Saturday Shorts – 7-11-15

Posted on July 11, 2015

sshorts6-29-13

Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
Man arrested for killing San Francisco woman is an ILLEGAL who had been DEPORTED FIVE TIMES ~ And apparently Kate Steinle didn’t look enough like one of Obama’s daughters for him to bother mentioning the tragedy.

 
Almost half of all federal criminal cases are filed in five districts on U.S. southern border ~ Connect the illegal alien dots.

 
Republicans Take Down the Confederate Flag the Democrats Put Up in South Carolina — and Liberals Are Still Angry ~ from Rush Limbaugh’s July 10 broadcast ~

A Democrat raises the flag, a Republican governor tries to lower the flag and gets thrown out of office because of it.

 
Allahu Akbar: What the lowering of the Confederate flag is REALLY about ~ It may be a lot more insidious than we think; undermining the 10th Amendment?

 
Homosexual Sues Bible Publisher Because Bible Is Homophobic –
The radical gay agenda reaches new levels of insanity ~

These sick joke lawsuits may go nowhere, but future suits backed by leftist activist groups with deep-pocketed sponsors will, now that the Supremes have discovered a constitutional right to compel others to validate perversion as normal.

 
The Turning Point: Lawless “Gay Marriage” ~ Where the gaystapo steamroller started (in Massachusetts with activist judges) – and could have been stopped if people of faith had pushed back hard enough ~

Tactics they learned and perfected:
• Use the courts, identifying sympathetic judges.
• Use emotional appeals. (“Love is love.” “We’re being denied equal rights.” “Our children need stable homes.”)
• Call your enemies names: bigot, Hitler, c*nt, troglodyte, fascist, hater, homophobe, anti-gay, wing nut, whack job.
• Intimidate the opposition into moderate, compromising goals.
• Subvert the legislators with money and propaganda.

 
Morales calls Pope’s teachings ‘socialist’ ~ Bolivia’s president Evo Morales hearts Francis (fellow travelers) ~

… feels like he’s got a good friend and ally in the highest of places in his battle for revolutionary social change and halting global warming: Pope Francis […]
 
“I don’t know whether it’s communism, but it is socialism. He’s talking about community, about living in harmony.”

I don’t know whether it’s communism either, but it’s definitely not scriptural.
 
Economic hardships in Puerto Rico spur a mass exodus to the U.S. mainland ~

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while because I’ve seen how things are deteriorating,” said Puente, 35. “But with everything happening now, I decided it’s time to go. The system doesn’t work here.” […]
 
“The government gives money to the people who don’t work, to those doing drugs, living on welfare.”

Lucky for Puerto Ricans, there’s still a better place to run to. Where will Americans go when the same reality catches up with us?

 
America: Land of The Banned And Home Of The Thought Slaves ~ Doug Giles rants about our increasingly Orwellian society. Love this part ~

Someone help me. Is this TV Land’s line of reasoning?:
 
• Dylann Roof is a murdering racist.
• Dylann Roof had a confederate flag.
• The Dukes Of Hazzard ’s car has a rebel flag on it.
• Therefore, The Dukes Of Hazzard is evil?
 
If that is true, then so is the following…
 
• God is love.
• Love is blind.
• Stevie Wonder is blind.
• Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God.

 
The Man Who Never Bothered Telling His Wife He Was ‘British Schindler’ Dies at 106 ~ Courage, compassion, a sense of duty, and humility – they sure don’t make ’em like Nicholas Winton anymore.

 
Flood of Londoners take to boats to escape rising housing costs ~ Interesting development ~

Rocketing housing costs in Britain’s capital have fuelled a surge in Londoners seeking cheaper accommodation on boats, with increased numbers putting pressure on the city’s historic network of rivers and canals.

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Downplaying another Chinese cyberattack

Posted on July 10, 2015

Luckily the Ariana-Grande hates-Americans-and-America story popped up on the front page just in time to sweep a national security crisis right off the front pages. Wouldn’t want the low-information crowd to get overly concerned about The hack to end all hacks: China now has sensitive info on 21.5 million Americans, feds say ~
 
ChinaCyberattack

According to OPM (Office of Personnel Management), if you applied to work for the federal government and received a background check at any point since the year 2000, it’s “highly likely” that China has your entire biography, possibly replete with your history of sexual relationships and any history of mental illness to that point. It’s an endless supply of intelligence with which to blackmail people in sensitive government positions.[…]

 
On the positive side, although it’s much too late in coming, Mitt Romney has been vindicated on foreign policy ~

If nothing else good comes of this, at least conservatives are having some fun on Twitter this afternoon mocking the many, many leftist halfwits who scoffed at Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign for claiming that China was cyberspying on the U.S. (For a variety of examples, scroll through Free Beacon reporter Lachlan Markay’s timeline.)
 
That makes Romney two-for-two on foreign policy today: Earlier, the commandant of the Marine Corps told Congress he considers Russia to be America’s top national security threat. When Romney made that claim three years ago, our schmuck president sneered at him that “the 1980s called and they want their foreign policy back.” This is the same guy who’s now promising us that a final deal this month will keep nuclear weapons out of Iran’s hands.

 
In the wake of the Chinese hack OPM chief Katherine Archuleta has resigned. And Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford (mentioned above), currently the Corps’ commandant, announced yesterday: President to Get ‘Full Range of Options’ For Response to OPM Cyber Attack. Even though this was essentially an act of war, we can pretty much bet that nothing will be done ~

Asked how the United States should respond, Dunford said: “From my perspective, if confirmed, my role will be to provide the president with a full range of options to deal with these cyber attacks, which is what the OPM breach was.”
 
President Obama in the past has rejected plans proposed by military and intelligence leaders to conduct offensive cyber counterattacks on China, preferring a legal and diplomatic approach.

 
obama-girlypose
 

Yep. The same feckless, ineffective approach he takes to every international challenge.
 
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Related:
OPM Announces More Than 21 Million Affected by Second Data Breach ~ The federal personnel agency finally announced Thursday the scope of a massive hack of security-clearance information first revealed last month.
Cyber Attacks on U.S. Companies in 2014
Chinese cyber attacks on West are widespread, experts say ~ (Feb. 2013)

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My bad feeling about Bernie

Posted on July 10, 2015

Eight long and painful years ago, I remember distinctly my early reactions to hearing that a junior senator named “Barack Obama” was being considered as a potential presidential candidate: Seriously? Who? I mean the oddball moniker itself should have been a disqualifier, especially with “Hussein” stuck in the middle.
 
As time went on, I still wasn’t worried. The man had accomplished little to nothing. And the more we learned more about his leftist views and “present” voting record in the Senate, the less I thought of his chances. I figured the American people still had enough common sense to know better than to elect a relatively unknown progressive who actually supported partial-birth abortion. Obviously, I figured wrong.
 
bernieSandersSo these days I’m getting an eerie sense of déjà vu when I hear about the senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders. Granted, the name isn’t nearly as weird, but his positions are every bit as radical. And unlike Obama – who tried to hide his true colors – Sanders is “out and proud” with his leftism. He’s an unapologetic Democratic Socialist. Yet – especially as Hillary battles her way through one scandal after another – old Bernie is gradually gathering momentum.
 
Howard Kurtz, at Fox News, expresses some surprise at Sanders’s growing popularity ~

After all, how could a 73-year-old self-described socialist, who hasn’t even been a member of the Democrat Party, be a viable contender?
 
Yet the signs of Bernie-mentum are forcing the press to treat him with more respect: the huge crowds, the sense of excitement, the fact that in the last quarter he raised $15 million, a third of Hillary’s haul.

 
Concerning the senator’s recent bounce in the polls, Kurtz cites Politico’s tone of mild shock ~

“Democratic primaries have always featured liberal insurgent candidates, but perhaps none quite so liberal or insurgent as the socialist senator from Vermont. Sanders’ comments are a reminder of just how far the second-place Democratic presidential candidate stands from the American mainstream on some issues, and the looming reckoning Democrats face with their party’s leftward drift.”

 

Well I’m not too sure the Dems are going to need “a reckoning.” Seems to me most of their voters are happily drifting down that lazy river of leftism right along with Bernie.
 
Allen West thinks maybe Americans just don’t realize what an unabashed socialist government would really mean for America and offers some insight: 5 facts you MUST share with every Democrat you know (before it’s too late) ~

1. First of all, socialists believe in wealth redistribution.
2. Socialists believe in nationalizing the economic production of a country, they do not believe in the private sector, the free marketplace of ideas.
3. Socialists believe in the creation and expansion of the welfare nanny-state.
4. Socialists actually believe in social utopianism — they call it social justice.
5. Lastly, Socialists embrace the secular society.

 

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”
~ Winston Churchill

 
jointhedependentsSmlr
Conservatives like Allen West, like our founding fathers, like Winston Churchill, understand human nature. And because socialism runs contrary to that nature, we know it will eventually fail. It inevitably leads to totalitarianism because, over time, the state greedily assumes control over every aspect of the citizens’ lives.
 
Unfortunately, it appears that a large swath of the population has already succumbed to the socialist mindset: Why work when I can get paid to do nothing? We must demand equal outcome – not equal opportunity – through redistribution; make life “fair” through “social justice.”
This development doesn’t bode well for America’s future…
 

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While Hillary Clinton is still the leader in this Democrat nominee contest, it’s a good bet that the fickle mainstream media will eventually tire of carrying her water. They really aren’t enamored with her anyway, she was simply all they had – until now. Soon I predict, they’ll stop tying to hide all her baggage from the sheeple and veer left towards Bernie. And most Americans – “takers” now, rather than “makers” – will follow.
 
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Related:
Bernie Sanders Is The Democratic Party’s Id

Posted in Unvarnished | 1 Comment

Leave the Rainbow Flag at home Barack

Posted on July 9, 2015

Ahead of his upcoming visit to Kenya, both secular and religious leaders in that country are issuing a caution to the president: If Obama Brings ‘Gay Agenda, We Will Tell Him to Shut Up and Go Home’ ~

“It is important for us as Kenyans to know that the U.S. is not God,” local media quoted evangelical Bishop Mark Kariuki as saying, adding that Obama should not use the visit to “talk about the gay issue.”
 
Irungu Kangata, a lawmaker in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance (TNA) party, was blunter: “We are telling Mr. Obama when he comes to Kenya this month and he tries to bring the abortion agenda, the gay agenda, we shall tell him to shut up and go home.”

 
kenya-nohomo 

Anybody who tries to come and preach to this country that they should allow homosexuality, I think he’s totally lost,” said TNA lawmaker Jamleck Kamau.
 
“And I would also like to add, our son from the U.S., Barack Obama, when he comes here, to simply avoid that topic completely,” added Kamau, “because Kenyans will not be happy with him if he comes to bring the issue of homosexuality in this country.”
 
Rose Mitaru, one of 47 female lawmakers representing counties across the country, said that allowing same-sex marriage in Kenya would open ‘floodgates of evil synonymous with the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah.’

 

The response from the O’Ministration to these declarations was the usual mixture of arrogance and prevarication ~
gaystapo

“I’m confident the president will not hesitate to make clear that the protection of basic universal human rights in Kenya is also a priority and consistent with the values that we hold dear here in the United States of America,” (Press Secretary Josh) Earnest said.

 
First of all, speak for yourself not-Earnest. Only the secular and the deluded hold sodomy and homosexual marriage “dear.” Second, what happened to we can’t impose our values on other cultures? That’s always the position you’re espousing when it comes to the religion-that-must-not-be-named. Audacious hypocrisy.
 
Meanwhile, thank God for Kenya ~

On Sunday, Deputy President William Ruto delivered a church sermon in Nairobi in which he said homosexuality was “against the plan of God.”
 
“God did not create man and woman so that men would marry men and women marry women,” The Daily Nation quoted him as saying.
 
“Those who want to engage in those businesses, they can do it in their countries, and they can do it wherever it is they want. In Kenya, we will stand firm.”

 
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Related:
Hundreds of Kenyan pastors to Obama: Stop preaching homosexuality ~

Archibishop of Nairobi Cardinal John Njue called out Obama and other international leaders for their role in the destruction of nations embracing the failed social experiment of homosexuality.
 
“Those people who have already ruined their society … let them not become our teachers to tell us where to go,” urged Njue, who also serves as president of the Kenyan Episcopal Conference. “I think we need to act according to our own traditions and our faiths.”

Posted in Comfort & Joy, Timeless Principles, Unvarnished | Leave a comment

“A more attractive and compelling vision”

Posted on July 8, 2015

President Obama’s latest platitude about ISIS’ aggression was yet another attempt to deflect criticism over his feckless middle east policy ~

“Ideologies are not defeated with guns, they are defeated with better ideas — a more attractive and compelling vision.”

[Who knew? 😯 You mean we didn’t need to fight the Revolutionary War, the Civil War or WWII?!… This folks, is the twisted “ideology” that develops when you’re reared by radicals.]
 

Sorry Mr.President. We know history isn’t your strong suit, but over millennia, military action has proven much more effective in defeating tyranny, genocide and other evils than “better ideas.”
 
On the other hand, miracles do happen. Here’s a report about a Muslim sheik who has embraced what is truly “a more attractive and compelling vision” – ISIS Trainer Turns to the Bible, ‘Sick of the Killing’ ~
 

Video via CBN News

A growing number of former Muslims around the world report coming to Christ after having a dream or vision of Jesus. ISIS members are no exception.
 
For instance, (a Middle East missionary named “Julian”) told of an ISIS fighter who had a vision of the cross, and then stumbled onto a Christian website. That terrorist later became a believer after meeting a Christian in Turkey.

 
Pretty sure these are not the sort of “compelling visions” the president was referring to with his empty rhetoric last Monday.
But they’re certainly the type that the Holy Spirit likes to employ 🙂

Posted in Comfort & Joy, Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished | Leave a comment

Progressive intolerance even extends to 12 year-olds

Posted on July 7, 2015

Unprincipled Leftists are so relentless in their fascist crusade to quash any dissent these days they’re even going after kids. This time it’s a 12 year-old.
 
CJ Pearson, whose viral video I posted back in February, is an awesome young man. Not yet a teenager, he’s already established a courageous conservative presence on the internet. Which makes him a potential threat to the Left. One they have to neutralize.

 
The virtual hatefest has been going on for months; progressive bullies were even able to get Facebook to take down his video. But now things have escalated to actual threats of physical harm to CJ and his family, specifically from one “Mona Hussein Obama” – aka – “Mona Brown” ~

 

 

Lefties sure can be charming can’t they? They have no scruples at all when it comes to silencing the Right.
 
Luckily CJ has lots of support on the Right. Ali A. Akbar (another strong conservative voice on the net) has personally taken up his cause ~

We caught Mona Brown. CJ’s parents have pressed charges. She never should’ve gone after CJ Pearson. If you haven’t heard about the threats to my friend, you can read it HERE. ~ #StandWithCJ

 
According to NewsBusters, the story does seem to have a happy ending. Mona Brown has apologized for her outrageous comments. And CJ has graciously accepted.
 
This time at least, a Leftie picked the wrong victim to bully. (Not holding my breath for Brown to get investigated/prosecuted for incendiary language.)

Posted in Unvarnished | Leave a comment

Questions for Rainbow Flag-waving Christians

Posted on July 6, 2015

A cousin recently shared a great article on Facebook: 40 Questions for Christians Now Waving Rainbow Flags. Writing about the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, Pastor DeYoung of East Lansing, MI, expresses the sentiments of many ~

… all the things that grieve us, perhaps what’s been most difficult is seeing some of our friends, some of our family members, and some of the folks we’ve sat next to in church giving their hearty “Amen” to a practice we still think is a sin and a decision we think is bad for our country. It’s one thing for the whole nation to throw a party we can’t in good conscience attend. It’s quite another to look around for friendly faces to remind us we’re not alone and then find that they are out there jamming on the dance floor. We thought the rainbow was God’s sign (Gen. 9:8-17).

 
rainbowflagwaving 

While all the questions Pastor DeYoung poses are thought-provoking, conversation starters, 40 of them might be a few too many (and some are a bit too doctrine-specific). We can probably narrow it down to 9 or 10 that are really compelling ~
 
A good place to start is by asking how would you define “marriage?”
There are several points to consider here:
• Should marriage be limited to only two people?
• Should close family members should be allowed to get married?
• Should there be an age requirement for obtaining a marriage license?
 
The following questions can help further clarify the issue from a Biblical persepective ~
 
1. How long have you believed that gay marriage is something to be celebrated?
 
2. What Bible verses led you to change your mind?
 
3. How would you make a positive case from Scripture that sexual activity between two persons of the same sex is a blessing to be celebrated?
4. What verses would you use to show that a marriage between two persons of the same sex can adequately depict Christ and the church?
 
5. If some homosexual behavior is acceptable, how do you understand the sinful “exchange” Paul highlights in Romans 1?
 
6. As you think about the long history of the church and the near universal disapproval of same-sex sexual activity, what do you think you understand about the Bible that Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Luther failed to grasp?
 
7. What arguments would you use to explain to Christians in Africa, Asia, and South America that their understanding of homosexuality is biblically incorrect and your new understanding of homosexuality is not culturally conditioned?
 
8. Does the end and purpose of marriage point to something more than an adult’s emotional and sexual fulfillment?
 
9. If supporting gay marriage is a change for you, has anything else changed in your understanding of faith?
 

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Many of us have been shaking our heads over family and friends who are professing Christians yet seem confused on the same sex “marriage” issue. Most of them seem to be well-intentioned, not wanting to appear “judgemental” or “unloving.” Perhaps sharing this article with them will help them to reconsider, and spur a change of heart. After all, is there anything more “loving” than wanting to help someone find the way to Jesus Christ, and eternal salvation?
 
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Related:
Christians who support same-sex ‘marriage’ have been duped

Posted in Cultural Erosion, Timeless Principles | Leave a comment

America at 239… from selfless to selfie

Posted on July 5, 2015

ladylibertysSelfie

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Saturday Shorts – 7-4-15

Posted on July 4, 2015

sshorts2-25-12

Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

James Madison Wrote Bill Of Rights To Protect Liberty ~ A brief recap of the accomplishments of the “Father of the Constitution.” Just one of our many illustrious founding fathers, Madison was more intelligent, principled and astute than any 10 of the clowns currently holding political office in Washington D.C. put together.

 

The media’s vile attacks on conservative assimilationists ~ Michelle Malkin on the hostile divisiveness of the Left ~

Conform to progressives’ worldview, and their proscribed definition of diversity or be prepared to be mocked, ridiculed and demonized.
You can’t win with these insane identity-mongers who preach compassion and peace while practicing vicious demagoguery.

 
Greek debt crisis: In Athens, scavenging from bins has become a way to survive ~ The Greek financial meltdown really is sad. People are actually dumpster-diving ~

As the country prepares to vote on continuing austerity on Sunday, in the streets of Athens some people have already resorted to searching the rubbish bins for food to eat and scrap metal to sell. (w/video)

But, according to this piece in the UK Daily Mail, there’s a lot of blame to go around ~ A whole island pretending to be blind to get benefits, 8,500 pensioners who faked being aged over 100 and lawyers who claim to earn just €12,000: New book reveals how Greeks cheated THEMSELVES into ruin ~

… a new book has lifted the lid on widespread benefits fraud, and tax avoidance – both of which contributed to a budget deficit which runs into billions of euros. […]
 
But what do when so many are cheating the system? It is estimated tax evasion alone might be costing the country as much as €20billion a year in lost revenue, while years of benefit fraud will certainly have added up.

 
Putin: America Is Godless, Has Turned Away from Christian Values ~

How tragically ironic – especially coming from the leader of a country that tried to erase every vestige of Christianity in just the last century! ~

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the West, including the United States, for eschewing Christian values and opting instead for a “path to degradation.” […]
 
Russia’s newfound embrace of traditional values has prompted a rise in Orthodox vigilantism. Extreme groups such as the Union of Orthodox Banner Bearers, an ultraconservative faction who adopted a slogan “Orthodoxy or Death,” are gaining prominence.

 
Montana ‘thruple’ applies for wedding license ~ Gee, no one saw this coming.
 
And it’s only the beginning ~
Get ready to say goodbye to your first Amendment freedoms ~

… no matter what you believe, the government will be free to regulate your speech, your writing, your associations, and whether or not you may express your conscience. Americans also need to understand that the endgame for some in the LGBT rights movement involves centralized state power—and the end of First Amendment freedoms.

 
$357,750: NIH Funds Research for App to Promote Exercise for Marijuana Users ~ Yet another dopey waste of tax-payer dollars ~

(CNSNews.com) – Could an app motivate marijuana users to exercise? The National Institutes of Health is giving $357,750 in taxpayer dollars through its National Institute on Drug Abuse to State University of New York at Buffalo to find out.

 
No H8: Clarence Thomas Is a ‘Clown in Blackface,’ Says Gay Activist Takei ~ Former Star Trek actor not exactly the most tolerant individual in the galaxy – or the most intelligent. He totally misread and/or misunderstood Justice Thomas’ opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges.

 
D.C. endures worst storm since 2012 derecho — here’s how it happened ~ Can’t help but wondering if God was weighing in on the SCOTUS gay “marriage” decision last week ~

Many eyewitnesses, awakened and rattled by the storm, described it as the scariest they could recall — jarred by the deafening thunder, continuous lightning, pounding rain and roaring winds.

 
livingchurch 
 
This Man ‘Grew’ a Church From Living Trees ~ New Zealand – What a labor of love; “Tree Church” is amazing. Check out the pix.

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Don’t be a jackass

Posted on July 3, 2015

This latest video from Bill Whittle provides an informative review of the sorry historical record of the Democrats. Wondering how many Dem voters would be shocked to learn the truth of their party’s shameful past?
 

Posted in Unvarnished | Leave a comment

Meanwhile, in another part of the world

Posted on July 2, 2015

inotherNews 

While the network news is focused on demonizing Donald Trump for telling the truth about the criminal tendencies of large numbers of illegal aliens, Islamists – ISIS or affiliates (i.e. Wilayat Sinai) – are busy terrorizing Egypt ~

Islamic State-linked militants struck Egyptian army outposts in the Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday in a coordinated wave of suicide bombings and battles that underlined the government’s failure to stem an insurgency despite a two-year crackdown. Security officials said dozens of troops were killed, along with nearly 100 attackers.

 
ISISinSinai2 

A report at Business Insider calls this latest offensive a game-changer ~

Of note, the coordinated assaults on Sheikh Zuweid also occurred two days after an unattributed VBIED killed Egyptian Attorney General Hisham Barakat. His death on June 29 prompted the Egyptian government to step up its counterterrorism campaign, specifically against the Muslim Brotherhood, which it blames for Barakat’s death.
 
ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood are not assessed to have affiliation, though the overall increase in violence in Egypt will likely strain the Egyptian military’s ability to address multiple threats.
 
The offensive in Northern Sinai on July 1 demonstrated ISIS’s attempt to establish greater territorial control in Sinai and expand its physical caliphate in the Near Abroad.

 
These developments are consistent with ISW’s (Institute for the Study of War) Ramadan forecast, anticipating that ISIS’s affiliates many attempt to administer governance or claim territorial control as a means of proclaiming caliphate expansion and to prepare for future military operations.

 

Israel, near enough to see the smoke, is closely monitoring the situation ~

An IDF official said that while the events were worrying, they posed no imminent concrete threat to Israel. There is a worry, however, that the situation in Sinai could end up negatively affecting the security of Israeli towns near the border with Egypt […]
 
The territory, characterized by hardscrabble towns, desert and mountainous areas suitable for guerrilla operations, has long been neglected by the (Egyptian) government. Local Bedouin tribesmen have grown to resent Cairo, turning to smuggling, organized crime and, in some cases, radical Islam […]

 
ISISinSinai

The planning and coordinated execution of Wednesday’s attack shows the insurgency in Sinai is growing stronger, especially since Morsi’s ouster and the crackdown on Islamic militants. They have been battling Egyptian security forces in the northern Sinai for more than a decade, despite military reinforcements, strict curfews and the destruction of homes and tunnels along the border with Hamas-ruled Gaza.

 
While our mainstream media pointlessly battles faux villains like “the Donald,” Egypt and Israel must face down real life ones.

 
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Related:
Netanyahu: We see ISIS at the gates in Sinai and Golan
Egyptian Military: We won’t stop until Sinai is clear of terror
ISIS is making moves internationally
Egypt’s circle of violence is turning darker
Hamas has close ties to IS affiliates in Sinai, say Israel, Egypt ~ terrorists of a feather…

Posted in Good vs.Evil, MSM Malpractice, Unvarnished | Leave a comment

Uh-oh. Puerto Rico’s economy is tanking too

Posted on July 1, 2015

PuertoRicoGoesbroke2And the financial hits just keep on coming… Because you can only live in a fiscal reality-free zone for so long ~ Puerto Rico’s Financial Crisis Is U.S.’ Crisis, Too

With the financial world transfixed by Greece’s debt-driven meltdown, Puerto Rico announces it can’t pay its $73 billion in debt. Once again, we’re learning that welfare statism is no replacement for fiscal responsibility […]
 
… a report on Monday, co-authored by former International Monetary Fund No. 2 Anne Krueger, revealed the island’s finances are a shambles.
 
The devastating analysis noted that some 150 agencies ran up deficits that couldn’t even be accurately counted, so the true indebtedness might be even higher — as much as $100 billion by some estimates.
 
The government has funneled public money to state-owned enterprises that are supposed to be financially independent. Worse, the report said, many workers no longer even look for jobs, since welfare benefits pay more than actual work.

 
PuertoRicoGoesbroke 
In the above photo, Puerto Ricans watch a televised broadcast as Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla addresses the island’s residents regarding the government’s $73 billion debt. The governor said that the people on the island will have to sacrifice and share in the responsibilities for pulling the island out of debt.

 
According to Fausta, the gov is being more than a little disingenuous ~ It is not in García Padilla’s interest to improve the economy ~

García Padilla’s administration relies heavily on a large bureaucracy, and he knows his predecessor was voted out of office for trying to reduce it. Estimates show that the government of Puerto Rico has 160,000 employees too many. That’s enough of a voter base to keep him in office.
 
If the U.S. refills the ATM, García Padilla will claim credit for it; if the U.S. doesn’t, he has someone to blame.
 
And don’t forget that García Padilla and other commonwealth supporters lost miserably during the last plebiscite, when statehood won by approx. 60%. For as long as Puerto Rico remains in a financial swamp, García Padilla knows the question of statehood will be dismissed with “And They Want to Be a State?”
(Or as Ed Koch put it, “The People have spoken … and they must be punished.”)

 

Sounds awfully familiar doesn’t it? Fiscally irresponsible, power-hungry politicians; eventually they run out of other people’s money.
Hold on to your shorts peeps.

 
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Related:
Puerto Rico: Countdown to the Greecespot

Posted in Fruits of Their Labors, Unvarnished | 3 Comments