many other battles in this appalling war, there is unlikely to be any offensive for the centre of this greatest of Syrian cities; rather it will be a slow and grinding siege to force the insurgents to surrender.

    In an ironic twisting of recent history, the two Shia villages of Nubl and Zahra – whose people had been surrounded by rebels and starved for three years, fed only by Syrian military airdrops – have now been retaken by the Syrian military.

    The Shia, co-religionists of the Alawite people from which President Bashar al-Assad comes, have been cornered in several villages in the region, although their plight has gone largely unreported.

    Now the people in the rebel-held part of Aleppo are going to feel the same sense of isolation – and, no doubt, the shellfire of their besiegers. There has always been a movement of people between the two sectors of the city – will these passages now be closed? And what of the tens of thousands of civilians streaming north towards Turkey?

    Aleppo itself was late to join the war. By some kind of historical miracle, it remained disentangled from the conflict until 2012 when rebels – thinking they were en route to Damascus – managed to infiltrate into the ancient city. Its streets were then burned out in months of fighting. Now it appears to be the first of Syria’s large cities to be effectively back in the hands of the regime. What comes next? The retaking of the Roman city of Palmyra? The clearing of the lands around Deraa (of Lawrence of Arabia fame)?

    And, much more dramatically, how soon will the Syrian army, its Hezbollah allies and the Russian air force set their course for the Isis “capital” of Raqqa?

    Isis, which holds Palmyra, must be learning of the extraordinary developments of the past few hours with deep concern. The everlasting Sunni “Islamic Caliphate” in Syria doesn’t look so everlasting any more. Is this why the Sunni Saudis have suddenly offered to send ground troops to Syria? And why the Turks are so flustered? I doubt if anyone is weeping in Shia Iran.

    Anyway, the Saudi military is already having its feet chewed off in the disgraceful Yemen war. As for the Turks sending their own Nato soldiers across the Syrian border – presumably at risk of being attacked by the Russians – that is a nightmare which both Washington and Moscow must avoid. Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves in another Gavrilo Princip moment – and we all know what happened in 1914.

    ReplyDelete
  19. No one has bloodier hands in Syria than Hillary Clinton.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm a feminist.

    I think Hillary ought to be drafted and sent to Syria to straighten it all out.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Let's face it - the O'bozo Administration and its lovely Secretary of State have the mid east totally f-ed up.

    Only galopin2 would be proud.

    Which brings back to my mind a saying of Trish:

    "Rufus is such a dear, but he's never been right on anything."

    ;)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, which sounds like a circumcised village if there ever was one, has already voted, but I missed the exact totals.

    The Donald had, I think, three votes, at least as many as anyone else....

    Seen from the outside our methods of electing Presidents must seem really bizarre.

    ReplyDelete
  23. "Q"Nit of the Day - 'Keeping America Informed Concerning Domestic Islamic Terrorism'


    Jihad Watch
    Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

    Kansas: Muslim vowed to “bring the Islamic State straight to your doorstep”

    February 8, 2016 8:11 pm By Robert Spencer 16 Comments

    Mohammed Abdullah Hassan is a convert to Islam who somehow gained an understanding of Islam completely different from what Barack Obama and John Kerry and David Cameron tell us Islam is all about. Authorities remain uninterested in why, even though Obama and Kerry refuse to “validate” the jihadis by calling them Islamic, so many Muslims get the idea that they are anyway.

    150410-john-booker-mn-1040_8603477db3fa2fd32be014988c8b9227

    “Ex-Army recruit pleads guilty to trying to bomb Fort Riley in Kansas,” by Ray Sanchez, CNN, February 4, 2016:

    (CNN)A former U.S. Army enlistee who vowed to “bring the Islamic State straight to your doorstep” pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempting to detonate a car bomb at Fort Riley military base in Kansas, authorities said.

    John T. Booker Jr., 21, an American citizen also known as Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia to one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and one count of attempted destruction of government property by fire or explosion, according to a statement from the U.S. Justice Department. He’s to receive a 30-year federal prison sentence.

    “John Booker admitted that he intended to kill U.S. military personnel on American soil in the name of ISIL,” John Carlin, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement, referring to the terror organization also known as ISIS.

    ISIS, ISIL or the Islamic State?

    “Thankfully, law enforcement was able to safely identify and disrupt this threat to the brave men and women who risk their lives to defend our country.”

    Booker admitted in court that his plot involved the construction of a bomb containing 1,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, according to federal prosecutors. He intended to trigger the bomb himself and filmed a video that was to be shown to Americans after his death in the suicide bombing.

    “You sit in your homes and think this war is just over in Iraq,” Booker said in the video, according to prosecutors. “Today we will bring the Islamic State straight to your doorstep.”

    His attorney, Kirk Redmond, did not return a call seeking comment.

    Bomb was a dud from the start

    Booker did not know the bomb he constructed was made with inert materials or that two men working with him were FBI informants, prosecutors said.

    The investigation of Booker was launched in March 2014 after he posted on Facebook of his intentions to engage in violent jihad, prosecutors said.

    Booker enlisted in the Army in 2014 and was scheduled to begin basic training in April of that year, Army spokesman Wayne Hall said at the time of Booker’s arrest.

    The criminal complaint said the FBI questioned him in March 2014 about comments posted on Facebook, such as, “Getting ready to be killed in jihad is a HUGE adrenaline rush. I am so nervous. NOT because I’m scare to die but I am eager to meet my lord.”

    In a video, Booker pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS.

    Booker told investigators that he enlisted to commit an insider attack against American soldiers like the one Maj. Nidal Hassan carried out at Fort Hood, Texas, according to prosecutors. Hassan opened fire in a building in November 2009, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30.

    His enlistment was terminated March 24, 2014, at the request of Army Criminal Investigation Command, Hall said.

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/02/kansas-muslim-vowed-to-bring-the-islamic-state-straight-to-your-doorstep

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Well, that's 2 Q'nits you've come up with this year. Both nutz, one who was doing it for the media attention and the other who wanted to 'bring the Islamic State straight to your door'. When I say nutz i mean that in the best possible sense, as in pasting your intent on Facebook long enough ahead of time to let the FBI contact you and set you up with a dummy bomb and when I say dummy bomb I mean that in the best possible sense.

      Meanwhile, there have been over 14,000 murders in the US in 2016 through January and the count continues to click upward.

      .

      Delete
  24. Dixville Notch vote totals: FINAL

    The Donald 2
    Kasich 3
    The Bern 4

    Dixville Notch has lost population since the last voting, Fox News reports.

    Turnout ?

    100%

    ReplyDelete
  25. REST HOME REST HOME !!!!


    February 9, 2016

    Hoary old Bill making liberals sweat

    By Russ Vaughn

    Brit Hume, speaking on FOX News, noted that Bill Clinton is now an elderly man – a thought that I'll wager has been going through many American minds since last Monday night, when Hillary gave her post-caucus acceptance...er, victory speech in Iowa. While much of the television audience was focused on the fuming candidate, many were mesmerized by an airhead Clinton voter in the crowd behind the podium. The young man was upstaging madam secretary by trying to lick her campaign stickers off his cheeks. But many, including me, were fixed on and fascinated by the former president standing behind his podium-pounding partner.

    The visage that Bill wore for much of that harangue was truly revealing – more like something you'd see in a nursing home day room than on a presidential campaign stage. His head drooped, and his mouth frequently gaped open in what almost appeared to be a slack-eyed but leering old geezer smile directed towards his partner's back. If it was in fact a leering smile directed at Hillary, then America likely witnessed something that hasn't occurred since before their marriage, and we can pretty well take that as evidence that Ol' Bill has lost it.

    But seriously, I was fascinated watching that drooping lower lip. I said to my better half, "Watch babe, watch him, he's gonna drool any minute." Watch the video yourself, and you'll see what I'm talking about: that mouth hangs open for most of the first four minutes of her speech in contrast to all the other folks behind, who politely have theirs closed in that very public setting with a live television audience. We were sorely disappointed when the drool failed to materialize, as, I'm sure, were all those laying bets around the country.

    To further sear that geriatric image into our brains, in another broadcast this week Bill's hands were obviously palsied, another common affliction in the elderly. Others noted that he'd worn his Hillary pin upside-down at the post-caucus speech. So it's not surprising to hear Hume and a few others in the news refer to the ex-prez's advanced age, even though he is a few years younger than your scribe. But then, yours truly is not out trying to steal the youth vote back from an undisguisably septuagenarian socialist who actually seems a bit spryer than Old Willie. Those Democrat strategists who had counted on Bill's aw-shucks, down-home Arkansas charm to rope in the vote for his undeniably less likable other half must be having some tremors themselves as they ponder putting Old Bill in front of meeting halls full of much younger voters who may balk at the idea of the White House becoming a senior center.

    And it's all over for sure the first time Bill actually drools. He'll be outta that campaign quicker than a dirty Depends.


    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/02/hoary_old_bill_making_liberals_sweat.html#ixzz3zfczLybl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Once again we are presented with the quality of writing that defines the AT, in this case, a 'writer' whose style is well south of even Maureen Dowd's and who could possibly be be considered as the set-up act for a Don Rickles review.

      Even Triumph the insult comic dog would be embarrassed by this guy.

      .

      Delete


  26. The BRICS Post -

    Oil drops to $30 territory and reversed most of the upward trends of global stocks last year [Xinhua].


    And someone told us that 'conflict oil' could be sold for $60 pr barrel.

    {;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Bloomberg - ‎

      The global oil surplus will be bigger than previously estimated in the first half, increasing the risk of further price losses, as OPEC members Iran and Iraq bolster production while demand growth slows, according to the International Energy Agency ...

      Delete

  27. By The Associated Press

    Posted Feb. 9, 2016 at 12:01 AM
    Updated at 2:38 AM

    WASHINGTON (AP) " Attorney General Loretta Lynch is reaffirming that the FBI's probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state is free of outside political influence.

    She told The Associated Press on Monday that the FBI investigation is independent and is being conducted by career lawyers looking at the facts and evidence.

    Republicans have been critical of the Democratic presidential candidate's use of personal email when she led State.

    In a letter filed in federal court Monday as part of a Freedom of Information lawsuit, FBI general counsel James Baker said the probe is "ongoing." He said the FBI has not publicly commented on the focus, scope or potential targets of the investigation. Baker wrote the letter Feb. 2 to the State Department's acting legal adviser.

    ReplyDelete
  28. THE ZIONIST MEDIA HYSTERIA OVER THEIR SYRIAN FOLLY

    WAPO

    ..”This is not the end of the war, but could be the beginning of the end, with Assad, Russia, Hezbollah, and Iran as the biggest winners,” Patrick Megahan, an analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Bloomberg News. (Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia militant organization with thousands of fighters committed to the defense of the Assad regime, is an Iranian proxy.) "Many of the more radical groups will likely continue to fight even if the opposition loses much of its territory," Megahan adds.

    As Russia and Iran gain, two other prominent regional actors flounder. Saudi Arabia, which has played its own conspicuous role in supporting the rebellion, last week declared that it would consider sending ground forces to Syria — a scenario that would signal the greatest escalation yet in its regional power struggle with Iran.

    The proposal was scoffed at by the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards over the weekend.

    "They claim they will send troops, but I don't think they will dare do so," Maj. Gen. Ali Jafari told reporters in Tehran, according to Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency. "They have a classic army and history tells us such armies stand no chance in fighting irregular resistance forces."

    Turkey, meanwhile, is faced with multiple headaches of its own. The Russian power play in Syria has been a disaster for Ankara: Moscow’s air war has both quashed any vague Turkish hopes for instituting a no-fly zone on the other side of the Syrian border and was also a boost for Syrian Kurdish factions, which have claimed more territory in stretches of northern Syria.

    ReplyDelete
  29. MORE FROM WAPO

    ...”Aleppo may prove to be the Sarajevo of Syria," writes New York Times columnist Roger Cohen, gesturing to another society that imploded in an orgy of sectarian strife as the world watched.

    "Syria is now the Obama administration’s shame, a debacle of such dimensions that it may overshadow the president’s domestic achievements," Cohen concludes.

    The White House and other voices in Washington suggested that Moscow's mission in Syria could soon turn into its own quagmire. They also contended, justifiably, that the recent history of American overreach and missteps in the Middle East ought to be a cautionary tale for intervention in Syria.

    But it's the Russians who are "making the weather" right now, writes Cohen, and reinforcing a Syrian ruler who President Obama had earlier insisted must go.

    "It’s understandable for the United States to bank on a political process and urge the Syrian opposition to join this dialogue in good faith," writes Emile Hokayem, a Middle East scholar at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “But to do so while exposing the rebellion to the joint Assad-Russia-Iran onslaught and without contingency planning is simply nefarious.”

    ReplyDelete
  30. It certainly was a debacle but a debacle at a time and place of our own dumbass choosing.

    ISIS was born from the Neocon decision to destabilize Assad and Syria. Putin should get the Nobel Peace Prize if he ends this thing and it results in destroying ISIS.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Six ISIS elements killed in armed clashes in the center of Fallujah

    (IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Monday, al-Hashed al-Shaabi Command in Anbar Province announced, that six members of the so-called ISIS were killed in armed clashes in the center of Fallujah (62 km west of Baghdad).

    The commander of the 1st battalion in Karmat Fallujah brigade in al-Hashed al-Shaabi, Colonel Mahmoud Mardi Jumaili said in a press statement received by IraqiNews.com, “Armed clashes erupted between the tribal fighters and ISIS members in Nazran District in the center of Fallujah,” adding that, “The clashes resulted in the killing of six members of ISIS and seizing their weapons and communication devices.”

    Jumaili also pointed out, “The security information confirmed the launch of a tribal revolt from Fallujah against ISIS guerrilla.”

    Iraqinews

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Local forces taking it to Islamic radicals ...

      Delete
    2. :) Yeah, them ISIS guys are probably starting to stink pretty good, by now. :)

      Delete
    3. Are our two Elephant Bar Generals ready to predict a date for the fall of Mosul yet ?

      Delete

    4. Would if I was a general, and in command ...
      But those pesky Arabs work at their own pace.

      Delete
    5. It doesn't really matter, does it?

      The job is getting done, and we're not losing soldiers, or spending much money.

      Delete

    6. And it so hard to argue with that ...
      The "Purple Fingers of Freedom" have a right to their own schedule.

      Delete

    7. It is their country, after all.

      Delete
  32. A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.

    Alexis de Tocqueville


    Much earlier, Plato and Aristotle come to mind.

    Whatever the merit of this analysis, it is a certainty that Hillary, The Bern and the current Democrat Party take the outlook to heart.

    For them, it is all about grabbing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. You still cashing your Social Security check, "Draft Dodger"

      Still having the Feds pick up your health care costs through Medicare?

      Delete

    2. You are still the Welfare King at the casino, are you not?

      Delete
    3. Old men, sitting around the casino, gambling away their soc. sec. welfare checks, and griping about the system that supports them.

      Do they ever thank Franklin Roosevelt? Noooooo . . . . . . . .

      Delete
    4. Now you know, Dufus, and even rat's ass has agreed, that Roosevelt didn't accomplish anything.

      Only the war pulled us out of the depression.

      And believe me, my Social Security check doesn't support me.

      My investments support me.

      And you ? Sitting around gambling at Doyle's with your soc. sec. welfare checks and griping about the system that doesn't support you enough....

      You old goofy geezer....

      You got me laughing out loud...

      By the way, chintzer, I still want the $100 you owe me.....

      Delete
    5. Post that alleged agreement, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterso

      Delete
  33. Every time the pro-slavery party puts us into recession, the Democratic Party grabs the economy and pulls it back out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pro-slavery party ?

      Jesus, you are as far gone as ol' droolin' Billygoat Clinton.

      "Democracy is doomed when the mental proletariat begin voting for Criminals"

      from 'The Sayings of Uncle Bob'


      You should be watching Fox - The Donald and The Christie are having a big breakfast together at The Diner....

      I can confirm that The Christie has indeed hugged The Donald !

      Delete

    2. bob Thu May 27, 12:52:00 AM EDT

      But I did rip off the bank for $7500 hundred dollars, when I was on my knees, and fighting for my economic life, on my aunt's credit card. But that wasn't really stealing, just payback. …




      http://2164th.blogspot.com/2010/05/gloom-and-doom-wednesday.html

      Delete

    3. Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson calling someone a criminal ...
      ... like the pot calling the kettle black.

      Delete
    4. Ah, but my lawyer said it was a legal, moral, and very astute move.

      And he was the District Judge once. Legal degree and a degree in Engineering too !

      I've always taken that as a high compliment !

      :):):)

      I'm in an extremely good mood, Dead Beat Dad, you who haven't provided your own daughter with even a tuna fish sandwich, ever.

      Your continual psychotic stalking doesn't bother me...it just gets really old and boring........

      I'm going back to Fox....

      Cheers !!!

      (by the way, you never tell us how your super secret national defense project is going there off the coasts of Panama.....it's almost like.....there isn't one !)

      Delete
    5. Can you explain to us, Bob, how running up $7500.00 on your aunts credit card and then not paying it was "legal, moral, and very astute"? Did your aunt know you did this? Would it also be "legal, moral, and very astute" if you did the same with, say, Quirk's credit card?

      Delete
  34. It was several months from the time that Iraqi Forces first started encircling Ramadi until they actually started "moving in." However, that said,

    Iraq deploys thousands of troops north of country to retake Mosul

    (IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – The Iraqi authorities deployed thousands of soldiers in a military base north of the country in preparation to retake the city of Mosul, that is considered the stronghold of the so-called Islamic state in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    Iraqi army official told reporters, “The army troops started to arrive in a military base near Makhmour District to carry out a military operation in Mosul,” adding that, “There are three brigades currently stationed in the military base and it is scheduled that 4,500 soldiers from the army’s 15th regiment will also arrive in the base to start the preparations in order to retake Mosul.”

    The first objective of the operation is to cut off ISIS supplies between Mosul, and the areas of Kirkuk and Hawija from one side, as well as Mosul and Baiji in Salahuddin Province from the other side.

    The Iraqi forces slowly advanced to isolate and besiege ISIS areas before storming them in order to minimize the casualties among the troops.

    The beginning of the beginning?

    ReplyDelete
  35. Word on Fox is that CABAL TEAM CLINTON is going to fire lots of staff after getting their ass wiped by The Bernie today.

    Heads are gonna role.....it can't be just that the folks can't stand The Bitch....

    bwwaaahahahaha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Report on Fox was via Politico.

      Delete
  36. http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/2/9/report-more-than-one-million-people-besieged-in-syria.html

    More than one million Syrians are trapped in besieged areas

    Aid workers who entered last month reported seeing skeletal people and parents who gave their children sleeping pills to calm their hunger.

    The Siege Watch report says 1.09 million people are living in 46 besieged communities in Syria, far more than the 18 listed by the U.N. It says most are besieged by the Syrian government in the suburbs of Damascus, the capital, and Homs. In the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, about 200,000 people are besieged by both the Islamic State in Iran and the Levant (ISIL) and the Syrian government.

    “Electricity and running water are usually cut off, and there is limited (if any) access to food, fuel, and medical care," the report says.

    Deaths have been reported from malnutrition, disease, hypothermia and poisoning while scavenging for food. Some communities have been besieged for months or years.

    The U.N. says it considers an area besieged if three criteria are met: The area is surrounded by "armed actors," humanitarian aid cannot regularly enter, and civilians, including the sick and wounded, cannot enter and exit.

    The United Nations places an estimated 4.5 million Syrians into a separate category called "hard to reach," a step below besieged. It defines that as "an area that is not regularly accessible to humanitarian actors for the purpose of sustained humanitarian programming as a result of denial of access."


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gaza is a paradise, even in war, compared to these places...

      Delete
  37. BLS: Jobs Openings increased in December

    by Bill McBride on 2/09/2016 10:09:00 AM


    image: http://adl.investingchannel.com/adtags/log?url=invc.calculatedriskblog%2Fhome%3Bkval%3Dhome%3B%3Btile%3D2%3Bpos%3D1%3Bviewcount%3D02%3Bfp%3D1%3Bivp%3D100%3Badslot_fp%3D1%3Bpm_bid%3D%3Bpm_bidid%3D%3Bpm_sz%3D%3Brb_t%3D%3Brb_z%3D174632%3Ba9%3D%3Bpt%3Dhm%3Bkw%3D%3Bsz%3D986x40%3Btl%3Dhome%3Bkval%3Dcontent_ad%3Brnd%3D2991040290798992%3Bis_search%3Dfalse%3B%5EVIX_Up%3Dtrue%3Bspy_Up%3Dtrue%3Bitb_Up%3Dtrue%3Bfm_Up%3Dtrue%3Bewzs_Down%3Dtrue%3Breferer%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.calculatedriskblog.com%2F%3B%3Bord%3D51982135139406%3F&atype=jn&itype=ps&ptype=pg&at_status=sk

    From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary
    The number of job openings increased to 5.6 million on the last business day of December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires and separations were little changed at 5.4 million and 5.1 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate was 2.1 percent, and the layoffs and discharges rate was 1.1 percent. ...
    ...
    Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. ... There were 3.1 million quits in December, up from November. The number of quits is now higher than in December 2007 (2.8 million), the first month of the recession.
    emphasis added
    The following graph shows job openings (yellow line), hires (dark blue), Layoff, Discharges and other (red column), and Quits (light blue column) from the JOLTS.

    This series started in December 2000.

    Note: The difference between JOLTS hires and separations is similar to the CES (payroll survey) net jobs headline numbers. This report is for December, the most recent employment report was for January.

    Read more at http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/#zzXkEbi8XOu6jH7W.99

    Note that hires (dark blue) and total separations (red and light blue columns stacked) are pretty close each month. This is a measure of labor market turnover. When the blue line is above the two stacked columns, the economy is adding net jobs - when it is below the columns, the economy is losing jobs.

    Jobs openings increased in December to 5.607 million from 5.346 million in November.

    The number of job openings (yellow) are up 15% year-over-year compared to December 2014.

    Quits are up 13% year-over-year. These are voluntary separations. (see light blue columns at bottom of graph for trend for "quits").

    This is a solid report. Job openings are just below the record high set in July 2015, and Quits are up 13% year-over-year.

    Read more at http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/#zzXkEbi8XOu6jH7W.99

    Bill McBride - Calculated Risk

    ReplyDelete
  38. SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 9, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

    Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

    Strikes in Syria

    Attack aircraft conducted three strikes in Syria:

    -- Near Kobani, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

    -- Near Manbij, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

    -- Near Mar’a, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

    Strikes in Iraq

    Coalition forces used rocket artillery and attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft to conduct 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

    -- Near Baghdadi, seven strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and three ISIL staging areas, denied ISIL access to terrain, and destroyed two ISIL rockets, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL front-end loader, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL vehicle.

    -- Near Huwayjah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

    -- Near Fallujah, a strike destroyed an ISIL-used bridge.

    -- Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL mortar tube, and an ISIL vehicle.

    -- Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck an ISIL logistics facility and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.

    -- Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, denied ISIL access to terrain, and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL staging area, and two ISIL boats.

    -- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

    -- Near Tal Afar, a strike suppressed an ISIL rocket position.

    Additionally, a strike in Iraq from Feb. 7 was not included on the Feb. 8 strike release:

    -- Near Ramadi, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL boat.

    DOD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How many civilians were killed?

      Did they drop leaflets before bombing?

      Delete
    2. Real short on 'bed down positions' this day.

      The sleepers must be adjusting.

      Delete
  39. .

    Jack HawkinsTue Feb 09, 12:16:00 AM EST

    And you are unwilling or unable to tell the 'rest of the story'.

    How quaint, Q.

    3.
    galopn2Tue Feb 09, 12:34:00 AM EST
    "Critical Thinking"

    :)


    This from rat and Rufus responding to my post above in which I stated,

    There is no needs as WiO points out. As with most numbers put up here they merely tell a partial story.

    Quaint? I guess I am a little surprised, rat. The only thing quaint I see seems to be your inability to see the obvious.

    How can anyone argue with that statement?

    Based on our experience on this blog, who can argue with the assertion that if you are trying to make a point you are going put up arguments (numbers) that are intended to support that point? The process automatically ends up biased towards the point you are making.

    It doesn't require critical thinking. It merely requires a recognition of the obvious.

    .


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      As for Rufus posts that started the conversation, they support my assertion.

      In response to the assertion that Hillary would be are next president, Deuce stated,

      WE are so FUBAR.

      Rufus then responded with a number of posts, praising the economic achievements of the Obama administration (what these have to do with Deuce's quote other than providing a rather awkward segue I don’t know). Anyway, to address them…

      ================================================================

      Well, I don't know. We're not losing thousands of dead, or wounded, or spending $180 Billion / Year, in a foreign war.

      There is no way I can argue with what he says. It is true. The problem is with what is not said, the negative aspects of US involvement and the US strategy that have been discussed here ad nauseum since the beginning of the Syrian mess, or the fact that we are still in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future.

      The Unemployment Rate is down to 4.9%,

      and the participation rate has ticked up in each of the last 3 months.


      Again, had he stopped with the decrease in the unemployment rate I would have no argument; however, he didn’t. He went on to mention the participation rate and even pointed out the chart he got the info from. However, even though he is correct in pointing out the participation rate went up in each of the last three months, by looking at the BLS chart you will see that the latest number fluctuates within a narrow range from month to month and this month's rate is actually 0.2 percent below what it was a year earlier. The selective use of data indicates a certain bias.

      We're starting to get a little Wage Growth, in fact, Median Household Income, deflated by the PCE Cost Index, is at an all-time high.

      I didn’t bother to investigate this claim since there was no links provided. Once we have a link, it may open up other questions such as what constitutes a Household today as opposed to 8 years ago? However, there is no doubt that wage growth has been slow as has been GDP growth.

      We're up to 90% Insured (about 95% if you just include American Citizens.) As soon as some of these Republican Governors get their heads out of their asses, and take the Federal Medicaid Money we'll be close to 98%.

      Again, no links were provided but we have to remember that Obamacare only affects a small percentage of the population. In 2013, prior to the opening of the exchanges, the number of uninsured in the country was about 41 million people or about 13.4% of the population. The latest numbers I had seen were that the level of uninsured had dropped to around 11.9%.

      Now, I wasn’t knocking the numbers Rufus put. The drop in unemployment for instance is obviously good news. And the things I pointed out are no big deal either, but I think they substantiates my agreement with WiO and my statement that as ‘with most numbers put up here they merely tell a partial story’, a statement you seem to find objectionable.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      The last example I'll mention is with Rufus' post on this article,

      http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2016/02/public-and-private-sector-payroll-jobs.html

      The author does a pretty good job laying out the caveats associated with the numbers. Not so Rufus who is a little selective in the data he chooses to emphasize and the assumptions he applies.

      galopn2Mon Feb 08, 05:13:00 PM EST
      However, here's where the rubber meets the road:

      Private Sector Jobs

      Obama on track to create 12,192,000

      GW Bush Lost 396,000

      Of course, Bill Clinton created 20,966,000 Private Sector Jobs

      and

      GHW Bush tallied up 1,510,000.
      What makes it even more interesting is that, Obama is the only President in the modern era to preside over a Loss of Public Sector Jobs.

      -484,000 if the current track holds.


      ============================================================

      I responded to Rufus' post on this article when it was first put up a month or two ago so I won’t bother doing it again but rather just point out a couple things.

      1. First, going by the raw numbers Rufus puts up it’s easy to assume that job growth is solely a factor of which president or which party is in office. However, the raw numbers don’t provide any of the contexts provided in the article. For instance, there is no doubt actions taken by Clinton were good for the economy during the 1990’s. However, unless you actually believe Al Gore invented the internet, you have to admit that Clinton was helped by the job growth and productivity gains coming from the growth of the internet and the dot coms.

      Also, as was mentioned in the article, Clinton was the only president of those listed that didn’t suffer through a recession whereas Bush had one at the beginning and one at the end of his presidency. Clinton came in benefiting from an expanding economy when he came in and he exited right before the dot com bust.

      2. Second, Rufus puts the emphasis on private sector growth and ignores public sector declines other than to apparently suggest, given the context of his comments, that they are a good thing. While in normal times that might be a reasonable assumption; however, in our latest recession, the bulk of the cuts were at the state and local levels. They involved public employees, cops, firemen, teachers, etc. This had not only negative impact on the people involved but they put pressure on budgets, grew welfare programs, cut investment, hurt GDP, and likely though I've seen no numbers hurt student performance to some degree.

      I believe this again confirms the point I made. If you are trying to make a point, you will emphasize data that supports that point while giving short shrift to data that doesn’t support it. It's only natural. And some might say it's pretty obvious.

      .

      Delete

    3. See, that was not so hard, was it?

      Delete
  40. HERE’S YOUR NUMBER - HELLLLOOOOOO DONALD:

    CNS News.com) - The merchandise trade deficit that the United States ran with China in 2015 hit a record high of $365,694,000,000, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

    “The deficit with China increased $22.6 billion to $365.7 billion in 2015,” the BEA said in a press release. “Exports decreased $7.5 billion to $116.2 billion and imports increased $15.1 billion to $481.9 billion.”

    The $22,615,700,000 increase in the merchandise trade deficit the U.S. ran with China last year was a 6.6-percent jump from the $343,078,800,000 merchandise trade deficit the U.S. ran with China in 2014.


    You sure can build a lot of aircraft carriers with those kinds of numbers.

    ReplyDelete
  41. It doesn't require critical thinking. It merely requires a recognition of the obvious.


    OOoooo...yeah


    Like recognizing that O'bozo gave birth to ISIS when he took the troops out too soon.

    Quirk is making some progress.

    That is obvious.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Let's face it - critical thinking is tough.

    Done properly, as in our social science and political science departments in our marvelous universities, critical race theory yields the conclusion that all crackers are racists, whether they know it or not.

    The corollary is:

    Whitey owes us some mo' money.

    A recognition of the obvious, however, as in Ben Carson, concludes that the USA is actually one of the least racist countries on earth.

    No paycheck in this recognition, though.

    ReplyDelete
  43. The media is saying than the Syrian army is attacking Aleppo, Syria. The operable word is Syria. The US attacked German cities.

    All other cities attacked in Belgium, France and Italy were liberated.

    Was Lincoln a liberator or was he attacking US cities?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I pass.

      Too good a mood here for argument.

      Delete
    2. Was Lincoln a liberator or was he attacking US cities?

      At the TIME of the war?

      they had left the Union at the time of the war.

      So no, Lincoln was not attacking US cities.

      Delete
  44. OOPS

    The latest addition to the “Obamacare is working” evidence pile comes courtesy of the National Center for Health Statistics, which released a report Tuesday morning looking at the uninsured rates nationally and in 37 states over the first nine months of 2015. According to NCHS, the number of adults lacking insurance has plummeted since 2013, when many of the Affordable Care Act’s major provisions went into effect. “In the first 9 months of 2015, 28.8 million persons of all ages (9.1%) were uninsured at the time of interview – 7.2 million fewer persons than in 2014 and 16.0 million fewer than in 2013.”

    ReplyDelete
  45. A 'Rubio Robot' has been mugged at a Rubio event by Rubio supporters.....just saw the Robo getting his/hers on Fox.

    Poor Robo was getting pushed and shoved from all sides, and almost fell over !

    Once a robot is on the floor, it's tough getting up....

    I am enjoying this campaign.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Meanwhile, one fraud is set to 'huddle' with another -

    BERNIE TO HUDDLE WITH SHARPTON...Drudge

    I'd think The Sharpton would be huddling with the Jesus folk, but no, he's gonna huddle with The Marxist/Leninist/Dialectical Materialist.

    ReplyDelete
  47. See photo of 'Rubio Robot' in article below -


    Rubio supporters get physical with 'robot' protester
    3 / 20
    Caitlin Yilek

    Supporters of Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio on Tuesday manhandled a protester dressed as a robot in New Hampshire.

    A video released by progressive group American United for Change shows Rubio supporters pushing and grabbing a man in a robot costume.

    “Why do you have your hands on me?” the protester asks as he is being pushed away from a group of supporters and the media.


    Rubio supporters get physical with 'robot' protester© Provided by The Hill Rubio supporters get physical with 'robot' protester

    The costume was meant to mock Florida senator’s debate performance on Saturday, when he repeated a talking point four times about President Obama.

    The protester held a sign that said “#RobotRubio.”

    http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rubio-supporters-get-physical-with-robot-protester/ar-BBpjay4?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

    ReplyDelete
  48. Nineveh Operations: 150 ISIS militants killed in battles of Makhmour District

    (IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Nineveh Operations Command announced on Monday, that 150 fighters of the so-called ISIS were killed during the battles that took place in Makhmour District south of Mosul, while pointed out that ISIS lost 75% of its elite troops.

    The command also revealed, that ISIS members began to transfer their families from south of Mosul to Tal Afar north-west of the province.

    Nineveh Operations Command said in statements followed by IraqiNews.com, “The tribal fighters, Peshmerga and Iraqi army backed by the international coalition aviation managed to kill more than 150 fighters belonging to ISIS during the battles that took place in Makhmour District axis south of Mosul.”

    The statement added, “The international coalition aviation killed a number of suicide bombers driving 20 car bombs, without any casualties among the joint security forces during those battles,” pointing out that, “ISIS lost about 75% of the so-called elite troops in the battles south of Mosul.”

    Iraqines

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You actually believe everything you read in Iraqi news ?

      Are you an idiot ?

      Delete
  49. I think about the most interesting part of this chart is the level of "quits." Quits are considered very important for gauging worker confidence in their situation.

    JOLTS - Job Openings and Labor Turnover

    ReplyDelete
  50. Meet Bernie Sanders’
    Israel Hating Advisers

    Jewish Democrat taking advice from Israel critics

    BY: Adam Kredo
    February 8, 2016 1:18 pm


    Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders has tapped several critics of Israel to advise him on foreign policy, including one who has compared Israelis to “Nazis” and accused them of waging “a Holocaust.”

    Sanders, who is Jewish and had family members slaughtered during the Holocaust, recently disclosed that his top foreign policy advisers include J Street, a dovish Middle East advocacy group that backs some of Congress’ most vocal critics of Israel, former assistant Secretary of Defense Larry Korb, and James Zogby, an Israel detractor who heads the Arab American Institute.

    The inclusion of these advisers in the Sanders’ campaign, which has already come under fire for ignoring prominent Jewish-American political organizations, has prompted speculation from some that the presidential hopeful will pursue anti-Israel foreign policy priorities.

    “Bernie seems to care very little about foreign policy, and so his views are shaped inordinately by advisers,” said Noah Pollak, executive director of the Emergency Committee for Israel, an advocacy organization. “And now we know who those advisers are. Two of them—Zogby and J Street—are leading anti-Israel apologists for terrorism. By his association with these extremist groups, Bernie fails the commander-in-chief test.”

    A majority of voters, including Jewish ones, tend to pick a president who pursues policies supportive of the Jewish state, according to numerous polls.

    With wars still raging in the Middle East and the issue of Iran’s nuclear program still dominating the headlines, foreign policy and support for Israel could factor even more heavily into the 2016 election.

    Sanders tends to avoid foreign policy when stumping on the campaign trail, leading some to speculate that his advisers could play a major role in molding the potential president’s views.

    “If advisers are a crystal ball to the future of foreign policy, then Sanders seeks a policy which doubles down on many of the failed assumptions that have undercut Obama’s policies,” said Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon adviser and terrorism analyst. “America’s adversaries are real and are motivated by ideology rather than grievance. To rest American national security on the good will of anti-American despots and Islamists is never a good gamble.”

    Zogby has accused the Jewish state of committing a “Holocaust” against the Palestinians and has referred to Israelis as “Nazis.” He has also described sitting members of Congress as “Israel firsters,” an anti-Semitic trope that implies dual loyalty to the Jewish state.

    Zogby also has come under fire for exploiting the memory of the Holocaust for political purposes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zogby claimed in a 2010 blog post for the Huffington Post that “the plight of Palestinians is to the Arabs, what the Holocaust is to Jews world-wide.”

      His comparison immediately drew outrage, with researchers from the UK Media Watch organization describing it as “grievously insulting.”

      “Nothing that I could say to highlight his words would make them any more insulting or horrid than they are on their own,” a representative of that group wrote at the time.

      “Zogby has two goals: to make Arab Americans more powerful than Jewish Americans and to be their preeminent leader,” Yehudit Barsky, a fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy, wrote in a profile about Zogby’s anti-Israel attitudes.

      J Street has faced similar criticism for its efforts to pressure Israel into making security concessions to the Palestinians that could endanger its survival.

      J Street accused the Jewish state of “fanning growing flames of anti-Semitism” due to its efforts to stop daily attacks on civilians during Israel’s 2014 battle against Hamas terrorists.

      The group’s leaders also have accused leading Israeli politicians of being racists.

      J Street, which lobbies in Congress, supports many leading critics of Israel and has worked to defeat the Jewish state’s defenders.

      Mainstream members of the pro-Israel community have repeatedly called on J Street to be isolated and excluded from the debate due to its extremist policies.

      A majority of voters also have expressed opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, one of J Street’s top priorities. Sanders also backs the deal.

      Korb, a Sanders adviser and top official at the Center for American Progress, lobbied in favor of the Iran deal and has said that military action against the Islamic Republic is not an option.

      “Sanders commitment to get foreign policy advice from these three folks is indicative that his time on a kibbutz in Israel did little else than to instill in him a love for farming,” said Mark McNulty, the Republican Jewish Coalition’s spokesman. “J Street and Zogby are more committed to tearing down our relationship with Israel than providing sound policy advice. The choice for Democrat Jews is stark and the more they learn the more a GOP candidate committed to restoring our place in the world is an attractive candidate.”

      http://freebeacon.com/national-security/meet-bernie-sanders-israel-hating-advisers/

      Delete
    2. All the more reason for people to support Sanders.

      He now has over 1,000,000 individual donors
      Trump has 1

      Two sides of the same anti-establishment coin.

      Delete
  51. In N.H. Primary

    63% of Democratic Voters have a College Degree

    54% of Republican Voters have a College Degree

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 45% of Dem voters are Undeclared or Unregistered

      55% are Democrats

      Could be a good night for Bernie

      Delete
    2. Almost 2/3 of Republican respondents Support Trumps Ban on Muslims entering the U.S.

      Delete
  52. Pundits and reporters haven't been talking much about Ted Cruz today, even though the Texas senator won the Iowa Republican caucuses last week. Donald Trump is expected to win and Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and John Kasich are believed to be fighting for second place in New Hampshire.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Hillary Clinton, in my opinion, is right now praying for 44%. That will give her, at least, 10 Delegates (compared to Bernie's 14. That, combined with her 8-2 lead in Super-Delegates, brings her out of New Hampshire with a tie.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Hoping it is bad night for the GOP Likuds Force.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Sanders gets 84% of those under 30.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chelsea didn't get out the 'under 30' vote.

      :)

      The sad truth is all these under 30 brain deads see Sanders as 'good Unca Sanders', he with the great big gift bag.

      "Free Stuff" is a great campaign slogan these days.

      Delete
  56. Sanders gets 53% of women’s vote.

    ReplyDelete
  57. My guy Ben Carson came in dead last at 2%.

    Are all whites racists without knowing it ?

    Is critical race theory correct ?

    No. Fiorina only got 3% and half the voters are women.

    The Donald did GREAT, YUUUGE win.

    The Bern is rubbing Hillary's face in the double digit dirt.

    Double Digit Dirt !
    Double Digit Dirt !
    Double Digit Dirt !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think The Bern actually won Iowa too by half a hair if the votes had been counted fairly and accurately.

      Delete
  58. The US Media Echo Chamber took it in the shorts.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Replies
    1. It's almost 60 - 40 between The Bern and Hillary now, according to RCP.

      Delete
    2. Hit the 'reply' button there, didn't mean to.

      But since I'm here, being pedantic, Jesus wasn't political. It is more correct to say the people that attached their names to Jesus lost.

      Who would Jesus have voted for ?

      That is the question !

      Delete
  60. The Zionist choice Marco Rubio got trounced.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Rubio looks to be coming in 5th.

    Bad, bad news for the pretty boy.

    ReplyDelete
  62. .

    Just saw Bernie pumping in free throws in a gym in NH.

    Better than Obama. But then Bernie is from Brooklyn and Obama is from Hawaii.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a meaningful metric.

      Basketball is an American sport, born right here in USA USA USA.

      O'bozo was born in Kenya, and raised mostly in, where was it, Indonesia or some mooselim shit hole.

      Never vote for a man...or a woman....who can't shoot good hoops.

      I've seen The Donald do GREAT flying slam dunks !

      Delete
  63. My guy came in ahead of Jim Gilmore !

    ReplyDelete
  64. Megyn Kelly just pointed out that, according to Madeline Albright, about 80% of young women in New Hampshire are going to be burning in hell.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  65. :):):):)

    Clinton Deja Vu: NH Brings Rumors of Campaign Implosion...
    Biden ruling nothing out...
    Hillary lost every demographic group except 65+ and incomes of $200,000+...
    DICK MORRIS: She's Falling Apart...
    B Team Deployed to Smear...
    MOOK RUSHES OUT WITH MEMO...
    Backer Urges Campaign: Keep Steinem and Albright Away!
    Photo shows American flags crumpled up on Hillary HQ floor...Drudge


    :):):):)

    ReplyDelete
  66. .

    Hilarious.

    Hillary is in the middle of a the longest 'concession speech that wasn't'.

    You can't make this up.

    If she mentioned Bernie Sanders (she mentioned it so fast that I missed it) it was in passing. The rest was a standard stump speech and she was milking the chance to take advantage of the free air time.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  67. Replies
    1. a good, old down-home thumpin'.

      Delete
    2. .

      Hillary lost the young and middle age voters and she lost women. She won the elderly and those making over $200k.

      She recognized this in her 'concession' speech and then went on to condemn (somewhat hypocritically IMO) the Citizens United decision. However, in doing so se made the point that the decision resulted from a right wing attack on her.

      IMO, that was a bit risky, reminding people of her campaign tactics. It may come back to haunt her later, if not in the primaries then in the general.

      .

      Delete
  68. .

    Why Trump is doing so well, IMO.

    In New Hampshire, polling data say voters agreed 90 to 9 that the current political/economic system in America favors the rich over everyone else.

    Brit Hume just called that a conspiracy theory and charged Sanders with using that conspiracy theory to get his victory in NH.

    The GOP establishment just doesn't get it.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  69. I guess I had it wrong. Maybe we'll have to get used to saying, President Trump.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      I'm not willing to throw in the towel this month; however, I am willing to admit that I may have been completely wrong in my opinion of Trump's chances.

      .

      Delete
    2. I won't gloat.

      And he's not my first choice.

      Though there's a lot I like about him.

      But I do think Hillary is doomed.

      "The mills of the gods grind slowly, but exceedingly fine"

      Ernest Hemingway


      She only won those over 65 that don't need their social security :)

      Imagine that.

      She didn't promise enough free stuff, not nearly as much as Santa Bern Claus.

      And in her concession speech she was rambling on about transgender rights and such, the LGBT 'community' or whatever it is called. No one gives a damn about that, not really, and that crowd accounts for maybe 1% of the country, if that.

      Her reaction to the slaughter ? Fire the staff.

      Delete
  70. Replies
    1. Doyle's is only 5 minutes away by car.

      You could drink and watch all the excitement on the big screen there.

      Take your computer, you could blog from there too, between poker hands.

      Delete
  71. "Backpfeifengesicht, meaning a face in need of a good punch"

    Yuppers, the kind of face that deserves a good mugging.

    Good ol' Germans.

    I read somewhere their word for a toilet was something like a sitzundpisser.




    Richard E. Cytowic M.D.

    The Fallible Mind

    Why Ted Cruz’s Facial Expression Makes Me Uneasy

    What message are the Senator’s atypical facial gestures sending?

    It’s hard to look at Ted Cruz’s face. He’s a brilliant orator with a sharp legal mind. But his expression unsettles me. I know my reaction is visceral and automatic, but as a neurologist it is my business to notice things out of the ordinary and probe them. The Senator’s atypical expressions leave me uneasy.

    Before I say why, note how many colleagues and former associates "loathe" him. A Bush alumnus told The New York Times' Frank Bruni, “Why do people take such an instant dislike to Ted Cruz? It just saves time.” Former Senate Majority leader Bob Dole says, "Nobody likes him," while Rep. Peter King sees "malice." According to The Washington Post, screenwriter Craig Mazin, Cruz's former Princeton roommate, has called him a "huge asshole," and "creepy." He's Tweeted, "Getting emails blaming me for not smothering Ted Cruz in his sleep in 1988." The distaste for Cruz even extends beyond the U.S.: Germans say Backpfeifengesicht, meaning a face in need of a good punch..........


    https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-fallible-mind/201601/why-ted-cruz-s-facial-expression-makes-me-uneasy

    I feel the same way. Then add the whiny voice.....and what he pulled on Ben Carson.....

    I can't stand the guy.


    Good article.....talks about our ancestors of long ago, facial recognition and such....survival......mentions a Charles Darwin work I didn't know about...

    ReplyDelete
  72. Let the Revolution Begin - Fuck the Empire

    ReplyDelete
  73. I didn't catch the Sanders speech. I assume it was somewhere along the line of,

    "I promise to raise your taxes, and I think I have a good chance of winning Vermont."

    ReplyDelete
  74. Revolution !
    Revolution !
    Revolution !

    Shoot those oppressors in their Limos !

    Expropriate their walled compounds !

    Take away their flying privileges !

    Try them before 'People's Courts' !

    Daily life is so damn boring.....

    Work sucks....

    Free shit for everyone !!!

    Revolution, Revolution, Revolution....just for the hell of it !

    (many of our fat assed comrades will have to crash diet though before the street fighting begins....street fighting is cool, their was a song about it, 'Street Fighting Man' - the comrades present way to wide a target....)

    ReplyDelete
  75. Down with the Empire !

    Down with the exploitation of the workers.

    Down with the Japanese building autos in Lexington, Kentucky off the backs of American workers.

    Long live fighting, chaos, destruction, death, despair.....long live the Revolution, rah rah rah

    Long live the dictatorship of the proletariat, rightly guided by the conspiratorial click, about which the proletariat have nothing to say. Long live the gulags.

    Arriba Insanity !!!

    ReplyDelete
  76. Rubbish. Open your eyes. Read this and tell me something is not wrong here:

    CNS News.com) - The merchandise trade deficit that the United States ran with China in 2015 hit a record high of $365,694,000,000, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

    “The deficit with China increased $22.6 billion to $365.7 billion in 2015,” the BEA said in a press release. “Exports decreased $7.5 billion to $116.2 billion and imports increased $15.1 billion to $481.9 billion.”

    The $22,615,700,000 increase in the merchandise trade deficit the U.S. ran with China last year was a 6.6-percent jump from the $343,078,800,000 merchandise trade deficit the U.S. ran with China in 2014.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deuce, our trade deficit was that large 20 years ago, when the economy was half as large. As a percent of GDP it was 6% - today, it's about 3%.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    3. Have you listend to Trump's current theme song, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson ...

      It's the Beatles ... Revolution

      You say you want a revolution
      Well, you know
      We all want to change the world
      You tell me that it's evolution
      Well, you know
      We all want to change the world

      But when you talk about destruction
      Don't you know that you can count me out

      Don't you know it's gonna be alright
      Alright, alright

      You say you got a real solution
      Well, you know
      We'd all love to see the plan
      You ask me for a contribution
      Well, you know
      We're all doing what we can

      But if you want money for people with minds that hate
      All I can tell you is brother you have to wait

      Don't you know it's gonna be alright
      Alright, alright, al...

      You say you'll change the constitution
      Well, you know
      We all want to change your head
      You tell me it's the institution
      Well, you know
      You'd better free your mind instead

      But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
      You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow

      Don't you know know it's gonna be alright

      Delete
    4. What in the world was wrong with that comment ?

      You are very hard to figure out, irascible, often illogical.

      Since that kinda pisses me off, I'm taking my marbles and going home for the night.

      I can tell you this, your Bern has no solutions.

      The Donald might just actually have some solutions to some problems.

      The world doesn't give a damn about hallucinatory desires.

      Good Night

      Delete
    5. Jack ass right back at you.

      Delete
  77. Raise taxes ?

    Bad campaign slogan.

    Mondale tried, and he won one state, his home state of Minnesota, due to its population of brain dead Swedes...due to the favorite son effect..

    ReplyDelete
  78. Care to guess how many jobs are lost to a $365,694,000,000 trade deficit with one country? If you had as much compassion for fellow Americans as you do for your Israelis, you might learn something. Fellow Americans are getting so screwed is amazes me that they are so docile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not saying trade deficits are the cat's meow, but as long as you run a Fiscal deficit of approximately the same size, it's not the end of the world.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  79. Not for the bond holders and debt issuers, but hell on earth to middle class working stiffs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, in fairness, it does depend on what they're working At. If they're making weedeaters, they're going to have to find another job, but on the good side, everyone benefits from the lower prices.

      You can argue it as long as it is wide.

      I will say this; if we're all going to work in service jobs, service jobs are going to have to pay a living wage.

      Delete
  80. If we are going to run fiscal deficits, let them be for building infrastructure in the US, not financing crap built in China.

    ReplyDelete

  81. If you trade Manufacturing jobs for Service and hamburger flipping, you're in deep caca.
    When I left high school, a framing carpenter made $12 to $15 an hour, in AZ. Mid 1970's

    They make that today, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You think Reagan killing unions might have something to do with that?

      Delete

    2. AZ has always been "Right to Work"
      There were no building trade unions.

      But, of course, Federal policies have been instrumental in stagnating wages.

      Delete
    3. I was thinking the same thing. When I was going to college on the GI Bill, I worked for UPS loading tractor trailers for $9 an hour. That is over 40 years ago. With that money and the GI Bill, I went to college, had a nice car, a nice place to live and a wife and two kids.

      Delete
  82. Donald Trump estimated on Tuesday that it will cost about $8 billion to build the wall he has promised to erect on the U.S.'s southern border if elected president.

    ...

    "Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall, and they need to know that," Calderon had said. "And it's going to be completely useless."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. The 35% tariff on autos made in Mexico, that will be how Trump gets Mexico to pay for the wall.

      Whether or not it will be useless ...

      Delete
    2. The USA gave mexico 900 million in aid in 2014 alone.

      deduct the cost from the aid.

      Delete
  83. Trump knows it ...

    Revolution

    You say you want a revolution
    Well, you know
    We all want to change the world
    You tell me that it's evolution
    Well, you know
    We all want to change the world

    But when you talk about destruction
    Don't you know that you can count me out

    Don't you know it's gonna be alright
    Alright, alright

    You say you got a real solution
    Well, you know
    We'd all love to see the plan
    You ask me for a contribution
    Well, you know
    We're all doing what we can

    But if you want money for people with minds that hate
    All I can tell you is brother you have to wait

    Don't you know it's gonna be alright
    Alright, alright, al...

    You say you'll change the constitution
    Well, you know
    We all want to change your head
    You tell me it's the institution
    Well, you know
    You'd better free your mind instead

    But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
    You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow

    Don't you know know it's gonna be alright

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love it when people say that Trump doesn't take any money from the "donor class."

      Hello . . . . . . He IS the "donor class."

      Delete
    2. As of 1FEB2016

      Bernie said he has 1,000,000 donors, raising $75,100,111

      Trump has 1 and has raised 21,200,000

      http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/election-2016-campaign-money-race.html?_r=0

      Delete

    3. The contributors averaging three contribution of $27.

      Delete
  84. Trump and Sanders win: We are witnessing a full scale revolt, America

    They came close in Iowa, but just fell short of claiming victory. Tuesday night in New Hampshire was a different story.

    The political outsiders have taken control of this election.

    Donald Trump won Tuesday night’s Republican primary in New Hampshire. By a margin of 34 percent to 16 percent for John Kasich, Trump proved that his slogan of “Make America Great Again” resonates with voters – in a big way.

    On the Democratic side, self proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders edged Hillary Clinton out by 20 percentage points. His message railing against the rigged economy, special interests that control Washington and pledging to give Americans universal healthcare and free college tuition brought together a larger coalition of young voters than the one Barack Obama built in 2008.

    To my mind, Tuesday night’s results show that there are finally politicians who understand how marginalized, disenfranchised and betrayed a majority of Americans feel. It’s both Republicans and Democrats, including the 42 percent of Americans who now identify as independent because they think the two parties don’t represent their values and positions.

    We are seeing a full scale rejection of the political establishment. This is a threat that we did not take seriously enough over the past few years, as evidenced by the fact that most rejected Trump as a clown and a joke. His ideas on illegal immigration and placing a temporary ban on Muslims ruffled our national feathers even though a majority of Republican primary voters agreed with him. That’s how out of touch our political class has become.

    Indeed, 46 percent of GOP voters say they feel betrayed by Republican politicians. Trump won 32 percent of that group.

    We did the same thing to Bernie Sanders who began this race upwards of 50 points behind Hillary Clinton. We said a socialist could never win. And he may not be able to win a national election, but we are seeing an electorate so starved for an honest and trustworthy politician that they will make allowances for ideologies that they may not have considered before.

    Sanders has argued about oligarchy and money in politics and has been his whole career. He doesn’t flip flop or evolve on his advocacy for the average American.

    Sanders is just Bernie Sanders. And Donald Trump is just Donald Trump.

    We are living in a time when trust in Americans institutions has collapsed. A recent Pew survey shows that less than 20 percent of Americans trust the government always or most of the time. And a CNN poll showed that 60 percent think the American Dream is unachievable today.

    Against this backdrop, it’s no surprise that America is in revolt. Honesty

    http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/02/09/trump-and-sanders-win-in-nh-trump-and-sanders-win-are-witnessing-full-scale-revolt-america.html?intcmp=hpbt2

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Against this backdrop, it’s no surprise that America is in revolt. Honesty and trustworthiness matters more than whether a candidate has experience or can win in November according to voters. And the establishment isn’t delivering anything resembling what the American populace desires in their political leaders.

      I see a clearer path to the nomination for Trump than for Sanders, but there is no doubt that Americans have spoken and they’re done with business as usual.


      Douglas E. Schoen has served as a pollster for President Bill Clinton. He has more than 30 years experience as a pollster and political consultant. He is also a Fox News contributor and co-host of "Fox News Insiders" Sundays on Fox News Channel and Mondays at 10:30 am ET on FoxNews.com Live. He is the author of 11 books. His latest, co-authored with Malik Kaylan is "The Russia-China Axis: The New Cold War and America's Crisis of Leadership (Encounter Books, September 2014). Follow Doug on Twitter @DouglasESchoen.

      Delete
    2. Saw John McCain say this, a day or two ago, paraphrasing him, of course

      "A fellow told me he was backing Trump ...
      I asked who his second choice would be ...
      he said Bernie Sanders."

      Delete
  85. Well, when you're out of beer, you're out of business. later.

    ReplyDelete
  86. As polls closed, her campaign manager Robby Mook blasted out a memo touting Clinton’s strength with Hispanics and black voters and arguing that a Democrat cannot win the presidency without support from those constituencies.

    The distinctions between what motived Sanders and Clinton voters were sharp. The Vermont senator was backed by 9 in 10 voters for whom honesty was important and 8 in 10 who wanted a candidate who “cares about people like me.”

    Clinton, meanwhile, won support from nearly 90 percent of those who considered the “right” experience important in their decision and about 80 percent of those regarding electability as the most important factor.

    ReplyDelete
  87. It's not Bernie that can do something about trade, but Trump.

    Trump does have some real experience, the Bern has zero, other than the usual leftist belly aching and redistribution hallucinations.

    If one is serious about improving America, The Bern is not your guy.

    Trump might be.

    ReplyDelete
  88. The Texas senator brushed off Trump's comments, saying the reason the businessman engages in insults "is because he can't discuss the substance."

    The large Republican field was winnowed after Iowa, but there remains a crowded grouping of more traditional candidates, including Rubio and the governors.

    ...

    Kasich, Bush and Christie all poured enormous resources into New Hampshire in hope of jumpstarting their White House bids in a state that has been friendly to moderate Republicans. All three could face pressure from party leaders and financial donors to end their campaigns without a strong showing.

    ReplyDelete
  89. .

    11:30 pm

    Brit Hume continues his ongoing rant against Sanders and his 'conspiracy theory'. Switching between channels, I'd say ol Brit used the term 'conspiracy theory' 6 or 7 times tonight. And that was only during the times I was watching. I think he has got his catch phrase to carry him through the primaries and, god willing, through the election.

    It would almost be worth having Sanders as president just to see the pain over at FOX.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  90. .

    In case there was any doubt left that Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC, or the Democratic establishment was in the bag for Hillary,

    DWS Burns Da Bern

    Nevada’s Democratic caucus falls on Shabbat

    Sabbath observant Jews won’t be able to take part in the party’s upcoming February 20 vote after leaders said date was most convenient for most

    You can't make it up.


    And the GOP convention should be interesting is Trump actually is leading when it starts.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  91. .

    Now Why Didn't We Think of That?

    Netanyahu unveils plan to ‘surround entire state with a fence’


    Threat from ‘carnivorous animals’ in neighboring countries necessitates sophisticated barriers, says PM

    Evidently, Bibi and the Donald have been talking again.


    Now Why Didn't We Think of That?

    Netanyahu unveils plan to ‘surround entire state with a fence’


    Threat from ‘carnivorous animals’ in neighboring countries necessitates sophisticated barriers, says PM

    Evidently, Bibi and the Donald have been talking again.

    “At the end of the day, in the State of Israel as I see it, there will be a fence like this one [the border fence with Jordan currently under construction] surrounding its entirety…We will surround the entire State of Israel with a fence, a barrier.”

    .

    ReplyDelete