Building it from the ground up.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Monday, September 23, 2013
Gravel, Beach, and an 10 Million Dollar Home
A picture is worth a thousand words. . .
Building it from the ground up.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Building it from the ground up.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Barackfast in America
After a morning of preparation for a relaxing day of manning my Constitution Booth at the San Jacinto AgFest, I decided to walk around and visit some of the other booths. Yesterday, after a breakfast with just a bit under 50 conservatives at Seven Hills, we had a fantastic program at the fair. The event began with the singing of the national anthem by a local pastor's wife, and an opening prayer by her husband. Then, the choir sang a litany of patriotic songs. After the choir finished its performance, George and I took the microphones. George is an attendee of my Constitution Class in Temecula, and he was wearing a complete Revolutionary War naval uniform, including a sword. We talked about the founding of this nation, and the Constitution, to the crowd until 2:00 pm approached, at which time I took to the air waves, and Constitution Radio began.
After the show, there was more music, and then at 6:00 pm, Judge Michael Kennedy spoke.
Today, there was not going to be so much hoopla. A relaxing day at the booth. As I walked around, though, I came across the Democrat Party's booth, and I wondered if they would mind if I just put a "Get your government intrusion into your lives here!" sign.
Then I noticed the huge cut-out of Obama.
These people are actually proud of the train-wreck in the White House.
It doesn't matter to them that the anti-war candidate wanted to attack Syria with, or without, Congress.
It doesn't matter to them that the candidate that promised to end lobbying in Washington is the prince of folding under the pressure by the lobbyists.
It doesn't matter to them that he promised you could keep your doctor, and that premiums would come down as a result of Obamacare, and instead people are losing their plans, and premiums are going sky-high.
It doesn't matter to them that Obama promised the stimulus would kick-start the economy, and the depression we are in has worsened during his presidency.
It doesn't matter to them that the President stood by and watched Americans die in Benghazi, yet has run to the aid of rebels in Syria that are aligned with the people that killed 3,000 Americans on 9/11.
It doesn't matter to them that the President is pushing for gun control, yet it is in the strictist gun control, and gun-free, zones that mass shootings are happening - because the shooter knows for a fact that there will be no armed resistance in these gun-free zones.
It doesn't matter to them that the President was behind giving guns to the Mexican drug cartels so that those guns could be used to murder thousands of Mexicans, and a couple Border Patrol agents. . . and then lied about it.
It doesn't matter to them that Obama promised his policies would reduce the national debt, yet the deficit has risen to levels greater than we've seen in history, with all presidents. . . combined.
It doesn't matter to them that Barry has snubbed the National Day of Prayer, but makes sure the White House observes the Muslim Ramadan.
It doesn't matter to them that the President has inserted the government into the private sector through the banks, credit industry, auto industry, health insurance, and communications, while spying on Americans through the NSA.
It doesn't matter to them that their own party pushes for more government control in American's lives, such as in the case in New York City where the local government passed laws to disallow large sodas, limit salt intake, and push women to breastfeed regardless of their preference.
It doesn't matter to them that the White House is orchestrating a plan to push more diversity by using taxpayer money to send federal government officials into neighborhoods to make sure they are diverse enough, and if not, embark on plans to force multiculturalism into those areas.
It doesn't matter to them that the White House is still trying to force upon the American People environmental policies to save us from global warming, even though the science has been proven to be a hoax, and the planet has been cooling for 16 years.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. . .
Oh, and just for fun, I went over to the Democrat tent to ask them where the GOP booth was.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
King: Kenya Mall Attack Shows al-Qaeda's Reach
by JASmius
My chief question: Does this mean General Motors is dead?
My chief question: Does this mean General Motors is dead?
The deadly attack at a Nairobi, Kenya, shopping mall was likely carried out by the al-Shabab Islamist organization and shows how terror groups linked with al-Qaida are expanding on an international level, New York Republican Representative Peter King said Sunday.
This is one of the "only al-Qaida affiliates which has activity here in the United States," King, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos.Which, of course, does much to explain why the State Department refuses to officially declare al Shabab a terrorist organization.
"I would assume that local law enforcement are looking into Somalia-American communities today," King said, noting that there have been some Somalia-Americans trained by al-Shabab, and law enforcement will need to ensure a similar attack won't happen on American soil.Why would you assume that, Congressman? No level of law enforcement is going to publicly or clandestinely engage in surveilling - which is to say, profiling - Somali-American communities; not if they don't want to be buried in civil rights lawsuits and their members and leadership crucified as "racists". Not even after al Shabab jihadists pull off the next major attack on American soil.
King said the organization is also working closely in Nigeria and Yemen, as "very significant terrorist groups are showing a capacity to attack outside of their borders and recruit people from here in the United States."Do the spaces between the lines of this quote really need any elaboration?
Saturday, September 21, 2013
San Jacinto AgFest Celebration of America: Final Acts
I spoke earlier, then Infinium played some music, and now Judge Michael Kennedy is speaking. After a little more music, we will be done for the evening. . . until tomorrow.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Constitution Radio and the San Jacinto AgFest at the Estudillo Mansion
Preempted by University Redlands Football, and on location at the San Jacinto AgFest at the Estudillo Mansion, we will be broadcasting live Online at the Ken Pettigrew Show at 2:07 pm, and replaying today's episode next Saturday on KCAA 1050 AM, KCAAradio.com.
In addition to folks joining me at the microphone to discuss the Constitution, the Book of the Week, and the Constitution Quest Question of the Week, we will also be joined by JASmius to discuss the. . .
5 Big Stories of the Week, September 21, 2013
5. Navy Yard Shooting
http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2013/09/washington-navy-yard-shooting-recap.html
http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2013/09/navy-yard-shooting-and-media-spin.html
4. Speak Out Against Common Core, Get Arrested
http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2013/09/resistance-to-cccp-core-communist.html
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/30/new-age-education-fuzzy-math-and-less-fiction/
3. Pass Out Constitutions On Campus, and you will be stopped
http://www.gopusa.com/news/2013/09/11/colorado-removes-gun-control-lawmakers-from-office/
2. House of Representatives Votes to Defund Obamacare
http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2013/09/house-votes-to-starve-americans-to-death.html
1. Constitution Day 9/17
http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2013/09/constitution-day-2013.html
American Daily Review Radio - After Constitution Day
02:00
American Daily Review
Welcome to the pre-game show for Constitution Radio on the Political Pistachio Radio Network [(KCAA-1050AM (Los Angeles), KCXL-1140AM (Kansas City), and WHTH-790AM (Youngstown, Ohio)]! Hang on every word of Blog Talk... more
by ADR Radio
in Politics Conservative
LIVE
When Florida Man Attacks
by JASmius
Ever read a headline beginning with the words "Florida Man..."? Then you do not want to miss this episode of Trifecta.
Resistance to CCCP (Common Core Curriculum Program) Is Futile - Or at Least Will Get You Arrested
by JASmius
Oh, and don't forget the $2,500 fine. Can't have parents "speaking out" about the assimilation of their - oops, sorry, I mean the state's - children.
I'd love to see what the charge was. Under CCCP, I'd lay even odds on the authorities misspelling "misdemeanor".
UPDATE: Post title corrected - although it's significantly less honest that way....
Parent arrested while speaking out at public school committee meeting facing six months in jail.
Oh, and don't forget the $2,500 fine. Can't have parents "speaking out" about the assimilation of their - oops, sorry, I mean the state's - children.
I'd love to see what the charge was. Under CCCP, I'd lay even odds on the authorities misspelling "misdemeanor".
UPDATE: Post title corrected - although it's significantly less honest that way....
Obama to Boehner: I Am A Dictator, & Dictators Don't Negotiate
by JASmius
B-b-but, Newt Gingrich said he wasn't a dictator and had an "obligation to negotiate"! (No joke, he really said that the other day in of those "Gingrich Productions" emails, on whose email list I somehow ended up, but don't quite care enough one way or the other to go to the bother of getting my name removed from).
Quite obviously, Dear Leader disagrees - and is upping the ante:
O must have gotten wind of the Speaker's Plan B and his trying to head him off at the pass:
Additionally, recall that the last debt ceiling showdown two years ago resulted in one of Barack Obama's biggest unforced errors, the Sequester; O meant it as a bluff, but Boehner was happy to call and pocket it, and the result has been the first consecutive year decrease in overall federal spending (discretionary plus entitlements) since the end of the Korean War. I'll say it again: if you want to lay Barack Obama low, don't take on him, his pigmentation, and his massive propaganda army frontally; simply get out of the way and let his ideological extremism collapse under its own weight. Think THAT won't happen starting in nine days?
The demand laundry list in exchange for a debt ceiling hike reinforces that. Delaying OCare entirely for a year is a no-brainer, as The One can hardly argue against it when he himself has deferred the employer mandate and issued those blizzards of waivers to his fellow-travelers and well-connected cronies and hangers-on (aaaaaand Congress). The Keystone pipeline is also a no-brainer, publicly popular, and a cinch boon to genuine job creation, as North Dakota - aka "The New Texas" - is conspicuously demonstrating. It forces Red Barry to pick his poison, all of which put him on the defensive and minimize Republican vulnerabilities.
The fact that he's cutting right to that chase seems to me a dead giveaway that he knows all of the above and is attempting, belatedly and rather pathetically, to bully the House GOP away from that tack. Maybe that's why even House TPers are jazzed about it.
To quote Chancellor Gowron: "And now the war.....can continue."
B-b-but, Newt Gingrich said he wasn't a dictator and had an "obligation to negotiate"! (No joke, he really said that the other day in of those "Gingrich Productions" emails, on whose email list I somehow ended up, but don't quite care enough one way or the other to go to the bother of getting my name removed from).
Quite obviously, Dear Leader disagrees - and is upping the ante:
President Barack Obama called House Speaker John Boehner late Friday and reiterated that he would not negotiate with Congress on raising the debt limit, a Boehner representative told Newsmax....
"The president telephoned Speaker Boehner and told him again that the full faith and credit of the United States should not and will not be subject to negotiation," an administration official told Politico in a statement. "The president reiterated that it is the constitutional responsibility of the U.S. Congress to pass the nation's budget and pay the nation’s bills."Ah, yes, the "borrowing forever is fiscally responsible" school of "thought". Because, naturally, the late Margaret Thatcher was just joshing about "running out of other people's money".
O must have gotten wind of the Speaker's Plan B and his trying to head him off at the pass:
The plan that Majority Leader Eric Cantor proceeded to unveil will give the GOP its chance at a fight. The first round, a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government that will come to the House floor on Friday, will also defund Obamacare and include language to prioritize how incoming tax revenue will be spent in the event the debt ceiling is not raised.
That will give Senators Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and others a chance to wage the fight over Obamacare in the upper chamber.IOW, it'll shut them up and make them pull their own weight for a change instead of sitting back, safe in the minority, and throwing spitballs at their House counterparts who actually have to run their chamber. And did I mention they can't filibuster Dirty Harry Reid's inevitable stripping of the OCare defunding language? Lotsa luck, guys!
But given that Majority Leader Harry Reid rules the Senate, it is unlikely to bear fruit in the way of significant concessions on Obamacare. Instead, the push to defund Obamacare will be transferred to negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling, which must be raised around the middle of October.This is, needless to say, a much smarter approach than the series of Pickett's Charges for which Tea Partiers are so gung ho. Rather than getting focused to the point of obsession on the metaphorical Cemetery Hill of forcing the Dems to swallow a continuing resolution that defunds discretionary OCare funding, which Republicans don't have the leverage to pull off, this puts the battle on more favorable public relations ground. The public is more against a government shutdown than they are ObamaCare - particularly independents- but they're more against another "clean" debt ceiling hike than both of them.
“We go right to the debt-ceiling fight, and that’s where the real battle is, we feel,” said Representative John Fleming. “It’s kind of like the follow-up plan, assuming that [the CR] fails. . . . The real fight will be on the debt ceiling.”
House budget chairman Paul Ryan also urged colleagues to wage the more serious fight over the debt ceiling. “We have to stay on the right side of public opinion,” he told his colleagues. “Shutting down the government puts us on the wrong side. The fight is on the debt limit.”
In exchange for a debt-ceiling increase, Cantor told colleagues, the GOP will issue a litany of demands, including a one-year delay of Obamacare, construction of the Keystone pipeline, an anti-regulatory bill called the REINS Act, and other spending reforms. The exact combination will be negotiated with President Obama and Reid.
Additionally, recall that the last debt ceiling showdown two years ago resulted in one of Barack Obama's biggest unforced errors, the Sequester; O meant it as a bluff, but Boehner was happy to call and pocket it, and the result has been the first consecutive year decrease in overall federal spending (discretionary plus entitlements) since the end of the Korean War. I'll say it again: if you want to lay Barack Obama low, don't take on him, his pigmentation, and his massive propaganda army frontally; simply get out of the way and let his ideological extremism collapse under its own weight. Think THAT won't happen starting in nine days?
The demand laundry list in exchange for a debt ceiling hike reinforces that. Delaying OCare entirely for a year is a no-brainer, as The One can hardly argue against it when he himself has deferred the employer mandate and issued those blizzards of waivers to his fellow-travelers and well-connected cronies and hangers-on (aaaaaand Congress). The Keystone pipeline is also a no-brainer, publicly popular, and a cinch boon to genuine job creation, as North Dakota - aka "The New Texas" - is conspicuously demonstrating. It forces Red Barry to pick his poison, all of which put him on the defensive and minimize Republican vulnerabilities.
The fact that he's cutting right to that chase seems to me a dead giveaway that he knows all of the above and is attempting, belatedly and rather pathetically, to bully the House GOP away from that tack. Maybe that's why even House TPers are jazzed about it.
To quote Chancellor Gowron: "And now the war.....can continue."
Friday, September 20, 2013
Student stopped from distributing Constitutions....On Constitution Day
by JASmius
If this isn't one of the 5 Big Stories tomorrow on Constitution Radio....(h/t Captain Ed)
Modesto, Doug - not exactly across the street from Murrieta/Temecula, but still close enough to be local.
thefire.org has more:
If y'all will indulge me in an adaptation of a Star Trek quote:
If this isn't one of the 5 Big Stories tomorrow on Constitution Radio....(h/t Captain Ed)
Modesto, Doug - not exactly across the street from Murrieta/Temecula, but still close enough to be local.
thefire.org has more:
“The video of Modesto Junior College police and administrators stubbornly denying a public college student’s right to freely pass out pamphlets to fellow students—copies of the Constitution, no less!—should send a chill down the spine of every American,” said FIRE Senior Vice President Robert Shibley. “Worse, FIRE’s research shows that Modesto Junior College is hardly alone in its fear of free speech. In fact, one in six of America’s 400 largest and most prestigious colleges have ‘free speech zones’ limiting where speech can take place. This video brings to life the deeply depressing reality of the climate for free speech on campus.”Reason ten billion and three why Mr. Gibbs has all those irons in the fire, plates spinning, chainsaws juggling, and Murphy an his ass like a wolverine on angel dust.
“Your right to engage in free speech in this country is not contingent on the contents of some bureaucrat’s binder, and the fact that two people on campus are currently speaking their minds doesn’t mean you can’t,” said FIRE’s Shibley. “Virtually everything that Modesto Junior College could do wrong, it did do wrong. It sent police to enforce an unconstitutional rule, said that students could not freely distribute literature, placed a waiting period on free speech, produced an artificial scarcity of room for free speech with a tiny ‘free speech area,’ and limited the number of speakers on campus to two at a time. This was outrageous from start to finish. Every single person at Modesto responsible for enforcing this policy should have known better.”
If y'all will indulge me in an adaptation of a Star Trek quote:
JASmius picked up his weapons from the platform, climbed the stairs, and stepped onto a transport pad. Turning back, he said, "Victory against these odds will be almost impossible"
Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't say impossible."
JASmius replied with a smirk, "I meant for Ken Calvert."
Hard Starboard Radio: Defundageddon
.The stakes in the Defund Hell In A Cell, and why the Tea Party hasn't a clue what they really are; John Boehner's "Plan B," and why TPers will, of course, never accept it, even though it has a (slightly) better chance of succeeding; the Washington Navy Yard massacre changes public support for gun control; The Hammer gets sprung; Dems piss on Benghazigate families (again); and Top Gun in the Persian Gulf.
Log in for Open Thighs Friday at 6PM Eastern/3PM Pacific. KFC is having a special.
Cuccinelli, With Nothing To Lose, Tries the Gibbs Strategy
by JASmius.
Doug gets to see a trial run, and it won't cost his embryonic congressional campaign one thin dime....
Doug gets to see a trial run, and it won't cost his embryonic congressional campaign one thin dime....
The Gun Massacre You Won't Hear About
by JASmius
Ace has a great rant on the media embargo of black-on-black violence. A taste:
If it doesn't advance The Narrative, it never happened. And, I suppose, those thirteen victims, including that 3-year-old who was shot through the head and is in critical condition, never existed.
But they care, they care! Never doubt that. The press is always in need of....props.
3-Year-Old Among 13 Victims Caught In Chicago Crossfire....
Ace has a great rant on the media embargo of black-on-black violence. A taste:
It's very strange that the media just completely ignores a mass shooting event....I can only assume the perpetrator and the victims were both black. Because the media simply will not report on crime committed by blacks, or even committed against blacks (unless the perpetrator is white or at least a "White Hispanic").
This is a very weird effect of PC -- for years they embargoed stories about blacks committing crimes, ostensibly because Media You Guys helped perpetrate negative attitudes about blacks.
But it also has this bizarre side-effect: You have a bunch of victims here, who, were they white (or of differing races) would be America's Top Story. But because they're black, the media just shrugs and says "Meh."Since there wasn't a race angle to push, and Red Barry and DiFi trying to revive the gun control crusade off of the still-twitching corpses of the twelve victims of Aaron Alexis on Monday has succeeded in making the issue even less popular than it was before, when two Colorado state senators were recalled just a ten days ago, there was and is no reason for the Obamedia to push this even bigger Chicago massacre, and every reason to embargo it.
So a rule imposed ostensibly to "help" blacks winds up also imposing a code of silence about blacks being victimized by crime and tragedy.
If it doesn't advance The Narrative, it never happened. And, I suppose, those thirteen victims, including that 3-year-old who was shot through the head and is in critical condition, never existed.
But they care, they care! Never doubt that. The press is always in need of....props.
House Votes To Starve Americans To Death
by JASmius
Oops, sorry, this report is from Fox News, not MSNBCCCP.....
Oops, sorry, this report is from Fox News, not MSNBCCCP.....
Bill O'Reilly Argues With Tea Party Head Over Defunding Obamacare: 'Not Going To Happen'
by JASmius
The man from "The Factor" is right....
Patriot Action Network poobahress Darla Dawald sneers, "So I guess [O'Reilly] expects us all to roll over and play dead." So, once again, I must reiterate: This dispute among alleged friends isn't over whether to defund ObamaCare; it's over recognition of the fact that it can't be done from only the House of Representatives. As I pointed out yesterday, only a vanishingly small portion of OCare funding is discretionary, the remainder being mandated by law - it IS an entitlement program, after all - and thus the "Defund At All Costs" camp is ready to commit seppaku over a hangnail while the malignancy will continue spreading throughout the patient unimpeded. Plainly and simply, this battle was lost last November. Period.
Jim Geraghty makes the same appeal to reason in today's Morning Jolt:
The First American Republic died last November. Today it's like the body of a decapitated chicken: running and flopping around the barnyard until it falls over. As Darth Vader told Luke Skywalker of his own impending demise, "Nothing can stop that now," certainly not a quixotic, doomed OCare "defunding" last stand. And when it does, even worse times will come. The one and only way out of the dark abyss of Winston Churchill's one-time depiction will be to lay the cultural foundation for a Constitutionalist rebirth, the rise of a Second American Republic from the ashes to which Barack Obama has reduced its predecessor. THAT is the Tea Party's purpose, and that is why it needs to gather and attract all the allies it can for the insurgency to come, not alienate and drive them away in fits of puerile, "purity"-obsessed pique.
As Ben Franklin once said, "We must all hang together, or we will certainly all hang separately." If the Tea Party cannot, then they will play their unwitting key role in America's Gotterdammerung, precisely as Barack Obama would have scripted it.
UPDATE: Here's Speaker George Pickett, er, John Boehner, raising his sabre before ordering the uphill charge.
The man from "The Factor" is right....
Patriot Action Network poobahress Darla Dawald sneers, "So I guess [O'Reilly] expects us all to roll over and play dead." So, once again, I must reiterate: This dispute among alleged friends isn't over whether to defund ObamaCare; it's over recognition of the fact that it can't be done from only the House of Representatives. As I pointed out yesterday, only a vanishingly small portion of OCare funding is discretionary, the remainder being mandated by law - it IS an entitlement program, after all - and thus the "Defund At All Costs" camp is ready to commit seppaku over a hangnail while the malignancy will continue spreading throughout the patient unimpeded. Plainly and simply, this battle was lost last November. Period.
Jim Geraghty makes the same appeal to reason in today's Morning Jolt:
Discussing this with Greg Corombus on the Three Martini Lunch podcast the other day, he asked me, because I'm a skeptic of the Cruz-Lee plan, how I'd recommend eliminating ObamaCare. I said that because the Senate was unlikely to pass a budget eliminating funding for implementation of Obamacare, and because Obama is extremely unlikely to sign that budget into law, and that it's similarly extremely unlikely an Obamacare-erasing budget could pass by veto-proof majorities, we're still where we were last year: We need a president committed to repeal and replace, a Senate majority committed to it, and a House majority committed to it. We've only got one-third of that right now.
There are a bunch of folks who believe that because Obamacare is unpopular - and indisputably, it is deeply unpopular -- that when push comes to shove, Americans will stand with the GOP against Obama in such significant numbers, that Obama will be forced to sign into law a budget that defunds and effectively destroys his signature domestic policy. (Some presidents get a federal building named after themselves; Obama gets the entire U.S. health care system renamed after him.) I'd love to see that happen. But we make a major mistake when we confuse what we want to see happen with what is likely to happen.
Could it happen? Sure. It's just not likely. Maybe the odds are good enough to try it . . . but if it doesn't turn out the way folks on the Right hope, they need a Plan B.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI [and a Tea Partier, last I checked]):
It should be repealed. Obamacare is one of the worst pieces of legislation ever passed in this nation, but as long as Democrats control Washington, they will never allow that to happen.Republicans should build on the support that House Democrats recently showed in calling for the delay of Obamacare. We should try to remove the most damaging parts and make sure that all Americans — including members of Congress and their staffs — are treated equally under the law. We should then make certain that Obamacare is the preeminent issue in the 2014 congressional elections.
I'm sorry, folks. I truly am. This is a bitter, demoralizing reality, but it's one with which I made my peace during the seven-week post-election hiatus I took from Hard Starboard Radio. It is the same reality with which the Tea Party is stubbornly refusing to come to grips now, and that obstreperousness is threatening to combust what remains of the cause that cannot see what its mission has truly become.Just as important, those of us who oppose Obamacare must assertively acknowledge the very real problems facing our health care system and demonstrate to America that our proposed solutions are better and actually will work.
The First American Republic died last November. Today it's like the body of a decapitated chicken: running and flopping around the barnyard until it falls over. As Darth Vader told Luke Skywalker of his own impending demise, "Nothing can stop that now," certainly not a quixotic, doomed OCare "defunding" last stand. And when it does, even worse times will come. The one and only way out of the dark abyss of Winston Churchill's one-time depiction will be to lay the cultural foundation for a Constitutionalist rebirth, the rise of a Second American Republic from the ashes to which Barack Obama has reduced its predecessor. THAT is the Tea Party's purpose, and that is why it needs to gather and attract all the allies it can for the insurgency to come, not alienate and drive them away in fits of puerile, "purity"-obsessed pique.
As Ben Franklin once said, "We must all hang together, or we will certainly all hang separately." If the Tea Party cannot, then they will play their unwitting key role in America's Gotterdammerung, precisely as Barack Obama would have scripted it.
UPDATE: Here's Speaker George Pickett, er, John Boehner, raising his sabre before ordering the uphill charge.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Putin: 'Can't Say 100%' Assad Will Give Up Chemical Weapons
by JASmius
Well, I'm stunned:
Just one more noogie chortlingly delivered to President Red Lines' trophy-head. Pity the Pachyderm Funeral Pyre will keep anybody from noticing it.
Well, I'm stunned:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he isn’t “100%” certain that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will fulfill his commitment to give up chemical weapons.Of course, if Putin really wanted Assad to divest himself of his - which is to say, Saddam Hussein's - chemical weapons stockpile, let's just say he would be "1,000%" certain that his client would "fulfill his commitment." Or else his mutilated corpse would be found floating in the Euphrates River or wherever.
Putin’s comments today may indicate that Russia, Syria’s arms provider and ally, harbors doubts about Assad’s reliability, though less so than the U.S., which has demanded a quick and intrusive process to prevent the use of Syria’s chemical arsenal and to test whether the Syrian leader will give it up.
Putin said Syria has taken “practical steps” by joining the Chemical Weapons Convention barring such arms and it now faces a disarmament process under a U.S.-Russia accord reached last week in Geneva that begins with an accounting of the weapons inventory due September 21.
“Will it be possible to bring everything to a conclusion?” Putin said in Valdai, Russia. “I can’t say 100%. But everything that we’ve seen up to now inspires confidence that this can and will be done.”
Just one more noogie chortlingly delivered to President Red Lines' trophy-head. Pity the Pachyderm Funeral Pyre will keep anybody from noticing it.
Common Defence
The following is the opening story of the latest issue of the Constitution Letter Newsletter. Subscribe for $2 per month HERE.
If you would like to contribute to my efforts regarding the Constitution, you may do so HERE.
By Douglas V. Gibbs
With all of this talk about a "limited" attack against Syria, and then President Obama suddenly backing away and practically handing the Middle East over to Russia, I find it curious that our leaders in Washington screamed and yelled over what they thought the Constitution says, but never really consulted it, or the writings of the founders, in regards to what to do with Syria, and the presence of chemical weapons. Of course the casual observer may say, "The Founding Fathers never mentioned chemical weapons, so how can we consult them on how to respond to such a threat?"
In reality, the issue is not chemical weapons as much as it is, "Should we be involved in foreign entanglements that carry no immediate dangers to our national security?" Whether or not we as a nation should get involved in foreign entanglements is not specifically addressed in the Constitution. We are told that the President of the United States is the Commander in Chief in Article II, Section 2, and we are told that the Congress has the authority "To Declare War" in Article I, Section 8. Beyond that, the Constitution does not really discuss when we should go to war, and when we should show restraint.
When one studies James Madison's notes on the debates during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, we discover that as Commander in Chief, the President has the authority to wage war when he believes it is necessary. In our first two international conflicts, under Presidents Jefferson, and Madison, the wars were fought without a declaration of war against the Islamic Barbary Pirates. Both Presidents Jefferson, and Madison, felt it was necessary to "wage war" without a declaration of war for the purpose of expediency in regards to protecting our shipping routes. Because there was no declaration of war, however, the consequences of military action lay solely on the shoulders of the President, since Congress never officially declared it.
When Congress declares war, it is a formal declaration to the world that a state of war exists, and any interference by other nations are at their own peril. During a conflict that is not declared, any battle contact with nations not involved, such as the sinking of a ship, would be considered an act of war against the injured nation.
The power to wage war is not an unlimited authority, however. If the President insists upon engaging in foreign entanglements, and the Congress does not approve, there are checks against the Executive's war powers. Congress can defund the war effort, or if the President's insistence to use the military makes them believe he is waging war in a manner beyond what he should be, they can even pursue articles of impeachment.
Foreign Entanglements, as explained by many of the founders through letters to each other, were defined at international conflicts that did not involve the United States in any way, be it regarding trade routes, or overall national security. For example, during John Adams' presidency, Britain and France went to war, and though Vice President Thomas Jefferson voiced his position that the United States should take sides, Adams cautioned against such a verbal action, warning that even declaring sides could drag the United States into a war that did not directly influence any American interests. Without a national security justification, Adams felt it was best that the United States remained out of the conflict across the Atlantic Ocean.
Pundits in today's political atmosphere like to refer to the War Powers Act of 1973 when determining the President's authorities regarding military conflict. Influenced by the Vietnam War, which was never declared, Congress proposed the piece of legislation as a way of ensuring that unless immediate emergency military action is required, the President would need to gain congressional approval before taking any military action around the world. In a sense, the War Powers Act mirrors in many ways the desire of the founders as can be ascertained through their writings. However, the piece of legislation is just that, a mere piece of legislation, and the authorities of the President, including war powers, cannot be modified without a constitutional amendment. So, in short, the War Powers Act is unconstitutional.
Now, we cycle all the way back to the situation in Syria. A treaty is in place regarding the use of chemical weapons, and we are a part of that treaty. Syria, however, is not. Circumstantial evidence shows that President Assad's government forces used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians, but evidence does exist that suggests the rebels, backed by various terrorist organizations, may have gassed their own people as a way of deceiving The West, and drawing the United States into the conflict in order to assist them in defeating Assad's forces, of which they have not been doing very well against. The Middle Eastern country is in the midst of a bloody civil war between two factions that hate the United States equally. The Syrian Government is aligned with Iran, of whom we have been in constant conflict with, especially since their pursuit of nuclear weapons. The rebel forces are aligned with known terror groups like al-Qaeda and The Muslim Brotherhood. We have no horse in the race, be it an ally, or any other national security justification. In line with the writings of the founders, even any words President Obama may have regarding what is going on in Syria is unjustified. It is, as John Adams would suggest, a foreign entanglement that we have no business getting involved in. In fact, as he told Thomas Jefferson regarding the war between Britain and France, we shouldn't even be picking sides.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
If you would like to contribute to my efforts regarding the Constitution, you may do so HERE.
By Douglas V. Gibbs
With all of this talk about a "limited" attack against Syria, and then President Obama suddenly backing away and practically handing the Middle East over to Russia, I find it curious that our leaders in Washington screamed and yelled over what they thought the Constitution says, but never really consulted it, or the writings of the founders, in regards to what to do with Syria, and the presence of chemical weapons. Of course the casual observer may say, "The Founding Fathers never mentioned chemical weapons, so how can we consult them on how to respond to such a threat?"
In reality, the issue is not chemical weapons as much as it is, "Should we be involved in foreign entanglements that carry no immediate dangers to our national security?" Whether or not we as a nation should get involved in foreign entanglements is not specifically addressed in the Constitution. We are told that the President of the United States is the Commander in Chief in Article II, Section 2, and we are told that the Congress has the authority "To Declare War" in Article I, Section 8. Beyond that, the Constitution does not really discuss when we should go to war, and when we should show restraint.
When one studies James Madison's notes on the debates during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, we discover that as Commander in Chief, the President has the authority to wage war when he believes it is necessary. In our first two international conflicts, under Presidents Jefferson, and Madison, the wars were fought without a declaration of war against the Islamic Barbary Pirates. Both Presidents Jefferson, and Madison, felt it was necessary to "wage war" without a declaration of war for the purpose of expediency in regards to protecting our shipping routes. Because there was no declaration of war, however, the consequences of military action lay solely on the shoulders of the President, since Congress never officially declared it.
When Congress declares war, it is a formal declaration to the world that a state of war exists, and any interference by other nations are at their own peril. During a conflict that is not declared, any battle contact with nations not involved, such as the sinking of a ship, would be considered an act of war against the injured nation.
The power to wage war is not an unlimited authority, however. If the President insists upon engaging in foreign entanglements, and the Congress does not approve, there are checks against the Executive's war powers. Congress can defund the war effort, or if the President's insistence to use the military makes them believe he is waging war in a manner beyond what he should be, they can even pursue articles of impeachment.
Foreign Entanglements, as explained by many of the founders through letters to each other, were defined at international conflicts that did not involve the United States in any way, be it regarding trade routes, or overall national security. For example, during John Adams' presidency, Britain and France went to war, and though Vice President Thomas Jefferson voiced his position that the United States should take sides, Adams cautioned against such a verbal action, warning that even declaring sides could drag the United States into a war that did not directly influence any American interests. Without a national security justification, Adams felt it was best that the United States remained out of the conflict across the Atlantic Ocean.
Pundits in today's political atmosphere like to refer to the War Powers Act of 1973 when determining the President's authorities regarding military conflict. Influenced by the Vietnam War, which was never declared, Congress proposed the piece of legislation as a way of ensuring that unless immediate emergency military action is required, the President would need to gain congressional approval before taking any military action around the world. In a sense, the War Powers Act mirrors in many ways the desire of the founders as can be ascertained through their writings. However, the piece of legislation is just that, a mere piece of legislation, and the authorities of the President, including war powers, cannot be modified without a constitutional amendment. So, in short, the War Powers Act is unconstitutional.
Now, we cycle all the way back to the situation in Syria. A treaty is in place regarding the use of chemical weapons, and we are a part of that treaty. Syria, however, is not. Circumstantial evidence shows that President Assad's government forces used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians, but evidence does exist that suggests the rebels, backed by various terrorist organizations, may have gassed their own people as a way of deceiving The West, and drawing the United States into the conflict in order to assist them in defeating Assad's forces, of which they have not been doing very well against. The Middle Eastern country is in the midst of a bloody civil war between two factions that hate the United States equally. The Syrian Government is aligned with Iran, of whom we have been in constant conflict with, especially since their pursuit of nuclear weapons. The rebel forces are aligned with known terror groups like al-Qaeda and The Muslim Brotherhood. We have no horse in the race, be it an ally, or any other national security justification. In line with the writings of the founders, even any words President Obama may have regarding what is going on in Syria is unjustified. It is, as John Adams would suggest, a foreign entanglement that we have no business getting involved in. In fact, as he told Thomas Jefferson regarding the war between Britain and France, we shouldn't even be picking sides.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Hard Starboard Radio: Civil War
.A second helping of yesterday's gluttony; More tired gun talk; House Republicans cave to Senate Tea Partiers on forcing government shutdown confrontation over ObamaCare defunding, putting their majority in mortal jeopardy, and suddenly Senators Cruz and Lee get cold feet; Sure, Boy Assad will give up his chemical weapons - for a cool billion smackers; and the climate science is indeed settled, and global warming fanatics are in full, throaty denial.
Join us at 6PM Eastern/3PM Pacific, assuming you can survive the carpet-bombing "friendly" fire.
GOP's 'Ill-Conceived' Defunding Strategy Won't Work
by JASmius
So opines American Crossroads Founder and Bush43 Svengali Karl "The Architect" Rove. And he makes a powerful case for why Tea Partiers are thinking with their hearts while their heads are out to lunch:
And, for all the talk about "defunding" OCare, the fact is that, as Ed Morrissey writes, most of its funding is statutory, not discretionary, and thus not part of the budgetary process:
The fact is that last November 6th was the last chance to stop ObamaCare. And the American people "officially" opted to keep its namesake in power. Whether that was the result of election theft or a century of dumbing down and corruption of the electorate doesn't matter all that much, because the effect is the same. And it's caused Tea Partiers to become what the Democrats have always called them: the death knell of the GOP - and the late, great American Republic along with it.
Sure puts a whole new spin on the term "death panels," doesn't it?
So opines American Crossroads Founder and Bush43 Svengali Karl "The Architect" Rove. And he makes a powerful case for why Tea Partiers are thinking with their hearts while their heads are out to lunch:
"The desire to strike at Obamacare is praiseworthy," he writes in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.You'll note that Rove is reporting independents' views on TPers' defunding/shutdown strategy, not agreeing with them. Like it or not, this is the political landscape on which this OCare defunding fight is being waged, and the terrain favors Red Barry and the Democrats. A winning strategy has to take that reality into account; but TPers don't want to hear reality; they want what they want and believe that the rightness of their cause will alone turn the tide. IOW, they're delusional, and, far from driving The One before them, by pushing for a kamikaze government shutdown run they're setting up the GOP to lose the one bulwark they have - control of the House - against a renewal of the Obamunist blitzkrieg that gave us ObamaCare in the first place. That is all Mr. Rove is arguing.
"But any strategy to repeal, delay, or replace the law must have a credible chance of succeeding or affecting broad public opinion positively."
Rove, who helped organize the political action committee, American Crossroads, noted the "epic gains" Republicans made in 2010, when they had control of more legislative chambers than at any time since 1928 — and won more than half of the gubernatorial races in both 2009 and 2010. He said those successes were the result of independents voting Republican.
And independents remain key, he said....
But there is one issue on which independents part ways with the GOP.
Some 58% oppose defunding the Affordable Care Act if that risks even a temporary government shutdown compared to just 30% who don't oppose defunding the unpopular law, according to the poll....
[I]ndependents aren't buying the defunding arguments, he said.
"Independents went with Mr. Obama's counterpunch 57% to 35%," he said, while voters in Senate battleground states sided with him 59 to 33.
In GOP-leaning congressional districts and swing congressional districts, the president won 56-39 and 58-33 respectively, he added.
And, for all the talk about "defunding" OCare, the fact is that, as Ed Morrissey writes, most of its funding is statutory, not discretionary, and thus not part of the budgetary process:
[Defunding] would create at least a de facto delay for a year for some of the ACA functions, but not all of them. Most of the funding for Obamacare comes from statutory spending and not budgetary spending, which takes the context out of the budget fight altogether. A recent Congressional Research Service analysis requested from Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) showed that the IRS would still collect taxes, state and federal ACA exchanges would still operate, and most importantly, HHS would still fund subsidies for health insurance through them.The Politico agrees:
If the goal is to stop the subsidies, then the defunding strategy would not succeed, not unless its backers could get 60 votes in the Senate for a complete repeal of the entire ACA, along with Obama’s signature on it. That opportunity slipped away at the last election.
What about the delay strategy? Grassroots conservatives dislike this option as a kick-the-can-down-the-road strategy, but it has its advantages. First, a delay of the individual mandate and the ACA exchanges would actually achieve the goal of shutting down the subsidies, something that defunding won’t accomplish. Second, the Obama administration has provided ample precedent for delaying key parts of the ACA, both on its own and through Congress, complete with presidential signatures blessing them. Again on Senator Coburn’s request, the CRS detailed 19 instances in which the White House either approved Congressional delays on the ACA or instituted them administratively – most notoriously on the employer mandates and the insurer out-of-pocket caps, both of which cut against consumers while imposing a mandate to force them into the system anyway. …
While Obama would refuse to sign off on a repeal, the dichotomy of leaving consumers to twist in the wind while employers and insurers get valuable breaks might be enough for the White House to back down temporarily from this fight. After his Syria retreat, Obama has burned so much capital with fellow Democrats who publicly called for war just to see Obama back away that he may not have much choice but to let them off the hook with constituents angry over Obamacare.
Most of the rules and infrastructure required for the law are already in place — and a lot of the money has been spent. The administration has doled out its major regulations, distributed funding to states for setting up the exchanges, readied the data hub that will transmit subsidy and eligibility information and awarded grants to navigators, who could continue helping people enroll.So let's see if I can sum it all up: ObamaCare cannot be defunded; Republicans don't have the power to defund the miniscule portion that is within the budgetary process; and attempting to play "chicken" with the White House via a government shutdown showdown will inevitably destroy the GOP in the media, force their surrender, and cast their House majority to the four winds at the hands of independents AND fratricidal conservatives. Have I missed anything? Besides the three-front Republican civil war that erupted last night, that is.
Major parts of the law — its Medicaid expansion and Medicare changes — wouldn’t be blocked under a shutdown, as they are mandatory spending. The subsidies to buy insurance in the health law are also mandatory spending — although not all of those are supposed to be paid out right away anyway. A shutdown affects only discretionary spending, the annual appropriations.
The law’s insurance market reforms requiring insurers to ignore pre-existing conditions and provide a robust set of health benefits wouldn’t be affected either. “Anything dealing with regulatory changes in the law will continue,” said the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Bill Hoagland, a veteran of the 1995 government shutdowns and a former Republican staff director of the Senate Budget Committee.
What will be more of a gray area are the furloughs for government workers that would be part of a shutdown or partial shutdown. The administration has some discretion here — and could keep workers on the job if they are implementing the law. Their pay may be from discretionary funds — but they are delivering a mandatory benefit.
The fact is that last November 6th was the last chance to stop ObamaCare. And the American people "officially" opted to keep its namesake in power. Whether that was the result of election theft or a century of dumbing down and corruption of the electorate doesn't matter all that much, because the effect is the same. And it's caused Tea Partiers to become what the Democrats have always called them: the death knell of the GOP - and the late, great American Republic along with it.
Sure puts a whole new spin on the term "death panels," doesn't it?
Stuck on No-Go
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Last Monday and Tuesday I took time off to finally fix my much-neglected car. The old 1995 Toyota Corolla has been in need of attention, and so with a little bit of money, and strategic auto-shop shopping, we did what it would take to make some repairs.
The repairs were:
- Stop oil pan leak.
- Replace two old tires, one of which had the steel showing and wobbled and leaped around at freeway speeds.
- Flush and repair radiator.
- Replace old, rusty water and coolant with new liquids.
- Replace the thermostat, which amazingly enabled my "check engine" light to extinguish.
- Repair small leak on the bottom of the fuel tank.
My place of employment was not happy, but missing work was necessary.
On Wednesday (yesterday) I returned to work with a car that purred like a kitten as I made the three-quarter hour drive to "The Yard."
On the way home, it turned out, Murphy (Murphy's Law seems to be following me around, this week) was not finished with me. The temperature gauge shot up, and steam rose out of the radiator until there was no fluids remaining in it.
After five hours of checking hoses, fans and the radiator itself, with the help of friends and family, it was finally realized that it was my water pump. I was experiencing a coincidental nightmare. The water pump could have gone out at any other time, but decided to wait until right after I poured a butt-load of money into the car, and missed work to do it.
Then, the battery went dead.
We bought a new battery, and a couple bottles of fluid, with the help of my parents after they arrived on the side of the freeway to assist me.
A law enforcement officer never paid me a visit to offer assistance, interestingly.
I limped home, stopping every ten minutes of driving to allow the car to cool for over a half hour, then starting it and filling the radiator with 50/50 premix to go another ten minutes. I arrived after three stop-and-wait-and-pours, and I got home closer to midnight than I preferred.
Once in the shop, it turns out my timing belt is stretched out, too - which explains some of the funny actions of the car.
So, another work day missed, more money poured into the car that has become of black hole of late. . . but after this the car should be good for at least. . .
Never mind, I don't want to make predictions.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Last Monday and Tuesday I took time off to finally fix my much-neglected car. The old 1995 Toyota Corolla has been in need of attention, and so with a little bit of money, and strategic auto-shop shopping, we did what it would take to make some repairs.
The repairs were:
- Stop oil pan leak.
- Replace two old tires, one of which had the steel showing and wobbled and leaped around at freeway speeds.
- Flush and repair radiator.
- Replace old, rusty water and coolant with new liquids.
- Replace the thermostat, which amazingly enabled my "check engine" light to extinguish.
- Repair small leak on the bottom of the fuel tank.
My place of employment was not happy, but missing work was necessary.
On Wednesday (yesterday) I returned to work with a car that purred like a kitten as I made the three-quarter hour drive to "The Yard."
On the way home, it turned out, Murphy (Murphy's Law seems to be following me around, this week) was not finished with me. The temperature gauge shot up, and steam rose out of the radiator until there was no fluids remaining in it.
After five hours of checking hoses, fans and the radiator itself, with the help of friends and family, it was finally realized that it was my water pump. I was experiencing a coincidental nightmare. The water pump could have gone out at any other time, but decided to wait until right after I poured a butt-load of money into the car, and missed work to do it.
Then, the battery went dead.
We bought a new battery, and a couple bottles of fluid, with the help of my parents after they arrived on the side of the freeway to assist me.
A law enforcement officer never paid me a visit to offer assistance, interestingly.
I limped home, stopping every ten minutes of driving to allow the car to cool for over a half hour, then starting it and filling the radiator with 50/50 premix to go another ten minutes. I arrived after three stop-and-wait-and-pours, and I got home closer to midnight than I preferred.
Once in the shop, it turns out my timing belt is stretched out, too - which explains some of the funny actions of the car.
So, another work day missed, more money poured into the car that has become of black hole of late. . . but after this the car should be good for at least. . .
Never mind, I don't want to make predictions.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
A Smith & Wesson Beats A Weak Bladder & A Finger Down The Throat
by JASmius
If I weren't old enough to be this young lady's father, I'd be awfully turned on right about now....
Some "experts" say that women should pee their pants or puke to avoid rape. Are they serious? Guns are better. Don't pee your pants; make your wannabe rapist pee his pants.
If I weren't old enough to be this young lady's father, I'd be awfully turned on right about now....
Yes, Lucy Van Pelt Grew Up To Become Diane Feinstein
by JASmius
Only thing missing is Lucy pounding Linus for his Tea Party effrontery....
Politics, is it funny or sad?
Only thing missing is Lucy pounding Linus for his Tea Party effrontery....
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
"Muffins and Lattes Don't React Too Well To Bullets"
by JASmius
Okay, so Howard Shultz makes a lousy Marko Ramius....
Well, I was already biased against Schultz as the aider and abettor of the theft of the Seattle SuperSonics five years back, I've never been a coffee drinker anyway, and if I was I wouldn't patronize Starbucks because they're too damned expensive and don't offer any confections but Styrofoam-esque muffins. But all I can say is that if I was in a Starbucks for whatever unlikely reason and another Aaron Alexis burst in with the intent of indulging in a little target practice, I would feel a lot more confident of survival if the caffeine emporium wasn't a "gun-free zone".
Either that, or I could hide behind the muffins.
Okay, so Howard Shultz makes a lousy Marko Ramius....
Starbucks CEO says guns are no longer welcome in its cafes, though it is stopping short of an outright ban on firearms.
Starbucks says its neither for or against guns but feel guns don't need to be a part of the Starbucks experience.
Tell you what Mr. CEO, I don't need or want to be a part of your Starbucks experience! Perhaps when someone shows up and takes out a bunch of your patrons you'll think differently about guns!
As for me and my house.... we gave up your liberal un-American coffee shops a while ago!
Either that, or I could hide behind the muffins.
Hard Starboard Radio: All Hail Gluttony!
.Why didn't Buddhism pacify Aaron Alexis?; Starbucks whittles down its clientele some more; Was the Washington Navy Yard massacre the result of the Sequester? Vulnerable Dems don't appear to think so; Boehner and Cantor attempt to save the Tea Party from itself and its unwitting rescue of Red Barry; and why Fat Is Where It's At, and there's not a damn thing Michelle Obama can do about it.
Come and pig out at 6PM Eastern/3PM Pacific. And be sure to go back for thirds.
Gun Grabbers Are Grasping at Straws
by JASmius
I'll say it again: All these shooting sprees - from Columbine to Aurora to Newport to the Washington Naval Yard - have taken place in "gun-free zones". Chicago - an officially "gun-free" city - has had more gun-murders month-to-date than the ANNUAL totals for eight STATES. And remember just a week ago in Colorado, where the two leading gun-confiscators - both Democrat state senators - were recalled despite the recall forces being outspent six to one?
Gun control is the one issue on which the Left has never been able to get traction in this country. The more they pursue it, the more their political fortunes will sink. Beats me what their hurry is; after Godbama makes his coup official, he can just send in the army and/or his secret police and round 'em up, along with their recalcitrant owners. It's not like the government isn't more heavily armed, after all.
The great gun debate disconnect… In the bloody wake of the Navy Yard shootings, desperate gun grabbers are grabbing at straws.
I'll say it again: All these shooting sprees - from Columbine to Aurora to Newport to the Washington Naval Yard - have taken place in "gun-free zones". Chicago - an officially "gun-free" city - has had more gun-murders month-to-date than the ANNUAL totals for eight STATES. And remember just a week ago in Colorado, where the two leading gun-confiscators - both Democrat state senators - were recalled despite the recall forces being outspent six to one?
Gun control is the one issue on which the Left has never been able to get traction in this country. The more they pursue it, the more their political fortunes will sink. Beats me what their hurry is; after Godbama makes his coup official, he can just send in the army and/or his secret police and round 'em up, along with their recalcitrant owners. It's not like the government isn't more heavily armed, after all.
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