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FIRST SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE FOR 2014

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I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's talk show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

FEBRUARY 10,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:14 P.M. ET: 

GOOD FOR STEVE – From The Hill:  "Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says building the Keystone XL pipeline is 'inevitable' as the history and economics of a U.S.-Canadian relationship outlast a presidency.  In an interview with Bloomberg News, Harper said economic forces determine whether projects like Keystone go through, not fleeting political calculations.  'It is, in my judgment, a necessary and inevitable victory,' Harper said in a Jan. 16 interview before the State Department dropped its final environmental impact review. 'I absolutely believe that. I can’t see how it will be otherwise.'"  Harper is a really good guy, a conservative, and a man I wish were president of the United States...instead of the current pretender.

ANOTHER DENT IN OBAMACARE – From the Washington Examiner:  "The Obama administration is giving another delay to business groups concerned about the health care law's requirement that larger firms cover their workers.  The Treasury Department announced Monday that companies with 50 to 99 employees have an additional year to comply with the coverage mandate, until January 1, 2016.  For businesses with 100 or more employees the requirement will still take effect in 2015. But other newly announced provisions may help some of those firms.  The employer requirement was originally supposed to take effect this year for companies with 50 or more workers. The administration delayed it last year, the first sign of potential problems with the rollout of President Barack Obama's health care law."  Another great leap forward for American health.  Do you think the people who designed Obamacare should have their college degrees revoked?  I do.

PEOPLE WHO RUN THINGS – From the Chronicle of Higher Education:  "Thirty-four pages of research, branded with a staid title and rife with complicated graphs, might not seem like a scintillating read, but there’s no doubt that a report released on Wednesday will punch higher education's hot buttons in a big way.  The report, "Labor Intensive or Labor Expensive: Changing Staffing and Compensation Patterns in Higher Education," says that new administrative positions—particularly in student services—drove a 28-percent expansion of the higher-ed work force from 2000 to 2012. The report was released by the Delta Cost Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan social-science organization whose researchers analyze college finances.  What’s more, the report says, the number of full-time faculty and staff members per professional or managerial administrator has declined 40 percent, to around 2.5 to 1."  The number of "administrators" at many colleges has reached the obscene level.  No parent sends a kid to college to experience the thrill of meeting an administrator.

HOLDER TO GO? – From the Washington Times:  "U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will step down this year, he said in an interview with the New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin in the magazine’s Feb. 17 edition.
In a feature article, Mr. Holder said he plans on staying in his position 'well into' the year.  Last November, Mr. Holder, the first black attorney general, told CBS News he didn’t have 'any plans' to step down."  The nation would be better served by a more mainstream attorney general.  Holder has been an extremist and a racialist in too many areas.  But I doubt that Obama has the wisdom and vision to choose a better replacement.

February 10, 2014       Permalink

CHILLING – AT 10:14 A.M. ET:  It is remarkable to see the number of threats made against the United States in recent days by Iranian officials.   Iran even shows videos on state-run TV depicting Iranian attacks on American targets.  And yet, we barely respond.  Obama is off on another of his delusionary "outreach" games, this time embracing Iran.  He failed with Russia.  Failed with China.  Failed with Syria.  Failed with Egypt.  Hey, maybe practice makes perfect.  From the Jerusalem Post: 

The commander of Iran's navy ratcheted up the Islamic Republic's recent rhetoric against the United States, threatening the Americans with major losses at sea should they chose to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.

“The Americans can fully expect that their warships [and] aircraft carrier will be sunk with all 5,000 crew aboard, in combat against Iran, and they could find its hulk in the depths of the sea,” Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi was quoted as saying by semi-official Iranian Fars News on Sunday.

Fadavi said that since the day that the US warships entered the Persian Gulf, the IRGC Navy has evolved all its capabilities, training, structures, organizations and weapons to counter Washington’s threats, and added that the IRGC vessels in the region are monitoring every move made by the Americans.

COMMENT:  I don't recall the last time such blunt threats were made by a government official against the United States.  And I would take the threats seriously.  The Iranians have modern weapons.  They're an ancient, seafaring people.  They get help from Russia and North Korea, either of which would love to see an American capital warship sunk.

Iran is also stating quite openly that it has no intention of giving up its nuclear program.  I don't know how many more signals they have to send before the White House understands that they're serious.  But Obama just doesn't care.  I'm sure, considering his mentality, that he thinks Iran has "legitimate grievances," which is the standard language on the political left.

February 10, 2014       Permalink

A HORROR STORY – AT 8:57 A.M. ET:  At least the Washington Post had the courage and decency to report this, one more example of a sustained war against Christians being waged in much of the Muslim world, with little interest shown by the Obama administration, our "intellectual" classes, or most of the media:

BANGUI, Central African Republic — Polin Pumandele was killed about 9:30 a.m.

He was a Christian walking in a Muslim enclave, carrying wood to sell. In these tense days, that is enough reason to die in the Central African Republic. A Muslim mob confronted Pumandele, 23, on a side street and pushed him around. Then, they threw him into a ditch. At least one man stabbed him before his throat was slit.

As the slaughter unfolded, some of his killers ordered a Washington Post journalist witnessing the attack Sunday to leave. “Allez, allez — go, go, ” one yelled, wagging his arms menacingly.

Stationed nearby was a group of Burundian peacekeepers, ordered by the United Nations to protect civilians. But they didn’t know about the killing until some men — perhaps his killers — brought Pumandele’s mutilated body past them in a wheelbarrow. They dumped his body outside the Red Cross office across from the Burundian base. And just as swiftly, Pumandele was taken to the morgue, adding to the rolls of the dead in Africa’s latest war.

COMMENT:  The trendies of the Western chattering classes spend an inordinate amount of time preaching about Islamophobia.  When Christians or Jews fly warning flags,though, the chattering classes just laugh.  Or accuse them of hate speech.

We are paying the price for the legacy of the sixties and seventies generation, with their immaturity and shallowness.  A heavier price is being paid in other countries.

February 10, 2014       Permalink

REPUBLICAN MORALE – AT 8:37 A.M. ET:  We very rarely see stories about rising Republican morale.  Republicans really don't know how to have fun.  But the Politico, which is liberal, reports rising Republican confidence that the party can take the Senate in November.  We want to make your morning:

Republicans feel like they’re finally getting their mojo back.

Emboldened by the president’s weak poll numbers, the botched Obamacare rollout and a still-sputtering economy, GOP donors and operatives are increasingly bullish about their prospects in the midterm election — most of all capturing the Senate. Seats that a year ago looked like sure bets for Democrats now have the makings of real races — in states such as Michigan, Virginia, and, if former Republican Sen. Scott Brown runs, New Hampshire.

Worries last fall that the party would pay a heavy price at the ballot box for forcing the government to shut down have faded as quickly as attention has shifted to frustration with the health care law.

No one is saying that the party has solved its underlying problems — deep distrust between the establishment and tea party wings, and the disconnect with young and minority voters that was on display in 2012. And Republicans were similarly optimistic in 2010 and 2012 about retaking the Senate until poor candidates blew winnable races.

But there’s a palpable sense of optimism that 2014 will be the GOP’s year.

“People like to hang out with winners, and it feels right now as though Republicans — unlike the early part of last year — have found their sea legs and have a bit of wind at their back,” said New York investment banker and major GOP donor Jeffrey Berenson.

After getting outraised by $16 million last year, the NRSC announced recently that it collected just slightly more money than its Democratic counterpart in December. Leaders of the major conservative outside groups say that skittish donors have started to open their checkbooks with the new year after a lackluster fundraising haul in 2013.

COMMENT:  All true, but the race has barely begun.  And in some states the GOP is still plagued by the absence of superior candidates.

Also, the Republican Party still has not figured out a way to deal with the great finger on the scale, the clear liberal bias of the American media.  Even if that bias only shifts the electoral result by four points, it could be catastrophic for the GOP in 2014, as it has been in past elections.  The Reagan way was to speak over the heads of the "journalists" and directly to the American people.   The modern Republican Party hasn't learned that lesson.

February 10, 2014       Permalink

ANOTHER WISE OBAMAN DECISION – AT 8:18 A.M. ET:  These Obamans – they certainly know how to pick the best people and send them into battle against evil.  I'm just so impressed.  From Fox:

Accenture, the contractor hired to fix ongoing problems with the federal health exchange website, has been heavily criticized by some of its largest clients, including federal agencies, according to a published report.

The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General's Office recommended this past June that the agency consider terminating more than $200 million in contracts with Accenture. The recommendation cited an "absence of business ethics" by the firm, including a 2011 settlement with the Justice Department to resolve allegations of "kickbacks" and "bid-rigging" in federal contracts. Accenture, which paid $63 million to resolve the claims, denied the allegations.

The Obama administration announced last month that it had tapped Accenture to become the lead contractor for Healthcare.gov after cutting ties with CGI Federal, which handled the site's troubled launch this past Oct. 1. Technical glitches blocked many prospective customers from initially using the site, and while enrollment has picked up, the numbers have struggled to recover from the early setback and reach the administration's benchmarks.

COMMENT:  We'll ask the pertinent question:  Did Accenture executives make major donations to the Democratic Party? 

I wonder if the president has any recommendations for a good auto repair shop?  I'd know that's the one not to go to.

February 10,  2014     Permalink

FEBRUARY 9,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:04 P.M. ET: 

WEIRDNESS – From Breitbart:  "During the February 9 airing of This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) said the loss of work hours due to Obamacare could actually be a good thing because Americans work too much anyway, compared to people in other industrialized countries."  Yeah, let's hear it for unemployment, and a special cheer for full-time jobs being turned into part-time jobs.

OLYMPICS – Watching the games tonight, where the Russians won gold in the team figure-skating competition, a new event.  I had the uncomfortable sense that the arena was packed - FOS - full of Soviets.  Incredible home-court advantage from the cheering crowds.  Maybe it's just that Sochi hasn't attracted that many international visitors, but the fans weren't only cheering Russian skaters, they were cheering Russian composers as well.  I mean, when's the last time you heard a mighty shout-out for "Swan Lake"?  It ain't fair.  Let's hear it for Irving Berlin.

ANOTHER STELLAR OBAMA APPOINTMENT – From London's Daily Mail:  "In the latest blunder for an Obama administration ambassadorial nominee, prolific Democratic campaign fundraiser Noah Mamet admitted Thursday that he has never been to Argentina – the nation where he wants to represent U.S. interests as America's top diplomat.  The White House has tapped him to be the U.S. ambassador to the South American country.  'Mr. Mamet have you been to Argentina,' asked Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio during the Californian's confirmation hearing.   'I haven't had the opportunity yet to be there,' he admitted, ashen-faced.  'I've traveled pretty extensively around the world, but I haven't yet had the chance.'"  I guess this is the hope and change we were promised.

February 9,  2014     Permalink

ANOTHER DAY IN AMERICAN DEFENSE – AT 11:08 A.M. ET:  We are only now starting to get hints of the full extent of the damage done by Edward Snowden.  This is a man described as a hero by The New York Times.  From PJ Media: 

Leading members of the House Armed Services Committee emerged from a classified briefing on the Edward Snowden leaks Wednesday afternoon “shocked” at the amount of information he reportedly leaked beyond the NSA surveillance programs.

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chairman of the Armed Service panel’s Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee and also a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the briefing on the defense consequences of Snowden’s leaks was “very highly classified,” and therefore details couldn’t be discussed.

Thornberry did say that lawmakers “left the briefing disturbed and angered” after hearing that the leaks by the former Booz Allen Hamilton employee “went well beyond programs associated with the NSA and data collection.”

He characterized the leaks as so severe that they “compromise military capability and defense of the country” and “could cost lives” — while they “will certainly cost billions to repair.”

“His actions were espionage, plain and simple,” Thornberry said.

Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) read his statement rather than making comments on the fly “because of the seriousness of this issue and the sensitivity” of the information they’d just heard.

“Ed Snowden isn’t a whistleblower; he’s a traitor,” McKeon said.

No matter what opinion people hold of the data collection programs, he added, people should be “shocked and outraged to find that a substantial amount of the information has nothing to do with the NSA.”

“He’s given our enemies an edge and put American lives at risk,” said the chairman.

McKeon said Americans should “demand” that Snowden be “brought to justice” and not be extended any sort of deal by the government.

COMMENT:  That is correct.  It is sickening that some misguided souls call this turncoat a hero.  It is equally sickening that he ever received security clearance.

And we must ask once again:  Why did this low-level employee have access to so much classified information?  Our information-control system, vital in any defense establishment, has clearly broken down.  Is it being fixed, or are the Obamans indifferent?

February 9, 2014       Permalink

WE MUST WELCOME THESE TOURISTS – AT 10:46 A.M. ET:  The Iranians are coming.  Please get flowers today.  From AP:

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian warships dispatched to the Atlantic Ocean will travel close to U.S. maritime borders for the first time, a senior Iranian naval commander said Saturday.

The commander of Iran's Northern Navy Fleet, Admiral Afshin Rezayee Haddad, said the vessels have already entered the Atlantic Ocean via waters near South Africa, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The fleet, consisting of a destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship, began its voyage last month from the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The ships, carrying some 30 navy academy cadets for training along with their regular crews, are on a three-month mission.

The voyage comes amid an ongoing push by Iran to demonstrate its ability to project power across the Middle East and beyond.

IRNA quoted Haddad as saying the fleet is approaching U.S. maritime borders for the first time. The Islamic Republic considers the move as a response to U.S. naval deployments near its own coastlines. The U.S. Navy's 5th fleet is based in Bahrain, just across the Persian Gulf.

COMMENT:  Already American officials are downplaying this story, but it's important.  Iran is a serious, growing power.  Bringing ships close to the United States demonstrates 1) resolve; 2) an ability to divert American naval and air resources to follow those ships; and 3) an ability to move warships – which are missile-launching platforms – to within short missile range of American cities, including New York and Washington. 

No problem there, is there?

February 9, 2014       Permalink

THE ATTACK OF GLOBAL WARMING – AT 10:14 A.M. ET:  From All Michigan:

Ice continued to build this past week on the Great Lakes due to the cold air and temperatures staying below freezing, and Lake Superior's new record shows it.

The lake is 92 percent frozen, toppling a 20-year-old record of 91 percent set on Feb. 5, 1994. That statistic helped total Great Lakes ice cover soar, and we can expect to see more form in coming days.

The air temperatures this past week averaged around five degrees below normal for the Great Lakes area. This amount of deviation from normal means it was a fairly cold week.

As of February 5, 2014, the entire Great Lakes system is now reportedly covered 77 percent with ice, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Last week at this time the ice cover was 66 percent. The 77 percent ice cover now still lags behind 1994, when the entire Great Lakes system had an average ice cover of 84 percent on February 5. This data is according to Jia Wang, physical oceanographer at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Center in Ann Arbor, MI.

COMMENT:  There are so many contradictory stories about climate that you'd think there'd be a demand for better journalism and better discussion.  "Science," as currently used, is becoming a bad joke.  You'd think true scientists would be concerned over the declining image of their calling, and the politicization of scientific results. 

Don't depend on the current powers-that-be to look into "warming" more closely.  The trendies are in charge.

February 9,  2014     Permalink