Where Liberty Dwells, there is my country

Pat Condell: “Is America Losing Its Mind?”

BenjaminFranklin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:20:51 +0000

Short answer: Yes.

Another great posting from Pat Condell on the NYC mosque near the 9/11 site.

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It Has Been a Summer of Discontent…As Americans Realize What They Are Losing

BenjaminFranklin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:14:59 +0000

They are losing their country and have been for a generation.

A short review of where are we now in the United States of America…
ever increasing amounts of debt;
a President who clearly does not want to be President, one who is poison to his fellow party-members, and one who has left no golf course behind;
disaster in the Gulf
a mosque that simply must be built almost on top of the 9/11 site in NYC, with support from NYC officials, in what is a disgusting act;
palpable anger in the country about the direction the Democrats have taken the country;
lawlessness on the border, with the Democrats attacking Arizona for attempting the solve the problem the federal government created;
federal judges overturning the will of the voters, fine for the judges to do so, they are aiming for higher courts if the Democrats stay in office, but the people need to remember their actions every November;
a media so invested in Obama, and so supportive of him that one wonders why anyone would watch or read them unless to get a sense of the role of the media in North Korea

But there is something more going on:
One of Orwell’s great lines in 1984 was that “the chocolate ration has been increased from 30 grams to 25 grams…” Their are some truths so profound the Democratic Media Complex can’t hide them. One of these truths is that Americans are beginning to recognize the influence of the radical Left on the Democrats, and want none of it any more. Time for all Americans to recognize that radicals have control of the Democratic Party and will continue to march that Party, and the country when they can, toward socialism.

Past time to fire these guys….

The Dangers of Racial Preferences

BenjaminFranklin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:26:33 +0000

The corrosive effect of racial preferences is huge. Just how huge is captured in a Washington Times editorial

The United States Navy has created a list of “diverse” candidates who are to be helped along when it comes to desirable positions and promotions. “Diverse” is a codeword for blacks and other minorities, possibly women as well. The “protected classes” of the Left. The bottomline is that the Navy will select a less qualified black officer over a more qualified white one.

This is a threat to the professionalism of the U.S. military and the security of the country. Political correctness, “diversity,” and all of the other racial preferences forced on the country by the Left have no place in America today, and especially no place in the national security institutions required to protect American security and allies.

The corrosion of racial preferences has gone on for far too long. It has infected all of the institutions of the United States. It is time for patriots to say “No! Racial preferences are completely at odds with the political principles of the United States.” It is time for the American people to vote for candidates who will cut out the cancer.

The Navy wants to judge sailors by the color of their skin, not the content of their seamanship.

The latest national security leak is a shocking e-mail from a Navy admiral on “Diversity Accountability.” The message, sent to a list of other flag officers, notes that “a change in focus of this year’s diversity brief is the desire to identify our key performers (by name) and provide insight on each of them.” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, who apparently originated this order, “is interested in who are the diverse officers with high potential and what is the plan for their career progression. He may ask what is being done within to ensure they are considered for key follow on billets within the Navy.”

The message specifies, “This list must be held very closely but will provide ready reference to ensure we are carefully monitoring and supporting the careers of the best and the brightest the Navy has to offer.” That is, the best and the brightest provided a sailor is one of the euphemistically “diverse.” If you are a white male, it might be time to set sail and seek opportunities elsewhere.

In practice, the Navy will be creating a list of privileged “diverse” officers who will enjoy special benefits and career mentoring not available to people of the wrong race, as well as a virtual guarantee of fast-track access to the highest reaches of command. Fifty-six years after the Supreme Court struck down the concept of “separate but equal” treatment of races, the U.S. Navy is erecting a wall of segregation between what will amount to two parallel promotion systems: one for the “diverse” and another for the monotone. If this isn’t illegal, it should be.

How this dual-track system will be implemented is difficult to discern. Will officers doing fitness reports on those on the list be made aware of their subordinates’ privileged status? Will the people on the list have knowledge that the system is looking out for them? If they get a poor fitness report, will they have special means of getting a second look? Will there be repercussions for reviewing officers who did not know they were supposed to just keep the list members on the fast track no matter what? The devil will be lurking in these details.

This type of backward, 20th-century, overtly racial thinking has no place in 21st-century post-racial America. The Navy leadership apparently believes the way to promote racial harmony is by engaging in blatant, invidious discrimination. In practice, however, this system will, in fact, relegate “diverse” sailors to a form of second-class status. Any nonwhite male sailor who – through intelligence, initiative and drive – builds a stellar career will simply be seen as just another special case, just one of “the Listers.” Those sailors may achieve rank, but they will have to work twice as hard to command respect.

In the contemporary naval bureaucracy, this type of politically correct nonsense has run out of control like a loose cannon on deck. The Naval Academy lists racial diversity as the “highest personnel priority,” apparently even over the mission of educating future Navy leaders for warfare on the high seas. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made achieving diversity a “strategic imperative” when he was chief of naval operations. Call us old-fashioned seadogs, but we’d prefer that the Navy’s top priority be fighting and winning our nation’s wars rather than engaging in social experimentation.

The suggested list of privileged officers is due Monday. The message states that the reporting requirement will not be put into the secretary of the Navy’s TV4 Taskers tracking system “due to the sensitive nature of the by name list.” No doubt, once the secret list leaks, as it surely will, there will be as much discomfort for the people on the list as for those not on it, especially those unfortunates who met the diversity requirement but for some reason did not make the cut. Maybe they can sue, charging discrimination. Either way, the Navy Department has run aground.

Shari’a Is an Existential Threat to the West

BenjaminFranklin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:10:36 +0000

Newt Gringrich’s speech to the American Enterprise Institute this week is exceptional in content, and because so few politicians are making this argument:
The West is in a struggle not of its choosing. It is under attack, direct and indirectly, through stealth jihad.
Newt gets it. We share his ideas. They must be shared with the American people so that they may be reminded of their political principles at a time when the Left wants them to be forgotten.

Russia Violations of Arms Control Damns New Start Treaty

BenjaminFranklin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:35:45 +0000

This report documenting Russian violations of the 1991 Start Treaty was released today by the State Dept.

The New Start Treaty proposed by the Obama administration has fewer safeguards than the 1991 Treaty. The Russians will be able to cheat on the agreement with less risk of detection.

One, among other reasons, to reject the New Start Treaty. It does not advance American security, and the Russians will cheat with little risk of detection.

Happy Birthday America!

BenjaminFranklin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:36:26 +0000

On this July 4th, we wish the greatest country in the world a Happy Birthday! Thanks to the Founding Fathers and all of those who labored through great difficulties to keep the country together. We owe you everything for our heritage. And shame on those who defame these great men.

The Generals and the Community Organizer

BenjaminFranklin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:59:35 +0000

Here is Paul Hollrah’s analysis of why Gen. McChrystal granted access to the Rolling Stone reporter. I don’t know what Gen. McChrystal will do once he retires, but let us hope he challenges the community organizer.

One negative element in all of this is that Gen. Petraeus took over from Gen. McChrystal. We want Gen. Petraeus to challenge the community organizer too, hopefully in 2012. Taking over from McChrystal makes that harder to do.

The General and the Community Organizer

by Paul R. Hollrah
June 24, 2010

Channel-surfing from ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN through MSNBC and Fox News,
the inside-the-beltway pundits had a field day trying to get inside the heads
of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, General Stanley McChrystal, and McChrystal’s
top aides. The one thing common to all of the analyses, by the most famous
and highly-paid talking heads in the Western World, was that they are all
wrong… dead wrong. What is certain is that they all owe General McChrystal
and his senior aides an apology for assuming that they are lame-brained
numbskulls.

The facts of the McChrystal case are not in dispute. General McChrystal
and his senior officers allowed a reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine,
Michael Hastings, to have almost unprecedented access during an extended stay in
Paris. The extended stay was due, in part, to an excess of atmospheric
ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, keeping the McChrystal party
grounded for days.

In an interview with CNN, Hastings reported that he had a tape recorder in
his hand most of the time and that McChrystal was “very aware” that his
comments would find their way into print. He said, “McChrystal and his
people set no ground rules for their conversations, although they did ask that
some parts of their conversations were off the record.” Hastings
subsequently published a lengthy profile of General McChrystal on June 22, titled,
The Runaway General.

As Hastings wrote in his profile, McChrystal thought that Obama looked
“uncomfortable and intimidated” by the roomful of military brass during their
first meeting. Of their second meeting, an advisor to McChrystal quoted
the general as saying that it was “a 10-minute photo op.” He went on to say,
“Obama clearly didn’t know anything about (McChrystal), who he was.
Here’s the guy who’s going to run his f_ _ _ing war, but he didn’t seem very
engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed.”

As General McChrystal flew from Afghanistan to Washington to face Obama in
the Oval Office, the almost unanimous opinion of the talking heads was
that the comments made by McChrystal and his staff were off the cuff and
inadvertent. But to believe that is to totally ignore who these men are.

General McChrystal and his top officers are not simple-minded,
knuckle-dragging brutes. To the contrary, they are intelligent, thoughtful, highly
educated, patriots… graduates of West Point and other fine universities… who
are dedicated to duty, honor, and country. To think that such men would
be so careless as to speak unflatteringly of Obama, Biden, and other top
administration figures, in the presence of a reporter for a notoriously left
wing publication, defies logic… at the very least. To think that men who
are trained to be careful and deliberate in everything they do, could do
something so careless and so unguarded is simply beyond comprehension.

I would argue that McChrystal and his aides knew exactly what they were
doing.

From the day that he became the handpicked “spear carrier” for Obama’s
unique brand of warfare… playing at being Commander in Chief while playing to
his far left constituency… McChrystal’s life had been one of constant
frustration. After telling Obama exactly how many troops he needed to carry out
his mission, Obama dithered for months before deciding to give him just
half the troops he requested. McChrystal could not have been happy about
that.

The Obama team insisted on new Rules of Engagement designed to reduce
collateral damage (civilian casualties). Obama’s ROE required that U.S. troops
must be able to see the enemy with weapon in hand before they were allowed
to return fire. One videotape circulated on the Internet showed a platoon
of Marines pinned down by enemy sniper fire. But since the enemy was
firing from some distance behind the open window of a building, the Marines
could not actually see the weapon being fired. Although they were taking
deadly fire, they were prohibited by the ROE from putting small arms fire or an
RPG through the window opening.

Under Obama’s politically correct ROE, our soldiers and Marines were
required to fight with one hand tied behind their backs. McChrystal could not
have been happy about that.

A strict new interrogation policy, dictated by Attorney General Eric
Holder, required that prisoners must be delivered to an Interrogation Center
within twenty-four hours of being captured or be released. A great deal of
actionable intelligence was lost as a result and battle-hardened enemy
fighters were returned to the field to kill Americans. McChrystal must have
found that to be incomprehensible.

But the greatest insult to our troops in the field, and to the officers
who lead them, may be a new battlefield medal designed by the Obama team. It
is called the Courageous Restraint Medal and is awarded to soldiers and
Marines who demonstrate uncommon restrain in combat by not firing their
weapons even when they feel threatened by the enemy. Would we be surprised to
learn that the preponderance of these medals were awarded posthumously?
McChrystal must have found that to be an insanity.

I suggest that, having his best military judgments subjected to the White
House political sieve for nearly a year and a half, McChrystal decided that
he’d had enough. And when he announced to his senior staff that he was
prepared to retire they decided to push back… to make the most of a bad
situation. It was clear that, if McChrystal were to simply take off his uniform
and walk away, his retirement would be page-twenty news for a day or two
before the mainstream media and the American people forgot all about him.

They had to make the most of his retirement because it provided a one-time
opportunity to show the American people, as well as our enemies and our
allies, that the man who claims the title of Commander in Chief of the U.S.
military does not command the respect of our men and women in uniform. To
make the most of that opportunity they had to choose their messenger very
carefully.

They knew that, by openly showing their disrespect for Obama in front of
just any newsman, they may not attract the attention they desired. Like any
astute observer of the MSM, they knew that most reporters would turn on
their own mothers if it meant a good story. But they could not take a chance
that a mainstream media reporter might suffer a rare pang of conscience
when confronted with the prospect of ruining the careers of some of the most
senior officers in the War on Terror. They had to fix the odds as much as
possible in their favor so they chose to use Michael Hastings and Rolling
Stone Magazine.

During the long hours that General McChrystal was in the air between Kabul
and Washington, Obama knew that he had just two choices… both bad. He
could declare McChrystal to be an irreplaceable asset in the war effort, give
him a public reprimand, and send him back to Kabul. Or he could fire
McChrystal, sending a clear message that, at least in his own mind, he was the
Commander in Chief.

In the former case, he was certain to appear weak and ineffectual… a man
not totally in charge. In the latter case, he might at least win a few rave
reviews from the Kool-Ade drinkers in the mainstream media. He chose the
latter of the two options.

But what is now lost in all of the hand-wringing and speculation is the
fact that McChrystal and his people have succeeded in doing exactly what they
set out to do. They wanted to plant the seed in the minds of the American
people that Obama is not up to the task of being Commander in Chief and
that he does not command the respect of the men and women of the uniformed
services… from the newest Private E-1 up to the top four-star generals and
admirals.

That seed is now firmly planted and it cannot be unplanted.

From this day forward, no one will have to tell the American people that
Stanley McChrystal is a true warrior, a man’s man, and that Barack Obama is
nothing more than a… community organizer. Well done, General!

The Battle of Waterloo

BenjaminFranklin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:28:51 +0000

Today is the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon was finally defeated after making a come back. One of the greatest battles in military history influenced the military art for generations. Also, had Napoleon not been defeated, liberalism and French imperialism would have had a greater influence on the Continent, with profound implications for history–perhaps socialism would have been mitigated.

But then would Barack Obama be?

Happy Flag Day and Happy Birthday to the U.S. Army

BenjaminFranklin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:10:23 +0000

June 14th is Flag Day in the United States. A day when the flag used to be flown through the United States. Today the flying of the flag is rare as Americans are not reminded and no longer taught about what they should do today.

It is also the birthday of the United States Army. Happy birthday Army. You have never stopped working to protect the freedom and political principles of the United States. Thanks to all in Army for their service!

Quiz–Who Said It–A Communist or a Democrat

BenjaminFranklin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:39:27 +0000

A wonderful quiz from today’s Daily Caller. Seems the Democrats have much in common with Communists.

Comrades flocked to New York City two weeks ago for the 29th national convention of the Communist Party USA. While reviewing materials from the event, we had a sudden sense of déjà vu: the feeling that we had heard these talking points before. Maybe you have as well — they’re espoused, in near identical form, by the president and his fellow Democrats. Take the quiz below, and try to determine which quotes were uttered by Democratic leadership, and which are excerpts from the communists’ recent convention.

The point isn’t that Obama’s a communist (though it’s amusing to watch Sam Webb, chairman of the CPUSA, deny such a charge while arguing with Glenn Beck about the redistribution of marshmallow peeps). It’s useful, though, to compare the substance of Democratic and communist rhetoric, which differs mainly in degree. You may conclude — especially if you lean left — that the Communist Party USA is more moderate and mainstream than you thought. Or something.

———————————–
TAKE THE QUIZ — Which quotes come from Democrats, and which from CPUSA?
(scroll down for answers)

1. “This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many.”

2. “Rebuilding the social infrastructure will generate 11 million jobs. At least 3 million could be at work within 6 months — if the funds were available from Congress.”

3. “Moving toward a productive green economy must be based on federal financing and a national industrial policy.“

4. “Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy — where a lack of spending leads to lost jobs which leads to even less spending.”

5. “For nearly half a century the nation’s working people embraced and took comfort in the American dream — a dream whose promissory note read that if you work hard and do the right things, a good and secure life is attainable. I wouldn’t say that dream is dead, but more and more people have less and less hope that it is within reach. Forces beyond their control have snatched it from them.”

6. “While some have prospered beyond imagination in this global economy, middle-class Americans — as well as those working hard to become middle class — are seeing the American dream slip further and further away.”

7. “Recent victories in Congress such as passage of Health Care Reform legislation with not a single Republican yes vote exposes the Republicans as the ‘Party of NO.’”

8. “Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential and discover the role that you’ll play in writing the next great chapter in the American story.”

9. “The Tea Party was birthed by media extremists and racist elements to break up the unity of 2008. They were able to change the debate and peel off some Democratic votes, but they were not able to stop the legislation.”

10. “I think the American people have to make a judgment about the obstructionism of the Republican senators.”

11. “Only majority movements can skin the rightwing cat, the neoliberal dog, and the globalizing rat.”

———————————–
ANSWERS

1. Obama said this during a speech in Berlin on July 24, 2008. Presumably, Europe’s democratic socialists responded with a hearty, “Jawohl!”

2. Excerpted from the Communist Party USA’s “21st Century Jobs Program,” which aims to create 22 million jobs through direct government spending of $1 trillion per year on public services, including a five-year plan for rebuilding infrastructure. Communists advocating a five-year plan — what could possibly go wrong?

3. Excerpted from the Communist Party USA’s “21st Century Jobs Program,” although with Obama’s focus on government subsidy for green jobs and weatherization, we don’t blame you if you got this one wrong.

4. Obama said this on Jan. 8, 2009 while advocating for what would eventually become the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus, or the Democrats’ belated Valentine’s Day gift to themselves.

5. Excerpted from remarks made by CPUSA Chairman Sam Webb at the recent national convention. Mr. Webb would have us know that while the American dream is fading, the Soviet dream remains as strong as ever.

6. Candidate Obama said this in November, 2008. Who could have known then that the biggest group prospering “beyond imagination” in 2010 would be government workers, who accounted for 95 percent of the job growth in May.

7. Excerpted from the resolution “All hands on deck for the 2010 midterm elections,” adopted at the recent CPUSA convention. It’s unclear how many hands the party has to call, but it does have over 3,000 Facebook fans.

8. Candidate Obama said this in a 2008 commencement address to Wesleyan University. No doubt the college’s economics faculty appreciated hearing the self-interest of Adam Smith’s invisible hand described as a “poverty of ambition.”

9. Joelle Fishman, chair of the CPUSA’s Political Action Commission, made this remark during a speech titled “2010 elections — unity can win” at the recent national convention. The biggest question we have for Ms. Fishman is whether stumping for Democrats makes her a CINO — Communist In Name Only.

10. Pelosi said this in an interview with Rachel Maddow. It’s easy to yell “obstructionism” when you’re in power, but it requires more cajones to accuse concerned citizens of carrying swastikas. Pelosi did that too.

11. Democratic leaders (cough Joe Biden cough) have said some pretty absurd things, but nothing quite this bizarre. This quote is excerpted from remarks made by CPUSA Chairman Sam Webb at the recent national convention.

———————————–
HOW DID YOU DO?

9-11 correct — Bona-fide Bolshevik: Congrats comrade, your understanding of leftist dogma is nuanced and complete! Now get to the Politburo — you’re needed.

4-8 correct — Yuppie: You’re on the right path, but more effort is required. Put on your best Che shirt, and prepare to fight the man by protesting the global system.

0-3 correct — Capitalist Swine: You have been deceived by the propaganda of the bourgeoisie. Reform yourself, put down that copy of “Atlas Shrugged” and practice your doublethink.