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JANUARY 19,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:20 P.M. ET:

OH NO! – From Bloomberg:  "President Barack Obama said that racial tensions may have softened his popularity among white voters within the last two years, according to a story posted on the New Yorker magazine’s website today.  'There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black president,' Obama said in the article by David Remnick, appearing in the magazine’s Jan. 27 edition.  'Now, the flip side of it is there are some black folks and maybe some white folks who really like me and give me the benefit of the doubt precisely because I’m a black president,' Obama said in his most direct comments on how race has affected his political standing since he’s been in office."  That is absolutely appalling.  The president has now lowered himself to the level of just another race-card player.  Racial issues have nothing to do with his decline in popularity.  It's his performance.  But comments like these are clearly designed to rally the Democratic base for the mid-terms, and they may work.

SOCHI – From the Guardian:  "US military and intelligence officials have been studying contingency plans for evacuating Americans from the Winter Olympics in Sochi, south Russia, next month in the face of concerns about possible terror attacks by militants.  The officials believe there would be major obstacles to mounting a large-scale rescue effort as Russia has historically been reluctant to allow foreign military forces – especially those of the US – on Russian territory, according to a source familiar with Obama administration discussions."  And of course this administration would cave to any Russian demand.  Must keep that "reset" button pushed.  More on Sochi tomorrow morning.  Concern is mounting rapidly in the highest circles.

DIDN'T TAKE LONG – At The Politico:  "With his 12-year run as New York City mayor over, voters approve of the job Michael Bloomberg did running the city, according to a new poll.  Nearly two-thirds of New York voters said Bloomberg’s mayoral reign was “mainly a success,” 64 percent to 24 percent, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Friday. More Republicans were supportive of Bloomberg, with 78 percent calling it successful.   By similar margins, voters also believed that Bloomberg made the city better, 63 percent to 16 percent, with 74 percent of white voters, 50 percent of black voters and 59 percent of Hispanic voters agreeing."   So why then did they go to the polls and elect a radical leftist?  One, because the Republicans barely contested the election, as usual, and, two, because turnout was so small in both the Dem primary and the election that pro-Castro Bill deBlasio could get elected by bringing out his nutcase base, which is exactly what he did.  You wanna win in politics, you gotta fight.  Republicans, please note.

January 19,  2014     Permalink

CRAZY ANDY – AT 11:03 A.M. ET:   Andrew Cuomo began well as governor of New York.  His first year made us feel he was a Democrat we could live with.  But in recent months the governor, mentioned as a presidential candidate for 2016 should Hillary not run, has become increasingly extreme and belligerent.  You know it's bad when a governor starts suggesting that people who don't agree with him should leave the state.  From Breitbart:

On Friday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), who has been widely discussed as a possible 2016 presidential candidate, told Susan Arbetter of The Capitol Pressroom that “extreme conservatives” should leave the state. He said that “extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay” have “no place in the state of New York.”

He began by ripping into the Tea Party without naming it:

You have a schism within the Republican Party. … They’re searching to define their soul, that’s what’s going on. Is the Republican party in this state a moderate party or is it an extreme conservative party? That’s what they’re trying to figure out. It’s a mirror of what’s going on in Washington. The gridlock in Washington is less about Democrats and Republicans. It’s more about extreme Republicans versus moderate Republicans.

He then added:

You’re seeing that play out in New York. … The Republican Party candidates are running against the SAFE Act — it was voted for by moderate Republicans who run the Senate! Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are.

COMMENT:  How's that for competence and reason?  We got the first taste of Andy's out-of-control side when he declared Hurricane Sandy the result of global warming.  Even the warming establishment backed away from that. 

No, he's not presidential material.  President of a group therapy center, maybe.

New York is the largest out-migration state in the nation.  More people leave New York than any other.  High taxes, unbelievably high living costs, and diminishing opportunity are the causes.  Apparently, political incorrectness will be the next cause. 

January 19, 2014       Permalink

GOOFY – AT 10:43 A.M. ET:  Egypt has just had a critical election, in which a proposed new constitution was approved.  The response of the U.S. Government is utterly bizarre.  From Bridget Johnson at PJ Media: 

When millions of Egyptians wanted the Muslim Brotherhood leadership out, President Obama noted that Mohammed Morsi won his presidential post in an election.

When nearly 20 million Egyptians — more than 98 percent of votes cast — approved a new constitution to replace the one forged by Islamists, Secretary of State John Kerry said elections aren’t everything.

Egypt’s new constitution was written by a committee of 50 including women, Christians, one Salafist and one independent Islamist, while the last constitution was written by the Muslim Brotherhood and associated Islamists. The new document forbids “religion, race, gender or geography” from being the basis to form a political party while guaranteeing freedom of religion and granting, for the first time, Copts the right to build churches without permission of the president. Women are recognized as equals in Egyptians society.

Several people died in clashes surrounding the voting sparked by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, who boycotted the vote. “Going to the polls was risky because of those who were trying to use violence to scare people from voting, but the army and the police exerted a great effort to protect the polls and to give assurance to the people who would like to vote…It was a phenomenon to see crowds of women at each poll, many of whom queued for hours to vote. Some of them were singing and rejoicing, and even dancing, before and after they cast their vote. There was a general spirit of joy among the people of Egypt who voted, in a way that never happened before. We, alongside other Christian denominations, encouraged the people of Egypt to fulfill their civil duty to vote and to pray for the future of Egypt,” Mouneer Anis wrote of the scene on the ground. “…Many voters carried the photos of Field Marshall al-Sisi, the Minister of Defense, in an attempt to persuade him to run for the presidency. This is because al-Sisi was the one who responded to the request of the millions of demonstrators on 30 June who called for early Presidential elections and the removal of the former President.”

But in a statement issued today, Kerry said it was just one vote and again called for inclusiveness — a refrain the administration has used since the Morsi overthrown in an effort to get the Muslim Brotherhood back into the political landscape.

COMMENT:  Kerry is carrying water for Obama, who has a Muslim background and appears sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood, a viciously anti-American, anti-Christian and anti-Semitic organization.

Is this some aberration of American policy?  No.  This is the real Obama.  And we have exactly three more years and one day left in his presidency.  Chilling.

January 19, 2014       Permalink

THE SNOWDEN SAGA – AT 10:22 A.M. ET:  All the fuss over the NSA inevitably brings us back to the betrayal by Edward Snowden.  I, for one, am tired of this lawbreaker being called a whistleblower, even a hero.  Whistleblowers don't give classified information to enemy countries and then run to those countries for asylum.  Snowden is a bad piece of work who deserves severe punishment for what he's done. 

And what is behind his betrayal?   Here is the latest idea, from a knowledgeable guy, via Fox:

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has questioned whether Edward Snowden acted alone in leaking details of the National Security Agency's surveillance programs to U.S. and British newspapers last year.

In a prerecorded interview due to air on NBC's "Meet The Press" Sunday, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., describes the former NSA contractor as "a thief whom we believe had some help.

"Let me just say this. I believe there’s a reason he ended up in the hands, the loving arms, of an FSB agent in Moscow," Rogers said, according to an early transcript provided by the program. "I don’t think that’s a coincidence."

Rogers also described other aspects of the case that raise questions for him, including "how [Snowden] arranged travel before he left. How he was ready to go, he had a go bag, if you will." Rogers also claims in the interview that some of the methods Snowden supposedly used to attain the information were "beyond his technical capabilities."

Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia this past August after traveling to Moscow from Hawaii via Hong Kong. In June, Snowden had identified himself as the leaker who had disclosed the NSA's collection of phone and Internet data to The Washington Post and The Guardian.

Rogers has joined the White House in calling upon Snowden to return to the United States, either voluntarily or through extradition, and stand trial.

COMMENT:  I have no direct information on this case, but I'm glad that Mike Rogers and others are pursuing it, and not accepting the leftist narrative about Snowden's wonderfulness.  Snowden has done immense damage, and people may die as a result.  It will take years to rebuild the surveillance networks that he exposed. 

I think Rogers's questions are telling:  How did Snowden know exactly what to do and where to go?  How did he prepare himself so well?

Congress should hold classified hearings.  I doubt whether the Dem-controlled Senate would allow them, but the House should.

January 19,  2014     Permalink

JANUARY 18,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:45 P.M.

TOUGH TIMES FOR COLLEGE GRADS – From The Wall Street Journal: "...the fraction of college grads between 22 and 27 who were working in jobs that don’t generally require a bachelor’s degree rose to 46% during the 1990-91 recession, fell significantly during the 1990s boom and was down to 34% by 2001. This “underemployment rate” rose sharply after the 2001 recession and rose further after the 2007-09 recession, the economists find. It stood at 44% in 2012.  Underemployment is most acute for those immediately out of college: 56% of 22-year-old college grads in 2009-2011 were working in jobs that didn’t require college degrees, substantially higher than in 1990 and in 2001. Historical data suggest many of them will find better jobs before they turn 30."  I hope they do, but the figures are depressing.  College is supposed to be the great gateway, but really isn't for millions of young people.

NEW ARMY RIFLE? – From the Washington Times:  "While at the nation’s largest gun show in Las Vegas, Nev., the SHOT Show, the U.S. Army is said to have purchased six 'smart' rifles after witnessing the product’s performance in the hands of novice shooters. Each rifle can cost up to $27,000, according to Military.com — but the rifle’s performance won them over.  A correspondent working for Military.com hit a target from roughly 1,000 yards away on his first shot. He reported that of 70 or so reporters and novice shooters who tried the rifle, only 'one or two' missed from the extended range."  Sounds like an intriguing weapon, but the Army had to go to a gun show to get it?  Isn't the manufacturer in the phone book?

FBI MISSION STATEMENT – From Foreign Policy:  "The Federal Bureau of Investigation has decided to revise a controversial fact sheet that declared its primary mission to be 'national security,' following criticism that the agency seemed to be moving away from its longstanding role as the nation's preeminent law enforcement agency.  The change emphasizes that stopping terrorism and battling more conventional domestic criminal activity are both 'primary functions' of the FBI."  Hmm.  I have no idea if this change is significant, but the Obama administration, and its hired hands, seem determined to de-emphasize the war on terror whenever they can.  Soon they'll be telling us that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.  In fact, national security has always been a major function of the FBI, and, in wartime, probably the primary function.  The Bureau's anti-sabotage work in World War II was often stellar.

January 18, 2014       Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 11:15 A.M. ET:  Brought to us by the spirited (and yes, controversial) David Deming of the University of Oklahoma: 

It seems now that everyone is qualified to have an opinion on global warming. In a recent column, theology professor Susan Thistlethwaite explained that “frigid weather” was an “example of the kind of violent and abrupt climate change that results from global warming.” Sometimes, I just feel so stupid. I thought cold weather was attributable to the annual phenomenon known as “winter.” The good professor also claimed that cold weather in the United States is a punishment sent by God for “our sinful failure to take care of the Creation.”

If the current cooling trend continues for a few more years, the theory of global warming faces imminent extinction. It will then join a long list of other expired environmental doom-and-gloom predictions, including overpopulation, peak oil and nuclear winter.

COMMENT:  The official position of the Obama administration is that global warming constitutes a major crisis.  But the crisis part of "major crisis" never seems to occur.  Predictions have fallen apart.  Attempts to blame extreme weather on global warming have become laughable, especially when compared with actual statistics showing that many forms of extreme weather have actually diminished over time.

Yes, there is probably some global warming at some times.  And yes, I would imagine that greenhouse gases play some part.  Theoretically, almost everything that is let into the air does.  But the key question has always been amount.  How much global warming is there, actually?  How much does humankind contribute?  Enough to worry about?  Enough to justify the expenditure of trillions?  What would be the real result?

Until we get verifiable, proved answers, I'm not panicking.

January 18, 2014       Permalink

WHEN YOU'VE LOST CANADA... – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  The theme of the Obama foreign policy seem to be, "Treat our enemies well, and our friends badly."  Since Obama took office he has offended one ally after another – starting with Britain, then through France, Poland, the Czech Republic and Israel.   Just in recent weeks we've heard expressions of dismay at our policies from Saudi Arabia, and Japan, clearly aware of America's decline, is building its defenses once more.

And now, I guess, it's Canada's turn.  Obama has shown no interest in our closest neighbor, and the message has finally hit home.  The issue is the proposed Keystone Pipeline, from Canada to our Gulf Coast.  It's a no-brainer, except for the environmental religionists who have a lock grip on the Obama White House.  Thus approval for the pipeline has been delayed and delayed, and Secretary Kerry has openly said that he's in no hurry.  The Canadians are fed up.  From IBD:   

President Obama continues to drag out a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. Meanwhile, the Canadians have been standing by while the administration dithers. Now they're tired of waiting.

"The time for Keystone is now," Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird said Thursday while speaking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Canada has reached the point where the uncertainty has become intolerable. Baird said Canada needs an answer right away, "even if it's not the right one," because his country "can't continue in this state of limbo."

If approved, the Keystone XL pipeline will transport crude from Alberta's oil sands to Gulf Coast refineries. It will merely be another pipeline in a web of many across the U.S. What, we wonder, is just one more?

But crude is not all Keystone will move. The pipeline will also put people to work.

The State Department, which is playing a major role in the Keystone decision, has found that "including direct, indirect and induced effects, the proposed project would potentially support approximately 42,100 average annual jobs across the United States over a one- to two-year construction period."

Over the long term — 15 years — Keystone will create 117,000 new U.S. jobs, says the Canadian Energy Research Institute.

Obama, however, has said the pipeline would create only "about 50 permanent jobs." So the president, it appears, is at odds over employment estimates with his own State Department, which is to determine if "the proposed pipeline would serve the national interest."

Is it a signal that he's going to reject the State Department's recommendation if it determines Keystone is indeed in the national interest?

What is clear is that the Obama White House, which has rejected the pipeline once, is afraid to make a decision.

COMMENT:  We've come to know Obama.  He probably believes Canada is just part of a colonialist commonwealth, and is of no importance.  Not like dear, brotherly Iran, which is just misunderstood.

And Obama isn't a liberal.  He's a leftist.  As a leftist, he's beholden to militant environmental groups.  As a leftist, he has contempt for oil companies.  As a leftist, he doesn't care about making America energy independent.  In fact, for a leftist, dependence on other nations is preferable because it will keep the "Yankee imperialists" in check.

It is ugly.  Keystone would help Canada and America.  Canada will probably end up selling the oil to China, and Obama will be relieved.

January 18, 2014       Permalink

WAS THIS IN THE SCRIPT? – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:  Remember when we were sold Obamacare on the basis that 40 million Americans were uninsured, and would now be covered?  Seems like so long ago.  Well, we have Obamacare, and look at the result.  From Fox:

The majority of the more than 2 million Americans who signed up for health insurance under ObamaCare through the end of December were already enrolled in employer-sponsored plans or had previously bought their own coverage, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Early data from insurers, brokers and consultants suggest that the marketplaces are popular with consumers who were previously covered elsewhere, raising questions about a law intended to expand coverage to millions of healthy, uninsured Americans to help offset costs.

A survey by management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that only 11 percent of consumers who purchased new coverage under ObamaCare were previously uninsured. The survey was based on a sampling of 4,563 consumers between November and January, according to The Wall Street Journal.

HealthMarkets Inc., an insurance agency that signed up about 7,500 people in exchange plans, reported that 65 of its enrollees had prior coverage, the report said. Fifteen percent of enrollees had their individual plans canceled, and 40 percent switched over from previous individual plans.

COMMENT:  We begin with the scam that we were sold, that 40 million Americans were uninsured.  Yes, it is true, there were outrages and injustices, and Obamacare, to be fair, does close some of the insurance loopholes – like requiring coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.

However, no one was denied important medical care.  If they were, there would have been heartbreaking stories and bodies in the street.  The system needed improvement, but if you needed a lifesaving operation, there were programs that covered it.

Some years ago I attended a TV industry conference which was called to design a show that would encourage minorities to seek medical care.  At the conference was an officer of the Public Health Service who told me that the dirty little secret of the health-care system was that most people who didn't get care didn't want it, for one bad reason or another.  You'll notice that never came up in the debate over Obamacare.  It's too culturally sensitive.

Republicans now say they'll come up with a detailed alternative to Obamacare.  I look forward to it.

January 18,  2014    Permalink