Monday, November 16, 2009
Administration Lowers Bar for Success in Afghanistan War, Seeks Exit Strategy
gwot
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the administration has 'no illusions' about the Afghanistan war. Officials say the administration wants to make sure the U.S. commitment in the country is not 'open-ended' as the president drafts a new strategy.
Top Obama administration officials took pains to lower the bar for success in Afghanistan Sunday, stressing that the administration is seeking an exit strategy and holds "no illusions"... [snip]
"We are a little bit perplexed about the length of time it's taking to make this decision," ... "Part of being president is you don't have easy choices. You have a lot of choices you have to make among difficult options. None of them are perfect. ... I think the president, as difficult as this decision is, needs to make it, needs to follow the advice of his generals."
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani went further,saying
" the delay is political strategy, not war strategy."
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A changing story
[HT:NW]Subject: txt gwot islm msm -
When Nidal Malik Hasan was accused of opening fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, polite society had a politically correct narrative ready to explain the murderous act. Repeated deployments had taken a psychological toll on Hasan. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had pushed him past the breaking point.
There was a big problem with this narrative. Hasan had never been deployed... [snip]
What each of these narratives ignores is the mounting evidence that it wasn't repeated deployments or an impending deployment or hearing about deployments or even alleged harassment that turned Hasan into an accused killer. Instead, it was an extremist religious doctrine that Hasan had repeatedly shown adherence to in recent years....
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Fort Hood and the Academic Apologists
The media has turned to Middle East studies "experts" for enlightenment on Major Hasan...if by "enlightenment," you mean moral relativism and obfuscation
Writing for the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog, John Esposito, professor and founding director of the Saudi-funded Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, extends his long tradition of issuing apologias for radical Islam by conflating Hasan's actions with "extremists" of all religions. In the process, he professes ignorance as to why there might be suspicion directed towards Islam in the wake of 9/11, the worst Islamic terrorist attack in U.S. history:
Why this common tendency and double standard towards Islam and Muslims post-9/11? We judge the religion and majority of mainstream Muslims by the acts ofan individual or an aberrant minority of extremists. Yet, when Jewish fundamentalists kill a prime minister or innocent Palestinians or Christian extremists blow up abortion clinics or assassinate their physicians, somehow the media is capable of sticking to all the facts and distinguishing between the use and abuse of a religion.
[Christianity forbids such acts, Islam condones them]
Having written this post while news of Hasan's fanatical leanings and possible terrorist connections was still developing, Esposito warns against a "rush to judgment" that might, as he puts it, "negatively impact the American public's perception of Islam." Heaven forbid Americans start to suspect that Islam itself contains the seeds for Islamism. Contrary to popular belief, this awareness need not implicate all Muslims. Rather, it asks the faithful to address Islamist violence and aggression by implementing theological and cultural reform...
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How America created the Fort Hood shooter
Subject: txt gwot -
In Osama bin-Laden's 1998 sit down with ABC's John Miller, his last face-to-face interview with an American journalist, the al Qaeda chief explains his motives:
We are sure of our victory. Our battle with the Americans is larger than our battle with the Russians....
After Allah honored us with victory in Afghanistan . . . it cleared from Muslim minds the myth of superpowers. The youth ceased from seeing America as a superpower.After leaving Afghanistan they headed for Somalia and prepared for a long battle, thinking that the Americans were like the Russians, but they were surprised . . . The youth were surprised at the low morale of the American soldiers and realized more than before that the American soldiers are paper tigers. After a few blows, they ran in defeat and America forgot about all the hoopla and media propaganda . . . about being the world leader, and the leader of the new world order.
It is obvious that the media war in this century is one of the strongest methods (of struggle). In fact, its ratio may reach 90% of the total preparation for battles
There truly is "a lesson to learn from this for he who wishes to learn." Islamist terrorists are not motivated by grievances, real or imagined, nor by old religious doctrines in and of themselves, but by the perception that their enemies are weak and that Allah -- after many years -- is again willing to grant victory to Muslim fighters. And bin-Laden measures these actions entirely by their propaganda value as proof of religious dogma.
But Islamists' certainty is not settled with one example... [snip]
Bin-Laden recruits terrorists by claiming lack of western resolve to fight. Hasan is alleged to have, verbally and in writing, tested the resolve of the "system"--and again and again he found it lacking. In doing so, he came to the same conclusion as bin-Laden; that The Time Is Now -- Allah is indeed granting victory to Muslims. It was in fact the failure to disabuse Hasan of this belief, Americans "created the terrorist" that, tragically, had that very effect... [snip]
The Hasan case provides a strong argument for a "broken windows" approach to fighting Islamic extremism -- a rules-enforcement-based system which is the polar opposite of political correctness...
[DOD]:
"Department of Defense should allow Muslim Soldiers the option of being released as 'Conscientious objectors' to increase troop morale and decrease adverse events."
[Hasan]: "If Muslim groups can convince Muslims that they are fighting for God against the injustices of the ‘infidels' ie; enemies of Islam, then Muslims can become a potent adversary ie suicide bombing, etc."
It had taken years for Hasan to make himself certain of Allah's will. But Hasan was finally convinced. So on November 5 he allegedly entered a crowded building on base and opened fire. Survivors allege that, as he fired, Hasan shouted what he might have expected to be his final message before ascending to heaven:
"Allahu Akbar."
[HIGHLY RECOMMENDED > ]
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Don't tiptoe around the words `Muslim' and `terrorism'
Subject: txt 1st gwot islm - 
You could almost see the discomfort on television anchors' faces when the name ``Hasan'' emerged. It was time to tread lightly. Responsible journalists wanted to avoid even contemplating the possibility that this was an act of terrorism by a radical Muslim.
The word ``Muslim,'' when uttered at all, was used to explain that Hasan had been victimized by anti-Muslim slurs.
The word ``terrorism'' was almost completely absent as the motivation for the killings became the main story in the country for several days...
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The ACLU and KSM: What Won't Be Said
Subject: txt gwot 1st nsec libs bdd vals msm -
Much has been written over the past 24 hours that does well to explain why the Obama regime's despicable decision to bestow unprecedented constitutional protections on those whose only connection to America is that they have directed the incineration of thousands of our innocent countrymen or worked not quite as "successfully" for the same or worse.
And guess who celebrates this as some sort of victory for "justice?" It's no secret that the greatest threats to America on the international stage can depend on the ACLU's extended hand of friendship. The ACLU, as the most dangerous threat to this country from within, has long been writhing around passionately with every enemy of this country like mating slugs at the end of a mucus thread.
That the ACLU not only cheers this latest attack on American national security is no surprise. After all, they are up to their ear holes in making sure KSM and Da Boyz get sprung, although the MSM seems to be ignoring the ACLU role. Jay wrote last year at PJM about the execrable "John Adams Project" that undoubtedly played a lead role in securing three hots and a cot for KSM while he awaits his circus trial:
The ACLU has launched an initiative called the “John Adams Project.”…What is it? In a nutshell, the ACLU has assembled a “Dream Team” of attorneys with an $8.5 million budget to defend terrorists currently held at Guantanamo. Who’s the primary object of the ACLU’s affection? Khalid Sheik Mohammed.
So that’s it. The ACLU wants to set KSM and 300 other terrorists free or at least make it impossible for the tribunals to serve their function. Because KSM is the worst of the worst, because he is the terrorist in custody most responsible for 9/11, the ACLU is his champion.
This PR stunt can only serve to undermine American credibility by creating the illusion – sure to be propagated by the mass media – that mass killers are somehow being denied “justice.” Think our enemies don’t appreciate the ACLU’s efforts on their behalf – on both legal and the PR fronts?
Clearly, this will leave America more vulnerable to attack...READ MORE
Reality Check....
Subject: txt hstry othr gwot nsec bdd vals msm bias =
"As fears of a backlash are going high among US Muslims, President Barack Obama urged Americans Saturday, November 7, not to jump into conclusions over a deadly attack on a military base in Texas, stressing the diversity of the US army." At least 13 dead. IslamOnline.
"Arab-Americans and Muslims fear backlash" after 911- 2,976 dead. USA Today.
"Muslim Leaders Fear Backlash" after London bombing, 56 dead. The Guardian.
"The Muslim Public Affairs Council today sent a letter to the Bush administration and the Obama transition team expressing concern about a potential backlash that could be triggered in the wake of terrorist attacks in Mumbai." At least 195 dead. MPAC.
Source: Investors Business Daily, based on FBI statistics.
Hate-crime incidents in the US in 2007: 7,624.
- Anti-Jewish incidents: 969.
- Anti-white: 749.
- Anti-Other religion: 130.
- Anti-Islamic incidents: 115.
Source: FBI, Hate Crime Statistics, Table 1.
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S.C. Senator Jim DeMint forces U.S. change on Honduras stance on elections
Subject: txt intl -
Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican known for his efforts to block influence domestic immigration and health-care issues, has scored a foreign-policy coup by helping to compel the Obama administration to shift its stance on strife-ridden Honduras.
After demanding for months that [constitutionally! {theirs}] deposed Honduran President Mel Zelaya be restored to power, senior State Department officials now say they'll accept the outcome of Nov. 29 elections in the Central American country even if Zelaya doesn't reclaim his post.
That position is a marked change from the tough stance President Barack Obama took in the days following the June 28 removal of Zelaya;
"We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the democratically elected president there,"
Obama said the day after Zelaya's ouster.
DeMint, by contrast, cited a Honduran Supreme Court ruling, later approved by the Honduran Congress, that the military had followed constitutional provisions in removing Zelaya and installing Roberto Micheletti as interim president.
[Outstanding. Like Iran's dissidents, our president has put us on the wrong side of this issue from day one.]
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FLASHBACK >
Hondurans unhappy with Obama
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Mexico border city groups call for UN peacekeepers
[HT:SM]Subject: txt immig owg -
MEXICO CITY – Business groups in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez said Wednesday they are calling for United Nations peacekeepers to quell the drug-related violence that has given their city one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Groups representing maquiladora assembly plants, retailers and other businesses said they will submit a request to the Mexican government and the Inter American Human Rights to ask the U.N. to send help.
"This is a proposal ... for international forces to come here to help out the domestic (security) forces," said Daniel Murguia, president of the Ciudad Juarez chapter of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism. "There is a lot of extortions and robberies of businesses. Many businesses are closing."
The government has sent more than 5,000 soldiers to the city across the border from El Paso, Texas, but killings, extortions and kidnappings continue.
Ciudad Juarez has had 1,986 homicides through mid-October this year — averaging seven a day in the city of 1.5 million people.
"We have seen the U.N. peacekeepers enter other countries that have a lot fewer problems than we have,"
Murguia said.
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The Decline of the Left
Subject: txt intl libs sclm bbro lbrty -
The Social Democrats in the September German elections for the Bundestag did worse than in any election since the Second World War. The market oriented Free Democrats made major gains and a center-right coalition now governs Germany with a majority of seats in the Bundestag. Polling data one month after the German general election indicates that Germans continue to oppose a left of center government.
The Labour Party in Britain has suffered two seasons of dramatic thumping in local council and municipal elections. In May, the Labour Party not only came in twenty points behind the Conservative Party, but Labour ran third in popular vote - an emphatic repudiation of the ruling Labour Party and its leader, Gordon Brown.
Polling data for over two years has shown that in the next general election, which must be held within the next seven months, David Cameron and the Conservative Party will win a huge landslide victory, ending almost two decades of leftist rule in Britain. When that happens, each of the four major nations in Western Europe will have governments of the right, not of the left.
On November 9th, the Conservative Party in Canada won three of four special elections to Parliament which added two more seats to the Conservative Party caucus. The victories were in line with public opinion polling over the last few months which showed the Conservative Party winning the next general election. Polls showed the Conservative Party winning an absolute majority in Parliament... [snip]
The pattern over the last several years has been clear in the old major democracies of Europe and North America: the left simply ceases to appeal to voters anymore. The right - whatever that is supposed to be these days? - resembles the Republican Party in America. It has yet to clearly carve out what it is for, and it instead represents an anti-left vote. [not good enough - but we {the American people} have the winning model right in front of us...]
So while Americans overwhelmingly reject the label of "liberal" or "progressive" in public opinion polls, and while Ronald Reagan remains the only genuinely popular American political figure, more than two decades after he left office, what "conservative" is supposed to reflect is only slowly reforming in the Republican Party... [snip]
The declining popularity of Obama will translate into change we can believe in only when Republican leaders begin, again, to believe in the touchstone principles of limited government, Judeo-Christian moral principles, and market economies.
It is [past] time to stand for something.
[Recommended > ]
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Reality Check...
Subject: txt trade mny msm libs bdd -
"President Obama on Monday [May 4, 2009] spelled out his proposals to close corporate tax loopholes on U.S. multinational corporations and crack down on overseas tax havens... "Source: CNNMoney.
Source: The Tax Foundation.
- Corporate tax rate (combined federal and state) in the US in 2009: 39.1% (2nd place among 30 OECD countries, just after Japan at 39.54%).
- In Sweden: 26.3%.
- In Switzerland: 21.17%.
- In Ireland: 12.5%.
[I.e., our own government is handing our global competitors a massive advantage.]
Source: The Tax Foundation.
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World Leaders Agree to Delay Global Warming Deal
Subject: txt grn owg - BREAKING:
World leaders meeting in Singapore have decided to punt on reaching any firm agreement at next month's global warming conference in Copenhagen.
[wasn't me, it's in the source piece]
The decision represents a huge setback to the Obama administration's goal of passing a cap and trade bill this year, which conversely is great news for virtually every company in America that has been worried about the higher cost of doing business that would come from the enactment of such legislation.
As the New York Times reported moments ago:
The agreement on Sunday codifies what negotiators had already accepted as all but inevitable: that representatives of the 192 nations in the talks would not resolve the outstanding issues in time. The gulf between rich and poor countries, and even among the wealthiest nations, was just too wide.
Among the chief barriers to a comprehensive deal in Copenhagen was Congress's inability to enact climate and energy legislation that sets binding targets on greenhouse gases in the United States. Without such a commitment, other nations are loath to make their own pledges.
[That's right; it's the US's fault - never mind that China and India have announced they've no intention of signing up for this suicide... The NYT.]
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Gore heckled at climate speech
Subject: txt grn -
RATON - Former Vice President Al Gore's global-warming speech Saturday night at Mizner Park drew about a thousand attendees, as well as more than 200 loud protesters.
Stationed outside the Mizner Park Amphitheater, the protesters jeered at Gore as he took the podium and at those walking into the open-air venue to listen to the speech.
"This is the most dangerous crisis we've ever faced," Gore said of climate change.
He spoke over a chorus of boos from protesters, who were monitored by at least a dozen uniformed city police officers.
[Hmm. Me thinks the worm may be turning.]
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U.S. Most Popular Immigration Destination
Subject: txt immig -
Some 700 million people worldwide, or more than all the adults of North and South America combined, think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and want to permanently move to another country, a poll showed Tuesday.
Residents of sub-Saharan African countries were the most likely to want to move abroad permanently, the polls conducted in 135 countries between 2007 and this year by Gallup showed.
On average, 38 percent of the adult population in sub-Saharan Africa, or around 165 million people, said they would up stakes and head for another country if they had the chance.
The most popular destination was the United States, where nearly a quarter of the 700 million -- around 165 million people -- said they would like to settle.
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Senate blocks census US-citizenship question
Subject: txt immig -
WASHINGTON– Senate Democrats have blocked a GOP attempt to require next year's census forms to ask people whether they are a U.S. citizen.The proposal by Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter was aimed at excluding immigrants from the population totals that are used to figure the number of congressional representatives for each state. Critics said Vitter's plan would discourage immigrants from responding to the census and would be hugely expensive.
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What If ObamaCare Had a Rally and Nobody Showed Up?
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There isn’t anything dramatic like SEIU thugs beating up people in the video below. What’s dramatic is what isn’t there–like the famous dogs who didn’t bark in the Sherlock Holmes story. Health Care for America Now (HCAN), the principal organization pushing for ObamaCare, and Organizing for America, Obama’s campaign arm at the Democrat National Committee, recently opened major offices in St. Louis. Their goal is to build a grassroots movement supporting ObamaCare.
Gallup:Most Americans Think Healthcare NOT Government's Responsibility
Subject: txt 1st hcare -
In a week of surprising polls, Gallup has just released another that will raise some eyebrows given legislation just passed in the House last Saturday:
Less than half of Americans say ensuring healthcare coverage for all is the federal government's responsibility...The current poll results indicate that, with the renewed healthcare debate since Obama took office, Americans have become less convinced that it is an appropriate goal for the federal government to take on the responsibility of ensuring that all Americans have healthcare coverage.
That's an eye catcher.
And given the ObamaCare baton just having been passed to the Senate, one would think an honest, impartial media would give these results ample attention in the coming days...
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What's Wrong With Socialism?
Subject: txt sclm bdd vals hstry EDU -
I recall a conversation I had with a young coworker in the latter weeks of Obama's campaign for president. Joe the plumber had just exposed the redistributionist bent of the candidate, and I expressed my assessment of Mr. Obama as a not-so-closeted socialist. My coworker then quite earnestly asked, "What's so wrong with socialism?" I initially assumed he must be joking, although his face gave no indication.
I stared at him, the incomprehension as evident on my face as the sincerity on his. It eventually dawned on me that he really didn't know what was wrong with socialism... [snip]
I began reciting the litany of horrors: the crimes of the Holocaust, the purges of the Soviets, the thuggery and inhuman brutality of the statist regimes of the last century. The Nazis, for crissake! How could he not know about the evil of the Nazis? He listened to all of this, nodding his understanding as he recognized some of the events I described, but I could still see a question behind his eyes.
While he had been taught of the existence of these atrocities, he had not been taught the one commonality they shared. They were all perpetrated by the adherents of various forms of socialism.
Indeed, such crimes were the only outcome possible... [snip]
If you doubt the effectiveness of the Left's methods, ask any ten people under the age of forty whether Hitler and the Nazis were a product of left-wing or right-wing ideology. The obstacle we face will become painfully clear. It is not enough that you know the truth. You alone are not likely to singlehandedly shape the outcome of an election.
Everyone has to know the truth. We have to reclaim our younger generations from the wolf in sheep's clothing, or it won't be long before the wolf no longer needs the disguise...
[HIGHLY RECOMMENDED > ]
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How Teachers Are Poisoning Our Children
“The goal of socialism is communism.” “A lie told often enough becomes truth” —Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)
The NEA (National Education Association) is the largest professional organization, and labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers, support personnel, college and university faculty and staff, and college students preparing to become teachers. The NEA has over 3 million members.
The NEA has over 3 million members. According to Wikipedia, “the NEA describes itself as a ‘professional employee organization,’ although it is often categorized as a labor union with strong leftist and liberal leanings…” [snip]
Here is a sample quote of Alinsky’s from the NEA web-site:
“Society has good reason to fear the Radical. Every shaking advance of mankind toward equality and justice has come from the Radical. He hits, he hurts, he is dangerous. ...Radicals are most adept at breaking the necks of Conservatives.”
... “Alinsky was hated and defamed by powerful enemies, proof that his tactics worked. His simple formula for success…‘Agitate + Aggravate + Educate + Organize”
Permit me to suggest that the conservative parents of America have a duty to put a stop to this type of insidious propaganda.
It is poisoning the minds of our children...
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Obama to weed out Bush political appointees
Subject: txt bbro sclm crpt lbrty reps -
John Berry, President Obama's director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), has issued a new directive that is clearly designed to weed out any Bush administration political appointees who ''careered-into'' the civil service. The directive also effectively establishes a partisan political factor in hiring for career civil service positions in the federal bureaucracy.
In other words, if you worked for President Bush in the executive branch at any time during his second term in the White House, you may not be approved. The same applies if you worked for a Republican Member of Congress at any point during the past five years.
Amazingly, even Berry had to acknowledge in his directive that political appointees cannot be barred from career positions because of their political views. The whole point of the career service, after all, is to insure that federal workers are hired on the basis of merit, not their political views.
But by introducing a time factor that may disqualify an individual, Berry effectively creates a semi-covert political factor in the hiring process.
If you are wondering who is John Berry, you can read his official here. Note that he spent a decade handling civil service issues for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
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The Myth of the Moderate Democrat
Subject: txt 2010 -
Don’t assume that the 38 Democrats who voted against Nancy Pelosi’s extremist version of health care reform wouldn’t have supported it if their votes had been needed. The days before the final passage on Saturday were not filled with stirring appeals to get Democrats to back the bill so much as an auction to decide whom to let off the hook. Knowing that the bill will likely be political suicide for any red state Democratic congressman... [snip]
The chicanery and deception that led up to the vote underscores the myth of the moderate Democrat. The entire Democratic caucus — with pitifully few exceptions — was committed to passing the health care bill.
The real question facing the voters is whether they will be deceived by this sleight of hand in which moderate Democrats pretend that the bill was passed over their objections. Will the voters buy their claims that it became law despite their best efforts?
Once, the voters might have fallen for this trickery.
But not now. The electorate is far too well informed to believe that any Democratic congressman really opposed this bill.
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Palin in second printing
From Mike Allen at Politico: “HarperCollins has gone back to press on ‘Going Rogue,’ so the number of shipped books will be well over 1.5 million. Prepaid orders on Amazon alone are over 80,000. #1 on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.”
I’d say her advance was covered.
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Defense Bill Features Less Waste
The defense spending bill that President Obama signed last week eliminated several programs deemed wasteful, including a presidential helicopter fleet replacement program that was six years behind schedule and more than $5 billion over budget. Here are some of the other programs that were cut:
- $5 billion—Trojan yak containing thousands of American soldiers to be sent into Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan
- $4 billion—Electric planes that run on two-mile extension cords
- $12—Headphones on Air Force One
- $7 billion—Genetically engineered grenade orchard
- $1.7 million—Free tampons for lady soldiers
- $245 million—Project to turn Major Dad into a full-length feature film
- $3.8 million—Torture rooms "just to study the effects of torture and nothing else"
- $45 million—Pizza-patterned fatigues
- $28 billion—U.S. Coast Guard
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