Category Archives: Gateway Pundit

Don’t expect this to make any headlines. Don’t expect the radical antiwar left to hold any protests.
The United States has now lost more military men and women in Afghanistan under President Obama than during 8 years of the Bush Administration.

(I-casualties)

-By Warner Todd Huston

Fox News Radio’s Todd Sterns reported that a Missouri elementary school tried to ban the singing of “Happy Birthday To You” in order to be “sensitive” about those students that might find singing in public to be “offensive.”

In a letter sent home to parents, school Principal Jodi Davidson (pictured) explained that the ban on the venerable song was because, “singing is not permitted due to the sensitivity of all student beliefs.”

As soon as outraged parents began to complain, our supersensitive principal reversed course and on August 23 sent a letter rescinding the ban.

Catch this lie being told by Principal Davidson to cover for her original politically correct decision:

“We have lots of students who celebrate birthdays on the same day and we just didn’t want to have the loud chaos that happens in the cafeteria,” Davidson told KSDK television. “That should be a calming environment so that it’s safe for all students and they can celebrate their birthdays with their classmates and friends.”

Quite a tap dance, wasn’t it? First Davidson was trying to be “sensitive” to “all student beliefs,” and then she massaged that into claiming that she was really just trying to keep the “loud chaos” of celebrating birthdays from messing up that “calming environment” of school! This woman is simply lying. She meant her PC efforts to assuage a single religion quite despite what the great majority of kids think.

Now, from what I can tell, this whole idea was the principal’s own born of her marriage to a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a faction that eschews birthday celebrations.

But regardless it shows the idiotic ends that schools are constantly going to in order to assuage the feelings, real or perceived, of every last tiny minority. This is called a tyranny of the minority and makes a mockery of our society and our traditions. A country cannot have a coherent society if everything that could possibly “offend” someone’s sensibilities is outlawed.

But that is what liberals like this halfwit principal want; the utter elimination of American society. No cultural expressions are allowed in this sanitized, government-controlled world concocted by our “educators.” No wonder our schools are the laughing stock of the world.

That’s weird.
His ‘official father’ was a 10 year old Kenyan at the end of WWII.
Who’s he talking about?
Via Lucianne:

This speech was in 2008. Of course, the state-run media never followed up on it.
Hat Tip MRT

Barack Obama takes his shoes off at a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. (White House)

Barack Obama stepped back from his endorsement of the Ground Zero Victory Mosque today.
After the uproar following his comments last night at the White House Iftar Dinner. Today, the president stepped back from his endorsement of the victory mosque. Only 20% of American voters support the Ground Zero mosque.
FOX News reported:

President Obama on Saturday sought to clarify his comments supporting the building of a mosque near ground zero that have ignited a political firestorm ahead of a difficult election season for Democrats.

During a trip to Florida for a family vacation, Obama said his comments on Friday night were only directed at the constitutional right of the mosque to be there.

“I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there,” he said in response to a reporter’s question after he spoke about efforts to aid the Gulf Coast region. “I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That’s what our country is about.”

Obama came under instant fire after jumping into the middle of a cultural clash Friday night with comments that have elevated the contentious issue to the presidential level.

Barack Obama takes his shoes off at a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. (White House)

Barack Obama stepped back from his endorsement of the Ground Zero Victory Mosque today.
After the uproar following his comments last night at the White House Iftar Dinner. Today, the president stepped back from his endorsement of the victory mosque. Only 20% of American voters support the Ground Zero mosque.
FOX News reported:

President Obama on Saturday sought to clarify his comments supporting the building of a mosque near ground zero that have ignited a political firestorm ahead of a difficult election season for Democrats.

During a trip to Florida for a family vacation, Obama said his comments on Friday night were only directed at the constitutional right of the mosque to be there.

“I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there,” he said in response to a reporter’s question after he spoke about efforts to aid the Gulf Coast region. “I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That’s what our country is about.”

Obama came under instant fire after jumping into the middle of a cultural clash Friday night with comments that have elevated the contentious issue to the presidential level.

In 2008 The LA Times withheld a video that contained footage of Barack Obama celebrating with a group of Palestinians who were openly hostile towards Israel. Barack Obama even gave a toast to a former PLO operative at this celebration. This was something the LA Times hid from the American public before the election. The media refused to release the video.

Terrorist Bill Ayers— Barack Obama— Jew-hater Rashid Khalidi
There were also reports that terrorists Bill Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn were at the same Jew-bash.

Khalidi was thought to be connected to the PLO.

Now the anti-Israel radical is raising cash for a ship named “The Audacity of Hope” to smash through the Gaza Blockade.
Israel Matsav brings us this news:

Columbia University Professor Rashid Khalidi, a close friend of President Obama, is trying to raise money for a ship to run the Gaza blockade (Hat Tip: Will).

Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, has signed an appeal for funds to outfit a ship–to be named The Audacity of Hope after Barack Obama’s second book–that will challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza in September or October, according to a report by Robert Mackey at The Lede, a blog of the New York Times. His wife Mona is also a signatory.

Popular Governor Jan Brewer blasted liberal politicians and protesters today in Boston. The Arizona Governor spoke out against the liberal’s boycott against Arizona, “They’re hurting the people they PRETEND they want to help.”

Click on Photo for Video–

The popular Arizona politician was in Boston for a governor’s meeting.

(Illegal) immigrant advocates and their allies are protesting Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer as she attends the National Governors Association meeting in Boston.

A coalition of immigrant groups bused in advocates from around the East Coast for a rally Saturday to protest Arizona’s controversial immigration law, recently signed by Brewer.

Protesters in Copley Square said Brewer was a bigot and called for the end of what they said was “racist deportation.” They later marched to a hotel where Brewer was attending the annual governors meeting.

It took Barack Obama 1 day to fly General McChrystal halfway around the world to the White House to fire him for insulting remarks his staff made about the president and Bite-me Joe Biden in a teen magazine.

But, it’s now been 70 days since the BP oil gusher started spewing hundreds of thousands of crude from the Gulf floor and there still is no plan in place to prevent the crude oil from destroying the southern coast.

Onlookers stare at a huge mass of oil that came ashore on Pensacola Beach on June 23. The water is closed to the public. (Tampa Bay.com)
Hat Tip Brian B.

It didn’t have to be this way. The Dutch have equipment that would have prevented any oil from reaching shore but the federal government wouldn’t allow them into the Gulf.

There’s more:

** The feds only accepted assistance from 5 of 28 countries a month after the disaster.
** It took the Obama Administration 53 days to accept help from the Dutch and British.
** It took them 58 days to mobilize the US military to the Gulf.
** The feds shut down crude-sucking barges due to fire extinguisher concerns.
** The Obama Administration ignored oil boom manufacturers that have miles of product stockpiled in their warehouses.
** They only have moved 31 of 2,000 oil skimmers to the disaster area off of Florida.
** Florida hired an additional 5 skimmer boats to operate off its coast due to federal inaction.
** There are no skimmer boats off the coast of Mississippi.
** The massive A-Boat skimmer won’t be allowed to join the cleanup effort until the Coast Guard and the EPA figure out whether it meets their standards.
** The feds shut down sand berm dredging off the Louisiana coast.
** The president continues to hit the golf course, ball games, hold BBQ’s and party while the crude oil washes up on shore.

That’s what you get when you elect a community organizer as president.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called General Petraeus a liar back in 2007.

Reid told reporters that General Petraeus was not telling the truth about the Iraq War and the successful Bush Surge of troops. Of course, Harry “This war is lost” Reid was the one lying. The Bush Surge was one of the most successful military campaigns in US history.

With today’s confirmation hearing of General Petraeus, Americans will once again be reminded of the Democrat’s disgusting attempts to discredit General Petraeus and to surrender Iraq to the Al-Qaeda terrorists.
The Hill reported:

President Barack Obama’s nomination of Gen. David Petraeus has put some Democrats in a politically awkward position.

While Senate Democrats are expected to rally behind Petraeus to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top commander in Afghanistan, they must also ask tough questions about when the U.S. will withdraw troops from the war-torn country.

Many on the left are impatient with the Afghanistan war, and some Democrats are nervous much of their base may not show up to vote in this year’s midterm elections.

Meanwhile, Republicans who are looking to drive a wedge between Democratic leaders and the liberal base have pointed to critical statements Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other leaders made about Petraeus a couple of years ago.

During the 2007 surge in Iraq, anti-war Democrats — most notably MoveOn.org — strongly criticized Petraeus.

Liberal advocacy groups and senators at the time accused Petraeus of misrepresenting the success of the surge of nearly 40,000 troops.

Two years later, the four-star general is widely credited for turning around the war in Iraq and holds strong respect among Republicans. And Obama’s decision to replace McChrystal was made easier by his selection of Petraeus, who is expected to be confirmed swiftly.

The balancing act for Democrats begins Tuesday when the Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to hold its confirmation hearing on Petraeus.

No wonder Hollywood and the American left love him!
The Chavistas (Hugo Chavez lackeys) held a protest outside the Chamber of Commerce Building in the state of Lara, Venezuela this month.
But, this protest was different.

The Real Cuba reported:

June 18 – Earlier this week, a group of ‘chavistas’ staged a protest in front of the Chamber of Commerce of the state of Lara, Venezuela.

The protesters were mobilized using government vehicles.

The pro-Chávez thugs defaced the front of the building with graffiti, writing signs on the walls calling the members of the Chamber of Commerce “fascists”, “murderers” and “terrorists” and asking for the regime to confiscate their businesses without compensation.

And this time the chavistas were not carrying posters with the photo of Simon Bolívar, like they used to do when their leader was portraying himself as democratic and nationalistic.

Now, the pro-Chávez thugs were carrying signs with the photos of Stalin, one of the world’s worst mass murderers, Lenin, Marx and Engels.

Here’s a close-up of the Chavez protesters with their Stalin signs:

Meanwhile… In the US, Obama’s SEIU lackeys regularly threaten the US Chamber of Commerce.

Al Gore’s second chakra was bursting full of green energy.

After a long day’s work, the junk scientist needed some hot second chakra action.
Byron York at The Washington Examiner reported, via Ace:

The police report of the masseuse’s complaint is 73 pages long and extremely detailed. According to the document, she got a call from the front desk of the trendy Hotel Lucia on the night of Oct. 24, 2006. The hotel had a special guest. Could she come at 10:30 p.m.?

She went to Gore’s room carrying a folding massage table and other equipment. Gore, whom she had never met, greeted her with a warm embrace. “The hug went on a bit long, and I was taken just a bit aback by it,” the masseuse told police. But she went along because Gore “was a VIP and a powerful individual and the Hotel Lucia had made it clear to me by inference that they were giving him ‘the royal treatment.’”

Gore said he was tired from travel and described in detail the massage he wanted. It included work on the adductor muscles, which are on the inside of the thighs. “I mentally noted that a request for adductor work is a bit unusual,” the masseuse told police, because it can be “a precursor to inappropriate behavior by a male client.”

Gore also requested work on his abdomen. When that began, “He became somewhat vocal with muffled moans, etc.,” the masseuse recounted. Gore then “demand[ed] that I go lower.” When she remained focused on a “safe, nonsexual” area, Gore grew “angry, becoming verbally sharp and loud.”

The masseuse asked Gore what he wanted. “He grabbed my right hand, shoved it down under the sheet to his pubic hair area, my fingers brushing against his penis,” she recalled, “and said to me, ‘There!’ in a very sharp, loud, angry-sounding tone.” When she pulled back, Gore “angrily raged” and “bellowed” at her.

Then, abruptly, the former vice president changed tone. It was “as though he had very suddenly switched personalities,” she recalled, “and began in a pleading tone, pleading for release of his second chakra there.”

Let’s be honest… We’ve all yearned for a little second Chakra release action at one time or another?

Scott Brown could help kill the democrat’s $19 billion bank tax.

Scott Brown says he won’t support the democrat’s $19 billion bank tax on consumers.
The Washington Times reported:

UPDATE:Roll Call is reporting that Senator Russ Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat, is planning to vote ‘no’ on the Wall Street bill.

The financial regulatory reform bill seemed like a sure thing just almost a week ago. However, after Democrats in both chambers looked to hike $19 billion in taxes on banks, things changed.

Senator Scott Brown, Massachusetts Republican, voted for the original Senate bill along with Senators Olympia Snowe, Maine Republican, and Susan Collins, Maine Republican.

However, the new taxes could be a problem for Democrats looking for Republicans to join their ranks again to support the financial regulatory bill when the newly merged House-Senate version rolls around to the Senate again. In order for the bill to pass the Senate, Democrats need 60 votes.

“I said right from the beginning, I’ll let my statements speak for themselves,” said Senator Brown. “I was disappointed and surprised that at the last minute, they put in assessment fees, taxes…really without letting us know, and I’ve always made it clear that I can’t support adding another $19 billion passed through taxes to individual consumers, especially in the middle of a two year recession.”

The recent death of Senator Robert Byrd does not make things any easier for Democrats, who were expecting to pass the banking regulation bill without too many problems.

UPDATE: And, from his website, Scott Brown also will oppose the democrat’s cap and trade energy tax:

Washington has no shortage of bad ideas.  Even well-intentioned programs usually come wrapped up with higher taxes and fees that I refuse to support.   The special interests are pushing for a national energy tax, otherwise known as cap and trade. They also want to increase red tape and regulation.  For some reason, the Washington elites believe that if one opposes a national energy tax and more regulation, they must also support the Gulf oil spill.  This is ludicrous.

The fact is, cap and trade will hurt the poor and working class the most and America can’t afford another tax.

While I continue to fight for lower taxes, less regulation and reduced spending in Washington, some groups are beginning to fight me here in Massachusetts by running negative TV ads. This is nothing new. The political machine has been running ugly attack ads against me since the campaign.

You would think that if my political opponents were really concerned about the Gulf oil spill, that they would invest the hundreds of thousands of dollars they are spending to attack me on efforts to protect the environment in the affected area.  Instead, they cynically attack me for defending the working families of Massachusetts.

I’d like to fight back so I’m writing you this email to ask for your help.  Will you donate $100 right now to my campaign to fight back?  If that amount is not possible, would you consider donating another amount to help fend off these negative attacks?

Scott Brown nailed it.
Cap-and-tax will hurt the poor and middle class the most.

Wisconsin custard shop owner Scott Borkin told Greta Van Susteren that VP Joe Biden “went off” on him after he told the Vice President to “lower our taxes.”
Borkin added, “I was shocked.”

Scott Borkin should have known better. How dare he request a top Obama Administration official to cut taxes!
Who does he think he is?

Barack Obama just enlisted his radical leftist groups, the SEIU and labor unions to push for amnesty this year.
The AP reported:

President Barack Obama is enlisting activists and labor leaders in a push for comprehensive immigration legislation that will showcase Republican opposition and include a speech by the president.

The strategy was discussed during a meeting Monday by a range of prominent labor leaders and activist groups. Participants said Obama reiterated his support for immigration legislation but noted the political realities that have stalled it in Congress.

Latino leaders say they will work in coming months to pressure Republicans to give way and support an immigration bill — and make opponents pay at the ballot box if they don’t.

“We’re going to make absolutely crystal clear who’s at fault here,” said Eliseo Medina, a leader of the Service Employees International Union.

Prospects for passage of comprehensive immigration legislation look bleak this election year, and even many Democrats are wary of wading into the hot-button issue. But Obama, who pledged as a candidate to make immigration reform a top priority during his first year in office, faces pressure from the Hispanic community to act — or at least to try.

The good news: 7 of 8 world leaders at the G8 Conference figured out that Keynesian economics is a bust.
The bad news: Barack Obama wasn’t one of them.

Bill O’Reilly said this about Obama’s disastrous G20 summit:
Merkel’s Looking at Obama Like “Do You Know Anything?”

Bill O’Reilly:
“Merkel’s looking at Obama… Did you see Merkel look at Obama?… She’s looking at him like, “Do you know anything?”"

“Meno Tasse, Piu Liberta!”
Lower Taxes, More Freedom!

Leslie from Temple of Mut was an special guest speaker at the first Florence Tea Party on June 19, 2010 in Italy.

SoCal-TRC co-founder Leslie Eastman with Tea Party Italia Coordinator David Mazzerelli.

Leslie added this:

After experiencing an Italian Tea Party, it is going to be hard to go back and do an American one. They serve excellent wine at these events! And the appetizers are outstanding! But, I digress!

Please pass on to the good Italian patriots that I am available for speaking engagements in Florence, Pisa, Venice and Roma.

Spoken like a true leftist radical…
Elena Kagan in 2009:
“Its Fine if The Law Bans Books Because Government Won’t Really Enforce It.”
Via Naked Emperor News:

The Supreme Court has only agreed with Elena Kagan, Barack Obama’s latest radical pick to the court, in 3 out of 5 decisions. Today she lost another one.
The Caucus reported:

Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings haven’t even begun, and the score is already 1-0 against her.

The Supreme Court on Monday morning ruled against Ms. Kagan in a case she had argued as solicitor general when it decided that a quasi government agency that audits public companies is unconstitutional. The board’s members are appointed and removed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and not the president – a violation of Article II of the Constitution, which vests executive power in the president, the court ruled…

The White House notes that Ms. Kagan’s overall Supreme Court record is 3-2. That is, three wins and two losses in the five cases she has argued.

At least this is better than Obama’s first radical pick to the court Sonia Sotomayor who had been reversed, vacated, or criticized nine out of ten times by the U.S. Supreme Court. 9 of 10 times.

Of course, the media always called Bush’s mainstream picks “conservative” but call Obama’s radical far left picks “centrist.”

More… Sen. Sessions slammed Elena Kagen’s qualifications during the Supreme Court Nomination Hearings today.

The Supreme Court has only agreed with Elena Kagan, Barack Obama’s latest radical pick to the court, in 3 out of 5 decisions. Today she lost another one.
The Caucus reported:

Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings haven’t even begun, and the score is already 1-0 against her.

The Supreme Court on Monday morning ruled against Ms. Kagan in a case she had argued as solicitor general when it decided that a quasi government agency that audits public companies is unconstitutional. The board’s members are appointed and removed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and not the president – a violation of Article II of the Constitution, which vests executive power in the president, the court ruled…

The White House notes that Ms. Kagan’s overall Supreme Court record is 3-2. That is, three wins and two losses in the five cases she has argued.

At least this is better than Obama’s first radical pick to the court Sonia Sotomayor who had been reversed, vacated, or criticized nine out of ten times by the U.S. Supreme Court. 9 of 10 times.

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi is commander of Iran’s Basij Forces. (Fars)

The killer Iranian regime accused the United States and the “Zionist Regime” of Israel of using drugs as a biological weapon against “freedom-seeking nations” like Iran.
Nuts.
Iranian Fars News reported:

A senior Iranian commander took the US and the Zionist regime of Israel responsible for the spread of drug addiction in the world, stressing that they use drugs as a biological weapon against the freedom-seeking nations.

“The US and the Zionist regime are pioneers of drug distribution in the world and the world arrogant powers use drugs as a biological weapon against the freedom-seeking nations,” Commander of Iran’s Basij Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said on Monday.

The arrogant powers want to pocket the money earned through the production and trafficking of the drugs, which is the second profitable source of capital after weapons smuggling, and spread addiction among target populations, he added, reminding that most of the American addicts are from the Blacks.

The drug problem will not be uprooted in the world until arrogant powers are not annihilated, the commander underlined.

He described Afghanistan as the main source of drug production in the world, and underlined that NATO forces in Afghanistan are currently in control of 8,000 tons of drugs which they aim to smuggle into other countries to captivate their nations through addiction.

Far Left Senator Claire McCaskill was forced to apologize after an aide compared tea party protesters to Nazi “brownshirts.”
St. Louis Today reported:

Elected officials and legislative aides take note: If you’re planning on using the Third Reich as an analogy for the fight over health care or another contentious political issue, sit down and write the apology first.

The comparison seldom translates — and is usually followed by regret.

The latest example is from U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s office, where a conservative blog caught an aide suggesting that the tactics of healthcare opponents are similiar to those used by the Nazis to gain power.

The comments, caught on video supplied by the site 24th State, were made by McCaskill field representative Bob Burns.

Though the date of the video is unclear, Burns is apparently talking to a room full of health care supporters about Tea Party, or Tea Party-like, activists.

“Someone said ‘brownshirts’…People got offended with that,” Burns said. “But if you look at history, when Hitler took over Germany, he did it just that way: disrupting meetings, screaming — and then it got violent. But they were always a minority.”

On Friday, a day after the video was posted on 24th State, McCaskill’s office e-mailed an apology to the blog author, which was also posted.

Congrats to 24th State for catching the offensive remarks on video.

Rick Santelli, the CNBC contributor and catalyst for the 2009 Tea Party movement, screamed that government needs to, “Stop spending! Stop spending! Stop spending!”
Via Freedom’s Lighthouse:

Unfortunately, this will land on deaf ears.
The community organizer in the White House still believes you can spend your way to wealth.

It’s Day 69 of the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster–
There is now clear evidence that the negligence by the Obama Administration caused the destruction of the Gulf coastline.

** The feds only accepted assistance from 5 of 28 countries.
** It took the Obama Administration 53 days to accept help from the Dutch and British.
** It took them 58 days to mobilize the US military to the Gulf.
** The feds shut down crude-sucking barges due to fire extinguisher concerns.
** The Obama Administration ignore oil boom manufacturers that have miles of product stockpiled in their warehouses.
** They only have moved 31 of 2,000 oil skimmers to the disaster area off of Florida.
** Florida hired an additional 5 skimmer boats to operate off its coast due to federal inaction.
** There are no skimmer boats off the coast of Mississippi.
** The massive A-Boat skimmer won’t be allowed to join the cleanup effort until the Coast Guard and the EPA figure out whether it meets their standards.
** The feds shut down sand berm dredging off the Louisiana coast.
** The president continues to hit the golf course, ball games, hold BBQ’s and party while the crude oil washes up on shore.

Here’s a time-lapse look at the oil spill disaster from space:

But, it didn’t have to be this way…
The Dutch offered to help two days after the disaster back in April and they have the technology and equipment that would have prevented any oil from reaching shore. But the Obama Administration turned them down due to EPA regulations.
The Financial Post reported, via Instapundit:

Some are attuned to the possibility of looming catastrophe and know how to head it off. Others are unprepared for risk and even unable to get their priorities straight when risk turns to reality.

The Dutch fall into the first group. Three days after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began on April 20, the Netherlands offered the U.S. government ships equipped to handle a major spill, one much larger than the BP spill that then appeared to be underway. “Our system can handle 400 cubic metres per hour,” Weird Koops, the chairman of Spill Response Group Holland, told Radio Netherlands Worldwide, giving each Dutch ship more cleanup capacity than all the ships that the U.S. was then employing in the Gulf to combat the spill.

To protect against the possibility that its equipment wouldn’t capture all the oil gushing from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, the Dutch also offered to prepare for the U.S. a contingency plan to protect Louisiana’s marshlands with sand barriers. One Dutch research institute specializing in deltas, coastal areas and rivers, in fact, developed a strategy to begin building 60-mile-long sand dikes within three weeks. . . .

Why does neither the U.S. government nor U.S. energy companies have on hand the cleanup technology available in Europe? Ironically, the superior European technology runs afoul of U.S. environmental rules. The voracious Dutch vessels, for example, continuously suck up vast quantities of oily water, extract most of the oil and then spit overboard vast quantities of nearly oil-free water. Nearly oil-free isn’t good enough for the U.S. regulators, who have a standard of 15 parts per million — if water isn’t at least 99.9985% pure, it may not be returned to the Gulf of Mexico. . . .

The Americans, overwhelmed by the catastrophic consequences of the BP spill, finally relented and took the Dutch up on their offer — but only partly. Because the U.S. didn’t want Dutch ships working the Gulf, the U.S. airlifted the Dutch equipment to the Gulf and then retrofitted it to U.S. vessels. And rather than have experienced Dutch crews immediately operate the oil-skimming equipment, to appease labour unions the U.S. postponed the clean-up operation to allow U.S. crews to be trained.

A catastrophe that could have been averted is now playing out.

This is criminal negligence.
And clearly the fault lies with the Obama Administration.
It’s a good thing the state-run media ignores these facts.

It’s Day 69 of the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster–
There is now clear evidence that the negligence by the Obama Administration caused the destruction of the Gulf coastline.

** The feds only accepted assistance from 5 of 28 countries.
** It took the Obama Administration 53 days to accept help from the Dutch and British.
** It took them 58 days to mobilize the US military to the Gulf.
** The feds shut down crude-sucking barges due to fire extinguisher concerns.
** The Obama Administration ignore oil boom manufacturers that have miles of product stockpiled in their warehouses.
** They only have moved 31 of 2,000 oil skimmers to the disaster area off of Florida.
** Florida hired an additional 5 skimmer boats to operate off its coast due to federal inaction.
** There are no skimmer boats off the coast of Mississippi.
** The feds shut down sand berm dredging off the Louisiana coast.
** The president continues to hit the golf course, ball games, hold BBQ’s and party while the crude oil washes up on shore.

Here’s a time-lapse look at the oil spill disaster from space:

But, it didn’t have to be this way…
The Dutch offered to help two days after the disaster back in April and they have the technology and equipment that would have prevented any oil from reaching shore. But the Obama Administration turned them down due to EPA regulations.
The Financial Post reported, via Instapundit:

Some are attuned to the possibility of looming catastrophe and know how to head it off. Others are unprepared for risk and even unable to get their priorities straight when risk turns to reality.

The Dutch fall into the first group. Three days after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began on April 20, the Netherlands offered the U.S. government ships equipped to handle a major spill, one much larger than the BP spill that then appeared to be underway. “Our system can handle 400 cubic metres per hour,” Weird Koops, the chairman of Spill Response Group Holland, told Radio Netherlands Worldwide, giving each Dutch ship more cleanup capacity than all the ships that the U.S. was then employing in the Gulf to combat the spill.

To protect against the possibility that its equipment wouldn’t capture all the oil gushing from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, the Dutch also offered to prepare for the U.S. a contingency plan to protect Louisiana’s marshlands with sand barriers. One Dutch research institute specializing in deltas, coastal areas and rivers, in fact, developed a strategy to begin building 60-mile-long sand dikes within three weeks. . . .

Why does neither the U.S. government nor U.S. energy companies have on hand the cleanup technology available in Europe? Ironically, the superior European technology runs afoul of U.S. environmental rules. The voracious Dutch vessels, for example, continuously suck up vast quantities of oily water, extract most of the oil and then spit overboard vast quantities of nearly oil-free water. Nearly oil-free isn’t good enough for the U.S. regulators, who have a standard of 15 parts per million — if water isn’t at least 99.9985% pure, it may not be returned to the Gulf of Mexico. . . .

The Americans, overwhelmed by the catastrophic consequences of the BP spill, finally relented and took the Dutch up on their offer — but only partly. Because the U.S. didn’t want Dutch ships working the Gulf, the U.S. airlifted the Dutch equipment to the Gulf and then retrofitted it to U.S. vessels. And rather than have experienced Dutch crews immediately operate the oil-skimming equipment, to appease labour unions the U.S. postponed the clean-up operation to allow U.S. crews to be trained.

A catastrophe that could have been averted is now playing out.

This is criminal negligence.
And clearly the fault lies with the Obama Administration.
It’s a good thing the state-run media ignores these facts.

Change!
Whoever thought just six months ago that a Republican would out-poll both Senator John Kerry and Barack Obama… in MASSACHUSETTS?

Republican Scott Brown is now the most popular politica figure in Massachusetts. (Daily Mail photo)

The Boston Globe reported:

US Senator Scott Brown, who only months ago was a little-known figure even within the tiny band of Republicans in the state Senate, not only catapulted to national stature with his upset US Senate victory, but is today the most popular officeholder in Massachusetts, according to a Boston Globe poll.

After less than five months in Washington, Brown outpolls such Democratic stalwarts as President Obama and US Senator John F. Kerry in popularity, the poll indicates. He gets high marks not only from Republicans, but even a plurality of Democrats views him favorably.

The support for Brown, whose victory became a symbol of voter anger, is consistent with widespread sentiment that incumbents in Massachusetts and Washington “need to be replaced with a new crop of leaders.’’ That statement was supported by 50 percent of those polled, while 28 percent said they trust the incumbents.

Yet there’s one surprising consolation for Bay State Democrats who hope to defuse the voter backlash. When asked whether they will vote for a Democrat or Republican in their own congressional district in November, 42 percent of likely voters say they will vote for the Democrat and 27 percent will vote Republican.

Our radical president told reporters at the G20 meetings in Canada yesterday that,
“Global recovery requires a level playing field.”

The leftists probably thought this was brilliant. The rest of us understand that it is a meaningless statement except for the fact that it confirms his socialist bent.

Obama believes an equal playing field will lift the world from the global recession.
How?
Reuters reported:

President Barack Obama said on Sunday it was important for global growth that there be a level playing field, and that involves market-driven currency policies.

Obama also mentioned China’s move toward more currency flexibility at a news conference at the close of the Group of 20 summit in Canada.

“A strong and durable recovery also requires countries not having an undue advantage. So we also discussed the need for currencies that are market-driven,” Obama said. “As I told President Hu yesterday, the United States welcomes China’s decision to allow its currency to appreciate in response to market forces.”

Real Clear Politics has the video.

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez (R) speaks as Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad listens during a ceremony where the two countries signed an economic agreement at Miraflores Palace in Caracas June 26, 2010. Assad is on a rare visit to Latin America aimed at extending Syria’s diplomatic reach after emerging from Western isolation, and attracting investment for his country’s ageing infrastructure. (Reuters)

Leftist hero and Marxist Hugo Chavez lashed out at “genocidal” government of Israel and the United States this weekend.
The AP reported:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced Israel as a “genocidal” government on Sunday as he hosted Syrian President Bashar Assad on his first visit to Latin America.

Chavez has drawn close to Syria and Iran, and cut ties with Israel last year to protest its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

“We have common enemies,” Chavez said, describing them as “the Yankee empire, the genocidal state of Israel.”

Chavez had particularly strong words for Israel throughout Assad’s visit. He reiterated his view Saturday that the Golan Heights – captured from Syria by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war – should one day be returned to Syria.

“Someday the genocidal state of Israel will be put in its place, in the proper place and hopefully a real democratic state will be born,” Chavez said Saturday. “But it has become the murderous arm of the Yankee empire – who can doubt it? – which threatens all of us.”

Assad on Sunday called Israel a state “based on crime, slaughter.”

“It’s a state without limits,” he said through an interpreter.

Democratic Leader – Filibustered Civil Rights Act
Senator Robert Byrd, former Democratic majority leader and kleagle, dies at 92. For some reason the AP forgot to mention that he was a recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan.
The AP reported:

Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, a fiery orator versed in the classics and a hard-charging power broker who steered billions of federal dollars to the state of his Depression-era upbringing, died Monday. He was 92.

A spokesman for the family, Jesse Jacobs, said Byrd died peacefully at about 3 a.m. at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Va. He had been in the hospital since late last week.

At first Byrd was believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration, but other medical conditions developed. He had been in frail health for several years.

Byrd, a Democrat, was the longest-serving senator in history, holding his seat for more than 50 years. He was the Senate’s majority leader for six of those years and was third in the line of succession to the presidency, behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a fellow West Virginian in the Senate, said it was his “greatest privilege” to serve with Byrd.

“I looked up to him, I fought next to him, and I am deeply saddened that he is gone,” Rockefeller said.

In comportment and style, Byrd often seemed a Senate throwback to a courtlier 19th century. He could recite poetry, quote the Bible, discuss the Constitutional Convention and detail the Peloponnesian Wars — and frequently did in Senate debates…

Byrd’s accomplishments followed a childhood of poverty in West Virginia, and his success on the national stage came despite a complicated history on racial matters. As a young man, he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan for a brief period, and he joined Southern Democrats in an unsuccessful filibuster against the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act.

He will be missed.
Our prayers are with his family and friends today.

UPDATE: As expected, the state-run media is jumping through hoops trying to ignore the former senator’s KKK past.

Longest Serving Member of Senate – Ku Klux Klan Recruiter
Senator Robert Byrd, former Democratic majority leader and kleagle, dies at 92. For some reason the AP forgot to mention that he was a recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan.
The AP reported:

Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, a fiery orator versed in the classics and a hard-charging power broker who steered billions of federal dollars to the state of his Depression-era upbringing, died Monday. He was 92.

A spokesman for the family, Jesse Jacobs, said Byrd died peacefully at about 3 a.m. at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Va. He had been in the hospital since late last week.

At first Byrd was believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration, but other medical conditions developed. He had been in frail health for several years.

Byrd, a Democrat, was the longest-serving senator in history, holding his seat for more than 50 years. He was the Senate’s majority leader for six of those years and was third in the line of succession to the presidency, behind House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a fellow West Virginian in the Senate, said it was his “greatest privilege” to serve with Byrd.

“I looked up to him, I fought next to him, and I am deeply saddened that he is gone,” Rockefeller said.

In comportment and style, Byrd often seemed a Senate throwback to a courtlier 19th century. He could recite poetry, quote the Bible, discuss the Constitutional Convention and detail the Peloponnesian Wars — and frequently did in Senate debates…

Byrd’s accomplishments followed a childhood of poverty in West Virginia, and his success on the national stage came despite a complicated history on racial matters. As a young man, he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan for a brief period, and he joined Southern Democrats in an unsuccessful filibuster against the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act.

He will be missed.
Our prayers are with his family and friends today.

In 2008 Barack Obama admitted during an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle that his cap and trade legislation would cause electricity prices to skyrocket and would kill the coal industry:

Now it begins…
The Obama Administration just killed 1,000 American jobs in the coal industry.
JS Online reported:

Up to 1,000 jobs at Bucyrus International Inc. and its suppliers could be in jeopardy as the result of a decision by the U.S. Export-Import Bank, funded by Congress, to deny several hundred million dollars in loan guarantees to a coal-fired power plant and mine in India.

About 300 of those jobs are at the Bucyrus plant in South Milwaukee, where the company has 1,410 employees and its headquarters. The remaining jobs are spread across 13 states, including Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana.

On Thursday, the Export-Import Bank denied financing for Reliance Power Ltd., an Indian power plant company, effectively wiping out about $600 million in coal mining equipment sales for Bucyrus, chief executive Tim Sullivan said.

The fossil fuel project was the first to come before the government-run bank since it adopted a climate-change policy to settle a lawsuit and to meet Obama administration directives.

“President Obama has made clear his administration’s commitment to transition away from high-carbon investments and toward a cleaner-energy future,” Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg said in a statement. “After careful deliberation, the Export-Import Bank board voted not to proceed with this project because of the projected adverse environmental impact.”

November can’t come soon enough.

Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias was subpoenaed to testify in the Rod Blagojevich trial.
CBS2 Chicago reported:

First it was President Barack Obama, then White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, now U.S. Senate Candidate Alexi Giannoulias is joining the Rod Blagojevich corruption trial subpoena list.

Giannoulias is in the middle of a hard fought campaign against Congressman Mark Kirk for the right to fill the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Obama.

So there’s no doubt that being dragged into the Blagojevich trial is not welcome news for the Democratic candidate’s campaign.

The first term state treasurer was walking in Sunday’s Gay Pride Parade when CBS 2 caught up with him.

When asked what he’ll be testifying about, Giannoulias said he probably won’t be testifying. Why not?

It was a difficult weekend for America’s far left president. The G8 nations snubbed Obama on his attempt to push for more irresponsible government spending. The Europeans rejected Obama’s spend your way to prosperity Keynesian economic recovery plan.

However, today at a press conference Obama insisted that he was serious about reducing the deficit:

Barack Obama tripled the US deficit his first year in office.

He will likely match that deficit this year.

A top-ranking official in Hamas said Friday that the terror group is holding talks with the Obama Administration. They want to keep the meetings secret for fear it would rouse the Jewish lobby in the United States.
YNet News reported:

A senior Hamas figure said Friday that official and unofficial US sources have asked the Islamist group to refrain from making any statements regarding contacts with Washington, this following reports that a senior American official is due to arrive in an Arab country in the coming days to relay a telegram from the Obama Administration.

The Hamas figure told the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper that the Americans fear discussing the talks publicly would “rouse the Jewish lobby and other pressure groups in the US and cause them to pressure the administration to suspend all talks with Hamas.”

The Hamas figure, who is close to Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the government in Gaza, added, “This is a sensitive subject. The Americans don’t want anyone to comment on it because this would catch the attention of pressure groups (in the US) and cause problems.”

He said Hamas’ exiled leadership in Damascus is overseeing the contacts behind closed doors.

Related… A senior Israeli diplomat has warned that the Jewish state’s relationship with the United States has suffered a “tectonic rift”.

It’s Day 68 of the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster–
The oil continues to leak- The Obama Administration and federal government continue to fail.

** The feds have only accepted assistance from 5 of 28 countries.
** It took the Obama Administration 53 days to accept help from the Dutch and British.
** It took them 58 days to mobilize the US military to the Gulf.
** The feds shut down crude-sucking barges due to fire extinguisher concerns.
** The Obama Administration ignore oil boom manufacturers that have miles of product stockpiled in their warehouses.
** They only have moved 31 of 2,000 oil skimmers to the disaster area off of Florida.
** Florida hired an additional 5 skimmer boats to operate off its coast due to federal inaction.
** The feds shut down sand berm dredging off the Louisiana coast.
** The president continues to hit the golf course, ball games, hold BBQ’s and party while the crude oil washes up on shore.

Now, we find out that there are no oils skimmers off the coast of Mississippi either.
McClatchy reported:

A morning flight over the Mississippi Sound showed long, wide ribbons of orange-colored oil for as far as the eye could see and acres of both heavy and light sheen moving into the Sound between the barrier islands. What was missing was any sign of skimming operations from Horn Island to Pass Christian.

U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor got off the flight angry.

“It’s criminal what’s going on out there,” Taylor said minutes later. “This doesn’t have to happen.”

A scientist onboard, Mike Carron with the Northern Gulf Institute, said with this scenario, there will be oil on the beaches of the mainland.

“There’s oil in the Sound and there was no skimming,” Carron said. “No coordinated effort.”

Taylor said it was a good thing he didn’t have a mic in the helicopter, because he might have said some things he didn’t want his children to hear.

Remember: Obama told us the Oil Spill Disaster was like 9-11.

In case you were wondering…
Here is the face of a conservative writer for the democratic-media complex:
Dave Weigel holds a “Teabag Them Before They Teabag You” doll.

Hat Tip Tim L.

It’s even on his Wikipedia page:

Maybe that’s why the WaPo was so impressed with him?

Truth Czar Liz Cheney explained to the panel on FOX News Sunday that Barack Obama’s disastrous economic policies and “binge spending” have become a national security threat.

Liz Cheney:

“I think you’re getting very close to a situation where the president’s economic policies are becoming a national security threat to the country.

And, I think you will see that clearly play out in the elections in November, people focus, not just from a political standpoint of getting more Republican seats, but electing people who are willing to stand up and stop what seems to be an illogical, unjustifiable spending binge.”

On Friday it was discovered that Dave Weigel, The Washington Post’s contributor on conservative issues, was also a member of “Journolist”, an exclusive leftist email list-serv.  Weigel resigned from The Washington Post after his association with this far left group that frames the talking points and steers the message of the democratic-media complex was revealed.

Sung Chun Kim wrote in about this controversy at Instapundit Blog:

Why is no one calling for the outing of the 400 JournoList members and an investigation of whether there were any other attempts to collude and to coordinate the media narrative? Is no else as disturbed by this as I am? We’re constantly told that the media are special, that they’re the Fourth Estate, and that their proper functioning is vital to the health of the Republic. Well, is no one else profoundly disturbed that no one is watching the watchers? Or that the watchers are actually colluding in a virtual smoke-filled back room to massage and frame the narrative?

Imagine if a conservative listserv were discovered, and that it included Rupert Murdoch and 400 conservative pundits and journalists. Imagine if it were disclosed that the participants actively discussed coordination in framing stories so as to benefit the Republican Party. Do you think there would be a ho hum “Oh, it was just a private list” response? Of course not, the liberals would be howling to the rafters about the existential threat to the Republic.

So why all the frivolity here? Even now, the Weigel story is breaking down into stupid distractions like whether Weigel actually wished death on Drudge, or whether people on a listserv have an expectation of privacy. Seriously, why is that even remotely important compared to the fact that 400 of this nation’s most prominent journalists and pundits were having discusions about killing or promoting stories based on whether they hurt the Democratic Party agenda? If there is any justice or sanity in this world, this should be bigger than ClimateGate. I want to see an archive of the JournoList postings and then compare them to any contemporaneous stories written by participants. Once that is done, we can tar and feather the bastards for betraying their profession and the people of this country.

More… Dale B. M. sent this:

The fourth estate has now become the fifth column. Fellow travelers. Marxist-socialists in word and deed. I would encourage everyone to watch an old TV series that is being re-broadcast on the Military Channel. It’s called the World at War. No re-enactment, just real-time footage of WWII and examination of events surrounding it. One segment entitled Occupation details the process of invasion and corruption of a free nation, Holland. Another segment, A New Germany, is also of great value. They are frightening and for that reason alone beneficial to all of us today.

Barack Obama’s father figure and mentor Rev. Jeremiah Wright has a history of bashing Jews and whitey.

It’s not just his sermons that are offensive. Wright also told reporters last year, “Them Jews aren’t going to let him talk to me.”

Last week in a class he teaches at the University of Chicago, Wright was out bashing whitey and Jews some more…
And, the students even earned college credits for attending his racist rant!
The New York Post reported:

He’s been keeping such a low profile since nearly derailing Barack Obama’s campaign for president in 2008 — is it possible that the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright has mellowed?

Hardly.

During a five-day seminar Wright taught last week at the University of Chicago, he was back at it, claiming that whites and Jews are controlling the flow of worldwide information and oppressing blacks in Israel and America.

“White folk done took this country,” Wright said. “You’re in their home, and they’re gonna let you know it.”

The course, advertised as focusing on politics and public policy in South Africa and America, was taught in a small, ground-floor room at the Chicago Theological Seminary on the university campus, where Wright’s voice echoed out an open window. The class was composed of about 15 to 20 students, mainly older African-American women who would arrive early and giddily linger during lunch breaks and after class, looking for the reverend’s attention. (The course cost a little over $1,000 if taken for college credit and $300 if taken without.)

“Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect,” Obama said.

Yet during this course — which was described as asking, “What is the response and public witness of persons of faith to ongoing developments in both countries?” — Wright made many statements about what he believes are the true aims of whites and Jews.

“You are not now, nor have you ever been, nor will you ever be a brother to white folk,” he said. “And if you do not realize that, you are in serious trouble.”

He cited the writings of Bill Jones — author of the book “Is God a White Racist?” — as proof that white people cannot be trusted. “Bill said, ‘They just killed four of their own at Kent State. They’ll step on you like a cockroach and keep on movin’, cause you not a brother to them.’ ”

Wright referred to Italians as “Mamma Luigi” and “pizzeria.” He said the educational system in America is designed by whites to miseducate blacks “not by benign neglect but by malignant intent.”

Prince Harry is visiting the United States and training at West Point.
Today the popular and patriotic Prince Harry threw out the first pitch at the Pond Scum New York Mets game:

The Obama White House should call him in for lessons.

Harry recently told reporters he wants to return to fight in Afghanistan.

Barack Obama is the worst president in history on job creation–
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. shed 2.3 million jobs since February 2009, Obama’s first full month in office. Since Obama’s election in 2008, the US economy has shed 4.4 million jobs. That’s worse than Herbert Hoover.

(Misery Index data)

Joe Biden announced on Friday that the Obama Administration will not be able to replace the jobs that were lost during the recent recession.
CBS News reported:

Vice President Joe Biden gave a stark assessment of the economy today, telling an audience of supporters, “there’s no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession.”

Appearing at a fundraiser with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) in Milwaukee, the vice president remarked that by the time he and President Obama took office in 2008, the gross domestic product had shrunk and hundreds of thousands of jobs had been lost.

“We inherited a godawful mess,” he said, adding there was “no way to regenerate $3 trillion that was lost. Not misplaced, lost.”

Claims for jobless benefits fell by the largest number in two months last week, but were still high enough to signal weak job growth. Meanwhile, the Senate on Thursday failed to pass an extension of unemployment benefits.

Biden said today the economy is improving and noted that in the past four quarters, there has been 4 percent growth in the economy. Over the last five months, more than 500,000 private sector jobs were created.

For the record… Not only were more jobs lost after the 9-11 attacks in 2001 than in the 2008 market crash, but more jobs were created by President Bush’s pro-business policies and tax cuts than by the Obama-Pelosi “spend your way to hell” Keynesian failure.

UPDATE: Power Line added this on the Obama disaster:

Graph courtesy of Veronique de Rugy at The Corner.
— Since the beginning of the recession (roughly January 2008), some 7.9 million jobs were lost in the private sector while 590,000 jobs were gained in the public one. And since the passage of the stimulus bill (February 2009), over 2.6 million private jobs were lost, but the government workforce grew by 400,000.
That’s what you call a disaster.

After several backroom deals and bribes, Nancy Pelosi was able to ram the democrat’s campaign finance bill through the US House this week. It excludes unions.
Mark Levin weighed in on the dem’s latest controversial piece of legislation.
Via FOX Nation:

Of course, this is not surprising. We’re getting used to these slimy tactics by the Pelosi-Reid democrats.
The Politico reported:

Overcoming opposition from within their own ranks, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic House leaders pushed through a controversial campaign finance reform bill Thursday on a 219-206 vote.

The DISCLOSE — Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Election — Act will require corporations, labor unions, trade associations and advocacy groups to publicly declare their role in TV ads or mass mailings during the closing months of a political campaign, including where the money is coming from to pay for such activities. Foreign-controlled corporations and big government contractors would also be barred from paying for such political activities.

But the House bill exempts the National Rifle Association, unions and other special interests from all or part of the legislation, which Republicans charged was the product of “backroom deals” and Democrats said was necessary to get the bill passed. Floor debate over the bill was heated, with each side accusing the other of acting in bad faith and using the fight to advance its own partisan agenda.

GOP leaders said the legislation would be declared unconstitutional by the federal courts if it is enacted. But the bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate before that could happen.

Republican star Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) gave the GOP Weekly Address today:

From the video:

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) says Washington Democrats’ unprecedented decision to cancel this year’s budget will wreak havoc on our economy and make it even harder to put people back to work.

The House Budget Committee’s top Republican, Ryan says Democrats’ plan to continue their out-of-control ’stimulus’ spending spree and raise taxes on middle-class families is a “recipe for disaster.”

He also challenges President Obama and Washington Democrats to stop running out the clock and “make the tough choices they promised they would, put moral obligation before political expedience, and focus on what’s in the best interests of the next generation, not the next election.”

With economists saying immediate fiscal discipline is needed to create jobs, Ryan notes that Republicans have already identified $1.3 trillion in specific spending cuts that could be implemented right now.

Rep. Ryan is in his sixth term representing the people of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District.

What a shock…
Local reporters from FOX 40 in California bash Sarah Palin after her speech at St. Stanislaus in California:
Via Breitbart TV:

Following a live feed of Sarah Palin’s speech at Cal State Stanislaus, reporters are caught openly trashing the former Vice Presidential candidate. The audio went out on the live feed supplied by Fox 40.

The American men take on Ghana today at 2:30 PM EST.

Here’s the starting lineups.

USA- USA – USA!
The World Cup viewership is up 68% this year in the US.

UPDATE: Bummer. The US lost in OT.
There’s always 2014 right?

Joe “Bite-Me” Biden traveled to Wisconsin yesterday to campaign with far left Progressive Russ Feingold (D-WI). Smokin Joe ordered a custard at a popular custard stand in Glendale during one of their stops. When Biden asked Kopp’s Frozen Custard stand owner how much he owed him, the owner responded,

“Nothing, just lower our taxes.”

Fat chance.
An embarrassed Joe Biden ignored him and walked away.
WISN 12 News reported:

A spokesman for the GOP responded to the VP’s visit:

“Vice President Biden probably decided not to take questions today because he didn’t want to fess up as to why Wisconsin has lost over 73,000 jobs since the stimulus was enacted.”

Ouch.
Hat Tip Jim S.

UPDATE: Biden told the small business owner, “Say something nice instead of being a smarta$$ all the time.”

A Pakistani terror suspect was arrested in Zimbabwe after he tried to cross into World Cup host state South Africa. Imran Muhammad is a suspect in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks where 173 innocents were killed in coordinated attacks.
The Age reported:

A Pakistani suspect in the 2008 Mumbai attacks has been arrested in Zimbabwe as he tried to cross into World Cup host South Africa, police and state media say.

Imran Muhammad, 33, was arrested at the Beitbridge border post along with another Pakistani national, the state-run Herald newspaper reported on Saturday, saying Muhammad was wanted for the Mumbai attacks.

“Indications were that… Muhammad (is) wanted in Pakistan (as he) was allegedly involved in the terror attacks that rocked Mumbai, India in November 2008,” the daily said.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said the two were arrested on June 20 after they were found using fake Kenyan passports.

“Investigations are still being carried out through Interpol to see who these people are,” he told AFP.

“We will have to get information from the Pakistani authorities to see what they have on these two.”

Hat Tip K. Solomon

Republican Brian Sandoval leads Democrat Rory Reid (who is afraid to use his last name in political ads) by 18 percentage points in the Nevada Governor’s race.
Rasmussen reported:

Republican Brian Sandoval continues to hold a lead of more than 20 points over Democrat Rory Reid in Nevada’s race for governor.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state shows Sandoval with 55% support, while Reid earns 33% of the vote. Eight percent (8%) favor some other candidate in the race, and four percent (4%) are undecided.

The numbers in this race have scarcely moved since February. Two weeks ago, just after Sandoval’s GOP Primary win, he held a 54% to 31% lead over Reid, currently chairman of the Clark County Board of Commissioners.

Barack Obama’s first words at G8 Summit- “You’ve got a lot of golf courses here, don’t you?”
The National Post reported:

When US President Barack Obama stepped off his helicopter in Huntsville on Friday, the first thing he said was, “You’ve got a lot of golf courses here, don’t you?” Industry Minister Tony Clement told the National Post in an exclusive interview.

“I told him, ‘We would really recommend and love it if you could come back here with Michelle and the kids at some point — we think you’d really love it here,’” Minister Clement said on the sidewalk of Huntsville’s Main Street, in his home riding. “I think I’ve planted a seed in the President’s mind.”

Minister Clement said he personally welcomed each of the G8 leaders — with the exception of French President Nicolas Sarkozy — all of whom commented on the natural beauty of the region, which they observed during their airborne travels over cottage country.

The Mexican teen shot and killed by border patrol agents in El Paso was a most wanted juvenile immigrant smuggler list. Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca had been arrested at least four times since 2008.

The Mexican government has requested a quick and public investigation into the fatal shooting at the border between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca was shot during a rock-throwing incident, Mexican and U.S. officials said.

FOX News reported:

A 15-year-old Mexican boy shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent was among El Paso’s most wanted juvenile immigrant smugglers, according to federal arrest records reviewed by The Associated Press.

The records show Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca had been arrested at least four times since 2008 and twice in the same week in February 2009 on suspicion of smuggling illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border. Hernandez was repeatedly arrested along the U.S. side of the border near downtown El Paso, not far from where he was killed, but was never charged with a crime by federal prosecutors.

A Border Patrol agent shot and killed Hernandez June 7 while trying to arrest illegal immigrants crossing the muddy bed of the Rio Grande. Some witnesses said a group of people on the Mexican side were throwing rocks at the agents. Agents are generally permitted to use lethal force against rock throwers.

The records show that in at least one case Hernandez was to be paid $50 a person for smuggling four people into the U.S.

The records also show that in one case, federal prosecutors declined to charge Hernandez because there were no “extenuating circumstances or endangerment.”

Brewer-Christie 2012–
Governor Jan Brewer (R-AZ) met with President Obama on June 3rd to discuss our broken border with Mexico. President Obama promised he’d get back with her in two weeks. He didn’t. He blew her off. But, she did find out from Ecuadorean TV that his administration planned to sue her state. In the meantime, the federal government has ceded three southern Arizona counties to the Mexican drug cartel due to violence and smuggling.

Today she released her latest ad slamming the president again for failing to do his job:

Once again Jan Brewer outdid herself.
This is just her latest magnificent ad that pummels the president for failing the American people.
Jan Brewer, you are an American hero.

Here’s a look at the counties that are now off limits to American citizens:

Wow! What a great video– Americans go nuts after Landon Donovan’s golden goal on Wednesday against Algeria at the World Cup.
You’ve gotta love it–

It’s moments like this that must drive the radical far left America-haters crazy.
No matter how hard they try to destoy this great nation with their movies, textbooks, legislation and lies, they just can’t erase the sense of American pride we all feel in our hearts during moments like this one.
USA – USA – USA

And, the Obama Administration looked the other way.

The cartoon is self-explanatory, via the Iranian website Rooz Online.

The Green Revolution
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting on June 13, 2009. All three opposition candidates claimed that the votes were manipulated and the election was rigged, and candidates Mohsen Rezaee and Mousavi have lodged official complaints. Mousavi announced that he “won’t surrender to this manipulation” before lodging an official appeal against the result to the Guardian Council on June 14. Police and the Basij, a paramilitary group suppressed both peaceful demonstrating and rioting using batons, pepper spray, sticks and, in some cases, firearms. The Iranian government has confirmed the deaths of 36 people during the protests,[48] while unconfirmed reports by supporters of Mousavi allege that there have been at least 72 deaths (twice as many) in the three months following the disputed election

Iranian patriot Neda Agha-Soltan was shot dead on the street at a Tehran protest one year ago.

And the Obama Administration remained silent for days as the people lay bloody in the streets.

Thanks to ALL of you who sent messages on the Malware-Virus warning.

First Things website had a Malware attack today. We are working on the problem now. The warning messages should go away by tomorrow afternoon. We have removed the ad script that was causing the problem so there is no chance that you will get an infected browser. It looks like if you run Internet Explorer you won’t see the warning messages but, with Chrome, Safari or Firefox you will still see the messages.
By the way, the attack came from China.

UPDATE: The Anchoress has more.

What an absolute stunner.
Dave Weigel, The Washington Post’s contributor on conservative issues, was also a member of “Journolist”, an exclusive leftist email list-serv.
The Daily Caller reported:

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh famously said he hoped President Obama would “fail” in January, 2009. Almost a year later, when Limbaugh was rushed to the hospital with chest pains, Washington Post reporter David Weigel had a wish of his own. “I hope he fails,” Weigel cracked to fellow liberal reporters on the “Journolist” email list-serv.

“Too soon?” he wondered.

Weigel was hired this spring by the Post to cover the conservative movement. Almost from the beginning there have been complaints that his coverage betrays a personal animus toward conservatives. E-mails obtained by the Daily Caller suggest those complaints have merit.

“Honestly, it’s been tough to find fresh angles sometimes–how many times can I report that these [tea party] activists are joyfully signing up with the agenda of discredited right-winger X and discredited right-wing group Y?” Weigel lamented in one February email.

Dave Weigel resigned today from The Washington Post.
…Maybe they can get commie Rosie O’Donnell to comment on conservative issues?

UPDATE: The WaPo’s Ombudsman admitted today that the Post had lost its standing among conservatives.
Actually, it lost its standing among conservatives years ago. Today’s news just confirmed what we all already knew.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected Barack Obama’s request today after arriving in Toronto for the G20 meetings. Merkel told reporters that, “We need growth that doesn’t rely on debt.” This was in response to Barack Obama who sent a letter to G20 leaders last week urging them to continue to run massive budget deficits in order to “keep economic growth strong.”
GDP growth was revised downward today.

Canada’s Prime minister Stephen Harper (L) welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) at the G8 summit in Hunstville, Ontario today. (AFP)

The AFP reported:

“We need growth that doesn’t rely on debt but is based on real grounds,” Merkel insisted here Friday.

“The world needs a new architecture for the financial markets and me and the EU will advertise for that very intensively,” she added.

More… Via Instapundit:

TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama is refusing to listen to reason on economic policy. “As it happens, the public debt trajectory is rather worse in the US than it is in Europe, yet Obama has adopted an overtly ’spend until we are broke’ approach in a calculated bid for growth and votes.”

It looks like the rest of the world is not buying into Obama’s Keynesian disaster plan. It could be a long weekend for the president.

More… Admiral Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs, agrees with Merkel- “Adm. Mike Mullen also renewed his warning that the nation’s debt is the biggest threat to U.S. national security.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected Barack Obama’s request today after arriving in Toronto for the G20 meetings. Merkel told reporters that, “We need growth that doesn’t rely on debt.” This was in response to Barack Obama who sent a letter to G20 leaders last week urging them to continue to run massive budget deficits in order to “keep economic growth strong.”
GDP growth was revised downward today.

Canada’s Prime minister Stephen Harper (L) welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) at the G8 summit in Hunstville, Ontario today. (AFP)

The AFP reported:

“We need growth that doesn’t rely on debt but is based on real grounds,” Merkel insisted here Friday.

“The world needs a new architecture for the financial markets and me and the EU will advertise for that very intensively,” she added.

More… Via Instapundit:

TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama is refusing to listen to reason on economic policy. “As it happens, the public debt trajectory is rather worse in the US than it is in Europe, yet Obama has adopted an overtly ’spend until we are broke’ approach in a calculated bid for growth and votes.”

It looks like the rest of the world is not buying into Obama’s Keynesian disaster plan. It could be a long weekend for the president.

More… Admiral Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs, agrees with Merkel- “Adm. Mike Mullen also renewed his warning that the nation’s debt is the biggest threat to U.S. national security.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected Barack Obama’s request today after arriving in Toronto for the G20 meetings. Merkel told reporters that, “We need growth that doesn’t rely on debt.” This was in response to Barack Obama who sent a letter to G20 leaders last week urging them to continue to run massive budget deficits in order to “keep economic growth strong.”
GDP growth was revised downward today.

Canada’s Prime minister Stephen Harper (L) welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) at the G8 summit in Hunstville, Ontario today. (AFP)

The AFP reported:

“We need growth that doesn’t rely on debt but is based on real grounds,” Merkel insisted here Friday.

“The world needs a new architecture for the financial markets and me and the EU will advertise for that very intensively,” she added.

More… Via Instapundit:

TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama is refusing to listen to reason on economic policy. “As it happens, the public debt trajectory is rather worse in the US than it is in Europe, yet Obama has adopted an overtly ’spend until we are broke’ approach in a calculated bid for growth and votes.”

It looks like the rest of the world is not buying into Obama’s Keynesian disaster plan. It could be a long weekend for the president.

More… Admiral Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs, agrees with Merkel- “Adm. Mike Mullen also renewed his warning that the nation’s debt is the biggest threat to U.S. national security.”

Chris Dodd told reporters this about his financial takeover bill today:

“No one will know until this is actually in place how it works. But we believe we’ve done something that has been needed for a long time. It took a crisis to bring us to the point where we could actually get this job done.”

Let’s see… Where have we heard that line before?

What a nightmare.
Today’s piece of socialist trash passed through committee on straight party lines. House negotiators voted a party line 20-11 in favor of the final agreement; senators voted 7-5.

Chris Dodd told reporters this about his financial takeover bill today:

“No one will know until this is actually in place how it works. But we believe we’ve done something that has been needed for a long time. It took a crisis to bring us to the point where we could actually get this job done.”

Let’s see… Where have we heard that line before?

What a nightmare.
Today’s piece of socialist trash passed through committee on straight party lines. House negotiators voted a party line 20-11 in favor of the final agreement; senators voted 7-5.

Chris Dodd told reporters this about his financial takeover bill today:

“No one will know until this is actually in place how it works. But we believe we’ve done something that has been needed for a long time. It took a crisis to bring us to the point where we could actually get this job done.”

Let’s see… Where have we heard that line before?

What a nightmare.
Today’s piece of socialist trash passed through committee on straight party lines. House negotiators voted a party line 20-11 in favor of the final agreement; senators voted 7-5.

It looks like McChrystal’s resignation may be a blessing in disguise…
General Petraeus will likely modify the controversial rules of engagement and make it easier for U.S. troops to engage in combat with the enemy according to a source close to the general.

In this March 1, 2008 file photo, Gen. David H. Petraeus, commanding general of Multi-National Force – Iraq, talks with a group of Iraqi boys at the Al Zawra Stadium in the Karkh District of west Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. James Hunter, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs. (MNF-Iraq)

FOX News reported:

A military source close to Gen. David Petraeus told Fox News that one of the first things the general will do when he takes over in Afghanistan is to modify the controversial rules of engagement to make it easier for U.S. troops to engage in combat with the enemy.

Troops on the ground and some military commanders have said the strict rules — aimed at preventing civilian casualties — have effectively forced the troops to fight with one hand tied behind their backs.

Petraeus spokesman Col. Eric Gunhus pushed back on the claim Friday, telling Fox News it’s too soon to tell whether Petraeus would change the current rules. But he said it is one of many issues he’ll take under consideration during his assessment after he’s confirmed and after he takes over command in Afghanistan.

Any adjustment to the rules of engagement does not mean the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan will change. President Obama stressed Wednesday — after he accepted Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resignation in the wake of a magazine article in which he and his staff were critical of the administration — that the change-up does not represent a shift in war policy.

Look for liberal heads to explode any second now.

It looks like McChrystal’s resignation may be a blessing in disguise…
General Petraeus will likely modify the controversial rules of engagement and make it easier for U.S. troops to engage in combat with the enemy according to a source close to the general.

In this March 1, 2008 file photo, Gen. David H. Petraeus, commanding general of Multi-National Force – Iraq, talks with a group of Iraqi boys at the Al Zawra Stadium in the Karkh District of west Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. James Hunter, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs. (MNF-Iraq)

FOX News reported:

A military source close to Gen. David Petraeus told Fox News that one of the first things the general will do when he takes over in Afghanistan is to modify the controversial rules of engagement to make it easier for U.S. troops to engage in combat with the enemy.

Troops on the ground and some military commanders have said the strict rules — aimed at preventing civilian casualties — have effectively forced the troops to fight with one hand tied behind their backs.

Petraeus spokesman Col. Eric Gunhus pushed back on the claim Friday, telling Fox News it’s too soon to tell whether Petraeus would change the current rules. But he said it is one of many issues he’ll take under consideration during his assessment after he’s confirmed and after he takes over command in Afghanistan.

Any adjustment to the rules of engagement does not mean the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan will change. President Obama stressed Wednesday — after he accepted Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resignation in the wake of a magazine article in which he and his staff were critical of the administration — that the change-up does not represent a shift in war policy.

Look for liberal heads to explode any second now.

The state-run media praised Barack Obama today after he helped broker a deal among democratic members of Congress on their financial overhaul bill. Obama said he got 90% of what he wanted in the democratic “negotiations.” This, of course, means that it’s likely another radical piece of socialist trash that will give government more power and control over your life.

From reading the AP report you would think this was a great bipartisan effort for Team Obama. It’s not until the 12th and final paragraph that you discover that NO REPUBLICANS supported the democrat’s latest radical piece of legislation.

President Barack Obama declared victory Friday after congressional negotiators reached a dawn agreement on a sweeping overhaul of rules overseeing Wall Street.

Lawmakers shook hands on the compromise legislation at 5:39 a.m. after Obama administration officials helped broker a deal that cracked the last impediment to the bill — a proposal to force banks to spin off their lucrative derivatives trading business. The legislation touches on an exhaustive range of financial transactions, from a debit card swipe at a supermarket to the most complex securities deals cut in downtown Manhattan.

Speaking to reporters as he left the White House to attend an economic summit of world leaders in Canada, the president said he was gratified by Congress’ work and said the deal included 90 percent of what he had proposed. He said the bill, forged in the aftermath of the 2008 financial meltdown, represents the toughest financial overhaul since the Great Depression.

“We’ve all seen what happens when there is inadequate oversight and insufficient transparency on Wall Street,” he said. “The reforms working their way through Congress will hold Wall Street accountable so we can help prevent another financial crisis like the one that we’re still recovering from.”

…(paragraph 12) House negotiators voted a party line 20-11 in favor of the final agreement; senators voted 7-5, also along party lines.

That’s what you call hard-hitting journalism in the Age of Obama.

The democratic bill fails to even touch Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

I am really looking forward to speaking at the Las Cruces Independence Day Picnic and Tea Party on July 3, 2010.

I will be joined by Bart Trotter, a six-time national champion on the fiddle and Douglas Coyle who will speak on “Christianity and the Constitution.”

The event will be held at Young Park from 10 AM until 3 PM.
1905 Nevada Avenue
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001

Check This Out– Here is the terrific video the local tea party patriots put together to advertise the Independence Day event:

I was asked to ride on the tea party float in the local parade that morning.
I’m still thinking that one over but am impressed that they actually have a float in the parade!

Hope to see some of you at this patriotic event in Las Cruces!

Top democrats are now raising money for RINO democrat Charlie Crist in his race against conservative Marco Rubio for US Senator representing Florida.
It looks like Marco Rubio was right… He’s running against two democrats, one who admits it and one who doesn’t.

CQ Politics reported:

National Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson organized a conference call last week to promote Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s Senate bid, providing further evidence of the governor’s effort to court support in Democratic circles for his Independent campaign.

The invitation to the Friday morning call was distributed in Democratic lobbying and donor circles.

Crist faces the challenge of amassing the funds necessary to compete in the November election, despite having no personal fortune to draw from and no formal party structure backing his campaign. After bolting the Republican Party earlier this year, Crist is hoping he can now raise big dollars from Democratic donors who may not be totally enthused by their party’s top candidates: Rep. Kendrick Meek and wealthy businessman Jeff Greene.

Florida papers reported Thursday that a recent Crist fundraiser in Tallahassee was hosted by former Democratic state House Speaker T.K. Wetherell and other prominent state Democrats.

“I can assure you that this call will provide you with an opportunity to know the Governor of Florida better, and I am certain you will end up realizing that he is one of the most promising national leaders of our generation,” Jacobson, who served as finance chair at the Democratic National Committee under President Bill Clinton, wrote in an email obtained by Roll Call.

Two federal agencies have cancelled conventions in Arizona due to the state’s new immigration law. The feds cancelled one meeting in Arizona after Mexico announced it would not send a representative to the meeting.
FOX News reported:

Two federal agencies have joined the “boycott Arizona” trend and nixed conferences there out of concern over the state’s immigration law, a Democratic Arizona congresswoman said, calling the development “very troubling.”

Any cancellations by the Department of Education and the U.S. Border Patrol may have been more out of a desire to steer clear of controversy than outright protest of the law. But Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who has written to dozens of cities and groups in a campaign to persuade them to end their boycotts, said it was disturbing to learn that the federal government would withdraw from the state over the issue.

“It is very troubling when the federal government becomes involved in a boycott against our state,” Giffords said in a written statement. “Although I personally disagree with the immigration law, it came about because of growing frustration over the federal government’s unwillingness to secure the border. The federal government’s participation in this boycott only adds to that frustration.”

The Department of Education issued a statement to Fox News confirming that a program administrator, though not the Education Department itself, canceled a 2010 convention “at the request of one of our trilateral partners.”

According to Giffords, the department’s North American Mobility program convention set for October at a Tucson resort was nixed after the Mexican government said it would not send any representatives to the meeting. The department then moved the event to Minnesota.

Radical progressive leader Elena Herrada told attendees at the US Social Forum in Detroit this week that US Border Patrol agents are just like the KKK.
Morgen at Verum Serum reported:

Morgen added this:

I had never heard of Herrada but she is not exactly a nobody. Although she seems to be more of a local activist in Detroit, she has been quoted frequently in national publications on immigrant rights issues, and The NY Times Opinionator blog featured a story from her last June.

And this is not some fringe liberal gathering. The US Social Forum is a MAJOR gathering of radical liberal activists (i.e. socialists), community organizers, and union leaders. Their slogan is “another world is possible, another U.S. is necessary”. Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, and Danny Glover were among those I spotted in other video clips…and I believe Bertha Lewis and Van Jones will be in attendance as well. This could very well be the most important leftist conference this year.

Herrada’s comments in this clip are deplorable and are as good of an example of anti-government incitement as you will find anywhere.

Liberal General Stanley McChrystal, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, banned Michael Yon from embedding in Afghanistan, but allowed a Rolling Stone reporter to roam free.
We all know how well that ended up for the general.

Yesterday, milblogger Michael Yon announced that he was invited to embed with US and British troops in Afghanistan again.

Michael Yon has been invited to embed again by both Great Britain and the US.Michael Yon isn’t a correspondent who sparks a neutral reaction in the reader. You either love him or you don’t. There’s not much of an in-between.

In April Yon’s embed in Afghanistan ended abruptly. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, was in charge and some of Yon’s fans blamed the general. The official reason given was “overcrowding by journalists.”

In a dispatch announcing the change, Yon wrote, “Haven’t seen a journalist in weeks.”

In the preceding month, Yon had pulled no punches in his dispatches, criticizing Canadian Brig. Gen. Daniel Ménard who commanded Task Force Kandahar. Yon took some heat for that one too, until the truth came out.

A court martial found Menard guilty of accidentally firing a weapon while preparing to board a military helicopter in Kandahar—the shot allegedly came close to hitting Canada’s chief of defense as well as military vehicles. Then a female Canadian soldier confessed to having an inappropriate relationship with Ménard. The rest is history.

Yon said in an email: “Insofar as Menard, that guy allowed Tarnak River Bridge to be blown up. Lost Ian Gelig. Halted many operations for DAYS. Lied about it. ND’d with his rifle. Lied about it. Affair with enlisted subordinate… Good grief.”

Yon was speaking of Spc. Ian Gelig who was killed when the bridge was blown up by a suicide bomber. Other soldiers were wounded. Civilians were killed. Arguably, these were preventable deaths.

Not for the first time was Yon, in the face of skepticism, proved correct.

The Marxist Chavez Government seized 11 US oil rigs off its Caribbean coast yesterday. The US company said that Venezuela had owed them $100 million for services. Instead of paying the company Chavez seized control of the rigs.
The AP reported:

Venezuela’s government has seized control of 11 oil rigs owned by U.S. driller Helmerich & Payne, which shut them down because the state oil company was behind on payments.

Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez announced that Venezuela would nationalize the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company’s rigs. He said in a statement Wednesday that Helmerich & Payne had rejected government demands to resume drilling operations for more than a year.

Helmerich & Payne announced in January 2009 that it was stopping operations on two of its drilling rigs, because Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA, owed the company close to $100 million. It said it would shut down the rest of its rigs by the end of July as contracts expired unless PDVSA began to make good on its debts.

The company said Thursday that PDVSA’s debt was $43 million as of June 14.

Referring to Helmerich & Payne, Ramirez said: “There’s a group of drill owners who have refused to discuss service prices and have preferred to have this equipment put away for a year.”

President and CEO Hans Helmerich said in a statement on Thursday the company’s position has remained clear: “We simply wanted to be paid for work already performed.”

“We stated repeatedly we wanted to return to work, just not for free,” he said. “We are surprised by yesterday’s announcement only because we have been in ongoing efforts in a good faith attempt to accommodate a win-win resolution, including a willingness to sell rigs.”

The company has worked in Venezuela for 52 years, Helmerich added.

Let’s assume they’re not too concerned about President Obama’s reaction to their theft of American property.

Communist Rosie O”Donnell told her audience that World Cup Anti-Americanism is “understandable.”
Via The Radio Equalizer:

Please Rosie… Just move to Cuba already.

From the transcript:

O’DONNELL (21:22) (watching live in studio, after a U.S. goal is disallowed in the World Cup): Obviously, there’s anti-American sentiment here at the game.

PETE MELE (staffer): Well, there should be.

O’DONNELL: …Why should there be, Pete?…

MELE: I meant to say, it’s understandable.

O’DONNELL: Yeah, it’s understandable.

First there was Cher. Then Madonna… Now there’s Rory.
Senator Harry Reid is so unpopular in Nevada that his son Rory Reid won’t use his last name in his campaign ads:

Face it, Reid. This war is lost.

Related… Harry Reid trails Republican Sharron Angle 48-41 in the latest Rasmussen poll.

He Overturned Obama’s Drilling Moratorium – Now He Must Die
Yesterday, Judge Martin Feldman ruled against Obama’s misguided moratorium on deep water drilling.
Last night he received his first death threats.

U.S. District Judge Martin L. C. Feldman is pictured here in an undated photo. (Office of U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman/AP)

Bayou Buzz reported, via Michelle Malkin:

New Orleans–While many Americans undoubtedly agree with the decision of U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman to overturn the Obama administration’s moratorium on deep water drilling, not everyone is happy. In fact, the Judge is now receiving death threats in the aftermath of his bold ruling.

Last night, Feldman served as a celebrity judge at a cooking contest at a school gymnasium in Uptown New Orleans. Due to the threats, Feldman was accompanied by a federal marshal security team.

It is a sad indictment of our society today that a judge with such a sterling record of integrity and service to his country would be subject to such threats. Feldman was appointed to the federal bench by President Reagan in 1983. Today, he is in the eye of a political hurricane unlike anything he has ever experienced.

In issuing his ruling, Feldman said that the moratorium was faulty because there was no “rational connection between the facts found and the choice made.” While there is often debate about the merits of judicial decisions, seldom does the criticism focus on the integrity of the judge.

The Obama Administration lost its oil drilling ban today.

Leadership?
Last week- RINO Democratic Governor Charlie Crist praised Barack Obama’s handling of the Gulf oil crisis:

This week- Large slicks of oil and tarry mats floated in onto the Florida shore on Wednesday. A dolphin covered with oil was found beached. Plans to evacuate Tampa Bay were put into place and Pensacola Beach was shut down because of the oil spill.

The government lost its bid to keep the oil drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico.
Good.
Reuters reported:

The Obama administration lost another legal skirmish on Thursday when a judge refused to put on hold his decision lifting a ban on deepwater oil drilling imposed after the worst spill in U.S. history.

After striking down the moratorium on Tuesday, a federal judge in New Orleans rejected an administration request to allow the six-month ban to stand while the government appeals his decision.

Judge Martin Feldman issued a brief order denying the stay request, pointing to his previous ruling that criticized the ban as arbitrary, far-reaching and unjustified given the impact on thousands of oil industry workers and communities.

The government has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and can ask it to stay Feldman’s decision. It is also revising the ban to make it more flexible and possibly open some areas to drilling, but has not said when it will issue a new moratorium.

Large slicks of oil and tarry mats floated in on the Florida shore on Wednesday.

As Barack Obama continues to golf, hit the ballpark, BBQ and party, the BP oil slick is now threatening Tampa Bay. Authorities have set up plans for evacuation.
Veterans Today reported:

Gulf Oil Spill 2010: Plans to evacuate Tampa Bay area are in place.

As FEMA and other government agencies prepare for what is now being called the worst oil spill disaster in history, plans to evacuate the Tampa Bay area are in place.

The plans would be announed in the event of a controlled burn of surface oil in the Gulf of Mexico, or if wind or other conditions are expected to take toxic fumes through Tampa Bay.

This practice has been used by the US Forestry service, when fire and smoke threaten the health and well being of people.

The elderly and those with respiratory problems would be more susceptible to health risks, in the event of a controlled burn.

Estimates of the rate of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill have varied. Independent scientists now suggest that the true spill rate, before the riser pipe was cut off in June, was between 20,000 and 50,000 barrels a day.

Since the April 20th explosion, which resulted in the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig, there have been more than a million gallons of chemicals poured into the Gulf of Mexico in efforts to break up the spill. The chemicals have come under scrutiny  because of their own toxic nature.

It is not certain if the massive slick will have to be set on fire near Tampa Bay, but the possibility has not been ruled out.

Hat Tip Brian B.

Remember: We should all be grateful Dear Leader is golfing- It does us all good.

UPDATE: Pensacola Beach is closed due to the oil disaster.

Kennedy, Blago, Obama. The friends are seen here with their wives at a Chicago function. (Flickr)

Barack Obama said he was “unaware” that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was trying to profit from his ability to name a successor to Obama’s U.S. Senate seat back in December 2008.
He lied.
The Sun-Times reported:

A top aide to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he believed Barack Obama knew of Blagojevich’s plot to win himself a presidential Cabinet post in exchange for appointing Valerie Jarrett to the U.S. Senate.

John Harris, Blagojevich’s former chief of staff, testified Wednesday in the former governor’s corruption trial that three days after the Nov. 4, 2008, presidential election, the ex-governor told Harris he felt confident Obama knew he wanted to swap perks.

“The president understands that the governor would be willing to make the appointment of Valerie Jarrett as long as he gets what he’s asked for. . . . The governor gets the Cabinet appointment he’s asked for,” Harris said, explaining a recorded call.

Harris said Blagojevich came away believing Obama knew what he wanted after having a conversation with a local union representative, who in turn spoke with labor leader Tom Balanoff, with whom Blagojevich met to discuss a Jarrett appointment. Jarrett, now a White House adviser, was seeking the appointment to Obama’s Senate seat.

More… Obama had four successors in mind.

The youths shouted “Juden Raus” (Jews Out) as they attacked the dancers of the Chaverim (“Friends” in Hebrew) dance troupe last weekend.

Muslim youths chucked stones at a Jewish dance group during a street festival in Hannover, injuring one dancer and forcing the group to cancel its performance.
Haaretz reported:

German police suspect a group of Muslim children and teenagers were responsible for attacking a Jewish dance troupe during their performance at a street festival in Hannover last weekend.

Hannover police spokesman Thorsten Schiewe said the teenagers used a megaphone to shout anti-Semitic slurs before hurling stones at the troupe, in an attack which wounded one of the dancers.

Police were interrogating two immigrant teenagers, 15 and 19, in the incident. It was not yet clear whether the attack had been organized in advance.

The dance group canceled their performance after the incident.

Unbelievable.
Obviously, if Rep. Kanjorski were a Republican you’d have seen this story splashed non-stop all over your television sets by now…
Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) told a House-Senate Committee that,

“We’re giving relief to ‘average good American people’ not ‘minorities’ or ‘defective’ people.”

Of course, by “average, good American people” he means ACORN, lawyers, union workers, La Raza, the Palestinians and the SEIU.
Via EyeblastTV and The Washington Times:

Don’t worry. Since he’s a democrat, the state-run media has already forgiven him.

Jackpot Brother–
After being burned back in April admitting during a town hall event that he didn’t care about the US Constitution, Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) seems to be a little jumpy around cameras these days. Last week Hare and his handlers scurried off after they spotted a flipcam pointing in their direction.

You’ve gotta love the little hip-shaking disco move he did before his handlers whisked him away.

Hah!

Previously:
Busted… Lib Rep. Phil Hare Admits: “I Don’t Care About the Constitution” (Video)
Adam Sharp to Neil Cavuto: “We’re an Army of Davids & Video Cameras Are Our Slings” (Video)
Oh Brother… Rep. Phil Hare Lectures Bloggers on the Constitution – Gives Bloggers the Finger
It Has Begun… Anti-Hare Billboard Spotted Near East Moline
Thug Rep. Phil Hare Threatens Veteran With DMV Check For Questioning His Record

He may have been a good general. He may have also been a loon.
Via Instapundit:

AND YET, NOW HE’S UNDER THE BUS: McChrystal The Liberal. “The story about him voting for Obama is not contrived. He is a political liberal. He is a social liberal. He banned Fox News from the television sets in his headquarters. Yes, really. This puts to rest another false rumor: that McChrystal deliberately precipitated his firing because he wants to run for President.”

How is it that you could be a great general and a fan of the military-bashing liberal media at the same time? Someone, please explain this to me.

Al Gore: Junk Scientist and “Sex Crazed Poodle”

Like a beached whale in the hot sun…
A Portland masseuse says Al Gore forced her to drink Grand Marnier, pinned her to a bed, and forcibly French kissed her.
The Smoking Gun reported, via Drudge:

In a bizarre statement to police, the Oregon woman who claims that Al Gore fondled and groped her during a massage session described the former Vice President as a giggling “crazed sex poodle” who gave a “come hither” look before pouncing on her in a Portland hotel suite. In a taped January 2009 interview with cops, the 54-year-old woman, a licensed masseuse whose name has been redacted from police records, read from a lengthy prepared statement that detailed her alleged October 2006 encounter with Gore at the Hotel Lucia. Excerpts from the Portland Police Bureau transcript of the 2009 interview can be found on the following pages. In December 2006, a lawyer for the woman told police about the purported encounter, but after the masseuse cancelled three interview appointments, the case was closed due to her refusal to “cooperate with the investigation or even report a crime.” It is unclear why, two years later, she approached Portland police and sought to memorialize her allegations against Gore, who she portrayed as a tipsy, handsy predator who fforced her to drink Grand Marnier, pinned her to a bed, and forcibly French kissed her.

No wonder Bill Clinton picked him as a running mate.

One 19 year-old woman was shot dead and fiver others were wounded after gunmen opened fire on a vigil against violence in Oakland last night.

Click on Photo for Video–

Two of the shooting victims are in critical condition.
Inside Bay Area reported:

Nineteen-year-old Rachael Green held her high school diploma in her hands June 15. One week later she died after being shot during a candlelight vigil for a classmate who was killed just days before.

Gunmen opened fire on the group gathered in West Oakland at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, killing Green and wounding five people.

The shooting happened in a parking lot of the Acorn apartment complex in the 1100 block of Eighth Street, about a half-block from where the Oakland police union held a news conference Monday. The union had denounced city plans to lay off police officers, saying it would make the city more dangerous.

Police said Green was an Oakland resident. Wounded in the attack were a 14-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man. All live in Oakland except the 16-year-old, who police said lived in Tracy. Their names were not released.

The 14-year-old girl was wounded in the upper body, and the 16-year-old boy in the buttocks. They remained hospitalized Wednesday. The others suffered minor wounds and were treated and released.

It’s no secret that Barack Obama is the worst president in history on job creation and worse than Herbert Hoover on job losses.

(Misery Index data)

Since his election in 2008, the US economy has shed 4.4 million jobs. That’s worse than Herbert Hoover.

Yesterday, Ways & Means Committee Republican Ranking Member, Dave Camp released this statement yesterday on the Democrats hostile policies to job growth and economic recovery.

As the Washington Post today reported, the chairman of the Business Roundtable “accused the president and Democratic lawmakers Tuesday of creating an ‘increasingly hostile environment for investment and job creation.’”

In a letter from the Business Roundtable and The Business Council to Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag, these business leaders stated that policies pursued by President Obama and Congressional Democrats are “squelching economic growth and job creation.”  The Business Roundtable represents American companies with over 12 million employees and that comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock markets.  The Business Council represents American businesses from a wide range of industrial and service sectors such as Ford Motors, US Steel and Caterpillar.

Below are just a few excerpts from the letter and the 41-page accompanying report that details current Democrat “Policy Burdens Inhibiting Economic Growth.”

The Big Picture:

“Many regulations and legislation – both existing and proposed – exacerbate the uncertainty created by today’s volatile economic environment….With a massive new health care law and financial reform legislation looming, companies are more worried than ever about the impact new regulations and legislation will have on their operations and their bottom line. Not knowing what to expect from these pending regulations, businesses are acting cautiously to forestall any negative impact. These actions are squelching economic growth and job creation, as companies are forced to freeze investments and hiring until they understand how they will be affected by these new mandates.” (p. 1)

Democrats’ Spending Is Too High and Harms Economic Recovery and Growth:

“The current levels of U.S. debt, as well as those required to finance the forecast deficits, will crowd out private capital. If less capital is available for corporate borrowers, it will retard future growth and investment, erode the value of the U.S. dollar, accelerate inflation and, eventually, reduce consumer spending power.  Economic recovery must be lead by the private sector, both large and small, if we are going to create jobs and reduce the unemployment rate.” (p. 4)

Democrats’ Proposed Tax Increases on U.S. Employers Will Hinder Job Creation, Decrease Competitiveness:

“The Administration and Congress have proposed a number of policies relating to the taxation of foreign earnings that will harm the ability of global American companies to create and retain U.S. jobs….The international tax increases proposed by the Administration – as well as those contained in the current tax extenders bill (H.R. 4213) – would make sweeping changes to U.S. tax law that would make U.S. companies even less competitive in foreign markets and reduce the potential for job growth at home.” (p. 1-2)

“The Administration has proposed a number of regulations that threaten to dramatically undermine the ability of U.S. global companies to compete in the global marketplace – and this is worrisome. The Administration’s approach to domestic and international tax policy needs to pivot and recognize that U.S.‐based multinational companies must compete in a global economy to ensure domestic jobs and economic growth.” (p. 17)

Democrats’ Health Care Bill Will Increase Costs and Harm Employers’ Ability to Hire:

“[The Democrats’ health care overhaul] does little to change the underlying problems of our delivery system, which are the primary drivers of the unsustainable cost trends of employer provided care. Therefore, the ongoing cost increases in the system will continue to shift to the private market, putting additional cost burden on employers and other healthcare consumers….In addition, uncertainties associated with the law’s implications have already likely delayed business decisions regarding expansions and dampened new hiring. …The potential for detrimental unintended consequences on the nation’s economy and workers is very high.” (p. 20)

“The new tax [on private health insurance] will divert resources away from investment in new technology, process and jobs, and will significantly raise costs.” (p.21)

Democrats’ Failure to Sign Pending Trade Agreements Is Costing American Jobs:

“The Administration’s failure to move forward on pending free trade agreements and a more expansive presidential trade negotiating authority has emboldened foreign competitors while hurting our economy, global competitiveness and job creation. The Administration should swiftly resolve any outstanding issues and move forward with the implementation of free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, and must also seek a new presidential trade negotiation authority.” (p. 2)

Conservative Marco Rubio told Sean Hannity tonight something that we already knew…
“I’m running against two democrats. One who admits it openly, and one who doesn’t.”

“Ultimately I am the only candidate in Florida that will stand up to this radical agenda.”

The Oil Drum is a widely respected website that focuses exclusively on the international oil industry and energy issues. Earlier this week a reader and industry insider sent this article posted on The Oil Drum. The article suggests that the well bore structure may be compromised “down hole.” If this is true, it turns this very serious situation into an absolute nightmare.
Dave wrote in with this:

I work in the oil exploration business – and I don’t scare easily when it comes to the rumors that circulate re: the Deepwater Horizon incident – but this article is downright horrific.

I can’t comment about how accurate it might be – the guy paints a fairly plausible picture – but it is something right out of a science-fiction horror movie – nobody (not even the author) wants to talk about what might really be needed here to stop this runaway well – and that might be a nuclear device detonation downhole to seal the wellbore.

Meanwhile, Obama golfs, vacations, and sings with Paul McCartney -

I don’t know if either BP or the government is telling the public just how bad this might become – possibly for fear of starting some sort of panic – and Obama is clueless – and so, for that matter is Salazar — I went to college with this guy – and he is totally an affirmative action baby, a complete idiot — now elevated to a position way, way, way, way beyond his competency level.

Here is that article from The Oil Drum:

OK let’s get real about the GOM oil flow. There doesn’t really seem to be much info on TOD that furthers more complete understanding of what’s really happening in the GOM.
As you have probably seen and maybe feel yourselves, there are several things that do not appear to make sense regarding the actions of attack against the well. Don’t feel bad, there is much that doesn’t make sense even to professionals unless you take into account some important variables that we are not being told about. There seems to me to be a reluctance to face what cannot be termed anything less than grim circumstances in my opinion. There certainly is a reluctance to inform us regular people and all we have really gotten is a few dots here and there…

First of all…set aside all your thoughts of plugging the well and stopping it from blowing out oil using any method from the top down. Plugs, big valves to just shut it off, pinching the pipe closed, installing a new bop or lmrp, shooting any epoxy in it, top kills with mud etc etc etc….forget that, it won’t be happening..it’s done and over. In fact actually opening up the well at the subsea source and allowing it to gush more is not only exactly what has happened, it was probably necessary, or so they think anyway.

So you have to ask WHY? Why make it worse?…there really can only be one answer and that answer does not bode well for all of us. It’s really an inescapable conclusion at this point, unless you want to believe that every Oil and Gas professional involved suddenly just forgot everything they know or woke up one morning and drank a few big cups of stupid and got assigned to directing the response to this catastrophe. Nothing makes sense unless you take this into account, but after you do…you will see the “sense” behind what has happened and what is happening. That conclusion is this:

The well bore structure is compromised “Down hole”.

That is something which is a “Worst nightmare” conclusion to reach. While many have been saying this for some time as with any complex disaster of this proportion many have “said” a lot of things with no real sound reasons or evidence for jumping to such conclusions, well this time it appears that they may have jumped into the right place…

TOP KILL – FAILS:
This was probably our best and only chance to kill this well from the top down. This “kill mud” is a tried and true method of killing wells and usually has a very good chance of success. The depth of this well presented some logistical challenges, but it really should not of presented any functional obstructions. The pumping capacity was there and it would have worked, should have worked, but it didn’t.

It didn’t work, but it did create evidence of what is really happening. First of all the method used in this particular top kill made no sense, did not follow the standard operating procedure used to kill many other wells and in fact for the most part was completely contrary to the procedure which would have given it any real chance of working.

When a well is “Killed” using this method heavy drill fluid “Mud” is pumped at high volume and pressure into a leaking well. The leaks are “behind” the point of access where the mud is fired in, in this case the “choke and Kill lines” which are at the very bottom of the BOP (Blow Out Preventer) The heavy fluid gathers in the “behind” portion of the leaking well assembly, while some will leak out, it very quickly overtakes the flow of oil and only the heavier mud will leak out. Once that “solid” flow of mud is established at the leak “behind” the well, the mud pumps increase pressure and begin to overtake the pressure of the oil deposit. The mud is established in a solid column that is driven downward by the now stronger pumps. The heavy mud will create a solid column that is so heavy that the oil deposit can no longer push it up, shut off the pumps…the well is killed…it can no longer flow.

Usually this will happen fairly quickly, in fact for it to work at all…it must happen quickly. There is no “trickle some mud in” because that is not how a top kill works. The flowing oil will just flush out the trickle and a solid column will never be established. Yet what we were told was “It will take days to know whether it
worked”….”Top kill might take 48 hours to complete”…the only way it could take days is if BP intended to do some “test fires” to test integrity of the entire system. The actual “kill” can only take hours by nature because it must happen fairly rapidly. It also increases strain on the “behind” portion and in this instance we all know that what remained was fragile at best.

Early that afternoon we saw a massive flow burst out of the riser “plume” area. This was the first test fire of high pressure mud injection. Later on same day we saw a greatly increased flow out of the kink leaks, this was mostly mud at that time as the kill mud is tanish color due to the high amount of Barite which is added to it to weight it and Barite is a white powder.

We later learned the pumping was shut down at midnight, we weren’t told about that until almost 16 hours later, but by then…I’m sure BP had learned the worst. The mud they were pumping in was not only leaking out the “behind” leaks…it was leaking out of someplace forward…and since they were not even near being able to pump mud into the deposit itself, because the well would be dead long before…and the oil was still coming up, there could only be one conclusion…the wells casings were ruptured and it was leaking down hole…

There’s more at The Oil Drum.
Let’s hope and pray this is not the case.

It’s come to this…
Police in Dearborn, Michigan arrested Christians last week for handing out Christian literature:

From the Video: If you have questions about the legality of preventing Christians from distributing copies of the Gospel on a public street, you may contact the Dearborn Police Department at 313.943.2240.

AllahPundit at HotAir reported this on the arrested Christians:

Via Powerline, so insane is this that I’m paranoid there’s a key detail missing somewhere that might explain the whole thing. Could the Christians have been trespassing on private property, maybe? Sure doesn’t look like it, and in any case, they weren’t arrested for trespassing. They were arrested for “disorderly conduct,” which apparently now extends to the offense of offering religious literature to someone who might not want it.

No wonder the far left and Islamists get along so well.

Newt Gingrich was in St. Louis today and I was able to speak with him for a few minutes between his appearances. In this clip I asked Newt about General McChrystal’s resignation. Newt explains that the Rolling Stone article is an obvious sign of the great deal of dissension and hostility in the Afghanistan campaign that no one has yet admitted in public. This is something that should concern Americans.

Newt added this about Obama, “His ability to be totally illogical and without any historical context is remarkable.”
Here’s Newt on General McChrystal’s resignation:

Well said.

Sharp Elbows has more video of Newt slamming Obama today.

Of course, radical antiwar Chicago Senator Obama was completely wrong and at odds with General Petraeus on the Iraq Surge.

Don’t expect that to be mentioned by any state-run media outlets today.

This afternoon President Barack Obama put General Petraeus in charge of Afghanistan.
The Hill reported:

Obama has selected Gen. David Petraeus to replace McChrystal.

“If he is the choice, that’s an excellent choice. I think it’s a brilliant stroke. Clearly competent,” Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said on MSNBC in reaction to the pick. “Clearly he’s the guy that can take over now and ram this policy through to success.”

In remarks in the Rose Garden this afternoon, the president said he’d accepted McChrystal’s resignation with “considerable regret” for controversial remarks the general had made to Rolling Stone magazine, in which he criticized Obama and other top administration officials.

McCHRYSTAL FIRED FOR TELLING THE TRUTH–
Obama fired General McChrystal for telling the truth and questioning his leadership in the War in Afghanistan. Barack Obama waited months to send in the requested troops.

VP Joe-Bite-Me stood next to the president during his announcement today.

The military and our country lost a true patriot today.
FOX News reported:

Gen. Stanley McChrystal is no longer the top U.S. commander and strategist for Afghanistan, reportedly being told Wednesday by President Obama that he is out of a job following a scathing article in which McChrystal and his aides were quoted criticizing the commander-in-chief over his leadership in the Afghan war.

McChrystal got his marching orders as he held a face-to-face meeting at the White House, where he met with the president after a meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon.

The Wednesday meeting preceded a regular session of the administration’s strategy team for Afghanistan, held in the White House Situation Room. Normally, McChrystal would have joined via teleconference but he was summoned to Washington as he faced a private flogging over the article that appeared in Rolling Stone.

If not insubordination, the remarks in the Rolling Stone magazine article were at least an indirect challenge to civilian management of the war in Washington by its top military commander.

Military leaders rarely challenge their commander in chief publicly, and when they do, consequences tend to be more severe than a scolding.

Of course, just a few years ago the media promoted military criticism of President Bush. But, now it’s unacceptable.

FLASHBACK– Obama skipped vote to condemn offensive MoveOn Betray-Us ad.

The Obama Administration continues to act as if they want the Gulf oil spill to destroy as much of the coastline as possible.

– They have only accepted assistance from 5 of 28 countries.
– It took the Obama Administration 53 days to accept help from the Dutch and British.
– It took 58 days to mobilize the US military to the Gulf.
– They shut down crude-sucking barges due to fire extinguisher concerns.
– They ignore oil boom manufacturers that have miles of product stockpiled in their warehouses.
– They only have moved 5 of 2,000 oil skimmers to the disaster area off of Florida.
– The president continues to hit the golf course, ball games, hold BBQ’s and party while the coast drowns in oil.

And, now the feds are shutting down the sand berm dredging off of the Louisiana coast.
WDSU reported:

More from WDSU:

The federal government is shutting down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, who was one of the most vocal advocates of the dredging plan, has sent a letter to President Barack Obama, pleading for the work to continue.

This is not just illogical, it is criminal.

The Obama Administration continues to act as if they want the Gulf oil spill to destroy as much of the coastline as possible.

– They have only accepted assistance from 5 of 28 countries.
– It took the Obama Administration 53 days to accept help from the Dutch and British.
– It took 58 days to mobilize the US military to the Gulf.
– They shut down crude-sucking barges due to fire extinguisher concerns.
– They ignore oil boom manufacturers that have miles of product stockpiled in their warehouses.
– They only have moved 5 of 2,000 oil skimmers to the disaster area off of Florida.
– The president continues to hit the golf course, ball games, hold BBQ’s and party while the coast drowns in oil.

And, now the feds are shutting down the sand berm dredging off of the Louisiana coast.
WDSU reported:

More from WDSU:

The federal government is shutting down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, who was one of the most vocal advocates of the dredging plan, has sent a letter to President Barack Obama, pleading for the work to continue.

This is not just illogical, it is criminal.

Newsweek called for an all-out assault on the Tea Party Movement yesterday.

Ben Adler wants more attacks and more scrutiny on the “racist” tea party protesters. Adler believes it is time for the “free pass” the movement has received from the corrupt press to end. What a crock. Like the media has been fair to tea party protesters? That’s a real laugher.

BK added this:

Holy Crap.
Sorry. I’m just flabbergasted by this Newsweek “we need to bash Tea Partiers more because, well because…” story.

I’ve followed this movement since its beginning. It’s a diverse, loose knit, grassroots movement sick of government intervention, spending, and the current Administration’s “grab all it can get while the grabbing is good” mentality. Some respected conservative pundits are a bit wary of it, but I’m not. Opinions can vary. Fine.

But now, Newsweek is rallying the “news” hounds to hunt this movement down and kill it. That tells me, right there, that the Tea Party is something the left is desperate to destroy … which means it’s something all right thinking conservatives should do their best to preserve, regardless of misgivings. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

But this is what gets me. Really gets me…. Their story makes a statement that 54% of all government spending is military and for veterans … so who do these Tea Partier think they are being against raising taxes? Not raising taxes and only supporting cuts in government spending means killing off the military and denying veterans their due. Straw horse argument if I’ve ever seen one. The gasp-oh-my-G-d I can’t believe-this moment came when I clicked on the link they provided to back up their assertion that 54% of all government spending goes to military and support of veterans. In case you didn’t click on the link in the previous sentence … they linked to this group…

www.warresisters.org

The “leading radical voice in the anti-war movement” according to their home page.

Un-Frickin’-Believable. I don’t give a dang if the 54 percent figure is correct or not. You damn well don’t use a self-confessed “radical” organization as your source reference!!

What used to be a powerhouse news organization (like, maybe a couple decades ago) is now using an ultra-fringe leftist web site to back up their data points.

Kill Newsweek. Now. It doesn’t deserve to continue to exist.

Agreed.

The actual percentage of the US budget that goes toward defense and security is 20% according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 41% goes towards Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP. But, why should facts matter to the far left cranks at Newsweek? They have a mission. They need to destroy the tea party movement.

Why is the democratic-media complex hiding this photo?

Texas Democrat Kesha Rogers campaigned for for Congress with Obama-Hitler signs.

The signs even have the tag- “Paid For By Kesha Rogers for Congress” – on the bottom.

But, the state-run media won’t run this photo.

They won’t publish this photo because it doesn’t fit their narrative. Remember last year when the democratic-media complex reported that the tea party protesters were waving Obama-Hitler signs? What the media purposely omitted from their stories was the fact that the protesters waving these astroturfed Obama-Hitler signs were radical left-wing extremists. They were radical activists from the LaRouche organization. But, this didn’t fit the state-run media’s narrative that tea party activists were radicals and racists so they omitted this from their reports.

Earlier this year, the corrupt media and prominent democrats continued to smear tea party activists by reportingthat the conservative protesters on Capitol Hill harassed Black Caucus members, called them the n-word, and spit at these dems as they paraded though the tea party crowd on their way to ram nationalized health care through Congress. This was a lie. It never happened as video later revealed. However, the corrupt national media never retracted their story nor did they apologize despite the overwhelming amount of evidence that proved their racist accusations were complete fiction.

That’s why the media won’t show this photo of Democrat Kesha Rogers. It doesn’t fit their narrative.

Kesha won her primary last week. This Texas Democrat wants to impeach Obama and “take our troops out of the war zone and put them into space.” This makes about as much sense as the Obama-Pelosi “spend your way to wealth” plan, only not as dangerous. Don’t look for the media to give this Texas loon much attention in the months ahead.

Was there ever even a doubt?
Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) told a North Tempe Tea Party town hall meeting that during a private, one-on-one meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office, the President told him, regarding securing the southern border with Mexico, “The problem is, . . . if we secure the border, then you all won’t have any reason to support ‘comprehensive immigration reform.’” The president admitted to Kyl that he would not secure the border, which is his responsibility, unless he was able to pass amnesty.

Yesterday, the Obama White House said the accusation by Kyl was not true.

Unfortunately for the hacks in the White House, they didn’t expect this video to surface. Barack Obama said the same thing back in 2004 that he told Kyl in their private conversation.
Via Naked Emporer News:

It looks like we know who the liar is… And, it’s not Jon Kyl.

The 5 year-old was playing in a sandbox with his little sister and a friend when the radical Islamist screaming “Allahu Akbar” slit his throat like a goat.
FOX News reported:

A 5-year-old Ukrainian boy was slaughtered by an alleged religious fanatic as he played in a sandpit with his friends, Pravda reported Tuesday.

The stranger strolled up to little Viktor Shemyakin before pointing to a tree and saying: “Look, there is a bird up there.”

When the youngster glanced upward the maniac plunged a knife into his throat, Pravda said.

The June 18 killing has threatened to ignite tension in the town of Dneprovka, in Ukraine’s Crimea region, after it emerged that the 27-year-old knifeman was a suspected Muslim fanatic, the Russian online newspaper reported.

The victim’s three-year-old sister Lena Shemyakina and her five-year-old friend were among a group of young children who witnessed the horrifying attack.

Viktor’s mother, named only as Angelina, heard their screams and ran out of the house to find her child lying in a pool of blood.

Police arrested the prime suspect, named by Pravda as Server Ibragimov, three hours later at his parents’ house, where he was reportedly hiding in the loft.

He allegedly confessed to the crime, telling police that he was ordered to kill the boy by spirits.

“The man screamed Allahu Akbar (Arabic for ‘God is great’) when killing the boy, “said a shocked local. “The kid was slaughtered like a goat.”

Hat Tip K. Solomon

The Brits are the latest country to dump the “spend your way to wealth” Obama-Pelosi prosperity plan. The Brits moved ahead with their austerity plan despite the recent letter from Obama urging G20 nations to continues to spend like drunken sailors.
The Wall Street Journal reported:

George Osborne presented the U.K. government’s emergency budget yesterday, with spending cuts and consumption-tax hikes intended to shrink public borrowing to 1.1% of GDP by 2016, down from 10.1% of GDP this year. Nearly 80% of that retrenchment comes as spending cuts rather than tax increases. The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s cuts are, on balance, good news for the British economy. Even more welcome, though, is that Mr. Osborne’s budget is the latest to depart from the short-lived Keynesian consensus that government can spend its way back to prosperity.

On Saturday German Chancellor Angela Merkel refuted Obama and also announced that spending cutbacks were needed.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard members have offered to help Barack Obama with the Gulf oil slick.

Fars News reported:

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast underlined Tehran’s technical capability to help the US control the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and said Tehran is ready to study Washington’s request for help in this regard.

“The issue will be studied if the US administration asks for it,” Mehman-Parast said in his weekly press conference here in Tehran today, stressing that Iran has the required expertise and skillful human resources in this ground.

The spokesman said that resolving the problem of the oil spill and the resulting slick in the Gulf of Mexico is a humanitarian issue that encourages all countries to provide the necessary aids to reduce the vast and drastic effects of the incident on the environment.

The remarks by Mehman-Parast came a day after The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that its experts are prepared to control the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The experience of Iranians’ presence in curbing oil spills in a number of neighboring states in the Persian Gulf, such as Kuwait, demonstrates Iranian capabilities and skills and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps is ready to help curb the oil spill (in the Gulf of Mexico),” Commander of the IRGC’s Khatam ol-Anbia Headquarters General Rostam Qassemi stated.

Qassemi reminded the environmental threat posed by the oil spill to the Caribbean states and nations, and stated, “Despite new sanctions, the IRGC is prepared to fulfill its humanitarian duty in this regard and use its exclusive and indigenous capability in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Take a number guys… The Obama Adminstration has only accepted help from 5 of 28 countries that offered to assist with the disaster. The others are still under review.

Black Republican Tim Scott beat out Paul Thurmond tonight in a runoff election for the state’s 1st District 68% to 32%.

Scott is a heavy favorite in a district that has elected a Republican congressman for three decades.
The AP reported:

South Carolina voters have nominated a black Republican state lawmaker for an open congressional seat, rejecting one of the state’s legendary political names.

Tim Scott beat Paul Thurmond, the son of the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, in a GOP runoff Tuesday in the state’s coastal 1st District.

Scott is now a heavy favorite in a district that has elected a Republican congressman for three decades. He is poised to become the nation’s first black GOP congressman since 2003 when Oklahoma’s J.C. Watts retired.

The 44-year-old Scott was the first black Republican in the South Carolina legislature in more than a century when elected in 2008. Before that, he served 13 years on Charleston County Council.

Go Tim Scott!

Sarah Palin supported Tim Scott in his race in South Carolina.

You can donate to Tim Scott’s campaign here.

In this May 14, 2010 file photo, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin waves to supporters after she endorses S.C. gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley,left, during a campaign rally at The Statehouse in Columbia, S.C. With support from tea party voters and Sarah Palin, state Rep. Nikki Haley entered a Republican runoff Tuesday that could move her closer to becoming South Carolina’s first woman governor. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

Nikki Haley won her primary runoff tonight in South Carolina.
The AP reported:

Nikki Haley’s victory in South Carolina’s bruising GOP primary for governor moves the state lawmaker closer to becoming her state’s first woman chief executive and America’s first Sikh-born governor, while assuring her a place on the national political scene.

Like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who immediately touched off presidential talk when he won his state’s governorship, Haley’s primary victory sets off talk of a possible vice presidential campaign in 2012. As an Indian-American woman from an early primary state, she would bring a combination of diversity and conservatism that many in the GOP have been seeking.

Little known even in her own state just months ago, Haley got a crucial boost with early support from former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and the tea party movement.

What a shock.

The LA Times reported, via FOX Nation:

Ever since the Obama White House got rid of that colonial era bust of Sir Winston Churchill on-loan from Great Britain, they’ve been on the lookout for new less offensive art.

Now we learn, thanks to Howard Kurtz on CNN, that Obama adviser David Axelrod made a call to the editor of the New Yorker magazine requesting a copy of the Feb. 1 cover of the magazine showing No. 44 walking on water. (No, not the newly-resurfaced Gulf of Mexico.)

The only stipulation: The cover art had to be autographed by artist Barry Blitt.

Here’s the exchange between Kurtz and magazine editor David Remnick on “Reliable Sources”:

REMNICK: Well, they wanted a signed version of the cover. And, you know, there were other covers maybe they didn’t like as well. But I think they got over it. In fact, they got over it a lot faster than some other people.

KURTZ: What did Axelrod’s office tell you about Obama’s personal reaction?

REMNICK: I think Axelrod and Obama were laughing hysterically over this cover. And the fact to their credit, within a matter of weeks, that they reversed the really sinking trend that they were experiencing, and they passed health care. And the White House certainly reversed its downward trend pretty quickly after that cover. I’m not saying the cover was anywhere near responsible for it.

KURTZ: Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t have him sinking all the way into the water after Scott Brown’s victory.