Friday Afternoon Roundup - Planet Liberal

PLANET LIBERAL

On Planet Liberal this man is the embodiment of white racism. On Planet Earth, he came into the courtroom much as you would expect a man who had not wanted to be in a lethal confrontation and did not spend his time licking his chops at the prospect of killing a black teenager.

On Planet Liberal this was supposed to be some inverse version of To Kill a Mockingbird, A Time to Kill and every other of the numerous entries in that genre. On Planet Earth, it's looking like a weak case with an incompetent and unethical prosecutor whose own team is unable to answer the question of who started the fight between Martin and Zimmerman.

But living on Planet Liberal requires believing twelve impossible things before breakfast.

To live on Planet Liberal, you have to believe that only white people can be racist, that going deep into debt is the only way to fix the economy and that freedom means forcing other people to do things for you.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that sexual orientation is fixed permanently in an individual's genetic code and can never be altered, but that gender is a fluid social construct that can be swapped with a little mutilation and some hormone shots, or just with a change of outfit.

To live on Planet Liberal, you have to believe that America, Europe and Israel have no right to sovereignty over their territory, but that Saddam's Iraq and Ahmadinejad's Iran do.

To live on Planet Liberal, you have to believe that every breath you take helps raise planetary temperatures but that buying carbon credits is the only way to save earth.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that despite Lee Harvey Oswald, the People's Temple, the Weathermen, the Symbionese Liberation Army and the Anarchist Bombings of 1919, the real threat to this country comes from right wingers.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that wealth redistribution from the people to the government is social justice.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that religion is bad because it's divisive and has to be taken on faith, but that left-wing politics are good because they are divisive and their utopia has to be taken on faith.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that the only people who should have guns are those who work for the government and that this will protect the people.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that teachers should be paid more than basketball players, without any regard to where the money would come from.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that war is bad, but that terrorism is good.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that the Constitution is outdated, but the decisions of the Warren Court, led by a racist from the 19th century, should be kept forever.

To live on Planet Liberal you have to believe that the people want you to implement all your ideas, but you have to lie about it to them because they're too dumb to know they want them implemented.



THE SPEAKEASY

I appeared on The Speakeasy with Guy Green last night and you can find the audio on the bottom right column on their site.



THE DUMBEST DIPLOMACY OF ALL

Iran has had to make no concessions and its proposal to hold the next round of talks in Baghdad has been accepted. If the West wasn’t being run by men too dumb to put on their own pants without assistance, the lead players might realize that Iran was stating that it now controls Iraq and is inviting the former occupiers into its own turf. Instead the diplomats will dutifully troop into territory that they once controlled to territory now controlled by Prime Minister Maliki, Iran’s man in Baghdad, without understanding that simplest of messages.

That's one excerpt from my piece on Obama's disastrous diplomacy and betrayal of allies. Then there is this minor tidbit.

Argentina on the other hand is facing major economic problems and last month the administration was forced to suspend trade benefits due to money owed to two American companies. One of the companies, Blue Ridge Investments, is a subsidiary of Bank of America. Warren Buffett is a major investor in the latter. If Obama could take such an unprecedented step in defense of Warren Buffett’s financial interests, why not take a smaller one for an international ally?

As a further display of cynicism, the Obama administration took a position against a ruling by Judge Thomas Griesa obligating Argentina to make payments to Elliott Management Corporation. EMC is run by Paul Singer, who is a major Republican donor. Singer has already given a million to Romney’s SuperPAC and Fortune Magazine has described him as the Wall Street figure whose support is most crucial to the Romney campaign. It’s in Obama’s own interest to handicap Singer and reward Buffett, and that is exactly what the administration appears to have done.

Forget the Monroe Doctrine, now we're operating under the Buffett Rule. The entire article is up at Front Page as Betraying Every Ally.





MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD NOW MORE POPULAR IN WEST THAN ARAB WORLD

Jordan's parliament took legal measures on Monday to disqualify the Muslim Brotherhood's political party, the country's largest opposition movement. In a Lower House session, 46 out of 83 Jordanian lawmakers voted to add an item in the country's draft political parties law forbidding the establishment of any political party on a "religious basis."

This has occasioned the expected wailing and gnashing of teeth from its Western sympathizers. Al-Guardian denounces Jordan for not getting with the whole reform/beheading trend.

Jordan's government has proposed a new election law that has dealt a further blow to those hoping for meaningful reform in the Hashemite kingdom. The law, which severely limits the number of seats that opposition parties can hold in parliament, was this week supplemented by a proposed ban on political parties established on a religious basis.

Both moves represent a direct assault on the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and the country's leading political party, which would be likely to gain power in any free and fair election.

The good news is at least the media bad guys aren't bothering to pretend that their agenda is anything but to put Islamist theocracies into power. The New York Times is similarly unhappy with Jordan's move. Meanwhile even the UAE doesn't seem all that fond of the Brotherhood, but that will only make Western leftist terror appeasers love them more.

The UAE seems to be pushing against the Brotherhood with General Dhahi Ben Khalfan out of Dubai claiming that the Brotherhood plans to take over the Gulf countries, beginning with Kuwait next year. It's an open question as to whether he has any actual inside information or is just making things up. Maybe a little of both.

Since this is the Muslim world, no denunciation can pass without accusing the other side of working for Israel or America, so the General throws in the expected claim...

 “They are concerned only with ruling chairs and have nothing to do with implementing Islamic Jurisprudence. Whoever become one of them after they ruled Egypt is a traitor. They are also secret soldiers for America and they are executing plans to create tension,” he said.

Khalfan has been feuding with the genocidal spiritual leader of the Brotherhood, Yusuf Qaradawi and harsh words have gone both ways. And some curious statements have been made.

Lieutenant General Khalfan carried on with his attacks on the Muslim Brotherhood and even told the Algerian “Shorouk” newspaper that the Muslim Brotherhood should be prevented from rising to power in Syria. Khalfan issued this statement even though the UAE’s official position is similar to that of the rest of the Gulf States which staunchly backs the Syrian revolution and opposes the al-Assad regime. 

That's true, for now, but everyone knows that the purpose of the Arab Spring is to bring the Islamists, specifically the Brotherhood and similar groups to power. Khalfan has about admitted as much, but some in the UAE, which has a great deal of influence, may be having second thoughts.

But then Ahmadinejad paid a visit to an island claimed by the UAE during the GGC conference, which the Gulfies took as a taunt. And the UAE is on board the Smash Syria, aka Friends of Syria coalition.




WAR, WAR WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR

Speaking of that chummy Friends of Syria group...

The United States, France and 13 other nations demanded Thursday that Syria immediately cease military operations against rebel forces and allow unfettered deployment of U.N. observers, suggesting that use of force will be considered if Damascus fails to comply.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, who spoke for the group, said a U.N. observer mission in Syria is "at a critical moment" because of "the refusal of Syria to carry out its commitments." France will soon submit to the Security Council a resolution outlining what Juppe called a "robust" mission that he hoped Russia and China could be persuaded to approve.

Otherwise, he added, the group agreed that it would "envisage other means to resolve this tragedy."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, at a briefing, took the warning a step further, saying that if Assad continues to balk at implementing Annan's peace plan, the United States and its allies should seek a Security Council resolution invoking Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter. That article opens the door to the use of force; it was the basis of the Western intervention in Libya last year to help rebel forces overthrow Moammar Khadafy.

Since Russia and China aren't likely to sign on to any UN resolution after Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy falsely used a no fly zone to implement regime change, that means Obama is about to go unilateral a second time.

I have been talking about this for a while, and we are getting closer to a blatant push for an invasion of Syria. At the very least sustained bombings and a rebel zone protected by NATO. All for the benefit of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The issue of Obama running another unilateral war without congressional approval is being raised on Capitol Hill.

GOP members on the House Armed Services Committee tried to paint Pentagon officials into a corner on whether or not the White House would require congressional authority for military action.

"We have not exercised our constitutional responsibilities" to weigh in on matters of war, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) chided Defense Secretary Leon Panetta during Thursday's committee hearing on the escalating conflict in Syria.

Panetta told members his department would fully abide by the statutes under the War Powers Act "as long as I am secretary [of Defense]."

Except Panetta didn't abide by the WPA last time. Obama just pretended that the WPA didn't apply. Which is exactly what he'll do in Syria.

 Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) jumped on that point, grilling the DoD chief on what exactly would be required for the U.S. to take action against the Assad regime.

However, Forbes pressed Panetta on why the approval of the international community would trump authorities granted by Congress.

"That is not what we believe the constitution to be. That is not what we believe the War Powers act to be," Forbes told The Hill after the hearing.

Panetta admitted the U.S. could take military action against Syria or other countries without congressional approval under certain circumstances.

But he reiterated that DoD and the Obama administration still remained committed to finding a political solution to get Assad to step down.

Remember the coverage in the run-up to the Iraq War. Recognize what you're not seeing now?

Obama is getting a free pass on launching illegal wars without even the pretense of congressional approval and the necessity of regime change is being treated as a given.

 Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested Thursday the White House should start creating “safe zones” near Syria’s border.

Those safe zones would still require U.S. or NATO air power to protect those areas from Assad's forces. 

Give John some credit, he does like his little wars.



CAN YOU IMAGINE THE MARTIN-ZIMMERMAN CASE IN REVERSE?

Well you don't have to. It actually happened.

Police are saying more about a shooting at a Taco Bell Tuesday night in which one man died. They’re also identifying the victim as 29-year-old Daniel Adkins.

About 7:30 p.m., a 22-year-old man and his girlfriend ordered food at the Taco Bell drive-thru and were told to pull up while their order was prepared.

At the same time, Adkins stepped around a corner into the path of the vehicle and angry words were exchanged between he and the driver. They got into an altercation and Adkins was shot once by the driver. He died at the scene. The driver, a 22-year-old black male, called police but has not been arrested.

At first, the couple claimed that Adkins had a metal pipe that he swung at them — but it turns out he was holding a dog leash with his yellow lab on the other end. Family members want that driver arrested, but he’s claiming self-defense.

Oh and Adkins had the mental capacity of a 12 year old.





THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN

They believe that the individual should become the mass, and that the mass should worship its apotheosis; that one who best reflects their ossified visions on which the anointing oil has long since dried to a brown crust of thought.

They are the monarchists of the mass. They seek a state in which the head that wears the crown may change but where the crown itself grows forever larger.

That's an excerpt from a larger post at American Digest. Until of course the head cracks under the weight of the crown it bears.




THE GEARS OF THE MACHINE

A friend got a call from the Obama campaign. They ask if he would vote for the Bamster. Instead of the answer you and I might give, he said ‘you bet’ and went on to praise Obama and asked how he could help Obama get reelected.

They are sending him a package of campaign material worth hundreds: bumper stickers, buttons, street signs. Of course these items are going straight in the trash. Do this times a thousand – maybe a million times – and we make a real difference in the Bamster’s ability to finance his campaign.

Thought you might want to get in too. If you do, pass this idea round to folks you know.

Get the Obama campaign to spend as much as you can.

That's from Western Rifle Shooters, Unfortunately it's a pretty big pool packed with foreign donors, but the money still has to come from somewhere. There's a virtue in small scale action and local resistance. Jamming the gears of the machine at whatever level you have access to.

There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious—makes you so sick at heart—that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all

That's a rather famous speech and it applies. Grassroots resistance is more effective than grassroots advocacy. Everything that imposes more strain on the machine, drains its energy and slows it down will have benefits, even if the machine does produce its final product. And disrupting grassroots organizing on the other side is wickedly effective because it causes the campaign to distrust its own base. Even the very idea that such a thing is happening would cause a reevaluation in its outreach.

Ideal resistance disrupts enemy organizations, it makes it more difficult for them to coordinate and communicate, to achieve their goals.




THE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES OF BEING PRO-ISRAEL IN THE UK

Fusing together the worst of the red-green alliance between the Marxist left and Islam is the Respect Party, whose leading member is George Galloway. Galloway has just clambered back into parliament after campaigning on his “quasi-Islamic values” and boasting that he was a better Pakistani than the Labour Muslim candidate he was running against because he avoids pubs.

Galloway had celebrated his return to parliament with a cry of “All Praise to Allah” and by lending his name to the Global March on Jerusalem. A month earlier Carole Swords, the chairwoman of the Respect Party in Tower Hamlets, had been convicted of assaulting a Jewish man who had blocked her from destroying Israeli products.

Pro-Israel MPs have come under organized attack from MPACUK, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, whose website asks, “Is your MP a Zionist?” Asghar Bukhari, a founding member and head of the organization, has written that, “Any Muslim who fights against Israel and dies is a martyr and will be granted paradise.”

That's an excerpt from my article, The Deadly Consequences of Being Pro-Israel in the UK




IF YOU WANT TO LIVE LIKE ALL THE FOLKS ON THE HILL...

Surrogates such as Joe Biden and Axelrod will no doubt pound it home—”Mitt Romney, rich out-of-touch spoiled brat”—since it’s one of the few weapons they have against him. But it only makes Obama look petty and covetous when he says it himself.

Sure it's petty, but Obama has always been petty. It's one of the few consistent things about him. His last campaign was as much about Bush bashing as it was about Hope and Change. He can switch from one to the other on a dime, because that's the mode now. The more you whine, the more you have suffered and the more you can inspire the masses.

In the grandson of a bank president and the son of a diplomat really even in the right league for pushing that silver spoon argument?

Obama appeared at a community college graduation as a Harvard grad who never worked in his life.




ON HIS MAJESTY'S SERVICE

The Secret Service scandal isn't much of a scandal. It doesn't so much reveal the basic problems, as it reminds us of them. American security services tend to have a troubled history. They're okay at pursuing criminals and not much else. The level of professionalism has never been that great. No one really expected this from the Secret Service because no one pays much attention to the Secret Service. Mostly it's just there.

But what are we really criticizing the Secret Service for? If this is the worst thing that has happened in the Secret Service, it's miles ahead of the CIA where someone like Aldrich Ames was allowed to run wild.




CRAZY LIES AND THE CRAZY LIARS WHO TELL THEM

I mentioned several times that we are living in a post-factual society, but we also appear to be living in a post-reality society. How else do I explain the latest email blast from the National Jewish Democratic Council titled, "Sole Jewish Republican in Congress: GOP Caucus's Anti-Semitism, Racism its "Darker Side"

"It's both admirable and disturbing in the extreme to hear Majority Leader Cantor's candid remarks regarding the dual challenges of racism and anti-Semitism that he has detected in the House GOP caucus," National Jewish Democratic Council President and CEO David A. Harris commented:

A little further down the NJDC email quotes the ThinkProgress blog that Harris and his lunatic liars are basing this on. And I'm going to quote it in full because it just speaks for itself.

Today, Cantor, the only Jewish House Republican, nearly affirmed that this was the reason he fought against Manzullo's re-election, insinuating that anti-Semitism -- and racism -- are lingering problems among the House GOP generally.

Calling it the 'darker side,' Cantor responded to Politico's Mike Allen's question of whether there is anti-semitism in Congress by trying to avoid commenting. But eventually he let up: 'I think that all of us know that in this country, we've not always gotten it right in terms of racial matters, religious matters, whatever. We continue to strive to provide equal treatment to everybody.'  

'We're talking about the House Republican Caucus, not America,' Allen pushed.

Cantor then sat in silence, grimacing for several seconds before Allen changed the topic

The ThinkProgress piece is bad enough, but it at least resorts to weasel words like "nearly" and "insinuating", when in reality Cantor gave a generic response about the country as a whole. But even it eventually is forced to concede that Cantor did not actually say anything about the GOP.

But the NJDC email turns Cantor sitting in silence after making a generic remark about the country into "candid remarks" about racism and anti-Semitism in the House GOP caucus. But that part is just a lie. The truly "admirable and disturbing" part is that the NJDC then embedded the TP quote into their email, along with a video, without the ability to understand that none of it supports their bizarre version of events.

We truly are living in a post-real society. What's worse still is that major media outlets write their stories based on TP pieces. William Safire called Hillary Clinton a congenital liar, but it's not a character flaw anymore, it's ideological. A Democratic group has no problem firing up a piece of lunacy like this, and I don't know for sure whether they even know that they're lying anymore.




ASSIMILATING ANGER

Maybe you don't have any holy books. Maybe you don't value holy books, but surely you can fathom the meaning of a gravestone.  Will you have yours used to pave a street?  How will you stop that from happening?

I'll let you in on a secret, and you can ask any ger, any convert, if it is true.  No one in the world would tolerate being treated with such disregard.  No one.  You want to know why grannies are marching around America in red, white and blue t-shirts, with signs and slogans?  Because they are incensed at being disregarded; they are not used to it.  The perceived disrespect makes them Angry. You want to assimilate?  Then assimilate that same attitude.

If it doesn't anger you to be disrespected (much less, being mass-murdered with great regularity), then all your efforts to assimilate are for naught.

Some interesting thoughts from Boker Tov Boulder.




THE STRAUSSES

 Isidor and Ida Strauss.  This married couple were Jews from Georgia.  Isidor had volunteered for the Confederate Army at the outset of the Civil War, but was refused due to his young age of sixteen.  Later he became co-owner of Macy's Department Store with his brother.

The Strausses had been together since their marriage in 1871.  An officer of the Titanic offered a seat in a half-filled lifeboat to Isidor and Ida, but Isidor refused to go ahead of younger men than himself.  Ida opted to stay with him, and is reported as telling the officer:  "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so will we die, together."

That's from Saberpoint. Another mostly untold aspect of the story...

In 1912, Nathan Strauss along with his brother Isidor and his wife visited the Land of Israel, in what was then still controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Nathan fell in love with the country, which was growing substantially due to the Zionist movement and Jewish immigration. Isidor and his wife headed back to New York, passing through England on the way. Unfortunately, they boarded the RMS Titanic, and perished when it sunk that April night.

Had Nathan Strauss been on board with his brother and his wife, he surely would have lost his life. According to written accounts, Nathan was deeply affected by this loss, but believed his life had been divinely spared. He dedicated the rest of his life to philanthropy, giving away two-thirds of his life fortune to helping build the young country.