Friday, May 29, 2009

Like I Said Before, "And Bush Was The Stupid one?"

The Politico
Ben Smith
May 29, 2009
Categories: White House

In which the president discovers an American intelligence agency at Five Guys

On his trip to get a burger with Brian Williams at Five Guys this afternoon, the President appears to have learned of the existence of a Defense Department intelligence arm, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, from an agency employee also at the burger restaurant.

"So explain to me exactly what this National Geospatial..." Obama said, after the worker mentioned his employer, according to a video of the event.

"We work with, uh, satellite imagery," the worker, Walter replied.

A POLITICO reader caught the exchange, which starts around 5:45 on this C-SPAN video.

The transcript:

Obama: What do you do Walter?
Walter: I work at, uh, NGA, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Obama: Outstanding, how long you been doing that?
Walter: About six years
Obama: Yea?
Walter: Yes.
Obama: You like it?
Walter: I do, keeps me...
Obama: So explain to me exactly what this National Geospatial...uh...
Walter: Uh, we work with, uh, satellite imagery..
Obama: Right
Walter: [unintelligible] ...support systems, so...
Obama: Sounds like good work.
Walter: Enjoy the weekend.
Obama: Appreciate it.

According to the Defense Department:

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is a Department of Defense combat support agency and a member of the national Intelligence Community (IC). NGA develops imagery and map-based intelligence solutions for U.S. national defense, homeland security and safety of navigation.

NGA provides timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security objectives. The term "geospatial intelligence" means the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on the Earth. Geospatial intelligence consists of imagery, imagery intelligence and geospatial (e.g., mapping, charting and geodesy) information.

Guess they're not getting much airtime in the President's Daily Brief.

Here It Comes...... Inflation Alert!

Bond Vigilantes Confront Obama as Housing Falters (Update3)
By Liz Capo McCormick and Daniel Kruger
May 29 (Bloomberg) -- They’re back.

What bond investors dread is accelerating inflation after the government and Fed agreed to lend, spend or commit $12.8 trillion to thaw frozen credit markets and snap the longest U.S. economic slump since the 1930s. The central bank also pledged to buy as much as $300 billion of Treasuries and $1.25 trillion of bonds backed by home loans.


At moment we may be ok, but it is coming.... Are you ready....?

Thursday, May 28, 2009

I Could Not Have Said It Better Myself (Though I Never Tried)

Secularism vs. Civitas
by Jed Babbin
HUMANEVENTS.COM
05/13/2009

Secularism is a euphemism for a set of beliefs that are the antithesis of faith. Boiled down to its basic elements, secularism is man’s subordination of morality to his own earthly judgments, scientific and otherwise.

...the secularist catechism holds that truth is subjective, relative or contextual; because it demands that rationality can solve moral and ontological questions about man’s nature, that discrimination is the greatest of all evils and that patriotism is the only social disease that isn’t sexually-transmitted.

Obama’s thesis -- which [Herbert] London’s book thoroughly debunks -- is that our moral code can exist in the absence of a religious foundation. London writes that secularism -- and its cousin, multiculturalism -- are the primary causes of the weakening of western society at a most dangerous time in history.

To the secularist, civitas -- and its first cousin, patriotism -- are to be scorned in favor of man’s immediate needs and self-defined values. The secularist believes that man’s first duty is always to himself. The phrase “duty, honor, country” so deeply valued among our warriors, means nothing to the secularist.

Monday, May 25, 2009

A Good Memorial Day Editorial...

I have not had much reason to agree with Peggy Noonan lately, but once in a while, she she gets it right...

"More than most nations, America has been, from its start, a hero-loving place. ... George Washington was our first national hero, known everywhere, famous to children. When he died, we had our first true national mourning, with cities and states re-enacting his funeral. There was the genius cluster that surrounded him, and invented us -- Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Hamilton. Through much of the 20th century our famous heroes were in sports (Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, the Babe, Joltin' Joe) the arts (Clark Gable, Robert Frost) business and philanthropy (from Andrew Carnegie to Bill Gates) and religion (Billy Graham). Nobody does fame like America, and they were famous. The category of military hero -- warrior -- fell off a bit, in part because of the bad reputation of war. Some emerged of heroic size -- Gens. Pershing and Patton, Eisenhower and Marshall. But somewhere in the 1960s I think we decided, or the makers of our culture decided, that to celebrate great warriors was to encourage war. And we always have too much of that. So they made a lot of movies depicting soldiers as victims and officers as brutish. This was especially true in the Vietnam era and the years that followed. Maybe a correction was in order: It's good to remember war is hell. But when we removed the warrior, we removed something intensely human, something ancestral and stirring, something celebrated naturally throughout the long history of man. Also it was ungrateful: They put themselves in harm's way for us." --columnist Peggy Noonan

Sunday, May 24, 2009

And Bush Was the Stupid One...?

Which Gates? Obama flubs defense chief's name
May 21 10:24 AM US/Eastern

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama sees his secretary of defense just about every day, but he still flubbed Robert Gates' name on Thursday. Gates was in the crowd for Obama's national security speech. Pointing him out, the president said "William Gates" was on hand. Perhaps Obama was thinking of Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire.

The defense chief, who goes by Bob, was also misidentified at a Pentagon ceremony on Tuesday. Then, he was introduced as Ronald Gates.

Gates joked then that he had recently been introduced as Bill Gates. "He's the rich one," Gates cracked.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


See video:

Friday, May 22, 2009

Obama the next Chavez?

Do You Want Your OTV?
Jake Tapper
ABC News May 20, 2009 5:56 PM

Obama White House officials decided to do their own media report on the visit, complete with cuts, interviews, and chyrons identifying who's speaking.

Also, just like a network, they have their own little logo!

Do Obama White House officials think their media coverage isn't flattering enough?

Is the goal to ultimately replace the pesky photographers who film what they want to and not what they're told to (not to mention the annoying reporters who ask uncomfortable questions about, say, detainee policy and bank bailouts)?

Do you want your OTV? (I'll bet there are a few takers out there.)

How long before it turns to this....?

Last anti-Chavez TV station faces probe, shutdown
May 16 11:29 AM US/Eastern
By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER
Associated Press Writer
There is little neutral ground left in polarized Venezuela, and the media reflect this—either championing the government or touting the opposition.

What Chavez intends to do with the TV station remains unclear. But he seems to be building to a confrontation, demanding sanctions against Globovision again on Thursday in a speech in which he labeled TV executives "white-collar terrorists."

Earlier this week, he threatened severe measures against any media inciting unrest: "You are playing with fire, manipulating, inciting hatred and much more. All of you: television networks, radio stations, newspapers."

Many newspapers and radio stations that remain fiercely critical of the government. But television is a different matter. Two formerly critical stations, Venevision and Televen, have held their tongues to avoid sanctions since they were accused of supporting a 2002 coup attempt. Another anti-Chavez channel, RCTV, was booted off the airwaves in 2007 and now draws a much smaller audience of paid viewers on cable. About a fifth of Venezuelans subscribe to cable.

Hmmmmm......

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Sometimes Life is Just Plain Good...

Introducing our next American Idol.....



There is no one like our God!

In a related story....

"The Architect" on BHO...

Flip-Flops and Governance
Our president isn't quite as advertised.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL| OPINION JOURNAL

Mr. Rove has such a clear grasp of the facts and is very articulate in laying out his case, even the left will have to agree with his take on this:

Mr. Obama's appealing campaign images turned out to have been fleeting. He ran hard to the left on national security to win the nomination, only to discover the campaign commitments he made were shallow and at odds with America's security interests.

Mr. Obama ran hard to the center on economic issues to win the general election. He has since discovered his campaign commitments were obstacles to ramming through the most ideologically liberal economic agenda since the Great Society.

Mr. Obama either had very little grasp of what governing would involve or, if he did, he used words meant to mislead the public. Neither option is particularly encouraging. America now has a president quite different from the person who advertised himself for the job last year. Over time, those things can catch up to a politician.

Note: Please read the entire article.

And a big "Thank you" to Mr. Rove for staying engaged, but speaking from the facts, not simply providing hyperbole.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

This I What They Should Be Watching In School...

...not Algores "pack-o-lies"



Scary stuff... I guess BHO doesn't seem too bothered by it, however. "Let's open the dialogue," he says.

Here We Go Again (Future Housing Crash Alert!)

The Next Housing Bust
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL|OPINION JOURNAL
May 5, 2009

Excerpts from the article (Take a deep breath now..):
Last year banks issued $180 billion of new mortgages insured by the FHA, which means they carry a 100% taxpayer guarantee. Many of these have the same characteristics as subprime loans: low downpayment requirements, high-risk borrowers, and in many cases shady mortgage originators. FHA now insures nearly one of every three new mortgages, up from 2% in 2006.

The financial results so far are not as dire as those created by the subprime frenzy of 2004-2007, but taxpayer losses are mounting on its $562 billion portfolio. According to Mortgage Bankers Association data, more than one in eight FHA loans is now delinquent -- nearly triple the rate on conventional, nonsubprime loan portfolios. Another 7.5% of recent FHA loans are in "serious delinquency," which means at least three months overdue.


And it continues...
The bill that passed last summer more than doubled the maximum loan amount that FHA can insure -- to $719,000 from $362,500 in high-priced markets. Congress evidently believes that a moderate-income buyer can afford a $700,000 house. This increase in the loan amount was supposed to boost the housing market as subprime crashed and demand for homes plummeted. But FHA's expansion has hardly arrested the housing market decline. The higher FHA loan ceiling was also supposed to be temporary, but this year Congress made it permanent.

Even more foolish has been the campaign to lower FHA downpayment requirements. When FHA opened in the 1930s, the downpayment minimum was 20%; it fell to 10% in the 1960s, and then 3% in 1978. Last year the Senate wisely insisted on raising the downpayment to 3.5%, but that is still far too low to reduce delinquencies in a falling market.



Do I have to say it? Ok, I guess I do... "WHY DO THEY DO THIS?"

Do I have to answer that? Ok, I guess I do... "Powerful housing lobby -- Realtors, homebuilders and mortgage bankers, backed by their friends in Congress"

Do I have an answer? "YES! TERM LIMITS!!!!!"

Why do we have to have term limits? "Because the average U.S. voter is too ignorant (intentionally or not) of what happens in Washington D.C. and they vote on name recognition (i.e., celebrity) and that is why we get stuck with people like Robert "KKK" Byrd (in the senate 60 YEARS!) and David "Obey-me" Obey (in the house since 1969!) Shut off the "career mentality" and get their butts back to the private sector (and a REAL job) and let some fresh blood into the congress!"

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Apparently, We Have No Right To Privacy....

It seems the Wisconsin Court of Appeals believes your driveway is a "public place". Then why am I paying taxes on a "public place"? Does the city plow this guys driveway.

Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police
By RYAN J. FOLEY | Associated Press Writer
2:42 PM CDT, May 7, 2009

There is so much wrong with this I cannot begin to documnet it all....

Friday, May 08, 2009

Pat gets it about 85% correct....

The Party of Frank Ricci
by Patrick J. Buchanan
Human Events Online
05/08/2009
My response to the article is as follows:

As usual, Pat gets it about 85% correct. Two areas of contention:

1) Iraq as an unjust war. Based on the facts at the time, it was a just war. Regardless of the fact that no WMD's were found, a potential (I say potential, because I believe BHO can screw it up for us by leaving too fast) side effect of the Iraq war is to have a lasting pseudo democracy in a Middle Eastern country, sandwiched between Saudi Arabia & Iran. If freedom reins, it would mean the eventual collapse of two totalitarian regimes without further U.S. blood shed.. My confidence was not boosted, however, when I saw the leader of the free world bow to the Saudi Prince as if he were one of his loyal subjects. BHO could (and likely will) screw up the success finally achieved in Iraq.

2. U.S. manufacturing left the U.S. because of the "WalMart Effect". This is simply stated that people will go where the money is, or money will go where the people are because the U.S. consumer demands an ever increasing standard of living. If you want to buy a white cotton undershirt made in North Carolina, you would likely have to pay about $15/shirt. Union Labor; Taxes - corporate, property, income, etc..; and government regulation - environmental, safety, etc.. have seen to that.

Even China is now outsourcing some its longtime industries (textile specifically) to Vietnam. The irony of that statement is not lost on me.

Oops... Could "San Fran Nan" Have Forgotten a Little Something?

CIA Says Pelosi Was Briefed on Use of 'Enhanced Interrogations'
By Paul Kane
Washington Post

Why do I hear her saying, "Upon advice from my counsel, I refuse to answer that question" or "I have no memory of such an event"?

Intelligence officials released documents this evening saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was briefed in September 2002 about the use of harsh interrogation tactics against al-Qaeda prisoners, seemingly contradicting her repeated statements over the past 18 months that she was never told that these techniques were actually being used.


She and "Dingy Harry" Reid are a laughing stock. Complete and utter idiots. They are egotistical, elitist, pompous, arrogant and completely self serving. They will say whatever it takes to satisfy the MSM (main stream media) template for a given story. These people are the worst of the worst. They are who our founding fathers warned us about. I only hope the "unwashed" ("smelly", according to Harry Reid) masses begin to see through their hypocrisy. Soon.

I wonder if the MSM will ever choose to share the FACTS. See: Member Briefings on Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EIT's)

Facts are terrible things to waste on liberals in the MSM.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Here is Some "Us vs Them" That Will Make You Blood Boil!

The Wall Street Journal
MAY 4, 2009 USA Inc.: The State of Capitalism
New York Fed Chairman's Ties to Goldman Raise Questions

Are you kidding me? So here is the gist of this story...
"...New York Fed's chairman, Stephen Friedman, sat on Goldman's board and had a large holding in Goldman stock, which because of Goldman's new status as a bank holding company was a violation of Federal Reserve policy.

The New York Fed asked for a waiver, which, after about 2½ months, the Fed granted. While it was weighing the request, Mr. Friedman bought 37,300 more Goldman shares in December. They've since risen $1.7 million in value."

SAY WHAT?

No, it gets better, seriously!

"The Federal Reserve Bank of New York [on which Mr. Friedman sat] shaped Washington's response to the financial crisis late last year, which buoyed Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and other Wall Street firms. Goldman received speedy approval to become a bank holding company in September and a $10 billion capital injection soon after."
But, that's not all...

"Mr. Friedman also was overseeing the search for a new president of the New York Fed, an officer who has a critical role in setting monetary policy at the Federal Reserve. The choice was a former Goldman executive."
Read that again.... How did he get away with that? Hint: Remember lil' Timmy Geithner? Yeah, now you're starting to get the picture!

"Last fall, then-New York Fed President Timothy Geithner was President-elect Barack Obama's choice to head the Treasury, and New York Fed officials say that to have forced Mr. Friedman off the board while it sought a Geithner successor would have deprived it of two leaders at a crucial time.

"Steve Friedman is a very capable chairman," said Tom Baxter, the New York Fed's general counsel, "and was the kind of person who we needed to head the search" for someone to succeed Mr. Geithner.

In Washington, the Fed's general counsel, Scott Alvarez, also says Mr. Friedman was needed during the New York Fed's transition."

Just like lil' Tim, Mr. Friedman was too important for the rules to apply to HIM.

"Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules! Rules are for the little people. They do not apply to us! " I can hear them saying this as they laugh all the way to the bank... Probably an offshore bank...

Of course, there is an explanation:

"Because he was wasn't allowed to own the stock he had, the Fed doesn't consider his additional December purchase to be at odds with its rules at the time. The Fed had no policy requiring directors to inform it of new stock purchases, and Mr. Friedman didn't. The Federal Reserve Board is now in the process of rewriting its rules for handling situations like Mr. Friedman's."
That is typical convoluted civil servant governmental logic if I have ever heard it!

What a Difference a Week Makes...

Let's see... Obama has nationalized Chrysler (giving 55% stake the "real owners" of the company, the workers). Yeah, that'll work! Let's see how hard it is for the UAW to negotiate with the, um, UAW.... That's right; the majority shareholders will be the current and future retirees of the UAW. So, when the management (the current and future UAW retirees) has to negotiate with the workers (the current and future UAW retires) who will win? The UAW, or the UAW?

My guess?

BHO.

Since the UAW funneled $5,000,000 to the Obama campaign last election, it would seem it is payback time.

NEXT UP!

GM!