Quote: 

TX Homeowner Fined $7,000 for Displaying Sign Associated With Glenn Beck 

A North Texas couple is finding out that "free speech" can be very expensive.

A few years ago, Johnnie and Clara Russell posted a small yard sign on their two-acre property outside of Fort Worth promoting an event for the non-political "9/12 Project." Someone in the neighborhood complained about the sign which provides information for an event called "Wake Up America." .

If you see a story that you believe would be useful and important to our readers, simply respond to this email with a link and a brief description of why it is important.  (Even if it may be obvious)

Chris Matthews - Obama's Not Happy in White House: 'I Hear Stories That You Will Not Believe' 

Liberal MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews is known to throw some jabs at Republicans during his daily show. But the commentator has become increasingly critical of Democratic President Barack Obama, the same man whose words used to give him a "Thrill up my leg." Matthews has an upcoming book on President John F. Kennedy but during an interview on Weekends with Alex Witt Matthews went on a rant criticizing the President, and the "little kids with propellers on their heads" advising him:  

Read More . . .  

Performing at C.B. West

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The United States Naval Academy

The U.S. Naval Academy "Anchormen" (an acapella men's choir of Midshipmen), is scheduled to peform at CB West this coming Tuesday evening at 7pm. Concert is free and open to the public.  This is sure an event not to miss!  .

The lead singer in the YouTube video below is Pat Bagnick, C.B. West Class of 2008 (and class valdedictorian), and a Senior ("Firstie") at the U.S. Naval Academy. Pat is from Chalfont, PA, he was Class Valedictorian at CB West.   Mike DiDonato, President of the USNA Anchormen, is a graduate of St. Joe's Prep. in Philadelphia. 

. 

Naval Academy "Anchormen" Tribute to 9/11-"Hole in the World" by The Eagles

Nullify Now! Philadelphia

LISTEN LIVE TO REPATRIOT RADIO

"BETTER THAN EVER"

(all times are eastern)

Monday 3-4pm "Bordering on Insanity" - Rabbi Nachum Shifren and Garry Miller

We have finally arrived at the point where Germany was in 1930. For general enlightenment; remember, this was signed into law last year!

Take the time to read this break down of Health Care Plan owned and operated by just a few, who are exempt. It is so very important that this gets repealed.

 

 

Since government health care will be MANDATORY - watching this should be, too. Please watch the entire video.... This is a MUST! Then send it to everyone you know - ASAP!

 

Know the TRUTH about the Government Health Care Bill H.R.3200 - Key Points

New Developments on Agenda 21!

Update #3 on Agenda 21

First, let me thank all of the freedom activists who taking up the fight against Agenda 21. You are having an incredible impact.

And as a result, things are heating up in the battle to enforce Agenda 21.

It appears that many of our recent victories to stop it have prompted Sustainablists to step up and rush new policies into place.

Here are just some of the latest details:

First, Maryland Governor Richard O'Malley is forcing what he calls "Plan Maryland" through Executive Action rather than through the state Legislature. That means no votes from representatives of the people.

Plan Maryland will lock away 400,000 acres of Maryland land - blocking any development over the next 20 years. The scheme shifts control of land use from local government to dictates by unelected state bureaucrats.

Worse, O'Malley's plan will punish any county that doesn't comply by withholding state funding. It will also triple sewer "flush" taxes on property tax bills -- a tax on toilet flushes.

Moreover, he wants to ban most septic tanks - a move that will destroy the ability to live in rural areas.

Agenda 21 is on the move in Maryland.

Second, in Knoxville, TN a plan is being considered to charge a fee to property owners for rainwater runoff - meaning you pay a tax when it rains. This scheme has been enforced in Houston, TX where the city annually scoops up more than $400,000.

The excuse is that rain water runoff from private property pollutes streams. Rain is natural and this is nothing more than another environmental con to grab more of your hard earned money.

They call it a fee rather than a tax in order to snare non-profit entities like schools and churches. Some churches in South Carolina pay an annual rain runoff fee of as much as $2,600.

This too is Agenda 21 on the attack.

Third, there is a new kind of corporation being developed through Public Private Partnerships -it's called "benefit" corporations.

As Michael Shaw of Freedom Advocates describes it, imagine a legislated brotherhood of business where favored businesses get to go to the front of the line for permits, licenses and opportunities merely because they agree to advance the principles of Sustainable Development and Agenda 21.

Six states already have Benefit Corporation legislation: Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland, Vermont and New Jersey, and New York.

And more are in the process of making it part of their states corporate legal system, including California, Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

This policy will destroy free enterprise and guarantee that we can't stop Agenda 21.

There has been some good news in recent days in our battle to stop Agenda 21.

We can now add the following communities to the growing list that have ended their contracts with ICLEI (the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives- the main group forcing Agenda 21 in many cities in America).

Clallam County, Washington, Abington, VA, Carver MA, Pinellas County, Florida, Garland, TX, and Sarasota County, Florida. Each of these communities have taken action to stop Agenda 21.

The American Policy Center is on the front lines, spreading the message of the dangers of Agenda 21. I am on a seemingly non-stop speaking tour, informing citizens and elected officials of the dangers of these policies.

I can only do that with your financial help. Please go to www.americanpolicy.org and to donate. Your gift of $20 or more will keep me and APC in this battle against those who seek to control every aspect of your life thought the assault of Agenda 21 and its policy called Sustainable Development.

Please donate today - and please send this message to everyone on your email, facebook and other social network lists.

Together we can win this battle to restore America's Republic.   

Click here to make your donation!

RedState Morning Briefing

For November 21, 2011

1. #OWS Hijacked: #OccupyCongress Next Steps On Unions' Agenda

Did it really need to take two months for New York City Mayor Bloomberg to figure out that unions have hijacked the #OccupyMovement? Most sane observers knew that from the very start when when the Transport Workers Union in New York endorsed the squatters in Zuccotti Park, opening the flood gates for other unions, the Democrats, and the institutional Left to climb on board.

Since then, unions have provided paid protesters, legal representation, money, advertising, and even offered their property to the #OWS movement.

What began as a Neo-Communist movement that allegedly only had the goal of destroying capitalism has now become a full-fledged, union-financed class war with the very real goal (in coordination with Democrats in Congress) of instituting tax increases, along with the it's-only-a-matter-of-time global system of taxation, beginning with the so-called Robin Hood Tax.

2. Obama-NLRB Rushing to Issue Ambush Elections Rules on Nov. 30

It seems that Friday afternoons are always the time to drop job-killing news on America's job creators. In this case, the union appointees within Barack Obama's National Labor Relations Board have issued a press release stating they will be issuing their final rule on ambush elections on November 30th.

3. Was the Tea Party Kicked Out of the Capitol By Former Bennett Staffers Mad at Mike Lee?

On Thursday, the long planned Tea Party Debt Commission gathered in Washington, D.C. after months of development and procedure. Everything was set, the meeting had been approved through all of the appropriate channels, the tables had been set up, the microphones were in place.

One snag. Bad blood in D.C.

4. Busting The Myth of Union Job Security

For years, unions have created a myth around manufacturing in the United States having been destroyed by the [ insert pejorative here ].

The fact is, manufacturing is not dead in the United States. It is a myth created to mislead the public on unions' own destructiveness on companies and the jobs of employees. What union bosses have been screaming about is, in fact, the decline of unionized manufacturing.

 Find a feminist and see if she has a sense of humor:

Q: How many men does it take to fix a woman's watch?

A: What does she need a watch for? There's a clock on the oven!  

Give them another reason why Obama has GOT to go.  

NO. 15.
He broke his promise to close the detention center at Guantanamo. Not that we mind exactly. We'd rather Gitmo stayed open for as long as the War on Terror lasts, which, the way Obama is handling things, looks like it might be forever. Obviously it makes sense to keep jihadists who are fanatically committed to the destruction of the West safely cooped up in their orange jumpsuits rather than trying to kill us all when we take a plane. But that's the point: it's so obvious we need Gitmo open that the fact that Obama promised otherwise on the campaign trail (Guantanamo to close by January 2010, he said) means he's either terminally naïve or a despicable liar. Neither handicap makes him suitable to be our president.  

Conservative history:  

Quote "liberal fascist" Woodrow Wilson as an early example of America-hating, One World Government addiction. Asked whether the League of Nations might compromise American sovereignty, he replied that he looked forward to the day "when men would be just as eager partisans of the sovereignty of mankind as they were now of their own national sovereignty."  

THE INTERFAITH TASKFORCE FOR AMERICA AND ISRAEL (ITAI)

123 S. Broad Street, Suite 1832, Philadelphia, PA 19109

Friday, November 18, 2011

Dear ITAI Members and Donors:

ITAI ON THE MOVE...St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Cherry Hill will host an ITAI program focused on the current persecution of Coptic-Christians in Egypt, Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 7:30PM. More information to follow...ITAI will host a symposium on "Islam in Wake of the Arab Spring" with a panel of Muslim scholars (full list of names to be announced) in January 2012. The Jack Yampolsky Foundation is sponsoring the event...Joseph Puder addressed the Garden State Rotary Club in Cherry Hill, NJ, on the Middle East, Friday, November 18, 2011.

RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE: THE REAL MIDDLE EASTERN STORY

By: Joseph Puder

In following the Western press one gets the impression that the Arab (Palestinian)-Israeli conflict is the most important story that needs to be covered in the Middle East.  In reality however, it ranks third in order of importance when viewed within the stricture of three concentric circles that complete the picture of the current Middle East.  What makes these circles all the more significant is, that they all touch upon religion.

The first and most important of the circles addresses the Sunni-Shiite divide and pits the aggressive and revolutionary Shiite Iran against Sunni (Wahhabi) Saudi Arabia over hegemony in the Persian Gulf.  Directly associated with this circle is the attempt by Sunni-Muslim Turkey, led by Islamist Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan, to assume they are the champions of Sunni Islam. 

Erdogan's involvement in Syria, his support of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), his unwavering support for Hamas (Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood) and his close ties with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (poised to govern Egypt if and when civilian government resumes), are part of Turkey 's attempt to play the leadership role in the Muslim and Arab world. 

The most obvious clash between Sunnis and Shiites has been over control in Iraq. Although Arab Iraq is predominantly Shiite (60 %+) it has been traditionally governed by Sunnis (the last one being the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein).  While the 2003 U.S. invasion toppled Saddam and restored majority rule, it created a Shiite-led government that is close to the Islamic Republic of Iran.  For Saudi Arabia and the Sunni world this portends a "mortal threat." And, when coupled with Shiite (Hezbollah) dominance in Lebanon, it appears even more ominous.

The second circle, involves the recent uprisings in the Arab world better known as the "Arab Spring," which have granted power to Islamists everywhere, and made the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood (or affiliated parties) the dominant political force in Tunisia , Egypt , and now in Syria .  Political Islam has become a potent force throughout the Middle East, replacing nationalism and socialism - which some Arab regimes engaged in for decades.

The intolerance of the MB towards non-Muslims (Jewish Israel for instance) Christians and Shiite Muslims whom they consider as "errant" Muslims, is connected to the first circle.

The third circle is that of the conflict between Arab countries as well as non-Arab Muslim countries (Iran and Turkey) and their ethnic and religious minorities.  These include the Jewish state of Israel, the Coptic Christian minority in Egypt, the Kurds in Turkey, Iran, and Syria, and the Sunni Baluch minority in Iran as well as the Ahwazi-Sunni Arabs in Iran.

What the three circles have in common is religious and ethnic hatred and intolerance between Sunnis and Shiites, between Arabs and Persians, between Shiite Persians and Sunni Kurds, Baluch and Arabs, between Turks and Kurds, between Arab-Muslims and Israeli Jews, and between Egyptian Muslims and Christians.

Israel, an advanced, western and democratic state gets a disproportionate amount of press and criticism, to the near exclusion of coverage and analysis of intolerant Arab-Muslim states by the mainstream press.  The ease of access western journalists have in Israel compared to the absence of secure access in the Arab and non-Arab Muslim Middle Eastern states, makes for unfair and inaccurate reporting in the western media that results in holding Israel responsible for the lack of regional peace.  Moreover, secular western reporters and editors, who are disconnected from religion, fail to grasp the overarching role religion plays in Middle Eastern conflicts.

Contrary to the reportage written and distributed by western media sources, conflict in the Middle East is less about territory and almost entirely about religion. True also for the Arab (Palestinian)-Israeli conflict is that its foundation is in Islamic religious intolerance rather than territory or Palestinian victimhood (Palestinian Arabs could have established a sovereign state under the Peel Commission in 1937 over 72%of Mandatory Palestine, and again under the UN Partition Plan of 1947.  They rejected both plans with the demand for all of Palestine or nothing-no compromise with infidels). Palestinian Arab-Muslims seek to replace Israel rather than live side-by-side with it.  And, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is fueled by arms, funds, and propaganda provided by Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia to the Palestinians against the Jewish state, still pales in importance, to Shiite Iran's encroachment and hegemonic ambitions in the Gulf.

The current uprising in Syria is a perfect example of the Sunni-Shiite divide and the Iranian-Saudi rivalry, as well as Turkish (Sunni)-Iranian (Shiite) rivalry over Islamic championship. Iran is allied with the Syrian Alawi-led regime of Bashar Assad, and the Alawis are an off-shoot of Shiite-Islam. The Alawis are despised by the Sunni majority which is supported by the overwhelmingly Sunni Arab League and Saudi Arabia, as well as non-Arab Sunni Turkey.

In Lebanon the Saudis have supported the government led by Sunni Saad Hariri, while Iran supported the Shiite Hezbollah.  In the Arab Gulf states and most recently in Bahrain, the Iranian regime incited the majority Shiites to rise up against the Sunni ruler.  Sunni Saudi Arabia intervened on behalf of the Sunni rulers.  The Iranians have also incited the majority Shiites in the Hasa province of Saudi Arabia.

For centuries, the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Persian Empire clashed in battles over territory and faith.  Today, the two modern nations seek to export their respective model of a Muslim state to Central Asia.  And, whereas in the recent past Turkey presented itself as a model of a secular Islamic republic, under Erdogan it is portraying itself as a Sunni Islamic Republic.  Iran touts itself as a genuine Islamic Republic.

A nuclear Iran would change the balance of power in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and the Sunni-ruled Gulf sheikdoms, as well as Israel view a nuclear Iran as an existential threat.   

SunniSaudi Arabia and Shiite Iran may be bitter rivals but they share in common the desire to implement Sharia law globally, and both these rivals support the restoration of the Caliphate. In more contemporary and immediate terms they both express hatred towards the Jewish state and the West.  And, both regimes have contempt for the secular Arab regimes (Iran makes Syria the exception).

To the extent that the Palestinians have any value in the Muslim world, it is that they are on the front-lines of a war against the infidel and despised Jews. Used as pawns in this war, they have otherwise been shunned and discriminated against throughout the Arab world.  So, for example, in Egypt, Syria, or Lebanon, Palestinians are regarded as aliens and therefore do not have the right to vote. In Jordan (where the Palestinians form the majority population), and in Israel (Arab-Israelis) alone have Palestinians become free citizens, able to vote and participate in national life.

It is high time the western media reflect these realities in their coverage of events in the Middle East. The media has largely ignored the intense religious rivalry in the region, and the historical antipathies between Arab and non-Arab minorities.  Likewise the media has overlooked the Kurdish and Baluch quest for national self-determination. The media haveminimized the intolerance of the Islamists in Egypt towards the Christian Copts, and they have failed to emphasize the religious motivation of the Arab-Palestinian in rejecting Israel's right to exist as a Jewish State.

Read more: 

VIDEOS * TODAY'S HOT PICKS 

1. Politicians Who Arrive in Washington as Men and Women of Modest Means Leave as Millionaires. Why? By SARAH PALIN
2. VIDEO: 'Patriotic Millionaires' Demand Higher Taxes, But...Are they Willing to Pay Up When Asked?  3. VIDEO: County Exec Feeds Seniors Slop to Pay Enormous Severance Packages, Pamper Himself
4. VIDEO: OWS Protesters Chant 'Follow Those Kids!' as Small Children Try to go to School on Wall Street...Tiny Tots, Some as Young as 4, Overwhelmed by Hostility
5. VIDEO: Iranian Nuke Attack on U.S. Easy as 'EMP'?
6. VIDEO: Senate To Hold Hearing On Insider Trading
7. VIDEO: Egyptian Pres. Candidate: Osama bin Laden a Martyr Who Spoke 'the Word of Truth With Power'
8. VIDEO: Pilot Gets Stuck in Plane's Bathroom Prompting Terror Scare...Fighter planes alerted...
9. VIDEO: Taxpayers Unlikely to Recover Much From Solyndra Loan
10. FSM on the Radio - Tonight at 6pm Eastern - Iran's missile chief killed in an explosion - while U.S. Administration does nothing to stop Iran's nuke plans... 

The Fraud of Islam

Amil Imani 

Political Baggage: Establishment and Media Manipulation

Frank Salvato 

Super Committee Suicide

Alan Caruba 

Today's Hot Topics

We choose, you peruse.

Juan Cole: Critic of Democracy, Apologist for Tyranny

Alan Jacobs

The War Against the Mullahs

Dr. Michael Ledeen 

What Does "Moderate" Islamist Mean?

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

Arrest of Suspected Illegal at Occupy Protest Sparks... More Protest!

Immigration News Update 

You can't spell "accountability" without "A," "C" and "T." But in Washington, government officials routinely get away with "taking personal responsibility" by mouthing empty words devoid of action. Heads nod in collective agreement that mistakes were made. But heads never roll. The Obama administration has raised this accountability charade to an art form.   

GET READY TO CALL THE WHITE HOUSE ON MONDAY

ACTION ITEM! GET READY TO CALL THE WHITE HOUSE ON MONDAY November 21, 2011 - the day that Jonathan Pollard begins year 27 in prison. Let's flood the call in lines! Please hit the share button so as many people as possible can participate. Then please write "Done!" in the comment section. CALL THE WHITE HOUSE: Tel: 202-456-1414 or 202-456-1111.

Everyone is urged to participate in this worldwide gra...ssroots effort on Monday November 21st by calling the White House to urge President Barack Obama to free Jonathan Pollard.

Call between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM EST. To leave a message for the President, the White House Switchboard can be reached at 202-456-1414. The White House Comment Line can also be reached directly by calling 202-456-1111. Tell the President that enough is enough! Ask the President to please send Jonathan Pollard home to Jerusalem now! Keep calling daily until Jonathan is free. Thank you!
 

France Hypocritically Condemns Israel For Gaza Strike

Laura:  I really have had enough of the French and their attitude toward Israel. They bombed Libya indiscriminately for months, a country which presented no threat to France, but Israel is expected to remain passive in the face of rocket attacks coming from Gaza. And one has to ask what is France doing with a consular branch in Gaza anyway, a territory ruled by the terrorist hamas. By doing so they are giving legitimacy to the genocidal hamas regime. And France gives lip service to being committed to Israel's security. Sure, more like committed to Israel's destruction. And then it further lectures to Israel to avoid harm to civilians. Like the French did in its bombing of Libya?  France most definitely is no ally of Israel. In fact it acts like an enemy.

Strong French censure of IAF raid on Gaza irks J'lem  By HERB KEINON
16/11/2011

Head of France's Gaza consular branch and members of his family injured in IAF airstrike.

Jerusalem on Tuesday rebuffed...

Read the whole entry »

Music to my ears

elbit c music anti aircraft

After this article was written, the PA drove my point home.

Today, Nov 15, the PA executive made it official. The PA announced that it is abandoning swaps and negotiations. That means it has formally abandonned Oslo and the Roadmap both of which require negotiations. Thus we are back to Res 242.

Khalid also admitted the PA has no interest in reaching a bilateral agreement with Israel - that is, peace - and plans to continue on its current unilateral track.

If this doesn't mean the end of Oslo, nothing will. When is Netanyahu finally going to pull the plug. Its time to also undo the PA by disavowing all agreements with them.

The End of the 'Peace Process' Era  

By Ted Belman

The Palestinian/Israeli conflict has entered a new era. Since the UNSC passed Res 242, it had been focused on the "peace process," which included the Madrid Conference, the Oslo Accords, The Roadmap, Annapolis and finally Obama's heavy handed attempts to impose a solution.

One of the reasons that Obama couldn't get the PA to negotiate after three years of trying is that it was laying the ground work to go another path, a path that would circumvent the peace process and rely on the intervention of the UN. The PA realized that it had gotten all it could through negotiations, which is virtually nothing, and that to continue on that path meant that at the end of the line it would have to sign an end-of-conflict-agreement with Israel. This, it was unwilling to do.

So instead, the PA has decided to get what it wanted from the international community and the UN. It has spent the last three years lobbying the member states of the UN to support its bid for recognition as a state whose borders aligned with the '49 Armistice Lines. Its goal was to reach this stage without having to concede anything to Israel, much less sign an end-of-conflict-agreement. From this stage it would go on to fight for the lines in the Partition Plan recommended by the UNGA in Res 181.

Even though Obama tried his damndest to get Israel to agree to negotiate based on the '67 lines and swaps, Netanyahu held firm. Obama ended up asserting that he would veto the PA bid in the Security Council and called for a negotiated settlement. Because he is now in the countdown to elections, he turned the "peace process over to the EU who made a proposal in September for the parties to have preliminary talks for a month and then to present comprehensive proposals for borders and security and then to finish a peace agreement before the end of 2012.

The EU failed to get the talks to begin but did get Netanyahu to agree to present comprehensive proposals in three months. Apparently the PA had presented such a proposal at Annapolis.

JPOST reported when Blair on October 27/11:

Blair explained in his interview that the Quartet was trying to get detailed proposals from Israel and the Palestinians on borders and security, to gauge how wide the gaps were, and whether there was a basis for negotiation.

From those remarks it appeared that the Quartet had all but given up.

On Oct 31/11, the PA had a pyrrhic victory in getting UNESCO to admit Palestine as a member state. The fallout from that "victory" was that the US and Canada, inter alia, are now withholding funds from UNESCO. Furthermore Israel has signaled her displeasure in word and in deed. Netanyahu announced the construction, without delay, of another 2300 units east of the '67 lines and that Israel would withhold the payment of taxes collected by her on behalf of the PA.

The significance of this announcement was that Netanyahu was boldly saying, not only to the PA, but to the world, that Israel is keeping Maaleh Adumin, Gilo and Efrat, three major suburbs of Jerusalem lying east of the '67 greenline, and is undeterred by demands that Israel not prejudice the outcome of negotiations or do provocative steps.

Condoleeza Rice was interviewed by Foreign Policy 

FP: This is the biggest foreign-policy issue of this week: The U.N. crisis caused by the Palestinian membership in UNESCO. And it's a crisis that's only getting larger and larger. There could be up to 16 U.N. organizations, including the IAEA and the World Health Organization, where the U.S. will have to withdraw based on the law if the Palestinians are admitted. What are we to think of this, and what should be done to get us out of this crisis?

CR: Well, you know, actually, if the U.N. wants to go down this road, let them see how well they do without U.S. support. I don't have any sympathy for UNESCO or anybody else that decides they are going to jump over what has long been the way we're going to get to a Palestinian state, which is negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

The PA for its part is now mooting the idea of disbanding the PA. It is suggested that such a move would punish Israel but Israelis think it would be for the best. For one thing it would be the end of the Oslo Accords and the Roadmap including the Saudi Plan. It may or not be the end of the financial assistance from the US, EU and Saudi Arabia to a lesser extent. Israel would outlaw the PLO, Fatah, Hamas and all other terrorist groups calling for the destruction of Israel. And so on.

Condoleeza Rice also told AP that the gap has only widened "and they're running out of time." She did not sound optimistic for a peace settlement, or even for new talks, anytime soon.

"When they're not talking, they're sliding backward," Rice said.

So what has Israel been doing in the meantime?

CONTINUE 

 

CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) has, either through its national organization or its chapter affiliates, repeatedly tried to intimidate federal and local elected officials who have the courage to stand up to radical Islam.

The latest from CAIR is its effort to dictate who the FBI uses as trainers in its counterterrorism programs. (See the CAIR release below).

Apparently, it's not sufficient that the Obama administration has stripped all references to jihad and radical Islam from its national security strategy regarding terrorism.

CAIR won't be happy until every government entity in America knuckles under to its sharia-driven agenda aimed at silencing any critique of radical Islam and any connection between radical Islam and Islamic terrorism.

CAIR has also made it clear it will aggressively fight our efforts to pass "American Laws in American Courts," legislation that will prohibit courts from applying sharia law. Will we win? Or will CAIR win?

CAIR Files Multi-State Records Requests on Anti-Muslim Law Enforcement Trainings
  Group seeks information about state-level trainings that may have used taxpayer dollars to fund anti-Muslim trainers.
  Nov 15, 2011 - LOS ANGELES, CA)

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced today that 15 of its chapters nationwide have filed 87 separate public records requests about possible Islamophobic training of local, state and national law enforcement personnel.

CAIR is seeking information about state-level trainings that may have used federal taxpayer dollars to fund anti-Muslim trainers, a phenomenon highlighted in recent research and media reports.  

Read more:    

 Another report which must be verified........


Iran will have five nukes by April 2012. Only 2-3 months left for military option
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

14 Nov. By April 2012 Iran will have five nuclear bombs or warheads, according to intelligence reaching US president Barack Obama and relayed to Jewish leaders at a closed meeting in New York Sunday, Nov. 13, DEBKAfile's sources report.  The window of opportunity for stopping Iran attaining a nuclear weapon will slam shut in late March after which any military action would generate radioactive contamination across the Gulf oil region. Our sources refute claims that Saturday's Iranian base blasts were caused by the CIA or Mossad.
Obama said later Sunday that, while his strong preference was to resolve the Iran issue diplomatically, "We are not taking any options off the table. Iran with nuclear weapons would pose a threat not only to the region but also to the United States."
This was the first time the US president had called a nuclear-armed Iran a threat to the United States. Until now, official statements limited the threat to "US regional interests and influence."

A remarkable address to the recent Durban Conference in New York...

These are the words of Simon Deng, once a Sudanese slave. He is addressing the Durban Conference in NY.

I want to thank the organizers of this conference, The Perils of Global Intolerance. It is a great honor for me and it is a privilege really to be among today's distinguished speakers.

I came here as a friend of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. -I came to protest this Durban conference which is based on a set of lies. It is organized by nations who are themselves are guilty of the worst kinds of oppression.

It will not help the victims of racism. It will only isolate and target the Jewish state. It is a tool of the enemies of Israel. The UN has itself become a tool against Israel. For over 50 years, 82 percent of the UN General Assembly emergency meetings have been about condemning one state - Israel. Hitler couldn't have been made happier.

The Durban Conference is an outrage. All decent people will know that.

Friday, November 18, 2011

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY: 354 DAYS TO THE 2012 ELECTIONS


Democrats Defeat Balanced Budget Amendment

As I reported yesterday, the national debt now exceeds $15 trillion for the first time in our nation's history. Barack Obama has increased the national debt at a faster pace than any president in U.S. history. According to CBS News, "The national debt increased $4.9 trillion during the eight-year presidency of George W. Bush. The debt now is rising at a pace to surpass that amount during Mr. Obama's four-year term."

In response to Obama's out-of-control spending, Speaker John Boehner demanded a vote on a balanced budget amendment as part of the recent deal to increase the debt limit. A May Mason-Dixon poll found that 65% of Americans support a balanced budget amendment, including 81% of Republicans, 68% of independents and 45% of Democrats.

Just hours ago, the House of Representatives, under Speaker Boehner's leadership, did vote on a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget. Needing a two-thirds majority to pass, the amendment failed 261-to-165. Democrats defeated it. House Republicans were virtually unanimous with 98% supporting the amendment. But it still fell 29 votes short because only 13% of House Democrats voted in favor.

Remember that when you go to the polls in 354 days. Barack Obama is adding to the national debt faster than any president before him. As a result, America is now $15 trillion in debt. Yet he and his party oppose a balanced budget amendment that would stop the reckless spending that threatens to bankrupt us.


Corruption & Corzine

If Occupy Wall Street wants to improve its image, it should stop harassing school children and focus on fighting something really immoral -- like corruption. How about Jon Corzine and MF Global?

As you may know, the company recently declared bankruptcy -- the eighth largest bankruptcy in American history. Even worse, hundreds of millions of investors' dollars are missing, most likely stolen and lost trying to cover bad bets at MF Global. And yet this scandal is also missing from the front pages and the evening news.

It has been covered up and ignored by the liberal media because Corzine didn't fit the left's narrative of greedy Wall Street bankers as conservative Republicans. Like Bernie Madoff, Corzine is a liberal Democrat and a former senator and governor of New Jersey.

I've written about this before, but it bears repeating. We are urging our friends in Congress to make corruption and reform major issues. The American people need to have confidence in our government and laws. Where were the regulators? How is it that the MF Global scandal could still happen in the post-Enron, Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank environment?

It's good that the House is holding hearings on the Solyndra scandal. But they need to hold hearings on MF Global too. Haul Jon Corzine up to Capitol Hill and force him to testify on how he gamed the system.

By the way, if you want to know how close Corzine was to this administration, check out this video of Joe Biden saying that they got their stimulus ideas from Corzine. The vice president also said, "He's the smartest guy I know in terms of the economy and finance." That explains a lot!


How Long Can Holder Hold On?

While Big Media are doing their best to ignore the various scandals and controversies surrounding Attorney General Eric Holder, congressional Republicans are turning up the heat. As more information comes to light about Operation Fast and Furious, which resulted in the death of a Border Patrol Agent, more members of Congress are demanding Holder's resignation. To date 51 congressmen have called for Holder to step down.

Yesterday, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) added his voice to the growing list of lawmakers demanding the attorney general's resignation. Rep. Westmoreland said:

"Fast and Furious played fast and loose with the American public's safety, leaving a U.S. Border Patrol agent dead and DOJ-purchased guns in the hands of Mexican drug lords. To say this program was a failure and an embarrassment to the U.S. justice system is an understatement. ...[Holder] is the head of the Department of Justice and the buck stops with him. It's time for Mr. Holder to hold himself accountable."

In addition, CNSNews reports that Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is demanding that Holder provide written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding "Justice Elena Kagan's possible involvement in President Barack Obama's health-care legislation or litigation that was filed ... during the time she was solicitor general."

Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asked for essentially the same information back in July. In late October he finally received a reply from an assistant attorney general essentially saying, "Stuff it!" Chairman Smith sent Holder a letter the next day demanding to know on what legal grounds he was refusing the committee's request. He gave Holder until November 4th to respond. Holder never did.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Holder was pressed to explain why he ignored the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and whether and when he would comply. Holder answered, "I'm not familiar with that request. I'd have to look at it." I suspect Chairman Smith's request ended up in the same circular file with the Fast and Furious memos that Holder never read either.

Once again, the Democrat double standard is on full display. Ed Meese and Al Gonzales, Attorneys General for Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, were forced out of office by partisan attacks from liberal politicians and their media allies. Now we have an attorney general whose mistakes resulted in a border agent dying, who defies Congress and is running the Justice Department as it if were a subsidiary of the Democrat National Committee.
 

The Foundation

"[T]he Constitution ought to be the standard of construction for the laws, and ... wherever there is an evident opposition, the laws ought to give place to the Constitution." --Alexander Hamilton

Government & Politics

ObamaCare on Trial

It's official: The U.S. Supreme Court will decide the fate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. ObamaCare -- and one-sixth of the U.S. economy with it. The Court announced Monday that it will take the case, scheduling an unusual five-and-a-half hours of oral argument, probably in March, with a decision likely in June. The timing is significant because it will come right in the heat of the presidential race, while the length of argument belies Leftist claims that ObamaCare is unquestionably constitutional.

The Court chose from five cases in three appellate courts, where rulings have been issued in favor of each side, deciding to hear the case brought by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business. That should be encouraging to the law's opponents, because the 11th Circuit struck down the individual mandate in August.

The justices will rule on four legal questions: jurisdiction, Medicaid expansion, severability and, of course, the central question of the mandate that individuals purchase health insurance. The first question, jurisdiction, deals with whether the law can be declared constitutional or not before it takes full effect. Both sides want this question answered sooner rather than later.

The Medicaid question is described thus by National Journal: "The health care law expands eligibility for Medicaid programs by threatening to withhold all federal Medicaid funds if states don't cover anyone earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty limit. Critics say that placing such significant financial conditions on a state's behavior is 'coercive' and exceeds Congress's spending power. The issue has only come up so far in the 11th Circuit cases, but neither the trial court nor the Appellate Court agreed with this argument."

The most significant issues, however, are the individual mandate itself, and whether it is severable. A federal judge ruled earlier this year that the mandate is not severable, striking down the whole law. The 11th Circuit partly overruled him, finding the mandate unconstitutional but severable. No other appellate court has agreed with the 11th Circuit. Interestingly, however, both parties before the Supreme Court take the position that the mandate is not severable. In other words, even the administration realizes that without the mandate the whole law crumbles.

There are other important factors, as well. For example, Barack Obama will not likely have the chance to appoint another justice before the case is decided. The two he has appointed -- Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan -- are certain to vote to uphold the law. In fact, Kagan is so thoroughly predisposed to favor the law that she should recuse herself. She was, after all, the administration's solicitor general as the law was being crafted and passed, and, upon learning that passage was imminent, she emailed Harvard law professor Larry Tribe, marveling, "I hear they have the votes, Larry!! Simply amazing." Kagan claims she was not involved in the process and appears to have no interest in recusal, her king-sized conflict of interest notwithstanding.

There have also been calls for Clarence Thomas to recuse himself, because his wife has been involved in efforts opposing the law. Thomas is indeed almost certain to rule against the law, but the case for his recusal is much weaker than that for Kagan. If he does recuse himself, the administration will almost certainly prevail.

When the dust settles in June, the Court may have the final legal say, but the argument certainly won't be over. No matter which side wins, the other side will forever decry the ruling as wrong. Indeed, we believe that ObamaCare is blatantly unconstitutional. If the justices rule otherwise, it is they who will be discarding Rule of Law for the tyranny found in the rule of men.

What's your prediction for the Court's ruling?

This Week's 'Braying Jenny' Award

"When the Affordable Care Act is placed before the highest court in our country, all Americans will have a stake in the debate; therefore, all Americans should have access to it." --House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, urging the Court to allow C-SPAN to broadcast the arguments

Recall, if you will, that as Speaker, Pelosi ham-handedly blocked any transparency while our "representatives" considered and passed the law. She once said, "[W]e have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it." Now she wants transparency.

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News From the Swamp: $15 Trillion

On Tuesday, our nation's cumulative federal debt crossed the $15 trillion mark, or roughly $200,000 per American family, and nearly $6 trillion higher than when Barack Obama won his office three years ago. That certainly puts into perspective the congressional super committee's laughable charge to reduce the rate of increase in the debt -- not reduce the debt itself -- by $1.2 trillion over 10 years.

As for Obama, back in 2008, he slammed then-President George W. Bush -- justifiably, we might add -- for increasing the debt so drastically. "The problem is," Obama said then, "that the way Bush has done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion for the first 42 presidents, [and] number 43 added $4 trillion dollars by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9 trillion of debt." He called such profligate spending "unpatriotic." Now he's campaigning against "unpatriotic" Republicans who opposed his own spending binge. The guy has no shame.

New & Notable Legislation

This week the House passed by a 272-154 vote H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act. The bipartisan bill allows concealed carry permit holders to carry concealed handguns in any of the 49 states that currently have such laws. Illinois is the lone state that prohibits the Second Amendment within its borders. Introduced by Reps. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) and Heath Shuler (D-NC), the legislation has predictably come under fire from anti-Second Amendment zealots who claim that all states would have to abide by the laws of the least restrictive states. However, the bill specifically requires permit holders to abide by the restrictions of the state in which they are traveling. It merely offers reciprocity much the same way drivers' licenses do from one state to the next. That doesn't mean there aren't federalism questions, though, and in particular, it's ironic that this has the opposite effect of the Defense of Marriage Act, which specifically exempts states from having to honor each others' licenses.

From the Left: Obama Tees Off ... Again

Barack Obama claims that America is not doing enough to attract foreign business. "We've been a little bit lazy over the last couple of decades," he lectured. His own efforts to combat this problem are certainly unique, including a stop in Hawaii to play golf with a longtime friend -- one who was arrested and charged in April for soliciting a prostitute. Robert Titcomb (yes, that's his real name) has been a frequent golf buddy who has joined the president on some of the 87 golf outings he has enjoyed since taking office.

Speaking of living the high life, we have the First Lady's makeup artist, Derrick Rutledge, whose clients include Oprah Winfrey and singer Patti LaBelle. He is sometimes summoned to Washington on short notice to paint up Michelle's face for various public appearances at the bargain price of $15,000 per day. The White House is quick to point out that this is a personal expense not billed to taxpayers, but that technicality notwithstanding, it hardly reflects the lives of the "99 percent." Still, the latter are disrupting the lives of "lazy" working Americans -- just like the Obamas.

Insider Trading Inside the Beltway

In his new book, Throw Them All Out, Peter Schweizer writes that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and her millionaire real estate developer husband were beneficiaries of a 2008 Visa IPO that greatly increased their personal wealth. The Pelosis bought somewhere between $1 million and $5 million worth of Visa stock (ethics rules don't require further specificity) in an IPO that saw their investment bring a 203 percent return. The vast majority of purchase options in this offering were targeted for institutional investors, pension funds and Pelosi herself, who at the time was Speaker and the gatekeeper of legislation in the House. She was invited to "invest" just two weeks after the Credit Card Fair Fee Act was introduced, a bill that would have strictly curtailed the fees that credit card companies charged to retailers. Oddly enough, the bill never made it to the floor for a vote, despite passing the Judiciary Committee and being lobbied by the National Association of Convenience Stores.

A second bill crafted later that year, the Credit Card Interchange Fee Act, likewise died before making it to the House floor. In 2009 Pelosi supported the Credit Card Reform Act, which didn't address the retailer fee issue, claiming that it sent a "strong and clear message to credit card companies." Certainly Pelosi is not the only member of Congress from either party who has been the beneficiary of such industry kickbacks. But this also wasn't the only IPO that she was invited to partake by a company that later benefited from legislation she backed or quashed. On Dec. 6, the House Financial Services Committee will hold hearings on insider trading by members of Congress.

National Security

Department of Military Readiness: Defense Cuts

As the crucial date approaches for the "super committee" to finish a budget deal, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned Congress that failure would lead to automatic defense budget cuts that would jeopardize U.S. national security. Over the next 10 years, the Pentagon is already facing $450 billion in reduced growth, but Panetta said that the additional $600 billion in automatic decreases would devastate U.S. defense capabilities, including possible cancellation of the Joint Strike Fighter and elimination of America's land-based nuclear missile system, one of the legs of our strategic nuclear triad.

In a letter requested by Republican senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Panetta said that a further round of reductions would lead to a combined decrease of 23 percent, or $100 billion, in 2013 alone. Such drastic measures could leave the Navy with just 230 ships, the smallest force since 1915, and would leave the Air Force with the smallest number of tactical fighters in its history. Given the current and rising threats in the Middle East, Russia and China, allowing such cuts would seriously jeopardize national security. Nevertheless, it's welcome to see Panetta take his job seriously. We hope Congress is listening.

Speaking of the Chinese threat, Barack Obama this week moved boldly (cough, cough) to counter that threat in the Pacific. Starting next summer, the U.S. will send 250 Marines to bases in Australia for six-month tours. Eventually, 2,500 troops will rotate through the country, which will hardly put a scare into China's army of 2.3 million. "The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay," Obama said, apparently with a straight face, to the Australian Parliament. Exactly how we intend to stay, Obama didn't say, though maybe, with no ships in the Navy and no planes in the Air Force, we simply won't have a way to bring anyone home.

Warfront With Jihadistan: Explosion Kills Key Iranian Figure

An explosion at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base near Tehran killed 17 people over the weekend, including Brig. Gen. Hassan Moghaddam, who was prominent in Iran's ballistic missile program. The Iranian government is publicly maintaining that, while Moghaddam is "irreplaceable," the explosion was accidental. Perhaps. And maybe it was coincidental that Moghaddam was there at the time of the explosion.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak certainly made an interesting comment: "I don't know the extent of the explosion, but it would be desirable if they multiply." While it isn't clear if the explosion was, in fact, an Israeli greeting card, it is in their interest to spread the perception that it might have been. For Iran to wonder if the Israelis were able to conduct such sabotage is valuable. The best case scenario for Iran is that it was a miserable failure in munitions handling by the IRGC, and we hope the episode will distract some of Iran's attention away from its nuclear program.

Argument Continues Over Bin Laden Raid

Last week, we reported on former Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer's new book, SEAL Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama Bin Laden. The title says it all -- his effort was to correct the administration's version of events. This week, however, U.S. Special Operations Command disputed Pfarrer's account. "It's just not true," said spokesman Col. Tim Nye. "It's not how it happened."

According to the Associated Press, Nye issued "an on-the-record denial on behalf of Navy SEAL Adm. Bill McRaven, who took command of all special operations in midyear. In his previous role, McRaven oversaw the raid in May as head of the military's elite counterterrorism unit, the Joint Special Operations Command." The AP also reports that Pfarrer got numerous facts wrong, such as the date of McRaven's appointment, as well as the method of al-Qa'ida ringleader Abu Musab al Zarqawi's demise in 2006.

This latest dispute only muddies the waters of what should be a great success story for our military heroes. Some facts remain certain, however. Osama is dead and Obama cost the U.S. valuable intelligence by celebrating his victory too quickly. We suppose the answer to the questions of when the helicopter crashed or when bin Laden was shot may remain unanswered.

Who do you believe?

Business & Economy

Europe Discovers the Problems of Confederacy

We have heard much in the past several months about the economic travails of Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Portugal -- to name a few. Now we hear rumblings of a "European breakup," and this time these rumors are no longer simply idle claptrap. In fact, the question seems to center not on "if" but "when." What were once known as the "European Union" (EU) and the "Euro" could soon be relics in the ash heap of history, thanks to the EU's recent discovery of something the U.S. learned well over 200 years ago: Confederations don't work.

The idea of a "European Union" was good, as far as it went: European countries would form a "seamless" union with a single currency (the "Euro," rolled out in 1999), a single expansive market and freedom of movement for all European nationals within the "Eurozone." The only hitch was that everyone had to follow the same rules. In a federal republic like that of the U.S., no problem -- if a state gets out of line, the federal system keeps it in check. In a confederacy like the EU, however, with no authority reigning supreme over many sovereign nations, that condition is fatal.

The latest symptom of this failure manifested itself in the unhinging of the 1993 Maastricht Treaty. Under this accord, no EU country is permitted to have a deficit of more than 3 percent of GDP or a total debt exceeding 60 percent of GDP. But several countries do have deficits exceeding 3 percent, in fact, exceeding 10 percent of GDP, and those mentioned above have debts averaging 112 percent of GDP as well. Cradle-to-grave welfare-state spending and socialist beggar-thy-neighbor policies constitute a great deal of these excesses, of course, but the real problem is that inequalities and uneven economic playing fields are unavoidable in confederacies. Any nation-state can decide simply to ignore confederation rules, because no enforcement mechanism exists to prevent it from doing so. In a confederacy consisting of "haves" and "have-nots," such inequalities and rule flouting are inevitable.

The fallout from these economic disparities is just beginning. Italy and Greece have both unseated longtime leaders, France is calling for "modifying" the EU into two pieces ("have" nations on the one hand, "have nots" on the other), and German trade unions are screaming to save the Euro "at all costs," to include sticking everyone else with the tab. Meanwhile, debtor nations slide deeper into debt and everyone demands that "someone else" fix the problem.

Were the U.S. not joined at the financial hip with the EU, all of this might appear to be an academic discussion. Unfortunately, as Europe's debt crisis worsens, U.S. banks face a serious risk that their creditworthiness will likewise tank. Naturally, the S&P dropped like a rock on this news, but this is just the beginning of our own woes. Regrettably, the U.S. government failed to grasp another lesson nearly as old as the one on confederacies: Fiat currencies -- those not tied to an absolute standard, such as gold -- are too wrought with political pitfalls to last. Just ask Germany.

What effect will a European collapse have here?

Solyndra Documents Parceled Out by Obama Administration

After initially taking a hard line against releasing the thousands of pages of documents requested by a congressional panel reviewing the failed Solyndra project, the Obama administration surrendered another 135 pages that "do not contain evidence of favoritism ... or any wrongdoing by the White House." Yet they still refuse to release thousands more pages that just might contain damaging secrets. Naturally, the administration denies any "political considerations." Secretary of Energy Steven Chu even declared that he made decisions on Solyndra "with the best interest of the taxpayer in mind." He concluded, "Was there incompetence? Was there any undue influence? I'd have to say no." Defiant to the last.

However, another set of emails released earlier this week described how the Obama administration pressured Solyndra to wait until the day after the 2010 election to announce the layoffs of 190 employees and contract workers along with the shutdown of its original factory. At that time, Solyndra chief executive Brian Harrison warned that rumors were already circulating about the planned shutdown and he wanted to address them in late October; instead he was "convinced" to wait until Nov. 3.

Solyndra executives were also clear on the political considerations. "The DOE really thinks politically before it thinks economically," wrote one board member in an email. An investment adviser likewise wrote, "DOE is willing to accommodate Solyndra ... but they appear to be concerned about 'looking bad.'"

Solyndra could be the tip of the melting iceberg. Peter Schweizer, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, says that $16.4 billion of the $20.5 billion DOE 1705 Loan Guarantee Program went to "individuals who were bundlers, members of Obama's National Finance Committee, or large donors to the Democratic Party." It looks more everyday as if the "scandal-free administration" Jonathan Alter famously hallucinated is anything but.

Income Redistribution: The Wrong Way to Fix Housing

In 2009, the Obama administration began yet another redistributive plan to provide new, first-time homebuyers with an $8,000 tax credit to prime the housing pump. Between the beginning of 2009 and Sept. 30, 2010, eligible buyers could reduce their amount owed or even get up to the full amount of the credit back as a refund if they owed no tax. All told, the government "invested" $26 billion in the housing market through this tax credit.

Predictably, a new study by a real estate information company shows that the decline of home prices in 110 of 157 markets has entirely offset the $8,000 credit. Only six markets have seen an increase in values. Yet the recipients can't sell at a loss or walk away from the home they purchased. A clause in the law requires that they remain in the home for three years or be liable to Uncle Sam for the $8,000. Like millions of others, they're now trapped in a home that continues to decline in value, with a mortgage debt greater than the house is worth -- all because they thought there was "free" money available from the government. Lesson hopefully learned: Free stuff always comes with strings.

Meanwhile, the Federal Housing Administration has continued to expand over the last three years, with loans up to $729,750 now guaranteed. FHA-backed loans accounted for 40 percent of all home purchase mortgages in 2010, up from just 4.5 percent in 2006. They require just 3.5 percent down, as opposed to many private lenders who require the traditional 20 percent. Such low down payments were a significant catalyst in the housing collapse, as many writers have explained. For Washington, however, the solution is always more of the same.

Good News, Bad News

The federal government's bailout of General Motors didn't cost taxpayers $14.3 billion, as estimated previously; it cost $23.6 billion. The total 2009 auto industry bailout was $85 billion, and the Treasury Department now estimates that more than a quarter of that will be a loss. That also brings the total loss from the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP) to $57.3 billion. Treasury's number is a result of GM's stock price, which fell by one-third to $20.18 per share at the end of the third quarter. According to the Detroit News, "The government has recovered $23.2 billion of its $49.5 billion GM bailout, and cut its stake in the company from 61 percent to 26.5 percent. But it has been forced to put on hold the sale of its remaining 500 million shares of stock."

Culture & Policy

Media Double Standard

It's old hat now that the Leftmedia have a double standard when it comes to covering the Right and Left. In January, the Leftmedia hastened to blame the Tea Party when a madman opened fire at a rally in Tucson, Arizona, killing six and wounding 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). (We should add that Giffords' recovery has been remarkable and miraculous. We wish her the best.) The shooter, as it turned out, was merely a mental case with no ties to the Tea Party or conservatives. We're still waiting to see an apology from the likes of The New York Times for their depraved editorials at the time.

This week, a man fired upon the White House from long range, striking it several times, including cracking a window in the wing where the Obamas reside. A few days later, police arrested Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, for the shooting, and he is charged with attempting to assassinate the president, who was in California at the time. As it turns out, Ortega-Hernandez spent some time at the Occupy DC gathering. Did the media immediately indict the entire movement? Not a chance. In fact, The Washington Post practically heaved a sigh of relief when reporting that "investigators searched the Occupy D.C. campground near the White House but have found no connection between him and the Occupy protesters, according to three law enforcement officials familiar with the case."

We wonder how much airtime the networks will give to the moment of silence held at Occupy San Diego ... for the shooter.

Embryonic Stem Cell Researcher Stops Program

For years, human embryonic stem cell research (hESCR) has been touted as the great hope for medical breakthroughs, and people who opposed it on scientific or (heaven forbid) moral grounds have faced harsh criticism. Now, one company at the forefront of this research is abandoning it altogether. Geron Corporation, which performed the first government-approved test of embryonic stem cell therapy, announced Monday that it is stopping development of its stem cell program "after a strategic review of the costs, ... timelines and clinical, manufacturing and regulatory complexities associated with the company's research and clinical-stage assets." In other words, the return on investment isn't there.

The reason is simple: For all the hype, embryonic stem cell research has yet to produce a single proven cure or treatment. Even the National Institutes of Health admits this, stating on its website, "Although hESCs are thought to offer potential cures and therapies for many devastating diseases, research using them is still in its early stages. ... Adult stem cells such as blood-forming stem cells in bone marrow ... are currently the only type of stem cell commonly used to treat human diseases." Indeed, adult stem cells have been used to treat more than 70 diseases or conditions.

This inconvenient truth doesn't sit well with those who continue to claim the best way to improve the lives of some is by destroying the lives of others. Even as Geron closed its doors on hESCR, the company's chief executive, Dr. John Scarlett, said, "Stem cells continue to hold great medical promise." Tragically, when it comes to human embryonic stem cell research, lives have been aborted simply to prove this promise empty.

Village Academic Curriculum: Conservatives Are Crazy

In George Orwell's 1984, as well as the Soviet Union after which it was patterned, political dissidents were often diagnosed as having psychological disorders, permitting the authorities to imprison them in psychiatric hospitals, isolate them from the rest of society and discredit their ideas. So it should come as no surprise that those who support moving the United States to the left in order to establish the socialist utopia that eluded the Soviets would eventually claim that conservatives suffer from a variety of psychological disorders.

The latest academic "study" in this area comes from University of Tampa professor Marcus Arvan. He claims to have found "significant" correlations between key antisocial personality traits and bedrock conservative views, such as opposition to same-sex marriage and support for capital punishment. He claims his research finds elements of narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism among test subjects.

It would seem that Dr. Arvan is quite the psychologist. However, the University of Tampa lists his specialty as "social and political philosophy and ethics," and his "primary avenues of research [as] social justice and human rights." Even Arvan has problems with his published findings, saying more research is needed to follow up on his study. He also hedges that many positive personality traits may also correlate with conservative views, adding, "It's not to say that those people are certifiably crazy." On the sane side of life, qualified people challenge Arvan's study. We can't wait for his bookend study on the admirable psychological traits of leftists.

Are conservatives crazy?

And Last...

Well, it's that time of year again -- time for the political correctness police to start their annual assault on Christmas. A medical center in South Carolina informed their own personal Santa Claus this week that his services would not be needed. "Because of our state affiliation, we decided not to have a Santa presence this year," said a spokeswoman, citing complaints from patients who aren't Christian. "We don't want to offend a volunteer with good intentions, but we need to think of the bigger picture. People who are Muslim or Jewish or have no religious beliefs come here for treatment." Predictably, the ban created an uproar, and the center soon backed down and told St. Nick he was welcome after all. We have to say, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, nothing says "Christmas" quite like an oversized elvish impersonator.

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team

America Before The Entitlement State 

Reacting to calls for cuts in entitlement programs, House Democrat Henry Waxman fumed: "The Republicans want us to repeal the twentieth century." Sound bites don't get much better than that. After all, the world before the twentieth century-before the New Deal, the New Frontier, the Great Society-was a dark, dangerous, heartless place where hordes of Americans starved in the streets.

Except it wasn't and they didn't. The actual history of America shows something else entirely: picking your neighbors' pockets is not a necessity of survival. Before America's entitlement state, free individuals planned for and coped with tough times, taking responsibility for their own lives.

Here's a message for Gingrich supporters in Iowa, take a good look at Newt before you vote

Nov 18, 2011 05:13 am | Coach Collins

 By Kevin "Coach" Collins

 Besides his stunning leap in yesterday's Rasmussen Iowa poll, Newt Gingrich is surging in a few national polls and sagging badly in at least one Iowa poll. What the final numbers will show in Iowa remains to be seen.

   Nevertheless, aside from his "paper serving" episode with one of his ex wives there are a few additional very important items in Gingrich's past - some not very far back - that demand a closer look.

 Gingrich has been tagged by Willard Romney as the inspiration for Romneycare and eventually Obamacare's requirement for a individual health care mandate which would require all of us to march lockstep into the clutches of a gray faceless socialist health care system. In his 2008 book "Real Change" Gingrich wrote   "Finally, we should insist that everyone above a certain level buy [health-care] coverage [or, if they are opposed to insurance, post a bond]." Post a bond? Really Mr. ... Continue Reading:Here's a message for Gingrich supporters in Iowa, take a good look at Newt before you vote

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American Minute for November 17th

Nov 17, 2011 04:31 pm | Coach Collins

 Coachisright.com is pleased have American history scholar; nationally known speaker and best selling author William J Federer's  American Minute column as a part of CiR's team.

 Bill Federer is a tireless and meticulous researcher whose daily history lessons reflect the relationship between God and our nation. Bill is a regular guest on radio and television shows when getting American history right is essential.

 We're sure you will enjoy Bill's daily columns and want to share them with your friends and families. Bill Federer is an American patriot whose message needs to be heard by all.

  By Bill Federer, staff writer

"Bloody Mary," daughter of Henry VIII, sentenced 300 people to death during her 5 year reign. At her death, NOVEMBER 17, 1558, her half-sister Elizabeth became Queen. During Elizabeth's 45 year reign, Shakespeare wrote plays, Francis Bacon began the scientific revolution and Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to settle a colony he named "Virginia," in honor of the ... Continue Reading:American Minute for November 17th

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High Touch; High Tech and High Finance

Nov 17, 2011 01:13 pm | Coach Collins

 By Jerry Todd, staff writer

 "High Tech-High Touch" was defined in John Naisbitt's "Megatrends" in 1982. It defines two sides of human progress - technology and attention to beauty. I look for threesomes in human discourse. Add the broad field of High Finance. High Tech; High Touch; High Finance.

 The importance placed in the order of priority of the three determines the quality and strength of society itself. The love of and speculation on money is now first before its primary servant role as the medium of exchange, growth of high-tech and high-touch is limited to the desires of the despot. Those dreamers and entrepreneurs who make it happen technologically and artistically suffer while the speculator and the despot bask in their deadly two-class totalitarian mindset. The whole diverse range of human talent and endeavor, from technology to artistry to spirituality, a growing understanding and intuitive feeling about life will show that high-tech and high-touch.

 This leads ... Continue Reading:High Touch; High Tech and High Finance

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A Prayer for Herman Cain

Nov 17, 2011 12:13 pm | Coach Collins

By Debbie Leininger

     America is in a battle for the soul of the nation.  Dark forces have gathered to threaten the very foundation upon which America was built.  It is a war against good and evil,   a battle not against flesh and blood,  but invisible rulers of darkness.

     Isaiah describes a sinful nation in Isaiah 59:3-8 (NLT):

     Your hands are the hands of murderers,  your fingers are filthy with sin.  Your mouth is full of lies, and your lips are tainted with corruption.

     No one cares about being fair and honest.  Lawsuits are based on lies.  They spend their time plotting evil deeds and doing them.  They spend their time and energy spinning evil plains that end up in deadly actions.  They cheat and shortchange everyone.  Nothing they do is productive;  all their activity is filled with sin.  Violence is their trademark.  Their feet run to do evil, and they rush ... Continue Reading:A Prayer for Herman Cain

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The Iranian Problem

Nov 19, 2011 05:13 am | Coach Collins

By Jim Emerson, staff writer

 Last week the International Atomic Energy Agency released its report on the Iranian nuclear program.

The report exposed Iranians plans to militarize their nuclear program despite their claims that it was for energy production and medical use only. This claim isn't far fetch. Because of Iran's lack of crude oil refining capability approximately 30 percent of the petroleum products it needs must be imported.

 Sanctions

 If the United States and/or our Allies wish to demand that Iran answer for its nuclear program or face economic sanctions they will be thwarted in the U.N, by Russia and China. Iran will be allowed to continue nuclear weapons program with impunity. The UN will do nothing more than discuss diplomatic responses over a three martini lunch. This leaves the western nations with two options. Do nothing or take out Iran's nuclear sites.  Failing to act sooner rather than later will mean the world will have to deal ... Continue Reading:The Iranian Problem

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American Minute for November 18th

Nov 18, 2011 04:13 pm | Coach Collins

 Coachisright.com is pleased have American history scholar; nationally known speaker and best selling author William J Federer's  American Minute column as a part of CiR's team.

 Bill Federer is a tireless and meticulous researcher whose daily history lessons reflect the relationship between God and our nation. Bill is a regular guest on radio and television shows when getting American history right is essential.

 We're sure you will enjoy Bill's daily columns and want to share them with your friends and families. Bill Federer is an American patriot whose message needs to be heard by all.

  By Bill Federer, staff writer

    Julius Caesar Watts, Jr., better know as J.C. Watts, was born NOVEMBER 18, 1957.
A college and pro football player, he was a youth minister and, in 1994, was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he was chosen House Conference Chairman.
In response to the President's 1997 State of the Union Address, Congressman J.C. ... Continue Reading:American Minute for November 18th

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Romney's TEA party problems present opportunities for Cain and Gingrich

Nov 18, 2011 01:13 pm | Coach Collins

 By Suzanne Eovaldi, staff writer

This week's CNN/TIME/ORC poll of Republican voters in the first four primary battlegrounds provides a snapshot of how Tea Party fickleness has enhanced Romney's standing. In Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida, Romney fares better among more moderate GOPers than he does among religious conservatives and self-identified Tea Party supporters. But the latter group has been unable to zero in on a favorite. In Iowa, for example, Cain - the current object of Tea Party ardor - leads with 29% of self-professed Tea Party backers, with Gingrich at 13%, Paul at 12% and Perry at 8%. Romney, running first with 24% overall (and 17% among Tea Partyers), is the beneficiary of this crowded field. Thanks to a divided Tea Party bloc, he leads among this cohort in New Hampshire, ties Cain for first among movement supporters in Florida and sits second in South Carolina.

There are no internal numbers for Rasmussen's Iowa poll ... Continue Reading:Romney's TEA party problems present opportunities for Cain and Gingrich

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1 Through 30 - The Coming U.S. Financial Crisis By The Numbers
Nov 19, 2011 12:08 pm

Muslim Persecution of Christians: October, 2011
Nov 19, 2011 12:03 pm

Game Changer? JW Releases New Kagan Emails as Obamacare Heads to Supreme Court
Nov 19, 2011 05:00 am

The Sinful State
Nov 19, 2011 04:05 am

Protesting Hate by Promoting Anti-Semitism
Nov 19, 2011 03:32 am

FBI's Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending November 18, 2011
Nov 19, 2011 03:25 am

Facing the Truth About Islam
Nov 19, 2011 12:26 am

Economy Bounces Back?
Nov 18, 2011 09:43 pm

Outlaw Congressional Insider Trading
Nov 18, 2011 04:47 pm

Newt Gingrich: Paper Tiger Candidate?
Nov 18, 2011 11:17 am

Newt Gingrich: Paper Tiger Candidate?
Nov 18, 2011 11:17 am

The Dhimmi is Forbidden to Read the Koran
Nov 18, 2011 02:23 am

Curtis Trimble: Be Nimble, Quick and Play the Shales
Nov 18, 2011 01:42 am

Political Baggage: Establishment and Media Manipulation
Nov 18, 2011 01:30 am

Europe's Crisis: Beyond Finance
Nov 17, 2011 02:05 pm

American Islamists and Iranian Propaganda
Nov 17, 2011 11:26 am

U.S. Marshals Service Report Update November 17 , 2011
Nov 17, 2011 11:19 am

Read more: 

*UPDATED* #OccupyWallStreet: The Rap Sheet, So Far 

Rep. West to Media: 'Stop Being Afraid of This President' Who 'Is Destroying This Country'

Read more: 

 November 18, 2011         

'GOING GALT' - HEDGE FUND SHUTs DOWN  Ann Barnhardt is a very successful hedge fund broker. However, Ann has just shut down her company. The reasons given for doing so are listed in a passionate and chilling letter posted on her web site. Read the entire letter HERE.     

is this obama's 1st tv appearance?  Have you seen this video? It is a public service announcement from 1991 that featured a young Barack Obama delivering a fairly typical Black History Month message. Watch the clip HERE.     

THE ARMY'S NEW 'HYPERSONIC' WEAPON   The latest weapon added to the US Army's substantial arsenal is something called an Advanced Hypersonic Weapon or "AHW." AHWs can travel at 8xs the speed of sound and delivery their punishment with pinpoint accuracy. Get the details  HERE.     

was this 5th grader expelled for comparing a TV REPORTEr to obama?  An 11-yr-old California boy has been permamently kicked out of his school after saying that a local TV news reporter resembled President Barack Obama. Get all the details of this surprising story HERE.

MEET THE BROTHERS WHO DARED OWS PROTESTERS TO 'OCCUPY A DESK'   Brothers Derek and John Tabacco live and work in lower Manhattan. For almost two months they have endured the inconvenience and mess created by Occupy Wall Street. During yesterday's Day of Action, the brothers decided to take to the streets and invite the protesters to stop their occupation and consider "occupying a job." Watch their interview HERE.       

VIRAL VIDEO - HEY OPRAH! THE WH SHOOTING SUSPECT IS REACHING OUT TO YOU   A strange video featuring Oscar Ortega-Hernandez is making the rounds. In the clip, Hernandez addresses Oprah Winfrey and claims to be the "modern day Jesus Christ." See it for yourself HERE.

ARE THE NEW TIM TEBOW 'JESUS' JERSEYS BLASPHEMOUS? 
Since Tim Tebow has taken over as starting QB for the Denver Broncos, the team has gone on a hot streak, winning four of the last five games. However, there is a bit of controversy over the appropriateness of a new NFL-sanctioned jersey with Tebow's number and the name "Jesus" on the back. See the details HERE.

VIRAL VIDEO - FIRST-EVER MUSIC VIDEO ABOUT THE HOLOCAUSt HOPES TO GO VIRAL 
Rainbow In The Night is the title of a Holocaust-themed music video currently in production. The small crew and performers traveled to Poland and shot footage on location in Krakow and inside the Majdanek concentration camp. Learn the reasons why this video is so important and get a sneak preview of the clip HERE.  

women's SHELTERs FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BIBLE STUDY AND FED FUNDING 
Two Colorado shelters for women were told they must drop a required Bible Study course in order to retain their $55,000 federal funding. The shelter chose the Bible over government funding. Listen to what Glenn Beck did after he read this story on The Blaze HERE.  

 Your FREE Stop ObamaCare Sticker

ObamaCare will harm patients!

That is why it is critical that the misnamed "Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act" is completely stopped before it is fully implemented in
the next two years.  Thank you for requesting your free "Stop ObamaCare"
bumper sticker and adding your voice to the fight against this terrible
violation of our individual and constitutional rights.

This bumper sticker is provided to you by the physicians of the Association
of American Physicians and Surgeons, the voice for private physicians since
1943. Our motto is "All for the Patient."

A majority of physicians are opposed to ObamaCare, despite what the media and
the special interests that stand to profit from mandatory
government-controlled health care - like government bureaucrats and big
insurance companies, would like you to believe.  AAPS physicians are working
hard to kick government and insurance company bureaucrats out of the exam
room and away from your private medical records.

One of our dedicated physicians read the entire bill and wrote a 8-page
summary of what she found hidden in the 2000+ pages.  You can find the report
here: http://www.aapsonline.org/obamacare-bill/

To win this battle for our health care freedoms patients and doctors must
join together to make sure ObamaCare is abolished before it is too late.
That is why we are reaching out to you today and sending you this FREE
sticker.

Please encourage your friends, colleagues, and family members to also request
a bumper sticker by visiting www.StopObamaCare.us.

Also, please visit our website www.AAPSonline.org , where you can learn more
about doctors who are not going to let their patients become casualties of
impersonal government dictated health care.

AAPS has fought since 1943 to protect the rights of patients by keeping big
government and big insurance company bureaucrats out patient/doctor
relationship.   In the 1990's we sued to stop HillaryCare and won!  Now, AAPS
is the only national physicians group to file suit agains ObamaCare.  Learn
more about our lawsuit at http://www.AAPSonline.org/hhslawsuit.  In addition
we have filed four briefs in support of the other important lawsuits across
the country opposing ObamaCare including a recent filing in the U.S. Supreme
Court.

The battles in the court system are crucial to stopping the takeover of
medicine, but we can't depend solely on the whim of judges to restore
patients' rights.  That is why we are also taking the fight directly to
Capitol Hill.  AAPS holds frequent briefings in DC to educate our lawmakers
about real solutions to get the government out of the way and empower
patients, lower costs, and increase quality.  We will also be working hard in
2012 to educate voters about candidates who are willing to take a stand and
repeal the law for good.

There are far fewer than 1 million doctors in the United States however there
are 350 million patients.  This fight cannot be won without your help.

Here's how you can help join with physicians today to end ObamaCare!

       1. Send this email to your sphere of influence.
       2. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PatientPower
       3. Become a Medical Freedom Fighter member of AAPS for FREE:
http://www.aapsonline.org/join
       4. Tell your physician about AAPS.  

Investor's Business Daily: Democrats for Election Fraud

United Nations Human Rights Day to Kick Off Voter ID Fight

Today's Headlines:  Friday, November 18, 2011

Sessions Demands Written Testimony from Holder on Kagan and Obamacare

Don't Let Religious Freedom Commission Die, Chairman Urges Lawmakers

Please make a much-appreciated donation to CNSNews.com. We pledge to make every dollar count.

Immigration Is Releasing Some Illegals Handed Over by Law Enforcement in Ala., Lawmaker Says

Interior Sec'y Disagrees With His Own Agency's Reason for Opposing FDR Prayer on WWII Memorial

GOP Lawmakers Scold Obama for 'Punting' on Keystone Pipeline, Killing 20,000 Potential Jobs

Waxman: Solyndra, Green Subsidies Saving People from 'Fires, Droughts, and Floods'

Toronto Zoo Puts the Kibosh on 'Gay Penguin' Agenda

RI Pension Overhaul May Head to the Courts

Fear of Spending Cuts: Automatic Cuts Seen by Some as Threat to U.S. Economy

Fishermen to Congress: Please Scuttle Obama's National Oceans Policy

Cain Is First GOP Candidate to Receive Secret Service Protection

COMMENTARY:

(Almost) Nothing Is Sacred
By L. Brent Bozell III
In advance of Tinseltown's parade of Christmas insensitivities, let us stipulate that it's not just seasonal. The manufacturers of pop culture thrive on offending every traditional value.

The Accountability Charade
By Michelle Malkin
At a House Energy Committee hearing on the half-billion-dollar bankrupt Solyndra loan-guarantee disaster, Energy Secretary Steven Chu made a grand pretense of falling on his sword. He took full responsibility for everything he wasn't aware of ... until it was too late.

Charlie McCarthy
By Rich Galen
New Rule: If you're going to have an on-line newspaper, it would be better not to leave the editing to a dummy.

Hey Obama: Gas Up and Go
By Dan Gainor
Nearly three years into Obama-Nation and the term "gas pain" is something that Tums just can't erase. It's the culmination of the most anti-oil, anti-energy administration this country has seen since the failed presidency of Jimmy Carter.

Another Obama Advisor Favors Health Care Rationing

Nov 16, 2011 11:28 am

Obama Claims Hawaii Is In Asia

Obama's Green Fiascoes and Boondoggles

Nov 18, 2011 10:57 am

A barrage of news headlines on the Solyndra scandal continue to remind us that President Obama made green jobs one of his administration's priorities. Those headlines also reveal this initiative to have been a costly mistake. The bankruptcy of Solyndra, the solar-panel manufacturer that has collapsed despite receiving half-a-billion dollars from the federal government, is [...]

Read More and Comment: Obama's Green Fiascoes and Boondoggles


 

Obama's New Fuel Standards to Add $2,000 to Car Prices

Nov 18, 2011 10:56 am

The Obama administration's new proposal to double the fuel efficiency of cars by 2025 may cost up to $157 billion and add $2,000 to the price of passenger automobiles, according to two federal agencies. In the proposed rule posted on their websites, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency predict the [...]

Read More and Comment: Obama's New Fuel Standards to Add $2,000 to Car Prices


 

Does God Approve of Wealth Creation?

Nov 18, 2011 10:55 am

Friday Afternoon Roundup - The Man of No Expectations 

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 11:18 AM PST

THE EGO HAS LANDED

The long-awaited Gingrich resurgence has come and yet it's all too likely that the resurgence will give way to the inevitability of Romney. So far every surge has been followed by a prolonged teardown. With Bachmann it was the messianic arrival of Perry and nitpicking over her attacks on his vaccine policy. With Perry it was immigration and a troublingly mixed debate performance. With Cain it was a combination of bad answers and sexual misconduct allegations. Gingrich's turn is coming now.

Gingrich isn't quite the last man standing. The Anti-Romney camp can always default to Perry, if he didn't keep giving them reasons why he shouldn't. And they probably will. Unlike Romney and Perry, Bachmann and Santorum have the right policies, but she isn't likely to get a second look and he hasn't even gotten a first. Perry still has enough money and presidential factors to get a second look and a third. The Gingrich teardown is already beginning, will it succeed? Once the media jumps in, probably. Newt has survived one teardown already at the start of the campaign, but whether he can make another comeback is debatable.

So far the "Id" candidates who said what they thought, Cain and Perry, are in trouble. The "Id" is associated with honesty and boldness. With going forward and damning the consequences. Cain, who was the most "Id" candidate in the race is suffering from "Id" charges, accusations that he speaks without thinking and does immoral things.

Gingrich, next up, is the "Superego" candidate, a polished thinker who knows his facts and challenges the narrative rather than scrambling for a safe answer. It's one of the factors that brought around voters. The old Gingrich was a warrior and the new Gingrich has given every sign that he is still a warrior and eager to fight the battles with the left. Gingrich also suffers from the "Superego" criticisms of being remote, unfeeling and unfriendly. There's something of Churchill about him, but he has never properly managed to cultivate Churchill's bonhomie that would defuse many of his negatives. Churchill understood how to defuse the abrasiveness of his policies and opinions with humor and wit, Gingrich isn't quite there yet.

But the accusations against Gingrich are that he is an "Id" disguised as a "Superego", impulsive and changeable, despite his serious demeanor and intellectual depths.

The return of Perry, a candidate who has gotten into nearly as much trouble with his mouth as Cain, is almost certain and yet as problematic. Perry, like virtually everyone in the race not named Mitt suffers from being unprepared to play this game in a public forum. Perry and Cain may seem more unprepared than most, but Gingrich and Bachmann didn't work nearly enough on their image. Bachmann's surface polish helped her get ahead, but it lacked dimension and depth. Gingrich defused some of the hostility by focusing on the real enemy, instead of the anklebiting antics of the frontrunners, but he'll have to do better than that.

Why did so many of the leading candidates enter the race so poorly prepared? Part of the answer may lie with the turn in Obama's fortunes. 2016 was supposed to be the big show, but when the image of an unelectable Obama became set, candidates who would have otherwise waited for 2016 scrambled to get into the race. Perry was the most obvious last minute candidate, but he isn't alone.

The one man who is prepared, who gives the impression of having prepared all his life for this is Romney. And that gives him a commanding presence that he doesn't really deserve. His task is to wade through the populism of the early primaries and stay in the game long enough to cement his inevitable status. But it's debatable if he will even need to do that. The field has been winnowed down by debates and expectations before the voters of New Hampshire have had their say. Primaries were supposed to shine a fierce lens on the contenders, but in the age of YouTube and obsessive coverage from outlets such as Politico, pervasive polling and meme insertion, the scrutiny is nationwide and pervasive.

Romney is still the survivor because he is the man of no expectations. No one expects much of him except to swim his way forward. No one ponders his sincerity or looks through his record much. He is the man that no one really wants, but the one that much of the party feels doomed to settle down with. No one really wants Romney, even his supporters don't seem to muster the enthusiasm for him, and he knows that and doesn't care.

Romney is non-ideological, post-ideological, non and post everything. The issues don't matter much to him, the job does. He wants the job because he wants a promotion. He was governor, now he wants to be president. Why? Because it's a step up. In a passionate race filled with unexpected candidates, Romney is both passionless and shallow, he has been practicing for this and is perfectly qualified to go through the routines to get to the top post. If conservatives were hoping for Ronald Reagan, they are more likely to end up with George H.W. Bush.


A BULLET OR TWO BETWEEN FRIENDS

 Had a participant in a Tea Party rally fired a bullet or two at the White House, there would already be two book deals, a movie of the week and a national monument at the spot. But when a participant in Occupy DC does the dirty deed, it's just one of those uncomfortable silences that develops when the media encounters something that doesn't fit the narrative.

There was a time not so long ago when it was still possible to turn on the news and get news, not all the time and not unbiased, but there would be news. Now there is only the hum and drone of the narrative, alternately solemn and cheerful voices explaining events in the world in relation to the narrative.

News is a means of transmitting dogma. Events are ways to convey the truth of the elite's beliefs. Actual news does have to be reported, but when it runs counter to the narrative, the moment is as uncomfortable as an environmentalist doing an oil commercial. He'll do it but on his own terms.

The narrative is that the right is violent and dangers and must be rejected and controlled. The left is progressive and even its violence is the result of naïve idealism, not homicidal hate. These narratives are so deeply embedded in the 21st century liberal that contradictions are brushed away.

So a member of Occupy DC took a shot at the White House. He was probably a secret right winger infiltrating the movement. And if he wasn't, well what's a few bullets between friends?



THATCHER

I haven't seen the movie, but the trailer makes me think of Oliver Stone's Nixon. Even the rhythm seems the same. Stone's Nixon was sympathetic to him in some ways, much the same ways that I suspect that the Thatcher biopic will be, the template of flawed greatness, personal demons turned into political power and then descending into hubris and regret is an old one.

Thatcher's story has an additional layer for the modern filmmaker because she is a woman, and it becomes all too easy to dismiss her as a leader by giving her the old empowerment treatment. The real story of Thatcher can't and won't be told, because it is less her story, than it is the story of the United Kingdom in a certain place and time, and the story of Europe and the West.

Thatcher was the leader that the UK needed, but the story of why it needed her is much more important. The same is true for Reagan. The story of Reagan is not the story of his life, it's the story of an America which had fallen to malaise and leftist social engineering and drew on an older paradigm for a temporary resurgence. This was also the case with England during the second World War.

Men and women like these emerge in response to a response to a national decline. The filmmakers are unable to acknowledge the decline or address it, and they resort instead to psychoanalyzing their targets, treating them as bundles of neurosis whose ascendance needs to be explained solely in terms of their personal qualities, rather than the national ones. And so the forest is missed for the trees.


RESTORATION WEEKEND

As a final personal footnote, I am currently at the David Horowitz Freedom Center's Restoration Weekend and I have had the privilege of hearing Robert Spencer, Daniel Pipes and other talented men who have led the way in fighting the Jihad speak. It is and has been an incredible experience. For those at the event, I will be on a panel on Sunday which should be on your schedule.

I won't be posting a compendium of links for technical reasons, but I will return to it next week.

An Economist Who "Gets" Immigration
Americans Will Do Any Job
Full Story

Parents Abandon Children to U.S. Foster Care After Deportation
Rise in foster care placements.
Full Story

New FAIR Report Refutes Claims of Skilled Worker Shortage in U.S.
The Problem With H-1B.
Full Story

Does Immigration Enforcement Focuses on Small Companies, Instead of Big Ones?
DHS Audits Find Small Violations.
Full Story

Illegal Alien Removals 2000-2010
Separating Facts from Spin.
Full Story

Michael Nutter from Philadelphia saying what needs to be said and heard  

myfoxphilly.com

PHILADELPHIA - Mayor Michael Nutter blasted violent teen mobs over the weekend while preparing to lay out Monday morning his plan to crack down on them.

It's a plan the mayor says might not sit well with everyone.

"Parents, get your act together. Get it together. Get it together right now," Nutter said.

And to those who took part in the incidents, the mayor said, "Stop it. Cut it out. We've had enough of this nonsense going on."  

Read More . . .