It looks like usdebtclock.org has adjusted some figures beyond the normal mathmatical calculations (rather than real data) and added new features today such as “The Time Machine.” One of the adjusted figures was savings per person which was dropping like a rock and was about $960 per familiy as of today and now it’s up to $9,509. I also noticed the same number of people retired now will be the same number retired in 2015. That’s probably going to be fixed.
Common Sense
14 years ago
0-bama’s real father!!
JasperCounty
14 years ago
Or maybe Obama’s twin brother.
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
Military advocates don’t want judges making Pentagon rules
Pro-military advocates are warning against the dangers of letting federal district court judges start making significant Pentagon policy, saying it would essentially turn the military over to a network of political appointees who could be swayed by various pressure groups.
If a district court judge in one unilateral order can strike down a legal ban on open gays in the military, as did federal Judge Virginia A. Phillips, then such judges also could strike down the prohibition on women in land combat, or rules on wearing a uniform, or requirements for grooming, or even the war against al Qaeda.
Judge Phillips went beyond ruling the gay ban unconstitutional and letting appeals courts weigh in: She ordered the Pentagon to stop enforcing it — worldwide.
“The federal judging is intervening here in a way that I regard as unconstitutional,” retired Air Force Gen. Merrill McPeak told The Washington Times. “The Constitution says that it’s Congress that sets rules and regulation for the armed forces, not some federal judge.”
OK, Three Branches of Federal Government. All Three confused about their Constitutional Roles, Authority and Limitations. Judicial, in essence, Legislating from the bench on this issue. Congress too cowardly in an election year to bring it to a vote. The Executive Branch has issued no XO, as Harry Truman did in 1948 to Desegregate the US Armed Forces. Now an Activist Judge makes rules that the Congress should vote on as the UCMJ would require an overhaul to permit this change.
Bear in mind that the UCMJ still recognizes Adultery, Sodomy and Communicating a Threat as well as Insubordination to be chargeable offenses. Homosexuality is still an offense. One Judge demands a complete revision of the UCMJ by one ruling. Thought provoking to say the least.
It brings to mind the old story about DADT. A Sergeant Major with 29 years Active Service put in his retirement papers just short of his 30 year mark. His Colonel called him into his office.
“Sergeant Major, You have an illustrious Career, You have served honorably and well, Why quit short of your 30 year mark? You have Awards for Valor, Merit and the Army needs men like you!”
“Well Sir, Its like this, DADT made Homosexual Behavior Optional and I’m getting the Hell out before some SOB makes it Mandatory!”
The Justice Department has tried to hide the involvement of high-level political officials in the dismissal of a controversial voter-intimidation lawsuit against members of the New Black Panther Party, a federal commission concluded in a draft report.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said the department’s reversal in the case, which drew criticism from conservatives, indicates that its Civil Rights Division is failing to protect white voters and is “at war with its core mission of guaranteeing equal protection of the laws for all Americans.”
The Justice Department strongly denied the allegations in the report based on the commission’s year-long investigation into the Obama administration’s handling of the 2008 case. The Bush administration had filed a voter-intimidation lawsuit against members of the New Black Panther Party in Philadelphia who were videotaped outside a polling place, one carrying a nightstick. The Obama Justice Department dismissed most of the case.
“The department makes enforcement decisions based on the merits, not the race, gender or ethnicity of any party involved,” said Tracy Schmaler, a Justice Department spokeswoman. “We are committed to comprehensive and vigorous enforcement of the federal laws that prohibit voter intimidation.”
The 131-page report is the latest fallout from dismissal of the case, which triggered outrage from conservatives and congressional Republicans, two internal Justice Department inquiries and the civil rights commission investigation.
The commission, which is controlled by a bloc of conservative and libertarian members, is scheduled to vote on the report at a meeting Friday. A draft copy was posted Thursday on the Web site TPMMuckraker.
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In the Philadelphia incident, two New Black Panther Party members stood outside the polling place on Election Day in 2008 wearing paramilitary uniforms. Although no voters had complained, the Bush administration sued them, the national party and its chairman.
The Obama Justice Department dismissed the charges against three defendants and obtained a narrowed injunction against the fourth, even though the defendants had not contested the case.
The commission’s draft report said the department’s “repeated attempts to obscure” the involvement of political appointees in the dismissal “raise questions about what the Department is trying to hide. ”
The report accuses the Justice Department of stonewalling the commission’s investigation and of failing to turn over key documents and make witnesses available. Schmaler disputed that, saying the department provided more than 4,000 pages of documents.
The commission’s findings are based in great part on the testimony of two Justice Department attorneys involved in the case and media reports, including a recent article in The Washington Post. That article said the case tapped into deep divisions within the Justice Department over whether the agency should focus on protection of historically oppressed minorities or enforcement of laws without regard to race
OK, so tossing Equal Protection Under the Law into the trash is another part of the Obama Legacy. It appears that Constitutional Illiteracy and Selective Enforcement by the Holder DOJ is part and parcel of Hope & Change. Voter Intimidation is not a crime. Not a peep out of either the Senate or House Judiciary Committees on this either…I got news for you, the Constitution isn’t a buffet, you can’t pick and choose which Laws you prefer and take a pass on those that you don’t.
FedUp
14 years ago
Henry! Henry Waxman… is that YOU????
B-Rob
14 years ago
Report just in that GDP was up 2% in the third quarter. That combined with lower first time jobless reports are good news for Wall Street, good news for Obama and the Dems, and bad news for the GOPers, who NEED economic failure from now until 2012 to establish a basis to get rid of Obama.
If Democrats hoped for a splashy third-quarter GDP number to shake them from their midterm doldrums, the Commerce Department has disappointed them today. Their initial estimate of the US economy in the third quarter of 2010, the fifth quarter for the current recovery, straggled in at an anemic 2.0%, barely above the final 1.7% from the preceding quarter. And if this gets revised downward in four weeks, the brunt of it will fall not on departing Democrats in Congress but Barack Obama:
U.S. economic growth edged up as expected in the third quarter but not enough to chip away at high unemployment or change perceptions of more monetary easing from the Federal Reserve next week.
Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.0 percent annual rate as consumer spending rose at its quickest pace since 2006 and businesses continued to rebuild inventories, the CommerceDepartment said on Friday. The economy expanded at a 1.7 percent rate in the second quarter and third-quarter growth matched economists’ expectations.
“Growth is still positive, but a bit disappointing. It’s not where we would like it to be at this point of the recovery,” said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Actually, 2.0% isn’t where anyone wants to be at any point in a recovery. It’s a measure that indicates economic stagnation. That kind of growth not only won’t create jobs, it will make it difficult to prevent further erosion in employment.
The good news from the report was that consumer spending started rising again. Last quarter, it went up 2.2%; this quarter, it rose 2.6%, the best in four years, and perhaps a signal that the upcoming holiday season may be a little brighter than the last two. However, most of the demand went to imports rather than domestically produced goods, which means much less impact on hiring, manufacturing, and so on.
And in some potentially bad news disguised as good, business inventories rose at almost twice the level as last quarter. That means that businesses may be anticipating a rise in demand. If it doesn’t happen, though, then expect these numbers to drop sharply in the next quarter. Spending on business infrastructure (equipment and software) slowed from last quarter as well.
This is the last opportunity Democrats had to defend themselves on the economy, and clearly this gives further ammunition to Republicans instead.
Randy
14 years ago
According to pollster Doug Schoen, whose new poll shows vast support for the Tea Party movement among voters, the president is still liked by about half the nation. In fact, more like him personally than like his policies. Some 48 percent think he’s a nice guy, while just 42 percent approve of his job performance.
But that personal favorability doesn’t translate into re-election support when voters are asked if Obama deserves a second term. Says Schoen: “Despite voters feelings toward Obama personally, 56 percent say he does not deserve to be re-elected, while 38 percent say he does deserve to be re-elected president.” Worse, Schoen adds, “43 percent say that Barack Obama has been a better president than George W. Bush, while 48 percent say Bush was a better president than Obama has been.”
A ”BOMB” was discovered on a Yemen-to-Chicago plane.
[Update 11:18 a.m.] Investigators in the United Kingdom found a bomb disguised as a toner cartridge aboard a plane flying from Yemen to Chicago when it stopped in London on Thursday night – one reason for heightened concern at U.S. airports on Friday, a law-enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation said.
Two UPS cargo planes at Philadelphia International Airport and another at Newark International Airport are being examined for questionable shipments, the company said. One of the planes at Philadelphia came from Paris, the other from Cologne, Germany, UPS said. The plane at Newark also arrived from Cologne.
[Update 11:38 a.m.] A bomb squad in New York City is responding to a report of a suspected explosive device inside a package aboard a UPS truck in Queens, the deputy police commissioner said Friday. Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne declined to say whether the discovery is connected to the incidents at the Newark and Philadelphia airports.
Homeland Security officials said one of the crew on the cargo plane from Paris, France, landing at Philadelphia around 9 a.m., called authorities thinking a package aboard the plane could have a radioactive makeup, according to MyFoxPhilly.com .
Most recent reports have the authorities are all claiming it is nothing.
Skookum
14 years ago
OT, that is one of the funniest stories I’ve heard in a long time; that is, until you realize it may not be that far off the mark.
In the future will Rangers incorporate gays into their ranks or will they have a special group with pink parachutes? Ducks and runs!
It could prove to be strategic advantage. In the early days the Brits found that putting their Highland Kilted soldiers in the front ranks was a good idea because the African Warriors didn’t want to fight women with beards, the bagpipes help with the effect.
Pink Parachutes?
Nan G
14 years ago
B-Rob
10Reply to this comment
Report just in that GDP was up 2% in the third quarter. That combined with lower first time jobless reports are good news for Wall Street, good news for Obama and the Dems, and bad news for the GOPers, who NEED economic failure from now until 2012 to establish a basis to get rid of Obama.
Brent Bozell:
“Just 113,000 jobs created.
Just 128,000 jobs created.
Those are numbers that Barack Obama would love to have today.
Here’s the reality, in ‘05-’06 the unemployment was at 4.8 percent, at one point it was at 4.4 percent.
Economists had said it couldn’t go under 6 percent.
It was at 4.8 percent for the year.”
With Barack Obama, everything was jobs.
That’s what he told us.
He put us into debt $3 trillion to create jobs.
What are the numbers?
15 million unemployed Americans.
Unemployment sky-high.”
Actually, not all of my fellow Americans. This letter is directed at a particular subset of Americans who manage to weave their way through life without the slightest concern or knowledge about the critical issues facing the country today. For you, “news gathering” consists of watching John Stewart’s “The Daily Show,” even as you remain undeterred by the fact that the network which broadcasts it is called Comedy Central. Some of you are the kind of people who voted for Barack Obama because, as one of your herd put it to me, “all my friends voted for him.”
Far be it from me to deny you your determination to remain willfully oblivious. It must be truly wonderful in some unfathomable sense to live a life consumed by tweeting every inanity that has ever popped into your head, or playing Beer Pong for hours on end. No doubt it is a source of great pride to have hundreds of “friends” on Facebook, or the latest, greatest 4G phone.
You know who you are. You’re kind of Americans whose principal source of “historical” information is Hollywood movies such as Oliver Stone’s “JFK” or “Nixon.” Your environmental “expertise” begins and ends will Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” Economics? “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”
Your reading material, for those of you who haven’t yet reached the conclusion that reading is for “nerds,” is dominated by magazines or internet sites dedicated to celebrity gossip or the latest trends and fashions. Your knowledge of the Constitution? Nil. “American Idol” and/or Kim Kardashian? Chapter and verse.
Again, I don’t wish to see you denied your blissfully ignorant lifestyles. Somewhere deep in the back of your minds you probably know that such lifestyles have been bought and paid for with American blood and treasure, but war is one of those “icky” things you don’t like to talk about. Sure, things go wrong now and then, but not enough to make you pay serious attention.
Right now, you probably see people all around you getting excited and angry about “all that government stuff,” and I suspect that even the most obtuse among you know we’re having an election next Tuesday. No doubt many of you could get caught up in that excitement and be tempted to exercise your Constitutional privilege to vote. Not because you know what’s going on, but because somebody told you it’s the “right thing to do.”
Trust me, it’s not. There are millions of Americans with a huge stake in Tuesday’s outcome, and the thought of some vapid nitwits negating our carefully considered choices is a bit nauseating. One day off from self-inflicted ignorance in order to “Rock the Vote” simply doesn’t cut it. I know all about “civic duty,” but that’s something which requires a little more effort than treating a voting machine like a video game once every two years.
Besides, I heard next Tuesday there’s a big sale going on at the mall…
Sincerely,
Arnold Ahlert
OK, there you have it and I strongly support this message.
@ Skookum, that story has been around since DADT was made policy. The All Volunteer Army is open to All Religions, Both Genders, any mixture of skin pigmentation but adherence to the Code of Conduct and the UCMJ but restricts the Combat Arms Military Occupational Specialties (Armor, Artillery, Infantry) to only males. The Air Force has A-10 Drivers that are Female and All Services have Female Pilots of both Cargo and Fighter Aircraft.
Airborne Training is open to both genders. Ranger School and Special Operations is male only as both fall under Combat Arms.
The Navy is going to go Coed on Submarines, as they have for All surface vessels.
My point here is that the Survey is not complete on Service Members in respect to dropping DADT. Effects on morale, readiness and discipline of the Service Members Units apparently is of little importance to our activist Circuit Court Judge who will never serve amongst the Service Members or Command a Unit. Retention of Trained Veteran Service Members is key to Readiness, Morale and Discipline. Now, how many will leave the Military because they want to get the Hell out before some SOB makes it Mandatory?
I have seen Orange/White Cargo chutes for air dropped supplies but no pink ones.
Ranger School or SF Selection are one tough grind and not for those of weak will or weak character as the Student is evaluated on leadership and teamwork daily. Sleep and Food deprivation is a constant condition as is physical exhaustion. It is designed that way. No room for the weak or indecisive. No qualification unless you are both physically and mentally strong. Minor annoyances become amplified easily. Every thing is based on trust and integrity as Troopers will not Follow those of weakness in judgment, integrity or character.
You deploy behind the lines in 12 man A Detachments often miles away from Friendlies into some very sporty locales.
Rangers conduct Forced Entry by parachute into hostile territory, eliminate resistance, open up landing Zones, Ports or Roadways for oncoming troops and fight like hell until relieved. at Kandahar, we secured an airfield and reinforcements arrived, then we joined the assault/pursuit of the Taliban after resupply and no rest.
Airborne training can best be described as Three very intense weeks.
* Week One Separate the Men from the Boys
* Week Two Separate the Men from the Fools
* Week Three…The Fools Jump!
I would demand that the Service Members Survey be given more credence than the opinion of any Activist Judge whose Freedoms and Liberties are guaranteed and defended by Service Members, Members of America’s Second Greatest Generation. They put their lives on the line daily and their opinions matter.
Nuff said.
Nan G
14 years ago
Re: the attacks from Yemen.
Two military jets are escorting a passenger jet into JFK airport right now.
A flight from Yemen, through UAE to New York.
IF all these are simply ploys who is tone deaf?
Our stupid terrorists.
Their plot hurts Obama their greatest apologist and enabler since before the USA had a Navy.
Obama to speak on all of this soon.
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ Nan G, prepare for the usual lame talking points from POTUS and Big Sis Napolitano or Robert Gibbs. As the POTUS said, We can absorb another 9.11.01 attack because “We Can.”
As I stated, when We make adjustments, the Enemy does and then the Plan is the first casualty.
Yemen and UAE are just waypoints and the pathetic TSA underwear sniffers look stellar by comparison to the UAE. Security Apparatus.
Skookum
14 years ago
OT, I can appreciate the morale problems that are possible with a gay NCO and gay officers would only compound the possibilities. Not only that, the many troopers who are wavering about signing a re-up contract will just have another factor on the negative side. That’s not discrimination, that is the truth.
The military was never meant to be the Affirmative Action forefront, if you can lead and produce, you will advance; a scary concept for Liberal judges and Liberals in general, but that is how you build an Army or Armed Services. Not that I am an expert, but I saw it done once upon a time.
I still can’t get over the image of pink parachutes drifting to earth; an image that would be very popular in gay bars.
Personally, I liked things before DADT, but then I am a Conservative by nature.
What is more interesting, and frightening, is the Obama WH being more concerned with whether or not someone is allowed to openly admit homosexuality in the armed services than with them being able to vote in elections.
I would love for one of the liberal/progressive commentators here to defend this policy to us conservatives. Does it mean that ‘gay’ rights are above voting rights on their list of important issues? Or does it mean that voting rights are only important if you are on some preferred list of voters?
Either way, one can assume that they aren’t really interested in the rights of all, just those whom they prefer to associate with.
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ Skookum, some institutions were never meant to be ‘social experiments’ as you need your Military to remain a given quality that produces known results.
Meddling seems to be in vogue right now, the more meddling and tinkering the better for the ill informed or those that want to see how high they can piss on the wall to leave their mark. Never mind the outcome as it is social justice and there will never be another war…
Things that are broke need fixing. Things that ain’t broke need to be left alone. All things being equal, I will be coming off Temporary Active Duty just in time, before it becomes Mandatory and get back to my spread where I belong. As I was always sure of my gender and preference I am not in the least confused. My cattle and horses are not confused either so I will be in good company. 😉
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ johngalt, the WH has it’s priorities and pandering for every favorable vote is one of them, not counting every vote. The dismissal of the NBP voter intimidation case serves as a prime example. Voting Rights are selective right now under the Team Obama/Holder DOJ. But then, Pardner, We already knew that. The State of Illinois is one of those that failed to send absentee ballots overseas in a timely manner.
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ Hard Right, that practice is called SWAG. Scientific Wild A$$ed Guess.
“If you see an F-14 Tomcat,” says a friend who teaches a U.S. Navy flight intercept course, “it’s enemy. Shoot it down.”
That's because the sole remaining operator of the Northrup-Grumman built fighter jets (of Top Gun fame) is the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran received 79 Tomcats in the 1970s, back when the Shah was in power. Since the revolution, the Iranian Air Force has been forced to cannibalize that fleet to keep a smaller number of jets flying. In 2007, the House passed legislation that restricted all spare F-14 parts from being sold or distributed. Since then, there's been serious doubts as to whether Iran could fly even a small number of the once prized American fighter.
Now it seems that Iran has managed to get at least two Tommies flying. On Twitter this morning, Steven Trimble of The Dew Line flagged this recent YouTube video, which shows two F-14s with Iranian markings on a low level pass. Seeing that Iran routinely artificially inflates their military capabilities–mostly for domestic digestion–it's likely that this is yet another one of their silly shows of force (complete with likely non-functioning F-14s strewn out along their flight line). But it’s a reminder that if America fighter pilots ever run into Maverick and Goose on an airborne intercept, they’re likely speaking Persian.
RUSH: The Supreme Court in Alaska yesterday, maybe it was a couple days ago (the days run together), said that it’s okay to have a cheat sheet for write-in candidates. Normally in an election if you’re not on the ballot as a primary winner, and therefore a qualified candidate for office, you’re out of luck. You can have a write-in campaign but it’s up to people to remember that you’re running and legitimately write your name in. But the Supreme Court of Alaska ruled that there can be a published cheat sheet of write-in candidates’ names, timed perfectly here for Lisa Murkowski and her write-in candidacy. Now, I know these polls in Alaska show that she’s neck and neck with Joe Miller, but still: Everybody supporting Murkowski still has to go in there and write her name in. It’s not on the ballot. It may be on the cheat seat but it’s not on the ballot. Whether they have a punch card or it’s an electronic machine or whatever, her name is not there to be checked off or to punch in. They’re gonna have to write it in.
Now, how do you write “Murkowski” without a cheat sheet? I mean, how do you spell it without a cheat sheet? Anyway, arguing against the need for this is her dad, who was a senator for… how many terms? Frank Murkowski? The Murkowski name is like the Ewing name in Dallas, the Ewing name in Texas. I know it’s fictitious, but Murkowski is not a strange name to voters.
Well, since the Supreme Court said that there can be a cheat sheet, guess what’s happened? “An Alaskan state supreme court judge ruled yesterday that polling places must provide interested voters with a list of write-in candidates. That ruling inspired at least 100 Alaskans to file as write-in candidates yesterday, reported the Anchorage Daily News, ensuring that voters will have a long list of names to look at on Election Day.” So what’s happened here is that an effort by the Murkowski campaign to gum up the works has backfired, because now not only is her name on the cheat sheet, so are a hundred other names! This is hilarious. It’s a coordinated effort. This is the Tea Party people in Alaska saying: “Okay, is this how you want to play the game? We’ll play! We’ll put a hundred people on your cheat sheet.”
“A Lisa M. Lackey and Laura L. ‘Lisabeth’ Raschal are among the write-in candidates whose paperwork was approved by the state. Election officials have not made clear whether abbreviated or misspelled forms of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s name would count as votes for her.” They’re having coordinated efforts out there to say: “Hey, okay, since there can be a cheat sheet, go register. Take that, Ms. Murkowski! Take that, establishment. Take that Republican establishment. You want to play the game? Fine. You want a cheat sheet, we’ll make sure there’s a hundred names on it for people to choose from.”
upchuck.liberals
14 years ago
FedUp
9
Henry! Henry Waxman… is that YOU????
Yep, that’s my good side, Thank you for noticing.
HW
Hard Right
14 years ago
OT, familiar with the term thanks to Carlos Hathcock. Read the book about him waaay back in high school.
It applies VERY well to shooting in stronger, swirling winds. 😕
I don�t know what the thing in the picture is, but if it were up for adoption at the local animal shelter there would probably be a long line outside�
Yemen Post: According to a senior governmental official who spoke to Yemen Post on anonymity, Yemeni security forces arrested two Yemeni women under suspicion of sending the packages to the United States.
The Yemeni official claims that the two women sent the packages in order to damage the reputation of Yemen and not on links of Al-Qaeda. He denied that Al-Qaeda had links to the packages that were sent.
The source confirmed to Yemen Post that the two ladies are believed to have tried to send the packages to Jewish schools in the United States.
It was a good thing there were no friends of Ron Paul to pick on these defenseless women!
Nan G
14 years ago
There is a civil war going on in Yemen….unless it is already over.
The Saudis started a separation wall between themselves and Yemen years ago.
It makes the Israel/West Bank wall look like a picket fence!
The Saudi wall is over 10 feet tall, concrete, topped with electronic monitoring stuff, for ~45 miles of their border.
The rest of their border is huge concrete pipe filled with concrete and no one gets across!
The thousands of Jews who had lived in Yemen for over a thousand years were abruptly told to leave withing 30 days…..a few years back.
Now there are still two major factions of Muslims there, fighting it out.
B-Rob, what’s the outrage? compare to the DEMS’S side; are going to give us their storrys also?
B-Rob
14 years ago
bees —
I am not aware of any Dem employers threatening to withhold raises based on how employees vote or based on how the election turns out. Just as I am not aware of any left wing men physically attacking right wing women bearing signs. If you hear of an incident like this, please alert me and I will be sire to condemn it.
Now, cons, where is YOUR condemnation of this documented incident of voter intimidation? Indeed, this is voter intimidation well beyond anything that four New Black Panthers at a predominately Black polling place might have conjured. Waiting for the con condemnation . . . but I bet it won’t happen . . . .
@Silly Bob: Here is my condemnation on the McDonald’s store owner trying to foist his political preferences upon his employees. It is wrong and as per the story, he is being investigated, as he should.
Good enough for ya?
Where is your condemnation of the DOJ dropping the case against the New Black Panthers AFTER their CONVICTION of the Voting Rights Act?
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ anticsrocks, so far B=Rob offers no opinion on the NBP Voter intimidation case that the Holder DOJ took a pass on. Typical and to be expected. He offers commentary on Economics, Voter Fraud and sundry other subjects here but this incident seems to have implications of limitations of Constitutional Rights for some folks and a free pass for others that he chooses to ignore. Not surprising to me in the least.
Nan G
14 years ago
I normally don’t go to the free republic site but they posted two comparison photos (Beck’s Restoring Honor & Stewart’s Restoring Sanity) and below those photos is the map that shows both venues on the same map to show the smallness of the Stewart rally compared with the hugeness of the Beck rally.
It’s not only unfair, and it’s probably illegal, but no doubt it was a very dumb thing to do. Still, attempts to influence voters is NOT the sole providence of conservatives. My ex-wife is a public school teacher, and she regularly gets email during voting seasons from her union higher-ups urging all teachers to vote for Democratic candidates and all referenda related to increasing public funding. Most of the emails include doomsday scenarios clearly designed to instill fear of losing jobs and/or nifty benefits if the teachers don’t vote the way they are expected to vote (yes, they are often told how important it is for them to vote for the greater good of the teachers’ union.)
So where’s the cry for libs, dems, and progs to stay classy? Or is this not expected of the “left” because it’s not one of Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals? And yes, I own a copy and have read it several times. Alinsky actually makes some good points in the beginning of the book, but then goes on to justify all actions based on relative (and highly subjective) value and importance, absolving radicals of law-breaking so long as they see a “higher cause” – especially if that higher cause is linked to the (again highly subjective) notion of social betterment.
Hamid Karzai has strongly criticised the involvement of Russians in an anti-drugs operation in eastern Afghanistan, saying that it happened without permission and violated Afghan sovereignty.
A statement from the Afghan president’s office on Saturday said he had ordered the defence and interior ministries to investigate the operation and to report back to him by Saturday night.
The first joint US-Russian raid of such nature took place late on Thursday in Nangahar province.
Russian involvement in Afghanistan is still a sensitive issue since the end of the Soviet occupation of the country. Soviet troops fought Mujahideen fighters for 10 years before pulling out of the country in 1989.
Russian officials said on Friday that Russian and US agents, supported by helicopters and Afghan police, destroyed four drug laboratories and nearly one tonne of heroin in a raid this week.
Al Jazeera’s James Bays, reporting from Kabul, said the counter-narcotics raid, which was also announced by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, came as US and Nato are calling for Russia to play a more supportive role in their war against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
“There seems to be an effort where Nato is requesting Russian support in the ongoing conflict with the Taliban,” he said.
The Afghan interior ministry counter-narcotics police led the operation with DEA, Nato and Russian personnel playing a supporting role, the US embassy in Kabul said in a statement, referring requests for details to the Afghan government.
Karzai’s condemnation
In the statement released by his office, Karzai said: “No organisation or institution has the right to carry out such military operations inside the territory of our country without permission and agreement from the Islamic Government of Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan condemns this act by Nato and announces that such unilateral operations are a clear violation of Afghan sovereignty as well as international law, and any repetition will be met by the required reaction from our side.”
A Russian official, however, said Karzai was “misinformed” in saying the operation went ahead without permission from Afghan authorities.
The representative in Kabul of the Russian anti-drugs service, Alexey Milovanov, told the AFP news agency it was an Afghan operation.
“It was an operation conducted by the Afghan ministry of interior, not by us,” Milovanov said.
“We have simply acted as advisers, according to an agreement between our two countries permitting the presence of Russian advisers during a drug raid.”
He said that four Russian anti-drug officials were present at the operation.
Heroin labs destroyed
Russian media quoted on Friday the head of Russia’s anti-drugs service, Viktor Ivanov, as saying that Afghan officials had been involved in the raid.
Ivanov travelled to Washington last week to discuss co-operation in fighting drug trafficking, and accused the US of failing to destroy heroin laboratories and crack down on poppy-growing landowners.
Russia frequently criticises what it describes as the inadequate anti-drug policies of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, which it says lead to an increased flow of drugs into Russia through Central Asia.
Russian drug control authorities have estimated that 30,000 Russians died in 2009 from using Afghan heroin, and that a million have died in the past decade.
Russia already assists in the training of counter-narcotics officials outside Moscow to combat the Afghan heroin trade.
Afghanistan produces about 90 percent of the world’s opium in an industry estimated to be worth almost $3bn a year, which helps fund the Taliban-led campaign
OT, thanks for the info. but I am more interested in your opinion.
Is this Karzai’s retirement 401H? Will it make a difference anywhere in the world? Nine tons seems like a lot. Maybe not.
Is this top secret dope?
Where is the money trail? is it Talebans and AlQs?
You are the top Afghan source here my friend, someone would be light in the brain pan to dispute that point.
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ Skookum, Karzai is obviously in the chain on this. Perhaps as a result of ‘negotiations’ with the Tangos. The opium is refined into H, smuggled to market through both Pak and the neighboring Stans. Refer to this map.
It is very potent Dope that is cut later to enhance the return on the investment. 3 Billion a year is just an estimate. Not even Top Secret but in great demand. For the past decade or so Afghanistan’s exports were trained terrorists from the Camps and Dope. Some of the Northern Alliance fighters were expert smugglers and knew every trail and mountain pass that could be considered to be unmonitored.
Afghanistan Agriculture is at subsistence level for it’s population but the cash crop is poppies. The money trail is not traceable through western accounting standards but the Russians have legitimate concerns regarding heroin as should the rest of the world.
There are quite a few 401H accounts out there but enough cash to finance the purchase of weapons, explosives and the odd bit of Tango payroll.
OT, could we possibly cut off funding for the Tangos by strangling the H Trade?
Is the Russian help significant?
Three Billion could be the main financial support for the enemy.
Why wasn’t this done earlier?
Are there political problems besides Karzai’s 401Hs?
Sounds like the Russians have a valid interest or is the Russian money being funneled to the wrong mafia group?
Are the Russians really concerned about their citizens?
The map illustrates some of the geographical complexity, thank you.
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ Skookum, rumor has it that this H Mill was operated by Karzai’s “Interior Ministry”.
The Russians have two concerns:
* Funding for Chechnya Rebels
* Perhaps ‘unfair’ competition with former KGB ‘undocumented pharmacists’
Any assistance in cutting off the Dope Trade and ‘unfunding’ terrorist elements is worthwhile.
It is give or take 3 Billion $$$ that will not go to the Taliban or corrupt Officials in Kabul.
It is complex in that the paper trail is not conventional accounting. They are a world wide organization. These folks make the Mafia look like Girl Scouts by comparison. They don’t sell cookies door to door.
It looks like usdebtclock.org has adjusted some figures beyond the normal mathmatical calculations (rather than real data) and added new features today such as “The Time Machine.” One of the adjusted figures was savings per person which was dropping like a rock and was about $960 per familiy as of today and now it’s up to $9,509. I also noticed the same number of people retired now will be the same number retired in 2015. That’s probably going to be fixed.
0-bama’s real father!!
Or maybe Obama’s twin brother.
Military advocates don’t want judges making Pentagon rules
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/27/military-advocates-dont-want-judges-pentagon-rules/
Pro-military advocates are warning against the dangers of letting federal district court judges start making significant Pentagon policy, saying it would essentially turn the military over to a network of political appointees who could be swayed by various pressure groups.
If a district court judge in one unilateral order can strike down a legal ban on open gays in the military, as did federal Judge Virginia A. Phillips, then such judges also could strike down the prohibition on women in land combat, or rules on wearing a uniform, or requirements for grooming, or even the war against al Qaeda.
Judge Phillips went beyond ruling the gay ban unconstitutional and letting appeals courts weigh in: She ordered the Pentagon to stop enforcing it — worldwide.
“The federal judging is intervening here in a way that I regard as unconstitutional,” retired Air Force Gen. Merrill McPeak told The Washington Times. “The Constitution says that it’s Congress that sets rules and regulation for the armed forces, not some federal judge.”
“Sergeant Major, You have an illustrious Career, You have served honorably and well, Why quit short of your 30 year mark? You have Awards for Valor, Merit and the Army needs men like you!”
“Well Sir, Its like this, DADT made Homosexual Behavior Optional and I’m getting the Hell out before some SOB makes it Mandatory!”
Mechelle without makeup!
Since this is the open thread, I have a question.
I would like to read up on the Great Depression and wonder if you all could recommend a few good books on the subject.
Thanks in advance.
@anticsrocks:
The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes
Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel
…with Liberty and Justice for All…
Report: Justice Department tried to hide officials involvement in dismissing voter-intimidation lawsuit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/28/AR2010102807707.html?wprss=rss_politics
OK, so tossing Equal Protection Under the Law into the trash is another part of the Obama Legacy. It appears that Constitutional Illiteracy and Selective Enforcement by the Holder DOJ is part and parcel of Hope & Change. Voter Intimidation is not a crime. Not a peep out of either the Senate or House Judiciary Committees on this either…I got news for you, the Constitution isn’t a buffet, you can’t pick and choose which Laws you prefer and take a pass on those that you don’t.
Henry! Henry Waxman… is that YOU????
Report just in that GDP was up 2% in the third quarter. That combined with lower first time jobless reports are good news for Wall Street, good news for Obama and the Dems, and bad news for the GOPers, who NEED economic failure from now until 2012 to establish a basis to get rid of Obama.
Q3 GDP at 2.0%
posted at 9:53 am on October 29, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/10/29/q3-gdp-at-2-0/
If Democrats hoped for a splashy third-quarter GDP number to shake them from their midterm doldrums, the Commerce Department has disappointed them today. Their initial estimate of the US economy in the third quarter of 2010, the fifth quarter for the current recovery, straggled in at an anemic 2.0%, barely above the final 1.7% from the preceding quarter. And if this gets revised downward in four weeks, the brunt of it will fall not on departing Democrats in Congress but Barack Obama:
U.S. economic growth edged up as expected in the third quarter but not enough to chip away at high unemployment or change perceptions of more monetary easing from the Federal Reserve next week.
Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.0 percent annual rate as consumer spending rose at its quickest pace since 2006 and businesses continued to rebuild inventories, the CommerceDepartment said on Friday. The economy expanded at a 1.7 percent rate in the second quarter and third-quarter growth matched economists’ expectations.
“Growth is still positive, but a bit disappointing. It’s not where we would like it to be at this point of the recovery,” said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Actually, 2.0% isn’t where anyone wants to be at any point in a recovery. It’s a measure that indicates economic stagnation. That kind of growth not only won’t create jobs, it will make it difficult to prevent further erosion in employment.
The good news from the report was that consumer spending started rising again. Last quarter, it went up 2.2%; this quarter, it rose 2.6%, the best in four years, and perhaps a signal that the upcoming holiday season may be a little brighter than the last two. However, most of the demand went to imports rather than domestically produced goods, which means much less impact on hiring, manufacturing, and so on.
And in some potentially bad news disguised as good, business inventories rose at almost twice the level as last quarter. That means that businesses may be anticipating a rise in demand. If it doesn’t happen, though, then expect these numbers to drop sharply in the next quarter. Spending on business infrastructure (equipment and software) slowed from last quarter as well.
This is the last opportunity Democrats had to defend themselves on the economy, and clearly this gives further ammunition to Republicans instead.
According to pollster Doug Schoen, whose new poll shows vast support for the Tea Party movement among voters, the president is still liked by about half the nation. In fact, more like him personally than like his policies. Some 48 percent think he’s a nice guy, while just 42 percent approve of his job performance.
But that personal favorability doesn’t translate into re-election support when voters are asked if Obama deserves a second term. Says Schoen: “Despite voters feelings toward Obama personally, 56 percent say he does not deserve to be re-elected, while 38 percent say he does deserve to be re-elected president.” Worse, Schoen adds, “43 percent say that Barack Obama has been a better president than George W. Bush, while 48 percent say Bush was a better president than Obama has been.”
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/10/28/shocker-bush-beats-obama-4843-in-poll/
A ”BOMB” was discovered on a Yemen-to-Chicago plane.
[Update 11:18 a.m.] Investigators in the United Kingdom found a bomb disguised as a toner cartridge aboard a plane flying from Yemen to Chicago when it stopped in London on Thursday night – one reason for heightened concern at U.S. airports on Friday, a law-enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation said.
Two UPS cargo planes at Philadelphia International Airport and another at Newark International Airport are being examined for questionable shipments, the company said. One of the planes at Philadelphia came from Paris, the other from Cologne, Germany, UPS said. The plane at Newark also arrived from Cologne.
[Update 11:38 a.m.] A bomb squad in New York City is responding to a report of a suspected explosive device inside a package aboard a UPS truck in Queens, the deputy police commissioner said Friday. Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne declined to say whether the discovery is connected to the incidents at the Newark and Philadelphia airports.
Homeland Security officials said one of the crew on the cargo plane from Paris, France, landing at Philadelphia around 9 a.m., called authorities thinking a package aboard the plane could have a radioactive makeup, according to MyFoxPhilly.com .
Most recent reports have the authorities are all claiming it is nothing.
OT, that is one of the funniest stories I’ve heard in a long time; that is, until you realize it may not be that far off the mark.
In the future will Rangers incorporate gays into their ranks or will they have a special group with pink parachutes? Ducks and runs!
It could prove to be strategic advantage. In the early days the Brits found that putting their Highland Kilted soldiers in the front ranks was a good idea because the African Warriors didn’t want to fight women with beards, the bagpipes help with the effect.
Pink Parachutes?
B-Rob
10Reply to this comment
Report just in that GDP was up 2% in the third quarter. That combined with lower first time jobless reports are good news for Wall Street, good news for Obama and the Dems, and bad news for the GOPers, who NEED economic failure from now until 2012 to establish a basis to get rid of Obama.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Look at this video of network coverage of unemployment leading up the mid-term elections under Bush in 2005-2006 and then of Obama in 2009-2010 – http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx?v=hdSUnzuzuz
Brent Bozell:
“Just 113,000 jobs created.
Just 128,000 jobs created.
Those are numbers that Barack Obama would love to have today.
Here’s the reality, in ‘05-’06 the unemployment was at 4.8 percent, at one point it was at 4.4 percent.
Economists had said it couldn’t go under 6 percent.
It was at 4.8 percent for the year.”
With Barack Obama, everything was jobs.
That’s what he told us.
He put us into debt $3 trillion to create jobs.
What are the numbers?
15 million unemployed Americans.
Unemployment sky-high.”
See:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/julia-seymour/2010/10/29/brent-bozell-talks-dizzying-unemployment-spin-fox-friends#ixzz13ljOE0ai
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nice spin you bought.
CHART OF THE DAY: The Scariest Jobs Chart Ever
Now, look at it graphically and see if you can still spin it…
http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-percent-job-losses-and-recessions-september-2010-2010-10
On the GDP report: We have officially had our 3 quarters of positive gdp numbers for several reports now.
But it is a weak gdp in that ~1/2 of it depends on GOVERNMENT spending!
See this chart:
http://www.businessinsider.com/without-government-spending-gdp-growth-would-have-been-less-than-half-of-what-it-was-2010-8
Yesterday’s chart:
http://www.businessinsider.com/some-thoughts-ahead-of-tomorrows-big-gdp-report-2010-10
Don’t be surprised if they revise GDP downward in about 4 weeks. They seem to have a habit of doing that.
Hard Right makes a valid point.
Out of the 42 weekly jobless reports we have had so far this year (2010)
34 initial jobless claims were revised UPWARD.
Two stayed the same and only 6 were revised down.
Of the continuing jobless claims 40 had to be later revised UPWARD.
Only two were revised down.
Official PR Spin MUCH???
source:
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/initial-claims-434k-expectations-455k-previous-print-revised-expected-higher-455k
Open letter to Americans: U.S. Mid-term Elections
“If You Don’t Know What’s Going On, Don’t Vote”
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/29300
OK, there you have it and I strongly support this message.
@ Skookum, that story has been around since DADT was made policy. The All Volunteer Army is open to All Religions, Both Genders, any mixture of skin pigmentation but adherence to the Code of Conduct and the UCMJ but restricts the Combat Arms Military Occupational Specialties (Armor, Artillery, Infantry) to only males. The Air Force has A-10 Drivers that are Female and All Services have Female Pilots of both Cargo and Fighter Aircraft.
Airborne Training is open to both genders. Ranger School and Special Operations is male only as both fall under Combat Arms.
The Navy is going to go Coed on Submarines, as they have for All surface vessels.
My point here is that the Survey is not complete on Service Members in respect to dropping DADT. Effects on morale, readiness and discipline of the Service Members Units apparently is of little importance to our activist Circuit Court Judge who will never serve amongst the Service Members or Command a Unit. Retention of Trained Veteran Service Members is key to Readiness, Morale and Discipline. Now, how many will leave the Military because they want to get the Hell out before some SOB makes it Mandatory?
I have seen Orange/White Cargo chutes for air dropped supplies but no pink ones.
Ranger School or SF Selection are one tough grind and not for those of weak will or weak character as the Student is evaluated on leadership and teamwork daily. Sleep and Food deprivation is a constant condition as is physical exhaustion. It is designed that way. No room for the weak or indecisive. No qualification unless you are both physically and mentally strong. Minor annoyances become amplified easily. Every thing is based on trust and integrity as Troopers will not Follow those of weakness in judgment, integrity or character.
You deploy behind the lines in 12 man A Detachments often miles away from Friendlies into some very sporty locales.
Rangers conduct Forced Entry by parachute into hostile territory, eliminate resistance, open up landing Zones, Ports or Roadways for oncoming troops and fight like hell until relieved. at Kandahar, we secured an airfield and reinforcements arrived, then we joined the assault/pursuit of the Taliban after resupply and no rest.
Airborne training can best be described as Three very intense weeks.
* Week One Separate the Men from the Boys
* Week Two Separate the Men from the Fools
* Week Three…The Fools Jump!
I would demand that the Service Members Survey be given more credence than the opinion of any Activist Judge whose Freedoms and Liberties are guaranteed and defended by Service Members, Members of America’s Second Greatest Generation. They put their lives on the line daily and their opinions matter.
Nuff said.
Re: the attacks from Yemen.
Two military jets are escorting a passenger jet into JFK airport right now.
A flight from Yemen, through UAE to New York.
IF all these are simply ploys who is tone deaf?
Our stupid terrorists.
Their plot hurts Obama their greatest apologist and enabler since before the USA had a Navy.
Obama to speak on all of this soon.
@ Nan G, prepare for the usual lame talking points from POTUS and Big Sis Napolitano or Robert Gibbs. As the POTUS said, We can absorb another 9.11.01 attack because “We Can.”
As I stated, when We make adjustments, the Enemy does and then the Plan is the first casualty.
Yemen and UAE are just waypoints and the pathetic TSA underwear sniffers look stellar by comparison to the UAE. Security Apparatus.
OT, I can appreciate the morale problems that are possible with a gay NCO and gay officers would only compound the possibilities. Not only that, the many troopers who are wavering about signing a re-up contract will just have another factor on the negative side. That’s not discrimination, that is the truth.
The military was never meant to be the Affirmative Action forefront, if you can lead and produce, you will advance; a scary concept for Liberal judges and Liberals in general, but that is how you build an Army or Armed Services. Not that I am an expert, but I saw it done once upon a time.
I still can’t get over the image of pink parachutes drifting to earth; an image that would be very popular in gay bars.
Personally, I liked things before DADT, but then I am a Conservative by nature.
@Skook
What is more interesting, and frightening, is the Obama WH being more concerned with whether or not someone is allowed to openly admit homosexuality in the armed services than with them being able to vote in elections.
I would love for one of the liberal/progressive commentators here to defend this policy to us conservatives. Does it mean that ‘gay’ rights are above voting rights on their list of important issues? Or does it mean that voting rights are only important if you are on some preferred list of voters?
Either way, one can assume that they aren’t really interested in the rights of all, just those whom they prefer to associate with.
@ Skookum, some institutions were never meant to be ‘social experiments’ as you need your Military to remain a given quality that produces known results.
Meddling seems to be in vogue right now, the more meddling and tinkering the better for the ill informed or those that want to see how high they can piss on the wall to leave their mark. Never mind the outcome as it is social justice and there will never be another war…
Things that are broke need fixing. Things that ain’t broke need to be left alone. All things being equal, I will be coming off Temporary Active Duty just in time, before it becomes Mandatory and get back to my spread where I belong. As I was always sure of my gender and preference I am not in the least confused. My cattle and horses are not confused either so I will be in good company. 😉
@ johngalt, the WH has it’s priorities and pandering for every favorable vote is one of them, not counting every vote. The dismissal of the NBP voter intimidation case serves as a prime example. Voting Rights are selective right now under the Team Obama/Holder DOJ. But then, Pardner, We already knew that. The State of Illinois is one of those that failed to send absentee ballots overseas in a timely manner.
@ Hard Right, that practice is called SWAG. Scientific Wild A$$ed Guess.
OLD TROOPER 2: ON your 23rd, very good decision. bye
I don’t know what the thing in the picture is, but if it were up for adoption at the local animal shelter there would probably be a long line outside…
It’s Michelle Obama first thing in the morning (rimshot)
Iran Claims to Overhaul Grounded F-14s
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/iran-overhauls-grounded-f-14s_513282.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eeRRC6ekCc
Iranian F14 spotted flying over northern Iraq
This was on Rush today. Thought it was great!
RUSH: The Supreme Court in Alaska yesterday, maybe it was a couple days ago (the days run together), said that it’s okay to have a cheat sheet for write-in candidates. Normally in an election if you’re not on the ballot as a primary winner, and therefore a qualified candidate for office, you’re out of luck. You can have a write-in campaign but it’s up to people to remember that you’re running and legitimately write your name in. But the Supreme Court of Alaska ruled that there can be a published cheat sheet of write-in candidates’ names, timed perfectly here for Lisa Murkowski and her write-in candidacy. Now, I know these polls in Alaska show that she’s neck and neck with Joe Miller, but still: Everybody supporting Murkowski still has to go in there and write her name in. It’s not on the ballot. It may be on the cheat seat but it’s not on the ballot. Whether they have a punch card or it’s an electronic machine or whatever, her name is not there to be checked off or to punch in. They’re gonna have to write it in.
Now, how do you write “Murkowski” without a cheat sheet? I mean, how do you spell it without a cheat sheet? Anyway, arguing against the need for this is her dad, who was a senator for… how many terms? Frank Murkowski? The Murkowski name is like the Ewing name in Dallas, the Ewing name in Texas. I know it’s fictitious, but Murkowski is not a strange name to voters.
Well, since the Supreme Court said that there can be a cheat sheet, guess what’s happened? “An Alaskan state supreme court judge ruled yesterday that polling places must provide interested voters with a list of write-in candidates. That ruling inspired at least 100 Alaskans to file as write-in candidates yesterday, reported the Anchorage Daily News, ensuring that voters will have a long list of names to look at on Election Day.” So what’s happened here is that an effort by the Murkowski campaign to gum up the works has backfired, because now not only is her name on the cheat sheet, so are a hundred other names! This is hilarious. It’s a coordinated effort. This is the Tea Party people in Alaska saying: “Okay, is this how you want to play the game? We’ll play! We’ll put a hundred people on your cheat sheet.”
“A Lisa M. Lackey and Laura L. ‘Lisabeth’ Raschal are among the write-in candidates whose paperwork was approved by the state. Election officials have not made clear whether abbreviated or misspelled forms of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s name would count as votes for her.” They’re having coordinated efforts out there to say: “Hey, okay, since there can be a cheat sheet, go register. Take that, Ms. Murkowski! Take that, establishment. Take that Republican establishment. You want to play the game? Fine. You want a cheat sheet, we’ll make sure there’s a hundred names on it for people to choose from.”
FedUp
9
Henry! Henry Waxman… is that YOU????
Yep, that’s my good side, Thank you for noticing.
HW
OT, familiar with the term thanks to Carlos Hathcock. Read the book about him waaay back in high school.
It applies VERY well to shooting in stronger, swirling winds. 😕
@Greg: You said:
LOL!! Good one.
@Randy – That is awesome! I got quite a chuckle out of that story. Thanks for posting it.
This is probably an unfair labor practice; I hope the National Labor Relations Board looks into this. Stay classy, cons! Stay classy!
“McDonald’s Workers Are Told Whom to Vote for”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/30/us/politics/30ohio.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB
Yemen Post: According to a senior governmental official who spoke to Yemen Post on anonymity, Yemeni security forces arrested two Yemeni women under suspicion of sending the packages to the United States.
The Yemeni official claims that the two women sent the packages in order to damage the reputation of Yemen and not on links of Al-Qaeda. He denied that Al-Qaeda had links to the packages that were sent.
The source confirmed to Yemen Post that the two ladies are believed to have tried to send the packages to Jewish schools in the United States.
It was a good thing there were no friends of Ron Paul to pick on these defenseless women!
There is a civil war going on in Yemen….unless it is already over.
The Saudis started a separation wall between themselves and Yemen years ago.
It makes the Israel/West Bank wall look like a picket fence!
The Saudi wall is over 10 feet tall, concrete, topped with electronic monitoring stuff, for ~45 miles of their border.
The rest of their border is huge concrete pipe filled with concrete and no one gets across!
The thousands of Jews who had lived in Yemen for over a thousand years were abruptly told to leave withing 30 days…..a few years back.
Now there are still two major factions of Muslims there, fighting it out.
B-Rob, what’s the outrage? compare to the DEMS’S side; are going to give us their storrys also?
bees —
I am not aware of any Dem employers threatening to withhold raises based on how employees vote or based on how the election turns out. Just as I am not aware of any left wing men physically attacking right wing women bearing signs. If you hear of an incident like this, please alert me and I will be sire to condemn it.
Now, cons, where is YOUR condemnation of this documented incident of voter intimidation? Indeed, this is voter intimidation well beyond anything that four New Black Panthers at a predominately Black polling place might have conjured. Waiting for the con condemnation . . . but I bet it won’t happen . . . .
B-Rob, you ask, so check Robo Monkey on DEMOCRATS ARE STEALING…
bye
@Silly Bob: Here is my condemnation on the McDonald’s store owner trying to foist his political preferences upon his employees. It is wrong and as per the story, he is being investigated, as he should.
Good enough for ya?
Where is your condemnation of the DOJ dropping the case against the New Black Panthers AFTER their CONVICTION of the Voting Rights Act?
@ anticsrocks, so far B=Rob offers no opinion on the NBP Voter intimidation case that the Holder DOJ took a pass on. Typical and to be expected. He offers commentary on Economics, Voter Fraud and sundry other subjects here but this incident seems to have implications of limitations of Constitutional Rights for some folks and a free pass for others that he chooses to ignore. Not surprising to me in the least.
I normally don’t go to the free republic site but they posted two comparison photos (Beck’s Restoring Honor & Stewart’s Restoring Sanity) and below those photos is the map that shows both venues on the same map to show the smallness of the Stewart rally compared with the hugeness of the Beck rally.
Here’s the link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2617813/replies?c=82
Amazing, isn’t it?
@B-Rob,
RE:
This is probably an unfair labor practice; I hope the National Labor Relations Board looks into this. Stay classy, cons! Stay classy!
“McDonald’s Workers Are Told Whom to Vote for”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/30/us/politics/30ohio.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB
It’s not only unfair, and it’s probably illegal, but no doubt it was a very dumb thing to do. Still, attempts to influence voters is NOT the sole providence of conservatives. My ex-wife is a public school teacher, and she regularly gets email during voting seasons from her union higher-ups urging all teachers to vote for Democratic candidates and all referenda related to increasing public funding. Most of the emails include doomsday scenarios clearly designed to instill fear of losing jobs and/or nifty benefits if the teachers don’t vote the way they are expected to vote (yes, they are often told how important it is for them to vote for the greater good of the teachers’ union.)
So where’s the cry for libs, dems, and progs to stay classy? Or is this not expected of the “left” because it’s not one of Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals? And yes, I own a copy and have read it several times. Alinsky actually makes some good points in the beginning of the book, but then goes on to justify all actions based on relative (and highly subjective) value and importance, absolving radicals of law-breaking so long as they see a “higher cause” – especially if that higher cause is linked to the (again highly subjective) notion of social betterment.
Jeff
JVerive: hi, I think you are very smart , I like the way you answer, thank you. bye
Meanwhile Karzai condemns Russian raid.
Afghan leader says Moscow’s involvement in joint anti-drugs operation “violated sovereignty”.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/10/20101030135741522993.html
OT, thanks for the info. but I am more interested in your opinion.
Is this Karzai’s retirement 401H? Will it make a difference anywhere in the world? Nine tons seems like a lot. Maybe not.
Is this top secret dope?
Where is the money trail? is it Talebans and AlQs?
You are the top Afghan source here my friend, someone would be light in the brain pan to dispute that point.
@ Skookum, Karzai is obviously in the chain on this. Perhaps as a result of ‘negotiations’ with the Tangos. The opium is refined into H, smuggled to market through both Pak and the neighboring Stans. Refer to this map.
http://www.worldpress.org/specials/pp/afghan_political_map.htm
It is very potent Dope that is cut later to enhance the return on the investment. 3 Billion a year is just an estimate. Not even Top Secret but in great demand. For the past decade or so Afghanistan’s exports were trained terrorists from the Camps and Dope. Some of the Northern Alliance fighters were expert smugglers and knew every trail and mountain pass that could be considered to be unmonitored.
Afghanistan Agriculture is at subsistence level for it’s population but the cash crop is poppies. The money trail is not traceable through western accounting standards but the Russians have legitimate concerns regarding heroin as should the rest of the world.
There are quite a few 401H accounts out there but enough cash to finance the purchase of weapons, explosives and the odd bit of Tango payroll.
OT, could we possibly cut off funding for the Tangos by strangling the H Trade?
Is the Russian help significant?
Three Billion could be the main financial support for the enemy.
Why wasn’t this done earlier?
Are there political problems besides Karzai’s 401Hs?
Sounds like the Russians have a valid interest or is the Russian money being funneled to the wrong mafia group?
Are the Russians really concerned about their citizens?
The map illustrates some of the geographical complexity, thank you.
@ Skookum, rumor has it that this H Mill was operated by Karzai’s “Interior Ministry”.
The Russians have two concerns:
* Funding for Chechnya Rebels
* Perhaps ‘unfair’ competition with former KGB ‘undocumented pharmacists’
Any assistance in cutting off the Dope Trade and ‘unfunding’ terrorist elements is worthwhile.
It is give or take 3 Billion $$$ that will not go to the Taliban or corrupt Officials in Kabul.
It is complex in that the paper trail is not conventional accounting. They are a world wide organization. These folks make the Mafia look like Girl Scouts by comparison. They don’t sell cookies door to door.