Israel's Request for Helicopters Denied: Too Dangerous for Palestinians

Confederate Yankee reports that during the latest Israeli defense against the Gaza Strip, they used the U.S. manufactured AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter. The Obama administration fears that the Apache Longbow might be dangerous to Palestinians. Confederate Yankee makes this point:

Helicopter Denied - Too Dangerous for Palestinians AH-64D Apache Longbow Helicopter

Obama's Administration, which apparently has little knowledge of or use for military systems, does not seem to grasp that the use of the Longbow's mast-mounted sensor suite enables it to more carefully select targets that other variants of the Apache, which in and of themselves are a better targeting, surveillance, and attack system than most alternatives.

Holger Awakens reports that the UAW chose to be losers. Read it here. Sultan Knish tells us that Florida has over a million ex-felons, and Governor Charlie Crist decided to let them vote in the last election. There's far more to talk about than Florida: there's Colorado and Virginia and.... Honestly, I read something like this and think what saps we conservatives are. Read Judge Sotomayer and Five Million Criminal Votes and then go here to digg it!

With anywhere from 250,000 to 500,000 new votes available, the Obama campaign ran a "You can Vote Too!" registration drive for ex-felons. And since Obama won Florida by barely 200,000 votes, the newly enfranchised murderers, rapists and pedophiles no doubt did their share to help put him in the White House.

Lonely Conservative has a shocking piece up from a Wall Street Journal investigation. Did you that you, the taxpayer are bankrolling Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) lease on a 2008 Lexus? There are four more, and one is a Republican. Read it and share your frustration. Stanford Matthews at Blog@MoreWhat is snapping us back to reality with the coming fight for amnesty that will confront us again this year. All week we have heard that Republicans WILL vote for Sonia Sotomayor for SCOTUS as they fear the Hispanic rath at the polls if they dare vote agains a female Hispanic. If that's the case, how will Republicans stand against Shamnesty. Read the details and gird your loins. Monkey in the Middle has a post titled Jordan, West Bank Should Become a Palestinian State. This is an intriguing post and gets to the heart of the Palestinian "problem." Fousesquawk has a paper written by UCLA Professor Judea Pearl, the father of journalist, Daniel Pearl, who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan. The discussion is of anti-semitism, hate speech, and freedom of speech on college campuses, and specifically, UC-Irvine where Fousequawk's Gary Fouse is a professor. Read The Crucible of UC-Irvine. ChicagoRay looks at an "outlandish Muslim Obama sycophantic fantasy" in the form of a female journalist for Forbes. You have to read this, and see her comment about Obama's minister, Reverend Jeremiah Wright in My Muslim President Obama. No Sheeples Here reports a possible ticking time bomb coming Sonia Sotomayor's way on Monday morning. A high-profile Chicagoan has called a press conference and he has some tales to tell about the female Hispanic, Sonia Sotomayor, as he says, these are current tales, not stories dredged up from the past. No Sheeples Here has the story. Gateway Pundit has a video of beautiful Havana before the Castros. I can't imagine what Cubans must have experienced seeing their country, and this magnificent city, die in front of them. See the open-fronted shops, the boulevards... One more at Gateway Pundit discusses Obama's attempted filibuster of President G.W. Bush's nominee, Sam Alito to the Supreme Court. Now Obama hopes for his own nominee:

...that we can avoid the political posturing and ideological brinksmanship that has bogged down this (Supreme Court nomination) process, and Congress, in the past

.

Restricting Criticism: White House Makes Another Move

Language that send a chill up your spine. The following concerns a White House blog: Update on Recovery Act Lobby Rules: New Limits on Special Interest Influence. Attempting to silence all criticism of the Porkulus Bill, the White House is not the slightest intimidated about putting the plan right on the White House blog. This is the kind of language that should send a chill up your spine.

White House

This from Mark Tapscott at the Washington Times who writes: "This is the Camel's nose under the tent, being poked..."

Check out this passage from a post on the White House blog by Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President on Ethics and Government Reform (emphasis added): [red text Maggie's Notebook]

"First, we will expand the restriction on oral communications to cover all persons, not just federally registered lobbyists. For the first time, we will reach contacts not only by registered lobbyists but also by unregistered ones, as well as anyone else exerting influence on the process. We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program.

"Second, we will focus the restriction on oral communications to target the scenario where concerns about merit-based decision-making are greatest –after competitive grant applications are submitted and before awards are made. Once such applications are on file, the competition should be strictly on the merits. To that end, comments (unless initiated by an agency official) must be in writing and will be posted on the Internet for every American to see.

"Third, we will continue to require immediate internet disclosure of all other communications with registered lobbyists. If registered lobbyists have conversations or meetings before an application is filed, a form must be completed and posted to each agency’s website documenting the contact."

The key passage is the reference to expanding regulation from registered lobbyists to "anyone else exerting influence on the process. We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program."

Please read the entire post at Mark Tapscott for links and commentary. H/T to Hot Air, also with great commentary.

Then visit ShopFloor who notes that the same restrictions being put into place "do not apply to people like corporate executives or officials." [...and the officials are ???] and asks these questions:

What exactly is “the merits?” How do we determine what these merits are? Apparently not through oral communication, i.e., “Oh, hi, Bill. That’s a good project.” No phone calls, either.

Everyday we hear about the next White House move. With each move, we lose a bit of our independence. Restricting criticism???

fas⋅cism

 Noun - A governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

Photo credit: Michael Eklund-Grayum

Taxes to go up 10%!

By Findalis For years I have heard of the proposal to impose a Value Added Tax (VAT) on the American people. While this sounds logical, it is fraught with many dangers.

What is a Value Added Tax? A Value Added Tax is a consumption tax levied on value added. In contrast to sales tax, VAT is neutral with respect to the number of passages that there are between the producer and the final consumer; where sales tax is levied on total value at each stage, the result is a cascade (downstream taxes levied on upstream taxes). A VAT is an indirect tax, in that the tax is collected from someone who does not bear the entire cost of the tax. Personal end-consumers of products and services cannot recover VAT on purchases, but businesses are able to recover VAT on the materials and services that they buy to make further supplies or services directly or indirectly sold to end-users. In this way, the total tax levied at each stage in the economic chain of supply is a constant fraction of the value added by a business to its products, and most of the cost of collecting the tax is borne by business, rather than by the state. VAT was invented because very high sales taxes and tariffs encourage cheating and smuggling. It has been criticized on the grounds that (like other consumption taxes) it is a regressive tax.

Under the VAT everything is taxed. Everything. There is a tax on goods and services, but also VAT on your utilities, food, entertainment (movies, shows, etc...), your mortgage or rent is taxed, your gas will be taxed, doctors visits, I believe that you get the point. The groups that get hurt the most from a VAT are the ones who can least afford to pay it: The Poor and Middle Class. Yet the Democrats, those champions of the downtrodden poor, are now considering this:

As lawmakers toy with the idea of an across-the-board sales tax on just about everything, tax reform advocates are starting to drum up opposition with the same fervor they employed during last month's anti-tax tea parties. The idea of a national sales tax was once unlikely. But now that the federal government is doling out billions in stimulus spending and bailouts, and looking for billions more for health care reform, the prospect could be gaining some traction. The frenzy over the idea kicked up after a Washington Post article Wednesday reported that Congress is starting to pay closer attention to this largely academic proposal and that the Obama administration, though shushing speculation, is soliciting advise from supporters of the idea. "It should certainly raise alarm bells that they think they can inject it into the debate," said Phil Kerpen, policy director at Americans for Prosperity. The value-added tax, or VAT, as it is called, amounts to a tax-on-everything -- or TOE, for the acronym-inclined. It's a tax on goods that's applied in pieces throughout the chain of production and distribution and results in an increase in the cost of virtually everything you buy. Aside from raising revenue for the government, the move could have a number of things going for it, say proponents -- it's tough to evade, it's simple by comparison to the income tax and it encourages saving. Some conservatives have called for something similar -- the so-called Fair Tax -- that would replace the federal income tax system with a national retail sales tax. But critics of the VAT say it would almost certainly not be implemented as a replacement for the income tax system -- rather, it would be just another tax, on top of the income tax, the state sales tax and everything else. "This isn't a tax reform proposal that the White House is talking about. This is a new source of income for the government," said Max Pappas, public policy vice president at FreedomWorks. "The government needs big taxes and we've got big government, so now they're trying to decide how to pay for it."

Every nation that has a Value Added Tax has no Income Taxes. The VAT replaces the Income Tax. Except for the US, here it would be in addition to the Income Tax. A 10% tax hike would go into effect. View a list of nations with a VAT here. So much for promises of no tax hikes. Here comes the biggest tax increase in the last 60 years. Hold on to your wallets, for the US will get a Value Added Tax on top of our Income Taxes.

Black Panthers Win: Voter Fraud Wins: Voter Rights Lose

Philadelphia voters just lost their voter's rights. The Black Panthers have won. Voter Fraud won. The people of Philadelphia - that City of Brotherly Love, those coveted Voter Rights - lost. If you think this only matters in Philadelphia, think again. Armed thugs standing outside your poll precinct is coming to a polling place near you.

Black Panthers Win

The home of the liberty bell and Ben Franklin just had the long-arm of Obama Law reach out and smack hard the city and it's voters. Barack Obama's justice department has decided it is okay to have members of the New Black Panther party deciding who does what inside and outside a polling precinct. DOJ attorneys were told to stand-down and dismiss the case:

The civil suit filed Jan. 7 identified the three men as members of the Panthers and said they wore military-style uniforms, black berets, combat boots, battle-dress pants, black jackets with military-style insignias and were armed with "a dangerous weapon"and used racial slurs and insults to scare would-be voters and those there to assist them at the Philadelphia polling location on Nov. 4.

The complaint said the three men engaged in "coercion, threats and intimidation, ... racial threats and insults, ... menacing and intimidating gestures, ... and movements directed at individuals who were present to vote." It said that unless prohibited by court sanctions, they would "continued to violate ... the Voting Rights Act by continuing to direct intimidation, threats and coercion at voters and potential voters, by again deploying uniformed and armed members at the entrance to polling locations in future elections, both in Philadelphia and throughout the country."

To support its evidence, the government had secured an affidavit from Bartle Bull, a longtime civil rights activist and former aide to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. Mr. Bull said in a sworn statement dated April 7 that he was serving in November as a credentialed poll watcher in Philadelphia when he saw the three uniformed Panthers confront and intimidate voters with a nightstick.

Inexplicably, the government did not enter the affidavit in the court case, according to the files.

"In my opinion, the men created an intimidating presence at the entrance to a poll," he declared. "In all my experience in politics, in civil rights litigation and in my efforts in the 1960s to secure the right to vote in Mississippi ... I have never encountered or heard of another instance in the United States where armed and uniformed men blocked the entrance to a polling location."

The defendants, New Black Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz, Minister King Samir Shabazz and Jerry Jackson - for five months REFUSED TO APEAR IN COURT. What would happen to you or I if we so blatantly flipped off the Federal court? As late as May 5th, the DOJ considered "judgments or sanctions" against the three men because of their failure to appear in court.

But 10 days later, the department reversed itself and filed a notice of voluntary dismissal from the complaint for Malik Zulu Shabazz and Mr. Jackson.

Black Panthers (Photo)

Malik Zulu Shabazz is a Howard University Law School grad and a resident of Washington, D.C. Jerry Jackson is credentialed to be at a the polling place as he is a 14th Ward Democratic Committee member.

According to the complaint, Malik Zulu Shabazz, a Howard University Law School graduate, said the placement of King Samir Shabazz and Mr. Jackson in Philadelphia was part of a nationwide effort to deploy New Black Panther Party members at polling locations on Election Day.

Ironically, The Voters Rights Act under Section 5, said that jurisdictions covered by these special provisions could not implement any change affecting voting until the Attorney General or the United States District Court for the District of Columbia determined that the change did not have a discriminatory purpose and would not have a discriminatory effect.

This is part of the "change" Obama promised us, I guess. The Attorney General has sanctioned the change and decided that we will pay a poll tax in the form of voter intimidation. The Black Panthers tending your polling place, wielding weapons and trash talking - perhaps about your ethnicity, the color of you skin and your choice of candidate, is okay by Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. It's payback time.

There is an interesting editorial at The Washington Times. You can read it here. The first video shows the Black Panthers telling a reporter at a Philadelphia poll that he is "security." As you listen to the second Black Panther speak, remember the testimony of Bartle Bull above. Shades of Bill Clinton: One Black Panther says there are "no night sticks" at the polls. When the reporter says, but yes, there was a man with a night stick here, the Black Panther says "I don't care about what was. I care about what is."

Black Panthers - Voter Fraud Wins (Video)

Voter Rights Lose (Video)

Jordan, West Bank Should Become a Palestinian State

By Findalis From Memri

Lebanese Writer Farid Salman: Jordan, West Bank Should Become a Palestinian State, Which Will Absorb the Refugees

Following are excerpts from an interview with Lebanese writer Farid Salman, which aired on OTV on May 6, 2009. View the clip here.

"Jordan is An Invention... I Don't Know Whether to Laugh or Cry When I Hear a Jordanian Say That He is Jordanian... He Has Forgotten That He's Palestinian" Farid Salman: "

Jordan is an invention. Transjordan, which was an emirate, and later became the Hashemite Kingdom, is part of Palestine. Britain created it in order to crown one of the sons of Hussein, from the Arabian Peninsula, over part of Greater Syria - over Palestine.

This continues to be the perpetual reason... Without removing it, the Palestinian issue will not be resolved. It's impossible."

Interviewer: "Some people in Israel talk about the Jordanian option..."

Farid Salman: "They are right." Interviewer: "In the days of Abba Eban..."

Farid Salman: "We missed an opportunity with Abba Eban."

Interviewer: "This is why the Black September battles of 1969 and 1970 took place, and the crisis was shifted here, to Lebanon. But King Hussein stabilized his throne..."

Farid Salman: "It wasn't him. The English stabilized the throne. Glubb Pasha did it for his grandfather, and the English continue to do so to this day. The Israelis also [stabilized the Jordanian rule]. The Zionist regime in Israel is against peace. It doesn't want peace.

"Abba Eban was one of the most important people in Israel, but we did not know how to benefit from him, and eventually the Zionists got rid of him. They sent him to teach in America, thus removing him from the scene. He could see the truth. "Today, I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I hear a Jordanian say that he is a Jordanian, and that there are Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan.

He has forgotten that he is a Palestinian. What do you mean 'Jordanian?' The East Bank is just like the West Bank. The Jordanian king was behind the war in Lebanon. He sent the Palestinians to Lebanon. We must not forget the role that Jordan played in Lebanon." [...] The Anti-Zionist "Jewdanians... Have Now Gained Power, Along With Obama"

"With regard to Israel, I am very optimistic. For 40 years, I have been writing about this issue - about Zionism and about the people I call 'the Jewdanians' - that group of Jews around the world who are against the Zionist philosophy and state.

They have now gained power, along with Obama. They began..."

Interviewer: "With the plan of the first Bush..."

Farid Salman: "In Madrid..."

Interviewer: "Yes."

Farid Salman: "They are the ones who brought Obama to power. They supported him financially. A few weeks ago, they announced that they were establishing a lobby. Until now, they operated behind the scenes, but now it is out in the open. An existential Israeli crisis has emerged among the Jews themselves - between the Zionists and the non-Zionists.

The Zionists in power today - Lieberman and Netanyahu - no peace plan can possibly emerge from them. They will bring about a Jewish crisis in Israel and worldwide, and I believe they will be the losers. If they do not lose, that will be the end of the Zionist regime in Israel."

"When A Palestinian State Is Established, And Jordan Becomes The Palestinian State, Along With The West Bank... It Will Invite The Palestinians"

Interviewer: "That is the solution, in your view?"

Farid Salman: "Of course. When this happens, we won't need Israeli approval for the resettlement

Interviewer: "Can the Jewdanians, who support Obama, realize what the solution is, and grant the Palestinians the Right of Return?"

Farid Salman: "We have turned the Right of Return into a casus belli... Let me tell you something - when a Palestinian state is established, and Jordan becomes the Palestinian state, along with the West Bank..."

Interviewer: "That is the solution, in your view?"

Farid Salman: "Of course. When this happens, we won't need Israeli approval for the resettlement... Once there is a Palestinian state, it will invite the Palestinians. Jordan can receive 30 million [Palestinians]. In New York alone, there are 20 million people."

Interviewer: "Do you think that we are at the beginning of a process of the collapse of regimes in the region?"

Farid Salman: "Of course."

Interviewer: "Like dominoes, one will lead to the toppling of the other?"

"There is a Plan to Increase the Number of Sunnis by Resettling the Palestinians in Lebanon"

Farid Salman: "Undoubtedly. There is no other solution for the Middle East. Who invented the story of refugee resettlement in Lebanon? Let's be clear - the Sunnis. Al-Hariri did, and his sister continues in his path. The Palestinian ambassador in Lebanon is their accomplice."

Interviewer: "Abbas Zaki?"

Salman: "Him, along with Fuad Siniora. There is a plan to increase the number of Sunnis by resettling the Palestinians in Lebanon. They are the ones talking about resettlement. The day the Palestinian issue is resolved, and they have a state - in Jordan, the West Bank, wherever it may be..." I

Interviewer: "Arafat used to say: 'Give me a state even on the back of a donkey.'"

Farid Salman: "Wherever it may be... Half a million Palestinian in Lebanon will go to their state. End of story. We won't be needing the approval of Israel or the world. It will be their state, and they will be invited there. End of story."

For those of you who don't know your history or who some of the people mentioned are, I'll explain:  

Jordan as a nation never truly existed in ancient history. There is mention of a Kingdom of Petra, the region that is now Jordan has been conquered by the the Persian Empire, the Seleucids, the Romans , and Muslim Arabs. So in ancient times no nation called Jordan ever existed. Nor did it exist until April 11, 1921 when Great Britain decided to reward their "good friend" Emir Abdullah with 78% of the Palestinian Mandate (that was reserved by the League of Nations for a homeland for Jews). Thus Jordan, or as it was called then, Trans-Jordan was born. It was after the 6-Day War, when Israel finally regained control of the West Bank that Trans-Jordan became simply Jordan.  

Thus in fact, Jordan is the true Palestinian nation. Black September was an attempt by the PLO (headed by Yassir Arafat) to overthrow the government of Jordan and replace it with the PLO. The Jordanian military thwarted the attempted overthrow and assassination of King Hussein, and the Jordanian government kicked out removed the PLO and their supporters from Jordan.

They fled to the only nation which would give them sanctuary: Lebanon. Abba Eban was an Israeli statesman. Born in Cape Town, South Africa on February 2, 1915. a graduate of Queens College, Cambridge, he was Israel's first ambassador to the United Nations and was elected Vice President of the UN General Assembly in 1952. He is considered one of the fathers of modern Israel, and a giant in diplomatic circles. He set the tone for Israel's diplomatic efforts for the last 63 years. He died on November 17, 2002.

A bit of history. But the reality is that the 2 State Solution that is being touted by the EU, UN and the US is looking like a pipe(bomb) dream each and every day. The Palestinians do not want it, they want all the land from the river to the sea as the Hamas and PLO charters both specify. And now it is not just the far right who are opposing the 2 State Solution, it is the mainstream Israelis who oppose it too:

Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe (Boogie) Yaalon believes that the time has come for Israel to “free itself from the failed paradigm” of the “two-state solution.” Yaalon spoke Tuesday at a meeting of MKs dedicated to finding an alternative to the creation of a Palestinian Authority-led Arab state. While the creation of a PA-led state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza is perceived as a necessity both in Israel and worldwide, such a state would not solve the Israel-PA conflict, said Yaalon. In fact, he said, it is doubtful that the possibility of creating such a state exists, due to Arab and Muslim reluctance to take any step that would imply recognition of Israel or compromise on Arab claims to the entire Land of Israel. Israel's mistake lies in accepting a-symmetrical talks with the PA, Yaalon said. From the beginning of talks, he explained, Israel has accepted the idea of a Palestinian national movement with the PA as its representative, while the PA has resolutely refused to accept the Jewish national movement of Zionism or the idea of a Jewish homeland in the land of Israel. Furthermore, while the PA demands that Arabs and Muslims be allowed to live in Israel, Israel accepts that a PA state would not have Jewish citizens, he said. And while Israel gives in on crucial issues such as the status of Jerusalem or the borders of a PA state, the PA refuses to bend in the slightest. Read the full story here.

No proposal that Netanyahu would bring to the negotiating table will ever satisfy the Palestinians, and no proposal that they bring would be allowed by any Israeli Knesset. Thus the region is at a stalemate, and this time President Obama will not be able to charm Netanyahu or the Israelis into making a deal that would effectively destroy their nation. The time has come to recognize and remember the true history of the region, and sent the PA, Hamas and the rest of the Palestinians back to the two-thirds of the Palestinian Mandate, back to Jordan, the real state of Palestine!

Reject the GOP: Sharing the Disgust No. 3 - Rush Limbaugh is the Conservative Message

Number 3, of who knows how many. As a conservative, my husband and I feel we're marinating in disgust at the GOP and the RNC. I find my friends feel the same. I think sharing our disgust and our rejection of the GOP and the RNC is a good idea. Maybe it will inspire you and maybe you will realize you are not alone. This is not about a third party, as I have no clear opinion about the wisdom of that idea. This is only about rejecting the GOP, and letting them know why we think they are the curse of conservatism.

Rush Limbaugh Conservative Message

Here's some disgust I found as I was visiting around and I'm sharing it with you: FOX Nation printed a segment from Rush Limbaugh's show on May 27th. I'm assuming this is a message Rush wants to get out, so I too am taking his intellectual property "for the good of the people." The message to the GOP is "Go after Judge Sonia Sotomayor, and let America know who she is, which has nothing to do with the fact that she is a female and Hispanic." We do not care about her "life story." We may admire it, as we admire all who have worked hard to overcome obstacles, but her life story has nothing to do with her judicial philosophy. Our objection to her has everything to do with her judicial philosophy. Wake-up GOP!

*****

Rush Limbaugh May 27, 2009 RUSH: You know what my problem is, folks? I want to be very honest. I have never been an oppressed minority, even though I am in a minority. I don't think like one. Conservatism is an oppressed minority today. The Republican Party is an oppressed minority. The only problem I have is I don't think that way. But they all do. When you're an oppressed minority, what do you do? You willingly go to the back of the bus and you willingly shut up and you willingly don't make waves. If ever a civil rights movement was needed in America, it is for the Republican Party. If ever we needed to start marching for freedom and constitutional rights, it's for the Republican Party. The Republican Party is today's oppressed minority, and it knows how to behave as one. It shuts up. It doesn't cross bridges; it doesn't run into the Bull Connors of the Democrat Party; it is afraid of the fire hoses and the dogs, it's compliant. The Republican Party today has become totally complacent. They are an oppressed minority; they know their position; they know their place. They go to the back of the bus. They don't use the right restroom and the right drinking fountain, and they shut up. I don't think this way. I don't think of myself as an oppressed minority or as a member of an oppressed minority, and I hope I never do think of myself as one. I'm just an American. Truth is the truth. I'm an enlightened individual, and an enlightened individual is one who seeks truth. Barack Obama is not an enlightened individual. He is a narcissist. Barack Obama seeks himself, seeks adoration, adulation. He's like narcissists. He's stuck on his own reflection in the mirror, in a pool of water. He's not substantive. He sees himself the way he sees a reflection of himself, and he wants everybody else to see him the same way. Barack Obama thinks of himself as a member of an oppressed minority, but he's not taking it, he's fighting back. He's going to go so far as to desecrate the Constitution to address his grievances. The Republican Party, they've mastered it, they've got it down pat. Washington, DC, may as well be -- (interruption) what, Snerdley? Washington, DC, is the Old South for Republicans, if you want to draw the analogy. They have gotten comfortable being an oppressed minority and they play the game; they don't speak out; they shut up. And when they do get gutsy and try to shut up or speak up, they do so in a way that won't offend anybody. The Wall Street Journal, November 15th, 2003, Review and Outlook: "'Why The Democrats Borked Estrada, In Their Own Words' -- Now that the Senate has concluded its 30-hour talkathon on judicial filibusters, we thought readers might like to peer inside the filibustering Democratic mind, such as it is. This plunge into the murky deep comes from staff strategy memos we've obtained from the days when Democrats ran the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2001-02. Or, rather, appeared to run the committee. Their real bosses are the liberal interest groups that more or less tell the Senators when to sit, speak and roll over -- and which Bush judges to confirm or not. Here are some excerpts." This is a memo to Dick Durbin. "You are scheduled to meet with leaders of several civil rights organizations to discuss their serious concerns with the judicial nomination process. The leaders will likely include: Ralph Neas (People For the American Way), Kate Michelman (NARAL), Nan Aron (Alliance for Justice), Wade Henderson (Leadership Conference on Civil Rights), Leslie Proll (NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund), Nancy Zirkin (American Association of University Women), Marcia Greenberger (National Women's Law Center), and Judy Lichtman (National Partnership). ... The primary focus will be on identifying the most controversial and/or vulnerable judicial nominees. The groups would like to postpone action on these nominees until next year, when (presumably) the public will be more tolerant of partisan dissent." November 7th, 2001, memo to Senator Durbin. "The groups singled out three -- Jeffrey Sutton (6th Circuit); Priscilla Owen (5th Circuit); and Caroline [sic] Kuhl (9th Circuit) -- as a potential nominee for a contentious hearing early next year, with a [sic] eye to voting him or her down in Committee. They also identified Miguel Estrada (DC Circuit) as especially dangerous, because he has a minimal paper trail, he is Latino, and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment. They want to hold Estrada off as long as possible." There are other memos in the story to Senator Kennedy telling him who to meet with and how to react and how to behave. But here's a memo to Dick Durbin from the special interest group saying that Miguel Estrada on the DC circuit must be opposed because he's Latino. Why? The Democrats get away with opposing people because they're Latino. We get punished if we oppose somebody because they're Latino. And we have to shut up because somebody's Latino. We have gone out, we've had two people in our party literally, John McCain and George W. Bush, grant amnesty to how many millions of illegal Hispanics in the country. Did it get anybody anywhere, electorally? Estrada, nominated for a high court position, Alberto Gonzales, they were opposed because they're Latino, by the Democrats. Now, they didn't say so publicly. These are internal memos. But the Democrats can oppose Latinos left and right and they can oppose blacks left and right, and they never seem to pay a price for doing that. Why is that? Why does nobody get concerned if Democrats may be alienating voters from these various groups? Why when they opposed Clarence Thomas did they not suffer one loss of a black vote? Why? And yet the Republicans have been made to believe, in their currently extinct status, that opposing Sonia Sotomayor simply because she's Latina will ruin their chances for the Hispanic vote, a vote they don't have anyway and a vote they're not going to get this way. They're behaving like an oppressed minority. Whatever their masters tell them to say or do, not say or don't do, they say or don't say, they don't do. They are entirely compliant. They're obedient. The Republican Party today is totally obedient. Now, there are some exceptions. We got some great conservatives in the House. I'm talking about the old guard, country club blue-blooders that are trying to define the party and run it. They're obedient. They are so obedient that many of them endorse and vote the Democrat candidate. That's how obedient they are to their masters. They have mastered the art of thinking and acting as oppressed minorities who are not interested, by the way, in emancipation or freedom. BREAK TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Lou in Pullman, Washington, as we stay on the phones. Welcome to the EIB Network, sir. Hello. CALLER: Hi, Rush. Thank you for a great 20 years. RUSH: Yes, sir. CALLER: I want to get right to it. I want to take issue with my fellow subscriber Nancy. I think that we ought to be just like the Democrats. I think we should ignore gender, race, class and sexual orientation when the person that we're looking at doesn't agree with us. That's what they do. Look at Clarence Thomas. RUSH: We should emulate the Democrats and ignore what? CALLER: Gender, race, class and sexual orientation when the person doesn't agree with us. RUSH: Well, who's doing that now? CALLER: Well, the Democrats. RUSH: No. No, no, no. Tell me the Republicans who are opposing Sonia Sotomayor because she's a woman or a Latina? CALLER: Oh, none. But I think we should ignore the fact that she is and go right for the issues. RUSH: Well, it doesn't matter if we do. The media is all over the place with the fact she's a Latina, the first one ever nominated, first one nominated to the Supreme Court, the first woman, her compelling story. We're the ones that do ignore this stuff. We're the ones to whom none of this does matter. CALLER: Right. But my point is that Nancy thinks it's going to come back and bite us, but the Democrats do it all the time and it doesn't seem to bite them. RUSH: Yes, that's been my point all day. CALLER: Absolutely. I've been on hold for a long time. RUSH: I thought you said you agreed with Nancy. CALLER: No, no, no, no, no. RUSH: Oh. CALLER: Nancy, I want to take issue with her. RUSH: Oh. I thought you were disagreeing with me. CALLER: No, no. RUSH: Well, I apologize for the contentiousness. CALLER: No. RUSH: So you're just echoing what I said? CALLER: Yes. I think we ought to ignore -- they always do one thing. They take into account gender, race, and class. RUSH: Well, that's the point I've been making all day. These people, the Democrats can trash all kinds of blacks, minorities, Latinos, and it never seems to hurt them. Why does it only hurt us? When we do ignore it, it's not a factor to us. I couldn't care less, for example, where Sonia Sotomayor came from, what her race or gender is. She's a disaster on the basis of her history as a judge. Don in Vermilion, Ohio, nice to have on you on the EIB Network, sir, hello. CALLER: Thank you, it's a pleasure to speak with you. My point was in regard to the e-mail that you read earlier. From the standpoint of a conservative there's no such thing as an Hispanic vote, an Afro-American vote, a Native American vote, it doesn't make any difference. It is the same and it's so basic, just like you have been saying, it's so fundamental. I don't understand what's confusing about this. There's never been any question what the conservative response to anything should be because the fundamentals of conservatism are what our foundation is and there's never anything that's nebulous about that, very easy to understand. RUSH: Well, you're right. Let me paraphrase this. You're right as far as describing conservatives. But you're wrong if you want to include the Republican Party in it today, at least -- again, I better specify which Republicans I'm talking about. I'm talking about the old guard, the Tom Ridge, Colin Powell, the country club blue-blood, the Arlen Specter types. They're the ones who do want to do identity politics. Now, you say that conservatives, you know, the fundamental conservative does not look at people and see Hispanic or white, black, woman or whatever. And I know what you mean by that. You mean by that that as one who believes in the conservative ideology, we see people as people, we see people as Americans. We want a great country, and, as such, we want everybody to succeed. We want everybody to be as good as they can. We want everybody to strive to be the best they can, and in the process, we want to get all kinds of obstacles out of their way. We have faith, we have belief in ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things, just get out of their way, inspire them and motivate them and they'll do it. The liberal looks at people with utter contempt, condescension and contempt, doesn't believe people are inherently good or qualified or competent or able to overcome these obstacles in life. By definition, the liberal who seeks power over people thus places these obstacles and makes people dependent and then says you can't do it without me. The Republican Party has bought into the notion here that we need to get that segment of the vote and then that segment of the vote and then that segment of the vote or population if they are to win. The Democrat Party, for almost its entirety has been a coalition of various interest groups. In fact, it's an amalgamation of coalitions. You've had Big Labor, you have feminism, you have Big Environmentalism, you have anti-capitalist, and they all have their own single issue pet peeves, but the thing that unites them is their belief and love of huge government controlling everybody else's lives. The Republican Party and the conservative movement was not put together with this kind of attitude, it's not put together with that kind of mind-set. Controlling people's lives? The basic difference is Democrats live and breathe, liberals live and breathe and they go to school to get trained to work in and control government. On the other hand what we want to do is reduce the size of government. We don't want to take over. We don't want to work there. We want to be in the private sector. So we're already at a bit of a disadvantage because their life, their world, is built around government. Ours is built around avoiding it, you know, making it as constitutional as it can be and function as it's constitutionally directed to, but then that's it. The liberals look at it in an entirely different way. Let me read something here real quick. Vin Weber this afternoon on Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, she spoke with Vin Weber, Republican strategist. She said, "Is there a real pitfall here for the Republican Party going after Sonia Sotomayor on her ethnicity when we've seen how Hispanic voters have flocked to Obama, in a real change from the way many more supported George W. Bush." WEBER: The front pages of just about every paper in this country today described this as President Obama picking the first Hispanic justice, and Republicans should be very wary of challenging that. Furthermore, when Republicans get holier-than-thou about identity politics, I remember how proud Republicans were when President Reagan named the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor. We were proud that we broke that ground as Republicans. They'd better not start abandoning that and start pointing fingers about identity politics to the first Hispanic to go into the court or they're gonna find themselves in trouble. RUSH: I guess we have to throw Vin Weber in the group who's now a member of the oppressed minority. Vin, I don't know anybody who opposes her on ethnic grounds. I don't know anybody. I guess what these people are afraid of is that any opposition to her will be said to be based on ethnic grounds. Okay, so, to avoid them saying that about us, we won't say anything. We'll just throw in the towel. And then when we get our chance we're going to nominate a Latino -- oh, we did that, and it didn't help us. And then we're going to nominate a black -- oh, we did that. Didn't help us! This is not complicated to me, but see, I don't think like an oppressed minority. RUSH: Who said this? "If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking." And who said this? "Pressure makes diamonds." Same person uttered both quotes. Greetings. Great to have you here. It's El Rushbo on the cutting edge of societal evolution, on the most listened to radio talk show in America. Telephone number if you want to join us is 800-282-2882. E-mail address, ElRushbo@eibnet.com. "If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking." How did you know that, Brian? How in the world did you know that? What, did somebody Google it real quick in there? That's right, it's general George Patton who said both. "If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking." Why am I saying this? Well, if the Republicans want to start thinking like Democrats, somebody's not thinking, and we know the Democrats are thinking and strategizing. "Pressure makes diamonds." That is also from George Patton. You know, I sit here, ladies and gentlemen, as I think about all of this debating within the GOP and with the Democrats. We conservatives, we really do have the best arguments. We have the most responsible policies. We have the most humane principles. The more we confront these people, the more we debate, the more we expose, the clearer that will become, not just to us, but to others. And that's why we have to keep it up. I'm getting a lot of e-mails, "Rush, please don't quit, please don't stop!" I have no intention of it, folks. I was telling Snerdley here during the break, I fully expect at some point in the near future to receive a phone call, a private phone call off air from somebody, somewhere in elected Republican Party politics asking me to tone it down. I fully expect this to happen. They are scared. This Supreme Court nomination, coupled with the election of Obama, this is, to them, these oppressed minorities rising and up finally saying we're not taking it anymore and you guys are going to find out what it's like to be an oppressed minority, and they're scared and they're willing to be oppressed minorities, the Republicans. They're willing to think that way. On the other hand, if we surrender to the left, if we surrender to these old guard moderates in the Republican Party who want to surrender to the left, none of this would be happening. Even in this, what do the moderates offer? They just repeat their platitudes, they tell us to keep quiet. They don't even want the debate. That scares them. The old guard moderates in the Republican Party have no faith in who they are because they have no idea what principles that they will defend. They don't even know what principles they will surrender. They have no confidence in who they are and what the nation is, but we do, we conservatives do. We are overflowing with confidence about who we are and what this nation is. But the Republican Party old guard, the blue-blood country clubbers do not. BREAK TRANSCRIPT: RUSH: Englewood, Florida. This is Tom. I'm glad you waited, sir. Great to have you with us. Hello. CALLER: Great to have you with me also. RUSH: Thank you. CALLER: I agree with you 110% on the Sotomayor deal. The only thing is, I think that we need an attack dog on this situation, somebody in Congress that can take her over the coals just the way they did Bork and as you described. Look, they're gonna think of us anyhow has hypocrites and homophobes and racists so who cares anymore, you know, let's go after it, let the news media do what they want to do. RUSH: You know, there's -- CALLER: The only thing -- RUSH: Wait a minute. That's an interesting point. How can the Republican Party get in worse shape than they're already in? That's kind of what you're saying, how can they get themselves in any worse shape than they're in now? So what you're saying is a tried-and-true principle. If they're going to rip you anyway, at least tell the truth. CALLER: Exactly. You know, and I'll tell you who was on the other day on your show, I was listening, was Cheney, Liz Cheney. RUSH: Yeah. CALLER: I couldn't believe how easily she made those limp liberals look bad, you know. Too bad she's not a Senator. I'd like to see her question this woman. RUSH: Well, Liz right now is focused on the foreign policy aspects of the Obama administration. But I know what you're saying. CALLER: She's bright. RUSH: She's bright, but she's showing how it's done. She's going on television and she's giving a class, a tutorial on how not to accept the premises of the media and the left in these interviews. Look, I don't want to dishearten you out there, Tom, but there is no indication I see that this attack dog you envision exists. I don't see it. I see Chihuahuas. END RUSH LIMBAUGH Read Rush's background material here, and his 1997 prediction about Sonia Sotomayor here. Related: Rejecting the GOP: Sharing the Disgust - No. 1 Rejecting the GOP: Sharing the Disgust - No. 2

Wanted: Public Opposition to HR 1024 and S 424

If there is anyone out there who believes the Democratic party is concerned about the rule of law, secure borders or illegal immigration the introduction of HR 1024 in the US House of Representatives and S 424 in the US Senate and the hearing scheduled below demonstrates what is important to them. The top priority for Democrats, aka liberals, this year on the issue of immigration is adding the terms or phrase 'permanent partner(s)' to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Senate hearing is being held by the Committee on the Judiciary and it just so happens the Chairman is Senator Patrick Leahy who is also the sponsor of the Senate bill S. 424. There are 17 co-sponsors of the bill and with the exception of Sanders (officially an independent), also from Vermont like Leahy, the remainder are all Democrats. The House bill, HR 1024 is sponsored by Democratic party Congressman Jerrold Nadler of the NY 8th and co-sponsored by 102 Democrats. As stated earlier the liberal priorities on secure borders, illegal immigration, the rule of law and national security overall are demonstrated by their published agenda. They have learned nothing from past history and if allowed to continue without at least strong objection from the public will be free to further damage national security and defense as well as adding to the crippling economic effects of unrestrained illegal immigration. This post is simply a call to all citizens to express your opinion to your elected representatives in the strongest terms. Pursuing such policy and legislation for political purposes while ignoring the very real risks to this nation is at best foolish and at worst, criminal. As much as conservative principles fall on deaf liberal ears the awakening to the sensible action it advocates may come too late without sufficient public outrage. The opposition party known as the GOP has weakened their position to a point where public pressure is all that stands between a strong United States and further weakened world power awash with liberal dreams. Take a stand, put pressure on those in Washington to do the right thing. Eliminate these bills or at least put them on the back burner until the borders are secure, illegal immigration is eliminated and national security and defense are again second to none. Stanford Matthews MoreWhat.com “The Uniting American Families Act: Addressing Inequality in Federal Immigration Law” Senate Judiciary Committee Full Committee DATE: June 3, 2009 TIME: 10:00 AM ROOM: Dirksen-226 OFFICIAL HEARING NOTICE / WITNESS LIST: May 22, 2009 NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing on "The Uniting American Families Act: Addressing Inequality in Federal Immigration Law" for Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. By order of the Chairman H.R.1024 Uniting American Families Act of 2009 (Introduced in House) Title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by permitting permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the same manner as spouses of citizens and lawful permanent residents and to penalize immigration fraud in connection with permanent partnerships. S.424 Uniting American Families Act of 2009 (Introduced in Senate) Title: A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by permitting permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the same manner as spouses of citizens and lawful permanent residents and to penalize immigration fraud in connection with permanent partnerships.

Chrysler dealers slated for closure are GOP Donors: UPDATE

If this is true, and everything is as it seems, it isn't surprising. I hope these dealers, if they were making ends meet and doing business for Chrysler, raise righteous hell. I won't be buying a Chrysler product. by The Lonely Conservative When Chrysler dealership closures were announced there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the selection process. Profitable dealerships were told to close while less profitable ones were spared. It seemed kind of odd, to say the least. Thanks to Doug Ross (via Gateway Pundit) the truth may have come out.

To quickly review the situation, I took all dealer owners whose names appeared more than once in the list. And, of those who contributed to political campaigns, every single one had donated almost exclusively to GOP candidates. While this isn’t an exhaustive review, it does have some ominous implications if it can be verified.
However, I also found additional research online at Scribd (author unknown), which also appears to point to a highly partisan decision-making process.

It makes a lot more sense now. So much for living in the land of the free. Welcome to the USSA, comrades.
Update Doug Ross continued digging into this matter and the evidence is mounting that the shuttering of these dealers was politically motivated. Read about it here.
Update 2: Read more at Gateway Pundit. Now that the GOP/red county dealerships have been shut down Chrysler announced they will be adding dealerships. The only thing surprising about this is that it’s so blatant. Didn’t they think anyone would notice? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?

IRS Huge Revenue Loss: Blame Congress and Unions

The IRS suffered a huge revenue loss for 2008 taxpayer proceeds. The federal budget grows, mindless of the revenue loss, the deficit balloons to unprecedented size, and the Obama administration tells us the nation's health care costs over the past decade are to blame. We need to reject this claim. Let us not let him get away with this blatant lie.

Capitol Hill

Some $138 billion fewer taxpayer dollars were donated to the U.S. government for 2008. That's 34% less than April 15, 2008. This is about the housing bust and not health care. In Obama's haste to bring a Canadian-like health care plan to Americans, we see that he dismisses all Democrat culpability for the real cause of the nation's bankruptcy - both moral and fiscal. Of course, he would dismiss it because 1) he sat in the Senate that continued the lie about housing and 2) he believes that everyone should own a home whether they can pay for it or not. It's this simple: When lenders make loans which will fail and when homeowners buy homes they cannot pay for, the lenders will fail, the homes will go into foreclosure, the lenders have no revenue, the once-homeowners file for bankruptcy, the banks will not lend, small businesses fail without their short-term credit lines, employees are laid-off - filing for bankruptcy themselves, and more join the unemployment lines. The small business that fails can no longer pay rent, so the landlord fails, more foreclosures, more bankruptcies - more employees laid off. Supporting industries - perhaps the people that clean the buildings after business hours no longer have a building to clean, the landscape company no longer has a yard to groom. Then there is the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the auto industry. Just as lenders allowed loans to the unqualified, the auto industry allowed ridiculous perks to union members. Payday for the devil (irresponsible management) has arrived. General Motors who ranked among America's largest employers, has sold it's soul to the U.S. government, and existing shareholders will see their shares worth one penny. Some 1600 GM dealerships will be pulled, more enter the unemployment lines, more homes - even those with qualified mortgages, will go into foreclosure, and the circle of madness continues. In the meantime, Chrysler is closing hundreds of dealerships and the circle of madness widens. The Obama administration sees health care as "the real deficit" threat due to rising and inflated price increases by the industry, but some analysts are contrarians and believe that the problem is not rising and inflated costs, but more aging people entering the system. This quote from Obama:

At the fiscal summit that we held here last week, the one thing on which everyone agreed was that the greatest threat to America's fiscal health is not Social Security, though that's a significant challenge; it's not the investments that we've made to rescue our economy during this crisis. By a wide margin, the biggest threat to our nation's balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care. It's not even close.

One thing we can be certain of, Obama's determination to bring socialized medicine to America knows no boundaries. That's the goal and he is not ashamed to blame the economic downturn on health care to bring about the socialization of Americas medical opportunities - and there is no doubt, that in this country, there are medical opportunities in abundance - in stark contrast to any other country. While health care is an enormous cost-factor, and growing everyday, our country's leaders continue to squander billions while squalling about the cost of medical care. We will always have health care costs. We will always struggle with medical care for Medicaid and Medicare recipients, as well as catastrophic medical care, and we should do everything we can to manage them responsibly, but we should never have irresponsible home loans, and we should never have the level of corrupt representation in the House and Senate that we have now. We must get beyond the housing bust and see that it never happens again. To do that, we must undo all legislation that allows anyone to buy a home simply because they are seen as disadvantaged and so, deserving - regardless of the ability to pay. One giant step toward making this change is to boot Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. Barney Frank and Senator Chris Dodd out of office - sending a strong message that constitutients will get some reckoning for their misdeeds with the Community Reinvestment Act. This is not likely to happen, so we need moderate Democrats with every Republican, to step-up and work to strike the Community Reinvestment Act from law. Even in the wake of economic disaster, the Community Reinvestment Act lives on. Health care isn't the culprit. Photo Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite.

Pool Sharks: The Toddler and the Seven Year Old

Taking a break from politics and nuclear threats is a good thing. Take a look at these two:

The Toddler Pool Shark

The Seven Year Old Pool Shark

Name My Butterfly, Please!

My husband and I drove up to our house this afternoon, and as the garage door rolled up, my husband pointed to something catching a ride on the door, whether willingly or not. He said "is that a toad?" We thought it might be. He put the door back down and found this incredible creature, which I assume is a butterfly. Update: My butterfly is a Polyphemus Moth, also known as a giant silkworm moth. Thank you Eric and Jim.

Name My Butterfly, Please! - OOPS! It's a pretty moth

After googling around for "large butterflies," etc., I think this is probably in the Peacock Butterfly family, but the true Peacock Butterfly has colorful peacock markings on it's main wings, as well, and seems to be basically a red or coral color. Here's my butterfly. If you have any suggestions, let me know. We think the wingspan is about 3 inches across, and he/she is huddled up and not moving much, so it is likely injured.

Club Gitmo or Hotel California?

“You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave . . .” from Hotel California by The Eagles.

 

Today E. J. Dionne, of The Washington Post, made a joke on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Dionne suggested that since California is about to go bankrupt, it would be a great place to relocate the terrorist prisoners from Gitmo.

I had to laugh. Just earlier this morning I came to the same conclusion, but not jokingly. If Gitmo must close, why not build a new Terrorist Only prison in California? After all, if California is looking to the federal government (that’s you and me) for a bailout, wouldn’t they want to sweeten the pot?

California is a perfect place for terrorist relocation.

· Warm sunny climate

· Residents eager to accept illegal invasions of any kind

· Voters who feel the need to provide a luxurious and nurturing environment for hardened terrorists

· Desperate hedonistic state that now needs our money

According to a Wikipedia interpretation of Hotel California it’s the perfect place and the perfect name for a new Terrorist Only prison:

The song's lyrics describe the title establishment as a luxury resort where "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave." On the surface, the song tells the tale of a weary traveler who becomes trapped in a nightmarish luxury hotel that at first appeared inviting and tempting. The song is generally understood to be an allegory about hedonism and self-destruction in the Southern California music industry of the late 1970s; Don Henley called it "our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles^[5] and later reiterated "[i]t's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about."^[6]

Technorati Tags: Gitmo,Hotel California,Washington Post,E. J. Dionne,The Eagles,terrorists

Before pressing Israel, world must address continued rocket attacks

By Findalis From the Sderot Media Center

Rockets Have Not Stopped

by Jacob Shrybman A few days ago I was relaxing in my first-floor apartment in Sderot when there was a loud knock on my door. The government contractor tasked with building private bomb shelters attached to each unit in the building came to check my apartment. All across the city, private bomb shelters are popping up like spring flowers and are being utilized as the Color Red alarms continue to sound. As Netanyahu gears up for his monumental visit to discuss the Middle East peace process with US President Barack Obama, are international leaders aware that terrorist rocket fire against Israeli civilians has not stopped? As southern Israel prepares for the next barrage of rockets, the international media and leaders hype this visit to be of vital importance to a peace agreement. On May 4th The New York Times ran an article titled “Addressing US, Hamas Says it Grounded Rockets,” noting that only six rockets were fired at Israel in April. On May 5th Ynetnews ran an article titled “Dramatic Drop in Qassam Fire,” reporting that only 8 rockets were fired in April. However, with a simple phone call to the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson, the only in-the-field source, I was given the official military count of 23 rockets and 3 mortar shells for the month of April, significantly more than what was reported in the media. The world is being led to believe that the rockets have stopped when in fact there have been over 200 rockets since the ceasefire began on January 18th. Working in Sderot for the Sderot Media Center, I knew that there were more than eight rockets last month. I began to track down the statistics and their sources. The reporter at Ynetnews cited the Shin Bet as its source. So why is there is such a discrepancy between what I and the army see on the ground and report day-to-day, and what some Israeli officials and the news media are reporting to the world? Are Israeli and international politicians suggesting that Operation Cast Lead completely thwarted the threat from Hamas and Iran in the Gaza Strip? Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the so-called moderate Fatah, which proudly paint their rockets yellow to distinguish them from Hamas’ red and green, announced in the last week of April that he would never recognize Israel as a Jewish State. With such a definitive proclamation against a peaceful solution, with whom are Israeli and international leaders pushing the Jewish State to come to an agreement? The rockets fired at Israeli citizens from the Gaza Strip by the Iranian-funded terrorist organization Hamas have not stopped. International leaders and the news media need to stop presenting statistics that foment this fallacy in the effort to force an agreement that will not bring shalom or salaam, but rather, be a mere piece of paper. All one needs to do is come to my first floor apartment in Sderot to be awakened to this continued reality of rockets.

Only a few rockets, as if that makes it better. Perhaps the editors of the New York Times, Huffington Post or Daily Kos wouldn't mind a few rockets being fired into their homes on a daily basis. How long would it be before they raised their voices in protest against such action? A day? A week? A month? A year? 5 years? 8 years? Especially if the local authorities did nothing to stop the rocket attacks. Then they would understand the fustration that the citizens of Sderot feel.

Following Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama, Qassam Strikes Sderot Homes

by Anav Silverman A Qassam rocket fired from Gaza slammed between two Sderot homes around 5:30 pm on Tuesday, May 19. The Tzeva Adom, Color Red siren blared twice in the city sending residents fleeing to area bomb shelters. After the second Color Red siren, an unusually loud explosion sounded throughout the city. The sound of the rocket explosion shocked no one more than Ilan Dahan. Ilan was sleeping when the Qassam rocket crashed into his backyard right outside his bedroom.

Shula Dahan, owner of damaged home, on the phone. Photo: Noam Bedein

“I slept right through the Color Red siren,” said Ilan. Ilan, dazed and shocked, guides us to his bedroom. His bed is full of broken glass, from a window right above the bed, which had shattered all over his back. "I felt the glass implode all over me," he said. “It’s a miracle that all I got was this small scratch,” Ilan told Sderot Media Center. A piece of broken glass struck Ilan’s back, leaving behind a red mark. Both Ilan’s parents were home when the rocket struck. His father raced into Ilan’s bedroom after the rocket struck, picked his son up and carried him outside to safety. “At that point, I didn’t even realize that the rocket hit right outside our home,” said Ilan, who is 18 and getting ready to enter the army. View the video here. Shula, Ilan’s mother, looks at her son tearfully. “I never expected this to happen to us during a ceasefire,” she said. The family was sitting outside in the front of the home to cool off from the heat of the evening when the siren sounded. “We didn’t react quickly enough to the siren,” said Shula. “If we had reacted, we would have raced to the back of the home where our new shelter is located. Most likely one of us would have been injured because the rocket exploded right outside the shelter.” The back of the Dahan’s home suffered severe damage from the rocket blast. Broken glass and debris litters the floor, while holes from rocket shrapnel rocket mark the ceiling and walls. Outside, the Dahan’s shelter is also covered with shrapnel marks.

Sderot home damaged in Qassam attack on Tuesday, May 19. Photo: Noam Bedein

The rocket explosion also damaged the home next to the Dahans. Family members from both sides suffered shock, as did neighbors further along the street. Several people were treated for trauma on the scene. The rocket attack comes around the same time that the Sderot Mental Health Center is shutting down. Dr. Adrianne Katz, the head of Sderot Mental Health told Sderot Media Center that the mental health center is closing due to budget cuts. The Sderot Mental Health Center has provided therapy treatments to thousands of Sderot trauma victims and has 5, 500 patients on file. The Gaza rocket attacks on Sderot come after the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama in the White House on Monday. During a White House press conference after the meeting, President Obama stated, that "there is a recognition that the Palestinians are going to have to do a better job providing the kinds of security assurances that Israelis would need to achieve a two-state solution, [and] gain additional legitimacy and credibility with their own people, and delivering services." Obama also added “that the situation in Sderot was unacceptable, and that he'd seen the situation there himself.” Indeed, when Obama visited Sderot last year, he stated in a Sderot press conference "I will work from the moment that I return to America, to tell the story of Sderot and to make sure that the good people who live here are enjoying a future of peace and security and hope." He also stated that, "The first job of any nation state is to protect its citizens. If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing." Tuesday marked the fifth month since the Hamas-Israel ceasefire in mid-January. During that time, over 210 rockets have been fired from Hamas-controlled Gaza at Israel.

Security officer digging for the Qassam with Sderot mayor, David Bouskilla upfront. Photo: Noam Bedein

Promises from then candidate Obama. Promises to secure the Jewish vote. But in reality Obama is anything but sympathetic to the plight of the people of Sderot and Israel. He is more concerned with his image and prestige in the Muslim world than any thing else. It is accepted in the Muslim world that there is only one solution to the problem, the total destruction of Israel, Western civilization, and the death to each Jew worldwide. That is the true goal of the OIC, Arab League, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and Hizbollah. Yet President Obama ignores these facts and is committed to the fiction of a 2-State Solution. To achieve this aim President Obama has been pressuring Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu into making more concessions to the Arabs. Including giving away control of the most holiest sites in Judaism, The Temple Mount and The Kotel:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem Thursday night that the Israeli flag will continue to fly over the Western Wall (Kotel). The first prime minister in years to appear at the venerable yeshiva on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), he ignored U.S. President Barack Obama’s apparent trial balloon that he wants to see the United Nations flag fly over the Old City holy sites.

This is a proposal that will never be accepted by the Jewish Nation! Either President Obama is a dim-witted idiot or he is stupidly naive. You choose. Don't be silent on this. Do something. Write a letter to your local paper, call Congress in protest, call the President in disgust, or sign up for SMS Alerts. And please find it in your heart to donate to the Sderot Media Center. Without them, the people of Sderot would have no voice. Just click on the logo at the top or bottom of this post.

And remember to keep the people of Sderot and Israel in your prayers.

Bob Basso Mystery: Thomas Paine Mystery: Basso-Paine White House Mystery

A Bob Basso "Thomas Paine" reenactment, which appeared to be Basso's latest installment, seems to have disappeared from the internet. UPDATE: Found the video, thanks to ChicagoRay. I'm adding it here as well as to the original post. The mystery remains: why did Basso, according to The Jerry Doyle Show, cancel an interview with Doyle because he had been asked to visit the White House?

Bob Basso

The simple background before the mystery begins is that The Jerry Doyle show reported that Bob Basso canceled an interview with the show because Basso has been asked to come to the White House to discuss Basso's Thomas Paine videos. From there, the mystery begins. Since that time, no one has heard much from Bob Basso with the exception of a new Thomas Paine video which has now disappeared from the web (see UPDATE above). In that video, Basso speaking as Thomas Paine said he was not asked to come to the White House. Even though the video is not missing, there's more to wonder about. From here, I'm sending you to Zapem's Blog for more information. This is a knarly web. For the record, Zapem's Blog seemed a tad irritated that other bloggers quoted them. I'm linking to my previous posts on the "White House summoms." I have not quoted or referred to Zapem - ever. I can only conjecture about the truth, and this isn't something to spend a lot of time on until Bob Basso decides to clear-up the mystery. One of two two things appears to have happened:

1) Basso completely made-up the story of being contacted by the White House or 2) Basso was contacted by White House and the result of that contact is rendering him mute.

If No. 2 is correct, then maybe we should be talking about it. Keep in mind that the latest Basso video (now missing) stated quickly, then did not elaborate, that the White House visit did not happen (paraphrased). As I said, pure conjecture on my part. See what you come up with after reading Zapem's Blog. If you have time, let me know what you think has happened by leaving a comment.

Bob Basso New Video

My previous posts on Basso from newest to original: Thomas Paine White House Visit: Bob Basso New Video Bob Basso New Video: Thomas Paine March On to Washington Bob Basso is Thomas Paine (Videos): Thomas Paine Videos White House Summons Bob Basso: Thomas Paine Summoned to White House? Bob Basso is Thomas Paine: We the People Stimulus Package