Saturday, April 21, 2012

Weekend Newsbites: Sat. & Sun., April 21 & 22, 2012


"Hey, nigga... move yo' ass!"

Yep... (*SIGH*)... that's what I heard through the open window last night as I was finishing up my blogging for the day.

Yep... looked out the window... two black teens riding their bikes home.

Nice, huh?

Had I been outside I would have said something. Yep... wisely or unwisely... I would have shouted, "Hey! You two! Watch the god-damned language!"

(*RUEFUL CHUCKLE*)


Yeah... a bit of irony, but I'd have gotten my point across.

Thing is... would it have ended there? Would the kids have reacted to me as I would have reacted to a neighborhood adult "back in the day?" 

(Resentful but cowed... or would I have found Hank vandalized one day in the not too distant future?)

We can talk about economics... we can talk about foreign policy... we can talk about politics...

(*SIGH*)

But, folks... what's destroying this country is the coarsening of the culture.

Do you know what the black illegitimacy rate is?

How'bout the Hispanic illegitimacy rate?

And whites...??? Well, folks... nothing to brag about.

America is in decline across the board. 

We'd better rediscover our values... rediscover civilization... before it's too late.
 

8 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://freebeacon.com/third-smoking-gun-in-fast-and-furious/

The Department of Justice...

(*SNORT*)

* SERIOUSLY... YA JUST GOTTA LAUGH AT THE OWELLIAN DESCRIPTION OF WHAT "JUSTICE" HAS BEEN ENGAGING IN UNDER OBAMA/HOLDER.

...is using the liberal “watchdog” group Media Matters for America to deflect questions about the Fast and Furious scandal, including those regarding a gun that might have been used in the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

A new book raises questions as to whether the FBI hid the existence of a weapon recovered at the scene of murdered U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. Conservative commentator and author Katie Pavlich lays out evidence she says points to a FBI cover-up to protect a "confidential informant"...

* I.E. - A CRIMINAL. A KNOWN CRIMINAL. A KNOWN CRIMINAL ON THE PAYROLL OF... er... THE DEPARTMENT OF "JUSTICE."

... in her recently released book, Fast and Furious: Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and Its Shameless Cover-up,

In response to an inquiry from the Free Beacon, a Justice Department spokeswoman said in an email that she “was told to direct your questions to the FBI, and also to provide you with a link to this story: http://mediamatters.org/research/201204190011”

(*SNORT*)

The link was to a story at the George Soros-funded Media Matters for America supposedly "refuting" many of Pavlich’s claims.

(Media Matters is a partisan organization whose founder, David Brock, is also running a pro-Obama super PAC.)

* FOLKS... YA CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!

In Operation Fast and Furious, federal agents allowed more than 2,000 weapons to be smuggled across the U.S.-Mexican border and into the hand of violent drug cartels, with the intent of tracking them to learn more about the cartels.

Two weapons connected to Fast and Furious were discovered at the murder scene of U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, who was gunned down in the Southern Arizona desert in 2010 by five criminals armed with AK-47s.

However, Pavlich asserts there was a third gun.

The book details three separate pieces of evidence that point to a third weapon being recovered and then covered up by the FBI and the Justice Department.

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

Border Patrol agents, who have since been issued gag orders, were overheard at Terry’s funeral discussing the third gun.

“The idea that the border patrol agents were issued gag orders and not allowed to talk about this is very telling,” Pavlich said in an interview with the Free Beacon.

(*NOD*)

An email sent less than 12 hours after Terry’s death also mentioned the weapon.

(*SIGH*)

Finally, an audio recording of a discussion between Andre Howard, owner of Lone Wolf Trading Company, and ATF agent Hope MacAllister also references a third gun.

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

The investigation of Fast and Furious revealed that at least six FBI informants were involved in the operation, as well as an unknown number of DEA informants. Pavlich claims in her book that a confidential source told her the FBI hid the third gun from evidence because it was linked to a confidential informant or the brother of the informant.

* JEEZUS...

(*STILL SHAKING MY HEAD*)

“The reason they’re covering up the third gun is because it could lead to the confidential informant,” Pavlich said. “They’re protecting him at the cost of justice to Brian Terry and his family. I am not an expert on what confidential informants are allowed to get away with, but I guarantee they’re not allowed to kill federal agents.”

* OR... ARE THEY...???

(*SHRUG*)

William R. Barker said...

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/04/20/Dershowitz-prosecution-immoral

With ABC News’ release of the George Zimmerman photo showing blood flowing freely from his head, the question becomes whether Angela Corey, the prosecutor in the case, had access to the photo before charging Zimmerman with second-degree murder.

The arrest affidavit did not mention the photograph, or the bleeding, gashes, and bruises on Zimmermans’ head.

(*PURSED LIPS*)

* SO MUCH FOR "THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH," HUH?

Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School stated upon release of the arrest affidavit that it was “so thin that it won’t make it past a judge on a second degree murder charge … everything in the affidavit is completely consistent with a defense of self-defense.”

* DERSHOWITZ IS A LIB... BUT HE'S A LIB WITH CHARACTER.

After the release of the photo, however, Dershowitz went much further, telling Breitbart News that if the prosecutors did have the photo and didn’t mention it in the affidavit, that would constitute a “grave ethical violation,” since affidavits are supposed to contain “all relevant information.”

(*PURSED LIPS*)

Dershowitz continued, “An affidavit that willfully misstates undisputed evidence known to the prosecution is not only unethical but borders on perjury because an affiant swears to tell not only the truth, but the whole truth, and suppressing an important part of the whole truth is a lie."

(*SIGH*)

When asked if it made a difference whether the prosecution had the bloody photograph at the time they charged Zimmerman, Dershowitz responded, “We do know that there were earlier photographs before the affidavit was done that strongly suggested blood on the back of the head, and we know the police had first access to him, so if there was blood they [the prosecution] would know about it…

* MAKES SENSE.

"I've had cases in Florida against prosecutors,” Dershowitz said, “and this is not the first time they have willfully omitted exculpatory evidence. It's a continuing problem."

"Here, it’s not only immoral, but stupid. The whole country is watching. What do they benefit from having half-truths in an affidavit?"

* JEEZUS...

(*SIGH*)

Dershowitz added, "I'm not taking sides, but I'm insisting that both sides play by the rules, and so far the prosecution is not playing by the rules."

William R. Barker said...

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/crime/alton-hayes-trayvon-martin-white-man-attacked-black-racist-racism-maywood-chicago-suburb-20120420

Maywood, Ill. - Alton L. Hayes III, a west suburban man charged with a hate crime, told police he was so upset about the Trayvon Martin case in Florida that he beat up a white man early Tuesday.

* APPARENTLY HE WAS SO "UPSET" THAT HE ALSO TRIED TO ROB THIS WHITE MAN.

(*SMIRK*)

Hayes and a 15-year-old Chicago boy walked up behind the 19-year-old man victim and pinned his arms to his side, police said. Hayes, 18, then picked up a large tree branch, pointed it at the man and said, “Empty your pockets, white boy.”

The two allegedly rifled through the victim’s pockets, then threw him to the ground and punched him “numerous times” in the head and back before running away, police said.

Hayes and the boy are black; the victim is white.

* YEAH... (*SMIRK*)... WE GOT THAT POINT.

Hayes was ordered held on $80,000 bond and remained in the Cook County Jail on Friday. He will next appear in court May 11. The boy was referred to juvenile court.

* WHY...?!?! WHY JUVENILE COURT...?!?! THIS IS A VIOLENT HATE CRIME - NOT SHOPLIFTING!

* FOLKS... YA EVER GO TO A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME? BASKETBALL GAME? LACROSSE? WRESTLING? EVEN BASEBALL? SOME OF THESE 15 YEAR OLD "JUVENILES" CAN KICK THE AVERAGE 30-YEAR-OLD MAN'S ASS!

* OH... AND HAD THE SHOE BEEN ON THE OTHER FOOT... DO YOU SUPPOSE A WHITE 15-YEAR-OLD CHARGED WITH A VIOLENT HATE CRIME WOULD SIMPLY BE SENT OFF TO "JUVIE?"

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

* OH...! OH...! AND LAST COMMENT: SHOULDN'T THESE MORONS HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A HISPANIC VICTIM IN ORDER TO "AVENGE" TRAYYVON MARTIN...?!?!

(*SNORT*)

William R. Barker said...

http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/232900478

Despite President Obama's recent call for companies to "insource" jobs sent overseas, it turns out that the federal government itself is spending millions of dollars to train foreign students for employment in some booming career fields--including working in offshore call centers that serve U.S. businesses.

The program is called JEEP, which stands for Job Enabling English Proficiency.

It's available to college students in the Philippines through USAID.

* PHILIPPINO COLLEGE STUDENTS... IN THE PHILIPPINES... (*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

That's the same agency that until a couple of years ago was spending millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money to train offshore IT workers in Sri Lanka until I reported that inconvenient truth in this story.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/soa_webservices/226500202

The ensuing uproar led to the Sri Lanka initiative's termination.

When I informed Congressman Tim Bishop (D-New York) about the program on Tuesday, he called it "surprising and distressing." Bishop, who was instrumental in getting USAID to end its Sri Lanka program, recently introduced a bill that would make companies that outsource call centers ineligible for government contracts.

The U.S. "has lost five hundred thousand call center jobs in the last five years," Bishop noted during a phone interview.

(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)

* HEY... HAVEN'T DEMOCRATS RUN THE SENATE SINCE 2007? HAVEN'T DEMOCRATS CONTROLLED THE HOUSE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS? HASN'T BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA BEEN PRESIDENT SINCE JANUARY OF 2009... WITH HIS SECRETARY OF STATE BEING NONE OTHER THAN MADAM HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON?

* YEP... THOSE DEMS... ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR THE LITTLE GUY!

(*SNORT*)

What's especially troubling is that the JEEP program is operating even as President Obama is calling on companies to return call center work and other jobs to the U.S.

Here's what President Obama said at an "insourcing summit" at The White House in January: "My message to business leaders today is simple. Ask yourself what you can do to bring jobs back to the country that made our success possible. And I'm going to do everything in my power to help you do it."

Even as he spoke, the President's hand-picked head of USAID, Rajiv Shah, was overseeing a program to train offshore call center workers.

In my view, if a privately-owned company (including "publicly" traded ones like IBM) wants to outsource work overseas, that's its business. Ultimately, the executives who make such a decision will be answerable to shareholders and customers. If the strategy works, they'll be rewarded. If not, they'll get pummeled by the market.

But it's unfathomable that a federal agency like USAID should be (again) dipping into the public trough for money to train foreign nationals to work in overseas call centers.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/jon-corzine-still-bundling-obama_640493.html

Barack Obama's reelection campaign has released the most recent list of names of fundraising bundlers. On that list is Jon Corzine...

(*PURSED LIPS*)

"MF Global and its brokerage sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a $6.3 billion bet on the bonds of some of Europe’s most indebted nations prompted regulator concerns and a credit rating downgrade. Corzine quit MF Global Nov. 4," Bloomberg reported.

* AND YET... (READ ON!)

Corzine, according to the Obama campaign, has once again helped raise more than $500,000.

* OH... AND FURTHERMORE... (KEEP READING!)

Corzine was likewise named a bundler in January, when the Obama campaign last released the names of their money men.

* WHAT A FAKE, PHONEY, FRAUD, SON OF A BITCH, HUH?!

As ABC reported, "President Obama once hailed Corzine as an 'honorable man' and one of his 'best partners' in the White House."

Since that time, Obama has tried to distance himself from Corzine, who at one point was considered for the treasury secretary slot.

But apparently Obama is still willing to use campaign funds from the embattled Corzine.

* SON... OF... A...

(*SHRUG*)

William R. Barker said...

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/mzuckerman/articles/2012/04/20/mort-zuckerman-president-obamas-economic-programs-have-failed

* I SUGGEST YOU READ THIS.

(*SHRUG*)

America has long been a country where almost everyone, including the poor and unskilled, could get a job. Given the will to do a reasonable day's work, a job was a passport to economic and social well-being; it was the fount of self-esteem and the foundation of family life. Indeed, work was Life.

More than 15 million Americans no longer have that passport to Life.

Think of it as roughly the entire population of the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Arkansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma, all standing idle — every man, woman, and child.

The traditional breadwinners, namely men between the ages of 25 and 54, are among those hardest hit. According to an Investor's Business Daily/TIPP poll, some 25% of households include someone who is unemployed and looking for work.

[Americans] have 5.5 million fewer jobs than at the recession's start in 2008, despite the most stimulative fiscal and monetary policy in our history.

Employment has been below the pre-recession peak for over 50 months. It's the longest time since the Great Depression that payrolls have not made a new high.

* REMEMBER, FOLKS... IT WASN'T JUST THAT OBAMA CAME INTO OFFICE IN JANUARY 2009 - IT'S THAT SINCE JANUARY 2007 THE DEMS (WHO IN THAT YEAR CAPTURED BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS AND WHO STILL CONTROL THE SENATE) HAVE BEEN MAINLY RUNNING THE SHOW.

* RE-READ THAT LAST, FOLKS... THERE'S SIMPLY NO WAY OF GETTING AROUND THE REALITY I POINT TO.

[W]orkers dropping OUT of the labor force make the unemployment rate "look" fractionally better, but the 8.2% headline masks the misery. ... Among the jobless army, a staggering 42% of them are long-term unemployed, without jobs for six months or longer. Look instead at the more relevant U-6 statistic, which counts the number of people who have applied over the last six months (and) includes those who are involuntarily working on a part-time basis. That U-6 unemployment is now in the range of 15%.

In March, the unemployment rate seemed to fall a tenth of one percent, yet the number of people who are actually employed dropped by 31,000. Why? Because the number of people who looked for a job dropped by 164,000 and they are not considered unemployed.

* "...AND THEY ARE NOT CONSIDERED UNEMPLOYED...!!!"

Not to mention that half the new jobs are in temporary help agencies.

It is now estimated that structural unemployment has risen from 5% before the crisis to close to 7% percent today. This means that one third of the rise in American joblessness may be impervious to the business cycle; it represents lost jobs that cannot be restored by boosting demand.

* FOLKS... IT'S A FRIGG'N DISASTER...

Given the increase in unemployed totals, job seekers are only about one third as likely to find work as in 2006.

* O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!

(*SNICKER*)

Compare that to the fabled Great Depression of the 1930s. In the three years after 1933, the economy rebounded with growth rates of 11%, 9%, and 13%. But in 2010, months into our recovery, growth was about 3%, followed by 1.7% growth in 2011. The rate for 2012 could be about 2% — below the 3.4% throughout the postwar period.

* ANYWAY, FOLKS... THIS NEWSBITE COMES FROM A 3-PAGE ESSAY. YOU HAVE THE LINK.

William R. Barker said...

* TWO-PARTER... Part 1 of 2)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304432704577349860656569348.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

In our new report "Rich States, Poor States," prepared for the American Legislative Exchange Council, we [Art Laffer and Stephen Moore] compare the economic performance of states with no income tax to that of states with high rates.

It's like comparing Hong Kong with Greece or King Kong with fleas.

Every year for the past 40, the states without income taxes had faster output growth (measured on a decadal basis) than the states with the highest income taxes.

In 1980, for example, there were 10 zero-income-tax states. Over the decade leading up to 1980, those states grew 32.3 percentage points faster than the 10 states with the highest tax rates.

Job growth was also much higher in the zero-tax states.

(The states with the nine highest income tax rates had no net job growth at all, and seven of those nine managed to lose jobs.)

Then there's the question of in-migration from state to state—or how people vote with their feet. As common sense would dictate, people try to move from anti-growth states and cities to more welcoming climates. There are relevant factors other than tax policy, of course (as in North Dakota today, where the oil boom has brought about the lowest unemployment rate in the nation), but in general the most popular destination states don't have income taxes. That's as true recently as it was 40 years ago.

(*SHRUG*)

* TO BE CONTINUED...

William R. Barker said...

* CONCLUDING... (Part 2 of 2)

Liberal utopias are losing the race for capital. The rich, the middle-class, the ambitious and others are leaving workers' paradises such as Hartford, Buffalo and Providence for Jacksonville, San Antonio and Knoxville. Over the past decade, states without an income tax have seen 58% higher population growth than the national average, and more than double the growth of states with the highest income tax rates.

Illinois, Oregon and California are state practitioners of Obamanomics. All have passed soak-the-rich laws like the Buffett Rule (plus economically harmful regulations, like California's cap-and-trade scheme), and all face big deficits because their economies continue to sink.

Illinois has lost one resident every 10 minutes since hiking tax rates in January.

California has 10.9% unemployment, having lost 4.8% of its jobs over the past decade.

(*SHRUG*)

Now these blue states may raise tax rates again. [I]n Oregon [for example], lawmakers are considering raising the highest rate to 13% from 9.9%. In all of these states, proponents parrot Mr. Obama, insisting that the rich can afford it. They can, but they can also afford to save hundreds of thousands or more each year by getting out of Dodge.

Every time California, Illinois or New York raises taxes on millionaires, Florida, Texas and Tennessee see an influx of rich people who buy homes, start businesses and shop in the local economy.

(*SHRUG*)

Republican governors in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, North Dakota, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and even Michigan and New Jersey are cutting taxes to lure new businesses and jobs.

Asked why he wants to reduce the cost of doing business in Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker replies: "I've never seen a store get more customers by raising its prices, but I've seen customers knock down the doors when they cut prices."

Georgia, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma are now racing to become America's 10th state without an income tax. All of them want what Texas has (almost half of all net new jobs in America over the last decade, for one thing).

Taxes aren't all that matters, to be sure, and low-tax states don't always outperform high-tax ones.

Often people who smoke don't get cancer, and sometimes people who don't smoke do get cancer, but that doesn't mean it's smart to smoke.

It's a dangerous gamble to raise taxes on capital and businesses to nearly the highest rates in the world and hope that nothing bad will happen.

* FOLKS... BOTTOM LINE... OBAMANOMICS HAS BEEN A DISASTER FOR AMERICA.