(Reuters) – A suicide car bomber killed four Iraqis and wounded 11 others close to an entrance to Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where several Western embassies are located, three police sources said on Monday.
The central area, known officially as the International Zone, houses diplomatic missions including the U.S. embassy.
The blast was near Baghdad’s July 14th suspension bridge which leads into the zone. Two of the four killed were soldiers, the sources said.
“Cars were lining up waiting to be searched at the checkpoint that leads to the Green Zone and suddenly a speeding car exploded nearby,” said one police source whose patrol was stationed near the scene of the attack scene.
If we would have just stayed out of that Country, none of this would be going on. But, lessons are not always learned the proper way. I am sure the Wilsonian Conservative crowd will try and tie this one to Obama too; like they have done all the rest of this stuff. Should be interesting.
I saw this last night and I did not care to blog about it. But, for the sake of having something to blog about; I will.
Glenn Reynolds lost his credibility with me, when he posted this rather idiotic screed saying that he should resign because law enforcement came to the man’s house who produced the now infamous video. As much as I understand the concept of freedom of speech, and as much as I understand the fallout from it. Also, as much as I know President Obama’s handling of the situation was horrible and how bad it is that embassies had no Marine protection. The point is this: Obama did not create this entire mess at all. Obama did not shoot that video and he did not mock the Muslims; someone else did. In fact, it was a Coptic Christian with a bug up his rear about Muslims. This same Coptic Christian had audacity to attempt to pawn himself off as a Jewish person as well; which was, in the word of a well-known Jewish blogger, a blood libel.
A few questions from a Non-Wilsonian Conservative:
Where was all this outrage when it was discovered that President George W. Bush invaded Iraq based upon bad information from Germany?
Does Malkin realize that the entire “Arab Spring” was started, when Bush invaded Iraq? Best thing that people like her can say in response is, “Blame Bush, Blame Bush….” Well, in this case, his blame is due.
Now, do not misunderstand me here. This is a huge blunder by the White House, and the fallout is getting worse by the minute. I mean, now severalChristian Colleges are now being threatened. However, I believe to pin the blame entirely on the Obama Administration is cheap political theater really.
As for Romney, I believe the media is making hay over that issue, a bit too much. But, he did jump the gun too quickly, I believe.
Furthermore, as a Non-Wilsonian Conservative, I say the following:
This is nothing more than living proof, that the United States of America needs to get the hell out of United Nations and order them out of this Country.
This is living proof that the United States needs to close these idiotic embassies in these Countries that are not necessarily friendly to the United States, and stop having American forces, of any sort, in those Countries.
This is proof that Islam is not a peaceful Religion or political philosophy, and as I wrote before, should be banned in the United States and those that practice it, should be given two choices; convert or leave.
This, if anything, should be proof that, as noted for a long time, by Anti-Jihadi bloggers for years; that the attacks on 9/11 were a declaration of a Religious War between the Judeo-Christian values of the west and of the United States and the backward Islāmic values of the middle east. These attacks this week are a continuation of that War. Now, if we do pull out, will that war stop? Most likely not. But, I believe that they will subside and the parties will begin fighting one another. Furthermore, if they attack the US on our soil, then we will have a legit excuse for War. Right now, we do not. We are in their lands.
In closing: I want it to be clear, this is not just a posting to knee-cap Michelle Malkin. But it is rather my personal take on what some on the right are saying about this whole thing. I realize it is an election year and all. But, we should not allow ourselves to be duped into blaming one person or President Administration for the events of the past week.
The truth is that what is happening now in the middle east is a result of many years of Wilsonian stupidity from many Presidential Administrations and an utter failure by many in Government that Islam is just incompatible with western values, constitutional freedoms and general social decency.
This is a very important lesson, and the quicker that those in our Government and Governments to come figure this out, the better things will be for this Country.
The killings of the US ambassador to Libya and three of his staff were likely to have been the result of a serious and continuing security breach, The Independent can reveal.
American officials believe the attack was planned, but Chris Stevens had been back in the country only a short while and the details of his visit to Benghazi, where he and his staff died, were meant to be confidential.
The US administration is now facing a crisis in Libya. Sensitive documents have gone missing from the consulate in Benghazi and the supposedly secret location of the “safe house” in the city, where the staff had retreated, came under sustained mortar attack. Other such refuges across the country are no longer deemed “safe”.
Some of the missing papers from the consulate are said to list names of Libyans who are working with Americans, putting them potentially at risk from extremist groups, while some of the other documents are said to relate to oil contracts.
According to senior diplomatic sources, the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and “lockdown”, under which movement is severely restricted.
Of course, the Obama Administration is in denial mode, via The Politico:
The Obama administration is flatly denying a blaring British newspaper report that the U.S. diplomats in Libya were killed as a result of a “continuing security breach,” and that “credible information” about possible attacks had been ignored.
A U.S. official told POLITICO: “There’s no intelligence indicating that the attack in Benghazi was premeditated.”
[…]
Shawn Turner, spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, emailed: “This is absolutely wrong. We are not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent.”
Of course, the Independent story didn’t say that the Obama administration had “actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent.” It said that “the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted,” but did nothing to step up security. The administration’s denial does not contradict the Independent’s statement, and the fact that the denial is phrased so narrowly suggests that the Independent’s report is, in fact, accurate.
[…]
So the Obama administration is already in cover-up mode. Note how willing administration spokesmen are to take absurd positions, secure in the knowledge that reporters will help them with their cover-up.
I can tell you this; the fallout from this is going to be great. I believe this little incident right here and the fact that embassy works were unguarded like this will be amplified during this election cycle and it might just cost Barack Obama the election. I realize Romney might not have handled the situation the greatest. But this here is nothing more than a dereliction of duty.
For once, I actually agree with Sarah Palin. I also agree with the fact that this bogus movie was not the cause of these attacks. These attacks were pre-planned and this movie just happened to be out there and it was used, by these terrorists, as a cover for their actions. The sad fact folks is this, the United States of America and more broadly; The West is involved in a Religious War, between Christianity and Islam. The people over at Gates of Vienna, Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch, and Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs, and others have been covering this for a very long time. The sad truth is that those who point to these sites and just dismiss them as hatemongers are just willfully blind to the danger that Islam is for this Country. The Nation should have realized this after 9/11, but because we had a President who wanted to remain Islam-friendly; the truth was ignored.
Furthermore, as a Christian, allow me to say this; Islam is an intolerant Religion and should be totally outlawed in America. There are extremist Christians in America, there is no denying that. But the last time, I checked, they were not as well funded as these people are. (and before anybody mentions him, Timothy McVeigh was not a Christian! Nor was he well-funded…) This is not a Religion anyways, it is a political philosophy, intermingled with a fascist religion and should be eliminated from this Country. If you are offended at this, tough crap; because the facts are that there is no such thing as peaceful Muslim. There are Muslims who choose to fight Jihad, and there are those who refrain from it. Because of this, America will never be safe at all. Call me a bigot, call me a hater, call me an A-hole; I really do not care. But America is going to learn this lesson of what Islam really is, one way or another. It really is too bad that more people are going to have to die, before the United States Government gets a clue and finally wakes up to this threat.
As a compassionate human being, I hate to think that people would actually be so ate up with their religion that they would act in this manner. However, as a realist; I have to go with my gut feelings and with what I see and all I see is this that is happening.
The sick part is, the way this Nation is headed at the moment, we will most like be too darned broke to even deal with the situation much less even fight it. It is a depressing state of affairs, which is why I try to avoid writing about it, because it just makes me sad and depressed to watch it all happen.
There is my statement, quote me, if you wish. Please, just be aware of this here. Thanks.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The Federal Reserve announced plans to unleash more stimulus Thursday, in its third attempt at a controversial program to rev up the U.S. economy.
The policy, known as quantitative easing and often abbreviated as QE3, entails buying $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities each month. The end date remains up in the air, as the Fed will re-evaluate the strength of the economy in coming months.
The Fed is wasting no time. The purchases begin Friday and are expected to add up to only $23 billion for the remainder of September. The bond-buying policy “should put downward pressure on longer-term interest rates, support mortgage markets, and help to make broader financial conditions more accommodative,” the Fed’s official statement said.
Meanwhile, the Fed will continue its existing policy known as Operation Twist. Together the two programs will add $85 billion in long-term bonds to the Fed’s balance sheet each month.
Now what effect will this have on our money supply?
Even less saving going on than is happening now. Why do the lending institutions need more liquidity? Because there are no real life loanable funds in the first place. No one is putting money in depository institutions, for example, because interest rates are at rock-bottom levels, but also because people have no excess money to save. So, the Fed is creating fake loanable funds through the purchase of the MBSs. Much of this will probably be newly-created money.
It will maintain the focus on consumer spending rather than investment. The idea is to keep people spending on real estate. Thus, less will be spent on business investment.
People will incur more debt.
We’ve heard for years from some incorrigible economists that what we need is the Fed to pump up the real estate market to get people spending again. Their answer is: more debt, more spending, less savings and investment.
This is what has been happening for years to no avail, of course, and the Fed is now just turning it up a notch. I’m sure recovery is right around the corner.
The definition of insanity/Keynesianism: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
A-farking-men. This is what happens, when you elect the same very idiots, who screwed the housing markets squarely into the ground. People that voted for this sort of Government, get exactly what is coming to them and the sort of Government that they voted for. Who the heck ever heard of printing money, that you do not even have to print? It is the textbook case of utter insanity.
I will say this; if Mitt Romney loses this election and the way recent events have turned out, he just might lose —- and this Nation goes into the crapper, because Conservatives and the Republican Party decided to pick a safe candidate. Then the Republican Party should be shut down for good and a new Conservative Party formed. Others have said it, I know and they are absolutely correct.
This stuff right here is the very reason why I hung it up with the Democratic Party and stopped voting for them and supporting them. I am not a millionaire or even someone with any sort of money at all. Hell, I have been unemployed for 8 damned years. However, I do know stupidity, when it see it; and it is on full display here. Only insane people would do stuff like this, and try to rev up the economy. The solution is to let the free-market work and do its job, not stick a statist finger in it.
Also too; as much as I am not a big fan of weaving ads into my blog postings. I believe this one is important. This would be a good time as any to get into Gold, Silver and other metals. I deal with two companies that sell the stuff. Their banners are below and they both come highly recommended.
They are:
and…:
Current Prices:
It would be absoutely insane not to get into at least some sort of Gold or other precious metal investment.
I remember seeing this news breaking early this morning, before I finally drifted off to sleep. I remember thinking to myself, “oh crap…” and thinking, here we go again, another situation in the middle east.
Meanwhile, an couple of Americans are dead today. Their bodies being drug through the streets in some God-forsaken Country. What does our President do? Act like some aloof jackass, who cannot be bothered with the situation. As for Romney, he takes advantage of the Situation and points out that this President’s foreign policy has been a utter failure. In response, the media tries to portray Mitt Romney as not ready for Prime time. A typical tactic that was used on John McCain as well. Not to mention the fact that the media is coordinating to try to tear down Romney in this election.
I could sit here and yowl on about this shows that America and Judeo-Christian Values are under attack by Islam and Muslims. However, I believe most of you, that read this blog already know this. Whatever the cause of these American Embassies being attacked, it is a tragic thing.
However, as a Non-Wilsonian Conservative, allow me to float this idea. Could this be a piece of living, in color, proof that the United States of America ought to just withdraw from these Countries and not have American Embassies in those Country? Perhaps that this is one of the signs that America needs to stop kowtowing down to the United Nations and stop trying to be the world’s policeman. Perhaps we should stop getting involved in the affairs of other Nations. Perhaps we should being to restrict our immigration polices more and stop allowing a free flow of Muslims into this Country.
Perhaps we as a Nation need to take a second look at the practice of Islam and how it is intolerant to other Religion and to criticism; and possibly pass laws banning the Religion in this Country, on grounds it is threat to Nation security. After all, this attack happened one day after the 11 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in NYC and at the Pentagon, and Shakesville, Pa.
Again, is it wrong to ask such questions? I am not hating on any religion of any sort. I am looking at the protection of our Republic and all I really know, is that foreign citizens have killed Americans working abroad; this is unacceptable and something needs to be done. However, with the current leadership in the White House, nothing will be done, at all. Yes, I know, Military has been dispatched; at this point, that is nothing more than window dressing and buttocks covering by the White House. The truth is, that once again, leadership in the White House has failed us.
This is why we must vote differently, come November.
I hate to be the one to say it, but I told you so. I even wrote it early this morning; that Obama’s rhetoric in his speeches does not match realities on the ground and that includes his performance.
Buzzfeed even noticed the lack of mention of the Unemployed:
CHARLOTTE, NC — President Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night didn’t include language targeted at the nation’s unemployed.
Despite boilerplate language about the job losses four years ago and his plans to create jobs, Obama did not specifically address the millions of Americans still struggling to find a job or a job that meets their needs.
Obama’s speech also avoided any mention of the unemployment rate, which is still above 8 percent and fell in August because 368,000 Americans left the workforce. Obama was briefed on the August jobs report yesterday afternoon, hours before he took the stage in Charlotte.
The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the nation created only 96,000 jobs in August, well below what analysts expected, while the previous two months of job gains were also revised downward. On the surface the jobs report is a mixed bag for Obama, but nearly every underlying statistic reveals lingering economic weakness.
“If last night was the party, this morning is the hangover. For every net new job created, nearly four Americans gave up looking for work entirely. This is more of the same for middle-class families, who are suffering through the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression. After 43 straight months of unemployment above 8 percent, it is clear that President Obama just hasn’t lived up to his promises, and his policies haven’t worked. They aren’t better off than they were four years ago. My plan for a stronger middle class will create 12 million new jobs by the end of my first term. America deserves new leadership that will get our economy moving again.”
– Nonfarm payrolls increased by only 96,000 in August, the Labor Department said, versus expectations of 125,000 jobs or more. The manufacturing sector, much touted by the president in his convention speech, lost 15,000 jobs.
– Since the start of the year, job growth has averaged 139,000 per month vs. an average monthly gain of 153,000 in 2011.
– As the chart at the top shows, the unemployment rate remains far above the rate predicted by Team Obama if Congress passed the stimulus. (This is the Romer-Bernstein chart.)
– While the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1% from 8.3% in July, it was due to a big drop in the labor force participation rate (the share of Americans with a job or looking for one). If fewer Americans hadn’t given up looking for work, the unemployment rate would have risen.
– Reuters notes that the participation rate is now at its lowest level since September 1981.
– If the labor force participation rate was the same as when Obama took office in January 2009, the unemployment rate would be 11.2%.
– If the participation rate had just stayed the same as last month, the unemployment rate would be 8.4%.
– The Labor Department also said that 41,000 fewer jobs were created in June and July than previously reported. The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised from 64,000 to 45,000, and the change for July was revised from 163,000 to 141,000.
– The broader U-6 unemployment rate, which includes part-time workers who want full-time work, is at 14.7%.
– The employment-population ratio is perhaps the broadest measure of the health of the labor market. It just shows how many Americans — not in the military or in prison — as a share of the population actually have some sort of a job. That number fell last month to 58.3%, just off its Great Recession lows.
– Each month, The Hamilton Project examines the “jobs gap” — the number of jobs that the U.S. economy needs to create in order to return to pre-recession employment levels while also absorbing the people who enter the labor force each month. If we added 96,000 jobs every month, we would not close the jobs gap until after 2025, as this chart shows.
– The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 34.4 hours in August. The manufacturing workweek declined by 0.2 hour to 40.5 hours, and factory overtime was unchanged at 3.2 hours.
– The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 33.7 hours.
– In August, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged down by 1 cent to $23.52. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings rose by just 1.7 percent.
– In August, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees edged down by 1 cent to $19.75.
As President Obama likes to say on in his campaign speeches; when his supporters boo Mitt Romney or the Republicans — “Don’t Boo, VOTE!” Well, I think it is quite obvious that it is time for Americans to vote differently. Because it is quite obvious to this writer that President Obama has done nothing to match his flowing rhetoric in his speeches.
We can surmise that Obama’s lackluster performance last night was due in part to an early look at a jobs report that not even his most dogged media shills can spin. Mitt Romney put out a statement that read: “If last night was the party, this morning is the hangover. For every net new job created, nearly four Americans gave up looking for work entirely. This is more of the same for middle class families who are suffering through the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression. After 43 straight months of unemployment above 8%, it is clear that President Obama just hasn’t lived up to his promises and his policies haven’t worked. We aren’t better off than they were four years ago. My plan for a stronger middle class will create 12 million new jobs by the end of my first term. America deserves new leadership that will get our economy moving again.”
The job numbers will likely harden the perception that the president is in over his head. The voters do not see a “recovery.” A call for “more time” is unconvincing if one has the sense neither that four nor 40 years would make a difference under this president.
Romney will continue to hammer away at the president’s failures. But he would be wise to push (as he is doing in 15 new ads in eight states) his own plans for middle-class Americans, and most especially domestic energy development. Voters are certain things are bad; they now need to be reassured Romney will be better. With these jobs numbers the public might well conclude: How could he do any worse?
To this I can only add a very hearty Gentile Protestant Christian —- Amen. 😉 😀
AFTER A week as topic No. 1 in American politics, former Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood said the outpouring of criticism from left-wing reporters and liberal politicians after his appearance at the Republican National Convention last Thursday night, followed by an avalanche of support on Twitter and in the blogosphere, is all the proof anybody needs that his 12-minute discourse achieved exactly what he intended it to.
“President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people,” Eastwood told The Pine Cone this week. “Romney and Ryan would do a much better job running the country, and that’s what everybody needs to know. I may have irritated a lot of the lefties, but I was aiming for people in the middle.”
Eastwood is a liberal on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, but he has strongly conservative opinions about the colossal national debt that has accumulated while Obama has been president, his failure to get unemployment below 6 percent, and a host of other economic issues.
“Even people on the liberal side are starting to worry about going off a fiscal cliff,” Eastwood said.
So true. Eastwood is no “go along to get along” either, he has stood up to both parties in the past. Good show Mr. Eastwood, good darned show. 😀
I figure if I am going to be up at oddball hours like this, the least I could do is put some new content on the blog. So, I will. 😀
I did finally watch the President’s DNC closing speech. I will not be embedding it here, for obvious reasons; but I did want to comment on it. I watched half of the speech on my iPod touch, and because the battery was going dead, the other half on the laptop here.
Now, I am not going to pull a hyper-partisan and just dismiss the speech. What I will tell you, is the truth about how I really feel about it. The speech, like all of the President’s speeches was well done. It was very much scripted and loaded with applause lines. Which is, for what it is truth worth, boilerplate normal for convention speeches. There was a fair amount of boilerplate Democratic Party rhetoric in the speech. The President seemed to hit all of the right points that the Democratic Party left likes to hear.
Now obviously there were points made in the speech that I, as a Constitutional Conservative, disagree with; but because I do not wish to repeat myself. I will not bother with sitting here and going over what it is that I truly believe in. All I can truly say is, read this blog and search its archives and you will know what it is that I truly believe.
One of things that I will say about the President’s mentioning of the Military. It seemed that he was pandering a bit to that crowd. He did crow on about how he respected the Military and would work to protect our Military. But, glaringly and quite obviously missing was the promise to close Gitmo, which is something that he promised to do, the last time Obama ran for President. I am almost certain that most of the people in that audience were mindful of that fact. The excuse by the Democratic Party establishment is that it was unfeasible, or that the political pressure was too strong from the other side. It is my opinion that real leaders tell the other side to get bent and does what one has to do. Real leaders tell others, “this is what I am going to do” and do it. Real leaders do not kowtow down to anybody.
As for the rest of the speech, it was filled with lots of optimism, and it was not nearly as negative towards Romney, other than the usual boilerplate political rhetoric, that I thought it would be; and I must admit I found that to be quite surprising.
Now back to a point that I made earlier: Rhetoric. There was much rhetoric in this speech; however, it is the opinion of this writer that the rhetoric of this President in his speeches, does not match the performance of his Administration. The man gives good speeches, I cannot deny that, but his performance as a President, to this unemployed person of eight years; is just not there. The Country is in 16 trillion and counting in debt and what do we have to show for it? Nothing. I am still unemployed and so are many people that I know here in the Detroit area, some as close, as in my own neighborhood here.
Another thing that I will mention is this; the President in his speech said that he did not have all of the answers. Well, that is one point that I will not argue; in fact, I will say that the answers that the President has given in the last 3 1/2 years are ones that have not worked and has put this Nation into some horrible debt and has not created any real jobs to speak of around these parts. Furthermore, the President’s answers have caused American to lose its standing in the world and caused its credit rating to be reduced, which is something I never thought I would ever see in my lifetime.
Which is why I intend to vote, in this election for Mitt Romney. Because American can do better than scripted speeches, class and race warfare, spending boondoggles and mountains of debt. I believe that we can do better than telling the Nation of Israel to basically go to hell and basically removing God from a political platform, only to put it back under pressure. I believe that we can do better than an eight percent unemployment rate, which is actually higher, if you figure in the people that have left the workforce, due to not being able to find a job. (You know, like me?) Which is higher, if you figure in the underemployed and part time people, who cannot find full-time work. I also believe that we can do better than a healthcare bill that was rammed down the throat of the American people and does not do a damned thing for people like me, who do not have jobs at all. I believe that we need to get healthcare costs down and insurance costs down, but not with an idiotic bill such as this; we can do better.
We can do better, I have seen when we as a Nation have done better and I choose to do better. Which is why I reject this speech from the President as another attempt to deceive the American people into voting for another four years of failed leadership and pledge on this blog to cast my lot for who I hope is the next President of the United States — Mitt Romney.
