May 21, 2012
FSM HOT TOPICS
Exclusive – Oval Office Watch – Friday, April 2
by OVAL OFFICE WATCH April 2, 2010
Labor group praises Obama for appointing Becker, Pearce - SEE HERE.
Tea Partiers Embrace Liberty, Not Big Government
Michael Barone, Patriot Post.us
Over the past 14 months, our political debate has been transformed into an argument between the heirs of two fundamental schools of political thought, the Founders and the Progressives. The Founders stood for the expansion of liberty and the Progressives for the expansion of government.
It's an argument that has been going on for a century but was largely dormant over the quarter-century of low-inflation economic growth that followed the Ronald Reagan tax cuts. It's been raised again by the expand-government policies of the Obama administration and Democratic congressional leaders.
Those policies, thoroughly in line with the Progressive tradition, have been advanced by liberal elites in government, media, think tanks and academia. The opposition, roughly in line with the Founders tradition, has been led by the non-elites who spontaneously flocked to tea parties and town halls. Republican politicians have been scrambling to lead these protestors.
The conservative rebellions of the late 1970s and middle 1990s were focused on taxes. The tea partiers are focusing on the expansion of government -- and its threat to the independence of citizens.
The first mention of tea parties came in February 2009 from CNBC's Rick Santelli on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, when he asked "if we really want to subsidize the losers' mortgages. How many of you people want to pay your neighbor's mortgage, that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills?" Then he called for a Chicago tea party.
This struck a chord. Tea partiers began to dress in 18th century costumes -- political re-enactors -- and brandished the "Don't tread on me" flag. They declared their independence by opposing Progressive policies that encourage dependence on government. Read article.
America's Quiet Anger
James P. Gannon, Spectator.org
There is a quiet anger boiling in America.
It is the anger of millions of hard-working citizens who pay their bills, send in their income taxes, maintain their homes and repay their mortgage loans -- and see their government reward those who do not.
It is the anger of small town and Middle American folks who have never been to Manhattan, who put their savings in a community bank and borrow from a local credit union, who watch Washington lawmakers and presidents of both parties hand billions in taxpayer bailouts to the reckless Wall Street titans who brought down the economy in 2008.
It is the fury of the voiceless, the powerless, the ordinary nobodies of Flyover Country who are ridiculed, preached to, satirized and insulted by the Celebrity Loudmouths of the two Left Coasts, the Jon Stewarts and Keith Olbermanns, the Paul Krugmans and their ilk.
It is the salted wound of the millions who see that ruling Democrats in Congress are not listening to them but are willfully ignoring public opinion and the verdict of recent elections in passing a huge new health care entitlement when the existing entitlements of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are already going broke.
It is the frustrating helplessness of citizens who revere the Founding Fathers and the genius of the Constitution that they wrote, who actually believe the words of the Constitution mean what they say, not more and not less. They who watch politicians and the courts stretch and bend that Constitution -- finding "rights" not enumerated, powers never granted, meanings unimagined -- believe that their country is being redefined without their consent. Read article.
A house divided, again: Standing on the cusp of a Kansas-Nebraska Act redux
Tony Blankley, Washington Times.com
We are beginning to enter the Kansas-Nebraska Act stage of the socialist crisis of the republic. At our constitutional founding, the evil of slavery had been crudely evaded. In 1820, the Missouri Compromise was enacted, prohibiting the abomination north of latitude 36 degrees, 30 minutes (about the middle of Missouri.)
But with the western push of the frontier, a new compromise was needed. So the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 decreed that the "popular sovereignty" of each territory should decide whether it would be a slave or free state. But then, adherents of both the abomination and freedom migrated to Kansas to struggle - with their bodily presence - for their respective causes. First there was politics. Then the political rhetoric turned violent. Then real violence ensued. Kansas became known as "Bleeding Kansas." John Brown, most famously, applied unjustified, murderous violence for his righteous cause of ending slavery and was hanged, but the Civil War ensued because, as Abraham Lincoln sagely explained:
"A House divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.
Now we enter our history's second stage in the struggle against the abomination of socialism. Just as slavery had been contained in the South, so entitlement socialism has, until this week, been more or less contained in service to only the poor and the elderly. And even those programs - Medicare and Social Security - rested on the principle of beneficiaries paying monthly premiums for the benefits they will get later. Only the poor under Medicaid received benefit without premium payment.
But now, just as the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 broke through the slave-state limitation to the South, the Democratic Party's 2010 health care law has broken socialism's boundary of being so limited. Now, the chains of socialism are to be clamped onto the able-bodied middle class - not merely the already-presumed-helpless poor and old who have paid their insurance premiums.
Come November, if the majority still opposes the socialization of health care delivery and the other central-government intrusions and yet the corrupt bargains and constitutional distortions of Washington deny the majority's will its just expression, then, for the second time in our history, we will enter that dangerous period in which America's house resolves its temporary division. Read article.
The Patriot Declaration
Mark Alexander, Patriot Post.us
"Honor, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage on them." --Thomas Jefferson
Across our great nation, there is a groundswell of protest against the leftist agenda of those now holding power in the Executive and Legislative branches of the central government.
The tenor of this grassroots movement is growing louder as its number swells and its purpose becomes defined. It is a protest characterized not by a roar for revolution, but by a clarion call for restoration -- repair of our Constitution's authority and return to its standard for Rule of Law.
George Washington proclaimed, "The Constitution, which at any time exists 'till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole People, is sacredly obligatory upon all."
Those at the helm of the federal government, by way of overreaching executive orders, legislative malfeasance and judicial diktat, have abandoned their sacred oaths to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same." Read article.
Triumphal March Atop Rumbling Volcano
Paul Greenberg,JWR.com
The crucial votes in Congress may be over, but the public debate has just begun. And maybe the blue dogs who went for Obamacare will wind up on the winning side of this debate, too. You can fool a lot of the people a lot of the time. Who knows, Americans may be just dying to have government take over our health care. Stay tuned. Especially come Tuesday night, November 2nd, as the results of the congressional elections begin to pour in.
A lot of funny figures were used to get this bill past the scrutiny of the Congressional Budget Office. How long before they become, to borrow a Nixonian term, inoperative? Is the same Congress that passed this piece of work really going to slash Medicare and reimbursements payments for doctors and hospitals across the country? That'll be the self-defeating day.
This health-care reform could prove even more popular than HIPAA in medical circles. (That's the great reform that keeps you from finding friends and relations once they've entered the recesses of a hospital.) Slowly, more and more is sure to be learned about just what is contained in this health-care bill in a poke. Welcome to the age of deem-and-pass, pronounced Demon Pass.
The nation has a new guiding principle: Vote first, debate later. The words of Speaker Pelosi could serve as the motto of this Congress: "We have to pass the bill, so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of controversy."
Away from the fog of controversy. Beautiful. What a perfect encapsulation of the spirit — or spiritlessness — of this whole effort to reform, deform and mainly complicate the country's health-care system. Open, democratic debate now is just a fog to be brushed away. Our betters have decided what is best for is. And we'll all be thankful they did. We citizen-patients are to adopt an air of quiet resignation; it's time to brush away any controversy.
But something about that deep rumbling out in the country says We the People have only begun to controvert. Read article.
Election 2010: The Year of Howard Beale
Jamie Johnson, NMJ.us
On Sunday night, March 21, Democrats in the US House of Representatives hijacked the most effective free-market healthcare system in the world and subjected it to the chronic failure and bureaucratic incompetence of the federal government.
In doing so, they have also done something else. They have nationalized state politics. From the Congress to the county courthouse, many voters will vote straight-ticket "Republican" simply because of Obama-Care (and whatever else comes next).
By ramming a federal takeover of one-sixth of the nation's economy down the throats of an unwilling American public, Democrats have unwittingly awakened the ghost of Howard Beale, and have turned him lose on the electorate.
In the 1976 film “Network,” actor Peter Finch played Howard Beale, a television network news anchor, who, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, completely “loses it” during a live newscast.
In a rain-soaked trench coat, Beale tells his viewing audience, “You've got to get mad!.Get up, go to the window, open it, stick your head out, and yell, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’” They do. And he becomes an overnight sensation.
Why? Because he knows their frustrations, gives voice to their anger, and tells them what to do about it. He connects with his audience, and the network ratings go through the roof.
The unscripted (and unteleprompted) rant touches a nerve in ordinary people -- people who just want to live quietly, raise their families, and play by the rules -- but people who, nevertheless, must endure an economic crisis, soaring living costs, rising taxes, and declining standards of decency. And his voice becomes their voice. Read article.
Free Americans will prevail
Michael Connelly, Viviti.com
It is the beginning of the winter of 1777 and 12,000 ragged and ill equipped men, the remnants of what appeared to be a thoroughly defeated Continental army, followed General George Washington into a winter encampment in a place called Valley Forge. They had little in the way of food or warm clothing and 2,000 of them die that winter while the British rejoice over the apparent defeat of the rebel army. Yet, this battered, but proud, group of Patriots will emerge in the spring of 1778 and continue the fight and ultimately defeat the British and establish a new and free nation.
Fast forward to the winter of 1944. The Germans have broken through the American lines with overwhelming numbers and surrounded the 101st Airborne at a Belgian town called Bastogne. Yet, the Screaming Eagles of the proud division of paratroopers refused to surrender. So, to their north the Germans attempt another breakthrough at another Belgian town named Sadzot. In the middle of the night of December 28th the Nazi SS troopers overran my father’s unit, Company B of the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion.
In less than an hour half of the men in the company are killed, wounded, or captured and all of their mortars are lost as well as most of their vehicles. However, by morning the American survivors have joined with a small group of paratroopers and combat engineers, counterattacked and taken back the town along with all of the lost mortars and other equipment. They then proceed to hold off attacks by German tanks and infantry for several days until they are relieved. The Battle of the Bulge and the war are ultimately won.
Just a few years ago left wing politicians in this county like Senator Harry Reid and then Senator Barack Obama were somberly and somewhat gleefully announcing that the war in Iraq had been lost and that funding for our troops and their fight should be cut off. Yet, our warriors went on to win anyway. It turned out that all of the dire predictions of American defeat from 1777 to today have been premature and ultimately wrong. Read article.
Can Israel survive friends like these?
Wesley Pruden, JWR.com
This is the moment a certain number of a certain breed of Democrats have been waiting for. The latest outburst of bad feeling between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu can be the cover they seek for finally putting the Jews in their place.
First the president went to the Middle East to apologize to the Muslims for America being America, and couldn't find the time for a stopover in Israel, America's only true friend in the region. Then he dispatched Joe Biden, the vice president who says he is an "ardent Zionist," to Jerusalem to try to mollify the Israelis with a cheap and sentimental love song with lyrics that nobody believes. The mission quickly blew up when the veep used the occasion to lecture the Israelis for building 1,600 new apartments for Jews in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinian bomb-throwers and their American apologists insist on calling "settlements". Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, followed up with some nasty remarks.
Then came Mr. Netanyahu's long-scheduled visit to Washington, and things went from troubling to bad, and then to really bad. The Israeli prime minister, speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee reminded everyone that "Jerusalem is not a settlement, it is our capital." Israel's enemies are real: "The ingathering of the Jewish people to Israel has not deterred these fanatics. In fact, it has only whetted their appetite. Iran's rulers say, 'Israel is a one-bomb country.' The head of Hizbullah says, 'If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide . . . ' The future of the Jewish state can never depend on the goodwill of even the greatest of men. Israel must always reserve the right to defend itself."
Who could argue with that? But for this statement of mere fact, Mr. Netanyahu is rebuked as "defiant," and accused of trying to drive a wedge between Mr. Obama, who wishes the Israelis wouldn't be so beastly to the Palestinians, and Congress, which can sometimes do the right thing when propped up by angry constituents.
Democrats were once regarded as the best friends Israel had — Harry S. Truman, a Democratic president and a Southern Baptist, was the first head of state to recognize Israel — but now it's the Republicans who are steadfast in support of the Jewish state. Says Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, chairman of the House Republican Conference: "I never thought I'd live to see the day that an American administration would denounce the Jewish state of Israel for rebuilding Jerusalem." Read article.
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Occupy Chicago freakout: The LRAD is coming, the LRAD is coming!
May 21, 2012 00:57 AM
Here is an LRAD. It’s a Long Range Acoustic Device better known as a sound cannon and it’s used to disperse unruly crowds. Here is an Occupy Chicago freakout over the LRAD (led by the same livestreamer who freaked out last night over a brief police stop): Two #LRAD s spotted heading to march.— Tim [...]
Michael Moore spreads hysterical, anti-police fable from his Occupy comrades
May 21, 2012 00:37 AM
The crockumentary film-maker should have read Twitchy first. As we told you Saturday night, the trio of Occupy Chicago livestreamers who freaked out over a brief, Chicago police pullover didn’t have their apartment raided, didn’t have any of their equipment damaged, were not “held at gunpoint,” and had none of their high-priced cameras, phones, and [...]
It will rain: Awww, Occupy Chicago's all wet; finally, free showers for all!
May 20, 2012 11:09 PM
Mother Nature is Chicago law enforcement’s best friend. Tonight, the rabble-rousers’ plans for anarchy got spoiled by rain. Twitter had fun as the Occupiers and their fearless livestream crews ran for cover, while a few of the mobsters hung around to harass officers on duty and break out in senseless chants: Fkin Streamers afraid of [...]
Marion Barry has change of heart after being saved by Filipino hospital staff
May 20, 2012 10:00 PM
In what reads like a bad Hollywood movie script Marion Barry has changed his mind about Filipino nurses. Just a few weeks after complaining about how many Filipino nurses work in Washington DC Barry's life was saved by Filipino nurses. That's right, the same people he wanted to push our of DC hospitals ended up treating his potentially life threatening blood clot.
May 20, 2012 06:15 PM
Violence erupts at the end of the NATO Summit protests. Earlier today, members of Black Bloc were arrested for plotting to attack police stations, Mayor Emanuel's home and President Obama's campaign headquarters. Their violence then turned to the protest; police in riot gear move in, wearing gas masks. Protesters are throwing things at police according to video, live photos and reports from on the ground in Chicago.
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