A GIFT for my readers courtesy of GB:
Disbeliefnet.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Read and bookmark this carefully researched clearly written article. It reads like a novel. I wish it were.
American Thinker: Barack Obama and the Strategy of Manufactured Crisis
American Thinker: Barack Obama and the Strategy of Manufactured Crisis
Friday, September 26, 2008
Gagdad Bob mentioned the Community Reinvestment Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia in the comment section of his post. Gods, Kings, Heroes, Men, Clowns, and Chaos Today's cooninkydink is that my old pal Lucinda sent me this which she said she got off Drudge in which the Community Reinvestment Act is mentioned.Take the time to look at it and you will be a little bit wiser.YouTube - Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?
Slacktus interruptus.
Slacktus interruptus.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Corner on National Review Online
This is the lone voice crying out against the socialism that is happening before our eyes. Read it all. That is an order.
The Corner on National Review Online
The Corner on National Review Online
All the Obama back up FACTS to do with his associations with Saul Alinsky, his radical personal political trainer, and much more today at qp's place. Really, you can't make this stuff up. Oh, and did you know that "Rules For Radicals", Alinsky's "Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals" has a forward in the book in which Alinsky quotes himself: "Lest we forget at least an over the shoulder acknowledgment to ...the very first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment nd did it so effectively that at least he won his own kingdom- Lucifer.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Usually these financial melt downs make me dizzy but
it is important that we all be well informed as we deal with the US financial crisis and understand what happened. Note that John McCain proposed a bill that could have saved us all sorts of trouble in 2005 but the mostly democratic Congress let it die. HT to Mary Belle for emailing me this.
Please note the following article from Bloomberg.com
The Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act was first introduced in 2005...
YOU CAN GO TO LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TO READ ENTIRE BILL...S190
------------------------------------------------------------------------
S 190 IS
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 190
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 26, 2005
Mr. HAGEL (for himself, Mr. SUNUNU, and Mrs. DOLE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Afairs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A BILL
To address the regulation of secondary mortgage market enterprises, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Continue to scroll down to see Senator John McCain's...
FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2005 -- (Senate - May 25, 2006)
which died from inaction in Congress.
How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis: Kevin Hassett
Commentary by Kevin Hassett
Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The financial crisis of the past year has provided a number of surprising twists and turns, and from Bear Stearns Cos. toAmerican International Group Inc., ambiguity has been a big part of the story.
Why did Bear Stearns fail, and how does that relate to AIG? It all seems so complex.
But really, it isn't. Enough cards on this table have been turned over that the story is now clear. The economic history books will describe this episode in simple and understandable terms: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac exploded, and many bystanders were injured in the blast, some fatally.
Fannie and Freddie did this by becoming a key enabler of the mortgage crisis. They fueled Wall Street's efforts to securitize subprime loans by becoming the primary customer of all AAA-rated subprime-mortgage pools. In addition, they held an enormous portfolio of mortgages themselves.
In the times that Fannie and Freddie couldn't make the market, they became the market. Over the years, it added up to an enormous obligation. As of last June, Fannie alone owned or guaranteed more than $388 billion in high-risk mortgage investments. Their large presence created an environment within which even mortgage-backed securities assembled by others could find a ready home.
The problem was that the trillions of dollars in play were only low-risk investments if real estate prices continued to rise. Once they began to fall, the entire house of cards came down with them.
Turning Point
Take away Fannie and Freddie, or regulate them more wisely, and it's hard to imagine how these highly liquid markets would ever have emerged. This whole mess would never have happened.
It is easy to identify the historical turning point that marked the beginning of the end.
Back in 2005, Fannie and Freddie were, after years of dominating Washington, on the ropes. They were enmeshed in accounting scandals that led to turnover at the top. At one telling moment in late 2004, captured in an article by myAmerican Enterprise Institute colleague Peter Wallison, the Securities and Exchange Comiission's chief accountant told disgraced Fannie Mae chiefFranklin Raines that Fannie's position on the relevant accounting issue was not even ``on the page'' of allowable interpretations.
Then legislative momentum emerged for an attempt to create a ``world-class regulator'' that would oversee the pair more like banks, imposing strict requirements on their ability to take excessive risks. Politicians who previously had associated themselves proudly with the two accounting miscreants were less eager to be associated with them. The time was ripe.
Greenspan's Warning
The clear gravity of the situation pushed the legislation forward. Some might say the current mess couldn't be foreseen, yet in 2005 Alan Greenspan told Congress how urgent it was for it to act in the clearest possible terms: If Fannie and Freddie ``continue to grow, continue to have the low capital that they have, continue to engage in the dynamic hedging of their portfolios, which they need to do for interest rate risk aversion, they potentially create ever-growing potential systemic risk down the road,'' he said. ``We are placing the total financial system of the future at a substantial risk.''
What happened next was extraordinary. For the first time in history, a serious Fannie and Freddie reform bill was passed by the Senate Banking Committee. The bill gave a regulator power to crack down, and would have required the companies to eliminate their investments in risky assets.
Different World
If that bill had become law, then the world today would be different. In 2005, 2006 and 2007, a blizzard of terrible mortgage paper fluttered out of the Fannie and Freddie clouds, burying many of our oldest and most venerable institutions. Without their checkbooks keeping the market liquid and buying up excess supply, the market would likely have not existed.
But the bill didn't become law, for a simple reason: Democrats opposed it on a party-line vote in the committee, signaling that this would be a partisan issue. Republicans, tied in knots by the tight Democratic opposition, couldn't even get the Senate to vote on the matter.
That such a reckless political stand could have been taken by the Democrats was obscene even then. Wallison wrote at the time: ``It is a classic case of socializing the risk while privatizing the profit. The Democrats and the few Republicans who oppose portfolio limitations could not possibly do so if their constituents understood what they were doing.''
Mounds of Materials
Now that the collapse has occurred, the roadblock built by Senate Democrats in 2005 is unforgivable. Many who opposed the bill doubtlessly did so for honorable reasons. Fannie and Freddie provided mounds of materials defending their practices. Perhaps some found their propaganda convincing.
But we now know that many of the senators who protected Fannie and Freddie, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Christopher Dodd, have received mind-boggling levels of financial support from them over the years.
Throughout his political career, Obama has gotten more than $125,000 in campaign contributions from employees and political action committees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, second only to Dodd, the Senate Banking Committee chairman, who received more than $165,000.
Clinton, the 12th-ranked recipient of Fannie and Freddie PAC and employee contributions, has received more than $75,000 from the two enterprises and their employees. The private profit found its way back to the senators who killed the fix.
There has been a lot of talk about who is to blame for this crisis. A look back at the story of 2005 makes the answer pretty clear.
Oh, and there is one little footnote to the story that's worth keeping in mind while Democrats point fingers between now and Nov. 4: Senator John McCainwas one of the three cosponsors of S.190, the bill that would have averted this mess.
(Kevin Hassett, director of economic-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, is a Bloomberg News columnist. He is an adviser to Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona in the 2008 presidential election. The opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer of this column: Kevin Hassett at khassett@aei.org
Last Updated: September 22, 2008 00:04 EDT
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS RECORD
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FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2005 -- (Senate - May 25, 2006)
[Page: S5217] GPO's PDF
---
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were ``illusions deliberately and systematically created'' by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae's former chief executive officer, OFHEO's report shows that over half of Mr. Raines' compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.
The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.
For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.
I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.
I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation.
it is important that we all be well informed as we deal with the US financial crisis and understand what happened. Note that John McCain proposed a bill that could have saved us all sorts of trouble in 2005 but the mostly democratic Congress let it die. HT to Mary Belle for emailing me this.
Please note the following article from Bloomberg.com
The Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act was first introduced in 2005...
YOU CAN GO TO LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TO READ ENTIRE BILL...S190
------------------------------------------------------------------------
S 190 IS
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 190
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 26, 2005
Mr. HAGEL (for himself, Mr. SUNUNU, and Mrs. DOLE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Afairs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A BILL
To address the regulation of secondary mortgage market enterprises, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Continue to scroll down to see Senator John McCain's...
FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2005 -- (Senate - May 25, 2006)
which died from inaction in Congress.
How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis: Kevin Hassett
Commentary by Kevin Hassett
Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The financial crisis of the past year has provided a number of surprising twists and turns, and from Bear Stearns Cos. toAmerican International Group Inc., ambiguity has been a big part of the story.
Why did Bear Stearns fail, and how does that relate to AIG? It all seems so complex.
But really, it isn't. Enough cards on this table have been turned over that the story is now clear. The economic history books will describe this episode in simple and understandable terms: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac exploded, and many bystanders were injured in the blast, some fatally.
Fannie and Freddie did this by becoming a key enabler of the mortgage crisis. They fueled Wall Street's efforts to securitize subprime loans by becoming the primary customer of all AAA-rated subprime-mortgage pools. In addition, they held an enormous portfolio of mortgages themselves.
In the times that Fannie and Freddie couldn't make the market, they became the market. Over the years, it added up to an enormous obligation. As of last June, Fannie alone owned or guaranteed more than $388 billion in high-risk mortgage investments. Their large presence created an environment within which even mortgage-backed securities assembled by others could find a ready home.
The problem was that the trillions of dollars in play were only low-risk investments if real estate prices continued to rise. Once they began to fall, the entire house of cards came down with them.
Turning Point
Take away Fannie and Freddie, or regulate them more wisely, and it's hard to imagine how these highly liquid markets would ever have emerged. This whole mess would never have happened.
It is easy to identify the historical turning point that marked the beginning of the end.
Back in 2005, Fannie and Freddie were, after years of dominating Washington, on the ropes. They were enmeshed in accounting scandals that led to turnover at the top. At one telling moment in late 2004, captured in an article by myAmerican Enterprise Institute colleague Peter Wallison, the Securities and Exchange Comiission's chief accountant told disgraced Fannie Mae chiefFranklin Raines that Fannie's position on the relevant accounting issue was not even ``on the page'' of allowable interpretations.
Then legislative momentum emerged for an attempt to create a ``world-class regulator'' that would oversee the pair more like banks, imposing strict requirements on their ability to take excessive risks. Politicians who previously had associated themselves proudly with the two accounting miscreants were less eager to be associated with them. The time was ripe.
Greenspan's Warning
The clear gravity of the situation pushed the legislation forward. Some might say the current mess couldn't be foreseen, yet in 2005 Alan Greenspan told Congress how urgent it was for it to act in the clearest possible terms: If Fannie and Freddie ``continue to grow, continue to have the low capital that they have, continue to engage in the dynamic hedging of their portfolios, which they need to do for interest rate risk aversion, they potentially create ever-growing potential systemic risk down the road,'' he said. ``We are placing the total financial system of the future at a substantial risk.''
What happened next was extraordinary. For the first time in history, a serious Fannie and Freddie reform bill was passed by the Senate Banking Committee. The bill gave a regulator power to crack down, and would have required the companies to eliminate their investments in risky assets.
Different World
If that bill had become law, then the world today would be different. In 2005, 2006 and 2007, a blizzard of terrible mortgage paper fluttered out of the Fannie and Freddie clouds, burying many of our oldest and most venerable institutions. Without their checkbooks keeping the market liquid and buying up excess supply, the market would likely have not existed.
But the bill didn't become law, for a simple reason: Democrats opposed it on a party-line vote in the committee, signaling that this would be a partisan issue. Republicans, tied in knots by the tight Democratic opposition, couldn't even get the Senate to vote on the matter.
That such a reckless political stand could have been taken by the Democrats was obscene even then. Wallison wrote at the time: ``It is a classic case of socializing the risk while privatizing the profit. The Democrats and the few Republicans who oppose portfolio limitations could not possibly do so if their constituents understood what they were doing.''
Mounds of Materials
Now that the collapse has occurred, the roadblock built by Senate Democrats in 2005 is unforgivable. Many who opposed the bill doubtlessly did so for honorable reasons. Fannie and Freddie provided mounds of materials defending their practices. Perhaps some found their propaganda convincing.
But we now know that many of the senators who protected Fannie and Freddie, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Christopher Dodd, have received mind-boggling levels of financial support from them over the years.
Throughout his political career, Obama has gotten more than $125,000 in campaign contributions from employees and political action committees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, second only to Dodd, the Senate Banking Committee chairman, who received more than $165,000.
Clinton, the 12th-ranked recipient of Fannie and Freddie PAC and employee contributions, has received more than $75,000 from the two enterprises and their employees. The private profit found its way back to the senators who killed the fix.
There has been a lot of talk about who is to blame for this crisis. A look back at the story of 2005 makes the answer pretty clear.
Oh, and there is one little footnote to the story that's worth keeping in mind while Democrats point fingers between now and Nov. 4: Senator John McCainwas one of the three cosponsors of S.190, the bill that would have averted this mess.
(Kevin Hassett, director of economic-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, is a Bloomberg News columnist. He is an adviser to Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona in the 2008 presidential election. The opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer of this column: Kevin Hassett at khassett@aei.org
Last Updated: September 22, 2008 00:04 EDT
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS RECORD
The Library of Congress > THOMAS Home > Congressional Record > Search Results
THIS SEARCH THIS DOCUMENT THIS CR ISSUE GO TO
Next Hit Forward Next Document New CR Search
Prev Hit Back Prev Document HomePage
Hit List Best Sections Daily Digest Help
Contents Display
Congressional Record article 16 of 66
Printer Friendly Display - 2,554 bytes.[Help]
FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2005 -- (Senate - May 25, 2006)
[Page: S5217] GPO's PDF
---
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were ``illusions deliberately and systematically created'' by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae's former chief executive officer, OFHEO's report shows that over half of Mr. Raines' compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.
The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.
For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.
I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.
I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
A wee bit of daily bread from Gagdad Bob from
One Cosmos: Falling at the Speed of Liberalism: "Again, you have to imagine how difficult it was to resist this drumbeat back in the days before talk radio and other conservative media. When I was a liberal, I literally encountered no resistance to the leftist fall. There was nothing whatsoever to prevent me from jumping into the fire and going down with it into the ribbon of darkness. As I have said, I am not a bitter or backward looking man, but if I were, I could be pretty angry at how much of my life was lost bathing in the muddy water of liberalism. One reason I'm not angry is that I made the transition back to reality and truth before I was too old, and I have no right to complain about the way things turned out.
The downward tide of leftism is 'tolerant, diverse, non-judgmental, non-discriminatory, egalitarian, politically correct, multicultural, globalist, and collectivist. It insists that there are no rights and wrongs, no moral absolutes. It turns everything upside down in its looking glass world. It denies the correctness of all that produced what our culture revered before the deconstruction of the world in accordance with the tenets of cultural Marxism."
One Cosmos: Falling at the Speed of Liberalism: "Again, you have to imagine how difficult it was to resist this drumbeat back in the days before talk radio and other conservative media. When I was a liberal, I literally encountered no resistance to the leftist fall. There was nothing whatsoever to prevent me from jumping into the fire and going down with it into the ribbon of darkness. As I have said, I am not a bitter or backward looking man, but if I were, I could be pretty angry at how much of my life was lost bathing in the muddy water of liberalism. One reason I'm not angry is that I made the transition back to reality and truth before I was too old, and I have no right to complain about the way things turned out.
The downward tide of leftism is 'tolerant, diverse, non-judgmental, non-discriminatory, egalitarian, politically correct, multicultural, globalist, and collectivist. It insists that there are no rights and wrongs, no moral absolutes. It turns everything upside down in its looking glass world. It denies the correctness of all that produced what our culture revered before the deconstruction of the world in accordance with the tenets of cultural Marxism."
Weapons of Mass Discussion: One of Obama's Mentors is Just SICK!!!! Frank Marshall Davis, Communist... and Pedophile?
Liberal thinking made popular in the radical sexual revolution - ugh!
Weapons of Mass Discussion: One of Obama's Mentors is Just SICK!!!! Frank Marshall Davis, Communist... and Pedophile?
Weapons of Mass Discussion: One of Obama's Mentors is Just SICK!!!! Frank Marshall Davis, Communist... and Pedophile?
Friday, September 19, 2008
"It is the small-town virtues of self-reliance, hard work, personal responsibility, and common-sense ingenuity — and not those of the preening cosmopolitans that gape at them in mixed contempt and bafflement — that have made us the inheritors of the most magnificent, noble, decent and free society ever to appear on this earth. This Western Civilization… this American City… has earned the right to greet each sunrise with a blast of silver trumpets that can bring down mountains.
And what, really, is a Legion of Narcissists and a Confederacy of Despair against that?"
In case you pressed for time readers of this bossy little blogette have never read the Bill Whittle, it is about time you start. Once you have read a little you will crave more, he is that good.
The Undefended City by Bill Whittle on National Review Online
And what, really, is a Legion of Narcissists and a Confederacy of Despair against that?"
In case you pressed for time readers of this bossy little blogette have never read the Bill Whittle, it is about time you start. Once you have read a little you will crave more, he is that good.
The Undefended City by Bill Whittle on National Review Online
The Big White Lie by Andrew Klavan, City Journal Spring 2007
More Andrew Klavin from City Journal on being a Conservative:
The Big White Lie by Andrew Klavan, City Journal Spring 2007
The Big White Lie by Andrew Klavan, City Journal Spring 2007
Thursday, September 18, 2008
This email came this morning and I share it with you especially you parents that are no longer moonbats but took a left turn back in your youth. There is hope. Thank you, Kirsten!
> Dear friends and family,
The following statement from my oldest daughter
> Kirsten was in response to her many friends asking her why she didn't support
> Obama and did support Palin. She used to be super-liberal - like me. I love
> her humor! (see the paragraph on guns) In case you don't read what liberals
> read, "Spiritual and health guru" Deepak Chopra, feminists Gloria Steinem and
> Eve Ensler (Vagina Monologues) and others have been slamming Palin. This is
> Kirsten's response.
> love, Gaie (sorry about some rough language quoted)
> ****************************************************************
>
>
> There are sooo many different ways to be feminine and strong.
>
> I believe in the preciousness of ALL life even the unborn life of a child just
> as I believe in the right of old growth redwoods and honeybees. All of these
> things are God's own creations and deserve to live. Obama refused to support
> the Born Alive Infant Act which ultimately resulted in infanticide. Babies
> born alive from failed abortion attempts denied medical care and left to die.
> That is heartless.
>
> I believe that we can harvest what we need from nature without destroying
> balance. I believe that we can actually harvest in a way that restores
> balance. That is what I believe God has put us on this earth to do. It is in
> the Bible. We are to be stewards of the earth. But it still means killing,
> that is part of life. The sooner people accept that and start eating some MEAT
> we'll all be better off.
>
> I believe that feminists have lost sight of the importance of being a good
> mother and yes, I'm going to say it- a good wife. It is a crucial role in
> society.
>
> I believe in evolution and God, and I think both can be examined in school. I
> believe that government should keep out of school in general. The private
> sector can foster more competition and drive quality up. Our children win when
> that happens and therefore society wins.
>
> I believe sex ed can be taught if the parents are informed. However, recently
> my sisters were sent to an 'assembly', no permission slips required, where the
> 'instructor' told them 'if you fuck someone in the pussy you gotta change
> condoms before fucking them in the ass' - HONEST TO GOD WORDING SAID TO 15
> YEAR OLDS! (and the information is reversed) How's that for teaching our girls
> to be open-minded? Stay the hell away from my daughter thank you! I will
> handle her sex ed with more dignity and reverence for humans and sexuality
> than that.
>
> I believe that it is egocentric to think that we are the sole cause of global
> climate change. I am a science major and the science doesn't add up. I am also
> skeptical of the driving forces pushing the man-made global warming scare. Big
> Pharma profits when we vaccinate cows to keep them from farting! The
> government is trying to control what temperature you can set your thermostat
> at - people, WAKE UP! It is about power and control. These things are
> anti-American in the extreme.
>
> Although I don't embrace Al Gore's version of global warming, I also believe
> that we should not shit where we eat. The biggest issue facing our planet
> today is not carbon emissions, which have proven to have little impact on
> climate, but pollution.... plastic bags in the sea, Roundup in my neighbor's
> yard... waste, waste, waste and more poisonous chemicals than our bodies and
> our planet can bear.
>
> I fear big government and therefore cannot fully embrace a Democratic Party
> agenda. I have learned that socialism and communism sound nice, but don't work
> in reality. Healthcare under the Feds would mean poorer quality of care, less
> access and forced vaccination amongst other forced agendas. Not with my child
> and my body thank you!!
>
> I believe I have the right to bear arms. That right is protected by our
> Constitution and I will fight for that right.
>
> I believe that all people are created equal and that gay rights and other
> social issues are crucial to promoting tolerance and love in our world. That
> being said... did anyone notice that they have banned the legal terms 'bride'
> and 'groom' in California?? Scary! Those terms mean something to some people.
> Traditional marriage is actually under a form of attack. It is not
> intentional, but people must realize that it is possible to promote tolerance
> of one kind and replace it with intolerance of another kind. We must be
> mindful of these things. I am a 'Bride'... not 'Party A' and I have the right
> to be married as such no matter who doesn't like it.
>
> I believe that the biggest issue in this election is freedom. Our free-market
> capitalist system has many evils, but it is a hell of a lot better than the
> socialist agenda that the Dems are pushing. Has anyone noticed how many of
> Obama's associates and campaign workers were made rich by Fannie Mae and
> Freddie Mac? Now WE are bailing them out with OUR tax money. What ever
> happened to personal responsibility? McCain called attention to this subject 3
> years ago.
>
> Shame on NOW and all the 'feminists' who demonize Sarah Palin because she
> won't accept their one-sided liberal agenda to further big government. Sarah
> Palin is a true feminist in my view and while I may be in the minority (barely
> a minority at 43%) I am proud to be in that minority right now. I don't agree
> with Palin on everything, but at least she is not trying to further the
> totalitarian role of the Federal government. If our freedoms are protected and
> our states are empowered we will truly have the right to vote on a local level
> and effect the issues/legislation that matter to us regionally without having
> to wade through a broken bureaucratic system that is deaf to local needs.
>
> And shame on Deepak Chopra. I don't need a MALE with a PhD. and a God complex
> to do a pseudo-spiritual, psychobabble bullshit analysis of a strong woman and
> then tell me that I am voting against MY interests if I disagree with him. In
> a democracy people are supposed to vote for their own interests. In Deepak's
> twisted mind we should all agree with him because he apparently knows our
> interests better than we do. If we disagree we take the risk of being 'less
> evolved'... that my friends is a risk I am willing to take!
>
>
> Kirsten
> Dear friends and family,
The following statement from my oldest daughter
> Kirsten was in response to her many friends asking her why she didn't support
> Obama and did support Palin. She used to be super-liberal - like me. I love
> her humor! (see the paragraph on guns) In case you don't read what liberals
> read, "Spiritual and health guru" Deepak Chopra, feminists Gloria Steinem and
> Eve Ensler (Vagina Monologues) and others have been slamming Palin. This is
> Kirsten's response.
> love, Gaie (sorry about some rough language quoted)
> ****************************************************************
>
>
> There are sooo many different ways to be feminine and strong.
>
> I believe in the preciousness of ALL life even the unborn life of a child just
> as I believe in the right of old growth redwoods and honeybees. All of these
> things are God's own creations and deserve to live. Obama refused to support
> the Born Alive Infant Act which ultimately resulted in infanticide. Babies
> born alive from failed abortion attempts denied medical care and left to die.
> That is heartless.
>
> I believe that we can harvest what we need from nature without destroying
> balance. I believe that we can actually harvest in a way that restores
> balance. That is what I believe God has put us on this earth to do. It is in
> the Bible. We are to be stewards of the earth. But it still means killing,
> that is part of life. The sooner people accept that and start eating some MEAT
> we'll all be better off.
>
> I believe that feminists have lost sight of the importance of being a good
> mother and yes, I'm going to say it- a good wife. It is a crucial role in
> society.
>
> I believe in evolution and God, and I think both can be examined in school. I
> believe that government should keep out of school in general. The private
> sector can foster more competition and drive quality up. Our children win when
> that happens and therefore society wins.
>
> I believe sex ed can be taught if the parents are informed. However, recently
> my sisters were sent to an 'assembly', no permission slips required, where the
> 'instructor' told them 'if you fuck someone in the pussy you gotta change
> condoms before fucking them in the ass' - HONEST TO GOD WORDING SAID TO 15
> YEAR OLDS! (and the information is reversed) How's that for teaching our girls
> to be open-minded? Stay the hell away from my daughter thank you! I will
> handle her sex ed with more dignity and reverence for humans and sexuality
> than that.
>
> I believe that it is egocentric to think that we are the sole cause of global
> climate change. I am a science major and the science doesn't add up. I am also
> skeptical of the driving forces pushing the man-made global warming scare. Big
> Pharma profits when we vaccinate cows to keep them from farting! The
> government is trying to control what temperature you can set your thermostat
> at - people, WAKE UP! It is about power and control. These things are
> anti-American in the extreme.
>
> Although I don't embrace Al Gore's version of global warming, I also believe
> that we should not shit where we eat. The biggest issue facing our planet
> today is not carbon emissions, which have proven to have little impact on
> climate, but pollution.... plastic bags in the sea, Roundup in my neighbor's
> yard... waste, waste, waste and more poisonous chemicals than our bodies and
> our planet can bear.
>
> I fear big government and therefore cannot fully embrace a Democratic Party
> agenda. I have learned that socialism and communism sound nice, but don't work
> in reality. Healthcare under the Feds would mean poorer quality of care, less
> access and forced vaccination amongst other forced agendas. Not with my child
> and my body thank you!!
>
> I believe I have the right to bear arms. That right is protected by our
> Constitution and I will fight for that right.
>
> I believe that all people are created equal and that gay rights and other
> social issues are crucial to promoting tolerance and love in our world. That
> being said... did anyone notice that they have banned the legal terms 'bride'
> and 'groom' in California?? Scary! Those terms mean something to some people.
> Traditional marriage is actually under a form of attack. It is not
> intentional, but people must realize that it is possible to promote tolerance
> of one kind and replace it with intolerance of another kind. We must be
> mindful of these things. I am a 'Bride'... not 'Party A' and I have the right
> to be married as such no matter who doesn't like it.
>
> I believe that the biggest issue in this election is freedom. Our free-market
> capitalist system has many evils, but it is a hell of a lot better than the
> socialist agenda that the Dems are pushing. Has anyone noticed how many of
> Obama's associates and campaign workers were made rich by Fannie Mae and
> Freddie Mac? Now WE are bailing them out with OUR tax money. What ever
> happened to personal responsibility? McCain called attention to this subject 3
> years ago.
>
> Shame on NOW and all the 'feminists' who demonize Sarah Palin because she
> won't accept their one-sided liberal agenda to further big government. Sarah
> Palin is a true feminist in my view and while I may be in the minority (barely
> a minority at 43%) I am proud to be in that minority right now. I don't agree
> with Palin on everything, but at least she is not trying to further the
> totalitarian role of the Federal government. If our freedoms are protected and
> our states are empowered we will truly have the right to vote on a local level
> and effect the issues/legislation that matter to us regionally without having
> to wade through a broken bureaucratic system that is deaf to local needs.
>
> And shame on Deepak Chopra. I don't need a MALE with a PhD. and a God complex
> to do a pseudo-spiritual, psychobabble bullshit analysis of a strong woman and
> then tell me that I am voting against MY interests if I disagree with him. In
> a democracy people are supposed to vote for their own interests. In Deepak's
> twisted mind we should all agree with him because he apparently knows our
> interests better than we do. If we disagree we take the risk of being 'less
> evolved'... that my friends is a risk I am willing to take!
>
>
> Kirsten
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
It would seem that radical Islam's goal in the United States is jihad on many levels. As Orianna Fallaci wrote it took about fifteen years for a plethora of mosques to erupt all over Europe. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for freedom of religion so long as that religion's goal is not “grand Jihad” aimed at, according to a Muslim Brotherhood memo “eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and Allah’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” I suggest that the few of you reading this check out your town for where and when the mosque is being built.
Jihad Watch: Controversial Boston mosque run by Muslim Brotherhood opens, will broadcast call to prayer over loudspeaker
Jihad Watch: Controversial Boston mosque run by Muslim Brotherhood opens, will broadcast call to prayer over loudspeaker
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A disturbing piece on financial jihad with shariah compliant financing otherwise known as SCF explained here:
Washington Times - GAFFNEY: Into the fire?
Washington Times - GAFFNEY: Into the fire?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Looks like the Brits have their first sharia courts which are classified as tribunals -shiver- just as the Archbishop_of_Canterbury suggested just seven months ago. Here are some excerpts from the Times article. Is it possible that an Obama presidency could pave the way for sharia courts here?
"ISLAMIC law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases...
There are concerns that women who agree to go to tribunal courts are getting worse deals because Islamic law favours men.
Siddiqi said that in a recent inheritance dispute handled by the court in Nuneaton, the estate of a Midlands man was divided between three daughters and two sons.
The judges on the panel gave the sons twice as much as the daughters, in accordance with sharia. Had the family gone to a normal British court, the daughters would have got equal amounts.
In the six cases of domestic violence, Siddiqi said the judges ordered the husbands to take anger management classes and mentoring from community elders. There was no further punishment..."
Revealed: UK’s first official sharia courts - Times Online
"ISLAMIC law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases...
There are concerns that women who agree to go to tribunal courts are getting worse deals because Islamic law favours men.
Siddiqi said that in a recent inheritance dispute handled by the court in Nuneaton, the estate of a Midlands man was divided between three daughters and two sons.
The judges on the panel gave the sons twice as much as the daughters, in accordance with sharia. Had the family gone to a normal British court, the daughters would have got equal amounts.
In the six cases of domestic violence, Siddiqi said the judges ordered the husbands to take anger management classes and mentoring from community elders. There was no further punishment..."
Revealed: UK’s first official sharia courts - Times Online
New blog, to me anyway, Neoconlatina has a nicely researched piece about Obama's communist influences:
Neocon Latina: Obama's Hidden Marxist Past
Neocon Latina: Obama's Hidden Marxist Past
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Speaking of textbooks, here is Larry Schweikart interviewed at Front Page Magazine about challenging the
48 Liberal Lies About American History:
FrontPage Magazine
48 Liberal Lies About American History:
FrontPage Magazine
Saturday, September 13, 2008
HT to qp for introducing me to Jim Ryan's blog. I hope it is people like Mr. Ryan that will help to write and edit our history textbooks.
Philosoblog: "George W. Bush will be known fifty years from now as little more than this: the first Commander in Chief in the War on Terror, who liberated 50 million, knocked al Qaeda back on its heels and never backed down amidst the hateful vitriol dumped upon him by the loud and deranged American left. Twenty years from now, many of these leftists will select Iraq as vacation spot, as a way to demonstrate their taste for the exotic, their heady attraction to advertisements for archaeological tours of Mesopotamia, and the superiority of their sensitivity to the life of the Iraqi to that of his liberator George W. Bush."
Philosoblog: "George W. Bush will be known fifty years from now as little more than this: the first Commander in Chief in the War on Terror, who liberated 50 million, knocked al Qaeda back on its heels and never backed down amidst the hateful vitriol dumped upon him by the loud and deranged American left. Twenty years from now, many of these leftists will select Iraq as vacation spot, as a way to demonstrate their taste for the exotic, their heady attraction to advertisements for archaeological tours of Mesopotamia, and the superiority of their sensitivity to the life of the Iraqi to that of his liberator George W. Bush."
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Dr Sanity on 9/11 -do read it all.
Dr. Sanity: "I watched incredulously as the Democrats and the political left blatantly began to deny the meaning of 9/11; and tried to wipe it out of the national memory and consciousness. I watched as it became 'politically incorrect' to show images of the twin towers; how the 9/11 Truth idiots polished and honed their conspiracy theories and how the lunatic left embraced and enabled the Islamic fanatics. Before all this insanity, I was a newsaholic, but not particularly interested in politics.
I started to write this blog because I could no longer ignore the left's political insanity which seemed bent on destroying my country and appeasing its enemies. I believed (and still do) that the threat of Islamic terror is a grave and imminent danger to the free world and I had to speak up. I do not intend for my daughter to inherit a world of sharia and oppression. Nor do I intend to let the political left and the unrecognizable cowardly modern Democratic Party allow this scenario to happen. Right now, both the left and most of the Democrats remain in full psychological denial and have (consciously in some cases, but mostly unconsciously) formed a convenient partnership with the very people who attacked America and left 3000 dead on 9/11. I simply could not believe it at first; but now, I have no illusions about either the left or Islam any more."
Dr. Sanity: "I watched incredulously as the Democrats and the political left blatantly began to deny the meaning of 9/11; and tried to wipe it out of the national memory and consciousness. I watched as it became 'politically incorrect' to show images of the twin towers; how the 9/11 Truth idiots polished and honed their conspiracy theories and how the lunatic left embraced and enabled the Islamic fanatics. Before all this insanity, I was a newsaholic, but not particularly interested in politics.
I started to write this blog because I could no longer ignore the left's political insanity which seemed bent on destroying my country and appeasing its enemies. I believed (and still do) that the threat of Islamic terror is a grave and imminent danger to the free world and I had to speak up. I do not intend for my daughter to inherit a world of sharia and oppression. Nor do I intend to let the political left and the unrecognizable cowardly modern Democratic Party allow this scenario to happen. Right now, both the left and most of the Democrats remain in full psychological denial and have (consciously in some cases, but mostly unconsciously) formed a convenient partnership with the very people who attacked America and left 3000 dead on 9/11. I simply could not believe it at first; but now, I have no illusions about either the left or Islam any more."
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
My young friend Devin emailed this note with her beautiful offering of Grace:
> Back in 2001 while watching the news footage of the September 11th events, I
> could not get out of my heart the images of the people jumping from the
> buildings and of the young fireman climbing up the long staircases to help
> those in need. When I asked for healing of these images it came in the form
> of this poem which I wrote that day - it is dedicated to,
> the brave souls who jumped from and climbed up into the towering infernos on
> this day, seven years ago. Feel free to share it with all who might find
> comfort in its words. With love, Devin
>
> Safe They Stay
>
> Gliding downwards
> I've left the flames
> Counting past
> Each windowpane
>
> One-Hundred-One
> Ninety-Five
> A Soft voice whispers
> You will survive
>
> A gentle landing at
> Floor fifty-three
> Into his hands
> God lifted me.
>
> Climbing upwards
> Into the flames
> The helpless souls
> My only aim
>
> Ninety-Five?
> One-Hundred-One
> A Sudden voice
> Come home my son
>
> A dusty landing at
> Floor fifty-three
> Into his hands
> God lifted me.
>
> Those rising and falling
> Were one in the same
> Sisters and brothers
> They all became
> And the only ground
> They reached that day
> Was in God's heart
> Where safe they stay
>
> By Devin Grace
> .
> 2001 © copyright by Devin Grace
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The more I unlearn what I thought I knew,
> the wiser I become.
> - DG
>
> Back in 2001 while watching the news footage of the September 11th events, I
> could not get out of my heart the images of the people jumping from the
> buildings and of the young fireman climbing up the long staircases to help
> those in need. When I asked for healing of these images it came in the form
> of this poem which I wrote that day - it is dedicated to,
> the brave souls who jumped from and climbed up into the towering infernos on
> this day, seven years ago. Feel free to share it with all who might find
> comfort in its words. With love, Devin
>
> Safe They Stay
>
> Gliding downwards
> I've left the flames
> Counting past
> Each windowpane
>
> One-Hundred-One
> Ninety-Five
> A Soft voice whispers
> You will survive
>
> A gentle landing at
> Floor fifty-three
> Into his hands
> God lifted me.
>
> Climbing upwards
> Into the flames
> The helpless souls
> My only aim
>
> Ninety-Five?
> One-Hundred-One
> A Sudden voice
> Come home my son
>
> A dusty landing at
> Floor fifty-three
> Into his hands
> God lifted me.
>
> Those rising and falling
> Were one in the same
> Sisters and brothers
> They all became
> And the only ground
> They reached that day
> Was in God's heart
> Where safe they stay
>
> By Devin Grace
> .
> 2001 © copyright by Devin Grace
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The more I unlearn what I thought I knew,
> the wiser I become.
> - DG
>
Uncommon Knowledge on National Review Online
Andrew Klavan's leap of faith as told to Peter Robinson at:
Uncommon Knowledge on National Review Online
Uncommon Knowledge on National Review Online
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Here is a great piece by Melanie Phillips about Obama's relationship with Saul Alinsky commie king of community organizers who laid it all out in his book "Rules For Radicals" which influenced Obama and those whom he hung out with in Chicago. This is an important read.
The Spectator
The Spectator
Monday, September 08, 2008
Cyber Warrior Andrew Klavan has a great piece on conservatives in Hollywood.
Do read it all for it is good.
"Conservative artists can't battle this state of affairs with silence or secrecy. They must create -- with courage, openness and honesty. These are the tools of both conservatism and art. With them, we can take the culture back."
Klavan's Blog
Do read it all for it is good.
"Conservative artists can't battle this state of affairs with silence or secrecy. They must create -- with courage, openness and honesty. These are the tools of both conservatism and art. With them, we can take the culture back."
Klavan's Blog
Sunday, September 07, 2008
My doubting Thomas friend emailed me this. I imagine my you already know this but here's a little review from Mr. Owens.
Obama’s Muslim Past Dogs Campaign
Sunday, September 7, 2008 7:18 PM
By: Bradley Owens
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has launched a tirade against John McCain, claiming he and his campaign are behind reports tying him to the Muslim faith.
Obama, a committed Christian today, was born to the Muslim faith and raised as a Muslim in his early youth, though he did not actively practice his religion.
Obama began his broadside last Friday at a campaign stop in Scranton, Pa.
"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, or we're going to say that, you know, he hangs out with radicals, or he's not patriotic,'" Obama told his audience.
McCain’s campaign chairman quickly responded to Obama, calling his comment "a cynical attempt to play the victim."
On Sunday, Obama again tried to connect McCain to questions being raised about his faith.
"These guys love to throw rocks and hide their hand," Obama said on ABC's "This Week."
He then claimed McCain's campaign is working behind the scenes, saying the Islamic talk is "being promulgated on Fox News ... and Republican commentators who are closely allied to these folks."
"What I think is fair to say is that coming out of the Republican camp there have been efforts to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith," Obama said, which he described as "my Muslim faith" in apparent verbal gaffe.
Obama's campaign clearly is concerned about the persistent discussion of matters involving him and Islam, and it even has paid search ads on Google when words like "Obama Muslim" are plugged in. One Obama search ad is headlined "Barack Obama Muslim Myth" with the following statement: "Barack Obama is a Christian. Get the facts at his official site. BarackObama.com."
Obama's media offensive over the Muslim issue suggests he wants any discussion of his religious past taken off the table as the campaign enters its most heated period after the convention.
Obama's Ties to Islam
Obama's ties to Islam are hereditary. His father was a Muslim, though Obama claims he was nonpracticing. According to Islamic law, Obama was born a Muslim, as religion is passed paternally. (Judaism, for example, passes religious identification maternally.)
Apparently in deference to his father, his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, is an Arabic name. The name Barack is a derivation of "Barak" -- the horse that took the prophet Muhammad on his flight into heaven.
Though Obama’s biological father disappeared from his son’s life soon after he was born and returned to his native Kenya, he was raised by his Kansas-born mother and her second husband, an Indonesian who was also a Muslim.
Obama has described his mother as a Christian, but Newsweek recently noted she had eschewed her parents’ faith in favor of secular humanism.
Obama’s mother and her Indonesian husband moved with young Barack from Hawaii to Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, in 1967. Obama lived there from ages 6 to 10.
Reports dating back as far as early 2007 held that Obama was educated at a radical Islamic school in Indonesia. Such reports are false. He never attended such a school.
In fact, Obama first attended a Catholic school for almost three years. However, his mother registered him in the school as a Muslim. As such, he was required to spending time each week praying with Muslim students and studying the Koran.
In the wake of the controversy over Obama's Muslim upbringing, The Los Angeles Times sent a reporter to Jakarta to ferret out the truth.
The Times report, published on March 16, 2008, revealed:
* A close boyhood friend of Obama, Zulfin Adi, said Obama "was a Muslim. He went to the mosque."
* Obama's first-grade teacher at a Catholic school, Israella Dharmawan, said: "Barry (Barack's nickname) was Muslim. He was registered as a Muslim because his father was Muslim."
* In the third grade, Obama transferred to a public school, where he was also registered as a Muslim. At the school, Muslim students attended weekly religion lessons about Islam.
Some of these details have been confirmed by Obama himself. In his autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," Obama mentions studying the Koran and describes the public school as "a Muslim school."
Earlier this year, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs claimed: "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian."
His campaign Web site hosts a page titled "Fight the Smears" -- which is dedicated to fighting what his campaign says are false claims about Obama and Islam.
The web page states categorically: "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised as a Muslim, and is a committed Christian."
But the facts suggest that his campaign's statements are not exactly true.
Middle East Forum director Daniel Pipes wrote on FrontPageMag.com that his research led him to conclude that "Obama was born a Muslim to a nonpracticing Muslim father and for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian stepfather."
After The Los Angeles Times conducted its own investigation, Gibbs amended his previous statement on behalf of Obama, telling the Times: "Obama has never been a practicing Muslim," the key word being "practicing."
The Times and other outlets that have reviewed the facts relating to Obama's upbringing as a Muslim have come under withering criticism from Obama and groups that support him.
But Pipes insists the facts are indisputable, with several pro-Obama sources confirming his ties to Islam though downplaying the intensity of his faith.
“The campaign appears to be either ignorant or fabricating when it states that ‘Obama never prayed in a mosque,’" Pipes argues.
"In sum: Obama was an irregularly practicing Muslim who rarely or occasionally prayed with his stepfather in a mosque," Pipes writes on his blog DanielPipes.org. "This precisely substantiates my statement that he 'for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian stepfather.'"
Indisputable also is the fact that Obama says in the early 1990s he converted to Christianity after attending services at Chicago’s Trinity United Church, whose pastor was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.
Obama’s campaign is clearly worried that his ties to Islam could become a major problem for swing voters.
A Newsweek poll taken in mid-July found that 26 percent of American believe he was raised a Muslim.
A survey by Fox News/Opinion Dynamics conducted when Mitt Romney, a Mormon, was a Republican presidential candidate found that 32 percent of voters said they would be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who is Mormon -- while 45 percent said they would be less likely to vote for a Muslim.
And a poll by the Pew Research Center disclosed that 35 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Muslims.
Obama’s Muslim Past Dogs Campaign
Sunday, September 7, 2008 7:18 PM
By: Bradley Owens
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has launched a tirade against John McCain, claiming he and his campaign are behind reports tying him to the Muslim faith.
Obama, a committed Christian today, was born to the Muslim faith and raised as a Muslim in his early youth, though he did not actively practice his religion.
Obama began his broadside last Friday at a campaign stop in Scranton, Pa.
"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, or we're going to say that, you know, he hangs out with radicals, or he's not patriotic,'" Obama told his audience.
McCain’s campaign chairman quickly responded to Obama, calling his comment "a cynical attempt to play the victim."
On Sunday, Obama again tried to connect McCain to questions being raised about his faith.
"These guys love to throw rocks and hide their hand," Obama said on ABC's "This Week."
He then claimed McCain's campaign is working behind the scenes, saying the Islamic talk is "being promulgated on Fox News ... and Republican commentators who are closely allied to these folks."
"What I think is fair to say is that coming out of the Republican camp there have been efforts to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith," Obama said, which he described as "my Muslim faith" in apparent verbal gaffe.
Obama's campaign clearly is concerned about the persistent discussion of matters involving him and Islam, and it even has paid search ads on Google when words like "Obama Muslim" are plugged in. One Obama search ad is headlined "Barack Obama Muslim Myth" with the following statement: "Barack Obama is a Christian. Get the facts at his official site. BarackObama.com."
Obama's media offensive over the Muslim issue suggests he wants any discussion of his religious past taken off the table as the campaign enters its most heated period after the convention.
Obama's Ties to Islam
Obama's ties to Islam are hereditary. His father was a Muslim, though Obama claims he was nonpracticing. According to Islamic law, Obama was born a Muslim, as religion is passed paternally. (Judaism, for example, passes religious identification maternally.)
Apparently in deference to his father, his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, is an Arabic name. The name Barack is a derivation of "Barak" -- the horse that took the prophet Muhammad on his flight into heaven.
Though Obama’s biological father disappeared from his son’s life soon after he was born and returned to his native Kenya, he was raised by his Kansas-born mother and her second husband, an Indonesian who was also a Muslim.
Obama has described his mother as a Christian, but Newsweek recently noted she had eschewed her parents’ faith in favor of secular humanism.
Obama’s mother and her Indonesian husband moved with young Barack from Hawaii to Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, in 1967. Obama lived there from ages 6 to 10.
Reports dating back as far as early 2007 held that Obama was educated at a radical Islamic school in Indonesia. Such reports are false. He never attended such a school.
In fact, Obama first attended a Catholic school for almost three years. However, his mother registered him in the school as a Muslim. As such, he was required to spending time each week praying with Muslim students and studying the Koran.
In the wake of the controversy over Obama's Muslim upbringing, The Los Angeles Times sent a reporter to Jakarta to ferret out the truth.
The Times report, published on March 16, 2008, revealed:
* A close boyhood friend of Obama, Zulfin Adi, said Obama "was a Muslim. He went to the mosque."
* Obama's first-grade teacher at a Catholic school, Israella Dharmawan, said: "Barry (Barack's nickname) was Muslim. He was registered as a Muslim because his father was Muslim."
* In the third grade, Obama transferred to a public school, where he was also registered as a Muslim. At the school, Muslim students attended weekly religion lessons about Islam.
Some of these details have been confirmed by Obama himself. In his autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," Obama mentions studying the Koran and describes the public school as "a Muslim school."
Earlier this year, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs claimed: "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian."
His campaign Web site hosts a page titled "Fight the Smears" -- which is dedicated to fighting what his campaign says are false claims about Obama and Islam.
The web page states categorically: "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised as a Muslim, and is a committed Christian."
But the facts suggest that his campaign's statements are not exactly true.
Middle East Forum director Daniel Pipes wrote on FrontPageMag.com that his research led him to conclude that "Obama was born a Muslim to a nonpracticing Muslim father and for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian stepfather."
After The Los Angeles Times conducted its own investigation, Gibbs amended his previous statement on behalf of Obama, telling the Times: "Obama has never been a practicing Muslim," the key word being "practicing."
The Times and other outlets that have reviewed the facts relating to Obama's upbringing as a Muslim have come under withering criticism from Obama and groups that support him.
But Pipes insists the facts are indisputable, with several pro-Obama sources confirming his ties to Islam though downplaying the intensity of his faith.
“The campaign appears to be either ignorant or fabricating when it states that ‘Obama never prayed in a mosque,’" Pipes argues.
"In sum: Obama was an irregularly practicing Muslim who rarely or occasionally prayed with his stepfather in a mosque," Pipes writes on his blog DanielPipes.org. "This precisely substantiates my statement that he 'for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian stepfather.'"
Indisputable also is the fact that Obama says in the early 1990s he converted to Christianity after attending services at Chicago’s Trinity United Church, whose pastor was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.
Obama’s campaign is clearly worried that his ties to Islam could become a major problem for swing voters.
A Newsweek poll taken in mid-July found that 26 percent of American believe he was raised a Muslim.
A survey by Fox News/Opinion Dynamics conducted when Mitt Romney, a Mormon, was a Republican presidential candidate found that 32 percent of voters said they would be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who is Mormon -- while 45 percent said they would be less likely to vote for a Muslim.
And a poll by the Pew Research Center disclosed that 35 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Muslims.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Friday, September 05, 2008
Well, this certainly is a new little piece to the puzzle and just one more reason I have to not vote for Obama, that is, aside from Sarah.
Investor's Business Daily: Michelle's Boot Camps For Radicals
Investor's Business Daily: Michelle's Boot Camps For Radicals
Thursday, September 04, 2008
In case you were wondering where Obama's support came from:
Newsmax.com – Obama Had Close Ties to Top Saudi Adviser at Early Age
Newsmax.com – Obama Had Close Ties to Top Saudi Adviser at Early Age
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Radical Roots and the Conquest of the Democratic Party @ AMERICAN DIGEST
Vanderleun, marijuana major at Berkley:
Radical Roots and the Conquest of the Democratic Party @ AMERICAN DIGEST
Radical Roots and the Conquest of the Democratic Party @ AMERICAN DIGEST
Newsmax.com – 'Fairness' and the Smearing of Gov. Palin
Lowell Pone has an article on for the doubting Thomas that hasn't time to read up:
Newsmax.com – 'Fairness' and the Smearing of Gov. Palin
Newsmax.com – 'Fairness' and the Smearing of Gov. Palin
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
In this situation I do think stoning of the perpetrators is in order.
Infidel Bloggers Alliance: Ten Year Old Muslim Girl Demands Divorce
Infidel Bloggers Alliance: Ten Year Old Muslim Girl Demands Divorce
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