Brandon

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Political Lessons Learned (or not) for 2014?

Do both Obama and the GOP need to avoid becoming "stuck on stupid?"

Australia kicks off 2014 New Year celebration in Sydney Harbor
With the New Year comes a quick look back at 2013 and the year's preceding. When thinking about this theme I'm reminded of the words of General Honore who took command of relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and reminded reporters "don't get stuck on stupid." It seems all too often most of us suffer from that problem including Obama and even Republicans.

Speaking of Obama, both Charles Krauthammer and Peggy Noonan have been writing a series of columns describing his sole focus on politics instead of governance. (If only I knew how to cash in on repeating the blatantly obvious I'd be rich too.) The best example is ObamaCare where instead of making sure the program works and is well managed Obama gives another speech or starts another campaign swing. Obama and the amateur hour staff in the White House, none of whom have any executive management experience (again, stating the obvious) just can't seem to learn that lesson. Politico reports that Obama is ramping up yet another campaign to sell ObamaCare. Yeah, that's what we need. With Obama stuck on stupid, 2014 looks to be no better for him and Democrats than 2013.

As for Republicans 2014 should be a good year. Emphasis on SHOULD. But as I have alluded to repeatedly for several years now GOP campaign strategists are also stuck on stupid. They spend huge amounts of money trying to tailor campaign ads to attract women and minorities while ignoring the base of the GOP. Since 2006 we have watched while Democrats successfully employ a micro-targeting plan to mine the votes from their base in key precincts. Dems aren't wasting huge amounts of money trying to win over reluctant voters. They are banking the votes of those who they know are most likely to be on their side. Which makes more sense? The GOP outreach to all or the Dem's know your friends strategy? Results speak for themselves.

The GOP problem is that campaign consultants don't make money driving a van around GOP neighborhoods taking seniors to early voting centers. Hence, stuck on stupid. Meanwhile, in 2014 expect Dems to continue tapping the permanent progressive political activist and labor infrastructure to stave off any GOP wave in key senate races. If the GOP would actually copy what worked for Obama and the Dems in the last few elections we might stand a chance of taking control of the Senate. As of now, it's only a 50-50 chance.

As of now, the GOP's best ally is Obama and vice versa. The GOP could win big in 2014 if it stopped playing defense and Obama could win big if he actually did his job for a change!

Racist Mockery of Adopted Romney Grandchild

Imagine if someone on Duck Dynasty had said this...

So, Mitt Romney's son Ben and wife Andelyne adopted a son last September. The child happens to be black. For the Romney family Christmas card there is a picture of the entire family with new baby bouncing on Mitt's knee.

Too much to let pass apparently for liberal race baiters at MSNBC who see everything through a prism of race. On a show hosted by Mellissa Harris-Perry guests mocked the Romney baby and went on to joke that the photo represents the entire Republican Party with all these white people and one token black thrown in.

It's important to note that Harris-Perry was one of those who joined in the week long attack on Duck Dynasty before Christmas. But apparently it's OK to make racist attacks on black babies as long as their parents are Republicans.

Just goes to show you why there will likely be little improvement in the civility of our national conversation. The liberals, who seek to dictate the rules of speech and conduct for the rest of us, always set such a low standard for themselves!

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Iran Spits on Obama's Nuclear Deal and Goes Ahead with New Centrifuges

But don't expect any blowback from Obama. He's already said he would veto Congressional action to reimpose sanctions!

Oh, it was a happy day on November 23rd when Obama delivered a televised address to the nation from the East Room of the White House. He finally got a chance to try and change the subject from the failure of ObamaCare by trumpeting what he claims was a "first step" towards halting Iran's development of nuclear weapons. Obama bragged that an agreement with the terrorist nation would:
For the first time in nearly a decade, we have halted the progress of the Iranian nuclear program, and key parts of the program will be rolled back. Iran has committed to halting certain levels of enrichment and neutralizing part of its stockpiles. Iran cannot use its next-generation centrifuges, which are used for enriching uranium. Iran cannot install or start up new centrifuges, and its production of centrifuges will be limited. Iran will halt work at its plutonium reactor. And new inspections will provide extensive access to Iran’s nuclear facilities and allow the international community to verify whether Iran is keeping its commitments.
By now we know the drill. Obama gives a speech, proclaims a problem, or a web site, is fixed then moves on. If anyone dares to question him they are vilified as racists who have no plan. That game will be harder to play in this case since the Iranians who are supposed to be reigning in their nuclear ambitions are doing just the opposite. From the Tehran Times:
Iran is building a new generation of centrifuges for uranium enrichment, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran director announced in Isfahan on Thursday. “The new generation of centrifuges is being built. But all tests should be carried on it before mass production,” Ali Akbar Salehi said, without elaborating.
The deal Iran signed with Obama says that they will not put new centrifuges online for six months. Which is probably about the time Iran needed to get them ready anyway.

Even Democrats are having trouble swallowing this one. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a recent interview that:
"Iranians are showing their true intentions...If you're talking about producing more advanced centrifuges that are only used to enrich uranium at a quicker rate ... the only purposes of that and the only reason you won't give us access to [a military research facility] is because you're really not thinking about nuclear power for domestic energy -- you're thinking about nuclear power for nuclear weapons."
There is a bipartisan effort in Congress to pass legislation which would restore sanctions which Obama lifted when Iranians agreed to this farcical and unenforceable deal. But Obama has threatened to veto the bill. Dismissing opponents in the usual Obama style, Obama claimed at his pre-Christmas news conference that Senators who back stronger measures are playing the "politics of trying to look tough on Iran," before the 2014 elections. So, here we are again, dismissing or demonizing opponents simply because they disagree with what is so obviously another failed Obama policy.

Iran has no fear that Obama will make things tough on them. They've watched him now for five years and know they can roll him every time. They know Obama will side with them over senators of both parties in his own country just as Obama stayed largely silent when Iran used murderous tactics to put down the rebellion that might have ended Iran's nuclear ambitions and freed their people from tyranny. Iran's blood soaked leaders know Obama won't lift a finger here either.

During the Obama years the world has become a darker, more dangerous place. And the man who came into office with a Nobel Peace Prize is one the prime reasons why things are getting worse in a hurry. Those who follow history know that peace comes from strength and weakness invites war. Prepare for war!

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Bittersweet Christmas Story as 10,000 Carolers Grant Dying Girl Her Last Wish

8 year old Laney Brown dies on Christmas after joyful moment!

With all the screeching about what a rotten, unjust, racist country this nation is it's good to hear a story that shows the basic common decency of so many Americans.

Eight year old Laney Brown lay dying of a rare form on Leukemia at her parent's home in West Reading Pennsylvania. One of her final wishes was to hear Christmas Carols sung outside her window. 10,000 well wishers crowded the street outside her home last Saturday to grant that wish.


Laney Brown

Days later, early on Christmas morning, Laney died. The New York Daily News has the story.

No government program could have saved Laney. She had great health care, perhaps better than she would have received under ObamaCare. But what Laney wanted, and what she got, was proof that her life, however short, mattered. Her neighbors gave her that assurance.

There may not be a Santa Claus but the Spirit of Christmas is alive and well in the hearts of those who show goodwill to their fellow man during the holiday season and throughout the year. No government program can mandate humanity. But thank God it's still alive.

Even when all hope is lost, there is still love!

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Cartoon: The Interesting Juxtaposition of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and Lie of the Year

There's a subtle message here. What is it?


On a related note, make sure to check the latest ObamaCare nightmare story from, of all places, the New York Times: New Health Law Frustrates Many in Middle Class. The Middle Class, the group Obama has repeatedly said he cares about deeply, is getting the worst of ObamaCare rising premiums, high deductibles and restrictions on doctors and hospitals.

Oh well, I guess it's time for another Obama photo op standing in front of a bunch of hand picked Middle Class types with Obama telling the world how much he cares. That will fix things right?

Monday, December 16, 2013

Obama's Next Big Lie: No GOP Alternative to ObamaCare?

If Obama is so desperate to restore his tattered credibility why does he keep lying?

The news fact check site Politifact named Obama's whopper "if you like your health plan you can keep it" their lie of the year. It must have been a tough choice because Obama has told so many whoppers about ObamaCare. Rather than deal with the consequences of his deeply flawed policy and attempt to restore his credibility he continues to go on the attack with more lies.

The latest example is his charge that the GOP has no alternative to ObamaCare.  Over the last few months that theme has crept into his speeches quite a bit. (1,2) including this example from a December 3rd event where he stood before a group of people used as props and said:
OBAMA: We’re not going back. We’re not going to betray Monica, or Julia, or Sam, or Justine, or Joann. (Applause.) I mean, that seems to be the only alternative that Obamacare’s critics have is, well, let’s just go back to the status quo -- because they sure haven’t presented an alternative. If you ask many of the opponents of this law what exactly they’d do differently, their answer seems to be, well, let’s go back to the way things used to be.
Obama says we're not going back, but in one poll, 55% of Americans said they would prefer to do just that. And the GOP DOES have alternatives:
  • The Patients' Choice Act, introduced on May 20, 2009, in the House by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and in the Senate by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.
  •  The Empowering Patients First Act that was introduced on July 30, 2009, by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., would first repeal Obamacare and replace it with a “patient-centered” solution. 
  • The Patient OPTION Act was introduced on Aug. 1 by Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga. and would first repeal Obamacare and then focus on more patient-centered solutions.
Click the links to get to the full description or view the summary of all plans at the Washington Examiner where  writer Ashe Schow points out that "Coburn, Price, Broun and Roe are all medical doctors."

Obama's media, the same bunch that ignored "if you like your plan you can keep it" continues to parrot the lie that the GOP has no alternative (1,2) while the truth is that Democrats simply refuse to even discuss GOP alternatives. Democrats in both the House and Senate did their best to block multiple GOP amendments to the original bill; some of which might have spared the public the nightmare we are now witnessing. And today, they still refuse to consider GOP ideas. Despite repeatedly claiming he's "more than willing' to work with GOP" and he's "bent over backwards" yet continues to reject any GOP ideas that do not endorse his failed big government policy.

More ObamaCare Newsbits
  • Obama claimed that ObamaCare would help those who were currently uninsured to get coverage. But a recent poll found that only 24% of the uninsured think ObamaCare is a good idea. Half do not.
  • Obama voters in New York are distressed to learn how much THEY are going to have to pay for ObamaCare. The New York Times cites one shocked resident who said if she had known this she would have voted for Romney. Why do you think the Times and other news outlets didn't get this out before the election?
At Thanksgiving, Team Obama instructed their minions to get right in the face of family members with pro ObamaCare propaganda. It's time to return the favor. At Christmas, ask your pro Obama family members how they are enjoying the $2500 that Obama swore they would save this year on health care. That lie is so obvious that even Obamabots can't defend it!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Media Covers Up Colorado Shooters Left Wing Affiliation; Ignores Race War of DHS Employee

You can imagine the screaming headlines if any of these were the acts of someone affiliated with the Tea Party!

Seems like whenever there is a mass shooting somewhere the instant assumption among many in the news media is to find a link to conservatives or the Tea Party. Who can forget the media fueled accusation that Sarah Palin was somehow to blame for psycho Jared Loughner's murderous rampage in Arizona even though there was absolutely no connection whatsoever. Then there was the Colorado movie theater shooting where ABC rushed to link the shooter to the Tea Party just because a Tea Party member had the same name. Another example was the hope that the Boston Marathon bomber would turn out to be a white right winger.

If ANY of these shootings were perpetrated by a conservative the media would trumpet it from the rooftops and run endless loops decrying the fact and insisting that all other conservatives denounce not just the shooter but conservative politics as a whole.

Of course when the shooter is actually someone from the left wing of American politics they do their best to hide the fact. Take the case of the shooting on Friday at Arapahoe High School in Colorado. Karl Pierson was a strong advocate for socialism yet the Denver Post scrubbed that fact from their initial report. Initially he was described by a classmate as being a "very opinionated Socialist." But the later report only described Pierson as "very opinionated."

This coverup is nothing new. Remember Christopher Dorner, the left wing Obama loving cop killer in Los Angeles last February? His strong left wing views were largely omitted from media report.

Then there's the case of Ayo Kimathi an employee at the Department of Homeland Security who was finally fired last week after months on unpaid leave after it was learned that he advocated a race war between blacks and whites. “In order for Black people to survive the 21st century, we are going to have to kill a lot of whites – more than our Christian hearts can possibly count,” is one of he milder things he said.

You can be forgiven if you didn't hear about this racist on the nightly news. But imagine the wall to wall coverage if he had been a member of the Tea Party.

There are a multitude of cases of left wing zealots turning to violence but these are mostly ignored. There are almost no REAL cases of similar conduct on the right yet the assumption is that right wingers are terrorists and killers. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time the media has propagated left wing lies. "Period!"

UPDATE: Colorado killers big issue? Economic inequality. Wonder where he got that idea...
You think Obama will back off the class warfare now that a school shooter may have been inspired by his words?

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Cancel Christmas: The Left Continues to Lie About Global Warming

When the science abandons them they just make it up!

Follow me while I set this up....

Living here on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, people in the Hilton Head Island area pay close attention to the danger of hurricanes. Every year since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 the predictions have been for more storms and more danger. This year was no different with the warning that the season would be "extremely active" and various forecasters predicting anywhere from 3 to 6 major storms. Turns out all the forecasts were wrong. Following a trend that started after Katrina this year was the quietest in decades. The first season since 1968 in which there were no storm stronger than category 1.

Eight years of record low hurricanes hasn't stopped the global warming crazies. They're still pushing the lie.

The warmer crazies have been trying to tell us that climate change would cause more tornadoes, wildfires and extreme heat, yet just the opposite has happened.

Another of the big lies is the the North Pole will melt and the polar bears will drown. This scaremongering goes back decades yet every year the deadline for an ice free Arctic comes and goes and the ice remains.

Here's the latest big lie scare and it's even more despicable because it's directed at children:


The role of Santa is played by British actor Jim Carter who is famous for his role as Mr.Carson, the butler in Downton Abbey.

CARTER: Dear children: Regrettably, I bring bad tidings. For some time now, melting ice here, the North Pole, has made our operations and our day-to-day life intolerable and impossible, and there may be no alternative but to cancel Christmas.
If Carter/Carson had bothered to check his facts he might be aware that arctic ice is rebounding from a natural low cycle and sea ice for 2013 is already at or above levels for 2008 when the downward trend began [CHART]. The National Snow and Ice Data Center which tracks these things shows an image from December 11 of the North Pole region frozen solid.

While we are at it, Greenland isn't melting either. The same arctic trends that had global warming crazies in a panic have reversed there as well. And I can't fail to mention that in Antarctic there is more ice than ever with new record cold temperature of minus 135.8 was recently reported. Hard to imagine there'll be much melting with that temperature!

The phony science based on flawed predictions has been exposed as a fraud. The real science, based on observation is making a fool out of the global warming crowd. But that doesn't seem to stop them. They just make it up. I would like to say that this kind of campaign designed to scare children at Christmas has to be new low yet the big lie left has used that tool before. The lies never stop!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Will ObamaCare Kill More People Than it Saves?

Cutting off patient choices for doctors and hospitals means a lower standard of care!

A local man wrote me recently to tell me that he had just returned from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. He had a rather rare and life threatening form of pneumonia that his doctors here on Hilton Head Island (quite good by most standards) had failed to diagnose and treat. Had he not been able to go to the Mayo Clinic he would likely have died. Fortunately, he had insurance that permitted him to choose the hospitals and doctors he needed.

This gentleman does not have ObamaCare. If he did, he would likely be dead!

A new report shows that many of the nation's top hospitals which specialize in treating the most difficult and deadly illnesses are not part of the ObamaCare plan. Those who are very sick or with rare or complicated disease may not be able to get the help they need. That is, if they can even find a doctor.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former official with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency within the Department of Health and Humand Services that manages ObamaCare, recently testified before the House Ways and Means Committee that many ObamaCare plans have too few physicians for the number of people in a particular area. In an op-ed Dr. Gottlieb wrote for Forbes, he summarized the problem:
No, in all likelihood, you can’t keep your doctor.

I found one Obamacare health plan that offers access to only seven pediatricians for a county with 260,000 children. Another Obamacare plan offers access to only nine dermatologists, most 100 miles away. A systematic analysis we did of the plans shows that, on average, their networks include about 40% to 50% of the number of specialists that are available in comparable commercial PPO health plans.
And don't just take an expert's opinion for it. Here's a sampling of reports across the media spectrum:
  • Obama’s “High-Profile Pledge” That All Americans Could Keep Their Doctor Under ObamaCare Is His Next Broken Promise.“Barack Obama’s broken promise that all Americans would be able to keep their health care plans after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act has infuriated people who took the President at his word and rattled even his staunchest supporters. But for the President, the real political pain may only be starting. Come 2014, the rest of the country may learn that another high-profile pledge was untrue. ‘No matter how we reform health care,’ Obama said in 2009, ‘we will keep this promise: if you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period.’” (Alex Altman, “‘You Can Keep Your Doctor’: ObamaCare’s Next Broken Promise?” Time , 11/19/13)
  • Despite Obama’s Promise, “New Plans Appear To Offer A Narrow Choice Of Hospitals And Doctors.” “Obama promised people could keep their doctors. But in many states the new plans appear to offer a narrow choice of hospitals and doctors. Overall, it’s shaping up as less choice than what people get through Medicare or employer-based coverage.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Holly Ramer, “Limited Patient Choice Next Overhaul Issue,” The Associated Press, 11/20/13)
  • Keeping Your Provider Is “The Next Vexing Challenge For Americans” Created By ObamaCare.“Keeping your doctors and hospitals may be the next vexing challenge for Americans in the new health plans created by President Barack Obama’s law.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Holly Ramer, “Limited Patient Choice Next Overhaul Issue,” The Associated Press.
  • Under ObamaCare, “Many Insurers Are Significantly Limiting The Choices Of Doctors And Hospitals Available To Consumers.” “Federal officials often say that health insurance will cost consumers less than expected under President Obama’s health care law. But they rarely mention one big reason: many insurers are significantly limiting the choices of doctors and hospitals available to consumers.” (Robert Pear, “Lower Health Insurance Premiums To Come At Cost Of Fewer Choices,” The New York Times , 9/23/13)
  • ObamaCare’s Mandates Are Leading To “Limited Choices And Significant Out-Of-Pocket Costs.” “Exchange plans are required to take all applicants, cover broad benefits and provide robust financial protection against catastrophic illness. In return for that, something else has to give. The result: limited choices and significant out-of-pocket costs through deductibles and copayments.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Holly Ramer, “Limited Patient Choice Next Overhaul Issue,”The Associated Press, 11/20/13)
  • Californians Are Likely To Experience “Long Wait Times, A Scarcity Of Specialists And Loss Of A Longtime Doctor.” “These diminished medical networks are fueling growing concerns that many patients will still struggle to get care despite the nation’s biggest healthcare expansion in half a century. Consumers could see long wait times, a scarcity of specialists and loss of a longtime doctor.” (Chad Terhune, “Insurers Limiting Doctors, Hospitals In Health Insurance Market,” Los Angeles Times, 9/14/13)
  • Harvard School Of Public Health Professor Robert J. Blendon: “Some Of These Plans Exclude Coverage At Children’s Hospitals As Well, Which Means Some Parents With Sick Children Will Have To Change Their Source Of Care.” Robert J. Blendon, a professor at Harvard’s School of Public Health: “This is the next big political story. The president promised people they could keep their doctor and implicitly their hospital. A number of state exchanges are like New Hampshire in that they are offering what are called narrow network plans. Some of these plans exclude coverage at children’s hospitals as well, which means some parents with sick children will have to change their source of care. This too is not what was promised.” (Thomas B. Edsall, Op-Ed, “The ObamaCare Crisis,” The New York Times, 11/20/13)
  • Many Consumers In New Hampshire May Have To Drive Nearly An Hour For A Doctor.“Peter L. Gosline, the chief executive of Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough, N.H., said his hospital had been excluded from the network without any discussions or negotiations. ‘Many consumers will have to drive 30 minutes to an hour to reach other doctors and hospitals,’ Mr. Gosline said. ‘It’s very inconvenient for patients, and at times it’s a hardship.’” (Robert Pear, “Lower Health Insurance Premiums To Come At Cost Of Fewer Choices,” The New York Times , 9/23/13)
Can't see your long time neighborhood doctor and must wait weeks then drive an hour to get a new doctor? All the while you are paying more? Thank Obama. Fewer people will get the care they need and die because of ObamaCare!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Obama, Who Snubbed Thatcher Funeral, Makes Mandela Memorial All About HIM!

With his clownish behavior in South Africa, it's a good thing he didn't go to Thatcher funeral!

The President of the United States normally does not attend funerals of foreign leaders. So, it was no surprise, and perhaps relief, that Obama choose not to attend Margaret Thatcher's funeral earlier this year. But the British were somewhat perturbed that the American delegation to Thatcher's state funeral did not include ANY current high ranking American official. Not even "you die, I fly" Vice President Biden. Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton couldn't be bothered.

Contrast that with the funeral of Nelson Mandela, a regional African leader but one who was made into a worldwide celebrity by the same left wing media that glorifies Latin American mass murderer Chez Guevara. President Obama attended in person yucking it up with other world leaders. He even managed to shake hands with Raul Castro, brother of Fidel Castro who still holds Cubans hostage to a failed communist tyranny.

Of course Obama's appearance was as much about him as it was Mandela. The old "I,I, me, me" which has been so absent from his teleprompter when discussing the disaster of ObamaCare popped up again.  News reporters couldn't help but marvel at how other appearances at the memorial were little more than a "warm up act for Obama."

I have no problem with Obama paying respects to Nelson Mandela, despite some checkered parts of Mandela's past. But how respectful is it for Obama to use the Mandela memorial for a distraction from his own domestic troubles and turn it into a reunion for failed radical leftists the world over?

UPDATE: Sign Language Fraud. For deaf viewers of the Mandela memorial it will be a moment to forget. As Obama and other speakers made their remarks a man with credentials from Mandela's African National Congress Party was supposed to be translating the words into universal sign language understood by deaf people. Instead, he was simply faking it by waving his hands around. Well, when Obama speaks that might seem appropriate since it was all hot air anyway and didn't mean a thing. PERIOD!

Saturday, December 07, 2013

Obama Stacking DHS with Pro Amnesty Attorneys

And once they get their jobs they are in for life!

J. Christian Adams saw firsthand how the Obama Department of Justice was corrupted by the radical politics of lawyers brought in with Attorney General Eric Holder. They simply refused to enforce the Voting Rights Act if blacks were accused of wrongdoing. But at least the political appointees who engaged in this kind of activity will be gone when a Republican president returns sanity to the White House and replaces these corrupt appointees.

The same is not true with the Civil Service whose jobs are not dependent on who sits in the White House. IRS employees like Lois Lerner do not lose their job when the White House changes hands. So, it is with increasing concern that the large number of new hires in the federal government made possible by Obama's large increases in federal spending may further corrupt government agencies in a way that will be very difficult to correct. The Justice Department is being staffed with a cadre of card carrying left wing radicals who will not be asked to leave when the government changes hands.

So too with the Department of Homeland Security who recently hired 24 new attorneys, all of whom come from backgrounds supporting amnesty for illegal aliens. This hiring occurred despite the budget sequester that Obama threatened would cripple the government.

Since DHS is responsible for enforcing immigration law, how likely is it that we will see the same corruption of law enforcement we have already witnessed at the Department of Justice?

With the lawlessness we see coming from a President who selectively interprets laws the corruption of federal agencies takes on fresh concern. How any Republican president will push back remains to be seen. Remember the firestorm that erupted when Bush's Attorney General exercised his legal right to replace a handful of Clinton era prosecutors? The power held by corrupt left wing bureaucrats with civil service protection threatens the very core of our democracy. Thank Obama!

Another Race Hoax Exposed

Want to get attention, or get even? Just shout "RACIST" and the usual suspects will come running and believe every word you say!

We all know that if Trayvon Martin had been white and George Zimmerman black Trayvon's death would have been a statistic, not a national obsession. The injection of race and the specter of racism raised the profile of this tragedy. It didn't matter that there was not one shred of evidence to suggest race had anything to do with it.

Then there is the case of the Duke LaCrosse players accused of raping a black stripper. The player's lives were ruined by the scandal even after they were found innocent and the prosecutor who brought the case was disbarred for "dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation." The Duke University faculty which did so much to whip up racial animosity refused to apologize and continues to promote racial division.

These are just a two examples of how racial issues are abused by those seeking to advance a leftist agenda or to attack others. With the media hyped attention given to these incidents it's no wonder hate crime hoaxes has become quite the thing.

Two recent examples prove the point. The first, at Vassar College (why is this so frequent at universities?) where members of the Bias Incident Response Team, or hate crime student police, were actually the ones spray painting hate messages on campus.

The second in Lunenberg, Massachusetts where racial slurs were spray painted on the skirting of the house of a bi racial player on the high school football team. It was thought that teammates may have done the dirty deed so the remainder of the football season was canceled and a candlelight vigil was held to protest racism.

But there was something funny about this incident. Look at the picture. If you're a racist goon intent on spray painting racial slurs on someone's house are you going to bend over and do it on the skirting which is more easily painted over or are you going to do it on the siding which is easier and would stand out better?

Well, predictably, police figured out that it was the mother of football player who did the deed. When the father was asked about this he said “That just shows you how racist this town is.” So now, questioning hoaxers is also defined as racism. How convenient.

According to the left, anyone who disagrees with Obama is a racist or perhaps has the attitude of a slave owner. It's no surprise then that there has been an increase in these very public vicious calumnies directed at innocent people and groups. As long as the media's first reaction is to assume the lie is true this hate crime against the truth will continue!

P.S. I almost forgot the infamous hoax of Tawana Brawley, who, as a young teenage girl in Duchess County, New York in 1987 made up a story about being abducted and raped by a group of white men who then smeared her with feces and scrawled racial epithets on her body. Tawana fabricated the story to avoid getting into trouble for staying out all night with her boyfriend. The lives of the men wrongly accused, including a New York county prosecutor, were ruined. The hoax made an instant celebrity out of Al Sharpton.

Even after the hoax was exposed, Professor Patricia Williams, one of the left's leading intellectuals on racebaiting said Tawana "has been the victim of some unspeakable crime. No matter how she got there. No matter who did it to her and even if she did it to herself." The truth really does not matter does it?

Tawana remains an icon of the racebaiting left. She recently attended a fundraiser which had to be held in New Jersey instead of New York since her mother Glenda has a warrant out for her arrest related to the hoax. The event was emceed by Leonard Jeffries is another so-called academic who made a career out of racebaiting. Jeffries has said “rich Jews” financed the slave trade and whites are violent, cruel “ice people.’’

P.P.S. Commenter Beakerin points out that these race hoaxes get massive media attention while the very real race motivated attacks in the "Knock Out Game" go largely unreported. I would just add that these attacks are likely fueled by the false perceptions of white racism created in part by these hoaxes. Yet for some reason the hoaxes and the hoaxers are rarely, if ever condemned. Al Sharpton remains a celebrity today based on racist lies!

Friday, December 06, 2013

Despite Repeated Promises to Get to the Bottom of IRS Scandal, Obama Dismisses Entire Episode in Interview

Six months later and not one Tea Party groups has been contacted by the FBI!

Remember this from May 16th??
OBAMA: Well, with respect to the IRS, I spoke to this yesterday. My main concern is fixing a problem, and we began that process yesterday by asking and accepting the resignation of the Acting Director there. We will be putting in new leadership that will be able to make sure that -- following up on the IG audit -- that we gather up all the facts, that we hold accountable those who have taken these outrageous actions. As I said last night, it is just simply unacceptable for there to even be a hint of partisanship or ideology when it comes to the application of our tax laws.
...
But let me make sure that I answer your specific question. I can assure you that I certainly did not know anything about the IG report before the IG report had been leaked through the press. [Edior's note: REALLY?] Typically, the IG reports are not supposed to be widely distributed or shared. They tend to be a process that everybody is trying to protect the integrity of. But what I'm absolutely certain of is that the actions that were described in that IG report are unacceptable.

So in addition to making sure that we've got a new acting director there, we're also going to make sure that we gather up the facts, and hold accountable and responsible anybody who was involved in this. We're going to make sure that we identify any structural or management issues to prevent something like this from happening again. We're going to make sure that we are accepting all of the recommendations that the IG has in the report.

And I'm looking forward to working with Congress to fully investigate what happened, make sure that it doesn’t happen again, and also look at some of the laws that create a bunch of ambiguity in which the IRS may not have enough guidance and not be clear about what exactly they need to be doing and doing it right, so that the American people have confidence that the tax laws are being applied fairly and evenly.
...
The IG has done an audit; it's now my understanding they're going to be recommending an investigation. And Attorney General Holder also announced a criminal investigation of what happened. Between those investigations, I think we’re going to be able to figure out exactly what happened, who was involved, what went wrong, and we’re going to be able to implement steps to fix it.
...
And, as I said yesterday, I’m outraged by this in part because, look, I’m a public figure -- if a future administration is starting to use the tax laws to favor one party over another or one political view over another, obviously we’re all vulnerable. And that’s why, as I’ve said, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you should be equally outraged at even the prospect that the IRS might not be acting with the kind of complete neutrality that we expect.
Fast forward to Thursday when Obama was asked the IRS scandal by MSNBC's Chris Matthews. Obama described the scandal as:
"An office in Cincinnati, in the IRS office that — I think, for bureaucratic reasons, is trying to streamline what is a difficult law to interpret about whether a nonprofit is actually a political organization deserves a tax exempt agency. And they’ve got a list, and suddenly everybody’s outraged.
How dismissive and what a contrast with what he said earlier. By now, everyone who has been paying attention to this issue knows that the Administration line that this was some rogue operation in at an IRS office in Cincinnati is false. We also know that despite repeated promises to get to the bottom of the matter, none of the Tea Party groups targeted by the IRS have been contacted by federal investigators. Six months after the scandal broke and there is no visible sign of any Administration investigation. Can you imagine a rape case where the police never interview the victim?

I know, I know. We've learned from experience that Obama will say one thing one day then do nothing or something completely different the next. Whether it's the vanishing red line in Syria or "if you like your plan you can keep it. Period!" Obama's words are all relative to the moment and designed solely to achieve political objectives. And he gets away with it because there is so little accountability from the news media on most issues.

It's obvious that an Administration run largely by corrupt Chicago cronies will not seriously investigate ANY wrongdoing in which they may be complicit. It's past time that we had a Special Prosecutor appointed. Had this, or any other Obama scandals happened during a Republican Administration a Grand Jury would already be hearing evidence!

Liberal Law Prof: Obama "the Very Danger the Constitution was Designed to Avoid!"

Obama systematically undermines the constitutional checks and balances so essential to maintain a free society!

In a hearing on Capitol Hill this week liberal law professor Jonathon Turley was asked about Obama's unilateral modification of the laws passed by Congress. Here's what he said:


REP. BOB GOODLATTE (R-VA): Professor Turley, the constitution, the system of separated powers is not simply about stopping one branch of government from usurping another. It's about protecting the liberty of Americans from the dangers of concentrated government power. How does the president's unilateral modification of act of Congress affect both the balance of power between the political branches and the liberty interests of the American people?

JONATHAN TURLEY: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The danger is quite severe. The problem with what the president is doing is that he's not simply posing a danger to the constitutional system. He's becoming the very danger the Constitution was designed to avoid. That is the concentration of power in every single branch.

This Newtonian orbit that the three branches exist in is a delicate one but it is designed to prevent this type of concentration. There is two trends going on which should be of equal concern to all members of Congress. One is that we have had the radical expansion of presidential powers under both President Bush and President Obama. We have what many once called an imperial presidency model of largely unchecked authority. And with that trend we also have the continued rise of this fourth branch. We have agencies that are quite large that issue regulations. The Supreme Court said recently that agencies could actually define their own or interpret their own jurisdiction. (House hearing, December 3, 2013)
Obama is on a slippery slope with his liberal base demanding ever more active "reinterpretations" of existing laws. The White House may even be considering raising the minimum wage in certain areas by Executive Order. At the hearing on Capitol Hill Rep. Trey Gowdy asked another panelist what's to stop Obama from ignoring election laws? Sadly, there is very little that can be done to stop this because the courts don't usually intervene and Congress is divided.

One consolation is that sooner or later a lawless president is bound to hit a brick wall of public opposition so fierce that not even he dare continue down this path. However, the damage done may be severe and lasting.

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Obama's "Mission Accomplished" Declaration on ObamaCare Web Site Falls Flat

If Obama and his team spent as much time making this turkey work as they do campaigning and blaming Republicans this thing would work by now!

ABC News reported on Sunday the Obama Administration has declared success in revamping the absurdly flawed ObamaCare web site. Instead of crashing with a few hundred users logged on, which was routine with the original site developed at a cost of $600 million, the revamp can handle 50,000 simultaneous visitors and 800,000 a day. Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House point man on the repair effort, said the team developing the site was “working with the velocity and discipline of a high-performing private sector company.” Really?

Speaking of the private sector Wal-Mart's web site handled nearly 400 million page views on Thanksgiving Day and didn't crash. Their stores logged 10 million transactions from 6-10 PM that same evening. Amazon.com routinely handles one million hits per hour. That's what private sector "velocity" is and ObamaCare is not anywhere close.

And what about the folks who do get through. Some have been shoved into what amounts to waiting for the site to let them in. This wait can last for hours. Would you wait online for hours to buy a book at Amazon or a plane ticket on Travelocity? Before the web site launched Obama promised "if you’ve ever tried to buy insurance on your own, I promise you this is a lot easier. It's like booking a hotel or a plane ticket." Oh well, he also said "if you like your plan you can keep it. Period!"

Republicans used to warn that managing your health care with ObamaCare would be like a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Turns out that is not true. Most DMVs operate more efficiently than ObamaCare.

For the patient few who do finally get through the nightmare is just beginning. A number of reports indicate screens with gibberish:


Would you trust your most sensitive personal and financial information to a site so riddled with errors? And you are right to be concerned. According to computer security specialists there is no security built into the web site. You turn over your Social Security number, birthday and address, all the information an identity thief needs to drain your bank account, and you have no protection. The security problem is so bad the Obama Administration refused to brief members of Congress even in closed, secret session.

But suppose your current health plan has been canceled due to the ObamaCare mandate and you are desperate to find new coverage before January 1. You go through all the steps and think you have signed up. What then?

The Washington Post reports
The enrollment records for a significant portion of the Americans who have chosen health plans through the online federal insurance marketplace contain errors — generated by the computer system — that mean they might not get the coverage they’re expecting next month.

The errors cumulatively have affected roughly one-third of the people who have signed up for health plans since Oct. 1, according to two government and health-care industry officials. The White House disputed the figure but declined to provide its own.

The mistakes include failure to notify insurers about new customers, duplicate enrollments or cancellation notices for the same person, incorrect information about family members, and mistakes involving federal subsidies. The errors have been accumulating since HealthCare.gov opened two months ago, even as the Obama administration has been working to make it easier for consumers to sign up for coverage, the government and industry officials said.
In it's own report the New York Times put it this way:
The problem is that the systems that are supposed to deliver consumer information to insurers still have not been fixed. And with coverage for many people scheduled to begin in just 30 days, insurers are worried the repairs may not be completed in time.

“Until the enrollment process is working from end to end, many consumers will not be able to enroll in coverage,” said Karen M. Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group.

The issues are vexing and complex. Some insurers say they have been deluged with phone calls from people who believe they have signed up for a particular health plan, only to find that the company has no record of the enrollment. Others say information they received about new enrollees was inaccurate or incomplete, so they had to track down additional data — a laborious task that will not be feasible if data is missing for tens of thousands of consumers.

In still other cases, insurers said, they have not been told how much of a customer’s premium will be subsidized by the government, so they do not know how much to charge the policyholder.
Imagine logging on to Amazon.com or a travel site and ordering something only to be told they will bill you later when they find out how much it will cost? Is this the "private sector" experience Obama's team is bragging about? The problem is that there is no payment component attached to the web site and few ways for the insurance company who eventually issues the policy to figure out the cost.

At a recent event  in Tennessee someone handed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius the book "Web Sites for Dummies." Notice that no one is laughing:


Obama was hailed as the smartest president ever to sit in the Oval Office. We were told he would surround himself with the best and the brightest and oh what a change it would be from the dim wits in the Bush Administration. Yet every day we see more and more evidence of the corruption and incompetence of this bunch. Indeed it is quite a contrast with the Bush Administration and not a positive one for Obama.

What's Obama's next move? Will he hunker down with his team until they get this thing right?Nope. He's going on the campaign trail again to blame it all on Republicans!
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