News Blog for social, fiscal & national security conservatives who believe in God, family & the USA. Upholding the rights granted by God & guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, traditional family values, "republican" principles / ideals, transparent & limited "smaller" government, free markets, lower taxes, due process of law, liberty & individual freedom. Content approval rests with the ARRA News Service Editor. Opinions are those of the authors. While varied positions are reported, beliefs & principles remain fixed. No revenue is generated for or by this "Blog" - no paid ads - no payments for articles.Fair Use Doctrine is posted & used. Blogger/Editor/Founder: Bill Smith, Ph.D. [aka: OzarkGuru & 2010 AFP National Blogger of the Year] Contact: editor@arranewsservice.com (Pub. Since July, 2006)Home PageFollow @arra
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -- Plato
(429-347 BC)
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Pelosi’s Ratings Down - Gallup Poll & Others
It appears that all polls are consistently showing the poll numbers for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are low and she remains a drag on the Democratic Party and the image of elected democrats.
Friday'spoll numbers released by Gallup revealed that Pelosi is viewed unfavorably by at least half of Americans. She had a favorability polling of only 34%. Earlier in the week other polling numbers reported similar results: the liberal CNN polling showed only a 39% approval rating for Pelosi performance. A poll conducted by Research 2000 for the liberal DailyKos revealed both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid each had a 30% favorability polling numbers. Gallop is reporting Pelosi's current image rating is more negative than positive by a 16 percentage point margin with 50% unfavorable. Pelosi's decline since last fall is seen equally in her ratings from Republicans and independents, with little change in the views of Democrats. The percentage of Republicans viewing her favorably fell 12 points, from 21% to 9%; the same drop in favorability was seen among independents, from 37% to 25%.
--------- Impeach Nancy Pelosiis not related to the above referenced polling sources. It is growing statement of opposition on FaceBook. We know it is not really possible to"impeach" Nancy Pelosi but she has Impeached herself. Within the last 38 days, 21,514 members have joined the new Impeach Nancy Pelosi fan page . Join Usfor fun, conversation and a way to learn about actions you can take to help other face the fact that Pelosi should not be Speaker of the House. The page was created by Steven Foiley, The Minority Report and by Bill Smith (Ozark Guru), ARRA News Service. Tags:Gallup Poll, Impeach Nancy Pelosi, Impeachment, Nancy PelosiTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Charles Krauthammer: Obama the Humble declares there will be no more "dictating" to other countries. We should "forge partnerships as opposed to simply dictating solutions," he told the G-20 summit. In Middle East negotiations, he told al-Arabiya, America will henceforth "start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating."
An admirable sentiment. It applies to everyone -- Iran, Russia, Cuba, Syria, even Venezuela. Except Israel. Israel is ordered to freeze all settlement activity. . . . What's the issue? No "natural growth" means strangling to death the thriving towns close to the 1949 armistice line, many of them suburbs of Jerusalem, that every negotiation over the past decade has envisioned Israel retaining. It means no increase in population. Which means no babies. Or if you have babies, no housing for them -- not even "within" the existing town boundaries. Which means for every child born, someone has to move out. No community can survive like that. The obvious objective is to undermine and destroy these towns -- even before negotiations. . . .
This idea is not only logical, not only accepted by both Democratic and Republican administrations for the last decade, but was agreed to in writing in the letters of understanding exchanged between Israel and the United States in 2004 -- and subsequently overwhelmingly endorsed by a concurrent resolution of Congress. Yet the Obama State Department has repeatedly refused to endorse these agreements or even say it will honor them. This from a president who piously insists that all parties to the conflict honor previous obligations. . . .
In his much-heralded "Muslim world" address in Cairo Thursday, Obama declared that the Palestinian people's "situation" is "intolerable." Indeed it is, the result of 60 years of Palestinian leadership that gave its people corruption, tyranny, religious intolerance and forced militarization; leadership that for three generations -- Haj Amin al-Husseini in 1947, Yasser Arafat in 2000, Abbas in December 2008 -- rejected every offer of independence and dignity, choosing destitution and despair rather than accept any settlement not accompanied by the extinction of Israel.
In the 16 years since the Oslo accords turned the West Bank and Gaza over to the Palestinians, their leaders -- Fatah and Hamas alike -- built no schools, no roads, no courthouses, no hospitals, no institutions that would relieve their people's suffering. Instead they poured everything into an infrastructure of war and terror, all the while depositing billions (from gullible Western donors) into their Swiss bank accounts.
Obama says he came to Cairo to tell the truth. But he uttered not a word of that. Instead, among all the bromides and lofty sentiments, he issued but one concrete declaration of new American policy: "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements," thus reinforcing the myth that Palestinian misery and statelessness are the fault of Israel and the settlements.
Blaming Israel and picking a fight over "natural growth" may curry favor with the Muslim "street." But it will only induce the Arab states to do like Abbas: sit and wait for America to deliver Israel on a platter. Which makes the Obama strategy not just dishonorable but self-defeating. . . . [Full Article] Tags:Barack Obama, Charles Krauthammer, Israel, Obama administration, settlementsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
An Easily Understandable Explanation of Derivative Markets
H/T The Patriot Post: Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.
She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).
Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in Detroit.
By providing her customers' freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.
A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.
At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets. Naive investors don't really understand that the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics.
Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.
One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. He so informs Heidi.
Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Since, Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs.
Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.
The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds. Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers.
Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion dollar no-strings attached cash infusion from the Government. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers.
Now, do you understand? Tags:derivative markets, investor, political humor, The Patriot PostTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Washington Post: "Obama says Iran's energy concerns legitimate." Just a minute: Iran has all the resources it needs for energy production now. Why are they wasting their money in nuclear power? Oh yea, they need nuclear warheads to go with their missiles.
So what about nuclear power for the US? Here we are dependent upon foreign oil on one hand, or still using what Obama claims is “dirty” coal power on the other, yet Obama still refuses to allow his own countrymen build new nuclear power plants.
Oh, sure, he made noises about cautiously supporting nuclear power for the U.S. during the late presidential campaign, but his nuclear power denying actions since have spoken louder. Even during the campaign pro-Obama Newsweek concluded that Obama was anti-nuclear power for his own people. And since his election, it has become clear that he will not move forward on construction of any new American nuclear power plants.
One of the biggest obstacles to American nuclear power plants concerns what to do with the waste. Of course, it appears that Obama has turned his back on the Yucca Mountain project, the one project that could have served as the nation’s nuclear waste dumping site. Without the Yucca Mountain dumpsite approved, expecting to build new nuclear plants is difficult at best. So, in essence, Obama has shut down any possibility of building new plants forcing the U.S. to remain a slave to foreign oil and “dirty” coal, two things he also claims he’s against.
Tags:America, Barack Obama, clean energy, green energy, Iran, nuclear energy, political cartoon, William Warren, wind energyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Eisenhower Paratroopers D Day
Photo Compliments of Shirley Two Feathers Rep. John Boozman (R-AR): Our men and women in uniform protect the liberties and freedoms our nation was founded on throughout the world each day. To honor these service members, we must preserve their legacy and reflect on their sacrifices. That is why I am honored to have had the privilege to lead congressional efforts recognizing the 65th Anniversary of the beach invasion of Normandy, France. Known across the world as D-Day, Allied Forces launched the single largest amphibious assault in history on June 6, 1944.
The goal of the assault was clear and enunciated by the then General Dwight Eisenhower, “You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.”
There could not have been a more accurate prediction, but it did come at a cost. There were an estimated 10,000 allied casualties, an estimated 6,000 of those being U.S. service members. The troops who died fighting on the beaches of Normandy gave their lives for a noble cause, much like those who were lost in the conflicts before and after them. They gave their lives to protect America and European allies from the aggression of imperialist nations, fascist regimes and genocidal injustice. In doing so, each of them has made the world a better place.
The Battle of Normandy was the turning point in World War II. Less than a year later the Nazi regime was dismantled and forced to surrender. The beaches of Normandy that thousands of brave, selfless young men stormed on June 6, 1944 have since become a reminder of the battle, their great accomplishment, and the ultimate sacrifice that was made by so many Americans. Their bravery will forever be remembered.
It is unnerving to imagine what the world might have been if not for the bravery, skill, and selfless determination to preserve the universal human right of freedom. We must pause and thank those service members on this 65th Anniversary of their great endeavor for all of the sacrifices made by them and their entire generation to secure victory and peace for all freedom loving people of the world. Let us never take their gift for granted, but work to preserve and advance the ideals for which they fought and that have made our nation the greatest in the world.
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U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR) introduced H. Res. 259a House Resolution honoring the 65th Anniversary of D-Day. The House Resolution expresses gratitude and appreciation to the members of the U.S. Armed Forces who participated in the D-Day operations. The Resolution passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Tags:Anniversary, D-Day, John BoozmanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by William Warren: Tags:bankruptcy, Chevrolet, General Motors, GM, Political Cartoons, William WarrenTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate in recess until 2 pm; in the evening,they will vote on cloture on the Dodd substitute amendment to the FDA tobacco regulation bill, H.R. 1256.
Yesterday, Judge Sonia Sotomayor delivered her questionnaire and boxes of her speeches and other documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The AP reports, though, that those speeches “include more instances in which she said she hopes a ‘wise Latina’ would reach a better decision than a man without that experience.”
Many people have expressed concerns about a speech Sotomayor gave in Berkeley in 2001 where she said, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” TheOmaha World-Herald reported on Wednesday that Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson called those remarks “troubling.”
But the administration has dismissed criticism, insisting that Sotomayor simply used a poor choice of words. President Obama said to NBC earlier in the week, “I’m sure she would have restated it. But if you look in the entire sweep of the essay that she wrote, she was simply saying that her life experiences will give her information about the struggles and hardships that people are going through that will make her a good judge.” And White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said last week, “I’ve not talked specifically with her about this, but I think that -- I think she’d say that her word choice in 2001 was poor; that she was simply making the point that personal experiences are relevant to the process of judging . . . .”
The documents given to the Judiciary Committee, however, show that Sotomayor has repeatedly said similar things over the years. As Slate put it, “Sotomayor didn’t misspeak in 2001. She apparently just repeated her stump speech.” According to aSlate piece yesterday, “in a 1994 speech Sotomayor used nearly identical language: ‘I would hope that a wise woman with the richness of her experience would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion. What is better? I … hope that better will mean a more compassionate and caring conclusion.’”
The AP adds, “In fact, she said it almost precisely the same way in speeches to the Princeton Club in 2002 and one at Seton Hall law school in 2003, according to copies she sent the Senate.”
And The Washington Post reports, “In a 1999 speech to the Women’s Bar Association of New York State, Sotomayor invoked ‘sister power,’ called for the selection of a third woman Supreme Court justice -- which she would now be -- and used phrasing similar to that in the Berkeley speech. ‘I would hope that a wise woman with the richness of her experiences would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion,’ she said.”
That makes at least five separate occasions where Sotomayor made remarks suggesting race and gender should affect a judge’s decisions. These are certainly things that Judge Sotomayor will be asked about during her hearings before the Judiciary Committee. In the meantime, the White House might want to revise its explanations of what they think she meant. Tags:FDA, Sonia Sotomayor, tobacco products, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Harry Reid Hasn't Read Any of Sotomayor's Opinions
At a press conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who has only a 30% favorability rating and tied with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said, "I understand that during her [Sotomayor] career, she's written hundreds and hundreds of opinions. I haven't read a single one of them, and if I'm fortunate before we end this, I won't have to read one of them." And this man is the leader of the Senate! And then we find Reid braging in another videoon his website that "Sotomayor is an accomplished and qualified nominee whose real-world experience and understanding of the law will serve Nevadans well. "I really admire the judge," said Reid. "We want someone on the bench that understands the problems of real people -- and she does without question." Reid doesn't know what he talking about and continues to be a great prevaricator with Nevadans. Surely, Nevada has someone far better than Harry Reid to represent them!
Tags:Harry Reid, Nevada, nominee, SCOTUS, Senate, Sonia Sotomayor, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Guest Article by Debbie Pelly: The takeover of GM is just one step toward the leftists' long-term goal - a "carless" society.
As Michael Moore said inGoodbye, GM:"The things we call cars may have been fun to drive, but they are like a million daggers into the heart of Mother Nature. To continue to build them would only lead to the ruin of our species and much of the planet."
If this idea of a "carless" society seems incredible, then consider how unbelievable the things Obama is doing now would have been ten years ago. Moore continues by outlining several steps he would ask President Obama to implement:
Thus, as GM is 'reorganized' by the federal government and the bankruptcy court, here is the plan I am asking President Obama to implement for the good of the workers, the GM communities, and the nation as a whole. . . . Number 1: Just as President Roosevelt did after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the President must tell the nation that we are at war and we must immediately convert our auto factories to factories that build mass transit vehicles and alternative energy devices. . . . The products built in the factories of GM, Ford and Chrysler are some of the greatest weapons of mass destruction responsible for global warming and the melting of our polar icecaps." . . .
Number 4: Initiate a program to put light rail mass transit lines in all our large and medium-sized cities. Build those trains in the GM factories. And hire local people everywhere to install and run this system.
Number 5: For people in rural areas not served by the train lines, have the GM plants produce energy efficient clean buses.
Can you imagine catching a bus in a rural area to go buy groceries, to buy parts to repair farm equipment, house repairs, for doctor appointments, etc. especially for the elderly.
Recently, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, published an article taken from the New York Times entitled: "Residents of German district adopt car-free lifestyle:"
Residents of this upscale community [Vauban] are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: They have given up their cars. . . . Vauban, completed in 2006, is an example of a growing trend in Europe, the United States and elsewhere to separate suburban life from auto use, as a component of a movement called "smart planning. . . .
[The following quote from the article exemplifies the gist of the article]
'When I had a car I was always tense. I'm much happier this way,' said Heidrun Walter, a media trainer and mother of two, as she walked verdant streets where the swish of bicycles and the chatter of wandering children drown out the occasional distant motor. . . .
Now just why would an Arkansas paper print such an article with such a positive slant? Even the word "car-free" in the headline indicates a positive slant to doing away with cars. Isn't it the beginning of preparing people for just this lifestyle of a "carless" society like leftists always do when they start their propaganda for a change they plan to implement? Remember a number of years ago when liberals started talking about the advantages of a nationalized health care, it was originally rejected with venom. Now it is so acceptable that people who oppose it are called radicals.
Taking over the auto makers will exponentially increase the price of cars. The government has never run anything efficiently. The new fuel-efficiency and tailpipe-emissions standards will drive auto prices even higher. The alternative fuels required will make driving a car so expensive that people will no longer be able to afford them.
We can then be like the third world countries that all of us have dreamed about living in. And all that will be called PROGRESS. And, Obama will no longer have to apologize to other countries for our nation's indulgence. And, we won't be that mean old country that uses more than our share of the world's energy. And, no one in the other countries will be any better off. We will just be reduced to their poverty as we burn up our food for alternate fuel.
Then, who will help all those countries during their times of crisis as our country has done for so many years? Tags:cars, Debbie Pelley, GM, leftist, Michael Moore, societyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
A New Beginning or an Obama Cairo Deception - Viewpoints
Below are three views of President Barack Hussein Obama speech in Cairo, Egypt. The first view is that of David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to the President. Included in his unsolicited email was the link to the video of the speech which is provided for your review. The second view is that of Gary Bauer, Director - Campaign for Working Families who highlights perceived deceptions. The third view is that of Tony Perkins, Director - Family Research Council who noted the historical errors in the speech.
David Axelrod: A New Beginning - As a Senior Advisor to the President, I'm here in Cairo, Egypt where I watched President Obama deliver an unprecedented speech calling for a new beginning for the United States and Muslim communities around the world.
We all know that there has been tension between the United States and some Muslim communities. But, as the President said this morning, if all sides face the sources of tension squarely and focus on mutual interests, we can find a new way forward.
The President outlined some big goals for this new beginning in his speech -- including disrupting, dismantling, and defeating violent extremism. It was a historic speech.
Majority-Muslim countries around the world are filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives, just as in America. Indeed, part of what makes America great is having nearly seven million Muslim Americans living here today and enriching our culture and communities.
We can extend that kind of relationship abroad. It won't always be easy, but if we make an effort to bridge our differences rather than resigning ourselves to animosity, we can move toward a more peaceful world over time.
Gary Bauer: The Cairo Deception - It was tough to begin this day by watching President Obama destroy history, undermine Israel and bow, this time rhetorically, to Islam during his speech at Cairo University. Below are some examples and my reactions.
OBAMA: “…America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”
REACTION: Tolerance? Dignity? Islamic countries dominate the list of top human rights violators in the world. Throughout much of the Middle East, Christians live in fear and Jews can’t live at all.
OBAMA: “I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of America’s story. …And when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers – Thomas Jefferson – kept in his personal library.”
REACTION: Nice try, Mr. President. Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of the Koran at least in part because he wanted to understand what part Islam played in motivating the jihadists of his age – the so called Barbary pirates – in America’s first encounter with Islam and the first time we sent troops into combat overseas.
OBAMA: “Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail.”
REACTION: Thank you, President Obama, for that clear statement of cultural and moral relativism that infects so many of our elites and obviously shapes the way you deal with the world. So you want a world order, where no nation or group is elevated over another, where America is to be considered no better than North Korea, Syria, or Iran. All cultures and nations are not equal. Some believe in liberty and the dignity of individuals. Some believe people are cattle to be herded by government. That you don’t understand that your own nation is preferable and better than the thug states of the world is tragic and dangerous. How I long for the days when President Reagan regularly reminded us that we were to be a “shining city upon a hill.”
OBAMA: “On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead.
REACTION: The president here repeats a central tenet of Palestinian propaganda. Israel did not evict Muslim Palestinians – Arab League nations ordered them to leave. Nearly 20% of Israel today is Muslim. Nowhere does the president mention the Jewish refugees forced to flee to Israel. Nor did he mention that it is Arab Muslim countries that keep Palestinians in refugee camps rather than inviting and integrating them into their own countries.
OBAMA: “All of us have a responsibility to work for the day … when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together.”
REACTION: Don’t miss the significance of this statement. Here Obama is calling for turning Jerusalem, which has always been home for Jews, into an international city under control of who? The U.N.? The E.U.? All religions have access to Jerusalem now, because Israel, unlike its neighbors, is tolerant.
OBAMA: “That is why we are forging service projects in America that bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews. That is why we welcome efforts like Saudi Arabian King Abdullah’s interfaith dialogue and Turkey’s leadership in the Alliance of Civilizations.”
REACTION: Yet another big wet kiss from the president for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a country that will not permit a Bible to be displayed nor allow an infidel to set foot in its “holy” cities.
OBAMA: “Hamas does have support among some Palestinians, but they also have responsibilities. To play a role in fulfilling Palestinian aspirations, and to unify the Palestinian people, Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, and recognize Israel’s right to exist.”
REACTION: Here the president extends an olive branch to one of the most bloodthirsty terror groups in the Middle East. The only “aspiration” Hamas is interested in fulfilling is the destruction of Israel and the eviction of the U.S. from the Middle East. And notice when the president says that Hamas must recognize Israel’s right to exist, he very tellingly leaves off the most important phrase “as a Jewish state.” Hamas will never recognize the right of Jews to have one nation.
Tony Perkins: Outreach or Overreach? - Much is being said about President Obama's speech today at Cairo University. Left-leaning pundits have touted the speech in a leading Arab nation as a bold outreach to "the Muslim World." It may be a bold outreach from a political perspective, but it was certainly a bold overreach from a factual and historical perspective.
Quoting from the Koran four times, the President said, "Islam has always been a part of America's story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco...let there be no doubt, Islam is a part of America." Actually, Mr. President, it was Holland. On November 16, 1776, officials at Saint Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies fired "the first salute" to a warship bearing the American flag. The event was the subject of a best-selling history book by Barbara Tuchman, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. The President is certainly entitled to his own opinion of America. But, as Ronald Reagan said, he is not entitled to his own facts.
President Obama went on to cite John Adams' words when second president signed the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796. Adams, at the time, said we had "no enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility of Muslims." The only problem was that the Barbary Pirates, then operating out of Tripoli, continued to prey on American shipping. Although he didn't use "micro loans" or new "science and technology" funds, Adams attempted to buy them off and failed. By 1800, nearly one-fifth of the federal budget was consumed in trying to pay off predatory rulers in North Africa. When Thomas Jefferson succeeded Adams in 1801, he dispatched warships and U.S. Marines "to the shores of Tripoli" to fight for American rights. Jefferson was determined not to pay tribute to the Muslim rulers of North Africa and to stop their seizing U.S. merchant ships and selling American seamen into slavery. That effort succeeded.
And yes, Jefferson did own a copy of the Koran as President Obama stated in his speech today. But the reason he read it when he was serving as our ambassador in Paris was to see if it could really be true -- as Arab diplomats were telling him -- that the Koran gave them the right to attack and enslave Americans and all other "infidels." Jefferson concluded from his reading that America must fight--not pay tribute--to protect her citizens.
Tags:Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, Cairo, David Axelrod, Gary BauerTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 1256, a bill to allow the FDA to regulate tobacco. Roll call votes are possible throughout the day.
It appears today that President Obama is doubling down on his pledge to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay by next January, yet little has changed since the Senate voted 90-6 to deny funds for bringing detainees to the U.S. In fact, the only thing that appears to have changed is that opposition from the public to closing the facility has deepened.
In his speech at Cairo University today, Obama used Guantanamo as an applause line, saying, “We are taking concrete actions to change course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.” Meanwhile, The Hill reports, “The White House sent a deputy national security adviser to Capitol Hill Wednesday evening to urge Senate Democrats to drop their resistance to relocating Guantanamo Bay detainees to U.S. prisons. The adviser met with the Democratic Conference for about an hour, pressing them to modify an amendment adopted in May to the war-spending measure that would deny the administration funding to close the prison in Cuba and transfer the prisoners into the United States.”
But, The Hill notes, “Democrats attending the meeting said the White House presentation was met with skepticism.” Little wonder that Democrats were skeptical given the overwhelming vote last month and a new Gallup poll showing that Americans oppose closing Guantanamo by 65%-32%. Further, 74% oppose closing the facility and moving some detainees into their states. 54% percent feel so strongly that they not only oppose closing Guantanamo, but would be “upset” if it is closed. In particular, self-described political independents are strongly opposed to closing the facility by 68%-29%.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told The Hill, “This is an emotional issue, but at the end of the day I think most people realize we don’t have much choice. To leave Guantanamo open is a problem — not just for the president politically, but for us as a nation.” However, Gallup writes, “Thus far, Americans don’t seem to be persuaded by the Obama argument -- only 18% believe the Guantanamo Bay prison has weakened U.S. national security. More than twice as many take the opposing view that it has strengthened U.S. security.”
So, as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell asked in a floor speech this morning, what has changed that would make the administration think it would be wise to push for money to close Guantanamo? “The views of the American people have not changed. They firmly oppose it. Nor have the dangers and difficulties of moving the detainees into the U.S. The FBI Director has testified about the dangers of holding these terrorists in the United States. . . . The administration’s supporters point to Supermax as a place to house these terrorists. But our colleagues from Colorado don’t support moving them there, nor is there even any place in that facility to put them. . . . [W]e should not rush to give the administration a blank check to do something, sight unseen, that Americans oppose. As Senate Democrats have often said, the Senate is not a rubber stamp. And we should not flip-flop on our vote of just a few weeks ago.” Tags:FDA, Gitmo, tobacco products, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Abdulhakim Muhammad pleaded guilty in the middle of his trial to capital murder and attempted capital murder charges. Pulaski County Judge Herbert Wright then sentenced Muhammad to life in prison without parole for capital murder, with 11 more life sentences for the remaining charges against him plus an additional 180 years in prison.
But prosecutors had to withdraw the death penalty for Muhammad to plead guilty to capital murder. Arkansas law requires a defendant to be tried if lethal injection is a sentencing option. . . . Muhammad was charged with the killing of Army Pvt. William Andrew Long. He also was charged with attempted capital murder for wounding Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula in 2009.
Muhammad was born Carlos Bledsoe but changed his name after converting to Islam during college. In 2007, he traveled to Yemen, where Islamic extremists are known to seek sanctuary. He overstayed his visa and was deported back to the U.S. Muhammad claimed to have links to terror groups . . .
------------------ Update:Pvt. William Andrew Long laid to rest; remembered and mourned!
----------------- by Bill Smith, ARRA Editor and 22 year Veteran: Today, Arkansas will rally at 4 pm in front of the Army-Navy Recruiting Station in Little Rock to show support for our military. While most of the media, elected officials, and Commander-in-Chief Obamahave ignored this terrorist attack in Arkansas, the rally participants will show their respect for our military and will mourn the loss of soldier Pvt. William Long, and will express concern for wounded soldier Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, for their military comrades and for the families of the victims of this terrorist attack in the heartland of America.
Both soldiers were gunned down by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, a 21-year-old African-American man who had changed his name from Carlos Leon Bledsoe after he converted to Islam. In Arabic, the word mujahid is the singular form of mujahideen, and it literally means one who engages in jihad. It appears that Abdulhakim operated as a "lone wolf" which is described in an article for STATFOR, a civilian global intelligence firm. The article by Scott Stewart and Fred Burton is titled: "Lone Wolf Lessons" and is identified on the STATFOR website as a "Global Security & Intelligence Report." It has a good rundown on the concepts and dangers of the "Lone Wolf" terrorist. However the most chilling part of the article is the allegation that the administration had ordered the FBI to “back off” of counterterrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts. An Arkansas source, a retired Army colonel, expressed that "this is a very damning allegation against the administration. . . . any administration. And yes, I am PO'd!"
Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad was reportedly already under investigation by the FBI joint terrorism task force after he traveled to Yemen and was arrested there for using a Somali passport. However the details of the probe have not been revealed. But, it is now it is clear that the FBI had a prior interest in this "lone wolf terrorist."
Skipping the article's "Challenges" and "Limitations" in dealing with the Lone Wolf terrorist, let's note the text that literally jumps off the pages of the report:
However, politics have proved obstructive to all facets of counter terrorism policy. And politics may have been at play in the Muhammad case as well as in other cases involving Black Muslim converts. Several weeks ago, STRATFOR heard from sources that the FBI and other law enforcement organizations had been ordered to “back off” of counter terrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts.
At this point, it is unclear to us if that guidance was given by the White House or the Department of Justice, or if it was promulgated by the agencies themselves, anticipating the wishes of President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.
As STRATFOR has previously noted, the FBI has a culture that is very conservative and risk-averse. Many FBI supervisors are reluctant to authorize investigations that they believe may have negative blow-back on their career advancement. In light of this institutional culture, and the order to be careful in investigations relating to Black* Muslim converts, it would not be at all surprising to us if a supervisor refused to authorize a full-field investigation of Muhammad that would have included surveillance of his activities. Though in practical terms, even if a full-field investigation had been authorized, due to the caution being exercised in cases related to Black* Muslim converts, the case would most likely have been micromanaged to the point of inaction by the special agent in charge of the office involved or by FBI headquarters.
Let's reflect for a moment. First, note again that President Barack Hussein Obama has remained silent since the incident and in face of his planned trip to meet with Muslim leaders in the Middle East. As Commander-in-Chief, he and his administration, including the Secretary of the Defense and the Attorney General have remained mute and failed to both condemn this act or to comfort the families, friends, and comrades of the victims or to express concern for the severely wounded soldier. When Fox News asked the White House staff yesterday what they had to say, they related that they were working on a statement to be released. Well, no thanks to any three days old or more concern!
[A] White House official briefed reporters on the trip and emphasized Obama’s Muslim roots. According to Jake Tapper of ABC, the aide said, “The president himself experienced Islam on three continents . . . you know growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father – obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago.” However, During the presidential campaign it became forbidden in any way to draw attention to candidate Obama’s Muslim roots. . . . Obama himself attacked any suggestion he had Muslim roots. . . . Barack Hussein Obama wants it both ways. In his world view, America isn’t a Christian country but it is one of the largest Muslim countries in the world. He doesn’t want anyone to bring up his Muslim roots when they are talking to American voters, but his Muslim roots become the main selling point when he is headed to Cairo and Saudi Arabia.
Third, the SRATFOR global security and intelligence report concludes:
Had the FBI opened a full-field investigation on Muhammad, and had it conducted surveillance on him, it would have been able to watch him participate in preoperational activities such as conducting surveillance of potential targets and obtaining weapons. There is certainly going to be an internal inquiry at the FBI and Department of Justice — and perhaps even in Congress — to determine where the points of failure were in this case. We will be watching with interest to see what really transpired. The details will be extremely interesting, especially coming at a time when the Obama administration appears to be following the Clinton-era policy of stressing the primacy of the FBI and the law enforcement aspect of counter terrorism policy at the expense of intelligence and other elements.
The above points beg many questions: Why did President Barack Hussein Obama ignore Private William Long, Private Quinton Ezeagwula, the military recruiters, their friends and families, and the people of Arkansas? Why would the Obama administration order the FBI and other law enforcement organizations to “back off” of counter terrorism investigations into the activities of Black Muslim converts? Why did the Department of Homeland Security issue a document labeling conservatives, pro- constitution, Pro-bill of rights, veterans, as "right-wing" extremists and potential domestic terrorists?
AP reports: President Barack Obama met with Saudi King Abdullah on Wednesday in Riyadh, where he stressed the need for the two countries to cooperate. "I am confident that working together that the United States and Saudi Arabia can make progress on a whole host of issues of mutual interest," said Obama. Pakistan was expected to be on the agenda when the two leaders met. . . . Obama's defense secretary, Robert Gates, has already asked the Saudis for help in staving off the spread of militants in Pakistan and encouraging Pakistani officials to work together in countering the terrorist threat.
NPR Reports: Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech in Cairo on the US relationship with the world's 1.5 billion Muslims. . . . Obama brings perceived advantages — he's the son of a Kenyan Muslim and lived part of his childhood in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. . . . "I thought it was very important to come to the place where Islam began and to seek his majesty's counsel and to discuss with him many of the issues that we confront here in the Middle East," Obama said.
President Obama, today you may be speaking to 1.5 billion Muslims but the fact is that the majority of them will not hear you or will refuse to hear you because you have violated the "sacred laws" of Islam by converting from Islam to Christianity. Therefore, you are to them -worse than an infidel. President Obama, today the blood on the pavement outside of the Army Recruiting Station in Little Rock, Arkansas cries out for justice and for a president worthy to be called the Commander-in-Chief. You have dishonored a fallen soldier and elevated the enemies of our country. Your administration has ordered the FBI and other law enforcement organizations to “back off” of counter terrorism investigations into the activities of black* Muslim converts. You have catered to our enemy in an attempt at appeasement.
Your dismissive attitude, your being retroactively sorry, or your making someone else the fall guy won't cut it this time! I join with the aforementioned retired colonel and the hearts of millions of Americans in stating emphatically that I am more than PO'd with you. Mr. Obama - I Do Not salute you!
---------------- * The use of the word "Black" is reported to remain consistent in context with the original STRATFOR article. However, for this author, a person's color or race are not issues. The issues remain the Obama administration's interference in government investigations and President Obama and others disregard for the American soldiers attacked in Little Rock, Arkansas. Tags:Barack Hussein Obama, Barrack Obama, FBI, Little Rock, Middle East, Muslims, STRATFOR, veteransTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Gary Bauer: Our president has set off on his pilgrimage to the Islamic world, and truth is already one of his first causalities. Yesterday, in an interview on a French television station, the president observed that the U.S. could be considered “one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.” Obama must be counting Muslims in our 57 states that he claimed to have visited during the campaign. Where the seven extra states are located is still a mystery.
Seriously, the truth is that there are more than two dozen countries with Muslim populations larger than ours. And on a percentage basis, the number of U.S. Muslims is somewhere around 1.5%, making them one of the smallest religious groups in the U.S. France, England, Germany, etc., are more “Muslim” than we are. In fact, there are more Muslims in the nation of Burkina Faso than there are in the United States. (And if you know where Burkina Faso is, go to the head of the class!)
You will recall that on his last trip abroad the president denied we are a Christian nation, even though America was clearly built on Judeo-Christian values and concepts about human dignity and freedom, and our population is overwhelmingly Christian. Now he is trying to sell us abroad as a Muslim nation. The average American should be furious. But it doesn’t end there.
Yesterday, a White House official briefed reporters on the trip and emphasized Obama’s Muslim roots. According to Jake Tapper of ABC, the aide said, “The president himself experienced Islam on three continents…you know growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father – obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago.”
During the presidential campaign it became forbidden in any way to draw attention to candidate Obama’s Muslim roots. I was interviewed by the BBC last October and found myself in a half-hour shouting match because I dared to use the president’s middle name. Obama himself attacked any suggestion he had Muslim roots. Last September, Obama addressed his origins and said the GOP was trying to smear him. Here’s what he said:
“You know, he’s got a funny name. You know we’re not sure about him. And that’s what the Republicans when they say this isn’t about issues, it’s about personalities, what they’re really saying is, ‘We’re going to try to scare people about Barack. So we’re going to say that, you know, maybe he’s got Muslim connections’…just making stuff up.”
The crowd roared its approval.
Barack Hussein Obama wants it both ways. In his world view, America isn’t a Christian country but it is one of the largest Muslim countries in the world. He doesn’t want anyone to bring up his Muslim roots when they are talking to American voters, but his Muslim roots become the main selling point when he is headed to Cairo and Saudi Arabia.
While You’re There, Mr. President… In a column today in Politico, I urge the president not to ignore the persecution of religious minorities in the Muslim world. I will be watching eagerly to see if he will defend the rights of his Christian brothers and sisters to practice freely the same faith he professes to share.
A Larger Plot? Yesterday, officials investigating the murder of Private William Long were quick to suggest that converted Muslim extremist Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad acted alone. However, Fox News reported today that a senior U.S. official found multiple possible targets on Muhammad’s personal computer. Some of these include Jewish organizations, a Baptist church, child care centers, a post office, and other military recruiting centers in the southeastern United States, New York and Philadelphia. This information suggests that Muhammad may not have been acting alone and perhaps was part of a larger terrorist plot.
Once again the liberal media bias has been put on display for the American people to see. Immediately following the murder of George Tiller on Sunday, news outlets around the country suggested the suspect had ties with pro-life organizations. Yet when an innocent American service member is gunned down outside of a recruiting center, the media think it would be irrational to accuse the suspect of having ties to terrorist groups.
The double standard at work in the American media is disgusting. This episode is just one more example of how leftwing political correctness – specifically the media’s denial about the threat of Islamofascism – hurts our national security. We will keep you posted on any new developments in this case. By the way, President Obama has still not commented on this terrorist attack. See also:The Silence is deafening! Where is Commander-in-Chief Obama? Tags:Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, Gary Bauer, media bias, Muslim, terrorist attackTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
President Obama is now in the Middle East trying to influence the various Muslim leaders to what ends is still confusing. While he has opposed the U.S. having nuclear power plants, he has now expressed that Iran has a right to pursue their "peaceful" nuclear interests. He said this in spite of the facts that Iran already has sufficient oil to power their energy needs and that Iran's intent to date has been to develop a nuclear weapon. Obama did expressed concern for the people who died in a plane crash in South America. However, he but again failed as Commander-in-Chief to express concern for the families of a murdered soldier and of a seriously wounded soldier both of whome were shot on Monday by an identified Muslim in Little Rock, Arkansas. It appears that the other in his administration including the Pentagon and Secretary of Defense have taken his lead to not express their concern. [More on this story]
Yesterday the Senate voted 84-11 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 1256 and resumes consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 1256, a bill to allow the FDA to regulate tobacco. In our history, who would have every thought that tobacco could be regulated as a food or drug. Again, Federal intervention into the lives of America under the current Obama administration.
As the debate over health care reform begins in earnest in Washington this week, Americans watching the process might be wondering, “What are Democrats trying to hide about their health care plan?”
In a must-read editorial today, The Wall Street Journal asks, “Why the Health Care Rush?” The WSJ points out, “Democrats are trying to rush the largest entitlement expansion since LBJ into law with a truncated debate and as little public scrutiny as possible. At this point all they've released are the vaguest ‘policy options,’ not concrete specifics. Yet the Senate plans to begin marking up legislation next week, maybe hold a hearing or two, then have something to the floor by the end of the month, votes by the August recess and a bill to the Oval Office by Thanksgiving.”
The Journal also notes, “[President] Obama had 24 Senate Democrats over for a White House chat yesterday to drive the calendar ahead.” The White House even released a list of all the senators who came to talk health care, but, interestingly, not one Republican was on that list, even though Obama and Senate Democrats have declared their determination to have a bipartisan process on health care.
So what is it that has Democrats trying to rush through a bill to overhaul 18% of the U.S. economy and have major negotiations without Republicans? The Wall Street Journal editors answer the question: “The reality is that Democrats are contemplating the most sweeping restructuring of the health markets since Medicare in 1965, and they don't want to let the details slow them down. Or to be more precise, they don't want to let the details let others slow them down.”
Among those details: taxing employer-provided health care benefits, in a bid to find some way to pay for such a major expansion of government. According to The New York Times, “Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana and chairman of the Finance Committee, said Mr. Obama indicated that he ‘might consider’ the idea of taxing some employer-provided health benefits, a proposal favored by Mr. Baucus. ‘It’s on the table,’ Mr. Baucus said. ‘It’s an option.’”
The Washington Post reminded readers that this would be a significant about-face for Obama. “[T]he issue represents treacherous politics for Obama, given his attacks on Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who advocated a similar approach during the campaign. ‘For the first time in American history, he wants to tax your health benefits,’ Obama said in September. ‘Apparently, Senator McCain doesn't think it's enough that your health premiums have doubled. He thinks you should have to pay taxes on them, too.’”
President Obama and Democrats should be more up front with their plans for the U.S. health care system, and what expanded government involvement in health care would mean for consumers and businesses in terms of costs, bureaucracy, and access to care. Why aren't they? Because as s The Journal puts it, “Their health overhaul will run up a 13-figure price tag at a time when spending and deficits are already at epic levels and hook up the middle class to an intravenous drip of government health subsidies for generations to come. These are not realities that Democrats want the American people to mull over for very long.” Tags:Barack Obama, FDA, nationalized health care, tobacco, US Congress, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, Washington Update: Considering the moves by this administration, every month feels like "gay pride month." But in keeping with the liberal tradition, President Obama did single out the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement for special recognition yesterday, signing a White House proclamation that officially designates June as "LGBT Pride Month." President Bush had refused to acknowledge the hype, saying repeatedly that the White House shouldn't "politicize people's sexual orientation." In the proclamation released Monday, his successor makes no secret about the upcoming policy push.
"I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world," President Obama writes. "Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy..."
If, as the saying goes, people are policy, then we have no doubt where this White House stands. At last count, the Obama administration employed 36 open homosexuals. That number could climb to 37 if the Department of Education manages to squeak Kevin Jennings past an unsuspecting public. As we mentioned yesterday, Jennings, the controversial founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), has been appointed by Secretary Arne Duncan to be Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools despite his endorsement of the book Queering Elementary Education, for which Jennings wrote the foreword.
For those who aren't familiar with Queering, it focuses extensively on "re-educating parents" who object to teaching children about homosexual families, "affirming 'sissy boys,'" and eliminating "Mother's Day" and "Father's Day" from the classroom. Other chapters encourage the use of music to indoctrinate kids (with pro-homosexual songs like "Mama, What's a Dyke?"), and the drive to include gay-friendly literature in grade school, particularly the type that "affirms the comfortable friendships between young boys and adult homosexual men."
Obviously, this is more of an education than most American parents bargained for. If you'd like to protect your kids from this environment, join the protest by contacting Secretary Arne Duncan at 202-401-3000. Tell him to there is nothing "safe" about Kevin Jennings--and his "queering" agenda! See also:Read the President's Proclamation on LGBT Pride Month Tags:Barack Obama, gay activist, gay pride month, LGBT, Tony Perkins, FRC, Washington UpdateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
John Allison III, America's Best Choice: Well, it's finally official. We predicted it from the day Bush first loaned GM $13 billion, and now it's reality. General Motors has collapsed under the weight of gross mismanagement and an uncompromising UAW. GM's incompetent management team managed to lose $38.7 billion in 2007, a period that saw record revenues for the company. No matter how you slice it, that's mismanagement! We're hearing the latest UAW concessions don't cut the ~$70 per hour cost of GM's labor, but freeze it. In reality, the union hasn't given up anything.
Now the American taxpayers are the not-so-proud-owners of this bankrupt, inefficient, ineffective corporation. President Obama is convinced this is a good investment, even though Americans have consistently been opposed to the bailout of the auto industry. He's convinced he's going to turn GM around by hiring consultants who've never worked a day in the auto manufacturing business, including a 31-year-old law student with no background in business or economics who's become the primary decision maker in the process.
Recall that Obama, immediately following Bush's decision to abandon any semblance of free market capitalism in the US, was previously convinced a GM bankruptcy "would have devastating consequences for our economy and our workers." Now that he has ascended to the White House throne, and inked a deal to make him the de facto CEO of the former industrial icon, he's "confident that they can emerge [from bankruptcy] and take advantage of that new market and actually be very profitable and thrive."
In other words, the former community organizer who, as New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani puts it, "has never led anything, nothing, nada,"1 is narcissistic enough to believe he can take the reins of this monstrosity that was once the very symbol of American capitalism and make it profitable again. With our tax dollars, of course.
If this company were such a great investment, why didn't left-leaning billionaires like George Soros, Warren Buffet, Michael Bloomberg, and Obama's Auto Czar Steven Rattner place their bets on this gamble? The answer is simple. Regardless how often Obama refers to the bailout as an investment, it's really one great big experiment--an experiment in Socialism. The fear tactics employed by the President and his cronies--basically screaming that life as we know it would cease to exist if the banks, Chrysler, and GM were allowed to fail--were used to foment a paranoia in the American citizenry that would allow him to force feed us a Socialist economic system that we would never have otherwise approved or endorsed.
In a recent Fox News poll, only 46% of Americans will even consider purchasing a GM product when they go to buy their next vehicle. Compare that to the 54% who will consider buying from Ford Motor Co., the only American auto manufacturer who refused government money, and we see the citizens of this country are quite put off by this whole idea of taxpayer financing of failed corporations. These numbers are even more impressive when you consider that GM has long been the dominant domestic manufacturer in terms of US market share. Ford has gained an edge by simply insisting on standing on its own.
And how is Obama's Socialist experiment going so far? What innovative management decisions has the President made that will save our way of life and perhaps the world? The closure of more than 1,100 dealerships nationwide will surely alienate customers. Never a smart move if you're seeking to grow market share. Not only will loyal customers be forced to go elsewhere when purchasing a vehicle, but vehicle prices are also certain to increase with diminished competition among dealers. This trick wasn't designed to streamline GM. It was intended to help them survive while maintaining much of the structure that made them unprofitable in the first place.
The biggest beneficiaries of this strategy are UAW workers. By increasing the price of GM products, Obama believes he can make the company profitable without demanding any real concessions from his supporters in the UAW. We the American people are not only being forced to fork over our hard-earned tax dollars to keep this behemoth afloat, but will also be forced to pay more for its products if we purchase them. The UAW's over-generous compensation and benefit packages, a major source of GM's inability to compete with foreign competitors, will be borne by consumers as a result of this move.
The new Government Motors has also announced the closure of several manufacturing and assembly plants. So, far this sounds like it might actually be a good decision. But what if the plants to be closed aren't chosen for profitability, but for political payback? That certainly appears to be the case in the closing of the Spring Hill, TN assembly plant.
Obama has called for GM and Chrysler to move away from their large, gas-guzzling models so you would expect plants manufacturing these vehicles to be shuttered. But the Spring Hill plant was actually built to manufacture GM's smaller vehicles to better compete with its foreign competitors. The plant shut down for retool to produce the Chevrolet Traverse, which claims to have the "best fuel economy of any 8-passenger crossover." According to Mike Herron, chairman of UAW Local 1853's bargaining committee, "There's a billion dollars worth of equipment put in this place over the last 18 months."
A billion dollar investment in the last year and a half for a vehicle that boasts the best fuel economy of its class and the doors are closing. Not because GM is discontinuing the Traverse...production of the model will be shifted to Lansing, MI. And therein lies the rub. Erich Merkle, an auto analyst based in Grand Rapids, MI recognized the danger to the Spring Hill plant in early April.
At current sales levels, all four vehicles could be built at either plant, but politics could give the Michigan plant the edge, Merkle said. "Spring Hill could be on the bubble because it's in a red state, and Michigan is a blue state," Merkle said. "The governor of Michigan is a Democrat, too, and she needs all the plants she can get."2
I would love to see a per-unit cost comparison between the Michigan and Tennessee plants, but somehow I doubt the "most transparent administration in history," which now manages GM, will be offering the American public such information. I would have to bet, though, that the plant in conservative Tennessee is cheaper to operate than the one in liberal Michigan. If it's obvious to a Michigan-based analyst though, it should be obvious to everyone that Obama's management decisions at the helm of GM will be based more on politics than on practical business concerns.
Don't expect it to get better from here. The President has stated he wants to make GM a "leaner, meaner" company, more efficient and more competitive. This from a President who quadrupled the national deficit in his first 100 days in office. He's pointed out that he doesn't want to run GM, but now his administration holds 60% of the voting shares of the company. He's told us he wants to bring the country together, but his management decisions appear to be based largely on blue state vs. red state lines.
Government Motors, the new GM, the Obama Socialist Experiment...bought and paid for with your money. Enjoy. 1From former New York Mayor Giuliani 's address to the Republican National Convention Sept. 3, 2008. 2Union worries about GM plant in Spring Hill--Oakridger.com Hat tip: America, You Asked For It! Tags:Auto Task Force, bailout, Barack Hussein Obama, GM, socialism, socialist, Steven Rattner, USSATo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
While most of the media, elected officials, and Commander-in-Chief Obamaare ignoring the terrorist attack in our state, Secure Arkansas is planning on an emergency rally to support the troops: Secure Arkansas is planning a huge rally to support our military. It will be held on Thursday, June 4th, at 4 p.m., in front of the Army-Navy Recruiting Station at Ashley Square, corner of Reservoir Road and Rodney Parham in Little Rock. This is an emergency rally to show respect for our troops and let them know we mourn the loss of soldier Pvt. William Long and the wounding of soldier Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula.
For more information, please contact Jeannie Burlsworth at info@securearkansas.com or 501-765-3325 SecureArkansas.com Tags:Little Rock, Arkansas, Rally, Secure Arkansas, support troops, terrorist attack, soldier killed, soldier woundedTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Silence is deafening! Where is Commander-in-Chief Obama?
Update: July 25, 2012:Visit this link for additional info and final sentencing in the shooting of two military soldiers / murder in Little Rock, Arkansas by Muslim convert.
Update: Added comments by others at the end of this article. Others also have noticed the "silence" by BHO.
------------------ Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: Yesterday, we heard the shocking news that a Muslim convert "with political and religious motives" shot two uniformed soldiers outside a Little Rock, Arkansas military recruiting center. Private William Long, 23, died, and Private Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, was wounded and is currently in stable condition. According to Lt. Col. Thomas F. Artis of the Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion, the two soldiers had completed basic training within the past two weeks and were not "regular" recruiters. In the military terminology, the Army had allowed these two young men to return home after basic training for a designated period of time before reporting to their next military dusty assignment if they would work with recruiters and assist them in recruiting and talking to potential recruits.
Little Rock police are commended for quickly located and arrested Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 23 who was previously known as Carlos Bledsoe before he converted to Islam. The scuttlebutt is that Abdulhakim relocated to Arkansas from Memphis, TN after converting to Islam and attending a terrorist training camp. He was reportedly already under investigation by the FBI joint terrorism task force after he traveled to Yemen and was arrested there for using a Somali passport. However the details of the probe are not yet known.
When arraigned this morning, Muhammud / Bedsloe entered a not guilty plea. However, Lt. Terry Hastings, of the LRPD said that the accused said, "He saw them standing there and drove up and shot them. That's what he said." Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said, "Interviews with police show Muhammad 'probably had political and religious motives for the attack.'"
Of interest is the use of terminology describing this crime. The the news media are issuing the term "killed"and other plain wrapper terms with regard to the cold blooded murder of an American soldier and critical wounding of another. However, the news media used more inflammatory words like "murder " with respect to the recent shooting of late term abortionist Dr. Tiller.
Also, while the Obama administration under Attorney General Holder felt it was necessary to activate U.S. marshals to provide protection to various civilian individuals based on attack on Tiller, there has been no show of concern by the Obama administration over the attack on these young military servicemen on U.S. soil. Where are the compassionate public words of Commander-in-Chief President Obama or any of his key staff in regard to the death of one and wounding of another servicemen . This morning we reported on President Obama's announced nomination for the Secretary of the Army. However , the "Commander-in-chief" has not expressed concern for the fallen and injured servicemen in Little Rock. Again - there has been no condemnation of the killing of an American serviceman and the wounding of another in the heartland of America.
Also, there has been no expressed concern for the victims' families or for the recovery of the wounded soldier. Also, where is the expressed concern by the aforementioned Attorney General Holder or by the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. With Obama's planned meetings with Muslim Middle East leaders, Obama and his administration seems to be choosing to ignore this situation. The shooting of a military serviceman used to be a Federal crime? The Silence is deafening! ------------------ Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families (4:12 pm): Muhammad had been under investigation by the U.S. Federal Task Force on Terrorism. How did he get his weapons and commit these crimes when he was under investigation? The sound you heard after this terrorist attack was silence. President Obama, who immediately condemned the murder of abortionist George Tiller on Sunday, still has not – 24 hours later – said one word about the cowardly attack on these soldiers. The U.S. Justice Department, which sent federal marshals yesterday to guard abortion clinics, has sent no one to guard our military recruitment offices, even though more than 100 of those offices have been attacked in recent years. As for the president, he is the commander-in-chief. He is responsible for the wellbeing of our men and women in uniform. His silence in the face of this brutal attack is shameful. Michelle Malkin (12:47 pm - even before above post):Not a word about the jihadi attack on the two Army recruiters in Arkansas. No condemnation of the heinous attack and senseless violence. No condolences for the families of the targeted men or praise for the military recruiters who have been under increasing attack on U.S. soil. No statements from the DOJ or Pentagon, either. Nothing. Pam Meister (June 3rd): As of this writing, there has been no public statement about the Little Rock shooting from either President Obama or his representatives in the White House. I realize he’s on his way to the Middle East and is just as busy as he can be, but somehow he managed to find time to pledge U.S. support in helping to do whatever is necessary to find out what happened to the Air France plane that recently disappeared over the Atlantic as if flew from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. His administration also found the time to encourage American embassies around the world to invite Iranian officials to their July Fourth festivities. . . . Keith Olbermann once odiously compared right wingers to Jihadists. Here’s a real-life Jihadist, gunning down those who volunteered to serve our nation in cold blood. What will Keith say about him? Mark Taylor (June 3rd): Although these callous murders were clearly inspired at least in part by the very ideology with which we are at war, radical Islam, in a display of flabbergastingly bad judgment the Commander-in-Chief of these dead and wounded American soldiers, Barack Obama, has not spoken one word of either outrage or compassion for the event. Why do that and spoil all the fun he’ll have at his Cairo speech? . . . And as a state mourns the tragedy of Jihad in Central Arkansas, the root cause of the murderous act is ignored: a radical, hate-filled belief system that is creeping its way into our prisons and into the country’s mosques and communities. Yes, the unthinkable, Jihad, has come to Central Arkansas. When will it come to your town? Kenneth Wallis (June 3rd): A terrorist attack from Islamofacism that had not occurred since 9/11 under the Bush Administration has occurred under Obama. Despite this terrorist attack, no statement has been made from the leader of the United States of America, nor the Head of the Department that is supposed to prevent these attacks, nor Little Rock's United States Representative Vic Snyder. Tags:Arkansas, Barack Obama, Bill Smith, Commander-in-Chief, Eric Holder, injured troops, Islamic terrorist, Little Rock, military, Murder, Muslim, Robert GatesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
AFP Hot Air Balloon Tour Comes to Arkansas (Little Rock & Fayetteville)
Americans for Prosperity’s Hot Air Balloon Tour to Stop in Arkansas to Expose Hidden Energy Tax Hike in “Cap-and-Trade” Legislation, June 3rd in Little Rock and June 4th in Fayetteville [Event Locations Below]Free rides in AFP’s 70 foot hot air balloon will be provided to the public! The free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is taking its nationwide Hot Air Balloon Tour to Arkansas on June 3rd and June 4th to expose the extreme economic costs of cap-and trade-legislation to the American taxpayer. “This cap and trade scheme is nothing more than a tax on energy- plain and simple,” said AFP President Tim Phillips. “We think American families need to know what these proposals will cost them – lost jobs, even higher energy prices, and less freedom.”
AFP’s Hot Air Tour has the goal of building grassroots pressure against costly state, local, and federal climate change policies. AFP has pledged to mobilize citizens in order to fight off any attempts to pass a cap-and-trade regulatory scheme. Attendees will have the chance to ride in AFP’s hot air balloon and listen to Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips speak on the economic dangers of cap-and-trade legislation.
The event is free and open to the public. Food will be served.
Wednesday, June 3rd, 6:00pm
MacArthur Park,
Little Rock, AR
Thursday, June 4th , 9:00am
Agri-Park Pavilion, 1767 Knapp Street,
Fayetteville, AR
For more info about the Hot Air Tour, including a full schedule of events, please visit www.hotairtour.org. Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizens committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth and returning government to its constitutional limits.Tags:AFP, Americans for Prosperity, Arkansas, Ballon, cap-and-trade, carbon tax, Fayetteville, Hot Air Balloon Tour, HotAir, Little RockTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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It appears that all polls are consistently showing the poll numbers for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are low and she remains a drag on the Democratic Party and the image of elected democrats.
