Top Ten

[Warph]

Human Events Top Ten

Memorable moments of past Democratic Conventions:


1. 1968, Chicago
The 1968 Democratic convention was more notable for what happened on the streets of Chicago than what occurred on the floor of the International Amphitheatre where delegates gathered to nominate the successor to President Lyndon Johnson. Anti-Vietnam War protestors led by the Yippies and members of the radical Students for a Democratic Society tussled with Chicago police outside the convention hall, with the violence on the streets overshadowing the nomination of Vice President Hubert Humphrey. The ugly backdrop in a year marked by national tragedies was certainly a factor in his ultimate defeat by Richard M. Nixon.


2. 1980, New York
President Jimmy Carter needed a successful convention to re-energize his re-election bid for a presidency that had been gripped by malaise. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who won 12 primary states but came short of gaining enough delegates to upend the incumbent, challenged Carter in 1980. Kennedy brought the challenge to the convention floor by forcing a vote to free delegates from their commitments to vote for Carter. The maneuver failed and after Carter's acceptance speech (in which he referred to Hubert Humphrey as Hubert Horatio Hornblower), the president was reduced to following Kennedy around the stage, in a failed attempt to secure a unifying handshake with his rival.


3. 1984, San Francisco
As it turned out, it didn't help the Democrats that they chose ultra-liberal San Francisco as their setting for nominating former Vice President Walter Mondale to take on President Reagan. America got to witness the spectacle of gay activists dressed as nuns parading outside the Moscone Center. Later, with UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick leading the way at the GOP convention, Republicans successfully tarred the other party with the actions of the outrageous behavior of the protesters by leveling the toxic label—"San Francisco Democrats." Mondale probably cooked his own goose inside the convention center with his pledge to raise taxes. Democrats also began to reprise their trusty class-warfare gambit with New York Gov. Mario Cuomo's keynote address describing how the nation was becoming a "tale of two cities."


4. 1924, New York
The 1924 Democratic convention saw a record 103 ballots cast and the gathering took over two weeks before the nomination was won. New York Gov. Alfred E. Smith and former Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo were deadlocked for most of the balloting as a resurgent Ku Klux Klan tied up the vote opposing the Catholic Smith and supporting McAdoo. Finally a relative unknown, John W. Davis, former West Virginia congressman, U.S. solicitor general and ambassador to Britain, emerged as a compromise candidate on the 103rd ballot. The left wing of the party bucked the choice of the conservative Davis and bolted to back the third-party bid of Wisconsin Sen. Robert M. La Follette on the Progressive Party ticket. GOP President Calvin Coolidge trounced both opponents in the general election with 54% of the vote.


5. 2008, Denver
Not since the Roman emperors has there been a bigger display of hubris than the Democratic convention in Denver where Barack Obama won the party's nomination for president. Obama's acceptance speech was delivered in the cavernous Denver Stadium with 80,000 in attendance and a stage that featured Greek columns. The palatial setting was more than matched by Obama's self-glorifying rhetoric, as exemplified by this grandiose passage from his acceptance speech:  "Generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless ... this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."


6. 1952, Chicago
Going into the 1952 convention, Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson insisted he was not a candidate for the presidency but after an inspiring address welcoming the delegates, supporters insisted that his name be placed in nomination, joining Tennessee Sen. Estes Kefauver, Georgia Sen. Richard Russell and diplomat Averell Harriman from New York.  Kefauver led on the first two ballots, but Stevenson overtook him on the third after President Harry S. Truman convinced Harriman to drop out and support the Illinois governor. Southern Democrats extracted revenge by placing Alabama Sen. John Sparkman, a segregationist, on the ticket as Stevenson's vice president. Stevenson went on to lose to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, and tried again in 1956 with Kefauver as his running mate, but lost to Ike a second time.


7. 1896, Chicago
Silver-tongued orator and populist firebrand William Jennings Bryan, a former two-term Nebraska congressman, won the Democratic nomination three times. In 1896, at age 36, Bryan became the youngest presidential nominee in U.S. history, delivering his "Cross of Gold" acceptance speech that excoriated big business for backing the gold standard. Bryan went on to lose twice to Republican William McKinley and a third time to William Howard Taft. Later in life, Bryan had a famed role as the attorney arguing against the teaching of evolution in public schools against famed lawyer Clarence Darrow in the 1925 Scopes Monkey trial.


8. 1988 Atlanta
The 1988 Democratic convention that nominated Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis took a particularly nasty tone against Republican nominee Vice President George H.W. Bush. Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards' keynote address included the line that Bush was "born with a silver foot in his mouth," Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower called Bush "a toothache of a man," and delegates roared during Teddy Kennedy's speech in which he repeatedly intoned:  "Where was George." One speech that didn't go over too well was the debut on the national stage of Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, whose 32-minute nominating speech drew cheers when he said, "In conclusion..." The stage in Atlanta was adorned with a large American flag as a backdrop but organizers changed the colors from red, white and blue to salmon, azure and eggshell—hoping the pastel colors looked better on television. Republicans used the flag flap to attack their rivals, saying it proved they were "soft on the issues."


9. 1936, Philadelphia
After the 1924 convention, which took 103 ballots to decide a nominee, Democrats began to overhaul the process and 1936 was the first convention that required a simple majority of the delegates rather than the two-thirds that earlier nominees required. President Franklin Roosevelt gave the second of his eventual four acceptance speeches, telling a nation still mired in the Great Depression despite his New Deal programs, "This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny." The convention was also notable for Sen. Ellison Smith of South Carolina walking out of the hall to protest the invocation given by a black minister.


10. 2000, Los Angeles
Democrats thought they had a winner after Vice President Al Gore planted a long, wet kiss on wife Tipper after receiving the party's nomination. Gore's acceptance speech distanced himself from the president he had served for eight years, mentioning Bill Clinton just once and at one point declaring: "I stand here tonight as my own man." While the vice presidential nominee, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, invoked JFK's New Frontier in his address, Gore stuck to a tedious policy-wonk presentation in his. Fittingly, given the setting near Hollywood, Gore's name was placed in nomination by his college roommate, actor Tommy Lee Jones. Ironically, given the 2000 election results against George W. Bush, the state of Florida was given the honor of casting the ballots that clinched the nomination for Gore.


The 12 Most Memorable Convention Speeches
From William Jennings Bryan to Clint Eastwood, words for the ages

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/09/03/the-12-most-memorable-convention-speeches

[Warph]

Top 10 liberal race cards

By: Human Events
9/15/2012

Liberals are starting to hear the dog-whistles they say conservatives slip into their conversations as racial code words and have discovered an amazing array of such language relating to criticism of President Obama. Be prepared to cut down on your vocabulary after seeing the list of these liberal race cards.


1. Chicago
MSNBC host Chris Matthews put Chicago on the table as a term that conjures up stereotypical images of the inner city. "They keep saying Chicago by the way, have you noticed? They keep saying Chicago. That's another thing that sends that message—this guy's helping the poor people in the bad neighborhoods, screwing us in the 'burbs." On the panel with Matthews, John Heilemann of New York Magazine, then chirped in, "There's a lot of black people in Chicago."


2. Birther jokes
Matthews said that Mitt Romney's joke that "no one's ever asked to see my birth certificate" was part of an "endless ethnic attack" on Obama. "That cheap shot ... was awful," Matthews said to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. "It is an embarrassment to your party to play that card ... you are playing that ethnic card there."


3. Polling
Leave it to noted political scholar and "30 Rock" TV-star Alec Baldwin to put his finger on opinion polling as a hitherto form of virulent racism. Still using electronic devices after the embarrassing voice-mail rant he once sent to his daughter (where he famously called her a "rude thoughtless pig"), Baldwin recently tweeted, "If Obama Was White, He'd Be Up By 17 Points."


4. Golf
When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) joked that Obama was "working to earn a spot on the PGA Tour," MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell knew what was really going on: racism. "Well, we know exactly what he's trying to do there. He is trying to align to Tiger Woods and surely, the—lifestyle of Tiger Woods with Barack Obama. ... these people reach for every single possible racial double entendre they can find in every one of these speeches."


5. Financial reform
Vice President Joe Biden warned a campaign rally in Danville, Va., which included a large number of minorities, that Romney's financial reform efforts would essentially re-introduce slavery to the nation. "In the first hundred days he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules—unchain Wall Street. They're going to put y'all back in chains."


6. Voter ID laws
Republican efforts to rid voter rolls of felons, illegal immigrants, and dead people is really just all about racism, say liberals ranging from MSNBC host Al Sharpton to Attorney General Eric Holder. Sharpton said that voter ID laws were a "deliberate attempt to try to suppress our votes in particularly minority communities that are disproportionately impacted, senior and students," while Holder likened the laws to the Jim Crow era "poll taxes."


7. Eric Holder's contempt charge
Writing in the Huffington Post, Al Sharpton gave a lengthy discourse to a charge that the contempt of Congress charged voted on by the House was similar to New York police's "stop-and-frisk" policy. "Tattered down and publicly humiliated, AG Holder has been mishandled just like the young Black and Latino men (and women) who are demonized on our streets everyday..."


8. Welfare fraud
Matthews went on this soliloquy that blamed any opposition to social anti-poverty programs to deep-rooted racism. "Nothing is more primitive than to beat the drums of tribal grievance," Matthews said. "Welfare cheating, food stamp grabbing are all part of the lingo, along with the old calls for law and order and states rights and all the rest. Say what you want, the message is familiar, deeply redolent of the old demagoguery that stirs up the working white people against the black."


9. Branding analogies
When Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said, "While I would love for Christie to put a hot poker to Obama's butt, I thought he did what he was supposed to do," about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's keynote address at the Republican National Convention, liberal commentators were quick to criticize the remarks, saying Barbour was essentially calling for a branding of the nation's first black president. Talking Points Memo editor Josh Marshall tweeted, "Archaic klan torture techniques."


10. Anger references
When Mitt Romney said that President Obama should take his "campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago," MSNBC co-host Toure heard a racial diatribe. "He's really trying to use racial coding and access some really deep stereotypes about the angry black man. This is part of the playbook against Obama, the 'otherization,' he's not like us. ... You are not one of us, you are like the scary black man who we've been trained to fear."

[Warph]

Top 10 Obama Mideast Mistakes

By: Human Events

9/29/2012 05:16 AM

Despite Barack Obama's view that his presidency would repair relations with the Muslim world, America's standing on the Arab street has never been lower.

1. Egypt policy
The administration has been consistently one-step behind events in crafting an Egypt policy. The White House's initial backing of President Hosni Mubarak lost any support it might have gained from the crowds in Tahrir Square. Then the United States shocked its Mideast allies by pulling support from the Egyptian leader. The United States is now faced with a hostile regime in Cairo, where a Muslim Brotherhood-headed government could hardly be bothered to act when a mob tried to overrun the U.S. embassy.

2. Iran nuclear program
During his 2008 campaign, Obama posited that the Iranian leadership was bellicose mostly in reaction to misguided policies of the Bush administration. Unlike his predecessor, he would be willing to sit down and talk with the mullahs, confident that his powers of persuasion would convince them to lay down their nuclear ambitions. Four years later, Obama seems has been more concerned about cutting back our nuclear arsenal than trying to stop Tehran.

3. Diplomatic security
How could a U.S. ambassador be at an unsecured consulate in a hostile location in the Arab world on the anniversary of September 11? Christopher Stevens' murder by a terror mob need could have been avoided if the U.S. heeded the warnings that violence was afoot. The State Department had even issued a travel alert to Americans about going to Libya, yet the consulate had minimal security.

4. Libya explanation
Long after the entire world knew that the strike on the Libyan consulate was a terrorist attack, the Obama administration continued its laughable explanation that the assault was solely the result of a spontaneous mob enraged by an anti-Islamic film. As Sen. John McCain pointed out, protesters don't usually bring rocket-propelled grenades to a political rally.

5. Disdain for Israel
The one ally the United States could always count on in the Middle East—Israel—has consistently gotten the shaft from the White House. Obama has shown nothing if not disdain for the Jewish state, at one point offending Israeli officials by urging a return to 1967 borders. Now Obama can't even find time in his schedule for a face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

6. Leading from behind in Libya
Hillary Clinton asked, "How can this happen in a country we helped to liberate?" when the U.S. ambassador was murdered. The answer goes back to the method of liberation—Obama's sanctioning of NATO air strikes. Little regard was given to the make-up of the rebels that finally steamed-rolled to victory who are vying for power.

7. Iran protests
Before the Arab Spring, there were the Iranian protests of 2009, where any assistance from Washington, could have helped to tip the balance of power away from the hard-line Islamist leaders. Instead, Obama was still convinced of his own power to sweet-talk Ahmadinejad and he left the nascent democracy movement out to dry.

8. Syria muddle
That the Syrian uprising has turned into a crisis reminiscent of the Cold War, with Russia and China teaming against the West to support the Assad regime, is a sign that Obama's "reset" with the Kremlin is headed to the dustbin of history. The Obama administration truly is leading from behind in Syria, with no real strategy to influence the outcome, deal with its aftermath or, mostly importantly, advance U.S. interests.

9. Hurt sensibilities
After the U.S. Embassy in Cairo was breached by an unruly mob, the diplomatic staff put out a statement condemning "the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims"—referring to the anti-Muslim film the crowd was protesting. While Obama later distanced himself from the statement, it is not surprising that an embassy under his watch would offer such drivel, as the placating of Muslims seems to be engrained in the administration's DNA.

10. Cairo hubris
The hubris of Barack Obama is astonishing. Who else would actually believe that a speech to the Arab world would somehow persuade Muslims everywhere to set aside their hatred of America? Yet Obama's key strategic initiative in the Middle East was going to Cairo in June 2009, where he sought a "new beginning" with Islam. The speech seems almost quaint today, talking about his own common bond to the faith during his childhood in Indonesia, where now mobs are burning him in effigy.

[Warph]

Top 10 Obama Anti-Business, Anti-Job Actions

By: Human Events
10/6/2012 05:41 AM

President Obama loves to complain that he inherited an economic mess. That may be true, but his wrong-headed policies have only made matters worse, taking actions that hurt businesses and stunt job growth.


1. Obamacare costs

Obamacare will impose a new cost on many small businesses that currently do not provide health insurance for their employees and will pressure many to shift workers to part-time status to get below the measure's "50-worker" loophole. It also means all companies will have to re-evaluate their health care coverage and make changes to come into compliance with federal guidelines or pay fines of up to $3,000 per worker. The Congressional Budget Office says the bill will lead to 800,000 fewer jobs by 2020.


2. Small business tax hikes

The expiration of the Bush tax cuts for individuals making over $200,000, or families making $250,000, will hit many small business owners, an increase that will hit as those same owners are still trying to dig out of the recession. Considering that small businesses are the main creator of jobs in the nation, every dollar taken from them in tax hikes is that many fewer dollars available for expanding employment.


3. EPA's burdensome regulations

Regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency put a tremendous burden on businesses, making job creation more difficult. The agency's rules on air quality standards are curtailing energy produced from coal-fired electrical plants, causing a rise in electricity prices and making scarce a major resource that is abundant in America.


4. Keystone XL Pipeline postponed

Even Obama's union supporters expressed outrage over his decision to indefinitely postpone construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would transport oil from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico. The president's decision cost thousands of jobs and lost a possible source of energy from North America, as China was soon knocking on Canada's door. But at least Obama's Hollywood environmental backers were placated.


5. Boeing battle

When Boeing wanted to build a new $750 million assembly plant in South Carolina, creating thousand of jobs in the process, the National Labor Relations board stepped in, saying the move violated federal law because S.C. is a right-to-work state. The board, whose balance tipped toward labor with Obama appointees, finally dropped the case after the union representing Boeing workers withdrew its objections.


6. Capital-gains 'fairness'

When he was running for president in 2008, Obama said he would increase the capital gains rate, even if it meant bringing in less tax revenue for the government, out of the notion of "fairness." He is still on the same quest as the expiration of the Bush tax cuts would increase the capital gains tax rate by 33 percent. This time "fairness" will likely mean hurting the middle class, as the hike looms in January as part of the so-called taxmaggedon that could tip the economy back into a recession.


7. Off-shore drilling moratorium

After the BP oil spill in 2010, Obama placed a moratorium on deep-water drilling, devastating the off-shore oil and gas industry in the gulf coast states. While Obama seems to constantly throw up road blocks that inhibit development of U.S. energy resources—including slowing the permit process for new oil drilling sites—after his moratorium, he gave assistance to off-shore drilling efforts in Brazil, creating jobs there, not here


8. Dodd-Frank 'financial reform'

By signing the Dodd-Frank financial "reform" measure into law, Obama placed yet another heavy cost on the business community. Passed in 2010 without a single Republican vote in the House, the measure mandates, among many requirements, an enormous paperwork burden that will mainly help employ accountants and lawyers.

Interesting that the politicians with their names attached to this bill did as much as any to protect and encourage Fannie Mae's contribution to the 2008 financial meltdown.


9. Anti-business rhetoric

Obama's "You-didn't-build-that" mentality diminishes the accomplishments of business entrepreneurs while exalting the role of government. His class-warfare political strategy includes demonizing Wall Street, insurance companies, bankers, pharmaceuticals, Big Oil, and "millionaires and billionaires." The presidency is a "Bully Pulpit" and Obama's misuse of it only gives ammunition to the anti-capitalist Occupy crowd.


10. Business climate uncertainty

U.S. companies are sitting on trillions of dollars of cash but are not spending it to expand business or hire new workers because of the uncertainty about what government is going to do next. With tax hikes looming, along with rising health care costs associated with Obamacare, and the constant strangulation by bureaucratic red tape, corporations are in a waiting mode before opening their spigot of cash—waiting until we get a new president.

[Warph]

         


Top 10 examples of media malpractice

By: Human Events
10/13/2012 06:00 AM


1. Giving Obama a pass on Libya
The attack on the American consulate in Benghazi was the first successful terror action directly against United States' interests since 9/11. The media hardly noticed that the president had been skipping national security briefings before the attack, or that he flew off the next day for a Las Vegas fundraiser. By the time U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's laughable assertion that the attack was a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Muslim film was discredited, and reports surfaced of previous security issues at the consulate, including ignored warnings, the media had moved on to more important things.


2. Economic unreality
Suddenly, the mainstream media are reporting that the country is becoming more optimistic as the economy gains strength. The problem with that meme is that it is based on a falsehood. The reality remains dire as a record number of Americans are not participating in the labor force, income levels have dropped, gas prices are up sharply, and economic growth is anemic and further weakening. With the same data under a Republican administration, the media would doing stories on the homeless crisis and impoverished children.


3. Fixation on Romney's embassy statement
The media went apoplectic when the Romney campaign criticized a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo after a mob breached its security. The statement, deploring insults against Islam, was later rejected by the White House but the storyline was set in stone—Romney gaffed. The big three TV networks spent 20 times the amount of air-time that day on Romney's statement than the combined coverage of Obama's Mideast policy, the death of a U.S. ambassador, security in Benghazi, and mobs protesting America around the world.


4. Creating racism meme
MSNBC hosts are taking in the lead in creating the impression that Republicans are so racist that they merely need to say certain "dog whistles" that their followers will know are coded terms. So we are informed that saying "Chicago," referring to the president playing "golf," opposing the explosion of "food stamps," or being concerned about "welfare fraud," are really sly reminders to the party faithful that Barack Obama is black. So insidious are these dog-whistles, that the president, according to one MSNBC host, fell victim during the first debate when he refused to come out swinging because he feared he would be labeled an "angry black man."


5. Vetting differential
The media are leaving no stone unturned in its vetting of Mitt Romney, probing his high-school antics and his wife's horse therapy, fixating on his Bain Capital success, and turning the hunt for his tax records into a search for the Holy Grail. After four years in office, Obama remains a man of mystery as the media meekly accepted the narrative in his own autobiographies and then failed to follow up even on obvious stories. Who paid for his pricey schools? What about his school transcripts? How much cocaine did he use?


6. Debate 'lies'
After Romney demolished Obama in the first debate, the media exchanged talking points with the president's campaign and decided to go with the "Romney-lied" explanation of why their favored candidate tanked. While Obama seemed genuinely flummoxed when Romney insisted he did not have a $5 trillion tax cut plan, the media declared that and every other assertion made by Romney during the debate as untruthful.


7. Silent on U.N. rebuff
Obama decided to ignore pleas for bilateral meetings from world leaders gathered in New York for the annual United Nations gathering and instead booked an appearance on "The View." Obama even rebuffed Benjamin Netanyahu's urgent request for talks as Iran nears the final stage of its nuclear quest, while declaring himself "eye candy" for the ladies on the show. Imagine the howls in the press if it had been President Bush. But Obama's outrageous foreign policy blunder received tame media attention.


8. Romney's foreign trip 'gaffes'
During Romney's summer trip overseas, the media was all about finding gaffes even when none existed. His statement in London that Olympic security was "disconcerting"
was treated as the gaffe of the century, even though British newspapers were full of stories expressing the same concerns. In Israel, his "gaffe" was offending Palestinians by correctly saying their culture contributed to their problems. By the time he got to Poland, reporters were shouting "What about your gaffes?" during a solemn ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider.


9. Gaffes differential
The same media outlets that ran Dan Quayle out of town for misspelling potato and turned every George W. Bush verbal misque into grounds for impeachment turn a blind eye to the gaffes that tumble out of the Democratic ticket. Biden is treated as like an endearing uncle, whose embarrassing statements are met with affectionate understanding. And any Obama rogue remark is usually conveniently ignored.

10. Mythical Obama
Ever since Obama burst on the scene, the media has portrayed him as a wonderful orator and a brilliant thinker. Aided by his trusty teleprompter and the lapdog mainstream media, he was able to keep up the charade throughout his presidency. That is until the first debate, when he stammered his way through ponderous answers and the nation finally saw what conservatives already knew—this president is a lightweight.

[Warph]

         

Top 10 reasons to vote Obama out of office

By: Human Events
10/27/2012 05:58 AM


Bring this list to the attention of undecided voters to help them make up their mind that it is, indeed, time for a change. Any doubts - watch this video:

1. Jobs not being created
Don't let the official 7.8 percent unemployment rate for September fool you; work-force participation is at a record low and 23 million American are looking for work. Ten times as many people have dropped out of the work force during Obama's term than have found a job. His last attempt at helping the unemployed—the 2009 stimulus package—cost nearly a trillion dollars with minimal impact on creating actual jobs.


2. Debt crisis spiraling
Under Obama, the nation has accumulated nearly $6 trillion in debt over four years and a second term would likely add more. The cost of financing the national debt will quickly skyrocket as interest rates rise. Obama's only plan to staunch the bleeding is to tax the rich. But even if he succeeds in letting the Bush tax cuts expire for families with incomes over $250,000, the annual deficit of $1.2 trillion would only fall to $1.12 trillion.


3. Obamacare outrages
Obama's signature achievement—the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—is more unpopular today than it was when he signed it into law. Obamacare adds to the deficit, while raising taxes on Americans of all stripes, even while harming job creation. Many families will lose their current health care coverage and surveys of doctors show many will flee the profession.


4. Foreign Policy Unraveling (Big Time)
The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi—and the administration's incompetence after—is a dramatic example of the unraveling of Obama's entire approach to foreign policy. Now Muslim mobs are protesting the United States around the world, apparently unswayed by Obama's Cairo outreach. Add his ill-fated Russia "reset," and his snub of world leaders at the United Nations and the result is a foreign policy with not a single positive achievement.


5. Economic anemia
We didn't expect a rapid recovery after the recession, but we're past a point where the economy should have begun to show steady growth as businesses become more confident, hire workers and consumer spending increases. But growth this year is under 2 percent. With crushing burdens and uncertainties heaped onto businesses—from Dodd-Frank and Obamacare to EPA regulations and tax hikes—Obama has managed to defy the business cycle.


6. Class warfare rhetoric
Obama has taken class warfare to a new level, attacking the successful as being greedy and heartless for not paying their fare share. He demonizes bankers, Wall Street and demands that the "millionaires and billionaires" be taxed at higher rates. The irony of it all is that his policies will do the most harm to the middle class, with his job killing programs, and small businesses, by hiking their taxes.


7. Partisan Politics
Unlike Presidents Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton, and G.W. Bush who all reached across the aisle to secure legislation with bipartisan support, Obama has tried to ram through his agenda without any help, as many of his major initiatives failed to attract a single GOP vote. For a president who promised change, he has only increased its harshness by constantly attacking the opposition.


8. No more Biden
After his debate with Paul Ryan, Vice President Joe Biden's "regular-guy" schtick is wearing thin. His smirking and laughing, when the nation wanted to hear a serious debate on the issues, was demeaning to the office, and makes the idea of "Crazy Joe" being a heartbeat away from the presidency a sobering thought. We can only hope that with a Romney-Ryan victory, Biden will go ahead and get a one-way Amtrak ticket back to Delaware, or better yet, Scranton, Pa.


9. Clean house of incompetents
It's not only the anticipation of Biden's departure from office that gives cheer, but finally the nation can get rid of the whole gang that couldn't shoot straight. From White House spokesman Jay Carney and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's cloudy account of the Libya attack to Attorney General Eric Holder's outrageous obfuscation on Fast and Furious, we've seen quite enough of Chicago-style politics.


10. No plan for future
Just as Obama has found it hard to run on his record, his constant attacks on Romney mask the fact that he doesn't have much of a plan to turn things around. A president's normal route for pushing an agenda is often contained in his annual budget request to Congress. Obama's spending blueprint is such a joke that every year it is the Republicans that introduce it as a bill and then both sides of the aisle unanimously vote against it. His only plan is to tax and spend the U.S. into oblivion, with future generations crushed by a mountain of debt.[/font][/size]

[Warph]

TOP TEN

By: Human Events
11/3/2012 04:48 AM

Election Day finally arriving, we offer this list of reasons to vote for Mitt Romney.


1. Job creation

With 23 million Americans looking for work, job creation is the key to get the economy moving again. Romney will ease regulatory and tax burdens that inhibit businesses from hiring new workers.  His experience in the business world where budgets are met—as opposed to Obama's community organizing background—makes him the kind of chief executive that can get the job done.


2. Lower taxes

A second Obama term will bring higher taxes rates for all Americans, increases in capital gains rates, tax deduction limitations, and scores of taxes associated with Obamacare—precisely the prescription for a double-digit recession. In contrast, Romney's plan to reduce rates, while closing loopholes, will help boost economic growth.


3. Economic growth

A Romney win will go a long way to reassure businesses, which are sitting on a trillion dollars in cash reserves, that it is safe to make investments and expand their operations without Big Government stepping in. His policies on energy and trade will help boost economic growth. By contrast, just the enactment of Obama's crushing tax increases will snuff out any hope that the United States sees a robust recovery.


4. Entitlement reform

Romney's selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate signaled that he was ready for a serious discussion about saving entitlement programs, where costs are spiraling out of control. Obama never offered a plan during his four years, ignored his own debt commission's recommendations, and added another costly entitlement program with Obamacare. Social Security and Medicare are at risk unless a bold, daring approach is tried—like the Ryan plan.


5. Apppointments

As bad as Obama's Cabinet has been during his first term (exhibit No. 1 and 2: Energy Secretary Steven Chu and EPA administrator Lisa Jackson), a second-term will only get worse as officials begin to flee and Democratic hacks and retreads are called upon (think Secretary of State John Kerry). Imagine instead a Cabinet with successful businessmen and governors, with track records of creating jobs and successfully living within a budget.


6. Repeal Obamacare

Romney has promised to do all he can to prevent the implementation of Obamacare. If the measure continues to be enacted, families will lose health coverage, doctors will flee the profession, taxes will go up, jobs will be lost, and the national debt will climb. It is a bill that the American people never wanted and this election is likely their last chance to stop its encroachment.


7. Military

The agreement to avert the debt ceiling crisis last year included an automatic sequestration of hundreds of billions of dollars in Pentagon funding that will endanger America's national security by crippling the readiness of the armed forces. Democrats have long eyed the military budget and would like nothing better than to cut it down to size in order to have funding available for social programs and wealth redistribution.


8. Foreign affairs

Obama's foreign policy is unraveling, with his outreach to the Muslim world disintegrating into an anti-American frenzy, as Iran marches steadily toward nuclear capability, and with allies snubbed and enemies emboldened. Romney will make sure that America is respected throughout the world and pursue a foreign policy that is in sync with the United States' national interest rather than the dream of a new world order.


9. Bipartisanship

Obama promised a new era of bipartisanship when he ran for office in 2008, but advanced legislation without reaching across the aisle to include Republicans and added to Washington's caustic tone with the constant demonization of his opponents. By contrast, Romney had a track record during his tenure as Massachusetts governor of working with a Democratic legislature to advance measures with votes from both parties.


10. Not Obama

The nation is weary after the four years of ideologically driven incompetence that was evident throughout Obama's first term. With Obama having no plan other than more of the same—more taxes, more spending, more regulations, more government—we know what a second term will look like. While Romney is worthy of the presidency based on his background and demeanor, the best thing he has going for him is that he is not Barack Obama.

[Warph]

18,000 jobs lost because of this crappy Bakers Union!!!

         


          Top 10 Election Bright Spots

By: Human Events
11/17/2012 06:00 AM


1. House still in GOP hands
Republicans held onto most of the gains made in the 2010 midterm elections, enabling conservatives to keep Obama from imposing a radical agenda on the nation in his second term. House Speaker John Boehner signaled as much, saying on election night that Americans sent a clear message by keeping the House in GOP hands. "With this vote, the American people have also made clear that there is no mandate for raising tax rates," Boehner said.

2. Popular vote still close
With a 50.5 percent to 48 percent popular vote deficit, Romney outperformed McCain's percentage in 2008 by several points. America is still close to a 50-50 nation, at least keeping Republicans in the ball-game. After four more years of liberalism, it shouldn't be hard to find more recruits to switch sides.

3. Ballot initiatives
Voters backed conservative-oriented ballot initiatives in states across the nation, denying race-based policies in Oklahoma, turning down benefits to illegal immigrants in Montana, rejecting assisted suicide in Massachusetts, defeating tax increase measures in Washington, Missouri, South Dakota and Arizona, and backing parental notification for abortions in Montana.

4. Union setback
Voters in Michigan rejected a ballot initiative that would have enshrined collective-bargaining as a constitutional right for unions. The amendment would have blocked right-to-work laws, which declare union membership cannot be required as a condition for employment. Coming after recent defeats for public sector unions in Wisconsin, labor had hoped to use the Michigan measure to regain momentum.

5. Nebraska Senate pickup
The only Democratic Senate seat gained by Republicans was in Nebraska where state Sen. Deb Fischer defeated former senator and governor Bob Kerrey for the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Ben Nelson. While Nebraska should be a reliably red state, Fischer was a surprise winner in the GOP primary, defeating better-known candidates with the help of a Sarah Palin endorsement, and Kerrey was trying to make a political comeback after a decade out of office.

6. North Carolina governor
Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory handily defeated Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, 55 percent to 43 percent, to become the first Republican governor in North Carolina in 24 years. With the Tar Heel State pickup, Republicans now control gubernatorial seats in 30 states, the highest number for either party in 12 years. North Carolina Republicans also made gains in Congress and took control of the state's general assembly.

7. State legislature victories
Conservatives made significant advances on the state level, extending gains from the 2010 midterm elections. Republicans won back control of the state legislature in Wisconsin, won supermajorities in Tennessee, made gains in the Kansas legislature, and won control of the Arkansas state house for the first time since Reconstruction.

8. Rep. Pete Stark defeated
Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) was a victim of California's new system of pitting the top two primary vote-getters as general election opponents regardless of party, losing to a fellow Democrat after 40 years in the House. Stark wielded power from his perch on the House Ways and Means Committee and was instrumental in crafting Obamacare. He was also a reliable liberal, belonging to the Congressional Progressive Caucus and was the first openly atheist member of Congress. He was among the more boorish members of the House, committing a lengthy list of gaffes and outrageous statements. Good riddance.

9. Sheriff Joe re-elected
Residents of Maricopa County, Ariz., declared what they thought about the Justice Department's crusade against Joe Arpaio, voting the "Toughest Sheriff in America" to office for the sixth time. Arpaio, 80, handily defeated Phoenix police veteran Paul Penzone, who had strong support from the state's Latino community which opposes Arpaio's tough stance against illegal immigration.   

10. Youth vote slippage
There is a glimmer of hope in how the nation's youth voted. Voters aged 18 to 29 defied projections and turned out in waves equal to their support of Obama in 2008, and once again help to propel him into the White House. But look at the numbers. Whereas in 2008, Obama received 66 percent of the youth vote, in 2012 that had slipped to 60 percent—a hopeful sign that the nation's youth are slowly catching on that the president's policies will keep them jobless and burdened with debt.

[Warph]

Guns & Patriots - Top 10 Concealed Carry Guns

By: Mark Walters
12/7/2010 03:01 AM
http://www.humanevents.com/2010/12/07/top-10-concealed-carry-guns/

This article is sure to generate a ton of emotion and that is a good thing.  A "top ten" list of anything is going to be helpful to some, controversial to many and just plain flat out wrong to others.  No matter what I put on the list or where I may rank it, someone is certain to tell me I'm right just as someone else is certain to tell me I'm wrong.  (That's what makes America great)!

So, here we go.

As far as I'm concerned, in order for a concealed carry gun to be effective it must meet certain criteria.  A CCW gun must:

4.     Be simple to use.  Point and click, squeeze and bang.  No levers, locks, bells or whistles.  Nothing that makes you think beyond pulling a trigger.  This is a gun.  It should be simple and you should not have to worry about running a "system" when your life or the lives of your loved ones are on the line and immediate action is required.

3.    Power.  All guns are powerful.  Don't believe me?  Stand in front of your little 22 LR and have someone pull the trigger.  What?  I didn't think so.  This is one area where I will challenge conventional wisdom.  No one wants to get shot...by ANY gun of ANY caliber, especially criminals.  Yes, you should always carry the largest and most powerful caliber that you can comfortably carry and shoot...if that happens to be a .22, good for you and BAD for whoever is on the receiving end!

2.    Reliability.  You can carry the coolest custom gun in the world but if your choice of handgun doesn't go POW when your booger hook squeezes the bang switch or the shot goes wide left like a pee-wee football field goal attempt, it is worthless.  Your gun MUST be reliable and by reliable I mean reliable right out of the box!

1.    Comfort.   This is another area where I will also challenge conventional wisdom.  We've all heard the words that a gun isn't meant to be comfortable, it is meant to be comforting.  That is old school.  Nowadays, it can be both.   It is no longer necessary to lug around a 2 lb. hunk of steel with only 7 rounds.  (Unless you want to)

Here's my personal list of top ten favorites:

10.    Glock Model 36
I used to carry this gun religiously.  In fact I pulled it on two miscreants who tried to approach my vehicle at an intersection in November of 2002 on a balmy Tampa, Florida morning at 6:20 am.   I never had to fire a shot.  Thank God.  Slim and sleek, the 36 makes carrying the .45 ACP just a tad bit more comfortable.


9.    Kel-Tec P3AT
The 380 is not my optimum choice of self-defense caliber.  Having said that and following the criteria above (#3 in particular), the Kel-Tec P3AT is an excellent choice for meeting all 4 criteria and I have carried it on and off over the years.  Why is the Ruger LCP or Taurus TCP not on this list?  They are, you just can't see them because the Kel-Tec P3AT is kind of like the grandfather of the .380 craze.  Consider it to represent all of the above in the small framed, polymer 380's.


8.    Kahr PM9
The Kahr PM9 is a great little shooter, has perfect weight and balance and it's a Kahr, for crying out loud.  It's as reliable as the day is long, doesn't need any fluff and buff and it feels good in my hand.  Maybe it doesn't fit in yours.  If not, replace number 9 here with whatever you think works best!


7.    Glock Model 19
Sticking with the 9mm as we work our way through the list, the Glock 19 is a perfect fit of beautiful, ugly, fit and balance.  This 9mm is a wonderful shooter with easily manageable recoil and excellent shot follow-up.  No wonder it's one of the most popular CCW guns in the world.


6.    Springfield XD Compact .45
I like this gun.  Smaller frames can make the .45 ACP feel like a real bull coming out of the gate but to me this gun handles the power of the formidable .45 cartridges very well.  It's a great match of balance and power in a medium package that is extremely accurate outside the normal defensive range of 7-10 feet.


5.    Smith and Wesson M&P full size .40 S&W
I LOVE these S&W M&P's.  I've owned and carried the 9mm and the .40 in both compact and full size frames and I gotta tell ya...the reason this gun outshines other manufacturers of similar size and caliber is the grip.  The interchangeable back-straps on a gun this size, for someone like me with smaller hands make shooting this gun a joy!  It's a natural pointer and it just plain fits my hand.


4.    Glock Model 22 Gen4
Not a small gun by any stretch but the new Gen 4 grip fits my hand perfectly.  This gun rides with me whenever I am able to carry a full size handgun.  Today's holster designs enable carry of this (or any other) larger frame gun quite comfortably either inside or outside the waistband.   The proven stopping power of the .40 cal make this a great choice for a full size CCW gun.


3.    Glock Model 23
Slightly smaller than the model 22, the Glock 23 is a "hands down" winner in my opinion.  Not to mention it has that loveable Glock "pretty and ugly" thing going on that I like so much and for me is a perfect fit for "anytime" carry.


2.    Smith and Wesson Model M&P 340 CT revolver (.357/.38 Special +P)
I have carried this gun for two years.  This little snub-nosed revolver is the finest J-Frame ever made.  357 Magnum or .38 S&W Special +P, the choice is yours.  For me, the .357 is brutal and flat out no fun to shoot.  Even in the .38 this gun bites BUT it is manageable, accurate to some distance with a little practice and enough of a deterrent to stop a threat.  Scandium Alloy frame and Crimson Trace grips with the XS Tritium sights make this gun an absolute "must have".  Pricey, but worth saving for!


1.    North American Arms NAA .22 Magnum Mini-Revolver
What, are you serious?  You bet I am.  A concealed carry handgun does you absolutely NO good if it isn't carried!  The NAA .22 Magnum Mini-revolvers eliminate every possible excuse you can think of for not carrying some type of personal defense gun on your person at all times.  It fits ALL possible attire from a bathing suit to full winter garb.  No, the .22 magnum is not my favorite choice of defensive caliber however the NAA .22 Magnum Mini in my pocket under ANY possible scenario certainly beats the hell out of my main carry gun in the glove box or safe.  In fact, this gun should be on your person even when you ARE carrying your main gun.  Never again do you have an excuse to be unarmed...ever.  Everyone should own one of these.

So there you have it.  As I've mentioned on the air many times...I don't want to get shot with ANY caliber and logic dictates that any caliber in your pocket is better than NO caliber in your pocket.

Rule number one to carrying a gun for self-defense is to carry a gun. Whatever method of carry you choose, for whatever lifestyle you lead, you have a responsibility to your community, your loved ones and yourself to be armed and capable of defending yourself and your family.

Whatever you choose to carry, remember to carry on, carry often and carry everywhere!

This what I carry most of the time... Warph


Catalog Number: SR22-CT | Model Number: 3601 | Caliber: 22 LR

Slide Material: Aluminum Slide
Finish: Black Anodize
Grip Frame: Black Polymer
Sights: Adjustable 3-Dot
Barrel Length: 3.50"
Overall Length: 6.40"
Height: 4.90"
Width: 1.29"
Weight: 18.25 oz. Capacity: 10
Twist: 1:16" RH Grooves: 6
MA Approved & Certified: No CA Approved: No
Feature: Crimson Trace® Rail Master™ Laser      

[Bullwinkle]

      What's wrong with my Browning Hi-power?