Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for November 1, 2012

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for November 1, 2012
Robert A. Hall

NO SitRep until at least Monday
I will be traveling on business through late Sunday, November 4, 2012, and will have very little computer time, though I hope to pop on and post a few things I’ve been saving. Yes, it’s crunch time in the election, but there it is, as duty calls. You are on your own for news. If you can hold e-mails it will help. Work hard. Keep the faith. I truly believe Tuesday is the most fateful election for the Republic since 1960. I have not been an early fan of Mitt Romney, but he is probably one of the most decent men ever to run for president. That he should have been demonized in the minds of half the public by a gang of Chicago-Way thugs and their corrupt, biased media sycophants is revolting. Obama is promising lots of treats for Halloween. The trick is in who gets the bill. ~Bob.

Worth Reading: The Nerve of Some Men - and Women. by Andy Weddington
Excerpt: Now to get to the bottom of the President's (non) decision and analyze his motives - for he swore oath to protect the United States of America, our homeland, and Americans wherever they happen to be around the globe. He failed Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Tyrone Woods. He failed us. And worse still has yet to tell the truth. A higher breach of duty by a president does not come to mind. (Colonel Weddington’s previous three columns on this subject have now reached over 10,000 readers. Please share. ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: President Obama Fumbled Afghanistan. By Michael Yon
Excerpt: After the last election, I happened to be home from the wars, and in Washington DC for meetings. President-elect Obama’s inauguration was nearby, and so I attended on that freezing morning. Some of my detractors said, “Look at that, Yon’s joined forces with Obama.” In fact, I had campaigned against him after his many clueless statements on Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet the inauguration was an historical event worth seeing. The new president would, after all, be the decider in the wars to which I would soon return.

Excerpt: Egyptian security forces have reportedly foiled a jihadist plot to attack resorts in the Sinai Peninsula. According to Al-Hayat, five jihadists were arrested near the border with Gaza on Friday in possession of automatic weapons and RPGs. (Huh. I can’t say that the Sinai Peninsula is high on the list of vacation and tourist destinations I’d visit if I had the time and money for a lot of travel. On even low on the list. ~Bob.)

Emails link White House to discussion of Abound Solar loan guarantee
Excerpt: The White House was involved in discussions for a $400 million federal loan guarantee awarded to Longmont-based Abound Solar, which later went bankrupt, e-mails released by a Congressional committee show.

Heroes: NYU Nurses, First Responders Save Newborns, Critical Care Patients. By Tony Lee
Excerpt: When emergency back-up generators at New York University Langone Medical Center-Tisch Hospital failed Monday night during Hurricane Sandy, nurses and first responders improvised. These heroes used their instincts, and relied on training exercises to dramatically save the lives over 200 patients, 20 whom were babies in the hospital's neonatal unit and 45 of whom were patients in critical condition. Some were on battery-operated respirators. 

Clinton swipes at Romney on climate change
Excerpt: Former President Bill Clinton took a swipe Tuesday at Mitt Romney's position on climate change in the aftermath of the landfall of Hurricane Sandy, saying that President Obama's policies were better for the environment. (...) While scientists have largely balked at pinning any one event on global warming, the consensus is that the current rash of extreme weather — including record-breaking temperatures across the country — could well be the result of man-made climate change — and could contribute to destructive Atlantic hurricane seasons. (Oh, the trials and tribulations of trying to be an honest liberal journalist at a center-left media outlet. The author CAN’T say outright that Clinton is mistaken (or full of BS). He can’t point out that the “mother of all climate data,” HADCRU in the UK, has publicly announced there has been “no warming for at least 16 years.” He can’t remind us that despite dire predictions over many years by AGW alarmists, Sandy is practically the only hurricane to do any significant damage to the US mainland this year. He can’t remind us that in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina tried to wipe New Orleans out in late August, that storm was aided and abetted by Hurricane Wilma (tropical storms are named alphabetically, in sequence, and they restarted the alphabet that year) in early September; this is late October and we’re only up to the letter “S.” No, those reasons might make Clinton look (gasp) political instead of (harrumph) statesman-like. But, being honest, he DID find a way. Ron P.)

Hidden Cam Prank!! Obama-Style Halloween!

Sandy wallops the economy
Excerpt: Hurricane Sandy is expected to take a $20 billion bite out of the U.S. economy. The massive storm has put much of New York City in darkness, closed Wall Street and prevented use of the New York subway system for as much as a week, making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for thousands to get to work in the nation’s largest city.

Polls show race tightening in Ohio, Florida, Virginia
Excerpt: Polls show a tight presidential race is getting even closer just a week before Election Day. A handful of polls released Tuesday found President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney either tied or within 1 percentage point of each other, and none of the polls showed either candidate with 50 percent support. (I think any state where the legit polls—if there are any—have a tie will be carried by Romney, due to higher enthusiasm on our side. ~Bob.)

Romney proves his mettle as a candidate
Excerpt: But with less than a week until the election, Romney has again united conservatives and the mainstream media — this time, out of mutual surprise over just how good a candidate he’s proven to be. 

Green Jobs Stimulus Program Wastes Cash
The Obama administration has been eager to transition from conventional sources of energy to alternatives that rely on clean technologies. One facet of this transition has been to create a program that trains people to fill jobs in the alternative energy sector. However, an internal audit found that the jobs training program has failed on most key measures, says the Washington Times. The government earmarked more than $400 million for the program. More than $328 million of it has already been spent. The audit found that the program was training workers that already had jobs and didn't need green energy skills. Furthermore, only 38 percent of those who have completed training got jobs based on it. Only 16 percent of those people kept their jobs for six months.

Obama admin's 'loose lips' under investigation: Grand jury to review use of classified information for political gain. By Bob Unruh
Excerpt: Members of a “citizens’ grand jury” will meet next week in Ocala, Fla., to look at allegations that the “loose lips” of the Obama administration led to the deaths of dozens of members of the U.S. military and the imprisonment of a Pakistan physician who helped locate Osama bin Laden – all to “bolster” the “political agendas” of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. (Nothing will come of this. The difference between Watergate and Obama scandals like Fast and Furious, Benghazi and this is that the media was eager to nail Nixon, but they are determined to protect Obama, thus part of the cover-ups. ~Bob.)

Syrian Air Force Commander Is Reported Killed
Excerpt: Syria’s state television said Tuesday that insurgents had assassinated an air force commander in Damascus, as news accounts from antigovernment activists reported an intensified aerial bombing campaign against rebel targets, including the first warplane attack inside the Syrian capital since the conflict began 20 months ago. (Making a “truce” with Muslims is as effective as making one with communists, even for fellow Muslims. ~Bob.)

Egypt’s president orders investigation after spike in sexual harassment during Muslim holiday
Excerpt: Egypt’s president acknowledged the widespread problem of sexual harassment in his country Tuesday, ordering his interior minister to investigate a rash of assaults during a just-completed Muslim holiday. Mohammed Morsi acted after his government reported 735 police complaints about sexual harassment over the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday, which ended Monday. (The full flowering of the Arab Spring, beloved by all Transnational Progressives. ~Bob.)

Excerpt: I just can’t believe reporters don’t know enough to ask the right questions! It’s infuriating. Libya, as far as standing down the rescue, is 100% Obama’s show, and nobody else’s. Only he can grant CBA [Cross-Border Authority], not Biden, not Panetta, not Dempsey, not Hillary, and certainly not Ham in Germany. The entire episode is explained perfectly inside the context of not granting CBA. 

Crunch time for Obama’s weak economic numbers: Recovery begins with a President Romney. By Donald Lambro
Excerpt: The bleak truth about the comatose Obama economy is not just that it’s barely breathing. It’s still not far from another recession. President Obama’s campaign bid for another four years is loosely based on the preposterous claim that the economy is “moving forward.” In fact, it’s been falling backward or at least treading water on a number of fronts, and economic forecasters say it will weaken further under his policies if he is re-elected.

Gingrich: If Media Is Right That Ohio Is Key, Romney Wins
Excerpt: First, Ohio, which the news media has designated the key swing state. If they are right, it is very likely Mitt Romney is the next president. (Hope this isn’t wishful thinking. ~Bob.)

Benghazi -- No Mere 'October Surprise.' By Jonah Goldberg
Excerpt: If you want to understand why conservatives have lost faith in the so-called mainstream media, you need to ponder the question: Where is the Benghazi feeding frenzy? Unlike some of my colleagues on the right, I don't think there's a conspiracy at work. Rather, I think journalists tend to act on their instincts (some even brag about this; you could look it up). And, collectively, the mainstream media's instincts run liberal, making groupthink inevitable. (I’ll say it again. With an unbiased media, reporting fairly, Romney would be up ten points and pulling away. ~Bob.)

Mitt for President. Acadia Parish Today
Red State paper, but good review of the many reasons I voted for Romney. ~Bob. Excerpt: These issues will affect every aspect of your life and that of your children and your children’s children for generations to come. Your vote will decide the future course of our country and what it will be like 20 to 30 years from now. Simply put, if you are for less government with more individual freedom, vote for Mitt Romney.

New Book: TITLE: DEROS Vietnam: Dispatches from the Air-Conditioned Jungle. By Doug Bradley
DEROS Vietnam: Dispatches from the Air-Conditioned Jungle is a riveting collection of 16 short stories and 16 “interlinears” about the GIs who battled boredom, racial tensions, the military brass, drugs, alcohol . . . and occasionally the enemy. From cooks and correspondents to clerks and comptrollers, DEROS Vietnam distills the essence of life for soldiers in the "rear" during the war, and, later, back home in a divided America. Vietnam veteran Doug Bradley, a former Army journalist who served in the “air-conditioned jungle” at U. S. Army Headquarters near Saigon in 1970-71, tells these compelling stories with wit, intensity, and empathy. In doing so, he provides a gateway to a Vietnam experience that has thus far been largely ignored and whose reverberations still echo across America.

This Early Vote Calculation from Gallup Looks Terrible for Obama. By David Weigel
Excerpt: It hasn't gotten too much attention outside of talk radio, but if accurate, Gallup's study of early voters neutralizes one of the Obama campaign's best road-to-victory talking points. As it conducted tracking polls (which have been paused for now), Gallup asked voters whether they'd cast ballots or intended to before election day. The early voters broke 52-46 for Mitt Romney. The dawdling voters who would vote before election day were tied, 49-49. The voters waiting for November 6 broke for Romney, again, by a 6-point margin.

Excerpt: Markets are powerful institutions. They allow people to interact with one another and achieve things they could not achieve acting on their own. They allocate resources in ways that no single individual or government bureaucrat could even begin to duplicate. They lower the social costs of meeting human wants and needs far better than any other institution known to man. Market outcomes may on occasion be improved by judicious government regulation. But it is almost never worthwhile to suppress the market entirely in almost any field of human endeavor. I find that most people who are disdainful of commerce and who think that exchange in the marketplace somehow diminishes and sullies the human spirit are people who invariably do not understand basic economics.

Excerpt: On this Halloween, a truly frightening specter is looming. No amount of garlic, crosses, or exorcists can help us—only Congress and the President can chase this ghoul away. It’s Taxmageddon. A horrifying combination of expiring pro-growth tax policies from 2001 and 2003, the end of the once-temporary payroll tax cut, and just a few of Obamacare’s 18 new tax hikes, Taxmageddon will be the largest tax increase EVER to hit Americans. It’s nearly $500 billion in one year, starting January 1. That’s two months away.

Romney gets boost from NH newspaper endorsement
Excerpt: Gov. Mitt Romney got a small jolt of campaign-trail caffeine on Tuesday, with the news that one of New Hampshire’s newspapers has switched from backing President Barack Obama four years ago to endorsing Romney in 2012. “We are confident Romney is the candidate who would tackle the serious issues facing this nation, starting with jobs, the economy and the debt. In the end, we couldn’t say the same about the president,” read the endorsement from The Telegraph, based in Nashua, N.H.

As many as 50 Obama-backed green energy companies bankrupt or troubled. By Michael Bastasch
Excerpt: The October bankruptcy of solar company Satcon Technology Corp. puts the number of bankrupt or troubled green energy companies as high as 50, according to one estimate. (The wheels of the free market grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine. ~Bob.)
America's Capsizing Naval Policy. By Mark Helprin
Excerpt: To hold that numbers and mass in war are unnecessary is as dangerous as believing that they are sufficient. Defense contractor Norman Augustine famously observed that at the rate fighter planes are becoming complex and expensive, soon we will be able to build just one. Neither a plane nor a ship, no matter how capable, can be in more than one place at once. And if one ship that is in some ways equivalent to 100 is damaged or lost, we have lost the equivalent of 100.

No bayonets, Mr. President? Bayonets in Basra - A Case Study on the Effects of Irregular Warfare
Excerpt: In May 2004, approximately 20 British troops in Basra were ambushed and forced out of their vehicles by about 100 Shiite militia fighters. When ammunition ran low, the British troops fixed bayonets and charged the enemy. About 20 militiamen were killed in the assault without any British deaths. (The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders! ~Bob.)

Quotes from The Patriot Post
"Government has become so vast and impersonal that its interests diverge more and more from the interests of ordinary citizens. For a generation and more, the government has sought to meet our needs by multiplying its bureaucracy. Washington has taken too much in taxes from Main Street, and Main Street has received too little in return. It is not necessary to centralize power in order to solve our problems." --Sen. George McGovern (1922-2012)

I don't know why everything has to be a partisan issue. Why can't everyone of all political persuasions come together and hate Democrats?" --humorist Frank J. Fleming

"I don't know if you've heard that Don't Ask-Don't Tell is back. It's Obama's new policy on Benghazi -- Don't ask me and I won't tell you." --comedian Jay Leno

"The White House e-mails on September 11th were leaked, identifying the al-Qaeda attack on the U.S. consulate as it happened. It had nothing to do with a mob reaction to a video as claimed by the White House. If Barack Obama had been president seventy years ago he would have blamed the attack on Pearl Harbor on an anti-Japanese newsreel." --comedian Argus Hamilton

"In Wisconsin, Michelle Obama encouraged people to vote early because your 'toilet may be overflowing' on election day. Wouldn't surprise me, considering Obama's put the entire economy down it." --Fred Thompson

Obama's Layoff Bomb. By Michelle Malkin
Excerpt: In June, a diffident and self-deluded President Obama claimed that "the private sector is doing fine." Last week, the private sector responded: Speak for yourself, buster. Who needs an "October Surprise" when the business headlines are broadcasting the imminent layoff bomb in neon lights?

Worth Reading: Black and White Standards. By Walter E. Williams 
Excerpt: The Washington Post (10/25/2012), in giving President Barack Obama an endorsement for another four years, wrote, "Much of the 2012 presidential campaign has dwelt on the past, but the key questions are who could better lead the country during the next four years -- and, most urgently, who is likelier to put the government on a more sound financial footing." The suggestion appears to be that a president is not to be held accountable to his promises and past record and that his past record is no indication of his future behavior. Possibly, the Washington Post people believe that a black president shouldn't be held accountable to his record and campaign promises. 

1775 Hurricane Had A Thirty Foot Storm Surge
Excerpt: It wiped out many British ships and killed 4,000 people.
The Newfoundland Hurricane of 1775, also known as the Independence Hurricane, was a hurricane that hit the Colony of Newfoundland in September 1775. It is believed to have killed at least 4,000 people, making it one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes of all time. (Teach the Brits to drive SUVs! ~Bob.)

NY Times Called Bush’s 2.7% GDP a ‘Letdown,’ But Obama’s Lower GDP a ‘Steady Improvement.’ By Brent Baker
Excerpt: The leftist bias of the New York Times beautifully encapsulated in seven words used about a week before two presidential elections. Headline over Saturday’s editorial on the third quarter GDP creeping up to 2.0 percent under Democrat Barack Obama: “Slow but Steady Improvement.” Headline twenty years ago (October 29, 1992) when Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush was in the White House and the third quarter GDP nearly doubled to 2.7 percent: “Gross National Letdown.”

Obama Met With Panetta and Biden at WH As Benghazi Terror Attack Unfolded, refused help as people were murdered
Excerpt: Every day brings a new blockbuster. Obama has lost the military, the State Department and the Intelligence community. It's one leak after another. He has made enemies of all of them. He betrayed them all. We will find out every detail of Obama's abandonment of the American people and treasonous cover-up of this act of war.

Why We're Still In Deep Trouble No Matter Who Wins the Presidency. By Rachel Marsden 
Excerpt: Regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election next week, one thing seems certain: Americans are about to learn the same hard lessons recently visited upon the French and the British. That is, whoever ends up being elected head of any given political system will be required to work within the confines of current global economic forces.

Obama’s Wars Aren’t Over. By Daniel Greenfield
Excerpt: On the campaign trail of a war-weary nation, Obama is running as the man who successfully concluded three wars. This assertion, like so many others, only works if you close your eyes, stick your head deep in the sand and count to a few million. Wars, unlike elections, do not begin and end on schedule. 

Excerpt: I just recently finished watching Obama 2016, the documentary movie. It's now available on U tube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDY6v8KdSYs&feature=youtu.be I really recommend that you not watch this movie alone. It will scare the hell out of you and shake you to your roots. The movie goes a long way in explaining how Obama became a Socialist. It also reminds us how little we knew about this community organizer and why we have become so amazed by his failures as President.

Three Strikes And You’re Out! By Burt Prelutsky
Excerpt: I realize that some people have been raving about Obama’s final two debate appearances. But, for the most part, those are people named David Axelrod, Jay Leno, Joy Behar, David Letterman and Chris Matthews. But the truth is that no rational person would ever say he mopped the floor with Mitt Romney; the most you can say for Obama is that he did better after awakening from his self-induced coma, even if in doing so, he spouted more fibs than Joe Isuzu.

If You Want to Repeal Obamacare, Support Akin & Mourdock. By Erick Erickson
Excerpt: What has been overshadowed by pro-life remarks made by Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock is that the Republicans must take back the United States Senate to have a chance of repealing Obamacare. Even if Mitt Romney wins, it will be for naught if Harry Reid still controls the Senate. That is the reality. That is why Republicans must rally to two gentlemen who are committed pro-lifers, but who said things in defense of children that others have decided to beat them up about.

Hurricane Sandy a ‘divine slap on the face of U.S. arrogance,’ Toronto Islamist website declares
Everyone brings religion into it. Muslims say it was caused by Allah, Al Gore by the Church of Global Warming. ~Bob.

Islamists respond with bullets to jokes of Somali comedian
Guess they didn’t get the “Islam is a Religion of Peace” memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: Gunmen assassinated a well-known comedian and musician who poked fun at Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police and colleagues said Tuesday.

Minnesota: Jihad recruiters using Qur'an to convince young Muslims to go fight in Somalia; Muslim community leaders "puzzled"
Excerpt: "It's really surprising," said Saeed Fahia, executive director of the nonprofit Confederation of the Somali Community in Minnesota. "It doesn't even seem rational." And Minnesota Public Radio fell for it, of course. 

Eurozone unemployment rises to new record
Excerpt: Unemployment in the 17-country eurozone hit a record high of 11.6 percent in September, official figures showed Wednesday, a sign the economy is deteriorating as governments struggle to get a grip on their three-year debt crisis. (The EU hook was baited with promises of more economic prosperity, and then came the single currency and the Eurozone, promising the same. It looked too good to be true, but not to worry. It was. The photo illustrates what the people got instead. It was to be expected since economies are organic systems, requiring oxygen and latitude to develop and grow, and too much outside tampering can rob them of these things, throwing them into a tailspin. Ditto the USA with the TARP bailouts and QEs, with the blessings of both parties, promising to save us. We are not much better off than Europe and our Keynesian leadership is equally far removed from reality. Our debt and unfunded liabilities threaten to plunge us into the same abyss if not worse. Neither party and neither candidate will save us. The question is, don't people get the leadership they deserve? --Don Hank)

A word to rioting Muslims

Bumper Stickers

Excerpt: Tonight on Hannity, Charles Woods, the father of murdered Benghazi SEAL Tyrone Woods, accused the White House of watching his son die. Woods said White House officials watched the attack for seven hours and did nothing.

Libya: America’s New Nation Building Commitment (Mali Next). By walter Russell Mead
Excerpt: Regular readers know that we’ve never been optimists about the results of President Obama’s decision to wage an air war in Libya against the Qaddafi regime. The consequences of the war have more than justified our concern; this story in the FT, about the ongoing tribalist chaos around the town of Bani Walid, only underlines the utter fecklessness of the new Libyan government and the dangerous chaos taking root in that country.

Excerpt: But, despite this skew, each survey shows greater Republican enthusiasm in each state, up 16 points over the Democrats in Florida, 14 in Ohio and 7 in Virginia. In each state, Republican enthusiasm has increased since the previous survey, causing Stacy McCain to ask, How is it that Republicans report greater voting enthusiasm by such large margins, and yet are underrepresented in the poll’s sample? It makes no sense.

Romney op-ed: U.S. autos bailout 'was crony capitalism on a grand scale'
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120214/OPINION01/202140336#ixzz2AtdtZpjs
Excerpt: Instead of doing the right thing and standing up to union bosses, Obama rewarded them. A labor union that had contributed millions to Democrats and his election campaign was granted an ownership share of Chrysler and a major stake in GM, two flagships of the industry. The U.S. Department of Treasury — American taxpayers — was asked to become a majority stockholder of GM. And a politically connected and ethically challenged Obama-campaign contributor, the financier Steven Rattner, was asked to preside over all this as auto czar.

Oregon: Today the Statesman Journal Editorial Board endorses Mitt Romney for president.
We do so despite endorsing Barack Obama four years ago. On Oct. 19, 2008, we wrote: “America needs a profound leader — a leader who can rebuild our economy, regain our respect around the world and restore our faith in our future. That person is Barack Obama.” Today our economy is still struggling and our national hopes have faded.

Obama’s Libya stonewalling isn’t working. By Jennifer Rubin
Excerpt: President Obama is having no luck convincing voters and the media there is nothing amiss regarding his handling of the Benghazi attack.
Even the seriously overcooked CBS/NYT/Quinnipiac polls show Mitt with huge leads among independents and in voter enthusiasm.

Problem found at board of elections; Incorrect inputs irritate voter
Excerpt: MARION (Ohio) Joan Stevens was one of several early voters at the polls on Monday. But when Stevens tried to cast her ballot for president, she noticed a problem. Upon selecting “Mitt Romney” on the electronic touch screen, Barack Obama’s name lit up. (Yet another “error” that goes Obama’s way….~Bob.)

Worth Sharing: Voter Fraud: Will The Democrats Vote Early, and Often?

From Canada: Pierre Poilievre - Economic Freedom Speech - Enhanced Version

What Did He Know and When Did He Know It? The Shadow Knows… By Michael Ledeen
Excerpt: You need agents, moles, penetrations, intercepts, the whole panoply of spycraft. But sometimes you don’t need any of that, all you need is to open your eyes, nose, and mind to what is right in front of your face. Benghazi is mostly–not entirely, but mostly–that sort of thing.

Sen. Brown makes closing pitch in new ad

WaPo: Lingering questions about Benghazi. By David Ignatius
Excerpt: The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi has become a political football in the presidential campaign, with all the grandstanding and misinformation that entails. But Fox News has raised some questions about the attack that deserve a clearer answer from the Obama administration.

New RNC Ad: “It’s Time to Vote, America. . . This is our Time” – Video

The Latest Disasters in Greece. By Walter Russell Mead
Excerpt: The new Greek coalition government of left-wing and right-wing moderates hasn’t exactly lived up to its (very low) expectations. Greece has repeatedly failed to meet its debt targets (which, admittedly, were seriously flawed to begin with), and it has done little to sort out the, um, byzantine regulations that are strangling businesses and stymieing the recovery. Worse, it has done nothing to persuade restless and unhappy Greek voters that it is competent or that it has their best interests at heart.

W.Va. Democrats unload on Obama EPA over new layoffs in coal industry
Excerpt: West Virginia Democrats are “outraged” with President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency, which has now cost the jobs of nearly 150 coal miners in the state. Energy giant Consol announced Tuesday that it will idle its surface mining operations in Mingo County after failing to secure necessary Clean Water Act permits from the EPA.

Proven voting fraud! Gov't programmer testifies voting machines are rigging elections

VIDEO: Billionaire Hungarian Immigrant Makes His Own Ads to Tell the Truth About Socialism. Thomas Petterffy
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2012/10/31/video_billionaire_who_escaped_socialism_runs_ads_against_socialism
Excerpt: I grew up in a socialist country, and I have seen what that does to people: There is no hope, no freedom, no pride in achievement. The nation became poorer and poorer, and that's what I see happening here...America's wealth comes from the effort of people striving for success.

Flawed Poll Models Underestimating Romney’s Lead. By Russ Winter
Excerpt: Partisans on both sides have been making claims of a lead in the polls — the Republicans cite the national polls and the Democrats the state. I’m not a partisan or a Romney supporter, but I feel compelled to argue that the poll models are flawed and underestimating Romney’s lead. As far as modeling in these polls, the example of Marist and Mason-Dixon in Florida is illustrative of skewing. Marist tends to report big Obama leads, and M-D has reported decent Romney results. (Hope this guy is right. We will know next week, not before. ~Bob.)

Excerpt: Donald Trump has done what the media refuses to do: he has asked that Barak Obama release his college records, applications, and passport information. He has pointed out that the "most transparent" president in American history is, in fact, the most opaque. In return for the release of these records, Mr. Trump has offered to redistribute to a charity of the President's choice $5 million of his personal wealth. Do you think the President will take him up on this? I wouldn't hold my breath. (He could offer to pay off the National debt and it would make no difference. Obama is hiding something. ~Bob.)

A Better Choice: The Case for Mitt Romney
Excerpt: Every election always seems like it is more important than the last, but this time it may actually be true. Americans will go to the polls and decide whether to keep our country on the same path we have been on for the past four years or to change course. There is one fact that should make this an obvious choice: Americans are not better off than they were four years ago. 

4 Ways You Can Help Romney in last push
http://www.mittromney.com/blog/4-ways-you-can-help?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=20121030_pdr_lb_4-ways-video_twitter&utm_content=pdr


More Misdirection from the White House. Daniel Halper
Excerpt: The real questions have to do with the decisions the president made or didn't make that evening in consultation with his national security team. For example: How and to whom did the president issue his alleged directive to do anything possible to help the Americans under attack? About that and other relevant questions, the White House continues to provide no answers at all.
  
DOJ Says If You Choose To Start A Business, You Surrender Your First Amendment Rights
Excerpt: Hobby Lobby sued the government over the health care mandates in Obamacare. The Department of Justice responded to that lawsuit by saying business people surrender their religious rights when the enter the marketplace: …If people retained their rights, how could the government solve all the problems?  That’s a huge look behind the curtain at the great and powerful Oz, isn’t it? (A tip of the poker hand, showing the “flexibility” that will exist if campaign won by regime.. Constitution shredded.  This is why the Communist Party, Putin, Chavez and Castro are so excited. --Barb)

Allen West Calls Out Media Tracker During Vietnam Memorial Service. Townhall.com
http://townhall.com/video/allen-west-calls-out-media-tracker-during-vietnam-memorial-service
Excerpt: "But it's more important, this day represents the memory of my older brother, who served in the United States Marine Corps, in Vietnam, in Charlie Company, First Battalion,  26th Marines....Let me stop for one  minute.  There is a person here that has been tracking me around, and she is here for political purposes and, young lady, I ask that you leave...because you are disrepectful to the men and women who have given themselves to this great nation...:

Libyan Leaks: Secret Document reveals Al-Qaeda ‘brother’ put in control of U.S. Embassy in Tripoli. By Walid Shoebat and Ben Barrack
A treasure trove of secret documents has been obtained by a Libyan source who says that secularists in his country are increasingly wanting to see Mitt Romney defeat Barack Obama on November 6th. This charge is being made despite Muslim Brotherhood losses in Libyan elections last July which resulted in victory for the secularists. One of those documents may help explain this sentiment.

Must See Videos! Combat Veterans Speak out for Romney: The Video

GOP Could See 'Tsunami' of Voters on Election Day. By Tony Lee
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/10/30/GOP-Could-See-Tsunami-Of-Voters-On-Election-Day
Excerpt: Over the last two weeks, GOP political operatives have noted Democrats have been turning out "high-propensity voters" -- or voters who normally vote on Election Day -- for early voting, while Republicans have been turning "low propensity voters" -- or voters who traditionally do not vote on Election Day. This means Democrats have fewer voters to draw from their universe on Election Day while Republicans have more. (I fear wishful thinking. ~Bob.)

PETA Wants a Memorial to Dead Fish
Excerpt: An Irvine, California woman representing PETA wrote a letter to Irvine city officials asking them to erect a sign at an intersection that memorializes the death of about 1,600 pounds of saltwater bass who met their demise in a vehicle crash a couple weeks ago. A truck was transporting the live fish to a market while the bass were being kept alive by several tanks of oxygen. After the collision, which involved two other cars, the fish and oxygen tanks spilled out all over the intersection, and the fish quickly suffocated. The PETA representative wants the sign to read:  “In memory of hundreds of fish who suffered and died at this spot.”


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for October 31, 2012

Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for October 31, 2012
Robert A. Hall

The Press Watchdogs
Cartoon

Acting Presidential
Cartoon from a paper that used to cover me. ~Bob.

Worth Sharing: The American Decline

Worth Sharing: Two Paths

Worth Reading: No October surprises, please. By Chet Nagle, former CIA agent
Excerpt: The Obama administration is accused of failing to protect the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and of failing to rescue American diplomats being murdered by Islamist terrorists. Guilty on both counts only weeks before the election, the White House is now planning an “October surprise” to make the president look tough. Maybe two surprises.
The buzz in the U.S. diplomatic community for weeks has been the Obama administration’s plans for a deal with Iran, and secret high-level meetings. (I missed this when published. Nagle is the author of the terrific thrillers The Iran Covenant and The Woolsorter’s Plague. ~Bob.)

Worth Sharing: American Crossroads: "Debate"

Worth Reading: 'Cooling Out' the Voters. By Thomas Sowell
Excerpt: Confidence men know that their victim — "the mark" as he has been called — is eventually going to realize that he has been cheated. …So part of the confidence racket is creating a period of uncertainty, during which the victim is not yet sure of what is happening. This delaying process has been called "cooling out the mark." …We are currently seeing another "cooling out" process, growing out of the terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi on September 11th this year.

Exodus: Inner city Blacks Fleeing Obama, Democrats
Wishful thinking, I fear. ~Bob. Excerpt: After his meteoric ascent to the top of the American political arena in the country’s history, we are now in the midst of witnessing one of the most stunning collapses of any man ever to hold the office of President of the United States. Over the past few weeks we have begun to see the ultimate unraveling of support for the president, with women and youth fleeing from his side. But what is even more surprising and perhaps unimaginable to the president and his faithful media cult is that he is now also losing members of his normally deemed “untouchable” base of support—poor, inner-city black Americans.

Note that Barack Obama is running not on his liberal record, but as a challenger against incumbent Mitt Romney who has done all sorts of terrible things like causing the 2008 meltdown and outsourcing jobs to China. In Obama’s view, given the supposedly tranquil world abroad, we must try nation building at home, and thus concentrate on bold new initiatives like stimulus, infrastructure, green jobs, and federalized health care — none of which have been envisioned before, much less funded. 

Why the Gender Gap Won't Matter in this Election: The gender gap doesn't matter: it never has. By Linda Hirshman
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/10/28/why-the-gender-gap-won-t-matter-in-this-election.html
Excerpt: Although Founding Father John Adams’s uppity wife, Abigail, told him he’d better include women in the new nation, they did not “foment a rebellion,” as she warned they would. It took them almost 150 years to get the vote, and for 60 years after that, they voted mostly the way their men did. In 1980—cue the trumpets—women voted more for the Democratic candidate than men did.

VIDEO: Former SEIU Worker: I was "required" to do political work. By David Martosko
Excerpt: In a case that could have wide-ranging implications for the political future of the Service Employees International Union, a former SEIU organizer told a right-to-work group and a best-selling author recently that the union forced him and other workers to volunteer their time for Democratic political campaigns. On a video segment provided exclusively to The Daily Caller, the organizer says he and other SEIU staff “had to do some political work. We were required as staff to do that.”

Michelle Obama’s Vacations During The Last Four Years
Excerpt: Michelle’s way of helping the less fortunate: Using tax payer dollars to fund her vacations.

Media Cover Up: Aside from FOX, Sunday Shows Fail to Raise Benghazi
Excerpt: The mainstream media's silence on the Benghazi disaster reached deafening levels on Sunday, as hosts of four out of the five major news shows--with the exception of Fox News Sunday--failed to raise the issue. Only Bob Schieffer of CBS gave it serious consideration, and only after it was raised by Sen. John McCain.

Obama needs to come clean on Benghazi. By 
Jennifer Rubin
Excerpt: The Benghazi debacle has three parts: how we neglected security while al-Qaeda was building a presence in Libya; whether the administration tried to mislead the public as to the nature of the attack; and now whether the administration denied pleas for help from operatives on the ground at the consulate. Now, presumably at the behest of Gen. David Petraeus — who has been remarkably tight-lipped and not defended his agency against White House accusations that senior officials’ misstatements were the fault of the CIA — the CIA threw the hot potato right back in the politicians’ laps.

Obama Campaign Strategy: Vandalize Cars of Romney Supportershttp://politicaloutcast.com/2012/10/obama-campaign-strategy-vandalize-cars-of-romney-supporters/
Excerpt: Two owners’ cars were hit by the vandals who keyed “OBAMA” into a couple cars and slashed the car seats. The cars were targeted because there were “Romney/Ryan” signs in the owners’ front yards. Ironically, one of the victims Ken Slown is an Obama supporter whose family was staying with his Romney-supporting in-laws. I don’t think he’s feeling the love from his fellow Obama supporters. (Nothing new. Our car with a Bush sticker was keyed in Madison, WI in 2004. ~Bob.)

Al Qaeda leader Rashid Rauf killed in drone strike, family says
Excerpt: A senior al Qaeda operative who had been plotting terror attacks in Europe and had escaped Pakistani custody in December 2007 was killed in a drone strike, according to family members who are planning to sue the British government.

Many Students Lack Basic Academic Skills to Succeed in College
Excerpt: More and more students are graduating high school and entering college unprepared. The reason is that many high school students lack basic academic skills to succeed in college course. In response to this, many two-year and four-year colleges have begun screening students to see if they need remedial courses, say researchers with the National Bureau of Economic Research. Half of all undergraduates will take one or more remedial courses. Remedial coursework is one of the largest interventions to help underprepared college students, costing $7 billion annually. The vast majority of institutions use brief, standardized tests before registration to determine who needs remediation. (We spend more on education than ever before and get worse results. Thank a teachers’ union near you. ~Bob.)

Glenn Reynolds: Americans of all political persuasions are now comfortable criticizing the president
Excerpt: Last week, I speculated that we may be seeing a "preference cascade," as people who previously supported Obama now feel safe about publicly changing their minds. It seems that we're seeing more of that this week as word of the Benghazi debacle spreads. The Obama campaign no doubt hopes you'll be distracted from this by hurricane news, but that's probably a vain hope on its part.

2013 State Business Tax Climate Index. By Scott Drenkard, Joseph Henchman
Excerpt: In reality, tax-induced economic distortions are a fact of life, so a more realistic goal is to maximize the occasions when businesses and individuals are guided by business principles and minimize those cases where economic decisions are influenced, micromanaged, or even dictated by a tax system. The more riddled a tax system is with politically motivated preferences, the less likely it is that business decisions will be made in response to market forces.

The Real Stimulus: Low-Cost Natural Gas
Excerpt: The United States is experiencing a revolution in oil and gas. Half a decade ago, it was assumed that the United States would become a large importer of liquefied natural gas; now the domestic natural gas market is oversupplied, thanks to the ability to produce shale gas through hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies, says Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS, a global market information and analytics company. Shale gas is now 10 percent of the overall U.S. energy supply. As many as 1.7 million new jobs have been created. In addition, the energy revolution is expected to add $62 billion to federal and state revenues this year. This growth in shale gas will save the United States from spending $100 billion on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Important: The looming shortfall in public pension costs. By Robert Novy-Marx and Josh Rauh
Excerpt: How much will the underfunded pension benefits of government employees cost taxpayers? The answer is usually given in trillions of dollars, and the implications of such figures are difficult for most people to comprehend. These calculations also generally reflect only legacy liabilities — what would be owed if pensions were frozen today. Yet with each passing day, the problem grows as states fail to set aside sufficient funds to cover the benefits public employees are earning. (The public pension crisis is just one of many factors I cite in my book, “The Coming Collapse of the American Republic.” If we elect Mitt Romney next Tuesday, we have a very slim hope of staving off fiscal collapse, followed by social and political collapse. If we reelect Barack Obama, we have no hope at all, and I really believe the Republic is finished. ~Bob.)

Book Review: The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today by Thomas E. Ricks. Review by Neil Sheehan
When I first came into the Marine Corps, there were still senior officers/Generals from WWII. These were tough guys, at least in the USMC. I got to know General Westmoreland after retirement and when he was fighting Alzheimer’s. He still could remember some things about Vietnam. Being a Vietnam Veteran, it was very obvious to me that we had a failed policy in Vietnam, which caused the loss of many lives. Various Commander in Chiefs have also failed this Nation by being more concerned about political correctness and future elections (selfish behavior). Cases in Point is Lyndon Johnson and Barack Obama. Obama has been a disaster in Iraq by failing to negotiate a Status of Forces Agreement so we could leave a small contingent of forces in Iraq to continue to train the Iraqi Army, and serve as a counter balance to Iran, the most dangerous rogue nation in the world. His policy in Afghanistan by saying “Afghanistan is the good war and he will be successful where George Bush had failed” is naïve at best and certainly a political statement. To then have a surge of forces and in the next sentence tell the enemy when we are leaving is once again playing politics. The stage has been set for our forces to leave without a victory, which will result in loss of national prestige, which is exactly what happened in Vietnam. I’m critical of current Generals for not resigning out of protest, and failed counterinsurgency plan when we could have accomplished our initial objective operating out of lily pad bases in friendly Arab nations using drones, fixed wing aircraft, and Marines. There would be no need for a large footprint of US forces in Afghanistan and far fewer casualties. Libya is another example of an Obama failure, which has cause the loss of life of an Ambassador and 3 others to include two former Navy Seals. A case of leadership failure and cowardly behavior. –GBH. (GBH is a retired USMC Major General, and reader/contributor to this blog. ~Bob.)

10 Catalysts for World War Three
In case you don’t have enough to worry about. ~Bob.

Vietnam jails two dissident songwriters
Excerpt: Vietnam has jailed two musicians for spreading anti-state propaganda, after they wrote songs critical of government policy. Tran Vu Anh Binh and Vo Minh Tri were both convicted by a court in Ho Chi Minh City and sentenced to six and four years in prison respectively. (I’m sure that John Kerry, Jane Fonda and other friends of the oppressive Vietnamese Communist government will be speaking out about this any minute. ~Bob.)

Bolivian journalist Fernando Vidal set alight on air
Excerpt: A Bolivian radio journalist has been attacked while he was conducting a radio show in the southern city of Yacuiba. Staff at Radio Popular said four masked men broke into the studio, poured petrol over presenter Fernando Vidal and set him alight.

Why Iran Wants to Attack the United States: The Islamic Republic's terror plots may look bumbling today, but what about tomorrow? By Matthew Levitt
Excerpt: An Iranian-American used car salesman pleaded guilty this month to conspiring with Iranian agents to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Mansour Arbabsiar's guilty plea would appear to be the end of this story, but in truth it raises more questions than it answers.

Omaha firm ES&S plans for the worst on Election Day: No power
Excerpt: With much of the coast bracing for damage and prolonged power outages from the storm called Sandy, election officials and providers of voting equipment, including Omaha-based Electronic Systems & Software, spent Monday hashing out contingency plans, backup contingency plans and backup-backup contingency plans in case polling places remain without power on Nov. 6. (I can hear Obama's excuses already...no power to vote for me...However, it sounds like this company has lots of contingency plans in the event of long term power outages on the east coast. --Laura)

Lies, damned lies, and green statistics - in Germany
http://www.thegwpf.org/lies-damn-lies-and-green-statistics/
Excerpt: Almost all predictions about the expansion and cost of German wind turbines and solar panels have turned out to be wrong – at least by a factor of two, sometimes by a factor of five.

Excerpt: I watched all of the GOP debates, I watched the Biden-Ryan debate and I even sat through all three of the presidential debates, and I don’t think it’s fair that I only get one vote that can be canceled out by the vote of one of those louts who got a free cell phone, thanks to Obama, or one of the guttersnipes who befouled our streets as a member of the Occupy Wall Street movement. In spite of that, I am feeling pretty confident about the upcoming election.

Worth Reading: Deserted in the Desert. By Thomas Hall, Racine, WI
Once upon a time a man named Martin Koszta was kidnapped in Smyrna, Greece, by agents of the Austrian Empire. Mr. Koszta had earlier led a failed attempt to win his native Hungary's independence from Austria, then fled to the still-young United States. There he applied for citizenship and opened an import business. It was that business that led him to return to Europe, and to his presence in Smyrna. By happenstance, USS sloop St. Louis was in port at Smyrna when Koszta was seized. Its captain, Duncan Ingraham, immediately demanded action from the US Consul, who declined to act. Koszta, after all, had only applied for citizenship. Captain Ingraham took a different view of the situation and proceeded to board the Austrian ship upon which Koszta was being held, demanding to see the man. By all accounts, their interview was short. “Do you ask the protection of the American flag?” asked Ingraham. Koszta nodded and Ingraham replied “Then you shall have it.” Later that day three more Austrian ships arrived and it became clear that the flotilla was preparing to leave port. Captain Ingraham sent word that he would oppose the removal of Koszta with force, and ordered his ship prepared for battle, despite being out numbered and out-gunned. In response, the Austrians surrendered Koszta. Aware that some might question his actions, Captain Ingraham promptly drafted and submitted his resignation: “I did what I thought my oath of office required, but if I have embarrassed my country in any way, I resign.” His resignation was rejected by the Senate. Sadly, the recent deaths of four Americans in Benghazi suggest that the enterprise, courage and commitment to one's countrymen that motivated Captain Ingraham cannot be found in the current Administration. (Tom is a friend, but no relation as far as we know. ~Bob.)

This guy doesn't pull any punches. I've seen several other videos by this guy... he's good in all of them. –Steve.

Sandy: ConEd Explosion
Excerpt: The initial explosion at the Con Ed Plant, E14th and FDR in New York City.
Released under Creative Commons License. Please credit: TrillianMedia. (Thankfully I understand it’s coal powered. ~Bob.)

Worth Sharing: Thrill Is Gone? Matthews Turns On Obama; 'I Hear Stories That You Would Not Believe'

Benghazi: The Set-Up and the Cover-Up. By Clare M. Lopez
Excerpt: Data points continue to accumulate about the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. The picture that is beginning to emerge from connecting those dots is deeply concerning on multiple levels. Two related issues dominate this analysis: The systematic stripping of security protection from the Benghazi mission prior to the 9/11 anniversary attack and the cold-blooded refusal to send or even permit local help the night of the attack. … Clare Lopez is a senior fellow at RadicalIslam.org and a strategic policy and intelligence expert with a focus on the Middle East, national defense and counterterrorism. Lopez served for 25 years as an operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Watch What You Say About FEMA
Excerpt: FEMA exists solely to support states and cities that need help preparing for and recovering from storms, floods, or tornados. It does not take on that coordinating role in states unless they are invited by a governor who has declared a state of emergency. In effect, FEMA now functions as a big checkbook. It provides money to states and cities that need resources to evacuate people, set up shelters, or sandbag. (Another "Slanting the News 101" example. Really?!? Isn’t it funny how the media changes its tune when the President is from the favored party? There have been no changes to the mission or laws governing FEMA since Katrina hit New Orleans. Why wasn’t the media pointing this out then? Oh, right. That evil man Bush was President, then, wasn’t he? That changes everything. And, OF COURSE there’s no media bias. Ron P.)

Excerpt: Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren were scheduled to face off for the fourth time Tuesday night. But Monday afternoon, Brown's campaign sent out a statement saying he would not participate in the debate. Warren's campaign later sent a statement saying Warren believes it shouldn't be held tomorrow. (Brown is slightly ahead in some polls. The Dems have a much larger organization to get out their voters, and a long history of playing fast and loose with “assisting others to vote at their request.” I think it will be a nail-biter, and I’m making no bets. Ron P.)

Excerpt: I have a feeling that Middle America is going to respond in waves on November 6th...and send millions of liberals to the therapist couch. America has always been a "center right" nation politically, and they're getting damn tired of the arrogant "tyranny of the minority"; the liberal brown shirts who try to destroy Chik Fil A because the owner supports the traditional family, who tell you Gays will determine what America's values will be, who tell you what and when to eat and how much to drink, and how much to fork out to support liberal interest groups.

Muslim Cleric Condemns Christianity for Teaching Gender Equality
The War on Women. ~Bob. Excerpt: A recent talk show on the Egyptian station Al Hafiz partially explains why it is that Islam’s clerics are staunchly against discussing Christian or biblical teachings in Egyptian schoolrooms—even as the teaching of the Quran is mandatory, for both Muslim and Christian students. Discussing Christianity’s teachings concerning women, one of the guests, a sheikh dressed in traditional cleric garb, said they “truly stab the rulings of Islam.” To exemplify, he read from a text that said “the Christian religion does not differentiate between women and men, but it confirms their perfect equality: it gives them an equal share in inheritance, it bans divorce, and it bans polygamy.” 

Huffington Post, Gawker brought down by Superstorm Sandy
Excerpt: In addition to cutting power to millions and causing massive flooding in New York City, Superstorm Sandy also brought down several high-profile websites, including Huffington Post and Gawker. Those sites, along with Buzzfeed and Mediaite, apparently all went offline after 7 p.m. Monday….According to the statement, Buzzfeed received a text message from an official at Datagram, which read, "Basement flooded, fuel pump off line - we got people working on it now. 5 feet of water now."

Obama's EPA Plans for 2013
Excerpt: The November elections will determine the direction of US climate policy—and therefore also energy policy and the pace of economic growth: jobs, standards of living, budget deficits and inflation. Obama has already promised to make climate change the centerpiece of his concern—with all that implies: "Green" energy policy, linked to loss of jobs (Keystone pipeline disapproval), rising gas prices (ethanol mandates), and crony capitalism (Solyndra). By contrast, Romney is a climate skeptic—and Ryan has been quite outspoken: the perfect anti-Gore. (A quick count of the major regulations listed in this article that have been delayed until after 6 November is 13. A “major” regulation is one that will cost the economy more than $100 Million to comply with. Every one of these will impact jobs, too, and in all sorts of industries, farming, for example. There may be a “per-animal tax” based on how much CO2 the critter produces (farts, in other words). If you don’t read the article, you won’t believe it. Ron P.)

The Week That Was: 2012-10-27 (October 27, 2012)
Excerpt: APS: In 2007 the American Physical Society (APS) issued an absolutist statement on Climate Change that greatly disturbed a number of its senior fellows. (…) Roger Cohen, a Fellow of the Society has posted on the web site of Anthony Watts his expression of dissatisfaction with the APS. (…) The exchange is an excellent read on what is wrong when a few in a science society take an absolutist position concerning a subject that requires open investigation and debate. (The excerpt is taken from Ken Haapala’s summary at the beginning. There are many articles worth reading this week, especially including the numbered articles reprinted in full at the end of the listing. --Ron P.)

Obama’s Sequester Proposal Slashes Funds For FEMA, Disaster Relief. By Joel B. Pollak 
Excerpt: As Hurricane Sandy approaches the northeast United States, the left is attempting to politicize the storm, attacking Republican nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), for wanting to shift more responsibility for disaster relief from the federal government to the states. They ignore the fact that President Barack Obama's proposal for the upcoming budget sequester would cut nearly $900 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including disaster relief, food and shelter, and flood management at both the federal and state levels….As Bob Woodward notes in his definitive account of the debt ceiling negotiations, such a bargain was within reach in July 2011, before President Obama destroyed it.

MILITARY INSIDER: “Do The Math…Left On Own To Die Out There”
Excerpt: A longtime Military Insider gives a brief and searing response regarding whether or not U.S.military could have successfully been deployed in time to save Americans under attack by terrorists on September 11th at the American consulate in Benghazi. (Looks like Obama, Clinton, and Panetta have some explaining to do. Doubt this will happen before the election. Shameful. -GBH)

Pro-Obama ad: We will burn this motherf—- down and c-ck punch Romney
Hard to believe this could be true, and not an anti-Obama forgery, which I suspect. ~Bob. Excerpt: Whoever thought this was a good idea should be fired immediately. The liberal group Moveon.org teamed up with liberal filmmaker Michael Moore and created a new anti-Romney ad that features elderly voters threatening to c***punch Romney and “burn this motherf***er down” if Romney wins in November.

The European Left and Its Trouble With Jews
Excerpt: LAST week, Twitter shut down a popular account for posting anti-Semitic messages in France. This came soon after the firing of blanks at a synagogue near Paris, the discovery of a network of radical Islamists who had thrown a hand grenade into a kosher restaurant, and the killing of a teacher and young pupils at a Jewish school in Toulouse earlier this year. The attacks were part of an escalating campaign of violence against Jews in France.

In U.S., 15% of Registered Voters Have Already Cast Ballots
Excerpt: Romney currently leads Obama 52% to 45% among voters who say they have already cast their ballots. However, that is comparable to Romney's 51% to 46% lead among all likely voters in Gallup's Oct. 22-28 tracking polling. 


Obama only at 47% in … Oregon? By Ed Morrissey
Earlier, Mark Halperin told the Morning Joe audience that Team Obama has shifted to defense along a rather long blue line, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota. Perhaps we should include Oregon in that mix. (Very doubtful OR is in play. ~Bob.)


Ground Breaking Paper Refutes the Greenhouse Gas Theory
Excerpt: International team of researchers confirms peer-reviewed new paper refutes the greenhouse gas theory, the cornerstone of science that claims human emissions of carbon dioxide dangerously warms the Earth. 

Report: Fast and Furious a product of DOJ ‘deliberate strategy’ laid out by Eric Holder, other senior Obama officials. By Matthew Boyle
Excerpt: The latest congressional report on Operation Fast and Furious found that the gunwalking-program-turned-scandal was the result of a “deliberate strategy created at the highest levels of the Justice Department aimed at identifying the leaders of a major gun trafficking ring.”

NPR: 8-point swing puts Romney in front
Excerpt: A new National Public Radio poll, which had President Obama leading Mitt Romney 51 percent to 44 percent four weeks ago, now has Mitt Romney on top, 48 percent to 47 percent, with the Republican benefiting from his debate performances.

Tweet from @iowahawkblog
Your daily reminder: all political polls are still garbage. #9percentresponserate

GOP Rout In Pennsylvania Absentee Ballot Returns
Excerpt: This morning President Obama’s campaign indicated they are going on the air in Pennsylvania and sending Joe Biden to the state trying to protect a state that just one week ago was considered to be safe ground. One possible reason? The enormous GOP edge in absentee ballot returns in the state, creating an enormous and unexpected hole for the President’s campaign to dig out of. 

Excerpt: This may be the best/simplest explanation of the Obama administration’s abortion-drug, contraception, sterilization religious-liberty eroding HHS mandate yet:
Majority Blame National Debt On High Spending, Not Low Taxes
But will they vote that way? ~Bob.

Fatah FB page posts pic of mother placing suicide belt on her child
Excerpt: The Facebook page for Fatah in Lebanon has posted this picture of a mother dressing her young son with a suicide belt. This picture was posted on the Fatah Facebook page together with an imaginary conversation between the son who is being sent to his death and the mother encouraging it. “Why me and not you?” the child innocently asks his mother, who answers that she will continue to have more children “for the sake of Palestine.

New Orleans is sending a relief team to New Jersey to show people how to loot.

Share with Ohio voters: In Ohio, Obamacare to Increase Individual Insurance Premiums by 55-85%
Excerpt: With the Presidential election one week away, it’s worth reviewing how Obamacare will impact the residents of key swing states. In Ohio, as elsewhere, Obamacare will drive up the cost of private health coverage, especially for those who buy insurance on their own.


Internet FAIL: The truth about that Tea Party sorority girl you saw on Facebook
Excerpt: Her name is Kim Stafford. And far from being from Alabama, she grew up in Boston. She's not in a sorority. The liberal arts university she attends in western Massachusetts doesn't even have a Greek system. (For this interview she asked not to disclose which college she attends because of the threats she's received since the photograph went viral). And come November she intends to vote for President Barack Obama.

Thank You Barack Obama… 1/3 of Adult US Males Are Out of Work. By Jim Hoft
Excerpt: Thanks to the failed Keynesian economics of Barack Obama, one-third of adult men are out of work. And, he has the nerve to ask for 4 more years? Really?

Examiner Editorial: Benghazi is not about politics, it's about the truth
Excerpt: Immediately after Sept. 11, when Mitt Romney weighed in prematurely on the simultaneous Egyptian embassy riots, the nation's political reporters managed to turn it into a seven-day "gaffe" story. Maybe those same newshounds could pursue a real story now -- why, after seven weeks, is the most transparent president in American history still dodging questions about what happened in Benghazi?

They got it right: America is their enemy. Barry Rubin
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=288722
Excerpt: In other words, no matter what the United States does it will not be interpreted – especially by the [Islamic] masses – based on the US government’s statements or intentions but through the filter of a very different culture and worldview that has a good deal of hostility in it and is prone to xenophobia and conspiracy theories. By the same token, to be hated the United States doesn’t have to do anything wrong. It just has to be itself and pursue its own legitimate interests.

What Could Happen In The First 12 Hours of A US Dollar Collapse
Excerpt: This is the scenario nobody thinks is possible, but, really at the end of the day, it’s not like the US can print money and live on debt forever, right? So when something cannot go on forever what happens when it stops? So says Mark Jeftovic (http://wealth.net/) in edited excerpts of his introduction to a 7 minute video (see below) presented by www.inflation.us entitled The First 12 Hours of a US Dollar Collapse.

Worth Reading: Unemployment 7.8% to 22% - Is There A Better Method?
Excerpt: Recently I wrote "Why The Real Unemployment Rate Is 16.9%"which sparked quite a few e-mails revolving around the issue of the way the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures unemployment. In that article we discussed the differences between the U-3 and the U-6 rates and showed what unemployment would look like if you included those that had been out of work longer than 52 weeks. In reality the problem is far worse - as I stated previously:

Wasserman Schultz Involved in Police Altercation Outside Voting Precinct. By Javier Manjarres
Excerpt: A group of sign-waving campaign ralliers comprised of both Democrat and Republican supporters outside an Aventura, Florida polling location witnessed Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schulz involved in a heated altercation with an Aventura policeman after she apparently took issue with his request to not engage in campaign activities in the street which were holding up oncoming traffic. (A little oversold, maybe. ~Bob.)

Worth Sharing: Crushed By Your Policies
Tweet from Lauren Zelt Tate ‏@LaurenZeltTate: @BarackObama has kept his promise to "bankrupt" coal plants and Pennsylvania coal paid the price.

One week to go, and there is no good news for Obama. By Ed Rogers
Excerpt: It's one week before election day, and the Obama campaign is having to use heavy artillery to defend what should be safe and secure territory. Former President Bill Clinton, who is more appealing on the stump than is President Obama, is in Minnesota. Minnesota should be deep blue, and the state shouldn't even be mentioned one week before the election. 

Russia Caucasus: Imam shot dead in Derbent, Dagestan
Excerpt: Attackers have shot dead an imam and two of his male relations, as they drove to a mosque in the Russian North Caucasus region of Dagestan. … The cleric was named as Kalimulla Ibragimov, 49, who is said to have delivered sermons calling for peace.

Downstate Newspapers Diss Obama, Endorse Mitt
Excerpt: But while Obama has his hometown newspaper in his pocket, it’s a different story Downstate. In another indication that Illinois politics has become polarized between the Chicago area and the hinterlands, most newspapers outside the city seem to be backing Mitt Romney -- including two, the Daily Herald and the Quad City Times, which endorsed Obama in 2008.