Bombing in Iran kills Commerce Deputy of Iran’s Nuclear Enrichment Site

Hmmmmm:

The magnetic bomb which was planted by an unknown motorcyclist under the car of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Behdast, a professor at Tehran’s technical university, also wounded two other Iranian nationals in Seyed Khandan neighborhood in Northern Tehran.
Ahmadi Roshan, 32, was a graduate of oil industry university and a deputy director of Natanz uranium enrichment facility for commercial affairs.
No more details have been revealed about the blast.— Fars News Agency :: Terrorists Kill Commerce Deputy of Iran’s Nuclear Enrichment Site

Mossad? CIA? (sarcasm of course…)

It is to wonder.

Whomever it is…. keep it up!

Others: YID With LID and Israel Matzav

Obama’s World? — Fines for Bio fuel that does not exist is stupid, says… The New York Times?!?!

When the Obama lead Government loses the New York Times, something is horribly wrong:

WASHINGTON — When the companies that supply motor fuel close the books on 2011, they will pay about $6.8 million in penalties to the Treasury because they failed to mix a special type of biofuel into their gasoline and diesel as required by law.
But there was none to be had. Outside a handful of laboratories and workshops, the ingredient, cellulosic biofuel, does not exist.
In 2012, the oil companies expect to pay even higher penalties for failing to blend in the fuel, which is made from wood chips or the inedible parts of plants like corncobs. Refiners were required to blend 6.6 million gallons into gasoline and diesel in 2011 and face a quota of 8.65 million gallons this year.
“It belies logic,” Charles T. Drevna, the president of the National Petrochemicals and Refiners Association, said of the 2011 quota. And raising the quota for 2012 when there is no production makes even less sense, he said.
Penalizing the fuel suppliers demonstrates what happens when the federal government really, really wants something that technology is not ready to provide. In fact, while it may seem harsh that the Environmental Protection Agency is penalizing them for failing to do the impossible, the agency is being lenient by the standards of the law, the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.
The law, aimed at reducing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, its reliance on oil imported from hostile places and the export of dollars to pay for it, includes provisions to increase the efficiency of vehicles as well as incorporate renewable energy sources into gasoline and diesel.
It requires the use of three alternative fuels: car and truck fuel made from cellulose, diesel fuel made from biomass and fuel made from biological materials but with a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases. Only the cellulosic fuel is commercially unavailable. As for meeting the quotas in the other categories, the refiners will not close their books until February and are not sure what will happen.
The goal set by the law for vehicle fuel from cellulose was 250 million gallons for 2011 and 500 million gallons for 2012. (These are small numbers relative to the American fuel market; the E.P.A. estimates that gasoline sales in 2012 will amount to about 135 billion gallons, and highway diesel, about 51 billion gallons.)
Even advocates of renewable fuel acknowledge that the refiners are at least partly correct in complaining about the penalties — Via NYT: Companies Face Fines for Not Using Unavailable Biofuel – NYTimes.com

It is very obvious that the attempt to inject politics into our economy has failed. This means vote different in 2012.

Others: National Review, The Enterprise Blog, Weasel Zippers, The Volokh Conspiracy, Doug Ross and The Jawa Report

I respect Ron Paul and all, But…..

This is one of the stupidest things, that I have ever seen come out of Ron Paul’s camp:

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Ron Paul tonight scored an historic second-place victory in the 2012 New Hampshire Primary. Below please find comments from National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton:
“Ron Paul tonight had an incredibly strong second-place finish in New Hampshire and has stunned the national media and political establishment.
“When added to Paul’s top-tier showing in Iowa, it’s clear he is the sole Republican candidate who can take on and defeat both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.
“The race is becoming more clearly a two-man race between establishment candidate Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, the candidate of authentic change. That means there is only one true conservative choice.
“Ron Paul has won more votes in Iowa and New Hampshire than any candidate but Mitt Romney.
“Ron Paul and Mitt Romney have been shown in national polls to be the only two candidates who can defeat Barack Obama.
“And Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are the only two candidates who can run a full, national campaign, competing in state after state over the coming weeks and months. Ron Paul’s fundraising numbers — over $13 million this quarter — also prove he will be able to compete with Mitt Romney. No other candidate can do all of these things.
“Ron Paul is clearly the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney as the campaign goes forward.
“We urge Ron Paul’s opponents who have been unsuccessfully trying to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney to unite by getting out of the race and uniting behind Paul’s candidacy.
“Ron Paul has the boldest plan to cut spending, a dedication to protecting life, and a lifelong dedication to the Constitution and limited government. He also has the necessary support to campaign nationwide against Mitt Romney.
“Our campaign is already planning ahead for South Carolina, Florida, and beyond. Soon Ron Paul will head to South Carolina to begin a feverish round of campaigning.
“Ron Paul is in this race for the long haul. And he is ready to fight.
“See you on the campaign trail.” — Ron Paul To Everyone But Mitt: Drop Out

I respect the man and all; However, I do not respect his newsletters, neither do I respect his tin-foil hat crap that he and his supports are known for; especially when it comes to 9/11. I also do not have any use for his foreign policy, which I feel is worse than Rick Santorum’s Wilsonian foreign policy.

In other words, the man has no business being President.

Others: Hit & Run, Bloomberg, The Politico, The Other McCain, The Daily Dish, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, Questions and Observations, Shakesville, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hot Air, Pirate’s Cove, American Spectator, CNN, Associated Press, The Atlantic Online, Mediaite, Flopping Aces, Ballot Box and Gallup

It’s Mitt in New Hampshire!

The Video: (H/T HotAir.com)

The Story:

Mitt Romney has won the New Hampshire primary, Fox News projects, notching back-to-back victories in the first two contests of the presidential nominating season.
Fox News also projects that Ron Paul will finish second and Jon Huntsman will finish third. Rick Perry is projected to finish in sixth place — the rest of the night is shaping up to be a race for fourth, between Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Both candidates are pulling in 10 percent of the vote.
Also unclear is Romney’s margin of victory, though Fox News projects he will win by double digits. With 40 percent of precincts reporting, Romney is leading with 37 percent of the vote. Paul has 24 percent and Huntsman has 17 percent. — Romney Wins New Hampshire Primary, Fox News Projects | Fox News

Like I previously wrote; What other choice do Republicans really have? South Carolina will be a telling primary and challenge for Romney. But so far, I think he has the nomination in the bag.

Update: Now a Memeorandum Thread.

Gallup Poll: Majority of Conservatives See Romney as “Acceptable”

My question is what other choice do they really have? Confused I dont know

The Poll via Gallup:

PRINCETON, NJ — Mitt Romney is the now the only candidate that a majority of conservative and moderate/liberal Republicans nationwide see as an “acceptable” GOP nominee for president. Conservative Republicans are more likely to say Romney would be an acceptable nominee than either Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum.
Fewer than half of conservative Republicans see Rick Perry, Ron Paul, or Jon Huntsman as acceptable nominees.
Romney’s broad acceptability across ideological lines is decidedly not the case for his competitors. Conservative Republicans view Gingrich, Santorum, and Perry as more acceptable than do moderate/liberal Republicans. On the other hand, moderate/liberal Republicans on average view Paul and Huntsman as more acceptable than conservatives.

The rest of that makes for some interesting reading. My question is, what choice do we really have? I dont know I mean, Gingrich is a populist bomb thrower who would scare off any independent voters and the social Conservatives view his multiple marriages as a cardinal sin. Ron Paul will never be elected, the Neoconservative majority in the party will never allow that. Rick Santorum will never win the primary, just because he is too socially conservative and the GOP does want someone who will appeal to voters. Jon Huntsman can never seem to gain any traction, mainly because the Conservative base sees him as a traitor to the party for working for President Obama. So, who else is there? Mitt will win over the Conservative base and they will hold their nose and vote for him. Mitt might be able to win over the Independents and hopefully the Evangelical base, although, I do have my doubts about that one.

Another thing too is this; Santorum will have the Catholic vote sowed up and they are a big voting demographic. However, the Independents who are catholic and non-catholic, might not be swayed towards him. Another thing to watch for is disgruntled Democrats, who have given the Democratic Party the ol’ “One finger salute” and decided that Obama just failed too badly and want something different. Those people are one’s to watch as well.

Let me say this about Romney and Evangelical Christians; the majority of them would be accepting to a Mormon President. However, there is a small; but very vocal minority of them that will not vote for him under no circumstances at all. Mainly, it is some of the “old school” Fundamentalists – and some Baptists, who would not vote for the man at all. Now personally, I am not too keen on the idea myself. However, at this point, anything is better than that mental midget in the White House now.

The problem with Romney is that he is squeaky clean on social issues and he is very well funded. You just cannot outrun someone like that. Hillary tried and failed and so will anyone who runs against Mitt. Believe me when I tell you, I do not like that thought no more than anyone else; but facts are facts.

Others: today.yougov.com News, American Prospect, The Caucus, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Other McCain, Indecision Forever, American Spectator, Catholic Bandita, Ballot Box, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, Patterico’s Pontifications, Ricochet Conversations Feed, National Review and The Lonely Conservative (Via Memeorandum)

Is China’s Economy about to collapse?

This is not the first time I have heard this, but:

Which does China face? A popped real estate bubble could exert a big drag. Housing construction exceeds 10 percent of GDP. That’s historically high, says Lardy. At a similar stage of economic development, Taiwan’s housing investment was 4.3 percent of GDP. In the recent U.S. real estate boom, housing peaked at 6 percent of GDP. In China, housing stimulates much consumer spending (furniture, appliances) and accounts for 40 percent of steel production, notes Lardy. Land sales are also a big revenue source for local governments. All would suffer from a housing bust.
There are mitigating factors. Outside Beijing and Shanghai, it’s unclear that housing prices are “out of line with household income growth,” says economist Eswar Prasad of Cornell University. Chinese buyers also typically make large cash payments for their properties. Compared to United States, a housing bust is less likely to become a banking crisis as mortgages sour.
Whatever happens, China’s economic model is reaching its limits, as Lardy argues. It has relied on exports, promoted through the controlled exchange rate, and investment, including housing, subsidized by cheap credit. Meanwhile, Chinese savers have been punished by the low returns on deposits. This dampens their incomes and consumption spending. The trouble is that the global slowdown threatens exports and housing’s excesses threaten investment. Unless China can switch to stronger consumption spending, its economy will slow — or it will achieve growth by becoming even more predatory toward other countries. — Is a Chinese economic slump on the horizon? – The Washington Post

Go read that whole thing, because this is the best case for this belief. The funny thing, the people over a GoldSilver.com have been saying this for a while:

Go check them out and get into Gold and Silver; before you lose it all.

Real Islam? —More of that “Religion of Peace” at work

Video:

The Story:

URGENT: A 25-year-old man described as an Islamic extremist was arrested in an alleged plot to attack crowded areas in the Tampa, Fla., area with a car bomb, assault rifle and other explosives, authorities said Monday.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Sami Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in the former Yugoslavia, was arrested Saturday night.
Osmakac, from Pinellas County, allegedly told an undercover agent that “We all have to die, so why not die the Islamic way?'” according to a federal complaint.
FBI agents arrested Osmakac on Saturday after he allegedly bought explosive devices and firearms from an undercover agent. The firearms and explosives were rendered inoperable by law enforcement. The federal complaint says that shortly before his arrest, Osmakac made a video of himself explaining his motives for carrying out the planned violent attack.
He has been charged with one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. His first appearance in federal court is scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. ET. — Suspected Islamic Extremist Arrested In Alleged Florida Bomb Plot | Fox News

Unreal. …and they call we Christians terrorists. 🙄

Here is a good reason why I will be voting Republican in 2012

This is very scary…:

In his remarks, Genachowski said the program has been successful, but has also been plagued with problems of accountability and efficiency. Multiple service providers are often supplying Lifeline subsidies to the same households, he said, because there is no centralized system. To address the issue, Genachowski said, the draft proposal creates a national database of Lifeline users to prevent duplicative billing. It also sets a budget for Lifeline aimed at connecting eligible consumers while staying within budget, and requires that participating companies be subject to independent audits every two years. — via FCC’s Genachowski proposes broadband reform – Post Tech – The Washington Post

National Database of internet users? Yeesh. 🙁 The Democratic Party has gone mad. Go read, that whole thing. I will say this; that low income thing is a crock; if they do it for them, they will do it for everyone. This is why we have to win in 2012 and further more, Why we also have to pick a real Conservative and not some idiotic Rockerfeller big-goverment Republican. Which is why I do not quite understand why people like Michelle Malkin get upset over the back and forth that is going on.

The Republican grassroots and the Conservative grassroots; which does include me — needs to know what they are getting this time. The last time around, everyone just followed behind what the Republican establishment gave them. Not this time; we are better informed, and thanks to twitter, facebook and blogs, we communicate better. Which is why elitists like President Barack Obama hate the internet so much. To be fair, I would be willing to bet some Republicans dislike it too.

(H/T Drudge)

Palin’s Hubby endorses Newt

This comes via Ace:

Todd Palin said he believes that being in the political trenches and experiencing the highs and lows help prepare a candidate for the future and the job of president.
He did not criticize any of the other candidates and said his “hat is off to everyone” in the Republican race.
But Todd Palin did point to last summer, when a large portion of Gingrich’s staff resigned and the candidate was left, largely by himself, to run the campaign.
Gingrich’s ability to overcome the obstacle and still move up in the polls showed his ability to campaign and survive, according to Todd Palin, who said Gingrich is not one of the typical “beltway types” and that his campaign has “burst out of the political arena and touched many Americans.” — Todd Palin Endorses Newt Gingrich – ABC News

I will resist the temptation to mock her for having her hubby do her dirty work. It could very well be that they both disagree on whom they support. It is primary season after all. I really do not see this being any sort of a game changer or anything. I will say this — the reason Newt’s staffers bolted back last summer is because they did not think Newt was really serious about running. Hmmm, kinda like — wait. I won’t say it. Never mind. 🙄

Others: : The Hill, GOP 12, The Jawa Report, Campaign 2012, The Right Scoop, The Raw Story, Conservatives4Palin and Wake up America

This is why illegal immigration bothers me

Via Preston Wright on Facebook:

The American Militia’s website