Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Barker's Newsbites: Tuesday, November 3, 2015




So... a bit of rambling before I begin posting today's Newsbites:

Was the Gowdy Benghazi hearing a total farce? Was it meant to be? Was Gowdy part of the "cast?" Was the entire exercise simply Kabuki Theatre?

As last week's House Speakership vote demonstrated, there aren't even really 30-40 actual "Tea Party conservatives" in the House. If memory serves, only nine Republicans failed to vote for Ryan.

(*SHRUG*)

So again... is Gowdy simply "one of them" who pretends to be "one of us?" Are we talking "wolf in sheep's clothing" when we speak of Gowdy? Remember folks... Gowdy supported Boehner just this past January... and Gowdy supported Ryan last week. What does that say about him?

These "ratings" that various groups do on our politicians based upon their voting records are in large part smoke and mirrors. Many of the votes the ratings are based upon are nothing more than "show" votes where "the fix" is already in.

Is Gowdy really as "conservative" as his voting record indicates? How do we "weight" his sincerity - by what he says or by how he votes? And back to his votes... which votes do we count as "real" in the sense that they matter - that they're not simply "show" votes where everyone in power knows what the predetermined outcome will be and therefore a certain number of Republicans (or Democrats; we're dealing with a two-sided coin after all) are "allowed" to vote against the Party line because the Party - strictly speaking - doesn't "need" their votes?

Again... we're back to the fact that Boehner WAS the Speaker and now Ryan is. We're back to the fact that McConnell has BEEN the Senate Majority Leader since January (and Minority Leader prior to that) and... STILL IS.

(*SHRUG*)

And... speaking again of last week... I once more ask: WHY did not Rand Paul - and Ted Cruz - stage a TRUE filibuster in a REAL effort to try and scuttle the latest "Porkubus" bill? (A two-year "Porkubus" bill at that!)

You know, folks, I've predicted all along that Hillary Rodham Clinton would never be the Democratic nominee for President.

I'm beginning to doubt myself on that one.

Oh... I'm not backing off... yet. The fact is that Obama doesn't want the Clintons back in power. I still suspect that Obama has a card or two left to play. (And, no, I'm not turning away from my "Gore hypothesis." It still makes sense to me.)

I'm depressed, folks. Oh... not in a clinical way. Nope. Just in the general sense of the word. This isn't "my" America anymore. The majority of "residents" aren't "my" Americans anymore. Frankly, not matter who the Democrats run and who the Republicans run, I look at demographic reality and find it almost impossible to believe that any Republican can win.

(*SIGH*)

The country has gone off the rails. The inmates are running the asylum. The Sheeple seem bound and determined to assist with their own sheering.

Perhaps five or six people will read this little "ramble" of mine. Those of you who do - ask yourselves: Am I wrong? Consider your relatives... your friends... colleagues... and assuming you yourself are basically in agreement with me, ponder the question of how many of even "your" circle would 1) Have the faintest clue as to what I'm going on about; 2) Care; 3) Agree.

I fear we're past the point of no return.

(*RUEFUL SMILE*)

And that's "Bill's Ramble of the Day."

Newsbites (i.e. EVIDENCE) supporting my contentions will be "deposited" within the Comments Section... as always.

(*WINK*)

Enjoy your day, folks!

3 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3301364/Hundreds-women-locked-cages-act-human-shields-against-Assad-s-air-strikes-Rebels-parade-families-loyal-president-streets-horrifying-deterrent.html

"Hundreds of women locked in cages to act as human shields against Assad’s air-strikes: Rebels parade families loyal to president through streets as horrifying deterrent"

* THAT'S THE HEADLINE; DESCRIBING THE BEHAVIOR OF OUR... "ALLIES"... I ASSUME.

Almost 500 Alawites - male and female - have been rounded up by Army of Islam militants and are now being held captive in the cubed jails mounted on the back of flat-bed trucks and pick-ups.

At least 100 cages are now being used to ferry the hostages around the city, in the Eastern Ehouta region. Videos of the trucks have been shared on YouTube and clearly show terrified women helpless inside the thick metal fencing.

* I WONDER IF WE SUPPLIED THE CAGES... OR PERHAPS ONLY PAID FOR THEM?

Human Rights Watch slammed the latest action by rebels on the ground, alleging that similar caging tactics were used in the Shia village of Fue, in the north of the country, last month.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/02/african-immigrant-population-in-u-s-steadily-climbs/

African immigrants make up a small share of the U.S. immigrant population, but their numbers are growing – roughly doubling every decade since 1970, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census data.

There were 1.8 million African immigrants living in the U.S. in 2013, up from 881,000 in 2000 and a substantial increase from 1970, when the U.S. was home to only 80,000 foreign-born Africans. They accounted for 4.4% of the immigrant population in 2013, up from 0.8% in 1970.

The growth is evident among recently arrived immigrants. When compared with other major groups who arrived in the U.S. in the past five years, Africans had the fastest growth rate from 2000 to 2013, increasing by 41% during that period. (Africans are also a rapidly growing segment of the black immigrant population in the U.S., increasing by 137% from 2000 to 2013.)

One factor behind this recent wave can be traced to the Refugee Act of 1980...

* JIMMY CARTER... DEMOCRATS IN CONTROL OF CONGRESS...

...which made it easier for those fleeing conflict-ridden areas, such as Somalia and Ethiopia, to resettle in the U.S. Back then, less than 1% of all refugee arrivals were from Africa, compared with 32% today, according to figures from the U.S. State Department’s Refugee Processing Center. Statistics from the Yearbook of Immigration Statistics confirm this point. Among refugee arrivals in 2013, five of the top 10 countries of nationality were in Africa: Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia.

African immigrants from the sub-Saharan region are also more likely than immigrants overall to enter the U.S. through the diversity visa program – an act passed in 1990 to encourage immigration from underrepresented nations.

* GEORGE H.W. BUSH... DEMOCRATS IN CONTROL OF CONGRESS...

* WHAT'S ALL THIS MEAN...??? NOTICE... THE REPORT DOESN'T GO INTO THAT QUESTION.

* ANYWAY... JUST POSTING FACTS FOR SAKE OF... POSTING FACTS.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-08-08/freddie-mac-swings-to-loss-seeks-1-5-billion-in-aid

Freddie Mac, one of two mortgage-finance companies under government conservatorship, reported a $2.1 billion loss for the second quarter and said it will seek $1.5 billion in U.S. Treasury aid.

* CHANT IT WITH ME, FOLKS: O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!

* KEEP CHANTING, FOLKS: RE-PUB-LIC-ANS! RE-PUB-LIC-ANS!

* FOLKS... IT IS NOVEMBER 2015 - IS IT NOT?

* WHY DOES FREDDIE MAC STILL EXIST...???

Freddie Mac, of McLean, Virginia, and its larger rival, Washington-based Fannie Mae, have survived on government aid since September 2008, when they were seized amid crippling losses tied to subprime loans. With today’s request, the two companies have drawn $171 billion in Treasury aid.

(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)

Fannie Mae reported a $2.9 billion second-quarter loss on Aug. 5 and requested $5.1 billion in Treasury aid. The company has drawn $104.8 billion in taxpayer aid and paid $14.7 billion in dividends to the government.

The two companies own or guarantee about half of the almost $11 trillion U.S. mortgage market.

* WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG...?!

(*SNORT*)

(*SMIRK*)