Something Odd about the Massacre

As you've probably already heard, Anders Breivik has been identified as the killer in the Oslo Massacre. 

The man responsible for the massacre in Norway was a member of a Swedish nazi forum which encourages attacks on government buildings.

It was also revealed by local police that he had extreme right wing views who hated Muslims.

According to Swedish website Expo Anders Behring Breivik is a member of 'Nordisk' which has 22,000 members and focuses on political terrorism.

But then, shortly after the massacre and bombing initially occurred, we have this statement:

A terror group, Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami (the Helpers of the Global Jihad), issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, according to Will McCants, a terrorism analyst at CNA, a research institute that studies terrorism. The message said the attack was a response to Norwegian forces’ presence in Afghanistan and to unspecified insults to the Prophet Muhammad. “We have warned since the Stockholm raid of more operations,” the group said, apparently referred to a bombing in Sweden in December 2010, according to Mr McCants’ translation. “What you see is only the beginning, and there is more to come.” The claim could not be confirmed. 

Gun Control and Project Fast and Furious: Worst Straw Man Ever?

In short Project Fast and Furious, and it’s off shoot, Project Gunrunner, used money from the Stimulus Bill (remember, all spending equals stimulus) to prove that if you sell weapons to known straw purchases for drug cartels members and let them illegally cross the border, they will use those guns to kill people.

Obama has been known to use straw mans when debating opponents; this might be his administration’s worst yet.

No one would ever advocate the position that allowing 2,500 guns to illegally flow into Mexico wouldn’t cause an escalatation in violence among the drug cartels.

Apparently though, that’s what this administration was exactly trying to prove.

Furthermore, emails have been released that show the DOJ was trying to use this operation (surprise surprise) as a backhanded way to create enough chaos on the border to justify enacting further gun control in America.

Despite the fact that any rational person would know from the outset that forcing American gun dealers to sell weapons to straw purchasers would be a terrible idea (the US gun dealer who participated had his concerns ignored),this somehow never occurred to our administration.

Not only that, evidence suggests the Justice Department officials were trying to cover up the operation after they realized what a disaster it had become.

Forget the fact that multiple laws were knowingly broken in an attempt to “prove” we need more gun control (circular logic at its finest), it also shows that if the laws already in place were followed, none of this would have happened. This bears repeating. The government had to break current laws on gun control in order to justify creating new laws on gun control. 

So what’s the government’s response to one of its most ill-conceived operations ever?

Well, more gun control of course.

In short, tax payer money was wasted, a US agent along with who knows how many innocent Mexican civilians are dead, and you, the American citizen, get punished.

Why Do American (Woman) Love British Royalty?

Ms. Ann Coultor has caused some waves with this latest statement:

Ann Coulter explains why she’s not a fan of the late Princess Di: “I find it a little baffling when Americans get so gaga-eyed over a princess. In particular Lady Di, who was just this anorexic, bulimic narcissist.”

First, it's let's not pull the woman's eating disorders into this discussion. Eating disorders are extremely sad and dangerous and using them as a weapon to tear someone down is just not right.

Second, why do American women love the British Royalty, especially the newly minted Kate?

I love it, and I think it has something to do with the whole fairy-tale romance idea. Almost every girl dreams of being a princess, and to actually get to see it play out in real life, to such an adorable couple none the less, is something you want to route for. Maybe it's also the idea that after living in such a broken and messed up world, the idea that a fairy tale can come true is an inspiring thing and something to be celebrated.

On a second note, I one time asked my British friend about what the general consensus among the British was about supporting the Royals through taxes. Her response was that it doesn't bother them, that instead it's something they celebrate. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that a lot of what the Royal family does isn't policy based. Additionally, their presence has acts as a draw for tourists. How many millions of people a year go to England to see the Royal residences and relics??

I think this is actually sounding pretty good. Essentially what they have is symbolic governmental heads who don't actually mess anything up, they just go around to charity events and make appearances, and bring in billions of dollars of business to the country.

If only our President was more like this...

Protests of Georgia Immigration Law

Let's be clear on what this bill does: It forbids illegal immigrants from attending college in Georgia.


Illegal being the key word. 


None the less, several thousand protesters turned up in Atlanta to protest the bill's passage. 


This bill is not about taking away rights of legal US citizens and immigrants. It's about keeping illegal immigrants, who are illegally living in the US, from using resources paid for and meant for residents who are legally here. 


Of course, it wouldn't be a progressive protest if the race card wasn't used. 

Several different groups stood with the largely Latino crowd, including representatives from the civil rights movement. The Rev. Timothy McDonald, an activist who has been supportive of immigration protesters, was among the speakers showing his solidarity.

“You are my brothers and my sisters,” McDonald told the crowd. “Some years ago, they told people like me we couldn’t vote. We did what you are doing today. We are going to send a message to the powers that be … that when the people get united, there is no government that can stop them. Don’t let them turn you around.”

Yes Reverend, and some years ago they also told people like me (a woman) we couldn't vote. But I fail to see what that has to do with the government potentially subsidizing education for illegal immigrants. 

On Monday, a judge temporarily blocked key parts of the law until a legal challenge is resolved. One provision that was blocked authorizes police to check the immigration status of suspects without proper identification. It also authorizes them to detain illegal immigrants. Another penalizes people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime.

Parts of similar measures in Arizona, Utah and Indiana also have been blocked by the courts.

Provisions that took effect Friday include one that makes it a felony to use false information or documentation when applying for a job. Another provision creates an immigration review board to investigate complaints about government officials not complying with state laws related to illegal immigration.

Courts blocking measures that would enable law enforcement to, you know, enforce the law. Imagine that...



Full article here. 

Obama’s Class Warfare and the Tax Code

Written about here, Obama is playing his hand at class warfare to garner support for tax increases by eliminating tax write-offs for corporate jets and the like.

The whole idea is that the rich need to pay “their fair share”.

But what is their fair share?

10%? 35%? 75%?

Let’s say we do set their tax rate at 75%. Extremely wealthy corporations and individuals are able to afford an army of accountants who are smart enough to find loopholes and tax breaks no matter what the IRS throws at them.

What this results in is the little guy (you and me, unless Bill Gates is reading this, Hi Bill!) getting screwed because we don’t the skills or can’t afford people to do this for us.

 The only solution at this point is to greatly simplify the tax code, possibly via a lower flat tax rate across the board. You could even spice it up a bit to please Progressives by taxing different income levels at different flat tax rates. Anything that would help get this country out of the bureaucratic tax nightmare our federal government has thrust upon us.

Howard Dean is High on Koch

Anyone who follows the news is aware of the left’s weird obsession with the Koch brother’s.

The saga continues with Howard Dean spouting off to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow (who eats it right up) a series of false (and unfortunately for NBC, easily demonstratably false) accusations about the Koch brother’s.

As a result, Melissa Cohlmia, a representative of the Koch brother’s, wrote this reply:

Ms. Marian Porges
Senior Producer
News Standards and Practices
NBC News

June 30, 2011

Dear Ms. Porges,

In your most recent correspondence, you invited me to contact you with any further concerns about MSNBC’s coverage of Koch Industries. I appreciate that offer and to that end I bring to your attention an intellectually dishonest appearance by Howard Dean on the Rachel Maddow Show on June 28.

Within a span of 10 seconds, Governor Dean implied FreedomWorks is affiliated with Koch (it is not); that Charles and David Koch “don’t believe in democracy” (that is not accurate); implied another affiliation with “the New Hampshire speaker” (there is none); said that we attack unions (we do not; in fact, many of our employees are unionized, and their leadership has praised us); and that a get-out-the-vote effort that we are not involved in will somehow suppress voters. Governor Dean went on in this tone and tenor for the balance of his appearance saying, “…the Koch Brothers are a danger to America,” and made an appalling and fictitious claim that we oppose desegregation.

Governor Dean is infamous for making impulsive, disparaging, and sometimes self-destructive remarks, and I understand that such imprudence makes for entertaining television in some circles. But is there no responsibility to challenge or even, after the fact, attempt to verify such outlandish, partisan disparagements when they occur? A little hyperbole may be one thing, but are guests permitted to make any outrageous and baseless accusation, no matter how defaming or unhinged from easily verifiable facts?

If what Mark Halperin said about the President on Morning Joe today is “completely inappropriate and unacceptable,” then what standard is MSNBC applying to false and derogatory remarks about individual citizens and private companies such as Charles and David Koch and Koch Industries?

I would be grateful if you could review the segment and provide me some guidance on how the standards at NBC News apply here and, especially, how they might be applied more diligently when Koch is discussed on-air in the future.

Sincerely,

Melissa Cohlmia
Director, Corporate Communication
Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC

 If you’d like to follow more debunking of lies against Koch brother’s, check out kochfacts.com.

"Unexpectedly" Health Premiums Drop for Kaukauna School District

From the comments at Ann Althouse from Byron York:

In the past, Kaukauna's agreement with the teachers union required the school district to purchase health insurance coverage from something called WEA Trust -- a company created by the Wisconsin teachers union. "It was in the collective bargaining agreement that we could only negotiate with them," says [Kaukauna school board President Todd] Arnoldussen. "Well, you know what happens when you can only negotiate with one vendor." This year, WEA Trust told Kaukauna that it would face a significant increase in premiums.

Now, the collective bargaining agreement is gone, and the school district is free to shop around for coverage. And all of a sudden, WEA Trust has changed its position. "With these changes, the schools could go out for bids, and lo and behold, WEA Trust said, 'We can match the lowest bid,'" says Republican state Rep. Jim Steineke, who represents the area and supports the Walker changes. At least for the moment, Kaukauna is staying with WEA Trust, but saving substantial amounts of money.

Then there are work rules. "In the collective bargaining agreement, high school teachers only had to teach five periods a day, out of seven," says Arnoldussen. "Now, they're going to teach six." In addition, the collective bargaining agreement specified that teachers had to be in the school 37 1/2 hours a week. Now, it will be 40 hours.

The changes mean Kaukauna can reduce the size of its classes -- from 31 students to 26 students in high school and from 26 students to 23 students in elementary school. In addition, there will be more teacher time for one-on-one sessions with troubled students.

First ATM's, now Aviation

It appears Obama's newest solution to address America's debt is by fanning the fames of class warfare and attacking corporate jet tax breaks.

(Never mind that Obama actually approved these tax breaks in the 2009 Stimulus Bill. And no, there was no mention by Obama of cutting funds to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security which account for 40% of federal spending)

Well the numbers are in, are getting rid of this tax break would save $3 billion over 10 years, which is 1/10th of 1 percent of Obama's budget.

Everyday the US government spends $3.5 billion dollars.

Enforcing this tax wouldn't even raise enough money in 10 years to fund the federal government for one day.

Again, does the US have a tax problem, or does it have a spending problem?

Wisconsin Budget Changes Already Improving Schools

From JSonline

Cost savings from worker contributions to health care and retirement, taking effect today as part of the new collective bargaining laws, will swing the Kaukauna School District from a $400,000 budget deficit to an estimated $1.5 million surplus, the Post-Crescent in Appleton reports.  The district tells the Post-Crescent that it plans to hire teachers and reduce class size.

So let me get this straight, asking teachers to contribute more to their health insurance and retirements didn't crash the education system?

Excerpt from Peter Wehner at Commentary:

Indeed, it dawned on me then that for some on the left — not all, but for some — the expressions of concern for the suffering and oppressed was an affectation; what mattered to them was ideology, not justice and human dignity. And if great numbers of innocent people had to die in order to defend The Cause, that was the unfortunate collateral damage that needed to be buried along with the bodies. Liberalism, after all, was too important to be harmed by the stain of genocide, even if genocide was the unwitting result of its policies. We have seen some version of this play out many times since the wars in Southeast Asia, including in Iraq and now Afghanistan. Withdrawal and surrender are endorsed without seemingly a moment’s thought to the wholesale slaughter that might follow.

Libya Update

The House has passed a bill to reject authorizing the continuation of direct military action in Libya, but still leaves open a line of funding for the mission.

Several thoughts:

1)      National Security should not be used to score cheap political shots (Cough Republicans Cough)

2)      Obama has done a poor job explaining to the public why we should stay and continue to fight

3)      Obama needed to devout more resources so we can beat, not engage, Qaddafi’s regime.

4)      Fighting a half-hearted war will only embolden Qaddafi

I understand that there is no easy answer, because their are so many unknowns, such as who will replace Qaddafi if he is effectively removed and whether Libya will be worse or better off without him. But it's sad when we begin something and partisanship gets in the way of things that are really important, like our ability to protect the citizens and protestors in Libya who are being massacred in their fight for freedom.

Politico Reports on Obama's Afghanistan Speech

With the headline:

Obama's Afghanistan speech reveals war that no longer seems so smart"

Hmm, this wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that 2012 is quickly approaching and B has pissed off his anti-war base for the past 2 1/2 years by continuing all of the previous administration's war policies?

Nah, must be another one of my conspiracy theories.

Let's see what else we have.

But that just cause, in Obama’s view, is no longer reason enough for what had essentially become an open-ended U.S. commitment. So the president has opted for a faster-than-expected withdrawal timetable against the advice of senior military advisers, including Gen. David Petraeus.

Alright, so B, who knows as much about military strategy as I know about brain surgery, is going against the advice of senior military advisors.  Got it.

"These long wars must come to a responsible end [and] we must learn from their lessons,” said Obama

Responsible, in this sense, meaning going against the General in charge of the operation and allowing the Taliban to regain control of the country and once again become a breeding ground for terrorists by pulling out early to appease the far left. Oh and spreading our fighting forces thin, thus further endangering those who stay. Yes, "responsible".

“We must embrace America’s singular role in the course of human events but we must also be as pragmatic as we are passionate, as strategic as we are resolute. When threatened we must respond with force – but when that force can be targeted, we need not deploy large armies overseas.”

Remind me again how the whole Libya thing is going? And that's the tactic Obama wants to use in Afghanistan?

My War Against Obama's War Against HSA's

Via Big Government.

To be clear, I don’t have a Health Savings Account. But I want one. Really freaking bad. The key is finding a job that offers me this option.

The main reason I want one is because I am a low-use user, which is whom HSA ‘s are good for, and if I don’t use up all the money in any given year, it just rolls over to the next year, thus allowing me to save up in case some huge unexpected medical expense ever comes up. Awesome right?

Apparently, Obamacare will make HSA ‘s much more difficult to use, first by capping the amount of non-taxable income you can contribute per year to $2,500, and second by requiring 15,000 over the counter drugs (like Tylenol) to have a signed doctor’s note in order for it to be paid off using HSA funds. And in case you don’t have your doctor’s note? 20% tax sucka.

Read the full article here.

So now, I am officially starting my own counter war to Obama's war on HSA's.

(At this point in time, not really sure what my war will consist of outside of some highly critical blog posts, but it's a start)

3 Parts Gloom, 1 Part Optimism

LA Times Reports 

Twenty-five months into what was supposed to be the economic recovery of the Obama-Biden administration, the poll finds a whopping 66% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. They no longer buy the oft-used inherited-big-economic-hole line.

…

Despite all the Joe Biden promises, only 23% of Americans say they see any signs of economic recovery. Only one-in-ten expects employment to recover within two years.

That’s one out of every four people. One out of four!

What industries are they in?

Are they those people who wake up in the morning and don’t need coffee?

Are they completely isolated from the recession?

Is the glass always half full to them?

Do they read the newspapers? Watch the news?

Do they all live in Texas?

Does anyone else ever wonder in this poll who the 23% of people are who see signs of economic recovery?

Hunstman Announces, I Cringe

The one line that stopped me in my tracks in the Washington Post article about his announcement  was this:

That Huntsman supported policies like civil unions and cap and trade that mark him as a moderate (by the left).

Really? Supporting one of the most massive power and money grabs EVER through Cap and Trade  by the US government makes one a “moderate” in the eyes of the left?

No that’s not some kind of racist joke.

Via Walter Meade:

When it come to excellence in education, red states rule — at least according to a panel of experts assembled by Tina Brown’s Newsweek. Using a set of indicators ranging from graduation rate to college admissions and SAT scores, the panel reviewed data from high schools all over the country to find the best public schools in the country.

The results make depressing reading for the teacher unions: the very best public high schools in the country are heavily concentrated in red states.

Oregon, take note.

Full article here.

Bad Bad ATM

The latest comment from President Obama showing his complete lack of understanding of the economy, using ATMs and Kiosks at the airport are ridding our culture of human labor.

Well, the ATM industry was having none of that.

‘President Obama should never use ATMs as an example of how technology replaces human labor because ATMs today play a critical role in providing extensive employment in the ATM and cash-in-transit industries. In addition, ATMs provide an indispensible range of services to customers, including all-hours access to their own banked cash. With over 400,000 in America alone, ATMs have become the main distribution channel for the distribution of cash in all modern economies and cash remains by far the most popular form of payment by US consumers. The whole purpose of the invention of the ATM back in 1967 was to make cash available outside of bank hours, liberating citizens to access their banked money 24 x 7, a huge increase in convenience.  Given these major roles of the ATM, it would be quite irrational to turn the clock back to the 1960s to a time before ATMs.

Let’s follow Obama’s logic a little further.

Industrial Revolution? Complete waste. All those stupid machines took over jobs people could previously do by hand. So what if doing it by hand is more expensive and takes 400 times as long.

What about farming equipment? Those farmers want to keep all the money to themselves with expensive and fancy machines instead of hiring out labor.  

Vaccuums, dishwashers, and laundry machines? Those all cut out the need to hire a maid. Those housewives, saving money with newer technologies instead of hiring someone to do their chores. Bring back the good old days of full house staffs, that's what I say. 

And obviously, it doesn’t matter that entire industries are created to build and maintain these machines, which provide jobs for many people. Not only that, machine and new technologies make goods cheaper. Could you imagine how expensive food would be if it had to be farmed only by workers with none of the advanced machinery available today? Food prices would sky rocket and production would plummet. Not only that, a work force would have to be found to do these jobs. How many recent college graduates who are $20,000 in debt would want to go work on a farm cutting down wheat or corn? At least those unemployment rates would be down.  

If You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours

Politico Reports:

It’s the rule of reciprocity. If someone helps you, you help them. It's basic, it's simple, it's human nature. I get that. And it’s Obama’s Administration, he can hire and fire as he chooses, I get that too.

More than two years after Obama took office vowing to banish “special interests” from his administration, nearly 200 of his biggest donors have landed plum government jobs and advisory posts, won federal contracts worth millions of dollars for their business interests or attended numerous elite White House meetings and social events, an investigation by iWatch News has found.

But don’t mislead the public during your campaign with all this “post-partisan” nonsense when in fact, you have no intention of being remotely post partisan, especially in your hiring practices.

Overall, 184 of 556, or about one-third of Obama bundlers or their spouses joined the administration in some role. But the percentages are much higher for the big-dollar bundlers. Nearly 80 percent of those who collected more than $500,000 for Obama took “key administration posts,” as defined by the White House. More than half the 24 ambassador nominees who were bundlers raised $500,000.

The big bundlers had broad access to the White House for meetings with top administration officials and glitzy social events. In all, campaign bundlers and their family members account for more than 3,000 White House meetings and visits. Half of them raised $200,000 or more.

Why can’t he just say, “Ya, I hired a lot of people who fundraised for me”?

Own it B, own it.

(Am I the only person that thinks these government jobs must not be too difficult to perform since the only prerequisite is the ability to fundraise? Anyone? Anyone?)