Friday, February 26, 2010
The power goes out while the commie speaks:
Will we see something similar happen to President Obama before he is escorted out of the White House?
U/T: Drudge
posted by Karl @ 2:44 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Will we see something similar happen to President Obama before he is escorted out of the White House?
U/T: Drudge
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 2:44 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Friday, August 14, 2009
From last week: two articles with breaking news on the Honduras/Zelaya issue, and the links to crime and communism.
IBD Editorial: Honduras Has Won. Aug 7.
Fingers are crossed!
The WSJ Editorial by Mary Anastasia O'Grady, The FARC's Honduan Friends. Aug. 10. She mentions a captured FARC letter that lists 45 mostly communist groups supporting the return of ousted President Zelaya.
posted by Karl @ 2:32 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
IBD Editorial: Honduras Has Won. Aug 7.
In a welcome about-face, the State Department told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Richard Lugar, R-Ind., in a letter Tuesday that the U.S. would no longer threaten sanctions on Honduras for ousting its president, Mel Zelaya, last June 28.
Nor will it insist on Zelaya's return to power. As it turns out, the U.S. Senate can't find any legal reason why the Honduran Supreme Court's refusal to let Zelaya stay in office beyond the time allowed by Honduran law constitutes a "military coup."
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The scariest outcome for Honduras was U.S. sanctions. They would have crushed the tiny country dependent on the U.S. for 80% of its trade. No sanctions, no Zelaya.
This isn't to say U.S. policymakers are happy or that the dispute is over. Honduras is still suspended from the Organization of American States, its trade has been disrupted, Venezuela's oil is still cut off, and its officials still can't get U.S. visas. But the worst is over. Whatever changes that come will be by Honduran consent alone.
Nor will it insist on Zelaya's return to power. As it turns out, the U.S. Senate can't find any legal reason why the Honduran Supreme Court's refusal to let Zelaya stay in office beyond the time allowed by Honduran law constitutes a "military coup."
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The scariest outcome for Honduras was U.S. sanctions. They would have crushed the tiny country dependent on the U.S. for 80% of its trade. No sanctions, no Zelaya.
This isn't to say U.S. policymakers are happy or that the dispute is over. Honduras is still suspended from the Organization of American States, its trade has been disrupted, Venezuela's oil is still cut off, and its officials still can't get U.S. visas. But the worst is over. Whatever changes that come will be by Honduran consent alone.
Fingers are crossed!
The WSJ Editorial by Mary Anastasia O'Grady, The FARC's Honduan Friends. Aug. 10. She mentions a captured FARC letter that lists 45 mostly communist groups supporting the return of ousted President Zelaya.
Mr. Calderón has been waging a "war" on drug cartels in Mexico that has cost the lives of 1,077 law-enforcement agents since December 2006. Now both he and Mr. Obama are going to have to explain their support for a political faction in Honduras that is allied with organized crime.
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The FARC connection could go a long way in explaining why Mr. Chávez is pushing so hard for Mr. Zelaya to be restored to power. It is already well established that the Venezuelan strongman actively supports the FARC in South America. Rebels have a safe haven across his border and just last month a Colombian army raid on a FARC camp yielded a cache of Swedish-made anti-tank rocket launchers that originally had been sold to Venezuela. Mr. Chávez has still not come up with a credible explanation of how the Colombian terrorists got hold of them.
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The FARC connection could go a long way in explaining why Mr. Chávez is pushing so hard for Mr. Zelaya to be restored to power. It is already well established that the Venezuelan strongman actively supports the FARC in South America. Rebels have a safe haven across his border and just last month a Colombian army raid on a FARC camp yielded a cache of Swedish-made anti-tank rocket launchers that originally had been sold to Venezuela. Mr. Chávez has still not come up with a credible explanation of how the Colombian terrorists got hold of them.
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 2:32 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The WSJ's Americas expert, Mary Anastasia O'Grady, further explains why the Honduran supreme court and military chose to expel commie President Manuel Zelaya rather than imprison him within the country.
So, in short, the Hondurans are serious about their liberty. We envy them. But we'd add to O'Grady's reasons the fact that help for freedom-loving people will not come from the usual source. One must take more drastic and permanent actions to preserve freedom. They, like the protesters in Iran, are alone. We wish them well.
The New Great White Hope, Gov. Sarah Palin, penned a piece in the Washington Post: The 'Cap And Tax' Dead End:
Hilmar von Campe, author of Defeating the Totalitarian Lie and former Nazi Youth warns us all in his Accuracy in Media article, The Threat of Totalitarianism:
Even our sexy Commie Obama hat isn't as direct as von Campe's warnings. Is anybody listening?
James Taranto examined Sotomayor's testimony in his Best of the Web post, New Bork, New York. His analysis starts:
We vote NO, as in "NO liars on America's courts".
posted by Karl @ 9:28 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
It was this fondness for intimidation that prompted Mr. Zelaya's exile. Honduras was worried that if he stayed in the country after his arrest his supporters would foment violence to try to bring down the interim government and restore him to power.
It wouldn't be a first. Bolivia's President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada was removed in 2003 using just such tactics. Antigovernment militants, trained by Peruvian terrorists and financed by Venezuela and by drug money from the Colombian rebel group FARC, had laid siege to La Paz. As the city ran short on supplies, Mr. Sánchez de Lozada issued a decree to have armed guards accompany food and fuel trucks. The rebels, who had dynamite and weapons, clashed with the guards. Sixty people died. The president was pressured to step down.
It wouldn't be a first. Bolivia's President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada was removed in 2003 using just such tactics. Antigovernment militants, trained by Peruvian terrorists and financed by Venezuela and by drug money from the Colombian rebel group FARC, had laid siege to La Paz. As the city ran short on supplies, Mr. Sánchez de Lozada issued a decree to have armed guards accompany food and fuel trucks. The rebels, who had dynamite and weapons, clashed with the guards. Sixty people died. The president was pressured to step down.
So, in short, the Hondurans are serious about their liberty. We envy them. But we'd add to O'Grady's reasons the fact that help for freedom-loving people will not come from the usual source. One must take more drastic and permanent actions to preserve freedom. They, like the protesters in Iran, are alone. We wish them well.
The New Great White Hope, Gov. Sarah Palin, penned a piece in the Washington Post: The 'Cap And Tax' Dead End:
Unfortunately, many in the national media would rather focus on the personality-driven political gossip of the day than on the gravity of these challenges. So, at risk of disappointing the chattering class, let me make clear what is foremost on my mind and where my focus will be:
I am deeply concerned about President Obama's cap-and-trade energy plan, and I believe it is an enormous threat to our economy. It would undermine our recovery over the short term and would inflict permanent damage.
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The ironic beauty in this plan? Soon, even the most ardent liberal will understand supply-side economics.
The Americans hit hardest will be those already struggling to make ends meet. As the president eloquently puts it, their electricity bills will "necessarily skyrocket." So much for not raising taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year.
I am deeply concerned about President Obama's cap-and-trade energy plan, and I believe it is an enormous threat to our economy. It would undermine our recovery over the short term and would inflict permanent damage.
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The ironic beauty in this plan? Soon, even the most ardent liberal will understand supply-side economics.
The Americans hit hardest will be those already struggling to make ends meet. As the president eloquently puts it, their electricity bills will "necessarily skyrocket." So much for not raising taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year.
Hilmar von Campe, author of Defeating the Totalitarian Lie and former Nazi Youth warns us all in his Accuracy in Media article, The Threat of Totalitarianism:
It may sound like I am exaggerating or over-dramatizing the situation, but I think that we have a repetition of Hitler's policy to get total power developing in the United States. Obama's massive expansion of the federal government will destroy the United States as a world power, make us even more dependent on our enemies, and will ruin a great part of the present population and their descendants.
I believe his real purpose is not to get the United States out of the financial mess but to set the stage for a total takeover. The liberals controlling Congress are helping him in that task.
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When the Nazis took over power on January 30, 1933, they immediately set up a parallel party structure to the administration to watch over the action of the civil servants. They were responsible to Hitler. Obama has taken a similar approach and has already at the time of this writing appointed 16 czars, part of an unconstitutional governmental apparatus. It seems that their task is to watch over and interfere in the private sector. However, they report only to Obama, bypassing the Congress.
I believe his real purpose is not to get the United States out of the financial mess but to set the stage for a total takeover. The liberals controlling Congress are helping him in that task.
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When the Nazis took over power on January 30, 1933, they immediately set up a parallel party structure to the administration to watch over the action of the civil servants. They were responsible to Hitler. Obama has taken a similar approach and has already at the time of this writing appointed 16 czars, part of an unconstitutional governmental apparatus. It seems that their task is to watch over and interfere in the private sector. However, they report only to Obama, bypassing the Congress.
Even our sexy Commie Obama hat isn't as direct as von Campe's warnings. Is anybody listening?
James Taranto examined Sotomayor's testimony in his Best of the Web post, New Bork, New York. His analysis starts:
Under normal circumstances, a judge who says the things Sonia Sotomayor has said during her confirmation hearings would not be able to win confirmation in a Senate with a solid Democratic majority. Consider some of the positions she has taken:
On empathy: She repudiated the idea that it has any place in judging, as we noted yesterday.
On foreign law: She expressed her agreement with Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas and said flatly, "Foreign law cannot be used as a holding or a precedent or to bind or to influence the outcome of a legal decision interpreting the Constitution or American law that doesn't direct you to that law."
On the Second Amendment: She said, "I understand that how important the right to bear arms is to many, many Americans. In fact, one of my godchildren is a member of the NRA. And I have friends who hunt. I understand the individual right fully that the Supreme Court recognized in Heller." As to whether the Second Amendment applies to the states under the incorporation doctrine, she agreed with Justice Scalia that this is an open question.
On abortion: She declined to endorse Roe v. Wade, offering only the usual dodge that it is "the precedent of the court and settled, in terms of the holding of the court."
On judicial activism: She said that judges' "imposing policy choices in--or their views of the world or their views of how things should be done" is "improper."
She's practically a new Robert Bork!
On empathy: She repudiated the idea that it has any place in judging, as we noted yesterday.
On foreign law: She expressed her agreement with Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas and said flatly, "Foreign law cannot be used as a holding or a precedent or to bind or to influence the outcome of a legal decision interpreting the Constitution or American law that doesn't direct you to that law."
On the Second Amendment: She said, "I understand that how important the right to bear arms is to many, many Americans. In fact, one of my godchildren is a member of the NRA. And I have friends who hunt. I understand the individual right fully that the Supreme Court recognized in Heller." As to whether the Second Amendment applies to the states under the incorporation doctrine, she agreed with Justice Scalia that this is an open question.
On abortion: She declined to endorse Roe v. Wade, offering only the usual dodge that it is "the precedent of the court and settled, in terms of the holding of the court."
On judicial activism: She said that judges' "imposing policy choices in--or their views of the world or their views of how things should be done" is "improper."
She's practically a new Robert Bork!
We vote NO, as in "NO liars on America's courts".
Labels: Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 9:28 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Karl Rove frames the socialized health care issue extremely well in his WSJ Opinion piece, Obama Can't Be Trusted With Numbers. The first half is a review of false promises and other propaganda that has helped Obama push 'change' in the past few months that would normally be rejected by most Americans. The second half is devoted to that same MO as it is being applied to the so-called health care debate. No quote will do this article justice - you must read it in full - but we'll share his concluding paragraph:
As of this post, Honduras remains free. The communists are circling, and pressure is coming from both the North and the South for the commie president's reinstatement. Cliff Kincaid, of Accuracy in Media, shares information not seen in elsewhere on just what level of coordination exists between Chavez and his like-minded friend in DC. Leading "Progressive" Describes Obama-Chavez Axis:
UPDATE 7.11 10am. The risk of posting a Weekend Reading post on a Thursday is that Friday brings a brilliant article.
Charles Krauthammer discusses Obama's anxious deal-making in Russia, the new START treaty (or memo of understanding).
Once again, a Democrat president pursues an arms treaty for the purpose of a photo-op. And once again a Democrat president weakens our national security - this time by offering missile defense as a negotiating chip. Treaties are meant to strengthen national security. Other than the IMF treaty (Reagan), can one think of a treaty that benefitted the US?
Plumage - But at a Price:
posted by Karl @ 7:42 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Mr. Obama has already created a river of red ink. His health-care plans will only force that river over its banks. We are at the cusp of a crucial political debate, and Mr. Obama's words on fiscal matters are untrustworthy. His promised savings are a mirage. His proposals to reshape the economy are alarming. And his unwillingness to be forthright with his numbers reveals that he knows his plans would terrify many Americans.
As of this post, Honduras remains free. The communists are circling, and pressure is coming from both the North and the South for the commie president's reinstatement. Cliff Kincaid, of Accuracy in Media, shares information not seen in elsewhere on just what level of coordination exists between Chavez and his like-minded friend in DC. Leading "Progressive" Describes Obama-Chavez Axis:
According to eyewitness sources, under the apparently blind eye of the global media, the two leaders had lengthy conversations. The media covered the friendly photo of the initial handshake between the two leaders, then made much ado about an apparently-impertinent Chavez handing Obama a book in Spanish by Eduardo Galleano. What has not been reported is that Obama, leaving his advisers behind, held lengthy private conversations with Chavez where only an interpreter was present."
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But why would Obama be appeasing Chavez? Could the "appeasement" reflect the fact that Obama and Chavez are ideologically in sync and see events in Latin America through the same Marxist lens?
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The communist paper [The Militant] reported that, before there could be a revolution in the United States, Marxist forces would have to take control of Latin America. "Another idea frequently expressed by speakers from the floor and by a few panelists was that 'change has to come from the South,'" referring to Latin America, the paper said.
Almost two years later, that "change" has come to America and is threatening Honduras.
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But why would Obama be appeasing Chavez? Could the "appeasement" reflect the fact that Obama and Chavez are ideologically in sync and see events in Latin America through the same Marxist lens?
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The communist paper [The Militant] reported that, before there could be a revolution in the United States, Marxist forces would have to take control of Latin America. "Another idea frequently expressed by speakers from the floor and by a few panelists was that 'change has to come from the South,'" referring to Latin America, the paper said.
Almost two years later, that "change" has come to America and is threatening Honduras.
UPDATE 7.11 10am. The risk of posting a Weekend Reading post on a Thursday is that Friday brings a brilliant article.
Charles Krauthammer discusses Obama's anxious deal-making in Russia, the new START treaty (or memo of understanding).
Once again, a Democrat president pursues an arms treaty for the purpose of a photo-op. And once again a Democrat president weakens our national security - this time by offering missile defense as a negotiating chip. Treaties are meant to strengthen national security. Other than the IMF treaty (Reagan), can one think of a treaty that benefitted the US?
Plumage - But at a Price:
Obama says that his START will be a great boon, setting an example to enable us to better pressure North Korea and Iran to give up their nuclear programs. That a man of Obama's intelligence can believe such nonsense is beyond comprehension. There is not a shred of evidence that cuts by the great powers -- the INF treaty, START I, the Treaty of Moscow (2002) -- induced the curtailment of anyone's programs. Moammar Gaddafi gave up his nukes the week we pulled Saddam Hussein out of his spider hole. No treaty involved. The very notion that Kim Jong Il or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will suddenly abjure nukes because of yet another U.S.-Russian treaty is comical.
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Obama doesn't even seem to understand the ramifications of this concession. Poland and the Czech Republic thought they were regaining their independence when they joined NATO under the protection of the United States. They now see that the shield negotiated with us and subsequently ratified by all of NATO is in limbo. Russia and America will first have to "come to terms" on the issue, explained President Dmitry Medvedev. This is precisely the kind of compromised sovereignty that Russia wants to impose on its ex-Soviet colonies -- and that U.S. presidents of both parties for the last 20 years have resisted.
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Obama doesn't even seem to understand the ramifications of this concession. Poland and the Czech Republic thought they were regaining their independence when they joined NATO under the protection of the United States. They now see that the shield negotiated with us and subsequently ratified by all of NATO is in limbo. Russia and America will first have to "come to terms" on the issue, explained President Dmitry Medvedev. This is precisely the kind of compromised sovereignty that Russia wants to impose on its ex-Soviet colonies -- and that U.S. presidents of both parties for the last 20 years have resisted.
Labels: Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 7:42 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Remember. He's not a socialist!
Cartoon at IBD today:
Related - Mary Anastasia O'Grady - ultimate expert on Central and South American communist movements - wrote in yesterday's WSJ, Honduras Defends Its Democracy. A MUST read to get the facts straight before venturing further into this story of constitutional government and freedom.
The MSM is reporting this as a coup rather than a Supreme Court and military command acting as their constitution requires. Our thanks to O'Grady for the real story!
The Honduran Supreme Court and Military Command are the heroes of 2009. For us - the envy is strong within...
posted by Karl @ 2:08 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Cartoon at IBD today:
Related - Mary Anastasia O'Grady - ultimate expert on Central and South American communist movements - wrote in yesterday's WSJ, Honduras Defends Its Democracy. A MUST read to get the facts straight before venturing further into this story of constitutional government and freedom.
Hugo Chávez's coalition-building efforts suffered a setback yesterday when the Honduran military sent its president packing for abusing the nation's constitution.
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Yesterday the Central American country was being pressured to restore the authoritarian Mr. Zelaya by the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Hugo himself. The Organization of American States, having ignored Mr. Zelaya's abuses, also wants him back in power. It will be a miracle if Honduran patriots can hold their ground.
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Yesterday the Central American country was being pressured to restore the authoritarian Mr. Zelaya by the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Hugo himself. The Organization of American States, having ignored Mr. Zelaya's abuses, also wants him back in power. It will be a miracle if Honduran patriots can hold their ground.
The MSM is reporting this as a coup rather than a Supreme Court and military command acting as their constitution requires. Our thanks to O'Grady for the real story!
The Honduran Supreme Court and Military Command are the heroes of 2009. For us - the envy is strong within...
Labels: Hammer/Sickle, Not a Socialist, Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 2:08 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Chavez, yesterday, in Caracas:
Chavez said that people are calling Obama a "socialist" for the measures of state intervention he is taking to counter the crisis, so it would not be too far-fetched to suggest that he might join the project of "21st century socialism" that the Venezuelan leader is heading.
Chavez is lowering the political discourse by suggesting Obama is a "socialist". It is irresponsible speech like this that distracts us from solving real problems for real people... and from attacking Rush Limbaugh.
His motivations are simple. He sees Obama stealing the Socialism spotlight - a spotlight he feels entitled to after years of loyalty to Marx. In other words, Chavez feels one emotion towards Obama. The one emotion that drives
Envy
U/T: Drudge
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 9:37 AM Permalink
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Ed Morrissey, blogger and owner of our Commie Obama Rally Cap, breaks the story at Hot Air.
From the Caribbean Net News:
Will Sean Penn join them?
posted by Karl @ 6:48 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
From the Caribbean Net News:
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: United States President, Barack Obama will have a face-to-face meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez in April in Port of Spain, when the two leaders will be among three dozen heads of government and state at the three day Summit of the Americas.
Will Sean Penn join them?
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 6:48 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
From Reuters:
From the International Herald Tribune:
Washington Post: More Moscow Murder - Two critics of Vladimir Putin take bullets in the head.
Top blogs (listed to the left) are posting this interesting picture of Chavez with the daughter of our new CIA Director nominee.
And last, a man who campaigned on universal health care was sworn in as the next president of the United States.
So? When do we get our free stuff??
UPDATE 1.22:
We stand corrected! Doug Ross notifies us that our new CIA director does not have a daughter. No show trial necessary - we regret our mistake!
posted by Karl @ 6:33 PM Permalink
North Korea's army said on Saturday it would assume an "all-out confrontational posture" against the South and wipe out the conservative government in Seoul for refusing to cooperate with them.
From the International Herald Tribune:
Since Dec. 31, Russia has been playing a game of chicken with Ukraine over gas prices, transit fees and unpaid debts. On Jan. 7, after each side accused the other of cheating and stealing, Russia's Gazprom, the world's biggest natural gas producer, suspended supplies to Ukraine's transit pipelines, sending a chill through much of southeastern Europe.
The supplies were to resume after the two sides signed 10-year natural-gas contracts on Monday. Putin said gas shipments to the 27-nation bloc would resume in "full volumes" through all export routes.
The supplies were to resume after the two sides signed 10-year natural-gas contracts on Monday. Putin said gas shipments to the 27-nation bloc would resume in "full volumes" through all export routes.
Washington Post: More Moscow Murder - Two critics of Vladimir Putin take bullets in the head.
Another Russian fighting for human rights and the rule of law has been murdered in Vladimir Putin's Moscow. Stanislav Markelov, a lawyer who defended Chechens brutalized by Russian troops and journalists who wrote about the abuses, was shot in the head yesterday by a masked man carrying a silencer-equipped pistol. An opposition journalist who tried to intervene, Anastasia Baburova, was also fatally shot in the head. This occurred in broad daylight, on a busy street in central Moscow less than half a mile from the Kremlin. It was another demonstration that assassinations are a dominating feature of political life under Mr. Putin's regime.
Top blogs (listed to the left) are posting this interesting picture of Chavez with the daughter of our new CIA Director nominee.
And last, a man who campaigned on universal health care was sworn in as the next president of the United States.
So? When do we get our free stuff??
UPDATE 1.22:
We stand corrected! Doug Ross notifies us that our new CIA director does not have a daughter. No show trial necessary - we regret our mistake!
Labels: N. Korea, Russia, Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 6:33 PM Permalink
Friday, October 10, 2008
The other Karl, Karl Rove, comments about the second debate and the remaining challenges for Obama. Thursday's WSJ, Voters Haven't Decided Yet.
Dorothy Rabinowitz points out the obvious in her WSJ opinion piece, News Flash: The Media Back Obama.
Speaking of a biased press, WSJ's James Taranto has buried his fangs into their latest misleading game - the all pure "Fact Check" reporting. In his Thursday Best of the Web, James presents a fact, and how two leading news agencies can draw different conclusions to benefit their bias. He sums it up well:
Remember not to question their patriotism when you read American Thinker's piece, Shocking Revelations about Biden in Soviet-Era Documents. Quoting from Hot Air:
WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady suggests tripling the US support to Columbia in response to Chavez's latest posturing, and asks Democrats to answer "whose side they are on", in her Monday article, Democrats Shouldn't Coddle Chavez.
posted by Karl @ 11:18 PM Permalink
Mr. Obama's test is that voters haven't shaken deep concerns about his lack of qualifications. Having accomplished virtually nothing in his three years in the Senate except to win the Democratic nomination, Mr. Obama must show he is up to the job. Voters like him, conditions favor him, yet he has not closed the sale. He may be approaching the finish line with that mixture of lassitude and insouciance he displayed in the spring against Mrs. Clinton.
Dorothy Rabinowitz points out the obvious in her WSJ opinion piece, News Flash: The Media Back Obama.
The single constant in the eternal election remains the media, whose activist role no one will seriously dispute. To point out the prevailing (with honorable exceptions) double standard of reporting so favorable to Mr. Obama by now feels superfluous -- much like talking about the weather. The same holds true for all those reports pointing to Mr. Obama's heroic status outside the United States -- not to mention the cascade of press analyses warning that if he fails to win election, the cause will surely be racism.
Speaking of a biased press, WSJ's James Taranto has buried his fangs into their latest misleading game - the all pure "Fact Check" reporting. In his Thursday Best of the Web, James presents a fact, and how two leading news agencies can draw different conclusions to benefit their bias. He sums it up well:
It is fine, indeed quite useful, for reporters to present relevant facts that voters can use in evaluating candidates' campaign claims. In this "fact check" form, however, journalists play prosecutor, judge and jury, deciding what evidence to present, what evidence to admit, and what it all means (CNN actually calls the conclusion a "verdict"). Why not just report and let the reader decide?
Remember not to question their patriotism when you read American Thinker's piece, Shocking Revelations about Biden in Soviet-Era Documents. Quoting from Hot Air:
According to internal Soviet Union documents from the SALT-2 negotiations in 1979, Joe Biden effectively told Soviet negotiators not to worry about American rhetoric about human-rights concerns. In fact, Biden also told the Soviets that the Senate didn't really care about European security, but only in giving the appearance of caring about it.
WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady suggests tripling the US support to Columbia in response to Chavez's latest posturing, and asks Democrats to answer "whose side they are on", in her Monday article, Democrats Shouldn't Coddle Chavez.
The strongest immediate signal the U.S. could send Mr. Chávez and Latin American democracies is unequivocal support for Colombia. President Bush has tried to do that but the effort is being undermined by Congressional Democrats.
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The FARC also expressed faith in Mrs. Pelosi as someone who "helps" in its effort to undermine Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Mr. McGovern said in a letter to this newspaper that the FARC was engaging in fantasy. But maybe instead the rebels put their faith in Mrs. Pelosi because they perceive a common friend...
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The FARC also expressed faith in Mrs. Pelosi as someone who "helps" in its effort to undermine Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Mr. McGovern said in a letter to this newspaper that the FARC was engaging in fantasy. But maybe instead the rebels put their faith in Mrs. Pelosi because they perceive a common friend...
Labels: MSM, Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 11:18 PM Permalink
Thursday, October 02, 2008
There are some in Hollywood that are uncomfortable with how the town has become a bastion of right wing neo-cons. Danny Glover is one such celebrity.
His solution is to go to the source, as former SAG President Ronald Reagan would put it. Danny Glover has penned a financing agreement with Hugo Chavez for two movies - $20 million. Both movies will be about Latin American revolutionaries.
We were hoping Glover could work on a couple sequels:
U/T to Sweetness & Light for the story and picture.
posted by Karl @ 12:34 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
His solution is to go to the source, as former SAG President Ronald Reagan would put it. Danny Glover has penned a financing agreement with Hugo Chavez for two movies - $20 million. Both movies will be about Latin American revolutionaries.
We were hoping Glover could work on a couple sequels:
U/T to Sweetness & Light for the story and picture.
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 12:34 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Saturday, September 20, 2008
WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady, in her op-ed Hugo Chavez's Russian Dalliance, expands the recent Russia-Venezuela cooperation to include Bolivia and all of Latin America. She adds perspective to Russia's motivations, Bolivia's struggling communist president Evo Morales, and Chavez's vision for Latin America.
Watch for finger-pointing, a new enemies list and show trials in Russia! Not a big news story in light of Lehman and AIG this week, but the Russian stock market has been closed for two days, having lost 55% in the past 4 months. The WSJ editorial, A Run on Russia, highlights the real reasons - putting the blame squarely on Comrade Putin, with well-deserved hits on the US State Department and those European 'powers'.
Garry Kasparov explains in his Friday WSJ article, Putin is Ruining Russia's Economy, the history that has led to the unfavorable business climate in Russia.
Maybe the US State Department lacks any will to fight, but don't count on Mike Adams to surrender in his latest battle! The North Carolina professor has been invited to mandatory sexual harassment training. Having attended these in the corporate world, I can share his frustration and thank him for some great ideas for my next class. From his Townhall article, F.A.S.H.I.S.T!:
Remember, Prof. Adams, "harass" is one word, not two!
posted by Karl @ 9:00 PM Permalink
Mr. Chávez is only too happy to be used. He thinks he's getting something in return. His Bolivarian Revolution -- a full-court press designed to impose communism throughout Latin America -- is in trouble, and as its popularity has waned, so too have his options for restoring confidence in his leadership. Yet there is still the fail-safe practice of Yankee-baiting. In the spirit of Fidel Castro, Mr. Chávez seems to believe that if the foreign devil can be painted as an imminent threat to sovereignty, the nation might rally behind him. This idea, shared by Bolivian President Evo Morales, explains not only Russian military tourism in the Caribbean but also last week's expulsion of the U.S. ambassadors to Caracas and La Paz.
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It is true that Bolivia is witnessing a battle between regions for control of the nation's resources. But we are also watching a life-or-death struggle against the communist ideology that Mr. Morales -- also an admirer of Fidel -- wants to impose. He has admitted that Castro coached him on how to use the guise of democracy as a way of reaching his goal. Yet he hasn't been prepped to face resistance. His hard line has unified and emboldened his critics. Now he can no longer reach out to the governors without appearing weak.
---
It is true that Bolivia is witnessing a battle between regions for control of the nation's resources. But we are also watching a life-or-death struggle against the communist ideology that Mr. Morales -- also an admirer of Fidel -- wants to impose. He has admitted that Castro coached him on how to use the guise of democracy as a way of reaching his goal. Yet he hasn't been prepped to face resistance. His hard line has unified and emboldened his critics. Now he can no longer reach out to the governors without appearing weak.
Watch for finger-pointing, a new enemies list and show trials in Russia! Not a big news story in light of Lehman and AIG this week, but the Russian stock market has been closed for two days, having lost 55% in the past 4 months. The WSJ editorial, A Run on Russia, highlights the real reasons - putting the blame squarely on Comrade Putin, with well-deserved hits on the US State Department and those European 'powers'.
...the dive in Moscow began before the wider world cared about AIG's balance sheet, and its chief causes are home-grown. To wit, the bill for eight years of Putinism is coming due. And a Kremlin leadership that only weeks ago brimmed with menacing self-confidence is struggling to slow this financial free fall.
The first sign of trouble came in late July when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lashed out at a Russian coal and steel company, Mechel, for alleged price gouging and appeared to threaten personally its chief executive. Mechel shares fell by a third, and the incident sent a chill through the market as a whole. Investors woke up to the systemic risk to property rights and the lack of any rule of law in Russia. They did so belatedly, we'd add, considering the attempted or successful expropriation of Yukos, BP and Shell assets and the blatant use of state resources to menace private business.
Another trigger was last month's war in the Caucasus.
---
As it has turned out, much faster than anyone realized or hoped during the Georgian war in August, Western governments haven't had to do anything to have Russia pay a price for its aggressive behavior. Which is fortunate, considering the weak stomachs in Europe and at the State Department for any serious response to the war. Investors did it for them.
The war has also exposed the fiction that Russia is the next China -- an authoritarian political regime that's stable, predictable and on a path toward becoming a free-market economy.
The first sign of trouble came in late July when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lashed out at a Russian coal and steel company, Mechel, for alleged price gouging and appeared to threaten personally its chief executive. Mechel shares fell by a third, and the incident sent a chill through the market as a whole. Investors woke up to the systemic risk to property rights and the lack of any rule of law in Russia. They did so belatedly, we'd add, considering the attempted or successful expropriation of Yukos, BP and Shell assets and the blatant use of state resources to menace private business.
Another trigger was last month's war in the Caucasus.
---
As it has turned out, much faster than anyone realized or hoped during the Georgian war in August, Western governments haven't had to do anything to have Russia pay a price for its aggressive behavior. Which is fortunate, considering the weak stomachs in Europe and at the State Department for any serious response to the war. Investors did it for them.
The war has also exposed the fiction that Russia is the next China -- an authoritarian political regime that's stable, predictable and on a path toward becoming a free-market economy.
Garry Kasparov explains in his Friday WSJ article, Putin is Ruining Russia's Economy, the history that has led to the unfavorable business climate in Russia.
The market's collapse, down 57% since May, is linked to the dysfunctional nature of the Russian state and economy. Nearly every aspect of commerce in Russia is deeply entangled with state power, if not with Mr. Putin personally. This, for obvious reasons, does not comfort most investors.
Maybe the US State Department lacks any will to fight, but don't count on Mike Adams to surrender in his latest battle! The North Carolina professor has been invited to mandatory sexual harassment training. Having attended these in the corporate world, I can share his frustration and thank him for some great ideas for my next class. From his Townhall article, F.A.S.H.I.S.T!:
a new campus group called “Faculty Against Sexual Harassment Initiatives and Sensitivity Training” - or FASHIST. I’m the founder of the new group.
---
Those who join UNCW FASHIST will not attend the sexual harassment training sessions biannually as has been proposed. We will attend every single one of them. And we will interrupt the meetings – just like the radical protestors of the 1960s – with a lot of tough questions for the administration. Some examples follow:
---
Those who join UNCW FASHIST will not attend the sexual harassment training sessions biannually as has been proposed. We will attend every single one of them. And we will interrupt the meetings – just like the radical protestors of the 1960s – with a lot of tough questions for the administration. Some examples follow:
Remember, Prof. Adams, "harass" is one word, not two!
Labels: Russia, Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 9:00 PM Permalink
Thursday, September 11, 2008
President Medvedev gave the CIA some hard intelligence this week when he sent two Tupolev Tu-160 bombers to Venezuela yesterday.
Between the recent flights towards Norway, we now know how many bombers Russia has that are airworthy.
The strategic bombers will be used to fly patrols in the Pacific and Caribbean, and may be used to escort commie Chavez into the Caribbean. They are expected to return in mid-September.
NATO planes accompanied the bombers to Venezuela on their 13-hour flight.
We suspect the recent Russian bomber activity is a secret intelligence effort to get close-up shots of the F-16.
Media: CNN International, and Russia's loyal Novosti.
UPDATE 9.14: IBD has a good editorial on this topic, including the fact that 64% of US oil imports come through the Caribbean. Also:
posted by Karl @ 2:03 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Between the recent flights towards Norway, we now know how many bombers Russia has that are airworthy.
The strategic bombers will be used to fly patrols in the Pacific and Caribbean, and may be used to escort commie Chavez into the Caribbean. They are expected to return in mid-September.
NATO planes accompanied the bombers to Venezuela on their 13-hour flight.
We suspect the recent Russian bomber activity is a secret intelligence effort to get close-up shots of the F-16.
Media: CNN International, and Russia's loyal Novosti.
UPDATE 9.14: IBD has a good editorial on this topic, including the fact that 64% of US oil imports come through the Caribbean. Also:
He's [Chavez} also succeeded in getting the Russian navy to conduct exercises with Venezuela rather than just make a port visit.
The Russians have little respect for Chavez, but their anger over the U.S. missile shield treaty with Poland and the U.S. Navy's relief mission to Georgia coincide their interests with his.
This threat to sea lanes will increase the burden on U.S. forces who must monitor the new activity. It also underscores how important it is for Congress to permit new drilling for reasons of national security. If Russia can gain control of 25% of Europe's oil just by menacing Georgia, it could get an even more impressive return in the Caribbean.
The Russians have little respect for Chavez, but their anger over the U.S. missile shield treaty with Poland and the U.S. Navy's relief mission to Georgia coincide their interests with his.
This threat to sea lanes will increase the burden on U.S. forces who must monitor the new activity. It also underscores how important it is for Congress to permit new drilling for reasons of national security. If Russia can gain control of 25% of Europe's oil just by menacing Georgia, it could get an even more impressive return in the Caribbean.
posted by Karl @ 2:03 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
AP writer Ian James reports:
Decrees include: Civilian Militia, government confiscation of goods, control over food stocks, and prison sentences for business owners that violate government price controls. Sound familiar, Comrades?
posted by Karl @ 11:34 PM Permalink
CARACAS, Venezuela - Riot police used tear gas Wednesday to block hundreds of Venezuelans protesting the latest moves by President Hugo Chavez to concentrate his power. The demonstrators said a blacklist of opposition candidates and a series of socialist decrees are destroying what's left of their democracy.
Though the protest of about 1,000 people chanting "freedom!" was small compared to past marches, there is a growing public outcry over the sidelining of key government opponents ahead of state and local elections in November.
Though the protest of about 1,000 people chanting "freedom!" was small compared to past marches, there is a growing public outcry over the sidelining of key government opponents ahead of state and local elections in November.
Decrees include: Civilian Militia, government confiscation of goods, control over food stocks, and prison sentences for business owners that violate government price controls. Sound familiar, Comrades?
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 11:34 PM Permalink
Friday, July 11, 2008
Charles Krauthammer discusses the virtues of "hard power", and its role in the 15 freed FARC hostages last week, in his Townhall article, The Alter of Soft Power.
Thursday's WSJ Opinion page was packed with Obama commentary by the masters, Karl Rove and Daniel Henninger.
Karl gives plenty of praise for Obama's masterful 'refinements' in his lurch to the center in, Barack's Brilliant Ground Game. You have to read to the end to get to the 'but':
Mr. Henninger is optimistic about Obama's lack of emotional and personal attachment to the 60's in Will Obama Let the Sunshine In?
And Ushanka owner Mike Adams talks about the recent unwritten additions to the Constitution - rights that seem to be there, yet they aren't. He talks about those who add these new rights in his Townhall article, My Right to Unlimited Rights.
posted by Karl @ 6:28 PM Permalink
Betancourt languished for six years in cruel captivity until freed by a brilliant operation conducted by the Colombian military, intelligence agencies and special forces -- an operation so well executed that the captors were overpowered without a shot being fired.
This in foreign policy establishment circles is called "hard power." In the Bush years, hard power is terribly out of fashion, seen as a mere obsession of cowboys and neocons. Both in Europe and America, the sophisticates worship at the altar of "soft power" -- the use of diplomatic and moral resources to achieve one's ends.
This in foreign policy establishment circles is called "hard power." In the Bush years, hard power is terribly out of fashion, seen as a mere obsession of cowboys and neocons. Both in Europe and America, the sophisticates worship at the altar of "soft power" -- the use of diplomatic and moral resources to achieve one's ends.
Thursday's WSJ Opinion page was packed with Obama commentary by the masters, Karl Rove and Daniel Henninger.
Karl gives plenty of praise for Obama's masterful 'refinements' in his lurch to the center in, Barack's Brilliant Ground Game. You have to read to the end to get to the 'but':
Mr. Obama is assuming such dramatic reversals will somehow avoid voter scrutiny. But people are watching closely, and by setting a world indoor record for jettisoning past positions, Mr. Obama may be risking his reputation for truthfulness. A candidate's credibility, once lost, is very hard to restore, regardless of how fine an organization he has built.
Mr. Henninger is optimistic about Obama's lack of emotional and personal attachment to the 60's in Will Obama Let the Sunshine In?
His recent flip-flops on guns, the death penalty and Iraq suggest he is less inclined to belief-based '60s style activism than to pragmatic opportunism. The old school wanted to triumph. He wants to succeed.
The Democratic bloggers, truly a tribe descended from 1968, hate Obama's easeful flexibility. But it explains in part how he is slipping by with a standard liberal policy-set no one seems to notice. A lot of moderate Democrats and younger voters, who consider themselves mainly achievers rather than activists, are OK with this. They would rather vote for a flexible opportunist than a committed man of the left. So that's what they're getting.
If he wins, though, the country would have a president who lacks personal and political clarity. This would give the politics of hope new meaning. What precisely do voters think they're getting? You don't have to wait for an answer. It will be supplied in January by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, the House caucus and many others who turned professional after the '60s and know what to do with a big governing majority in Congress.
The Democratic bloggers, truly a tribe descended from 1968, hate Obama's easeful flexibility. But it explains in part how he is slipping by with a standard liberal policy-set no one seems to notice. A lot of moderate Democrats and younger voters, who consider themselves mainly achievers rather than activists, are OK with this. They would rather vote for a flexible opportunist than a committed man of the left. So that's what they're getting.
If he wins, though, the country would have a president who lacks personal and political clarity. This would give the politics of hope new meaning. What precisely do voters think they're getting? You don't have to wait for an answer. It will be supplied in January by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, the House caucus and many others who turned professional after the '60s and know what to do with a big governing majority in Congress.
And Ushanka owner Mike Adams talks about the recent unwritten additions to the Constitution - rights that seem to be there, yet they aren't. He talks about those who add these new rights in his Townhall article, My Right to Unlimited Rights.
This trait of being more in love with consumption than production is one shared by most of my socialist colleagues in academia. They base their lives on the idea of taking “from each according to his ability” and giving “to each according to his need.” The problem is that they do a better job of articulating their needs than promoting their abilities. This is, of course, because socialists are generally short on abilities. They seek socialism because they think being guaranteed an average outcome is safer than trying to beat the average in a system based on merit, which is otherwise known as ability.
Anyone watching the 2008 presidential race has doubtless seen a similar dynamic among supporters of Barack H. Obama.
Anyone watching the 2008 presidential race has doubtless seen a similar dynamic among supporters of Barack H. Obama.
Labels: Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 6:28 PM Permalink
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Hugo Chavez doesn't waste any time! This is the beauty of communism. Get the right guy in charge, and let him start making decisions unchecked. Progress!
Last week's rescue of the 15 FARC hostages put FARC in the hot seat. It wasn't the loss of the 15 hostages per se, it was how those Che-wearing imperialists did it by flying a helicopter into the camp and having FARC help load the hostages! Thanks Comrades!
Well, the Dear Leader from Venezuela has shifted his support, resources and attention to Hezbollah.
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 8:16 PM Permalink
Monday, July 07, 2008
Part two of our review of the hostage rescue in Columbia. Part one - link
Mary Anastasia O'Grady, of the WSJ, has a great opinion piece in today's paper - FARC's 'Human Rights' Friends.
While we focused on the brilliance, humor and audacity of the rescuers wearing Che t-shirts, O'Grady discusses the FARC's absolute trust that some nameless Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) will provide helicopter support to the terrorists. While the operation had been planned for nearly a year, and surely picked up steam with the recent laptop recovery - link -, the fact that the helicopter support wasn't questioned by the FARC demonstrates NGO cooperation and sympathies to terrorists in the past.
O'Grady mentions some names in her article. Commie Hugo Chavez has been long linked to the FARC. Colombian Sen. Piedad Cordoba is pictured with the Venezuelan leader. She is under investigation in Columbia for ties to the FARC. US Senator Chris Dodd, former Democrat presidential candidate and Countrywide VIP is mentioned in the quote above. And, our Dear Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who has been pushing for hostage trades (aka diplomacy) with the FARC.
Presidents Bush and Uribe are mentioned too, but in a different light... The video below offers a good summary.
Here is a video of one of the three US hostages, Marc Gonsalves. U/T: Hotair.
posted by Karl @ 8:16 PM Permalink
Mary Anastasia O'Grady, of the WSJ, has a great opinion piece in today's paper - FARC's 'Human Rights' Friends.
While we focused on the brilliance, humor and audacity of the rescuers wearing Che t-shirts, O'Grady discusses the FARC's absolute trust that some nameless Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) will provide helicopter support to the terrorists. While the operation had been planned for nearly a year, and surely picked up steam with the recent laptop recovery - link -, the fact that the helicopter support wasn't questioned by the FARC demonstrates NGO cooperation and sympathies to terrorists in the past.
It may have taken years for army intelligence to infiltrate the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and it may have been tough to convincingly impersonate rebels. But what seems to have been a walk in the park was getting the FARC to believe that an NGO was providing resources to help it in the dirty work of ferrying captives to a new location.
The Colombian military tricked the FARC into releasing their most valuable hostages. I am reminded of President Álvaro Uribe's 2003 statement that some "human rights" organizations in his country were fronts for terrorists. Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd got his back up over Mr. Uribe's statement, and piously lectured the Colombian president about "the importance of democratic values."
But as the helicopter story suggests, Mr. Uribe seems to have been right. How else to explain the fact that the FARC swallowed the line without batting an eye?
The Colombian military tricked the FARC into releasing their most valuable hostages. I am reminded of President Álvaro Uribe's 2003 statement that some "human rights" organizations in his country were fronts for terrorists. Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd got his back up over Mr. Uribe's statement, and piously lectured the Colombian president about "the importance of democratic values."
But as the helicopter story suggests, Mr. Uribe seems to have been right. How else to explain the fact that the FARC swallowed the line without batting an eye?
O'Grady mentions some names in her article. Commie Hugo Chavez has been long linked to the FARC. Colombian Sen. Piedad Cordoba is pictured with the Venezuelan leader. She is under investigation in Columbia for ties to the FARC. US Senator Chris Dodd, former Democrat presidential candidate and Countrywide VIP is mentioned in the quote above. And, our Dear Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who has been pushing for hostage trades (aka diplomacy) with the FARC.
Presidents Bush and Uribe are mentioned too, but in a different light... The video below offers a good summary.
Here is a video of one of the three US hostages, Marc Gonsalves. U/T: Hotair.
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 8:16 PM Permalink
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Columbian Army to FARC Leaders:
And the rest is history! Che Guevara t-shirts on capitalists?! What will they think of next? Ushanka's worn by American conservatives?!
Picture: Reuters picture of Ingrid Betancourt and three US hostages with President Alvaro Uribe.
posted by Karl @ 8:35 PM Permalink
Comrades! The Worker's Paradise is close at hand! Just a little more sacrifice, and we will have our Utopia!
Alfonso Cano, our newest Dear Leader, requests the transfer of selected hostages for intense negotiations with the imperialist forces. He is close to a breakthrough in the negotiations that our murdered founder, Manuel Marulanda, and our strongest supporter, Hugo Chavez, started long ago. He has the capitalists on their knees, Comrades!
On July 2nd, two helicopters from a sympathetic non-governmental organization will come to pick up the hostages. The high-value hostages - the three US contractors and that bothersome French woman are to be included in the group of 15 - shall be escorted by two of our own in addition to the security forces that arrive with the helicopters.
The helicopters will be unmarked, but the security forces will be wearing Che Guevara t-shirts, just like the trust-fund kids in San Francisco! Give them your cooperation, Comrades.
Workers of the World Unite!
**FARC email service is for Official Use Only**
Alfonso Cano, our newest Dear Leader, requests the transfer of selected hostages for intense negotiations with the imperialist forces. He is close to a breakthrough in the negotiations that our murdered founder, Manuel Marulanda, and our strongest supporter, Hugo Chavez, started long ago. He has the capitalists on their knees, Comrades!
On July 2nd, two helicopters from a sympathetic non-governmental organization will come to pick up the hostages. The high-value hostages - the three US contractors and that bothersome French woman are to be included in the group of 15 - shall be escorted by two of our own in addition to the security forces that arrive with the helicopters.
The helicopters will be unmarked, but the security forces will be wearing Che Guevara t-shirts, just like the trust-fund kids in San Francisco! Give them your cooperation, Comrades.
Workers of the World Unite!
**FARC email service is for Official Use Only**
And the rest is history! Che Guevara t-shirts on capitalists?! What will they think of next? Ushanka's worn by American conservatives?!
Picture: Reuters picture of Ingrid Betancourt and three US hostages with President Alvaro Uribe.
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 8:35 PM Permalink
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Hugo Chavez has doubled the number of intelligence agencies from two to four.
News clip from AP
Reaction captured by the International Herald Tribune:
posted by Karl @ 1:27 PM Permalink
News clip from AP
Reaction captured by the International Herald Tribune:
The new law requires people in the country to comply with requests to assist the agencies, secret police or community activist groups loyal to Chávez. Refusal can result in prison terms of two to four years for most people and four to six years for government employees.
"We are before a set of measures that are a threat to all of us," said Blanca Rosa Mármol de León, a justice on Venezuela's top court, in a rare public judicial dissent. "I have an obligation to say this, as a citizen and a judge. This is a step toward the creation of a society of informers."
"We are before a set of measures that are a threat to all of us," said Blanca Rosa Mármol de León, a justice on Venezuela's top court, in a rare public judicial dissent. "I have an obligation to say this, as a citizen and a judge. This is a step toward the creation of a society of informers."
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 1:27 PM Permalink
Saturday, March 22, 2008
John R. Bolton, an owner of our sexy Ushanka hat, offers five suggestions in the Monday WSJ in his opinion piece, "Salvaging Our North Korea Policy". His outrage our the failure of the US to push our partners to pressure the Communist regime is well founded. As Rwanda is Bill Clinton's biggest regret, this failure, and the continued suffering it has caused, may be Bush's.
The WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady interviewed Yon Goicoechea, a 23 year old student activist in Venezuela who has helped organize the recent protests to Hugo's attempted media grab last year, and to thwart the referendum for dictatorial powers.
The quote below caught our eye for a common component for Communism to take hold - a public so anxious for a change they do not care what change they will get. We see this as a DNC strategy - Bush Fatigue Syndrome - and see a Hillary or Obama election as an unconscious move toward Socialism. Do you see that too?
We missed Obama's speech about the Hate America pastor. Yes, the 'race' speech. But the editorial board at the WSJ didn't. It appears victim status will be something we all have in common if Obama is elected and his vision adopted. From "Discovering Obama":
James Taranto adds to the Obama/Race kerfuffle in Monday's Best of the Web with a review of "Black Liberation Theology":
Another owner of our world famous Ushanka hat, Ann Coulter, addressed the Obama/Race issue in her Thursday Townhall.com article, "Throw Grandma Under the Bus".
Tired of the MSM using polls to push their agenda? Join the club! Karl Rove uses the data from a recent poll to show us how the "Democrats are still Weak on Security". His Friday WSJ article explains that Pelosi, Clinton, Obama and others are in the 18% segment of society that wants the US out of Iraq regardless of the consequences.
Hmm, Democrats out of touch you say?
posted by Karl @ 12:00 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Declare North Korea's repeated refusal to honor its commitments, especially but not exclusively concerning full disclosure of its nuclear programs, unacceptable,
Suspend the Six-Party Talks, and reconvene talks without North Korea (to apply more pressure on China),
Strengthen international pressure on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs,
Squeeze North Korea economically,
Prepare contingency plans for humanitarian relief in the event of increased North Korean refugee flows or a regime collapse
Suspend the Six-Party Talks, and reconvene talks without North Korea (to apply more pressure on China),
Strengthen international pressure on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs,
Squeeze North Korea economically,
Prepare contingency plans for humanitarian relief in the event of increased North Korean refugee flows or a regime collapse
The WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady interviewed Yon Goicoechea, a 23 year old student activist in Venezuela who has helped organize the recent protests to Hugo's attempted media grab last year, and to thwart the referendum for dictatorial powers.
The quote below caught our eye for a common component for Communism to take hold - a public so anxious for a change they do not care what change they will get. We see this as a DNC strategy - Bush Fatigue Syndrome - and see a Hillary or Obama election as an unconscious move toward Socialism. Do you see that too?
Mr. Chávez won the presidency in 1998 largely because Venezuelans were fed up with the ruling political and economic elite. Over 40 years of so-called democracy, the traditional parties had manipulated the law to grant themselves privilege and loot state coffers. When voters gambled on Mr. Chávez, it seems to have been more about rejecting the status quo than embracing the fiery newcomer.
We missed Obama's speech about the Hate America pastor. Yes, the 'race' speech. But the editorial board at the WSJ didn't. It appears victim status will be something we all have in common if Obama is elected and his vision adopted. From "Discovering Obama":
The Senator noted that the anger of his pastor "is real; it is powerful," and in fact it is mirrored in "white resentments." He then laid down a litany of American woe: "the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man who has been laid off," the "shuttered mill," those "without health care," the soldiers who have fought in "a war that never should have been authorized and never should've been waged," etc. Thus Mr. Obama's message is we "need unity" because all Americans are victims, racial and otherwise; he even mentioned working for change by "binding our particular grievances."
And the cause of all this human misery? Why, "a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many." Mr. Obama's villains, in other words, are the standard-issue populist straw men of Wall Street and the GOP, and his candidacy is a vessel for liberal policy orthodoxy -- raise taxes, "invest" more in social programs, restrict trade, retreat from Iraq.
And the cause of all this human misery? Why, "a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many." Mr. Obama's villains, in other words, are the standard-issue populist straw men of Wall Street and the GOP, and his candidacy is a vessel for liberal policy orthodoxy -- raise taxes, "invest" more in social programs, restrict trade, retreat from Iraq.
James Taranto adds to the Obama/Race kerfuffle in Monday's Best of the Web with a review of "Black Liberation Theology":
Here is a quote from Cone, explaining black liberation theology (hat tip: Spengler, a pseudonymous columnist for the Asia Times):
"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community. . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love."
Could Obama really have been unaware for all these years that his spiritual mentor follows a racially adversarial theology, one that demands of God that he be "for us and against white people" and that he participate "in the destruction of the white enemy"? It doesn't exactly sound like the sort of change we can believe in.
"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community. . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love."
Could Obama really have been unaware for all these years that his spiritual mentor follows a racially adversarial theology, one that demands of God that he be "for us and against white people" and that he participate "in the destruction of the white enemy"? It doesn't exactly sound like the sort of change we can believe in.
Another owner of our world famous Ushanka hat, Ann Coulter, addressed the Obama/Race issue in her Thursday Townhall.com article, "Throw Grandma Under the Bus".
So for half of Rev. Wright's 66 years, discrimination against blacks was legal -- though he never experienced it personally because it existed in a part of the country where he did not live. For the second half of Wright's life, discrimination against whites was legal throughout the land.
Discrimination has become so openly accepted that -- in a speech meant to tamp down his association with a black racist -- Obama felt perfectly comfortable throwing his white grandmother under the bus. He used her as the white racist counterpart to his black racist "old uncle," Rev. Wright.
First of all, Wright is not Obama's uncle. The only reason we indulge crazy uncles is that everyone understands that people don't choose their relatives the way they choose, for example, their pastors and mentors. No one quarrels with idea that you can't be expected to publicly denounce your blood relatives.
Discrimination has become so openly accepted that -- in a speech meant to tamp down his association with a black racist -- Obama felt perfectly comfortable throwing his white grandmother under the bus. He used her as the white racist counterpart to his black racist "old uncle," Rev. Wright.
First of all, Wright is not Obama's uncle. The only reason we indulge crazy uncles is that everyone understands that people don't choose their relatives the way they choose, for example, their pastors and mentors. No one quarrels with idea that you can't be expected to publicly denounce your blood relatives.
Tired of the MSM using polls to push their agenda? Join the club! Karl Rove uses the data from a recent poll to show us how the "Democrats are still Weak on Security". His Friday WSJ article explains that Pelosi, Clinton, Obama and others are in the 18% segment of society that wants the US out of Iraq regardless of the consequences.
Asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Feb. 9 if she was worried that the gains of the last year might be lost, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shot back: "There haven't been gains . . . This is a failure." Carl Levin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee told the Associated Press the same month that the surge "has failed."
This passionate, persistent unwillingness to admit what more and more Americans are coming to believe is true about Iraq's changing situation puts Democrats in dangerous political territory. For one thing, they increasingly appear out of touch with reality, a charge they made with some success at the administration's expense before the surge began changing conditions in Iraq.
This passionate, persistent unwillingness to admit what more and more Americans are coming to believe is true about Iraq's changing situation puts Democrats in dangerous political territory. For one thing, they increasingly appear out of touch with reality, a charge they made with some success at the administration's expense before the surge began changing conditions in Iraq.
Hmm, Democrats out of touch you say?
Labels: N. Korea, Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 12:00 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Monday, March 10, 2008
Ever have one of those weeks?
Hugo has! Another FARC leader, Ivan Rios, was dispatched just days after FARC second in command, Raul Reyes, was killed by Columbian forces late last week. Rios died at the hands of his security chief, and his hand was delivered to authorities as proof of his demise.
Link to AP's Rios article.
Link to WSJ's article linking FARC to Chavez.
posted by Karl @ 8:21 PM Permalink
Hugo has! Another FARC leader, Ivan Rios, was dispatched just days after FARC second in command, Raul Reyes, was killed by Columbian forces late last week. Rios died at the hands of his security chief, and his hand was delivered to authorities as proof of his demise.
Link to AP's Rios article.
Link to WSJ's article linking FARC to Chavez.
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 8:21 PM Permalink
Friday, March 07, 2008
With the rush of primaries behind us, and as the Capitalism vs. Socialism debate waits for a Democratic nominee, we'll once again avoid the political articles and return to Communism as our focus.
The WSJ's "Chavez's 'War' Drums" editorial comments on the laptop found in a raid on the FARC guerrillas in Ecuador. The Columbians went across the border into Ecuador last weekend, killed the guerrilla's second in command, Raul Reyes, and recovered his laptop. Why was Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez upset by this raid on the opposite side of Columbia?
Our Dear Leader in North Korea is sending a message to the masses with a public execution of 2 men and 13 women this week. Message: "Stop trying to escape." From Time:
And in a rare link to another blog as part of our Weekend Reading, Little Green Footballs captured a whopper in California: California Dems Introduce Bill to Allow Communist Indoctrination in Public Schools. Blogger Charles Johnson comments:
Ushanka Tip to LGF.
posted by Karl @ 11:24 AM Permalink
The WSJ's "Chavez's 'War' Drums" editorial comments on the laptop found in a raid on the FARC guerrillas in Ecuador. The Columbians went across the border into Ecuador last weekend, killed the guerrilla's second in command, Raul Reyes, and recovered his laptop. Why was Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez upset by this raid on the opposite side of Columbia?
What may really have upset Mr. Chávez is the capture of Reyes's laptop. According to Colombia's top police official, General Oscar Naranjo, the computer contains evidence supporting the claim that the FARC is working with Mr. Chávez. General Naranjo said Monday that Reyes's laptop records showed that Venezuela may have paid $300 million to the FARC in exchange for its recent release of six civilian hostages. Mr. Chávez had spun those releases as a triumph of his personal mediation.
General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992.
General Naranjo said the laptop also contains documents showing that the FARC was seeking to buy 50 kilos of uranium, and the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo has reported that the records revealed the sale of 700 kilograms of cocaine valued at $1.5 million. The general added that the military found a thank-you note from Mr. Chávez to the FARC for some $150,000 that the rebels had sent him when he was in prison for his attempted coup d'etat in 1992.
Our Dear Leader in North Korea is sending a message to the masses with a public execution of 2 men and 13 women this week. Message: "Stop trying to escape." From Time:
The two men and 13 women were executed Feb. 20 by firing squad on a bridge in Onseong, a northeastern town on the border with China and Russia, the Good Friends private aid organization said in its regular newsletter.
They were accused of crossing the Tumen River into neighboring China or helping others to cross, the aid agency said.
They were accused of crossing the Tumen River into neighboring China or helping others to cross, the aid agency said.
And in a rare link to another blog as part of our Weekend Reading, Little Green Footballs captured a whopper in California: California Dems Introduce Bill to Allow Communist Indoctrination in Public Schools. Blogger Charles Johnson comments:
Yes, that’s right. The headline is no exaggeration. California Democratic Sen. Alan Lowenthal has proposed an amendment to the Educational Code that will explicitly allow the promotion of Communism in schools, and also allow groups who want to violently overthrow the US government to meet on public school property.
Ushanka Tip to LGF.
Labels: N. Korea, Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 11:24 AM Permalink
Friday, December 07, 2007
Elections in Russia and Venezuela, the contradicting CIA National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, the familiar Clinton campaign tactics were the topics this week.
WSJ's Bret Stephens reviews the recent elections in Russia and Venezuela, and the benefits and risks of using fear in the pseudo-commie countries.
The WSJ editorial board responds to the NIE report on Iran:
Boy did we miss the Clintons! They're back! Senator Boxer is holding up James Rogan's nomination to sit as a US District Court judge. Wouldn't be for Rogan's role in the impeachment hearings, hmm? "Hillary's Revenge" at the WSJ:
Dan Henniger at the WSJ asks when our presidential candidates will address the real threats in this, "Still a Dangerous World".
posted by Karl @ 11:27 PM Permalink
WSJ's Bret Stephens reviews the recent elections in Russia and Venezuela, and the benefits and risks of using fear in the pseudo-commie countries.
Plainly the fear factor is central to the politics of both countries. But neither is it the whole story. Russians and Venezuelans alike elected their current leaders with bitter memories of democracy: economic collapse and social chaos under Boris Yeltsin; the incompetent revolving-door governments of Rafael Caldera and Carlos Andrés Pérez. Messrs. Putin and Chávez both came to office promising to reverse the disintegrating trend with what the British Prime Minister Anthony Eden once called "the smack"--he meant the word in its physical sense--"of firm government." Their track records over the past eight years represent, if nothing else, the fulfillment of that promise, and the widespread gratitude that promise-keeping engendered.
The WSJ editorial board responds to the NIE report on Iran:
Mr. Bush's efforts to further sanction Iran at the U.N. were stalled even before the NIE's release. Those efforts will now be on life support. The NIE's judgments also complicate Treasury's efforts to persuade foreign companies to divest from Iran. Why should they lose out on lucrative business opportunities when even U.S. intelligence absolves the Iranians of evil intent? Calls by Democrats and their media friends to negotiate with Tehran "without preconditions" will surely grow louder.
Boy did we miss the Clintons! They're back! Senator Boxer is holding up James Rogan's nomination to sit as a US District Court judge. Wouldn't be for Rogan's role in the impeachment hearings, hmm? "Hillary's Revenge" at the WSJ:
Dan Henniger at the WSJ asks when our presidential candidates will address the real threats in this, "Still a Dangerous World".
Labels: Russia, Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 11:27 PM Permalink
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Monday, August 06, 2007
Che, Chavez and Sean Penn (in back) are keeping the faith. Whatever rallies the masses...
posted by Karl @ 12:34 AM Permalink
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 12:34 AM Permalink
Friday, June 29, 2007
While Americans stand in line for something as basic as a phone, Venezuela's Chavez is at the front of the line in Moscow to purchase some weapons and to encourage Russians to "revive the thinking of the founder of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin."
UT: SondraK
posted by Karl @ 9:42 PM Permalink
UT: SondraK
Labels: Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 9:42 PM Permalink
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