Israel Ties Reflect India’s Realist Foreign Policy Consensus

Obama in Foreign Policy Hell

 

Google’s new privacy policy: ‘Evil’?

January 26, 2012, at 9:44 AMThe search giant will soon begin sharing your personal data across almost all of its services — a violation, critics say, of Google’s “don’t be evil” ethos

 

The magnetic soap that could clean up oil spills

January 26, 2012, at 7:30 AMBritish scientists devise a way to use magnetically charged cleaning solutions to make sticky clean-ups even easier

‘Napoleonland’: France’s ‘elaborate’ new amusement park?

January 26, 2012, at 6:45 AM A former French minister is planning a historical theme park dedicated to Napoleon, complete with battle re-enactments and guillotines

 

Authors’ homes: A slideshow

January 25, 2012, at 6:28 PMFor sale: Truman Capote’s Brooklyn townhouse and five other properties with literary pedigrees

 

Do women feel more pain than men?

January 25, 2012, at 6:19 PMAfter conducting a massive study, researchers argue that women are more likely than men to say “ouch”

5 Comments

 

Can the GOP ‘draft’ Mitch Daniels into the presidential race?

January 25, 2012, at 5:58 PMMany Republicans, dissatisfied with Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, are all but begging the disciplined Indiana governor to step in and save the party

12 Comments

 

Good day, bad day: January 25, 2012

January 25, 2012, at 4:21 PMWhile a new iPhone app rewards laziness, frequent fliers may soon be taxed on their miles — and more winners and losers of today’s news cycle

 

Kiefer Sutherland in Touch: The ‘anti-Jack Bauer’?

January 25, 2012, at 4:05 PMIn a new Fox series, the 24 star ditches his guns to play the concerned father of a supernaturally talented autistic boy. Of course, he’s still trying to save the world

 

Obama’s ’8th grade reading level’ SOTU address: By the numbers

January 25, 2012, at 3:39 PMTuesday’s State of the Union had one of the lowest reading comprehension levels in decades. Did the president dumb things down too much?

30 Comments

 

Facebook’s mandatory Timeline switch: 4 talking points

January 25, 2012, at 3:30 PMLike it or not, users of the social network are about to switch over to its controversial new profile format. A guide to the key issues

11 Comments

 

World Citizen: Israel, U.S. Fail Key Public Messaging Test

By Frida Ghitis | Public Diplomacy and Propaganda

When the U.S. and Israel announced last week that they had decided to either cancel or postpone the biggest joint military exercise in their history, the news kicked the wheels of the Mideast rumor and speculation machines into high gear. What had started as a determined show of military force and political coordination to send a clear signal to Iran suddenly turned into a mess of mixed messages and confusion.

more »

Obama in Foreign Policy Hell

by David P. Goldman

It won’t decide the 2012 election, but the meltdown of Barack Obama’s Islamophile foreign policy has to hurt.

Read | 48 Comments

Should the ‘Morning After’ Pill Be Available to All Ages?

by Theodore Dalrymple

The idea of handing them out to 10 and 11 year olds with no questions asked seems callous and unfeeling.

Read | 14 Comments

Review: LG BD670 Blu-ray Disc Player

by Ed Driscoll

Knockout Blu-ray images, plus it makes your media room a little bit smarter, to boot.

Read | Comments

On the Ground in Florida

by Ari J. Kaufman

Getting the pulse via street interviews with primary voters.

Read | Comments

Fisking Obama’s State of the Union Speech

by Barry Rubin

Barry Rubin’s breakdown discovers some curious insights and strange formulations in PBO’s rhetoric.

Read | 39 Comments

Annals of the Nanny-State, Midwest Edition

by Roger Kimball

If the TSA is an obnoxious institution (just ask Sen. Rand Paul), it has plenty of competition from certain local police forces.

Read | 14 Comments

The LAPD’s Continued Defense of Illegal Immigrants

by Jack Dunphy

Why is it so hard for the chief of police to follow the law?

Read | 38 Comments

Florida Preview: Lots of Sunshine, Lots of Suburbs, Lots of Clout

by Patrick Reddy

History and opportunity combine to make the Florida primary the pivot on which the GOP nomination will turn.

Read | 14 Comments

‘The Tide of War’

by Claudia Rosett

Obama’s rhetoric blurs overseas troop withdrawal and the gutting of defense with an actual end to war. (Related: Don’t miss Ed Driscoll: “Obama Goes Barack to the Future (Yet Again).”

Read | 21 Comments

www.politico.com

Newt’s Freddie Mac contracts: How ‘toxic’ are they?

January 25, 2012, at 12:58 PMGingrich has disclosed the terms of his work for the controversial mortgage lender. Will voters care?

NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE

January 25, 2012 4:00 A.M.

Gingrich and Reagan
In the 1980s, the candidate repeatedly insulted the president. By Elliott Abrams

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Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich in the Oval Office

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Elliott Abrams 

 

In the increasingly rough Republican campaign, no candidate has wrapped himself in the mantle of Ronald Reagan more often than Newt Gingrich. “I worked with President Reagan to change things in Washington,” “we helped defeat the Soviet empire,” and “I helped lead the effort to defeat Communism in the Congress” are typical claims by the former speaker of the House.

The claims are misleading at best. As a new member of Congress in the Reagan years — and I was an assistant secretary of state — Mr. Gingrich voted with the president regularly, but equally often spewed insulting rhetoric at Reagan, his top aides, and his policies to defeat Communism. Gingrich was voluble and certain in predicting that Reagan’s policies would fail, and in all of this he was dead wrong.

The fights over Reagan’s efforts to stop Soviet expansionism in the Third World were exceptionally bitter. The battlegrounds ranged from Angola and Grenada to Afghanistan and Central America. Reagan’s top team — William Casey at CIA, Cap Weinberger at DOD, and George Shultz at State — understood as he did that if Soviet expansionism could be dealt some tough blows, not only the Soviet empire but the USSR itself would face a political, technological, and financial challenge it could not meet. Few officials besides Ronald Reagan predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union entirely, but every one of us in positions of authority understood the importance of this struggle.But the most bitter battleground was often in Congress. Here at home, we faced vicious criticism from leading Democrats — Ted Kennedy, Christopher Dodd, Jim Wright, Tip O’Neill, and many more — who used every trick in the book to stop Reagan by denying authorities and funds to these efforts. On whom did we rely up on Capitol Hill? There were many stalwarts: Henry Hyde, elected in 1974; Dick Cheney, elected in 1978, the same year as Gingrich; Dan Burton and Connie Mack, elected in 1982; and Tom DeLay, elected in 1984, were among the leaders.

But not Newt Gingrich. He voted with the caucus, but his words should be remembered, for at the height of the bitter struggle with the Democratic leadership Gingrich chose to attack . . . Reagan.

The best examples come from a famous floor statement Gingrich made on March 21, 1986. This was right in the middle of the fight over funding for the Nicaraguan contras; the money had been cut off by Congress in 1985, though Reagan got $100 million for this cause in 1986. Here is Gingrich: “Measured against the scale and momentum of the Soviet empire’s challenge, the Reagan administration has failed, is failing, and without a dramatic change in strategy will continue to fail. . . . President Reagan is clearly failing.” Why? This was due partly to “his administration’s weak policies, which are inadequate and will ultimately fail”; partly to CIA, State, and Defense, which “have no strategies to defeat the empire.” But of course “the burden of this failure frankly must be placed first on President Reagan.” Our efforts against the Communists in the Third World were “pathetically incompetent,” so those anti-Communist members of Congress who questioned the $100 million Reagan sought for the Nicaraguan “contra” rebels “are fundamentally right.” Such was Gingrich’s faith in President Reagan that in 1985, he called Reagan’s meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev “the most dangerous summit for the West since Adolf Hitler met with Neville Chamberlain in 1938 in Munich.”

Should the West just let Iran enrich uranium?

January 25, 2012, at 12:33 PMThe Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allows countries to enrich uranium if they agree to rigorous monitoring. Should that standard apply to Iran, too?

A Redistributive State of the Union
Michael D. Tanner in National Review (Online).

January 25, 2012

Obama’s State Of The Union: The Hollow Man Speaks
Rob Miller
I’ve got a pretty strong stomach – but last night’s festivities were truly something else. More

Newt Gingrich the Jacksonian
Burwell Stark
Newt resembles a former president, alright, but it is not Reagan. Newt Gingrich seems to be a 21st Century return of President Andrew Jackson. More

Brian Williams v. Crowd: Who Is More Intelligent?
C. Edmund Wright
When you compare the substance of the so-called rowdy mob debates in South Carolina with the serious Brian Williams exercise in Florida, there is simply no contest. More

Crony College Capitalism, Chicago-Style
Gary Jason
There is a move afoot to cronyize colleges — that is, reward the key segments of the college industry that vote and contribute money the “right” way, and punish those whom the cronies of the administration in power wish to punish — most especially, for-profit colleges. More

Are We Losing Our Constitutional Republic?
Janet Levy
While pundits at opposite ends of the political spectrum seldom agree, many seem to have reached accord over recent Obama administration deviations from constitutional principles. More

‘Pro-Choice’ Obama Forces Religious Institutions to Pay for Abortion Drugs
Chris Banescu
President Barack Obama, a lifelong champion of abortion, is hell-bent on forcing religious institutions to pay for birth control and abortion drugs coverage for their employees. More

We Know How You Feel
Carol Peracchio
The elites believe we’ll never vote for Newt Gingrich because he’s an old, fat guy. They know that Americans always vote for the guy who looks “presidential.” More

Citizenship: Easy Come, Easy Go?
Cindy Simpson
“Being an American is not a matter of blood or birth,” Obama explained in a 2010 speech on immigration reform. “It’s a matter of faith. It’s a matter of fidelity to the shared values that we all hold so dear.” More

The bubble wrapped White House
January 25, 2012
State of the Union nonsense won’t sell with voters who fill gas tanks and pay uitlity bills. More

Chicago Lunch workers’ union protests healthy lunches
January 25, 2012
This coming on the same day as we’re are awaiting a speech about healthier options by First Lady Michelle Obama. More

Plaintiffs bar feeding frenzy in Gulf oil spill
January 25, 2012
“All they were preserving was their right to help make the trial lawyers rich.” More

Split in Arab League has some observers going home
January 25, 2012
Gulf state observers go home while the Arab League works with UN on new peace plan. More

SEALs free two Somali pirate American hostages
January 25, 2012
Well done. More

You’re right Mr. President, We Need More ‘Fairness’
January 25, 2012
Thank you Mr. President, for bringing up the issue of fairness. Here are some more suggestions More

Don’t bring a gun to New York no matter how many permits you have
January 25, 2012
A SEAL and a Tennessee woman found out the hard way. More

Overseas bemusement and concern
January 25, 2012
The presidential race as seen by overseas financiers More

Obama Wants to Force Morning After Pill on religious institutions
January 25, 2012
Eventually, the law could cover churches themselves. More

The Punditry is Fuming Mad at the Voters
January 25, 2012
Voters hate being treated like rabble occupying the same country but living in a parallel universe. More

So, Mr. Lincoln, Will You Show Us Your Tax Returns?

Frank Hill

Today’s media pundits obsess over the minutiae of a candidate’s personal life, but shouldn’t they really be asking the questions that are important to America as a nation?

Sen. Mark Kirk suffers stroke; media reaction troubling
January 25, 2012
Can you imagine the media blaming the victim like this if he were a Democrat? More

Keystone XL, Obama and Buffett
January 25, 2012
Follow the money More

Discovered: Man’s oldest best friend

January 25, 2012, at 12:16 PM Two 33,000-year-old dog skulls suggest that dogs were the first animals to be domesticated by humans, and may have even served as ancient pets

Oscars 2012: Are the new Best Picture rules a failure?

January 25, 2012, at 11:58 AMA retooled nominating system yielded nine contenders, including the divisive Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close but not the universally beloved Bridesmaids

Obama’s ‘confrontational’ State of the Union: 8 talking points

January 25, 2012, at 10:33 AMThe president hammers the theme of economic fairness, tells a cringe-worthy joke about spilt milk, and targets Mitt Romney — without ever mentioning him by name

15 Comments

Should audiences be allowed to cheer at presidential debates?

January 25, 2012, at 10:15 AMNewt Gingrich says that asking debate audiences to hold their applause is an assault on free speech — and vows that he’ll protest such rules

9 Comments

7 reasons voters are souring on Mitt Romney

January 25, 2012, at 9:47 AMThe number of Americans who have negative views of the longtime GOP presidential frontrunner skyrockets in January. What gives?

Megan Fox’s ‘bizarre’ Brazilian language school ad

January 25, 2012, at 6:45 AMIn a commerical advertising English classes, the Transformers star rejects two smitten young men who can only speak Portuguese

5 Comments

Only in America

January 25, 2012, at 6:15 AMA prudish Louisiana official tries to ban the wearing of pajamas in public — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

Daniel Larison: The West’s inimical posturing on Iran

January 24, 2012, at 6:05 PMThe EU approves a ban on Iranian oil imports, but what the West really needs is a complete reappraisal of its dealings with Tehran

The Supreme Court ruling on warrantless GPS tracking: ‘Simply wrong’?

January 24, 2012, at 6:02 PMThe nation’s highest court unanimously deems it illegal to digitally track a person’s vehicle without a warrant. Will that help criminals go undetected?

8 Comments

China’s ‘Year of the Dragon’ baby boom: A guide

January 24, 2012, at 5:37 PMThe Chinese new year just began this week, but the rush to have babies under the culture’s luckiest zodiac sign has been underway for months

Patriots vs. Giants: The ‘perfect’ Super Bowl rematch?

January 24, 2012, at 5:30 PM Tom Brady is itching for revenge four years after Eli Manning beat him in a dramatic championship game. Here, 4 reasons to tune in for the rematch

Civil- Military Struggle in Pakistan: Regime Change Likely
Sudhanshu Tripathi – 1/24/2012
The on-going cold war relation between the Government and the Army in Pakistan has reached a new height yesterday, with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Army General Ashfaq Kayani drifting further apart.

Political battle lines drawn in Bangladesh
Zoglul Husain – 1/24/2012
BNP draws the political battle lines

Political battle lines were publishrmly drawn between incumbent BAL alliance led by Hasina and the contending BNP alliance led by Khaleda, as Khaleda delivered a rousing speech at the Polo ground in Chittagong on 9 January to a mammoth gathering of hundreds of thousands of people, reported to be the largest ever meeting in Chittagong. She held the meeting following a road march to Chittagong from Dhaka, starting on 8 January with 6 thousand vehicles and holding a number of meetings en route, including a large one at Feni. The entire programme was t…

Attack Iran Today And Not Tomorrow
Elias Bejjani – 1/24/2012
The Israeli Prime Minister believes strongly that Iran must be attacked sooner not later and before it is too late. The USA Obama administration does not see the Iranian atomic danger eye to eye with Israel.

South Carolina’s Verdict: Romney May Be No Better than Obama
Prof. Peter Morici – 1/24/2012
Mitt Romney lost South Carolina by failing to convince voters he has the character and platform to turn the country around.

Cruise Ship Vacation Wisdom
Joel S. Hirschhorn – 1/24/2012
I have taken a number of cruise ship vacations. The last one was about a year and half ago. I learned a lot about cruise ships and what factors should go into decisions about selecting a specific cruise ship that I want to share with you.

Tailing Indian Tigers
Priyanka Bhardwaj – 1/24/2012
Before my chase of `Machhli’, “Grand Dame of Indian Tigers’’ at Rajasthan’s Ranthambhore National Park little did I recognize the strong grip that tigers have on our imagination.

When Conflict Resolution and Human Rights Clash: Can Both Prevail Together?
Nuredin Netabay – 1/20/2012
I. Introduction

Conflict resolution and human rights are inseparable when it comes to the well-being of human communities. Both are underlying ingredients to bringing lasting peace. Neither can stand alone nor bring about tranquility of order. Human rights (justice) and conflict resolution (peace) are mutually inclusive. In principle, justice must not be sacrificed for peace, and the opposite is true. Simply, peace cannot operate without justice and vise versa.

Balancing or reconciling human rights and conflict resolution can present a major challenge. While it is essential to…

Four Political Dimensions of Ukraine’s Future Europeanization: Why Brussels and the EU Member States Need to Keep an Eye on Kyiv
Dr. Andreas Umland – 1/20/2012
Although the EU plays a crucial role for the future of Europe, the stability and development of Europe in the 21st century depend not only on the Union’s internal affairs. The Union’s relationship to its European Eastern neighbors in the next years, above all to Russia and Ukraine, may be even more important than the EU’s finances, reform and performance.

Will Europe’s Iranian oil embargo backfire?

January 24, 2012, at 10:17 AMThe EU’s vow to stop buying millions of barrels of oil a day from Tehran could have a devastating effect on Iran’s economy

World War

Dr. Michael Ledeen

The President said this month that the “tide of war is receding.” This may be true in some areas, but overall, we are closer to a major global conflict than we have been for decades.

Nation of Immigrants

Leslie Sacks

Immigration has always benefited America. But currently, immigration is in a mess with little attempt to control or regulate the manner in which people arrive in the United States.

Tax dodgers on the federal payroll: By the numbers

January 24, 2012, at 9:55 AMNearly 100,000 government workers owe a collective $1 billion in unpaid 2010 taxes — including employees at the Treasury Department and Government Ethics Office

The GOP’s Tampa debate: Did a ‘defiant Romney’ deflate Gingrich?

January 24, 2012, at 9:35 AMA newly aggressive Mitt adopts the pose of a fighter, launching a full-on “kitchen-sink attack” on his surging rival

Stats of our lives

January 24, 2012, at 7:00 AMOn America’s roads, the typical car is more than a decade old — and more in our collection of surprising facts and figures

Turning the dead into beads: South Korea’s ‘odd’ new trend

January 24, 2012, at 6:30 AMForget “creepy” burial urns. One company allows clients to memorialize the dead by turning their remains into colorful, caviar-like stones

3 reasons to root for an Obama-Gingrich matchup

January 24, 2012, at 6:15 AMNewt is on a roll, and Mitt Romney no longer appears to have a lock on the GOP presidential nomination. Should political junkies root for Newt?

Paul Brandus: Obama’s top 5 successes

January 23, 2012, at 6:38 PMThe president will surely boast of his accomplishments during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. So what exactly are they?

15 Comments

Record-breaking solo teen sailors: A visual timeline

January 23, 2012, at 6:31 PM7 teenagers who have braved storms, pirates, and severe loneliness to earn a rare nautical distinction

Mitt Romney’s attacks on Newt Gingrich: Will they backfire?

January 23, 2012, at 6:15 PMAfter a double-digit loss in South Carolina, Romney pummels his surging rival as a “failed leader.” Some politicos don’t think that’s such a hot idea

2012 Oscar nominations: 5 burning questions

January 23, 2012, at 6:13 PMAhead of Tuesday’s unveiling of this year’s Academy Award nominees, Oscarologists debate Bridesmaids‘ Best Picture hopes, Ryan Gosling’s odds, and more

Good day, bad day: January 23, 2012

January 23, 2012, at 4:26 PMChina’s version of Twitter breaks the tweets-per-second record, while Rand Paul is detained by the TSA — and more winners and losers of today’s news cycle

The massive federal crackdown on Megaupload: A guide

January 23, 2012, at 4:05 PMThe Justice Department takes down a file-sharing site with 150 million users. With that kind of power, who needs tougher anti-piracy laws?

Remembering Joe Paterno: Will Penn State’s sex-abuse scandal ruin his legacy?

January 23, 2012, at 2:46 PM JoePa may be the greatest college football coach ever, but will the “sordid” controversy that defined his final months overshadow his glory?

History vs. Romney: After South Carolina, which will win?

January 23, 2012, at 11:55 AMThe Palmetto State has a perfect record of picking every GOP nominee since 1980 — and now it has rejected Mitt Romney

4 reasons to view Egypt’s Islamists without fear

January 23, 2012, at 11:15 AMReligious parties overwhelmingly dominate the country’s new parliament — but the West shouldn’t panic quite yet

Did Steven Tyler ‘butcher’ the National Anthem?

January 23, 2012, at 11:00 AMThe Aerosmith legend’s screechy, pitchy rendition of the song before Sunday’s AFC Championship is being branded one of the worst ever

Gabrielle Giffords’ ‘bittersweet’ resignation video

January 23, 2012, at 10:29 AMThe recovering — but still shaky — Arizona Democrat announces that she’s stepping down from Congress, but that, one day, she will return

Only in America

January 23, 2012, at 10:09 AMA new school program to electronically monitor obese students —and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

Newt Gingrich’s ‘stunning’ South Carolina win: 5 consequences

January 23, 2012, at 9:40 AMGingrich steamrolled Mitt Romney and the rest of the GOP presidential field in Saturday’s Palmetto State primary. What happens now?

8 Comments

The ‘deeply disturbing’ rise in unsafe abortions: By the numbers

January 23, 2012, at 7:30 AMAbout half of the world’s abortions are performed illegally, resulting in dangerous complications and sometimes death

6,500-year-old popcorn and 5 other foods with ancient origins

January 23, 2012, at 7:00 AMPopcorn, ice cream, and the hamburger share something other than being American favorites — they’re all much older than you think

The latest tweets about the South Carolina primary

January 20, 2012, at 6:00 PMReal-time, unfiltered commentary from around the world

The Costa Concordia: Should captains always go down with the ship?

January 20, 2012, at 5:30 PM The ill-fated cruise liner’s captain has been vilified for leaving in a lifeboat before some of his passengers. Is that fair?

13 Comments

Haywire: Finally, a believable female action star?

January 20, 2012, at 5:20 PMFormer MMA fighter Gina Carano’s film debut is convincing for many reasons — including the fact that she actually has some meat on her bones

January 23, 2012

5 Comments

Remembering Etta James, ‘The Matriarch of the Blues’

January 20, 2012, at 4:19 PMThe legendary soul singer, best known for her searing take on “At Last,” died Friday from complications of leukemia at the age of 73

Marianne Gingrich’s ‘mightily hyped’ interview: 5 talking points

January 20, 2012, at 4:11 PMNewt’s second ex-wife dishes about the his alleged request for an “open marriage” — but many viewers are left disappointed by the lack of juicy details

23 Comments

Good day, bad day: January 20, 2012

January 20, 2012, at 4:00 PMAn “extinct” monkey miraculously resurfaces, while coffee addicts get a shocking reality check — and more winners and losers of today’s news cycle

Internet Censorship Is the Wrong Answer to Online Piracy

Thousands of internet sites are taking part in a “blackout” protest against anti-piracy laws being discussed by lawmakers. The two bills, nicknamed SOPA and PIPA, are “through-the-looking-glass information control, with enormous potential to obstruct entirely lawful communications and impinge on First Amendment rights,” writes Cato scholar Jim Harper. Adds Julian Sanchez, “The practical effect of SOPA will be to create an architecture for censorship—both legal and technological—that will radically alter the costs of engaging in future censorship unrelated to piracy or counterfeiting.”

• “The Internet Is Not .gov’s to Regulate,” by Jim Harper
• “SOPA: An Architecture for Censorship,” by Julian Sanchez
• “Killing the Internet to Save Hollywood,” by Julian Sanchez
• “Internet Censorship Is the Wrong Answer to Online Piracy,” Cato Video featuring Julian Sanchez

Renewing Federalism by Reforming Article V

Because no constitutional amendment can be enacted without Congress’s approval, limitations on the federal government that Congress opposes are virtually impossible to pass. In a new paper, law professor Michael B. Rappaport argues that Article V of the U.S. Constitution is defective and should be reformed. “Returning power to the states,” says Rappaport, “would militate against our overly centralized government by helping to restore the federalist character of our Constitution.”

• “Renewing Federalism by Reforming Article V: Defects in the Constitutional Amendment Process and a Reform Proposal,” by Michael B. Rappaport

Cabinet-level Corporate Welfare

President Obama has announced plans to elevate the Small Business Administration to a cabinet-level agency. The move would be part of a larger plan by the administration to combine the SBA with five other government offices to create a single agency. The SBA’s elevation is disappointing to Cato scholar Tad DeHaven, who recently called for the program’s termination: “We should dispense with government favoritism to small businesses and large businesses, and allow America’s entrepreneurs to compete on a level playing field to serve consumers, not plunder taxpayers.”

• “Obama Proposes New Department of Corporate Welfare,” by Tad DeHaven
• “Terminating the Small Business Administration,” by Veronique de Rugy and Tad DeHaven
• “Merging Wasteful Agencies Won’t Shrink Government,” featuring Chris Edwards
• “Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Small Business Administration Programs,” Testimony by Tad DeHaven

‘If I Die’: The Facebook app that posts your last words

January 18, 2012, at 7:30 AMSend messages from beyond the grave through everyone’s favorite social network

Hulu’s original programming push: A threat to Netflix?

January 18, 2012, at 6:45 AMThe rivalry between the two web streaming sites escalates with Hulu’s announcement that it too will begin producing original scripted shows in early 2012

Edward Morrissey: Is the GOP presidential field a Tea Party failure?

January 17, 2012, at 6:15 PMTo the dismay of many in the clamorous grassroots, the Republican nominee is all but certain to be an establishment insider

11 Comments

Will Wikipedia’s one-day blackout sink SOPA?

January 17, 2012, at 6:05 PMReddit, WordPress, Mozilla, Google, and dozens of other websites are joining the people’s encyclopedia in protesting a controversial anti-piracy bill

7 Comments

Rick Santorum’s ‘scathing’ anti-Romney ad

January 17, 2012, at 5:40 PMThe lagging social conservative brands the frontrunner as an Obama clone in a fiercely negative ad running in South Carolina this week

Good day, bad day: January 17, 2012

January 17, 2012, at 4:22 PMA lucky jumper survives a dangerous fall, while headphone-wearing pedestrians have plenty to fear — and more winners and losers of today’s news cycle

The ‘magic’ iPhone case that repairs itself

January 17, 2012, at 3:30 PMNissan is going after accident-prone smartphone users with a new self-healing phone case

5 Comments

Disaster at sea: A visual timeline of the Costa Concordia capsizing

January 17, 2012, at 3:23 PMAn Italian cruise ship continues to sink into the ocean after a weekend accident that put the lives of more than 4,000 passengers in danger

Bomb-detecting dolphins: The Navy’s secret weapon against Iran?

January 17, 2012, at 3:05 PM Iran is threatening to block a key oil tanker route — and brainy marine mammals may be the U.S. military’s best hope of stopping Tehran

Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes: A ‘letdown’?

January 17, 2012, at 2:04 PMAfter failing to deliver much in the way of scathing material, the British funnyman says he won’t return to host next year. Good riddance, say critics

Will debt downgrades doom the eurozone recovery?

January 17, 2012, at 1:45 PMStandard & Poor’s docks the credit ratings of France, Spain, Italy — and even the rescue fund charged with bailing out struggling European nations

The mistaken rescue mission

January 17, 2012, at 1:23 PM Sinking hopes of a world economic solution — and more in our collection of editorial cartoons

Betty White’s 90th Birthday: 4 highlights

January 17, 2012, at 1:02 PMThe Hot in Cleveland star is feted by Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, and even President Obama in an NBC special in honor of her decades-long career

Rick Santorum’s evangelical endorsement: Was the voting rigged?

January 17, 2012, at 12:41 PMReligious conservatives get together hoping to form a united front against the moderate Mitt Romney — and instead, wind up embroiled in a “civil war”

9 Comments

Is Alcatraz ‘the next Lost‘?

January 17, 2012, at 11:26 AM Fox’s new crime drama from J.J. Abrams boasts some of Lost‘s trippy sci-fi elements — but does it have the same addictive appeal?

Barack Obama, North America, Socialism/Communism, Socialist Opinion Shapers »

New York Times Promotes Freedom for Terrorist

By: Cliff Kincaid
Accuracy in Media

Sara Bennett, an attorney for convicted communist terrorist Judith Clark, is optimistic that her client will benefit from a New York Times Magazine article advocating her release from prison. “Did I think they did a good job for my client? Yes I do,” she said in a telephone interview. She said she is hoping for a meeting with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to ask for clemency for Clark.

A member of the Weather Underground and its May 19 Communist Organization spin-off, Clark was involved in a terrorist assault that left Nyack, New York Police Sgt. Edward O’Grady, Patrolman Waverly Brown and Brinks guard Peter Paige dead. A website, memorial and scholarship have been created in their honor.

The Times story, “Judith Clark’s Radical Transformation,” was written by Tom Robbins, a former Village Voice writer now at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism who visited Clark in prison and apparently became smitten with her. Clark, he writes, “is a model for what’s possible in prison.”

Attorney Bennett insisted that Clark has shown “genuine remorse,” a theme of the New York Times Magazine story, which also emphasizes her attendance at Jewish services in prison.

Incredibly, the Times story confirms that Clark earned educational degrees in prison, courtesy of “tuition aid” provided by the taxpayers. These degrees are also said to be proof of her turnaround behind bars.

Today, Clark claims to be a “writer and poet” who is “working for personal and social transformation of herself and others.” The Times piece was the cover story in the magazine and showed the convicted killer to be a gray-haired old lady who wants to be free from prison to be with her daughter.

But former FBI informant Larry Grathwohl, who infiltrated the Weather Underground and knew Clark, is among those urging strong opposition to her release.

“Here’s another 60s and 70s terrorist who has found God and has changed her life,” he says sarcastically. “The New York Times article contains very little in the way of repentance and only lightly touches on the families and children of the officers killed that day. Mostly it’s a story about her and the path she chose that resulted in the deaths of two police officers and a Brinks guard.”

The assault, carried out under the name of the Revolutionary Armed Task Force, included members of the Black Liberation Army (BLA) and occurred during a Brinks truck robbery of $1.6 million on October 20, 1981. For her role, Clark was sentenced to three consecutive terms of 25 years to life, totaling 75 years in prison, for three murder convictions. She is currently in state custody at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.

Grathwohl added, “Note that this was a planned action with weapons and details that were meant to net this group of terrorists a million and a half dollars. When caught she chose to play the role of the political captive and the result was a 75 year sentence. Now she and her associates expect that a Master’s degree and poetry are enough to get you out?”

But while it may seem absurd, it has to be remembered President Clinton pardoned two members of the Weather Underground, Susan Rosenberg and Linda Evans, and another member, Kathy Boudin, was granted parole from New York state prison in 2003.

Evidence of Clark’s ideological change, if any, is lacking in the piece, which wonders, “Why three decades of exemplary behavior behind bars have not earned Judith Clark her freedom.” The fact is that she remains a militant lesbian who had a daughter through a “fellow militant” serving as the “surrogate father,” according to the article. A so-called red diaper baby, Clark’s father, Joe Clark, was a prominent figure in the Communist Party USA. As a child, she lived with her family in the Soviet Union for three years. There is no indication that she has renounced communism.

Homosexuality still seems to be one of the causes for which she has dedicated her life. “Governor Cuomo,” Clark says in her letter for clemency, “I have watched in awe at all that you have accomplished in your first year, from marriage equity to the new and fairer tax code. I’ve witnessed your strength and willingness to do what you believe is right. I turn to you as my only hope for release.” The reference to “marriage equity” is the homosexual marriage bill that Cuomo championed.

The pressure on Cuomo is building. “I’d love to sure get clemency from the governor of the state of New York,” Bennett said. “I’m always hopeful for my clients—that at some point there will be an appropriate review. For somebody like Judith Clark, that’s exactly what clemency is for.”

But Grathwohl counters: “I knew Judith Clark and in my opinion she is just as cold and dedicated to the overthrow of this country as Bernardine Dorhn and Bill Ayers. As Ayers said, his only regret was that they didn’t do more.”

Ayers and Dohrn largely avoided responsibility for their crimes, primarily because the Carter Justice Department indicted FBI officials and charged them with violating the civil rights of terrorists and their associates. President Reagan would later pardon the FBI officials.

Ayers and Dohrn went on to become academic activists and professors. Their association with Barack Obama when he was a community organizer and state senator from Illinois became a controversy when Obama ran for and won the presidency in 2008.

Clark has tried every possible legal maneuver to get out of jail, even having her lawyers file appeals based on inadequate legal representation when she had represented herself. The push for clemency, on the grounds that Clark has somehow changed, appears to be the latest ploy.

The effort includes a website asking people to write a letter urging Governor Cuomo to grant her clemency. Hollywood support comes from Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, and Steve Buscemi, who have performed “dramatic readings” of letters on her behalf.

But Tina Trent, an advocate for crime victims, writes that Clark’s “transformation” is “more of the usual claptrap about radical chic criminals” and that the former terrorist is another example of “talentless scum” who get “fake degrees” in order to facilitate their release from prison.

Trent says the claims of rehabilitation do not square with the evidence on Clark’s own website, where one can find still find appeals on her behalf claiming she is a political prisoner. What’s more, she adds, Clark’s published writings carefully avoid taking personal responsibility for acts of terrorism.

David Horowitz, the former communist turned conservative thinker, writer and activist, argues that if Clark were a “truly remorseful terrorist” she would expose her former comrades “and who their networks are, and what they actually did—not just what they got caught doing.” He adds, “This kind of truth-telling is an authentic form of atonement and would protect others—and particularly young radicals just starting out who may become involved in criminal ventures just as Clark did when she was young and the tragedies she caused were still in front of her.”

But Bennett said it should be sufficient that some people who are aware of her prison life believe she should be released. Bennett said, “Clemency is an executive power and it’s one that any governor has—and the president has as well—and they make the decision based on the person who is standing before them.”

Bennett did not think it would be appropriate for Clark to be forced to tell all that she possibly knows about fugitives from justice, such as Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, a convicted cop-killer who fled to Cuba after escaping from prison with the help of the Weather Underground. She killed a New Jersey State Trooper and the FBI is offering $1 million for information leading to her apprehension.

The New York Times article confirms that “Clark’s radical crew was known for plots like the 1979 prison breakout of Assata Shakur, a Black Liberation Army leader.”

Interestingly, the Times writer confirms that Clark was plotting her own escape from prison, noting that letters from Clark describing the layout and operations of one of the prisons where she was incarcerated had been found in the possession of fugitives.

Clark attorney Bennett is not one of the most prominent left-wing lawyers and, when reached by telephone, said her telephone number was unlisted.

But she has a left-wing background of her own, confirming that she used to work for Liberation News Service (LNS). “It was a news service that started in the 60s and ended in the 80s,” she said. “It was a news service that provided news to independent newspapers and magazines.”

In fact, LNS was “inspired” by the National Liberation Front (NLF) of South Vietnam, according to David Armstrong’s book, A Trumpet to Arms: Alternative Media in America. The NLF was established by the government of Hanoi, North Vietnam, to pave the way for the eventual communist conquest of South Vietnam.

Armstrong wrote, “…LNS often romanticized foreign revolutionaries, making them into larger-than-life superheroes with qualities that American radicals hoped they, themselves, would have someday.”

According to the book, The Underground Press in America, LNS had an “alliance” with the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the forerunner to the Weather Underground. “In its early days, LNS shared a house with the…Students for a Democratic Society,” confirms the Armstrong book.

A photographer for LNS, David Fenton, is today a high-powered public relations representative for the radical left, including such organizations as the AFL-CIO and MoveOn.org and figures like billionaire George Soros. His photos from “The Eye of the Revolution” were on display and the subject of a discussion at the Steven Kasher gallery in New York in 2008 that featured what The New York Times called “1960s radicals” such as Bernardine Dohrn.

• Governor Cuomo can be contacted by phone: (518) 474-8390 or mail:
  The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
  Governor of New York State
  NY State Capitol Building
  Albany, NY 12224

Cliff Kincaid is the Director of the AIM Center for Investigative Journalism and can be contacted at cliff.kincaid@aim.org.

Barack Obama, Featured, Health Care »

A Neurosurgeon Talks to Mark Levin About ObamaCare

Rationing and “death panels” are the inevitable result of socialized medicine.

Why some Americans are surprized at this, I do not understand. It is the way socialized medicine works everywhere. It is the ONLY way it can work.

Featured, Social Movements, Socialism/Communism, Socialist Opinion Shapers, Video »

Workers World Party on the Occupy Wall Street Movement

The pro-North Korea/Cuba, Workers World Party is heavily involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement.

“Defend Occupy Wall Street,” Larry Holmes, WWP First Secretary, speaking at the Workers World Forum in New York City, Nov. 18, 2011.

“How can lessons from immigrant struggle help Occupy Wall Street?” Teresa Gutierrez, WWP secretariat member, at the WWP National Conference held in New York Oct. 8, 2011.

“Occupy foreclosed homes” Jerry Goldberg, a Detroit WWP organizer, speaking at the Oct. 8-9, 2011, Workers World Party National Conference in New York City.

“Occupy Wall Street movement & the capitalist crisis”, Fred Goldstein, WWP secretariat member, at the Workers World Party National Conference held in New York Oct. 8, 2011.

Featured, International, Social Movements, Socialism/Communism »

China/South Africa Build Relations: Slowly Strangling What’s Left of the West

Under far left President Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s African National Congress/South African Communist Party led government, has most certainly established itself as part of the growing world wide Axis of Evil.

From the Communist Party of China International Department website:

South Africa, Jan. 9 — The Communist Party of China (CPC) is ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation with South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) to boost the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership, a senior Chinese official has said.

Li Yuanchao, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, led a senior delegation to attend the ANC’s centenary celebration ceremony in the central city of Bloemfontein.

On behalf of the CPC, Li on Sunday conveyed the warmest felicitations and comradely greetings to the ANC centenary.

He positively appraised ANC’s glorious history since its establishment and wishes ANC more success in furthering the national democratic revolution.

Li said that the CPC and ANC have forged a profound traditional friendship and the inter-party friendship has become the political cornerstone for relations between South Africa and China.

ANC President and South African President Jacob Zuma welcomed the CPC delegation’s attendance at his party’s centenary celebrations and appreciated the CPC’s long time support and help to ANC.

He also expressed the willingness to deepen cooperation between the two ruling parties for the benefit of the two peoples.

ANC is Africa’s oldest liberation movement which was formed in 1912 in Bloemfontein.

It has become South Africa’s governing political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, since the establishment of non-racial democracy in the country in April 1994.

South Africa was always a major target of the international communist movement, controlling as it does, the highly strategic Cape of Good Hope and massive mineral reserves.

One more chess piece in place in the long term strategic strangulation of what’s left of the West.

Barack Obama, Featured, Headline, Red Reps, Social Movements, Socialism/Communism, Socialist Opinion Shapers »

Heather Higginbottom Needs to Explain Marxist Connection

From Big Government, by Trevor Loudon

There has been some speculation that Heather Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, may get the top job, as her boss, Jack Lew, leaves to become President Obama’s chief of staff.

Before Ms. Higginbottom is considered for one of the key posts in the U.S. government, maybe she should be asked to explain this photo from October 30, 2001.

Heather Higginbottom, William Julius Wilson, Dottie Stevens, Jack Clark and Robert J. Haynes 

The photo depicts Heather Higginbottom, then working for Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, addressing a Boston Democratic Socialists of America organized forum, “Welfare, Children and Families: The Impact of Welfare Reform,” with panelists William Julius Wilson, Dottie Stevens, Jack Clark and Bob Haynes.

Jack Clark, at the time, was Boston D.S.A. Chair, William Julius Wilson  was a long time D.S.A. member and Bob Haynes was President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, with which D.S.A worked “frequently.”

The Boston D.S.A. logo can be seen on the wall in the center right of the picture.

Despite its relatively innocuous name, Democratic Socialists of America is a radical Marxist organization that believes, according to Democratic Left, Spring 2007, page 9:

Our goal as socialists is to abolish private ownership of the means of production.

One of the panelists in the Boston forum, William Julius Wilson, incidentally addressed another D.S.A. forum in Chicago, 5 years before.

Over three hundred people attended the first of two Town Meetings on Economic Insecurity on February 25. in Ida Noyes Hall at the University of Chicago. Entitled: “Employment and Survival in Urban America,” the meeting was sponsored by the UofC DSA Youth Section, Chicago DSA and University Democrats.

The panelists on that occasion were Toni Preckwinkle, Alderman of Chicago’s 4th Ward, Barack Obama, candidate for the 13th Illinois Senate District, Professor, Center for the Study of Urban Inequality at the University of Chicago, Professor Michael Dawson, University of Chicago and Professor Joseph Schwartz, Temple University and a member of D.S.A.’s National Political Committee.

That is the only confirmed incident of Obama’s direct involvement with D.S.A. per se, while he lived in Chicago.

Obama was at the time however close to several known D.S.A, members in Chicago, including his personal physician and mentor in socialized healthcare Quentin Young, his neighbor and friend Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, his friend and political mentor Timuel Black and his political allies Saul Mendelson and Reps Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis.

Since entering office, President Obama has appointed several D.S.A. connected individuals to influential positions in his administration, including:

• Ron Bloom, former Manufacturing Czar.
• David Bonior, member of the Obama Economic Transition Team.
• Rosa Brooks, senior advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Michele Flournoy.
• Carol Browner, former Energy Czar/Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy.
• Eliseo Medina, served on Obama’s Latino Advisory Council.
• Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor.
• Cornel West, served on Obama’s National Black Advisory Council.

If  Heather Higgingbottom is indeed promoted, will it be another hat tip to Obama’s Marxist D.S.A. comrades? Will it be yet another case of socialist nepotism, so rife in the Obama Administration?

Perhaps Ms. Higginbottom, could restore confidence in her office by publicly explaining the exact nature of her relationship to Democratic Socialists of America.

The Watcher’s Council The Council has spoken, the votes have been cast and the results are in for this week’s Watcher’s Council match-up of 2012, carved eternally in the Akhasic records of cyberspace. This week’s winning essay, Joshuapundit’s The Tale Of The Swine, is a cautionary tale about… well I think you’ll figure it out [...]

By: Roger Aronoff Accuracy in Media In an interview last month with Accuracy in Media, historian Craig Shirley described how the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II marked a transition for this country, and in doing so, he offered insights that are very relevant today. “This is a story about a country [...]

Party for Socialism and Liberation member and Occupy Chicago participant, Ana Santoyo, discusses the Occupy movement at the PSL’s Midwest Conference on Socialism on Nov. 5-6, 2011.

Jessica Shearer, labor and faith organizer, speaking at Personal Democracy Media’s From the Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street and Beyond on December 12th, 2011. Shearer has been active in SEIU, Democratic Socialists of America, Working Families Party, Occupy Wall Street and in 2008, ran Barack Obama‘s campaign in eight states. She makes some very [...]

James O’Keefe proves just how easy vote fraud can be.

By: Cliff Kincaid Accuracy in Media “As President Obama stood on the podium in the Pentagon briefing room Thursday to outline the nation’s defense priorities, the military stood with him,” reported The Washington Post, as if the military brass had any other alternative than to serve as props for the President. Pentagon chief Leon Panetta, [...]

The Iranian People Are Not Alone
Prof. Kazem Kazerounian – 1/17/2012
The struggle of the Iranian people against the tyranny of the religious fundamentalist rulers of Iran is more than three decades old. The reign of ayatollahs have left more than 120,000 executed, and one million killed or wounded in the pointless, avoidable and tragic war with Iraq.

Is Religion the Root of All Evil? Is Dawkins Right?
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. – 1/17/2012
Richard Dawkins, the famous evolutionary biologist, traces the roots of evil to organized religion and to faith itself: the belief in a God has spawned all manner of wickedness and malice throughout history, he claims.

This Jonathan must go
Prof. Dr Anthony A Kila – 1/17/2012
Observers and participants now all agree, the ongoing strikes and protests across Nigeria though caused by the country’s federal government’s decision to remove petrol subsidy is no more just about petrol price. Whatever happens and no matter how these strikes and protests end, Nigeria will never be the same again.

Pakistan’s greatest crisis is the country’s withering leadership
Abid Mustafa – 1/17/2012
Today the people of Pakistan face a myriad of challenges that threaten the country’s very existence. This includes: American threats of unilateral action beyond the tribal area and its efforts to seize the country’s prized nuclear assets, the Indian backed insurrection in Baluchistan, a dramatic increase in suicide blasts, and the economy in tatters. But perhaps, the most significant issue that has blighted the nation is the leadership vacuum that pervades all segments of society.

Rating Downgrades: S&P Got France Right, Germany Wrong
Prof. Peter Morici – 1/17/2012
Standard & Poor’s was correct to downgrade the credit ratings of France and seven other Eurozone governments, but wrong to affirm Germany’s AAA status. The euro will inevitably collapse and chaos will follow, endangering even the strongest governments.

ECB Fostering the Next Banking Crisis
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. – 1/13/2012
As 2011 came to a close and in the first months of 2012, the European Central Bank (ECB) initiated a massive injection of liquidity into Europe’s embattled banking system. The ECB provided 3-year loans amounting to half a trillion euros at nominal and minimal interest rates. At first, the risk-averse banks re-deposited the funds with the ECB. Later, however, they embarked on an arbitrage operation of unprecedented proportions using the cheap money to purchase sovereign bonds with historically high coupons issued by the likes of Italy and Spain. Thus, the ECB ended up fostering yet another unsu…

Durban Fiasco: Options for Third World
Sudhanshu Tripathi – 1/13/2012
The recently held UN Conference on Climate Change in Durban could not blossom into full spirit. It simply agrees to engage into more talks to arrive at some kind of legally binding instruments ensuring imposition of emission curbs on all countries from 2020. It admits the fact that it is already too late to prevent the two degree Celsius rise which is the maximum limit for human beings on Earth to tolerate. The summit also witnessed the closing of not only the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 but also the idea of common but differentiated responsibility (CBDR).This responsibility is recognised as a most…

Contemplating a Paul Third Party Run
Taylor Dibbert – 1/13/2012
Ron Paul finished a disappointing third in the Iowa Caucuses. He is unlikely to win upcoming primaries in New Hampshire, South Carolina or Florida. He probably will not win February caucuses in Nevada or Maine either.

Sending kids to lobby against abortion: ‘Cheap exploitation’?

January 16, 2012, at 2:22 PMTo garner support for Ohio’s controversial “heartbeat bill,” anti-abortion activists use teddy-bear-clutching children as lobbyists

8 Comments

For those who have everything

January 16, 2012, at 9:30 AMDiamond-studded business cards — and more in our collection of bizarrely elite consumer products

Veepstakes: 7 contenders for the GOP ticket

January 16, 2012, at 9:00 AMSure, we don’t have a presidential nominee yet. But that’s not stopping pundits from starting to pencil in the bottom half of the GOP ticket

12 Comments

7 bizarre celebrity cruises: A slideshow

January 16, 2012, at 8:25 AMKate Gosselin is the latest low-grade celeb to offer travelers the chance to hit the high seas with her