Warrantless Surveillance Skyrockets Under Obama and Holder

I do not wear a tin foil hat.  But I have asserted on occasion that Obama has a totalitarian streak.  And if you follow me on twitter (The link is on the right.), you may remember that my icon long was a glowering pic of Obama with the caption “He’s watching you” (now replaced with a heart warming photo of Her Majesty vanquishing her enemies).  So perhaps you, being slightly naive, have thought that I am off my rocker or at least paranoid.

Well, think again.  Warrantless surveillance of cell phones, e-mail, internet activity, etc. have roughly quadrupled under Obama and Eric Holder.   Not the eeeeevil Bush and Cheney; Obama and Holder.

In fact, more people were subjected to pen register and trap and trace surveillance in the past two years than in the entire previous decade...

Let that sink in.  Then you may read more angles on this here.

The Obama Administration Lied to Us on Libya

I’ve restrained myself in posting on the attack on our embassy in Benghazi, Libya and its aftermath.  Through this, I wanted to be sure I had my facts straight and understood the big picture.

But now there is no getting around it – the Obama Regime lied to us.  They knew within 24 hours that it was a planned attack by al Qaeda operatives.  Yet for days afterward, they gave us the lie that it was a spontaneous demonstration over a stupid You Tube video that got out of hand.

I’m awaiting the news media outrage.

*crickets*

Rigged Polls Past and Present

I think it past time to call out the “Mainstream” News Media for their rigged polls.  Yesterday’s CBS/NYT/Quinnipiac poll is one egregious example.  That poll uses samples that assume an electorate tilted more heavily Democratic than in 2008!

Such absurd rigging smells of agenda polling, polls designed to shape public opinion rather than measure it.

Now I am concerned about this election, very concerned.  It is close.  And you do not want to get me started on the consequences of an Obama victory.  But the rigged polls of NBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, etc. are practically in-kind contributions to the Obama campaign and are literally incredible.

Although the poll rigging may be descending to new depths with this election, it is nothing new from the “Mainstream” News Media.  Jeffrey Lord presents an interesting look back at polling in 1980 and 1984 cleverly entitled “How Carter beat Reagan”.

And remember that back in those pre-internet days, it was much more difficult to debunk and counteract the skewed news media polls.  Now, to be fair, the 1980 race did break strong for Reagan towards the end, and that accounts in part for the polls missing the final result, but only in part.

By the way, if you want trustworthy polls to look at, I highly recommend Rasmussen Reports, particularly their presidential polls.  No pollster is perfect, but he may be the best.

Priorities

Soooo, there are a lot of “bumps in the road” happening in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world I’m sure.  But after Obama landed in New York yesterday for the UN General Assembly did he get busy meeting with world leaders?

No, he immediately went to meet with the lovely ladies of “The View.”

But surely he will spend today and tomorrow meeting with world leaders about all those bumps in the road, won’t he?  Well, uh . . .

The president will lay out a set of priorities for the U.N. General Assembly in a speech Tuesday morning, but he flies back to Washington a few hours later and then makes a campaign trip to Ohio on Wednesday.

Yes, I’m sure a Big Speech from The One is all the world needs from an American President.  That and his re-election.

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MORE:  I think CNN and I actually agree on this. 

I better go lie down.

It’s Happened Again. Another “Shanahan” Fail.

A week ago, I ranted against the practice of some NFL coaches of calling time out just as a Field Goal try begins.  And I gloated noted the utter failure of that unsporting tactic by Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan in the Redskins-Rams game.

Well, yesterday it happened again.  The New York Jets tried a winning Overtime FG against the Miami Dolphins.  Kick blocked!  The Dolphins have new life!

No, wait.  Here we go again.  Dolphins Coach Joe Philbin had called a time out immediately before the ball was snapped.  He pulled a Shanahan.  The Jets in effect get a second try, which they make easily.  Game over.

I’ll have you know that I was rooting for the Dolphins, but this tactic backfiring once again still warms my heart.

Is Obama Considering Releasing “The Blind Sheik”?

There are a number of reports that the Obama Administration is actually considering releasing “The Blind Sheik” Omar Abdel-Rahman to Egypt.  I am obviously not in a position to know for sure, but I am convinced the reports are true.

Why?  As the Ace sniffs out, the State Department denial of the reports is hardly a denial at all:

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland denied the report.

"Let me say as clearly as I can there is no plan to release the blind sheikh, there is no plan. To my knowledge we have not been approached about it recently by any senior Egyptians," she said Wednesday.

"There is no plan" does not preclude a plan arising in the future, or steps short of a plan -- such as "talks" -- occurring in the present.

This is not a denial. This is virtually a confirmation.

A denial would be a categorical statement: "No State Department personnel would entertain such a request, and no president, including this one, would ever release a major terrorist."

Exactly.  Thus I am convinced the Obama Administration is considering more appeasement of Islamofascists by releasing The Blind Sheik.

Another Obama Flag

I refuse to link to the Obama store, but (at least as of this morning), they were peddling this flag:

It is not the first time Obama and/or his supporters have, er, altered the American flag to turn it into an Obama flag.  This version created a furor back in March.

To say this is creepy is an understatement.  It is profoundly troubling.  For to so associate a nation and its symbols with a Dear Leader is the stuff of totalitarian regimes.  At the risk of violating Godwin’s Law, these flags remind me of “One People, One Nation, One Fuhrer.”

I have frequently warned that Obama has a totalitarian streak.  He’s letting his mask of it slip a little . . . again.

PPP = Pissant Push Polls

I’ve long known that Public Policy Polling (PPP) is Democrat tool putting out rigged polls.  But it did not occur to me until now that their polls are more than rigged.  They are push polls.

For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a push poll is one that has leading questions intended to shape opinion rather than measure it.  If you are ever polled with questions like “Did you know Candidate X wants to raise your taxes?”, that is a push poll likely designed both to influence your answer to their questions and your vote.  (And, yes, some Republicans do push polls, too.)

Well, recently PPP asked a question that has almost nothing to do with measuring opinion and everything to do with shaping it: "Who was more responsible for killing Osama bin Laden, Obama or Romney?"

That is a clown question.  One unfortunate citizen, who was asked that question, is convinced that it was asked to make conservatives look stupid.  And that is probably so given that it somehow found its way to Comedy Central.  But it is also a push poll question, serving to remind people that The Dear Leader is at least somewhat responsible for killing Osama.  A more professional question would be “Who do you trust more to deal with terrorism, Obama or Romney?” 

But PPP polls are clearly designed to come up with the correct conclusion and to push people to come up with the correct conclusion, not to reliably measure public opinion.

But, hey, I got an even bigger scoop.  I have managed to steal acquire a copy of a Pissant Push Poll poll.  And here are some of the questions:

Would you rather make history and vote to re-elect the first Black President of the United States or be a racist?

Do you support a women’s right to choose or would rather go back to the days of coat hangers and back alleys?

If you knew that Romney is a plutocrat who eats poor children for breakfast, would you vote for him?

Did you know that, under Romney, Bain Capital laid off workers and slew their families?

Aren’t you glad Obama saved GM?

You don’t want to be a racist, do you?

What is your party affiliation? Democratic, Third Party, Independent, or Racist?

Who do you support for President? Obama, Johnson, or the racist?

If you’ve come across other push poll questions from PPP, feel free to post them in the comments.

Romney is Right . . . unfortunately (UPDATED)

Well.  There seems to be quite a hubbub this morning that one of the presidential candidates actually tells the truth.

And even some Romney naysayers acknowledge that he was pretty much factually on target in his already infamous “47%” remarks given at a fundraiser and secretly videotaped and given to Mother Jones, with the help of Jimmy Carter’s unemployed grandson.  How appropriate.

Mitt Romney is also right in his analysis I am very sad to say.

There has been much gnashing of teeth among us conservatives about why this election is even close now.  Obama’s record is atrocious; he should be toast already.  Some have blamed Romney’s campaign, and it certainly could be better.  But I do not think that is the main problem.

I do not think I’ve yet voiced my opinion on this on this blog, but now that Romney has . . . .

For decades, Democrat strategy has been to make more and more of the American people dependant on the federal government and thereby to buy their votes.  It took a while, but all these years and years of vote buying are succeeding.  To be blunt, a growing percentage of the electorate vote to loot the rest of the electorate. (And please note that “loot” is my appropriate and untactful word, not Romney’s.)  Almost half of the populace do not pay income taxes and receive government benefits.  And most of these who vote do so to keep taking and taking.

(An aside: I also think there used to be more belief in the value and likely success of hard work in improving one’s lot.  That this belief is less prevalent now makes matters that much worse.)

And it is becoming evident they will even vote for a President with a record of trashing the Constitution, attacking our freedoms, and hurling the nation towards bankruptcy in order to keep looting the treasury, as George Washington put it. 

Years ago, such looters would fail to re-elect the likes of Obama.  There weren’t enough of them, or at least not enough of them voted.  But, again, the Democrats have so succeeded in buying off more and more of the electorate through the years, they just might put Obama over now.

Now I do think it is possible to turn this depressing trend around.  The election is indeed close, and Romney can win this election.  And if there is a stronger economy in the aftermath, more will become taxpayers and will naturally vote against being looted.

 

I’ve seen this transformation first hand.  Once, I ran into a Duke friend of mine, and his views were vociferously more conservative than when we were both students.  I asked him what happened.  His succinct answer: “I got a job.”

But for now, the Democrats are succeeding in buying off more and more of the electorate and turning them into looters.  That this election is close is a sad reflection on that and does not bode well for the future of this nation.

Romney is right.  God help us.

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MORE:

Here’s a chart that is all too relevant.  For much of the 80’s, less than 20% did not pay income taxes.  Today?  About half.

UPDATE: 

A new Gallup Poll is just out.  Guess how much Obama has in it? 47 percent.

Redskin’s Coach Mike Shanahan Gives an Important Lesson in Sportsmanship

I know.  I know.  This isn’t a sports blog, and I shouldn’t let my interest in the NFL enter here.  However, one game yesterday turned out to be such a morality play that I thought it good to gloat point it out, especially since readers might find it helpful in teaching youth that bad sportsmanship can have consequences.

That game was the Washington Redskins vs. the St. Louis Rams. 

Now what has gotten all the publicity is that towards the end of the game, Redskin receiver Josh Morgan caught a pass that took Washington deeper into field goal range when a field goal would have tied the game.  But immediately after the play ended, upon being pushed in the helmet by a Ram, he lost his cool and threw the ball at him. 

Up goes a yellow flag – 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.  The look on Coach Mike Shanahan’s face as he stared at Morgan was delicious. Now on 4^th down, it’s a 62 yard field goal try which the Redskin kicker missed.  End of game.

The obvious lesson here is keep your cool!

However, there was another instance of bad sportsmanship on the part of the Redskins, even their coach, that has not gotten much attention.  But it should.

At the end of the 1^st Half, the Rams were trying a 42 yard Field Goal.  Kicker Greg Zuerlein missed.

But wait.  Redskin Coach Mike Shanahan called a timeout immediately before the kick.

Now for those unfamiliar with the practice, some NFL coaches will wait for literally the last second to call timeouts on opponent FG tries at the end of halves.  They hope that having to attempt a FG, then having that attempt scrubbed because a timeout was called immediately before the play began, will rattle the kicker and help him miss what is practically the second attempt.

Now some may disagree with me that this is poor sportsmanship, but they are wrong.  And Mike Shanahan has long been one of the best/worst in the NFL at this practice.

But this time it bit him in the rear but bad.  Zuerlein made the second try at a FG to give the Rams 3 points right before the halftime.  In addition to the much needed points, this surely helped the Rams’ momentum and attitude for the 2^nd Half in which they came from behind to win . . . by 3 points.

Thanks, Coach Mike Shanahan, for giving us an important lesson in sportsmanship!

Time for a Reality Check . . . and Some Outrage

Nothing from the “Mainstream” News Media should surprise me anymore.

But I am nevertheless amazed that, while those Obama lapdogs yap at Romney for rightly criticizing the Episcopalian-style apologies from the Obama regime (i. e. confessing other people’s sins, namely the film used as an excuse for the attacks on our embassies), they give Obama a pass for his conduct the day after the attacks.

So it is time for a reality check.

The day after the attacks, Obama skipped yet another intelligence briefing to do what? . . . to campaign in Las Vegas.

Hell, I am going to be un-Anglican and shout that.

THE DAY AFTER THE ATTACKS, OBAMA SKIPPED YET ANOTHER INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING TO DO WHAT? . . . TO CAMPAIGN IN LAS VEGAS!

(And, no, getting an e-mail or a sheet of paper for a briefing isn’t good enough.  That is no substitute for sitting down and being briefed and discussing the intelligence, especially during a crisis.)

Where the hell is the outrage?  Where is the media scrutiny?  Do you think a Republican president would get a pass like that?  Sorry – too obvious a question.

The negligent and insensitive conduct of Obama and the snooze media ignoring it says volumes about both. 

Obama Skips Intelligence Briefings

Obama does have his priorities.  And campaigning for the re-election of His Glorious Self is more important than, say, an intelligence briefing yesterday . . . the day after the attacks on our embassies in Libya and Cairo . . . or on just about any other day for that matter:

How long had it been since President Obama attended his daily intelligence meeting in the lead-up to the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Egypt and Libya? After all, our adversaries are known to use the anniversary of 9/11 to target the United States.

According to the public schedule of the president, the last time the Obama attended his daily intelligence meeting was Sept. 5 — a week before Islamist radicals stormed our embassy in Cairo and terrorists killed our ambassador to Tripoli. The president was scheduled to hold the intelligence meeting at 10:50 a.m. Wednesday, the day after the attacks, but it was canceled so that he could comfort grieving employees at the State Department — as well he should. But instead of rescheduling the intelligence briefing for later in the day, Obama apparently chose to skip it altogether and attend a Las Vegas fundraiser for his re-election campaign. One day after a terrorist attack.

In all seriousness, Obama’s negligence is inexcusable.  And, as if that isn’t bad enough, there are reports that the embassy in Benghazi, Libya was close to defenseless and may have had no Marine protection.  In the Middle East??  On 9-11??  Really??

Brief Notes on the Embassy Bombings

The attacks on U. S. Embassies in Cairo and Libya are highly significant in a number of ways.  And my prayers go out for those murdered and injured and their families and friends. 

Please also pray for those in danger.  I do not think this is over.

I am following this closely.  But, at this moment at least, I feel more comfortable reading and praying than with blogging on it. 

As is usually the case, I am more active on my twitter feed and have been posting on the subject there.

Maryland Democrat Congressional Candidate Withdraws Due to Allegations of Vote Fraud (that never really happens)

Nothing to see here.  Vote fraud only happens in the imagination of Republicans, don’tcha know.  So move along and ignore why Wendy Rosen, Democrat candidate for  Congress from Maryland’s 1^st District, withdrew:

Rosen’s announcement came the same day the state Democratic party released a letter to state Attorney General Douglas Gansler and state prosecutors reporting the allegations against Rosen.

“The Maryland Democratic Party has discovered that Ms. Rosen has been registered to vote in both Florida and Maryland since at least 2006; that she in fact voted in the 2006 general election both in Florida and Maryland; and that she voted in the presidential preference primaries held in both Florida and Maryland in 2008,” wrote Yvette Lewis, the state party chair.

Now if we could only remove those Democrats elected by vote fraud.  Oh, but that never really happens either.

By the way, remember the media furor over Todd Akin's foolish statement?  Any media furor over this?

*crickets chirping*

Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s DNC Benediction

The Democratic National Convention ended on an excellent note.  (I hope I haven’t caused any shocked coffee-spewing or fainting there.)  For Timothy Cardinal Dolan gave an excellent benediction. 

And it was a courageous one as I am sure it was not the sort of prayer most liberal Democrats want to hear*, particularly with its heartfelt petitions for the unborn and for religious freedom.  If the Cardinal tailored his benediction to his audience, it was to admonish his audience.  Be sure to read and hear the prayer if you missed it.

And, unless you were watching Fox News, you probably did miss it.  For the other news networks cut away from it or talked all over it.   Given the content of the prayer and who gave it, that is not only bias; it is flat out bad journalism.

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*I thought about posting some Lefty responses to the prayer, but considered that unedifying.  Yes, I do restrain myself at times.