Wake up America

Poll: Wisconsin Voters Favor Governor Scott Walker's Reforms

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

With the recall election between Governor Scott Walker (R) and Tom Barrett (D) due to take place on June 5, 2012, the latest Reason-Rupe poll shows overwhelming support by Wisconsin voters for the controversial reforms Walker signed into law.

Findings:

• 50 percent to 42 percent favor Walker over Barrett

• 72 percent to 24 percent favor increasing the amount that government employees contribute to their own pensions from less than one percent to six percent of their annual salaries.

• 71 percent to 37 percent favor increasing the amount that government employees contribute to their own health care from six percent to 12 percent of the cost of their healthcare.

• 50 percent to 41 percent favor ending automatic union dues deductions from government employee paychecks.

• Statistical tie with 47 percent to 46 percent favoring limiting government employee collective bargaining to just negotiating wages and excluding bargaining on benefits, working conditions, pensions and rules.

•44 percent believe unions have "too much power" in negotiating contracts, 20 percent believe they have "too little power" and 29 percent believe they have the "right amount of power."

• 51 percent to 41 percent favor a law that would no longer require workers in unionized companies to pay union dues as a condition of employment.

• 36 percent believe public sector unions have done more to "hurt state and local economy." 26 percent believe they have "helped state and local economy" and 32 percent believe do not make much of a difference.

• 65 percent believe government employees receive better retirement benefits than workers with similar jobs in the private sector. 7 percent say worse. 22 percent say the they receive the same benefits.

• 74 percent to 24 percent believe public employees should be require to contribute more towards their own pensions and healthcare.

Full questionnaire and answers found here and embedded below.

Reason Rupe Poll

According to Real Clear Politics averages, not including this latest Reason-Rupe poll, Walker leads Barrett by 6.4 percent. (The figures at that link change as RCP adds newer polling data)

H/T The Blaze

[Update] We Ask America now has Walker up by 12.

Related:

Politico- Democrats limp to finish line in Wisconsin

Politico- Has recall election made Scott Walker a GOP hero?

Obama's Bain Attacks Against Romney Misleading Says Obama Supporter

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:53:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Obama's campaign strategy against Mitt Romney in attacking Romney's former work for Bain Capital is backfiring as polling, according to CBS News, is seeing Romney's, not Obama's, approval ratings rise.

In the past two weeks, the Obama campaign has rolled out several attacks on Romney and his time at Bain Capital.

"He's running for president, and if he's going to run the country the way he ran our business, I wouldn't want him there," a steelworker says in one ad.

But so far, it's not working.

Instead of a bump in public opinion for the president, recent polls show Romney's approval ratings on the rise -- and sharply so in the key swing state of Florida.

Adding to the growing list of Democrats who have criticized Obama for his attacks which have come across as attacks against Capitalism, Lanny Davis, Obama supporter, offers criticisms against both the GOP and Barack Obama, while proving that Obama's campaign ad attacks against Romney's Bain record is "somewhat misleading:

The Obama anti-Romney Bain Capital campaign ad focused on a Kansas City steel company, GS Technologies, which was on the verge of bankruptcy when Bain Capital purchased it in 1993 for $80 million. GS went bankrupt in 2001, with several hundred workers losing their jobs. The ad featured several of them blaming Romney and Bain for the lost jobs, but it omitted several facts, such as:

Mitt Romney had left Bain Capital two years before bankruptcy had been declared.

The head of Bain at the time of the GS bankruptcy decision is now a major Obama fundraiser.

Bain invested another $100 million in plant modernization and four years later the company reportedly had reached more than $1 billion in revenues.

After the company went bankrupt in 2001, the president of the plant’s union didn’t blame Bain but rather, cheap foreign imports. “We can’t compete against the steel imports that are being sold under cost,” he said.

It’s difficult to argue, even if you are a partisan Obama supporter, as I am, that this ad is not at least somewhat misleading.

Obama planned these Bain Capital attacks against Romney as early as January 2012, as evidenced by earlier campaign's claims that Washington Post's The Fact Checker rated him with three Pinocchios, at that time, for making.

Perhaps it is inevitable that once Obama took office he would be in the so-called "presidential bubble", surrounded by staff and advisers but no longer able to keep his finger on the pulse of America, no longer able to connect with the electorate, but someone should remind him of the brutal GOP primary battle and how Bain was used and how those attacks failed, and Romney came out on the other side, for the very same reasons these attacks by Obama, as CBS News so aptly described it, aren't "sticking."

Americans have been here, we have done that, we have the T-shirts and the bumper stickers and we have moved on and are focused back on the economy, jobs and the federal deficit.

Or perhaps Obama just doesn't want to talk about the economy, jobs and the federal deficit.....

"I will be held accountable. I’ve got four years and … A year from now, I think people are going to see that we’re starting to make some progress, but there’s still going to be some pain out there … If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition."--- Barack Obama, February 2009.

[WATCH]

Related:

Team Obama Just Endorsed Mitt Romney As President

Video- Obama's Big Bain Backfire: Bain Created More Jobs Than Obama's Stimulus Has

Friday, May 25, We Will Join The 'Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day'

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:24:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Yesterday many of us became aware of a convicted terrorist, the Speedway Bomber, Brett Kimberlin, who has been terrorizing bloggers for daring to report the facts, some to the point where Kimberlin abusing the court system to file over 100 lawsuits, others forced to leave their home for fear of their family's lives.

My update from yesterdays piece explains what conservative bloggers are doing on May 25, 2012, this Friday:

PAY ATTENTION MSM

[Major Update] May 25, 2012 - "Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day."

Michelle Malkin (thanks for link by the way) explains what this type of coordinated messaging used to be called:

For those of you who are old fogies in the blogosphere, you’ll remember the “blogburst” concept — hundreds of bloggers of all sizes getting together to push an idea or action item. In this case, a blogburst would raise the cost of the online terrorists’ speech-squelching business immensely. It’s a collective show of support and force.

This whole travesty has been largely ignored by many and major media outlets have not done their due diligence in reporting it so others, such as myself, were not even aware of this man nor his threats, abuses or harassment of our fellow bloggers, victims of his crimes or anyone he considered his "enemy."

That has now changed as awareness has been raised.
Malkin has a list of those reporting this.
FilmLadd has a list.
The Conservatory has a list.

Lee Stranahan, who has came up with the idea of the "Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day" has given open permission on his post to repost his piece:

Brett Kimberlin is a convicted bomber, perjurer and left-wing attack dog. He’s attacked — in no particular order — conservative bloggers like Andrew Breibart, Patterico, Liberty Chick, Aaron Worthing, Stacy McCain and others.

Here’s a short, easy to follow video I put together on Kimberlin:

This is no war of words; Kimberlin is a serial litigator who has filed over 100 lawsuits by his own account and he takes people to court, claiming they are harassing him. He calls their employers. I stand with all these people, some of whom are my friends. I’m launching a new effort on my own that I hope will help.
The only effective way I to fight Brett Kimberlin is for as many people to research and write about him as possible.

So I’m declaring this Friday, May 25th as Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day.
Here’s what you do to take part…

Research Brett Kimberlin on your own. Don’t trust secondary sources; look for the orginal articles articles published about him, too.

On Friday, May 25th — write an honest, factually accurate post about what you learned and what your OPINION is. Brett may try and sue you, so be accurate, factual and separate fact from opinion.

The post doesn’t have to be long — ANYTHING helps.

After you post, Tweet, share, whatever — get the post out there.

This foolishness has gone on long enough.

(If you do not have a blog, tweet it, put it on Facebook, Stumble, Reddit, Digg, whatever. If you don't have any of those accounts, leave word in comment sections. Just please help spread the word.)

This should not be a conservative issue, yet conservatives seem to be the only ones willing to step up to protect the rights of others to report facts. This should be an issue where liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, moderates.... everyone should be able to unite and fight for the right of free speech without being terrorized and harassed.

There are a lot of mea culpas coming from conservatives for their lack of attention, because they weren't aware of the travesty, but now that the story is out, they are stepping up to the plate.

Where is the media. ABC News, where are you? CBS News, where are you? NBC, Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, Fox..... where the hell are you guys?

A Google News Search for "Brett Kimberlin" is bringing up zip, nada, zilch from them. (As of 10AM AZ time)

Liberals- This isn't a political issue, we conservatives and you folks can battle out the economic issues, social issues, disagree forever, but in this, it is a right or wrong issue....... where are you?

Come on... meet us in the middle of the ring, join on May 25, 2012 and we can all go to our respective corners to battle politics right afterwards.

Arkansas-Kentucky Democratic Primaries: The Anti-Obama Registered Democratic Voters

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:13:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee in 2012, up for reelection and has been uncontested for the nomination itself. That does not mean that others have not placed themselves on the Democratic primary ballots in some states, just that Obama has the delegates needed so that he is not challenged for the nomination.

Knowing this, registered Democrats in Arkansas and Kentucky, still made their anti-Obama sentiment clear in a very public manner by going to voting booths and voting for another candidate, or when no candidate was listed, voting for "uncommitted."

In Arkansas, John Wolfe was on the ballot with Obama and received over 40 percent of the registered Democratic vote. In Kentucky, no candidate was listed against Obama so registered Democrats voted for "uncommitted."

Previously, in West Virginia, a convicted felon serving 17 years in a penitentiary, by the name of Keith Judd, captured 41 percent of the Democratic primary vote.

On the Republican side, Gingrich and Santorum, who have both suspended their presidential campaigns and Paul who has stopped actively campaigning but has not suspended the campaign, were all still on the ballots.

ABC News does the comparison:

In Kentucky, Romney, who is expected to clinch the nomination after the Texas primary on May 29, received a higher percentage of the vote in the Republican presidential primary than Obama received in the Democratic presidential primary. With 99.9 percent of precincts reporting, Romney had 67 percent of the vote, while Obama had 58 percent — compared to “uncommitted,” which received 42 percent, according to The Associated Press.

[....]

In Arkansas, Obama has 61 percent of the vote with roughly 96 percent of precincts reporting. His Democratic challenger, John Wolfe, a lawyer from Tennessee, has 39 percent. Romney, comparatively, has received 68 percent of the vote, the AP reported.

Romney took more of the registered Republican primary voters than Obama was able to take with registered Democratic voters and Romney is still pulling away from a brutal Republican primary fight.

Kentucky Democrats did not think for a second that "uncommitted" was an actual candidate so there is no way to spin this in any direction but as 40-42 percent of registered Democrats making a very clear statement against Obama.

Of Kentucky’s 120 counties, in 67 of those counties “Uncommitted” beat Obama.

Obama is not expected to be competitive in the above mentioned states in the general election anyway, so this is no more than bad optics for Obama. It just doesn't look good, during an election year, when registered Democrats from any state would rather vote for a candidate that doesn't even exist, is barely known or a convicted felon sitting in prison, than for Barack Obama, the candidate their party has chosen.

The headlines this has produced should be added to "Obama's Headline Train Wreck" from yesterday.

Obama's Headline Train Wreck

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:32:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

It is only Tuesday, but this week is promising to be another media headline train wreck for the Barack Obama campaign.

Starting with Obama's attacks on Mitt Romney for his previous work at Bain Capital and the fallout via headlines and major media articles.

Headlines right now at Memeorandum show:

ABC News: "Swinging at Bain, Obama Ignores What Private Equity Is."

Bain Capital has been used as a political weapon against Mitt Romney since 1994, but now his opponents might be rethinking ads about attacking him for his time at the private-equity firm as the ads are being criticized by some Democrats as well as Republicans.

The Hill headline "Obama raised most from private equity, hedge funds in 2008."

Obama raised far more cash from hedge fund and private equity donors than any other candidate in the 2008 election cycle.

According to an analysis by the nonprofit group Open Secrets, Obama took in nearly $3.5 million from large private-equity donors that year — nearly twice what his general-election rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), pocketed.

Back to ABC News, headlining with "Obama Campaign Does Damage Control After Dems Question Anti-Bain Strategy."

The Obama campaign is in full damage-control mode one day after Newark Mayor Cory Booker publicly derided Democrats’ assault on presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney over his record at Bain Capital.

PJ Tatler with "Latest Dem to Back Cory Booker Over Obama is…Van Jones?."

Market Watch headline "Big Obama donor reportedly tied to Bain layoffs."

As the Obama campaign’s attacks on Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital past continue to get chided by top officials within the Democratic Party — former Pennsylvania governor and Democratic National Committee chairman Ed Rendell is the latest to express disapproval — a published report says that a top donor to the president’s campaign actually was a key player in the layoffs that are being criticized in a television campaign.

ABC News reported that Jonathan Lavine, a Bain Capital executive and co-owner of the Boston Celtics, served on the board of directors of American Pad & Paper, or Ampad. The Obama campaign is running a nearly six-minute web video about Bain’s 1992 purchase of office paper-product company Ampad. The video features comments from workers laid off from an office-products plant in Marion, Ind., after Ampad bought it in 1994.

Lavine has raised more than $200,000 for the Obama campaign, ABC reported, citing Federal Election Commission records.

Leaving Obama's Bain trainwreck behind for a second to touch on the other headlines today, still at Memeorandum by the way

Politico headline "Dems wait by phone for Obama."

CNN Headline "Arkansas primary may pose challenge for Obama."

A poll taken in Arkansas's fourth Congressional district - which includes the towns of Hope, Hot Springs and Camden – shows less than half of Democratic primary voters (45%) support Obama. Thirty-eight percent said they back Wolfe and 17% are undecided.

Quick reminder:

In West Virginia's May 8 primary, Keith Judd received a sizable chuck of the Democratic vote – 41% by the latest count. Judd is currently serving a 210-month sentence in a federal prison in Texas for extortion.

Back to The Hill, who headlines with "Dem-backed law may be downfall of Obama birth control mandate."

The biggest legal threat to the White House's birth control mandate could come from a decades-old law that was championed by liberal Democrats, according to legal experts. — The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)

Reminder of yesterday's news about 43 Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate.

The Hill hits a trifecta with another headline "HHS signs $20M PR contract to promote healthcare law."

The Health and Human Services Department has signed a $20 million contract with a public-relations firm to highlight part of the Affordable Care Act

Politico's again with "Obama's mortgage fraud task force under fire."

New York Times headline "Fund-Raising for Romney Eats Into Obama’s Edge."

Convicted Terrorist Brett Kimberlin Threatens Blogger Robert Stacy McCain

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:41:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

[Major Update] May 25, 2012 - "Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day."

Michelle Malkin (thanks for link by the way) explains what this type of coordinated messaging used to be called:

For those of you who are old fogies in the blogosphere, you’ll remember the “blogburst” concept — hundreds of bloggers of all sizes getting together to push an idea or action item. In this case, a blogburst would raise the cost of the online terrorists’ speech-squelching business immensely. It’s a collective show of support and force.

(The update above will also be made into a post of it's own)

Original post below:

Via The Other McCain:

Law enforcement officials have been made aware that convicted terrorist Brett Kimberlin appears to be engaged in an attempt to intimidate me into being silent about his sordid criminal history.

Appropriate precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of my family and others who might be endangered if Kimberlin resorts to violence to accomplish his malicious purposes. At the urging of concerned friends, we have vacated our former residence and I am now blogging from a secret location which Kimberlin will be unable to discover or reach. Nevertheless, we sincerely ask for intercessory prayer, that God will send angels to guard us in this grave crisis.

In fact, this crisis is an answer to prayer: My wife and I had been contemplating whether to leave Maryland, and had asked that God would give us a sign. Guess we got what we prayed for — unexpectedly!

Read the rest. Hit his tip jar.

Quote of the day goes to Instapundit who says " Really? Really? Can this be what it sounds like? Somebody is trying to out-crazy Stacy McCain? That’s not going to end well . . . ."

More discussion over at Riehl World View, Allergic to Bull, Daily Pundit, The Lonely Conservative, Israel Matzav and The Camp Of The Saints

Aaron Worthing has broken down his original piece into parts explaining how Kimberlin attempted to frame him for a crime.

[Update] Kimberlin has filed over 100 lawsuits and counting and just filed yet another one against blogger Aaron Worthing aka Walker.

[Update] The Conservatory has a nice list of those bringing attention to the dangerous insanity that is Brett Kimberlin.

Who is Brett Kimberlin? The Other McCain has files!!!!

THE KIMBERLIN FILES:

May 17: Is Democrat Operative Neal Rauhauser an ‘Associate’ of Convicted Terrorist Brett Kimberlin? (And Why It Matters)

May 17: Convicted Terrorist Brett Kimberlin Received $70,000 From Tides Foundation, $10,000 From Streisand, $20,000 from John Kerry’s Wife

May 18: Who Warned Us About Brett Kimberlin?

May 18: What It Feels Like to Be Targeted

May 19: Domestic Terrorist Now Using ‘Lawfare’? Convicted Felon Kimberlin’s 501(c)3 Raised $1.8 Million in Six Years UPDATE: ‘Convicted of Perjury’

May 20: Deadline Loometh, and the Raven Is Croaking Brett Kimberlin’s Name

May 20: ‘Other Computer Savvy Activists’

Even Stacking The Poll With Democrats, Wapo/ABC, Still Shows Bad News For Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:49:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Washington Post headlines "Poll: Obama, Romney in dead heat on economy."

After months of aggressive campaigning on jobs and the economy, President Obama and Mitt Romney, his likely Republican challenger, are locked in a dead heat over who could fix the problem foremost on voters’ minds, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The parity on economic issues foreshadows what probably will continue to be a tough and negative campaign. Overall, voters would be split 49 percent for Obama and 46 percent for Romney if the November election were held now. On handling the economy, they are tied at 47 percent.

The Wapo/ABC News poll sample was 32 percent Democrats, 22 percent Republicans, and 38 percent Independents.

Hot Air consistently watches polling samples and notices that the number of Republicans sampled in this last poll is at the lowest levels this year.

In other words, the shiny-object distraction strategy from Team Obama hasn’t worked out as planned. Neither has the sample strategy from the WaPo/ABC pollster. Today’s D/R/I is 32/22/38, which means this model would only be predictive for a turnout model where only 22% of voters are Republican. Just to remind readers, the 2008 turnout split from exit polls showed a 39/32/29 split, and that was considered a nadir for Republican turnout. In the 2010 midterms, the split was 35/35/30.

Take a close look at the Republican representation in WaPo/ABC polls this year. Starting in January, that has been 25%, 23%, 27%, 23%, and now 22%. The pollster seems incapable of finding a representative number of Republicans for this poll series. Perhaps that should give the two news organizations involved a hint about finding a new pollster.

Campaign 2012 points out what may be the death knell to the Obama campaign for reelection:

Americans are nearly twice as likely to say they've gotten financially worse off as better off since Obama became president...

Obama's three point lead is within the margin of error and that is while using 10 percent more Democrats in their sample than Republicans.

52 percent of those registered voters still find the economy to be the most important issue, showing that all the attempts to distract voters with other issues, isn't working.

[Update] Breitbart headline "WaPo/ABC Poll Assumes Lowest GOP Turnout in Decades to Boost Obama."

Team Obama Just Endorsed Mitt Romney As President

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:17:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

This was mentioned in passing in the previous post which showed how Bain Capital created more jobs than Obama's stimulus did, but the more I think of it, the more I see a quote from Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith as the best endorsement ever for Mitt Romney as President in 2012.

ABC News:

"Mitt Romney’s partners, employees, and top supporters have all been clear: his tenure at Bain Capital was about creating wealth for himself and his investors, not creating jobs," said Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith. "Those are the very same economic values he’d bring to the presidency......

That is more of an argument for Romney than against.

It has already been shown that more jobs were created by Bain than those that were lost. More were lost by Obama's stimulus than were created or saved. The net gain of jobs by Bain was only a side benefit of making money for Bain and their investors.

If America was Bain and Americans were the investors, then by Team Obama's own logic, Romney would create wealth for America, put money in American's wallets and the side effect would be a net gain for job creation.

Obama's own attack has just given every American a reason to vote for Mitt Romney in 2012.

Video- Obama's Big Bain Backfire: Bain Created More Jobs Than Obama's Stimulus Has

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:24:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

video platform video management video solutions video player

ABC News reports that "Obama Campaign Does Damage Control After Dems Question Anti-Bain Strategy," where they explain how Obama has divided his own party who disagree with the strategy of attacking free market enterprise.

The Obama campaign is in full damage-control mode one day after Newark Mayor Cory Booker publicly derided Democrats’ assault on presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney over his record at Bain Capital.

Booker was the latest Democrat and Obama supporter to come out against Obama's line of attack against Mitt Romney. ABC News points to Obama's former economic adviser Steven Rattner, who last week made similar comments as Booker and and calling a new Obama campaign TV ad attacking Romney’s role in the bankruptcy of a Bain-owned steel company “unfair.”

“Bain Capital’s responsibility was not to create 100,000 jobs or some other number. It was to create profits for its investors,” Rattner said. ”‘It did it superbly well, acting within the rules, acting very responsibly. … This is part of capitalism, this is part of life. I don’t think there’s anything Bain Capital did that they need to be embarrassed about.”

The last paragraph of the ABC News report is perhaps the best recommendation for Romney as President in 2012 and it comes from Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith:

"Mitt Romney’s partners, employees, and top supporters have all been clear: his tenure at Bain Capital was about creating wealth for himself and his investors, not creating jobs. Those are the very same economic values he’d bring to the presidency..."

Think about that for a second. Romney's "job" with Bain was to make money for himself and his investors and Obama's attacks against him are for being good at his job!!! Obama's attack is a direct attack against capitalism.

Now imagine if Romney was given the "job" to create wealth for the United States of America by being voted in as President. Team Obama admits Romney is good at his job, therefore it stands to reason Romney would be just as good in turning the economy around by making America money.

Everyone agrees, even Obama, that Romney is good at making money.

The side benefit of Romney's ability to "create wealth for himself and his investors" was a creation of jobs for the companies that Bain was able to turnaround.

Bain's successes include but are not limited to; Domino’s Pizza, Sealy, Brookstone, The Sports Authority, Burger King, Burlington Coat Factory, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Toys "R" Us.

Obama would rather focus on the companies under Bain that did not succeed and exact totals are impossible to calculate but what is not in dispute is that under Romney's tenure the successes gave Bain a net gain in job creation.

If we were to apply the same standard to Obama as he is attempting to apply to Romney, then Obama's claims of "saving/creating" jobs is offset by the amount of jobs lost under his stimulus plan.

A of May 2011, according to a 36 page report, by economists Bill Dupor and Timothy Conley, who have analyzed the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act aka Obama's stimulus package and concluded that while 450,000 state and local government jobs were created/saved, one million private sector jobs were destroyed/forestalled as a direct result of the stimulus package.

Obama's record therefore is a net loss of 500,000, half a million, jobs.

You can see the charts, graphs and details for yourself in the 36 PDF report, they listed alternate methods of computing in it, other economists projections, etc...

Bain Capital, despite any losses, has created more jobs than the Obama administration and Obama spent over $825 billion to lose those jobs, while Romney and Bain created the net job gain and made money.

The Romney campaign has produced a campaign ad which highlights Obama supporters, former Obama administration officials and politicians within Obama's party, criticizing Obama's attack against Bain and Romney.

[WATCH]

Obama’s attacks on free enterprise have triggered a backlash among many—even among those in his own party. In just the past few days, everyone from former advisors to his own surrogates have criticized the Obama campaign’s attack on free enterprise. With no record to run on, it is no surprise that the Obama campaign has resorted to misleading attacks that have been disavowed by its own supporters.

Greg Lewis- Barack Obama's 15 Minutes of Fame

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:53:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Just pointing readers to an excellent piece by Greg Lewis over at American Thinker after a small teaser below:

"In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes." -Andy Warhol

In 1970, George Winne, Jr., achieved his Warholian 15 minutes of fame by setting himself on fire on the campus of the University of California, San Diego, to protest the war in Vietnam. These days you can achieve the same notoriety if you've done nothing more than bronze yourself to a deep pre-cancerous glow like tanning addict Patricia Krentcil.

Or, you can take things several steps further by doing your best to destroy the U.S. economy, fraternize with the Islamic enemy, and cripple the American energy industry. Add in advancing the cause of bringing our country under the rule of a big-government, crony-capitalist elite by dividing America into warring minority demographic groups in the most blatant manner imaginable, and you've got Barack Obama's claim to his 15 minutes of fame.

Read the entire thing......

Catholics Fight Back: 43 Catholic Groups File A Dozen Lawsuits Against Obama Administration

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:22:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

When an administration declares open warfare against religious freedoms, it should be expected that those religious groups will fight back, and so they are.

News broke today that 43 separate Catholic groups have filed 12 lawsuits against the Obama's administration's HHS mandate which is part of Obamacare. The mandate would require religious institutes to provide access to health insurance that includes contraception, sterilization procedures and abortion-inducing drugs.

Claiming their "fundamental rights hang in the balance," a total of 43 plaintiffs filed a dozen separate federal lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the requirement. Among the organizations filing were the University of Notre Dame, the Archdiocese of New York and The Catholic University of America.

Also included is Franciscan University of Steubenville, who recently was in the headlines after informing their students that because of Obama's HHS mandate they would be dropping student coverage.

Ave Maria University has also announced they will drop their student coverage.

Franciscan president, Father Terence Henry's video statement about their lawsuit, shown below:

Announcement on their website here.

The The University of Notre Dame's complaint can be found here.

NRO has a statement from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the bishops’ conference:

"We have tried negotiation with the Administration and legislation with the Congress – and we’ll keep at it – but there’s still no fix. Time is running out, and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now. Though the Conference is not a party to the lawsuits, we applaud this courageous action by so many individual dioceses, charities, hospitals and schools across the nation, in coordination with the law firm of Jones Day. It is also a compelling display of the unity of the Church in defense of religious liberty. It’s also a great show of the diversity of the Church’s ministries that serve the common good and that are jeopardized by the mandate – ministries to the poor, the sick, and the uneducated, to people of any faith or no faith at all. "

Notre Dame's full statement below, via LifeNews:

May 21, 2012

A Message from Father John Jenkins, C.S.C.,
President, University of Notre Dame

Today the University of Notre Dame filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana regarding a recent mandate from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That mandate requires Notre Dame and similar religious organizations to provide in their insurance plans abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives and sterilization procedures, which are contrary to Catholic teaching. The decision to file this lawsuit came after much deliberation, discussion and efforts to find a solution acceptable to the various parties.

Let me say very clearly what this lawsuit is not about: it is not about preventing women from having access to contraception, nor even about preventing the Government from providing such services. Many of our faculty, staff and students — both Catholic and non-Catholic — have made conscientious decisions to use contraceptives. As we assert the right to follow our conscience, we respect their right to follow theirs. And we believe that, if the Government wishes to provide such services, means are available that do not compel religious organizations to serve as its agents. We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on others; we simply ask that the Government not impose its values on the University when those values conflict with our religious teachings. We have engaged in conversations to find a resolution that respects the consciences of all and we will continue to do so.

This filing is about the freedom of a religious organization to live its mission, and its significance goes well beyond any debate about contraceptives. For if we concede that the Government can decide which religious organizations are sufficiently religious to be awarded the freedom to follow the principles that define their mission, then we have begun to walk down a path that ultimately leads to the undermining of those institutions. For if one Presidential Administration can override our religious purpose and use religious organizations to advance policies that undercut our values, then surely another Administration will do the same for another very different set of policies, each time invoking some concept of popular will or the public good, with the result these religious organizations become mere tools for the exercise of government power, morally subservient to the state, and not free from its infringements. If that happens, it will be the end of genuinely religious organizations in all but name.

The details of the process that led to the mandate are publicly known. In an Interim Final Ruling issued August 3, 2011, the federal government required employers to provide the objectionable services. A narrow exemption was given to religious institutions that serve and employ primarily members of their own faith, but, departing from a long tradition in federal law, organizations like Notre Dame—schools, universities, hospitals and charitable organizations that serve and employ people of all faiths and none—were granted no exemption, but instead were made subject to the law to the same extent as any secular organization. On September 28, I submitted a formal comment encouraging the Administration to follow precedent and adopt a broader exemption.

Despite some positive indications, the Administration announced on January 20, 2012, that its interim rule would be adopted as final without change. After an outcry from across the political spectrum, President Obama announced on February 10 that his Administration would attempt to accommodate the concerns of religious organizations. We were encouraged by this announcement and have engaged in conversations with Administration officials to find an acceptable resolution. Although I do not question the good intentions and sincerity of all involved in these discussions, progress has not been encouraging and an announcement seeking comments on how to structure any accommodation (HHS Advanced Notification of Proposed Rule Making on preventative services policy, March 16, 2012) provides little in the way of a specific, substantive proposal or a definite timeline for resolution. Moreover, the process laid out in this announcement will last months, making it impossible for us to plan for and implement any changes to our health plans by the government-mandated deadlines. We will continue in earnest our discussions with Administration officials in an effort to find a resolution, but, after much deliberation, we have concluded that we have no option but to appeal to the courts regarding the fundamental issue of religious freedom.

It is for these reasons that we have filed this lawsuit neither lightly nor gladly, but with sober determination.

While Catholics are the ones behind this breaking news as dioceses, hospitals, schools, and church agencies are part of these lawsuits, previous news showed that Lutheran, Baptist and Jewish Leaders, all publicly stated that they would rather shut down their hospitals and schools rather than comply with a government mandate that violates their faith and religious consciences.

The Obama administration has woken a sleeping giant.

[Update] CNS News:

The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. has established a special website--preservereligiousfreedom.org--to explain its lawsuit and present news and developments concerning it.

From that site linked above:

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, explains the significance of the lawsuit filed by Catholic institutions across the country to protect their First Amendment right to religious freedom. Cardinal Wuerl explains why the suit is necessary in light of the attempt by the government to redefine what is a religious institution. He explains that under the new definition, the work of Mother Teresa no longer would qualify as “religious enough”.

Tribute To Andrew Breitbart: The Breitbart Awards For Journalists, Bloggers And Citizens

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:37:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

What an excellent tribute to the memory of Andrew Breitbart.

Andrew Breitbart pioneered a new media revolution that transformed journalism and the political landscape. As we continue to mourn his tragic passing, we also seek to ensure that his legacy is honored and that the movement he spawned continues on with the army of citizen activists that he cultivated and inspired.

The Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity ask for your assistance in paying tribute to the monumental achievements of Andrew Breitbart's work, and the recognition of those who continue his legacy by carrying the torch for freedom and truth.

We will honor three individuals - from the realms of professional journalism, blogging, and citizen activism - whose efforts advance the spirit of Andrew Breitbart's work. Nominations will be accepted for individuals who are driven by an indomitable pursuit for truth and accountability, and whose work has broken meaningful ground in advancing those causes on behalf of the public good.

Full-time Reporter:
In a media environment that tells reporters to go along to get along, a few still consider it a sacred trust to keep the people informed. A few still recognize the awesome responsibility in belonging to the only profession to be enshrined in the Bill of Rights. We’ll present one Breitbart Award to a full-time news reporter to honor courage and honesty in telling the real stories that matter to people’s lives.

Blogger:
When the legacy media fails to do its job, we are fortunate to have an army waiting on the Internet to hold the institutions of power accountable. We’ll honor a blogger for intrepid reporting that goes over the heads of the legacy media to communicate directly to the people.

Citizen:
The fight for freedom requires a constant stream of new recruits willing to make time in their lives to serve as watchdogs in their local communities. We’ll honor an information activist committed to digging up the truth.

***Nominations must be submitted by Midnight EST on Friday, May 25th to be considered.***
(You may submit nominations on your own behalf)

You can submit your nominations HERE.

Democratic Mayor, Corry Booker, Dares To Criticize Obama- Liberals 'Re-educate' Him

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:07:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Nothing can turn rabid liberals against you faster than daring to criticize Obama as Democratic Mayor Cory Booker found out recently.

On NBC’s “Meet The Press Booker Obama's negative attack ad against Mitt Romney for his former work at Bain with attacks against Obama for his close association to Jeremiah Wright. Booker said "I’m not about to sit here and indict private equity. If you look at the totality of Bain Capital’s record, it — they’ve done a lot to support businesses, to grow businesses. And this to me — I’m very uncomfortable."

He then added, "This kind of stuff is nauseating to me on both sides. Stop attacking private equity. Stop attacking Jeremiah Wright. This stuff has got to stop."

[WATCH]

Republicans immediately highlighted Booker's statements and liberals pounced on Booker, basically ignoring the good things Booker had to say about Obama and crucifying him for daring to criticize Obama's attack against Romney's former work with Bain, which forced Booker to take to social media to "clarify" his remarks.

TPM describes this as "The Re-Education of Cory Booker."

Via Wapo's The Fix:

Booker, one of the most tech- and social media-savvy politicians in the country — he has more than a million Twitter followers — posted a video on You Tube that attempted to re-frame his comments as broadly supportive of the president and said he “encouraged” Obama to make an issue out of Romney’s record at Bain.

Booker did, however, re-iterate his belief that the tone of the campaign was “nauseating” and “calls to our lowest common denominators.”

What Booker tweeted out Sunday afternoon was a nearly four-minute long video. But, as Politico’s Dylan Byers pointed out Sunday night, Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt later tweeted out an edited, 35-second version that included only Booker’s comments on Romney.

Given all of that, it’s pretty clear what happened here. The Obama team saw Booker equating attacks on Bain Capital with attacks on Rev. Jeremiah Wright — he said almost exactly those words — and knew they had a political mess to clean up.

Lesson for Democrats: If you are an Obama supporting Democratic politician, it doesn't matter how supportive you are for Obama if you dare utter one criticism, you must be "re-educated."

Couple of points now:

• The GOP "attacks" using Jeremiah Wright, are actually referring to a proposal for campaign ads, which was rejected, but that the New York Times reported on, then liberals had a complete freakfest about the rejected proposal, thereby putting Wright's name in headlines across the Internet. Liberals then continued to spotlight that rejected proposal, creating even larger headlines from CNN and ABC News.

Side note- Even though the GOP, nor Romney has used Wright in any campaign ads, it is worth remembering that in 2008, Obama said, and I quote, " I think that people were legitimately offended by some of the comments that he had made in the past. The fact that he's my former pastor I think makes it a legitimate political issue."--- Barack Obama, April 2008, via USA Today

(Video of Obama saying that, here)

Thank you liberals, then thank you again.

• Booker equating Obama's "nauseating" campaign ad against Romney's tenure at Bain with Jeremiah Wright, is comparing apples to oranges.

Bain was a company Romney worked at.

Jeremiah Wright is Obama's former pastor, a man Obama described as "like family", Wright married Barack and Michelle Obama, baptized their children, and was the inspirational force behind Obama’s first autobiography and Obama sat in a pew at Wright's church for almost 20 years while Wright preached racism, American hatred with his "God Damn America" sermons and publicly said that the 9/11 terrorist attack against America was "chickens coming home to roost."

If I were cynical I would think the GOP group, having been shot down on their proposal for a campaign using Wright, then decided to let liberals do the job for them since the GOP and conservatives superPACs wouldn't.

Leak the proposal, use NYT to report on it, let liberals create the headlines, then shrug and say, "they did it to themselves."

Lesson for Republicans: Why waste good money that can be used elsewhere when you can use the leap-before-they-look mentality of the left to get the message out.

Video- 'President Romney's Day One'

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:44:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

The Mitt Romney campaign has released their first general election television ad which will be aired in multiple swing/battleground states and the campaign will be putting $1.3 million behind it's message.

Those states include Virginia, Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina.

The ad focuses on three key issues, approving the Keystone Pipeline, introducing pro-growth tax reforms and replacing Obamacare with common sense solutions.

[WATCH] - "Day One"

ABC News describes the ad:

The spot begins with a voice-over asking, “What would a Romney Presidency be like?” as text reading “Day 1″ flashes on the screen.

“President Romney immediately approves the Keystone pipeline, creating thousands of jobs that Obama blocked,” the voice-over says.

“President Romney introduces tax cuts and reforms that reward job creators, not punish them,” the voice-over says as video of Romney’s speaking at various campaign events across the country plays.

“President Romney issues order to begin replacing Obamacare with commonsense health care reform.
“That’s what a Romney Presidency will be like,” the ad concludes.

Previously Romney had released a 5 page PDF which details his plans for jobs and economic growth, consistent with the video above.

When Mitt Romney says that fostering job creation through economic growth will be his top priority from his first day in office, he means it. While some elements of his plan will take time to set in motion, much can be done from a running start. On Inauguration Day, he will submit a jobs package to Congress consisting of at least five major proposals and will demand that Congress act on the package within 30 days, using every power at his disposal to ensure its passage. He will also take immediate and specific steps within his sole authority as president by issuing a series of executive orders that gets the U.S. government out of the economy’s way. The goal: restore America to the path of robust economic growth necessary to create jobs.

According to priority polling the economy and jobs are the top issues on the minds of American voters and there is nothing to suggest that will change over the next six months before the 2012 presidential election.

Related:

Andrew Malcolm at Investors Business Daily reports now that Romney has locked int he presumptive GOP nominee position, the fundraising money race between Romney/RNC and Obama/DNC has tightened up considerably.

RIP- Bee Gees Robin Gibb Dead At 62

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:43:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

After a long battle with cancer, Robin Gibb, part of the legendary Disco era Bee Gees, has died. He was 62 years old.

Via Rolling Stone:

Robin Gibb, one-third of the Bee Gees, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer, his spokesperson has confirmed via a statement. Gibb was 62 years old.

"The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," reads the statement. "The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."

Two years ago, Gibb battled colon and liver cancer, but despite making what he called a "spectacular recovery," a secondary tumor recently developed, complicated by a case of pneumonia in April. The singer was hospitalized last month and fell into a coma at one point, although he was later said to have regained consciousness and communicated with family members.

Bee Gees - I Started a Joke

I've Gotta Get A Message To You - From SoundStage in Chicago-The Bee Gees-1975 Live. At the end of the lyrics-Robin explains what the song is about and how he came up with it plus much more.

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart ~ 1971.

RIP Robin Gibb 1949-2012.

Video- American Crossroads: "Great II"- Biden: '3 Letter Word, Jobs.. J.O.B.S '- Hysterical

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sun, 20 May 2012 21:50:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

American Crossroads has released another hard hitting video against Barack Obama but this, while hitting hard, is amusing.

The hysterical part is where they show Obama's VP Joe Biden at the 45 second mark, saying "A three letter words, jobs," then he spells it, J.O.B.S., even the audience laughed at him.

[WATCH]

H/T to daily read Sister Toldjah.

ABC News describes the video:

Conservatives are ribbing President Obama for adding factoids about himself to the end of presidential biographies on the White House website and for past statements ranking his administration among the greatest in U.S. history.

A new web video by the pro-Republican super PAC American Crossroads playfully tweaks Obama for the moves, clearly suggesting that he does not deserve to be held in such high esteem.

Over a soundtrack of grandiose, Baroque music, a British-accented narrator mockingly heralds “another great moment in presidential history.”

“America has seen its share of great presidents with historic accomplishments. But did you know that Barack Obama is SO great his name has been added to the bottom of biographies of 13 presidents? It’s right there on his White House website,” he says.

Obama letting Biden speak publicly at all says everything we need to know about his judgement.

Democrats Doing Republicans A Huge Favor With Liberals' Obsession With Jeremiah Wright

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:40:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

The other day the New York Times did Republicans a huge favor by highlighting a story breathlessly reporting that a proposal was made, (rejected for the record) to spotlight Barack Obama's 20 year relationship with the his former controversial pastor, Jeremiah Wright.

(Wright is infamous for his "god damn America sermon, preaching racism and saying that the 9/11 terror attack against America was the "chickens coming home to roost", among other things)

Liberals had a freakfest over it, despite the fact that in 2008, Obama himself said Wright being his pastor was a "legitimate political issue", slapping out headline after headline pushing Wright back into the forefront of voters minds.

I said at that time:

On behalf of conservatives, Thank you NYT and thank you Balloon Juice and thank you Alan Colmes and every other liberal that wrote about it.

Being the helpful oafs that they are, liberal Democrats have decided to continue to spotlight Jeremiah Wright's relationship with Barack Obama, starting with David Axelrod sending out a fundraising pitch to Obama supporters citing that rejected proposal, which made headlines again, (CNN) followed up by Nancy Pelosi defending that fundraising appeal, again, a headline. (ABC News)

Other Jeremiah Wright related news is the publishing of of portions of a three hour interview of Wright by Edward Klein, the writer of the recently published unauthorized biography of Barack Obama titled "The Amateur." (Audio clips can be heard at The Blaze.)

Wright revealed that in 2010, he was asked by University of Chicago emeritus professor Martin Marty, not to publish his notes that he keeps in a box, of the firestorm that hit in 2008, until after the 2012 election. Marty confirmed Wrights recollection.

When Klein asked more about the box, Wright revealed that in 2008 Eric Whitaker, a close friend of President Obama's, offered him a substantial sum of money to stay quiet about his relationship with Obama until after the '08 election.

"What's in the box?" asked Klein.

"An email offering me money not to preach at all between the explosion of the media the first week in March [2008] and the November election," answered Wright.

"An email from whom?" Klein asked.

"One of his friends."

"Whitaker?" asked Klein.

"Yeah."

"Eric?"

"Yeah."

According to Klein, Whitaker's offer, which was made through an intermediary at Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ, was $150,000. Wright declined. Wright also said that some time after he received Whitaker's email, he spoke one-on-one with Obama, who did not offer him any money.

"Was [Obama] aware that Eric Whitaker had offered you money?" asked Klein.

"I don't know," said Wright. "I didn't mention that."

"But he asked you not to appear at the NAACP or the -- "

"National Press Club," added Wright.

"Those two things?"

"No -- and don't do any more public speaking."

"What did you say to him?"

"I said, how am I supposed to support my family?" Wright said. "I have a daughter and a granddaughter in college whose tuitions I pay. I've got to earn money. He said, 'Well, I really wish you wouldn't. The press is gonna eat you alive.'"

"And that's all he said? Just that?"

"Yes, that's all he said about my not speaking," Wright answered. "I really wish you wouldn't. It's gonna hurt the campaign if you do that."

Looks like conservatives owe thanks to more people. Davix Axelrod, Nancy Pelosi and Jeremiah Wright.

By jumping the gun on the proposal, liberals, in what some consider desperation, ended up doing what the GOP establishment was leery of doing and that is bringing Wright back into the front page news.

At this point conservatives are going to have to start sending liberals, Pelosi, NYT, Wright, and Axelrod, gift baskets in bulk!!

Video- Teacher yells at student because of a question he asked about Obama!- Teacher Name Added

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:55:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

[Update- 5/22/12] Teacher, Tanya Dixon-Neely, finally suspended, but with pay.

[Update] BG says apparently the teacher's name is Tanya Dixon-Neely.
Alternative Suspension Coordinator
NC Teaching Certification-Social Studies 9-12

H/T to @SpreadButter who retweeted @OBAMAHASTOGO

The video below where the camera faces the ceiling but the audio is clear as can be of a discussion where a North Rowan High School teacher is discussing Mitt Romney and accusing him of bullying a student back in 1965 and a couple students bring up the stories recently circulated about Obama bullying someone and the teachers not only refuses to let them discuss that but yells at the kids for bringing it up.

First a kid asked the teacher, "didn't Obama bully" someone, the teacher says "not to my knowledge", then another kid explains that in high school Obama admitted to bullying and the teachers starts reprimanding the kid for bringing it up.

The kid speaks up for himself saying "if you are gonna trash Romney" and the teachers cuts him off screaming "STOP, NO, there is no comparison. He [Romney] is running for president, Obama IS the president."

The brave kid maintains "it is still the same concept" and the teachers says "no it isn't". The kid continues, "if you are going to talk trash about one side, you gotta talk trash about the other."

LISTEN to the whole exchange:

These are the people teacher our nation's kids. Teachers who refuse to allow a free exchange of ideas if those ideas do not coincide with their own.

This video has stirred some debate especially when the teacher lies to the student to shut him up by telling him that by speaking ill of Obama can get the kid arrested.

[Update] Later in the video the kid told the teacher that when Bush was president people talked sh*t about him and the teacher responds "because he was sh*tty."

Rowan-Salisbury spokeswoman Rita Foil confirmed the teacher is still employed with the district and has not been suspended for disciplinary reasons. Foil emailed this statement to a Post reporter Friday on behalf of the school system:

“The Rowan-Salisbury School System expects all students and employees to be respectful in the school environment and for all teachers to maintain their professionalism in the classroom. This incident should serve as an education for all teachers to stop and reflect on their interaction with students.

“Due to personnel and student confidentiality, we cannot discuss the matter publicly.”

Timothy Rogers says he is the father of the student heard in the video, Facebook page here, his comment below:

I'm the father of this student. My son and two other students in this class have been attacked daily from this teacher, and the rest of the class, for their conservative political views since the beginning of this semester. I told him to stay out of the political conversations, but she said that if he didn't participate he would receive a bad grade. This teacher is politically ignorant! I teach my sons to respect other peoples political opinion, but she has no right shoving her opinions down his throat! Since this day I have had to remove him from North Rowan High School and am going to enroll him at RCCC to finish his education. I am outraged that she can conduct herself in such an unprofessional manner and receive no disciplinary action. THIS IS NOT OVER! I will attempt to contact Rush Limbaugh this week.

According to Breitbart, the student asked his friend to shoot the video to "prove to his parents what he has been trying to tell them for some time. The teacher in this video has a long history of pushing a liberal agenda, by shouting down students. She is very intolerant of other points of view that she does not share. The atmosphere at this school is not very conducive to opposing views."

[Update] Email from reader, Dan:

A 1998 photo of Ms. Dixon-Nealy:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19880616&id=rX0cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_1EEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2892,5676277

The Facebook page of the Superintendent. Who must understand she is employing a BULLY!
https://www.facebook.com/judy.grissom.7

School contact information below:

North Rowan High School
300 N Whitehead Ave
Spencer, NC 28159
PHONE: (704) 636-4420
FAX: (704) 639-3033

Poll: 64 Percent Want A Hands-Off Government

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sun, 20 May 2012 17:24:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Short and Sweet from Rasmussen:

Most voters continue to prefer a more hands-off government in return for lower taxes.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 64% of Likely U.S. Voters prefer a government with fewer services and lower taxes over one with more services and higher taxes. That's unchanged from last month and consistent with findings in regular surveys since late 2006. Just 25% prefer a government with more services. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure which size government they prefer.

"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem."-- Ronald Reagan

Milwaukee Journal: 'We see no reason to remove Walker from office'

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sun, 20 May 2012 17:07:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Left leaning JSOnline, the Milwaukee Journal, endorses Governor Scott Walker over Tom Barrett in the June 5, 2012 recall election.

No governor in recent memory has been so controversial. No governor in America is so polarizing. Everyone has an opinion about Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

Here's ours: We see no reason to remove Walker from office. We recommend him in the June 5 recall election.

Walker's rematch with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was prompted by one issue: Walker's tough stance with the state's public-employee unions. It's inconceivable that the recall election would be occurring absent that. And a disagreement over a single policy is simply not enough to justify a vote against the governor.

The editorial is in no way easy on Walker, but their final conclusion after highlighting both Walker and Barrett's strengths and weaknesses, is quoted below:

Strip away such purple rhetoric, and you find that Barrett, like Walker, is a capable and honorable public servant. But this election isn't about Tom Barrett. It's about Scott Walker.

Even if you disagree with Walker's policies, does that justify cutting short his term as governor? And if so, where does such logic lead? To more recall elections? More turmoil?

It's time to end the bickering and get back to the business of the state. We've had our differences with the governor, but he deserves a chance to complete his term. We recommended him in 2010. We see no reason to change that recommendation. We urge voters to support Walker in the June 5 recall election.

As of today's polling averages, via RCP, Walker is favored over Barrett by a six-point average margin.

Socialists Refuse To Learn From Germany's Economic Austerity Pro-Growth Policies

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sun, 20 May 2012 16:24:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Five days ago headlines blared across the Internet declaring Germany economy grows strong.

Some of the prime quotes:

Germany remains a standout performer despite Europe's troubles with too much debt in several countries. Unemployment is low and exports of manufactured goods such as automobiles and machinery remain robust.

The country is benefiting from changes to labor laws that it made in 2004 to lower business costs -- changes Chancellor Angela Merkel is now urging debt stricken countries to make themselves as the best way to find long-term growth.

A growing economy is considered the most reliable way to shrink debt burdens like the ones plaguing Greece, Ireland and Portugal, all of which have needed bailout loans to be able to keep paying their debts.

Compared to the same quarter a year ago, Germany grew 1.7 percent.

In 2010, Germany announced a package of Austerity measures, including spending cuts to reduce debt and have succeeded beautifully as the recent news from 2012 proves.

Now we see the New York Times original headline of "Group of 8 Leaders Confront German Focus on Austerity," but when you click the link the headline reads "World Leaders Urge Growth, Not Austerity."

First paragraph:

Leaders of the world’s richest countries banded together on Saturday to press Germany to back more pro-growth policies to halt the deepening debt crisis in Europe, as President Obama for the first time gained widespread support for his argument that Europe, and the United States by extension, cannot afford Chancellor Angela Merkel’s one-size-fits-all approach emphasizing austerity.

Emphasis mine.

Austerity refers to a policy of deficit-cutting by lowering spending.

A couple points here.

• Germany's deficit cutting and lower spending austerity measures have proven to be "pro-growth", showing that when done right, austerity works. The premise of austerity vs pro-growth is false when correct austerity measures are the reason why Germany's economy is growing.

• Sweden implements true austerity measures as well and their average growth rate per year of real GDP for 2010 and 2011 was 4.9 percent.

• France's so-called austerity measures failed and socialists point to that as an example of austerity not working, yet from 2010 to 2011 the French spent more and borrowed more, according to Eurostat.

Other examples from Bill Wilson, President of Americans for Limited Government, via ZeroHedge:

In Italy and Spain, which have been dependent on tens of billions of cash infusions from the European Central Bank (ECB) to refinance their debts, cuts are hardly anywhere to be found either. In Spain, spending was cut by just €11 billion in 2011, a mere 2.3 percent reduction. In Italy, spending actually increased by €4.3 billion.

Both countries borrowed an additional €117 billion last year alone, raising their combined debts to €1.939 trillion. So, no austerity there. Just debt slaves.

Hollande might have been referring to the budgets of debt-strapped Ireland, Greece, and Portugal that have depended on over €290 billion of refinance loans from the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

But even there, the cuts are rather miniscule. In Greece, spending was cut by just €6.3 billion from 2010 levels. In Portugal, just €4.8 billion. Ireland only trimmed €2.2 billion off its 2009 levels, discounting its massive bank recapitalization in 2010 that blew up its budget by €25.7 billion.

The real point is that none of them even came close to balancing their budgets, with over €47 billion of combined deficits for 2011. More debt slaves.

By definition of Austerity, only Germany truly implemented true austerity and they are growing.

The Socialist portion of the "Group of 8" refuse to learn from Germany's success and would rather continue down the road of spending more, increasing debt and destroying the world's economy rather than admit their policies are the reason countries are failing while Germany is thriving.

Yet they call their policies "pro-growth ignoring Germany's true growth.

To top it off, they are trying to pressure Germany into following their failed example.

PS- "Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong."--- Ayn Rand

The premise here is the socialist mindset that austerity and pro-growth are two different things. Sweden and Germany show the contradiction between that mindset and the reality of the two countries implementing true austerity are both growing. This shows that socialists need to check their original premise because it is wrong.

(Headline changed to reflect Germany's growth data)

Video- Jon Lovitz Nails Obama On Hannity, Progressives Go Nuts On Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sat, 19 May 2012 19:06:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

At the end of April Jon Lovitz made headlines when he went on a rant against Barack Obama and called him a "F*cking A**hole for Obama's "tax the rich more" rhetoric." Lovitz caught hell from progressive liberals and then he appeared on the Sean Hannity show as a followup. Liberal Twitters then went completely insane attacking Lovitz while conservatives showed the admitted Obama supporter (perhaps former supporter now), some support.

[WATCH Lovitz on Hannity below]

The Twitchy Team captured the liberal Twitter hatred toward Lovitz as well as the conservative support for him.

There is a lesson here for liberals that disagree with Obama and are not scared to say so....... do so publicly and you will be labeled a racist and Nazi and become the public enemy number one.

Suspects Charged With Terrorism Planned Attacks At Obama's Office, Emanuel's Home And Police Stations

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:37:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Brian Church, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Jared Chase, of Keene, N.H.; and Brent Vincent Betterly, of Oakland Park, Mass., are being held on held on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism, possession of an explosive or incendiary device and providing material support.

MSNBC reports:

Three anti-NATO protesters charged with terrorism conspiracy planned to attack four Chicago police stations, the local campaign headquarters for President Barack Obama and the home of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, prosecutors alleged in court documents Saturday.

While friends of the three men insisted they were just operating a home brewery, prosecutors stated that police found a gun that fires mortar rounds, swords, a hunting bow, ninja-like throwing stars and knives with brass knuckle handles.

The beer operation, prosecutors added, was used to fill bottles with gasoline that would later be thrown as Molotov cocktails.

The predictable liberals are, of course, siding with the terror suspects, but their latest update is the most laughable portion of their blog post:

Yana Kunichoff of Truthout.org has a good update posted that includes a statement from Occupy Chicago on the raid:

“Occupy Chicago demands the immediate release of the peaceful protesters terrorized by the Chicago Police Department in Wednesday nights raid,” said Rachael Perrotta of the Occupy Chicago Press Committee in a statement. “We are getting a taste here in Chicago of what it’s like to live in a militarized police state, with non-violent demonstrators targeted for expressing their First Amendment Rights and for standing up against the NATO war machine.”

Emphasis mine

Peaceful, non-violent people are always in possession of a "gun that fires mortar rounds, swords, a hunting bow, ninja-like throwing stars and knives with brass knuckle handles?"

I wonder what they would have had if they were violent people?

Video- Will Smith Returns Love Kiss With Love 'Tap'

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Duclos) — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:33:00 +0000

By Susan Duclos

Palate cleanser from politics......

An over exuberant Ukrainian television reporter thought it would be a good idea to start kissing on Actor Will Smith. Smith did not appreciate it and returned the affection with a little backhand, then moved along and said, "He tried to kiss me in my mouth. Joker, he's lucky I didn't sucker punch him".

[WATCH]

Moral of the story.... don't go around kissing strangers, they don't like it.

This has been a public service announcement, now, back to regularly scheduled political programming....

Muslim Persecution of Christians: April 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Findalis) — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:25:00 +0000

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle

"The police are also involved in this."

As Easter, one of the highest Christian holidays, comes in April, Christian persecution in Muslim nations—from sheer violence to oppressive laws—was rampant: In Nigeria, where jihadis have expressed their desire to expunge all traces of Christianity, a church was bombed during Easter Sunday, killing some 50 worshipers; in Turkey, a pastor was beaten by Muslims immediately following Easter service and threatened with death unless he converted to Islam; and in Iran, Easter Sunday saw 12 Christians stand trial as "apostates."

The persecution of Christians has come to regions not normally associated with it. As in Nigeria, Muslim militants are now also running amok in Timbuktu, Mali—beheading a Christian leader and threatening other Christians with similar treatment. Sharia law has been imposed, churches are being destroyed, and Christians are fleeing Timbuktu in mass.

Categorized by theme, April's assemblage of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed in alphabetical order by country, not severity:

Church Attacks

Azerbaijan: A church in the Muslim-majority nation has "become the first religious community to be liquidated by a court since the country's harsh new 'Religion Law,' requiring all previously registered religious institutions to re-register, came into force in 2009. Greater Grace Protestant Church in the capital, Baku, "was stripped of its registration at a 15-minute hearing on 25 April. The decision, which was made in the absence of any church representatives, makes any activity by the church illegal and subject to punishment."

Indonesia: Gunmen opened fire on the GKI Yasmin church, causing much damage, in the latest attack on the building, which has been illegally sealed off by authorities since 2008 in response to Muslim demands. Another Protestant church unlawfully sealed off by the authorities—despite meeting all requirements for a permit—was met with violent opposition from Muslims when its members tried to hold a service on the street in front of their sealed-off church building. Muslim residents made death threats, played loud music, and rode a motorcycle through the congregation. A church spokesman said: "We are constantly having to change our location because our existence appears to be unwanted, and we have to hide so that we are not intimidated by intolerant groups… We had hoped for help from the police, but after many attacks on members of the congregation, we see that the police are also involved in this."

Kenya: Two separate grenade attacks on churches took place: 1) Muslims threw grenades into an open-air Christian church gathering, killing a woman and a boy, and wounding some 50 other Christians: Muslims had been holding a meeting near the gathering, and Christians could hear their preachers railing against Christianity right before the attack took place. 2) In a separate incident, a Muslim man pretending to be a worshipper at a church threw three grenades during service, killing a 27-year-old university student and injuring16. The terrorist, who, according to eyewitnesses, appeared to be of Somali origin, "looked uncomfortable and always looked down. He threw three hand grenades and only one exploded. He took off, and he fired in the air three gunshots."

Nigeria: An early morning attack on a Christian church service left at least 16 people dead: Jihadi gunmen on motorcycles stormed Bayero University in the city of Kano Sunday morning during a Catholic mass held in the school's theater hall, hurling improvised explosive devices, and opening fire as people fled. "The attack follows a string of violent incidents against Christians in the predominantly Muslim north."

Sudan: A Christian compound in Khartoum was stormed by a throng of Muslims "armed with clubs, iron rods, a bulldozer and fire," the day after a Muslim leader called on Muslims to destroy "the infidels' church." Shouting "Allahu Akbar!" ["Allah is Greater!"], and "No more Christianity from today on—no more church from today on!" the jihadis stormed the Bible school bookstore, burning Bibles and threatening to kill anyone who tried to resist. "What happened could not be imagined—it was terrible," said an eyewitness. "They burned all furniture of the school and the church as well." As usual, "Police at the compound stood back and did nothing to prevent the mob from vandalizing the compound."

Tunisia: Members of the Christian Orthodox Church in Tunis, one of very few churches in the nation, are being "abused" and receiving "threatening messages." Church members are "living in a state of terror," so much so that the Russian ambassador in Tunis specifically requested the nation's Ministry of Interior to "protect the church." The abuse has gotten to the point where "Salafis covered the cross of the church with garbage bags, and told the church members that they do not wish to see the vision of the Cross anywhere in the Islamic state of Tunisia." Separately, a Muslim burst into a church to deliver a letter from an Islamist party inviting the archpriest to convert to Islam or to take down the church's crosses and pay jizya, the Islamic subjugation tax.

Apostasy and Blasphemy: Death and Prison

Algeria: A Christian was sentenced to five years in prison for "shaking the faith" of Muslims. He had discussed his faith with a Muslim man at a food court when the Muslim became angry and accused the Christian of "insulting Muhammad." Police arrested the man and found a large amount of Christian material in his apartment. The judge gave him the maximum sentence of five years in prison, even though the prosecutor himself had recommended a lesser sentence.

Bangladesh: A former Muslim prayer leader who converted to Christianity was "welcomed by threats and violence." Members of his Muslim community "beat him almost to death," causing him to be hospitalized for almost two months: "the same Muslims who followed him and held him in high esteem when he was their imam now cannot accept his new status."

Egypt: Two incidents of "blasphemy" convictions took place: 1) A juvenile court sentenced a Coptic Christian teenager to three years in prison for allegedly "insulting Islam," on claims that he posted unflattering cartoons of Muhammad on Facebook. When the incident came to light, Muslims rioted, fire-bombing his home and at least five other Christian-owned homes. 2) Another judge upheld a six-year prison sentence for a Christian convicted of "blasphemy": after a Muslim had told the 49-year old Christian convict that Jesus had illegal sex with at least ten women, the Christian countered "by stating that Muhammad, the founder of the Islamic religion, had more than four wives—a view commonly held by Islamic scholars." Police subsequently arrested him and, in a 10-minute mock trial with no defense attorney present, the judge sentenced him to six years in prison for "insulting the prophet."

Iran: A Christian convert from Islam has been sentenced to six years in prison. Originally arrested in December 2010 as part of a major crackdown on the country's house church movement, "the married father of two has been held in the notorious Evin prison ever since, spending several months in solitary confinement," and likely goaded to return to Islam. He is accused of "action against the regime's security, being in contact with foreign organizations and religious propaganda." In short, according to Iranian Christians, "his 'crime' was practicing his Christian faith."

Pakistan: Two incidents of "blasphemy" charges occurred: 1) A Christian man was arrested and charged with "blasphemy" for rescuing his 8-year-old nephew from a beating at the hands of Muslim boys who sought to force the boy to convert to Islam. "Seeing the attack from a distance, Masih [the man] shouted and rushed to the scene, rescued his nephew and then went to his work as a painter. Soon after the incident, a Muslim mob of about 55 led by the village prayer leader besieged Masih's house," and insisted that "the blasphemer" be turned over to them. After being threatened and harassed by Muslim inmates and jail officials, he was eventually released from prison. 2) The mother of a newborn baby has been illegally jailed for over a month: authorities have failed to file a charge sheet within the mandatory 14-day period against the 26-year-old Christian woman accused of "blaspheming" the prophet of Islam. The woman was arrested after neighbors accused her of "uttering remarks against Muhammad."

Philippines: Two pastors were slaughtered by Muslim assailants: 1) A former Muslim who became a Christian pastor was murdered in front of his wife in his home: "My husband staggered into our bedroom and I was shocked because he was full of blood," she recalled. "I brought him to the hospital right away. He was operated on for eight bullet wounds, but did not survive." The Philippines is a mostly Christian nation, but in the south, "Muslim fundamentalists are trying to build an Islamic state. Christians there face persecution and even death…. This year, at least four house churches closed down after their pastors and lay leaders were killed by Muslim extremists." 2) Another pastor was shot in the head five times, killed by two unknown gunmen in front of his teenage daughter.

Dhimmitude

[General Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression of non-Muslims as "Tolerated" Citizens]

Egypt: A recent "reconciliation meeting" between members of a sword-wielding Muslim mob that earlier brutalized a Christian school proved to be "nothing less than an attempt at legalized extortion." In exchange for peace, members of the mob that stormed the school last month without provocation—holding two nuns hostage for several hours—demanded in the meetings that the school sign over land that included the guesthouse they attacked. "Human rights groups and Coptic rights activists say the meetings are just a way to pressure powerless groups and people into giving away what little rights they have." Likewise, the judges appointed to investigate the Maspero massacre, which claimed the lives of 27 Christians and injured 329, closed the case, due to "lack of identification of the culprits." As one Christian lawyer put it: "We said all along that it [the investigation] was just a show and this is the outcome we got."

India: Muslims stormed and terrorized a home in which a Christian prayer meeting was being held, and beat the Christians, including a 65-year-old widow. The Muslims "called them pagans as they kicked, slapped and pushed the Christians…. The Christians were running in all directions for their lives, including the children who were crying in fear" as one Muslim, "brandishing a sickle, chased many of them, hurling all kinds of insults and attempting to mi=ureder them all…. 500 Muslims had gathered and were watching in amusement as the extremists chased and harassed the Christians for about 90 minutes."

Iran: Historical Christian monuments, including churches and Christian cemeteries, continue to be destroyed or allowed to fall into a state of decay as the Islamist authorities try to wipe out the country's Christian heritage: "It seems that Islamic Republic officials, unsuccessful in stopping the growth of Christianity among the people by pressuring them, arresting them and banning Christian converts from attending church services, want to destroy historical Christian monuments to totally wipe the Christian heritage from the face of Iran."

Pakistan: Yet another study demonstrates that Pakistani school textbooks "promote religious fanaticism, discriminate against minorities and trigger religious conflicts." Christians and Hindus "are obliged to learn the basics of Islam"—studying the Koran is mandatory—while their own religions are openly denigrated. Even in subjects such as social science and linguistics, "about 20% of the content is linked to Islam"; and non-Muslim students receive "bonus points" if they excel in Islamic studies.

Syria: Almost the entire Christian population—nearly 60,000—of the city of Homs, the nation's third largest, have fled as fighting between the government and anti-government, largely Islamist forces continues. Reportedly only 1,000 Christians remain. Opposition forces are attacking churches and other Christian centers; "Muslim neighbors are turning on the Christians. Christians have also suffered kidnapping and gruesome murders. Some Christian families, unable to pay a ransom for their relatives' release and fearing that they may be tortured, have been driven to ask the kidnappers to kill their loved ones at once."

Tunisia: After the Russian ambassador stood up for an Orthodox church under attack (see above, under "church attacks"), the Russian school located behind the church as well as the Christian cemetery in Tunis were vandalized. The walls of the school and religious frescoes were smeared with fecal matter, while the cemetery's crosses were destroyed. Meanwhile, the new "Arab-spring" government has shown its "manifest indifference with regard to minorities' right to protection."

Turkey: The nation's Greek Orthodox citizens living on the island of Gökçeada (Imbros) in the north Aegean cannot buy property on the island, though it is an easy matter for Muslims: "The Land Registry office has admitted to preventing non-Muslims from buying property, citing a National Security Council (MGK) decision, but refused to give further details."

About this Series

Because the persecution of Christians in the Islamic world is on its way to reaching epidemic proportions, "Muslim Persecution of Christians" was developed to collate some—by no means all—of the instances of persecution that surface each month. It serves two purposes:

To document that which the mainstream media does not: the habitual, if not chronic, Muslim persecution of Christians.
To show that such persecution is not "random," but systematic and interrelated—that it is rooted in a worldview inspired by Sharia.

Accordingly, whatever the anecdote of persecution, it typically fits under a specific theme, including hatred for churches and other Christian symbols; sexual abuse of Christian women; forced conversions to Islam; apostasy and blasphemy laws that criminalize and punish with death to those who "offend" Islam; theft and plunder in lieu of jizya (financial tribute expected from non-Muslims); overall expectations for Christians to behave like cowed dhimmis, or second-class, "tolerated" citizens; and simple violence and murder. Sometimes it is a combination.

Because these accounts of persecution span different ethnicities, languages, and locales—from Morocco in the West, to India in the East, and throughout the West wherever there are Muslims—it should be clear that one thing alone binds them: Islam—whether the strict application of Islamic Sharia law, or the supremacist culture born of it.