Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Shhh... no one tell the idiot legislators in California: job growth 52% higher in states with low business taxes

Governor Moonbeam hardest hit.

An executive looking for a place to locate his company might do well to consider Wyoming. That state is the most business-friendly in the country, at least when it comes to taxes, according to a new study.

The study, released by the Tax Foundation on Wednesday, found that when all the taxes businesses pay are factored in, Wyoming's rate is less than half the national average. The state is one of three — Nevada and South Dakota are the others — that doesn't have a corporate income tax.

Pennsylvania, meanwhile, wins the dubious distinction of imposing the heaviest tax burden on its businesses, with an overall effective rate that's 45% above the national average.

The study, titled "Location Matters," looked at a range of business taxes — corporate income, sales, property, unemployment, gross receipts and others. The accounting firm KPMG collaborated on the report with the Tax Foundation.

Among the most-populated states, California ranked 34th, Texas 12th, New York 42nd, Florida 19th, and Illinois came in 45th. Ohio, which came in 5th, imposes a low-rate gross receipts tax instead of a corporate income tax...

...A separate analysis by IBD found that states imposing the lowest tax rates on both new and existing businesses produced more jobs during the economic recovery than those states with the highest tax burdens.

You mean stealing more money from businesses -- to fund a bloated, unaccountable public sector -- leaves companies with less money to hire workers?

Gee, that logic is sooo difficult to comprehend. That is, if you're a Democrat or an idiot. But I repeat myself.


The University of California at Davis: Upholding a Proud Tradition of Racism, Bigotry and Intolerance

What's the definition of 'fascism' again?

University of California-Davis has a disruptive group of Muslim brownshirts who take every chance they can to act in a disgusting manner to enforce the blasphemy laws under the sharia (restriction of free speech)... The campus police did nothing to stop their disruptions...

Dear Police Chief Spicuzza,

I am writing to complain about UCD Police behavior at an event at 7:00 pm in Room 106 of Wellman Hall last night (Monday, Feb 27, 2012). That event was a program featuring two Israelis talking about what they do in Israel (one was a soldier, one not).

From the outset of the program, hecklers interrupted the program making it impossible for the program to proceed. One particular heckler hurled epithets at the speakers preventing their exercise of free speech--and the ability of the audience to listen. I am including a link to a video made at the event so that you can hear for yourself what he said and how he said it...

After this had gone on for some time, I approached a police officer who was standing idly by and asked why he was there if not to ensure order--and why the heckler was not being removed. He specifically and absurdly responded to me: “We have been instructed by our superior not to stop hecklers, and if you try to stop the hecklers, we have been instructed to close down the program.”

Eventually, after some 15 or 20 minutes the heckler left and the program continued. Heckling to a lesser degree continued all the way through the question and answer period. That the police did nothing was frankly infuriating. I would appreciate your response.

George Rooks
Retired faculty UCD

Can you imagine a branch of the KKK behaving like this during a presentation celebrating Black History Month? No, only Christians and Jews can be targeted this way while a radical, leftist university administration and its police force look on.

Spread the news far and wide.

U.C. Davis is no friend to free speech. Or American values, for that matter.


P.S., Here are some official Twitter handles for the Davis and California university systems. Feel free to contact them -- politely, of course -- and ask them why they endorse racism, bigotry and intolerance.

@UCDavis
@UCDavis_Morain
@UCDavisDateline
@UCNewsroom

Hashtag #GreatPR !


Now Egypt wants a prisoner swap: will legacy media finally report that we have a HOSTAGE FREAKING CRISIS?

Did someone say Jimmy Carter, Part Deux? Dan from NY writes:

Shades of Jimmy Carter. For 30 years. while Mubarak was running things, Egypt considered us an ally. Now, almost overnight, the new Muslim Brotherhood regime sees us as infidels. How can we ever thank you, Mr. Obama?

Egypt Demands Prisoner Swap: Terrorist Detainees for NGO Civilians


Are the bitter fruits of Senator John McCain’s “diligent diplomacy” a humiliating prisoner “exchange”—innocent US NGO workers, for hardened jihadists, including the notorious “Blind Sheikh” Umar ‘Abd-al-Rahman, who orchestrated the murderous 1993 World Trade Center bombing?

My colleague at Translating Jihad has fully translated an Arabic Al-Arabiya story entitled (pathognomonically), “ ‘Umar ‘Abd-al-Rahman at Forefront of Egyptian-American Prisoner Exchange Deal.”

The Egyptian government began taking steps to respond with the American offer to release 50 Egyptians being held in American prisons–including Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abd-al-Rahman—in exchange for the release of 19 Americans accused in the case of foreign funding of civil society organizations. This is according to what was confirmed by Major General Muhammad Hani Zahir, an expert in military studies and international counterterrorism.

Zahir in comments to the newspaper ‘al-Masriyun’ said it was necessary for Egypt to exploit America’s weak position, especially after condemning its citizens in cases affecting Egyptian sovereignty over its territory. He added that Egypt should not permit this exchange to take place unless the American administration agrees to release more than 500 Egyptians being held in American prisons, of whom the Egyptian foreign ministry knows nothing.


If the crux of this story is accurate, it will represent a modern variant of capitulation to the anti-modern dictates of jihad warfare. Jihad, this ancient, but vibrant Islamic institution grounded upon hatred of the non-Muslim infidel, has long used captured infidels—including, prominently, non-combatants seized as “booty” during endless, unprovoked incursions into the lands of the infidel—to ransom in exchange for captured murderous jihadists.

I wonder how bad business has to get for legacy media to start actually reporting the news?

Or is that now the responsibility of the blogosphere?


Report: Obama kept Air Force One aloft an extra half hour to watch Knicks-Heat game

Do as I say, not as I do: but peons like you and I are supposed to live a more spartan life to ensure we don't emit any extra carbon dioxide.

President Obama flew to Florida this past week to explain high gas prices. According to the Washington Post, on his way to Florida this past Thursday, reporters were "perplexed" at the President's 41 minute flight from Washington, DC to Orlando, Florida taking 1 hour and 15 minutes. The flight was in the air an extra 30 minutes, burning precious fossil fuels.

It does not seem a coincidence that the President landed right at half time of an NBA basketball game between the star studded Miami Heat and New York Knicks. Some theorized that the President delayed his flight in the air to watch more of the basketball game.

I could drive my convertible for 100 years straight and not emit as much CO2 into the atmosphere as President Obama did watching the Lebron/Lin-sanity matchup.

To his credit, the president did have a constructive couple of weeks.

• As part of the 'In Performance at the White House' PBS series, Obama hosted B.B. King, Mick Jagger and a host of other music luminaries for another of his posh, weekly soirees.

• He also held an 'NBA fundraiser', which raised $2.1 million by charging $30,000 a head.

This follows a luxury ski vacation in Aspen, just a few weeks after a 17-day Hawaiian vacation that reportedly cost $4 million (up from $2.5 million in 2010).

So you peons keep doing what you're doing. We have a president and a demanding first lady to support.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

The curious case of the missing $800 billion

James Pethokoukis points us to an astounding observation by economist Mike Darda of MKM Partners:

Wages and salaries advanced at a 5.4% annualized rate after rising at a 6.5% rate in Q3. After adjusting for prices, real wage and salary income rose 4.5% A.R. in Q4 after a 3.9% annualized rise in Q3. Real wages and salaries are up 3% y/y, the fastest annual rate of increase since 3Q07...

Unfortunately, due to the depth of the 2007-2009 recession, wage and salary income is still 11% below its pre-crisis trend. This fact is reflected in the still-low employment/population ratio for prime age adults (25-54) and the still-high level of underemployment and near-record level of long-term unemployment. So, while the recent data are encouraging, there is a long way to go.

Pethokoukis adds: "Fun coincidence: The missing wage and salary income, $800 billion, is about the same as the cost of the Obama stimulus."


Larwyn's Linx: Romney Sweeps to Double Republican Primary Victory

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

GOP Primary

Romney Sweeps to Double Republican Primary Victory: RCP
Governor Palin Talks To The NY Times About Michigan: C4P
Romney Regains Frontrunner Status: Barnes

Romney whining about Santorum robocalls to Dems: Scoop
Santorum appealing to some unlikely voters: Democrats: DC
Ann Althouse Poll Makes Strong Case For Romney: Glob

Nation

Health Care Law Hurting Obama in Swing States: Malkin
McConnell Blocks Conservative Effort Against Obamacare: RS
Media Partners in Crime with WikiLeaks?: NoisyRm

JW Sues Justice Department for More Kagan Docs: BigGovt
DHS: Tea Party extremists; Occupiers are peaceful activists: GWP
I did not have this much sex in law school.: NakedDC

Chicago's Cardinal Warns Of An ObamaCare Gulag: IBD
Obama Pulls TX Medicaid Over Planned Parenthood Dispute: LifeNews
Flaming Maine RINO Olympia Snowe will not run for re-election: FAM

Economy

The Autoworkers Obama Left Behind: Malkin
Not One Penny More For America's Welfare State: IBD
Change: Home Prices Plunge to 2006 Levels: Times

Scandal Central

Holder loses cool during House hearing when asked about Fast and Furious: DC
Using .Gov Domain & Obama’s Mother, DNC Propaganda Targets Women: RS
LightSquared CEO resigns amid revelations of company’s proximity to Obama White House: DC

Climate & Energy

Keystone XL: OK to TX gets OK: Bayonet
Will the EPA’s new climate rules get killed in court?: WaPo
Mount Everest becoming unclimbable due to climate change: GlobPost

Media

Blurred Line Between Espionage and Truth: NYT
Dershowitz: ‘Media Matters’ spews hate speech against Jews: J4S
NYT's Bill Keller: Santorum Wants "Christian Version Of Sharia Law": RCP

Joan Walsh’s Bigoted Attack On Romney’s Faith; Obama Former Speechwriter Joins In: Loesch
Media Matters: Hey, Let’s Investigate the Private Lives of Fox News Reporters!: Patterico
Straight Talk From Ted Nugent: Moonbattery

World

The Obama Domino Doctrine: Pro-Iran/Anti-Saudi: Langfan
WikiLeaks: Russia gave Israel codes for defense system sold to Iran: ynet
George Osborne: UK has run out of money: Telegraph

Report: Israel won't warn U.S. before striking Iran: Times
Obama To Iran Green Revolution Dissidents: Drop Dead: IBD
Illegal immigrant runs for student body president at Texas A&M: Chron

Christian Soldiers Banned from The Quran in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan: BlackFive
Saving Muslims From Themselves: Sultan Knish
Egyptian judges withdraw from Americans' trial: USA Today

Sci-Tech

Big asteroid could pose threat to Earth in 2040: Fox
Video: Navy Fires Off Its New, Weaponized Railgun: Wired
25 Alleged Anons Arrested in International Crackdown: Wired

Cornucopia

America Built to be Last: the NEA Edition: MOTUS
Sad Hill News Featured On Michael Savage’s Website Today: SHN
Extreme Marathon in the Amazon Jungle: ABC

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A lawsuit you'd only find in West Virginia [Uncle Ben]

Uncle Ben:

This is a real lawsuit, one that if you read the newspaper articles about it, doesn't seem to be that big a deal.

Some articles are here and here, but you don't really need to read those.

Basically, a frat boy at Marshall U. shot off a bottle rocket, startling another guy who fell off a deck that had no railing, and hurt his arm.

Since it was fraternity property, and the fraternity was letting people drink underage, and do dangerous things like shoot off bottle rockets, he's suing.

BUT. Read the details of exactly how foolish the behavior was:


West Virginia: it's all relative.


Taranto obliterates the "Santorum as unelectable extremist" meme

James Taranto pounds the final nail into the coffin off the ludicrous contention that Rick Santorum is "unelectable". The last major Republican candidate to receive that kind of label was the "too old", "too crazy", "too stupid", "too conservative", and "too warlike" man named Ronald Reagan.

This column has recently become skeptical of the view--nearly universal on the liberal left but common as well among conservative elites--that Rick Santorum is "unelectable" or far less likely than Mitt Romney to defeat President Obama in November. A new USA Today poll reinforces our skepticism.

The survey, conducted by Gallup, included two samples of registered voters: 1,137 from a dozen "swing states," all of which Obama carried in 2008, and another 881 nationwide. The swing states included six that George W. Bush carried twice (Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia), three that Bush carried once (Iowa, New Hampshire and New Mexico), and three that last went Republican in 1988 or earlier (Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin).

The findings: Santorum leads Obama in the swing states, 50% to 45%, and nationwide 49% to 46%. This gives him an edge of three percentage points over Romney, whose swing-state lead is 48% to 46% and who ties the president nationally at 47%.

To be sure, this is only one poll, and the election is still more than eight months off. One possible explanation is that voters are less unfavorably disposed toward Santorum because they don't know him as well as they know Romney, and that once they learn how hard-core the former senator is on social issues, they'd bolt for Obama if Santorum becomes the nominee.

Writing in BusinessWeek, Bloomberg columnist Clive Crook offers another explanation for Santorum's appeal, while also arguing that it is limited by social issues:

Santorum combines this proletarian stance--unusual in a hard-right conservative--with more familiar elements of GOP populism: patriotism, reverence for family, hard work and self-reliance, hostility to big government, and proud religiosity (to a fault, in his case). If not for the extremism on sexual politics, it would be a potent blend even beyond the Republican Party's social-conservative core.

The trouble with this is that, as we've noted, "the extremism on sexual politics" is in substantial part mythical--and the propagation of the myth doesn't seem to be hurting Santorum. The timing of USA Today's survey (Feb. 14-21 in the swing states and Feb. 20-21 nationwide) coincides with a media hysteria in which the former senator's critics have frequently exaggerated or distorted his views to make him appear more extreme than he is. If he wins the nomination, he will have several months to explain himself to an electorate in which extreme social liberals constitute a small minority. And by that point, conservatives and Republicans who are now joining in on the "extremist" attacks would have an interest in setting the record straight.

Say, I've been out of the country for a while. How'd that Bob Dole and John McCain as "electable moderates" thing work out for the GOP?


Related: Time to Take a Stand

Google offers $1 million reward to hackers who exploit Chrome

There's security and then there's security.

Google has pledged cash prizes totaling $1 million to people who successfully hack its Chrome browser at next week's CanSecWest security conference.

Google will reward winning contestants with prizes of $60,000, $40,000, and $20,000 depending on the severity of the exploits they demonstrate on Windows 7 machines running the browser. Members of the company's security team announced the Pwnium contest on their blog on Monday. There is no splitting of winnings, and prizes will be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis until the $1 million threshold is reached.

...At last year's competition, Internet Explorer and Safari were both toppled but no one even attempted an exploit against Chrome (despite Google offering an additional $20,000 beyond the $15,000 provided by contest organizer Tipping Point).

Chrome is currently the only browser eligible for Pwn2Own never to be brought down. One reason repeatedly cited by contestants for its lack of attention is the difficulty of bypassing Google's security sandbox.

If you're still surfing with Internet Explorer, I would recommend giving Chrome a try. It's fast, secure and free. You can download it here.


Hat tip: @KimZetter.

Breaking: Democrats urge more dependence on foreign oil. Seriously.

Is there a more malevolent Statist hack in Congress than Chuck "Schmucky" Schumer (which is the nickname he prefers, I hear)?

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) urged Saudi Arabia to pump more oil yesterday. This comes after his party has repeatedly stifled energy production here at home...

Senate Republicans are bashing Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) call for increased Saudi Arabian oil production to help ease prices, alleging it shows that Democrats are weak when it comes to boosting North American energy supplies and jobs.

Schumer on Sunday urged Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to press Saudi officials to expand production, noting that the kingdom is producing well below its capacity of 12.5 million barrels per day.

Republicans are hopeful that the letter provides a political opening to undercut Democratic and White House energy policies.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) office on Monday circulated a press release headlined “Top Democrat Senator Demands Increased Energy Production, Jobs In Saudi Arabia Rather Than Increasing American Energy And American Jobs.” ... Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, also doesn’t want Schumer’s letter to go unnoticed.

Rather than approve the Keystone pipeline, the Democrats’ energy plan now calls for the most powerful nation in the free world to politely ask other countries for more oil and cross our fingers,” he said in a statement.

Not only did President Obama block the monstrous Keystone XL pipeline -- which would have helped reduce America's dependence on foreign oil -- but Schumer himself has helped block drilling throughout the United States.

Consider this blast from the past. Mr. Peabody, set the Wayback Machine to April of 2008:

Now, yesterday ... [President Bush] made a presentation on energy and said much of the same thing you just said here; and Senator Schumer from New York went out and responded to it and said, "If we started drilling in ANWR today we wouldn't have a drop of oil for ten years." Well, of course, Bill Clinton vetoed the first time this came up in 1994. We could have been at this four years according to his ten-year plan. He also said something that mathematically doesn't make sense. He said that this million barrels a day that ANWR would produce would reduce the price of gasoline or oil -- I forget which one he specified -- by a penny. Well, that's absurd, because when the price of oil... When we lose a million barrels in the supply, does the price only go up a penny? They're using scare tactics, here. We need resources. We need our oil, and you got Schumer out there saying, "No, it wouldn't matter," and they're misleading people thinking that there's a substitute for it right around the corner when there's not.

They've been saying that drilling doesn't matter for over 20 years now. They're lying. They've been saying it would take 10 years to develop a new oil field. They're lying.

Democrats are provably wounding America's economy -- and its national security posture -- through their defective, Utopian schemes.


Larwyn's Linx: The First Amendment, Explained Well

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

GOP Primary

The First Amendment, Explained Well: Sundries
USA Today: Obama trails Romney, Santorum in swing states: HotAir
Romney’s (Bumpy) Road to Victory: ABC

Santorum in Lansing: Romney's Attack Ad Campaign Is a 'Joke': RSM
Santorum Retakes Lead in Michigan: PolWire
Santorum seeks Democrat support in Michigan robocalls: WaPo

Nation

The Jew-bashing, race-hustling friends of Obama are back: Malkin
Michelle Lets Governors Gorge on 2,000 Calorie Dinner: Dossier
Cardinal George: The End of Catholic Hospitals In U.S.: Ace

Our Endowed Rights: XCV
Former Rezko partner says he gave Tony $400K for Obama: ILP2P
Happy 3rd Anniversary to the Tea Party Movement: Meckler

Gibson Guitars: Six Months Later: Blogmocracy
Issues that unite: the repeal of Obamacare: Q&O
Poll Shows Swing States Oppose Obamacare: Beacon

Economy

The Lifestyles of Rich and Famous Democrats on the Public Dole: Ace
Poll: Vast Majority of Likely Voters Think Rich Already Pay Their Fair Share: Beacon
China will be world's largest economy before 2030: Reuters

The Fed's Anti-Recession Effort May Unleash 15% Inflation: IBD
Obama to cut healthcare benefits for Military: Beacon
More bad news: U.S. water bills to triple: Exam

Did Obama actually embrace Bowles-Simpson? Please: Peth
President Obama Kept Air Force One In The Air An Extra 30 Minutes To Watch A Knicks Game?: SAB
"Progressive" Reporting on Scott Walker’s Recall Election: RWN

Scandal Central

Obama's Energy Lie Exposed: Power Line
Holder could be jailed for Fast and Furious coverup: NewAm
After Cutting Pay For Soldiers in Harm's Way, Obama to Cut Healthcare For Active Duty Soldiers, Too: GWP

Climate & Energy

Shameless: Dems Urge Saudi Arabia to Pump More Oil But Won’t Open Drilling Up in U.S.: GWP
7 Gas Facts Obama Cannot Escape: BigGovt
Calm Opposition to the Storm of Climate Change: Wizbang

Media

David Brock Paid Former Boyfriend $850,000 To Settle Alleged "Blackmail" Threat: Ace
Shorter WaPo Columnist: How Dare You Criticize Obama During Black History Month: BigJ
S.E. Cupp Smacks Down Margaret Carlson for Calling Santorum a Zealot: NB

It's Now or Never?: Patterico
Obama Camp Sending Creepy, Intimidating Email To Former Donors Who Failed to Donate in 2012: Nice Deb
Andrea Mitchell Frets: Voters May Punish Obama Over War, Gas Prices Though He Has 'So Little Control': NB

Allen Dershowitz declares war on Media Matters: Blogmocracy
No Time Left For You: Muir
A Movie about Muhammad: An Idea whose Time Has Come: Geller

World

Slashing Defense Budget Puts Nation at Increased Risk: Foundry
Report: Millions of White House dollars helped pay for NYPD Muslim surveillance: Fox
‘Greece in death spiral’: RT

"from viewers like you" ... a lesson in combined armor & infantry warfare ...: Winter Soldier
Army IDs remains of last missing GI in Iraq: ArmyTimes
You’re Not a Boiling Frog, But You Might As Well Be.: Sundries

AP Reports: Israel Will Not Warn The US About Iran Strike--Why is This Surprising?: Lid
Exclusive Interview: Infidel Victim of Pennsylvania Sharia Judge Reveals Inside Details of Case: Geller
Syrian activists: 64 bodies found near Homs in one of the worst mass killings: WaPo

Sci-Tech

Medical tattoos offer important health information: ABQJournal
It's Not Easy Predicting the End of the iPhone: AtlWire
Get more from your mobile with the Asus Padfone: CNet

Prosthetics Breakthrough Might Fuse Nerves With Fake Limbs: Wired
Site Was Attacked by Hackers–WordPress Vulnerability –”31.184.242.102?–Clean Now: Virtuous Republic
Facebook: We're Not Reading Your Texts But We Can If We Wanna: Consumerist

Cornucopia

The Very Last Picture Show: Sultan Knish
1 dead, 4 wounded in shooting at Ohio school; student described as outcast is arrested: WaPo
‘Buy a Gun’ & ‘Keep Your Powder Dry’: Economists Warn of Looming ‘Economic 9/11′: Blaze

Image: No Encore, Please - i Own The World
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "Thanks to Mitt Romney, politicians will never again assume that feigning interest in NASCAR is a surefire way to show the common touch:

Two days away from a critical primary in Michigan, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney detoured to Daytona International Speedway on Sunday....Does he follow the sport?

"Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans," he said. "But I have some friends who are NASCAR team owners."
" --Jesse Walker

Monday, February 27, 2012

Holy crap: Asus demos smartphone that transforms into tablet, notebook

This, in my humble opinion, is the future of personal computing platforms. Tiny, powerful, transportable, and usable in the context of multiple form factors.

Summary: Asus showed up at Mobile World Congress with the Padfone, its latest head-scratching device that lets you take a phone and turn it into a tablet and a notebook...

...At its most basic level, the Padfone is a candy bar Android smartphone with high-end, though hardly revolutionary, specs. You'll find a 4.3-inch AMOLED display, a Qualcomm dual-core processor, messaging and e-mail, Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, an 8-megapixel camera, a second VGA shooter around front, and a media player...

...The Padfone's story, however, isn't about what the phone can do, but about what you can do with the phone. Building where Motorola's laptop dock left off, the Padfone can slide into the Asus Padstation to become a 10.1-inch tablet...

...Everything that you can do on the phone, from browsing the Web, to playing media, to using apps, you now can do in tablet form. You can even make calls using the integrated speakerphone or a Bluetooth headset (you'd look pretty silly carrying a tablet next to your ear)...

...But the Padfone doesn't stop there. You can also turn the tablet into a small notebook by attaching the Asus Station Dock keyboard. Like with the Transfomer Prime, the keyboard will snap onto the bottom of the tablet for your typing needs...

CNet Asia's Aloysius Low has a more comprehensive first look.

I seriously think this is the future of personal computing.


Good News: DHS Spending $11 Million Scouring Web for Criticism of Its Policies

I'd have loved to have heard the shrieks of indignation coming from The New York Times and the rest of the leftist infrastructure had John Ashcroft and other Bush administration officials engaged in this kind of egregious behavior.

No double standards here, folks.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been paying a defense contractor $11.4 million to monitor social media websites and other Internet communications to find criticisms of the department’s policies and actions.

A government watchdog organization, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), obtained hundreds of documents from DHS through the Freedom of Information Act and found details of the arrangement with General Dynamics. The company was contracted to monitor the Web for “reports that reflect adversely on DHS,” including sub-agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In testimony submitted to the House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, Ginger McCall, director of EPIC’s Open Government Project, stated that “the agency is monitoring constantly, under very broad search terms, and is not limiting that monitoring to events or activities related to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or manmade disasters…. The DHS has no legal authority to engage in this monitoring.”

McCall added: “This has a profound effect on free speech online if you feel like a government law enforcement agency—particularly the Department of Homeland Security, which is supposed to look for terrorists—is monitoring your criticism, your dissent, of the government.”

Rest assured that our beloved, baritone DHS secretary -- and her ostensible boss, Eric "Fast 'n' Furious" Holder -- would never, ever use this kind of information to go after private citizens. They're just doing research.

As far as you know.

Consider this reason number 43,263 to kick this administration's ample rear out of office in November.


Update: PrairiePundit writes: "This may explain my jump in hits."


Hat tip: BadBlue.com.

It's for the children: Nevada teachers union bosses hit the taxpayer-funded jackpot

Reason number 40 jazillion that collective bargaining must be banned.

In Las Vegas, you don’t have to be a gambling addict to strike it rich. In fact, you only need to become a union boss and the odds are, you too can be a ‘one percenter.’

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal [emphasis added]:

In 2009, the last year for which a required Internal Revenue Service report is available, more than a third of the union’s $4.1 million budget went to pay just nine leaders. Each earned between $139,785 and $208,683 for a total of $1.5 million, according to the Clark County Education Association’s report to the IRS.

John Jasonek, then executive director, got $208,683 for running the union but also received $423,863 from two affiliated organizations — the union’s Community Foundation and Center for Teaching Excellence — making his total pay $632,546.

In addition, union-created Teachers Health Trust CEO Peter Alpert was paid $546,133.

Unfortunately, unlike the one-armed bandits that line the Vegas Strip, becoming rich as a union boss is a little less random. [Hint: Knowing someone helps.]

Hey, the taxpayers, they gots plenty o' dough, right?

They'se never gonna miss it!

And it's for the kids, see?


Cartoon by: A. F. Branco.

Confirmed: Obama Slashes Health Care Funding for Seniors and the Military; Spigot to Public Sector Unions Still Wide Open

Of course, members of the armed forces and senior citizens aren't required to contribute to a proxy for the Democrat Party, but I'm sure that's just coincidental:

Exhibit A - Tricare costs would jump in budget plan:

Pentagon officials will continue pressing in 2013 for significantly higher Tricare fees for military retirees, including older retirees covered by Tricare for Life, as well as higher drug co-pays for all Tricare beneficiaries.

The Defense Department’s proposed 2013 budget calls for annual enrollment fees for retirees in Tricare Prime to rise next year by 30 percent to 78 percent... depending on military retirement income.

Exhibit B - Paul Ryan: Obamacare is Real Medicare Killer:

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan says contrary to what Democrats are saying, it is Obamacare — not his budget plan — that will kill Medicare... “Obamacare kills Medicare as we know it,” Ryan said. "Obamacare raids $500 billion from Medicare to spend on Obamacare, puts in place a [15-member] board to ration Medicare."

Exhibit C - Obama’s budget calls for federal pay raises; workforce size stays flat:

President Obama wants to give raises to people collecting federal paychecks... The White House budget plan released Monday would increase federal civilian pay by a modest 0.5 percent... The budget proposal also projects that federal employment levels will remain essentially flat in fiscal 2013, growing by 0.1 percent, or 2,400 employees, to 2.1 million from the 2012 estimated level.

Exhibit D - Obama budget slashes military spending, sends 'savings' to domestic agenda:

President Obama sent an annual budget request to Capitol Hill today that does little to reduce the deficit but dramatically cuts military spending anyway. Even though last year’s debt ceiling deal was supposedly agreed to in order to reduce America’s crushing debt burden, Obama is apparently planning to use half of the cuts in war spending to “help finance a major six-year, 50 percent increase in transportation spending.”

Defense cuts in the name of debt reduction are really for increased domestic spending. This is not a surprise. Last summer, President Obama made his priorities clear: social spending trumps national security...

Executive Summary


Obama's priorities are: (a) stealing redistributing money from seniors, the military and the intelligence community; and (b) spending those funds on public sector union wages from which mandatory union dues are deducted.

Those dues, in turn, end up laundered into Obama's campaign coffers.

Which explains his priorities. Not health care. Not national security. Not seniors. Getting reelected. First, last and everything in between. That is his priority.


Larwyn's Linx: The Community Organizer’s Collectivist Vision

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

The Community Organizer’s Collectivist Vision: Dossier
Uncivil Rights: Knish
An American ‘Kadi’ in Pennsylvania’s Court: BigPeace

Nancy Pelosi: Vicar of Contraception: BigGovt
Obama Campaign Tries Intimidation to Boost Fundraising: BigGovt
Americans Are Incredibly Pessimistic About The Future: Insider

Koch Bros. Hit Back at Laughably False Obama For America Email: Bizzy
Psycho Occupier Threatens to “Put Down” Cops Like “Dogs”: VS
Denver: Leftist Mob Hurls Pi$$ Bombs at Police: GWP

Economy

Occupiers foreclose on Wells Fargo’s CEO, auction off his home: Zombie
The Brazen Hypocrisy of the Teachers Unions: Publius
Starting an online store in Greece is no easy business: Ekathimerini

Q: What do Bill O’Reilly and Nancy Pelosi have in common?: ProWis
Bill to Destroy California Businesses Introduced in Senate: Mish
Animation: America's Metamorphosis To A Welfare State: ZH

GOP Primary

Santorum: For Minorities in the Middle East, With Friends Like Obama, Who Needs Enemies?: JihadWatch
Romney, Santorum Represent Different White Americas: Barone
Daily Kos Fantasizes About Eliminating GOP Field: WZ

Climate & Energy

Obama prepares to fight gas prices with new bumper sticker: Hot Air
Latest Global Warming Silliness: Humans Could Shrink or Something: JWF
Gas Prices Rising – A good thing for Obama or the GOP?: Blaze

Media

Wikileaks Strikes Again, Dumps Hacked Emails from Global Security Firm Stratfor: Reason
Leaked Email Shows Stratfor CEO George Friedman Resigned Two Hours Ago Over Latest Breach: ZH
Israel, Kurdish fighters destroyed Iran nuclear facility, email released by WikiLeaks claim: Haaretz

Politico: Santorum Offers 'Bitter String' of New Complaints About Pro-Obama Media: NB
'Meet The Press' calls out Romney's absence: Politico
State of the Fractured Union: MB

World

Unbelievable, NATO Agrees to Prosecute “Perpetrators” of Koran Burning?: VS
Christians Stoned by Muslim Mob at Temple Mount, Media Silent: Creeping
No One is Safe under Islamist Regimes -- not even Muslims: AT

Hillary throws fellow Americans under the bus to please Tunisians: Blogmocracy
Seven US troops wounded in grenade attack as Afghan president calls for calm: Post
Clinton: "[Some] question whether Islamist politics can...be compatible with democracy.": JihadWatch

Luttwak: How to Bomb Iran: Mead
Canada: Dad Arrested, Strip-Searched After Daughter Draws a Picture of a Gun in School: Blaze
Demolition of Osama bin Laden compound underway: Telegraph

Amb. John Bolton says we have nothing to apologize for in Quran burning: NoisyRm
North Korea warning as US and S Korea begin joint drill: BBC
Greek banks continue to hemorrhage deposits: ECB data: Reuters

Sci-Tech

Top 5 New Gadgets of the Week: ABC
Facebook's Top Cop: Joe Sullivan: Forbes
Facebook spies on phone users' text messages, report says: Fox

Cornucopia

'The Artist,' Jean Dujardin and Meryl Streep take top honors at Oscars: Fox
The Left Isn’t Racist, Never, No Matter What They Do: iOTW
Michelle Obama and DHS Join Forces: “Snack Watch” Soon to Hit School Lunch Cafeterias: CDN

Image: Weasel Zippers - Obama: The “Toughest Three Years This Country Has Gone Through”
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "This perversion of rights is killing the Western world. First, unlike real rights — to freedom of speech and freedom of religion — these new freedoms come with quite a price tag. All the free stuff is free in the sense of those offers that begin “You pay nothing now!” But you will eventually. No nation is rich enough to give you all this “free” stuff year in, year out. Spain’s government debt works out to $18,000 per person, France’s to $33,000, Greece’s to $39,000. Thank God we’re not Greece, huh? Er, in fact, according to the Senate Budget Committee, U.S. government debt is currently $44,215 per person. Going by the official Obama budget numbers, it will rise over the next ten years to $75,000. As I say, that’s per person: 75 grand in debt for every man, woman, and child, not to mention every one of the ever-swelling ranks of retirees and disabled Social Security recipients — or about $200,000 per household." --Mark Steyn

Sunday, February 26, 2012

To My Friends in Arizona and Michigan: It's Time to Take a Stand

Before I begin this rant, let me make my stance regarding Mitt Romney perfectly clear.

I will walk on broken glass to vote for Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum or a radioactive goat over Barack Obama in the general election.

That said, did the Tea Party go away? Did it disappear into the ether after the GOP's crushing victories in the 2010 midterms? Did it shatter after a million internecine battles?

Or is it merely simmering at a low boil while grassroots groups canvas for its primary favorites?

To my friends in Arizona and Michigan

The time for action is now. The situation our country faces is too dire and the stakes too high to sit on the sidelines. You may, as I do, feel the fatigue of negative attacks, experience anger at the proctological scrutiny of your favorite candidates, or disgust at the blatant bias of the Democrat-media complex.

But you must, like an Olympic athlete, put all of that aside and vote on Tuesday.

If I could vote in one of your states, I would be casting my vote for Rick Santorum. Praised by no less a set of conservative luminaries like Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin and Sarah Palin, Santorum has been a consistent conservative throughout his career.

Architect of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, a proponent of the original Balanced Budget Amendment and an expert at national defense issues, Santorum's appeal is far wider than legacy media would have you believe.

This election will be about the future of America

Do Americans want a nation flooded with food-stamps and welfare payments, a European-style decline, and an out-of-control president who flouts the very Constitution upon which he took an oath to uphold?

Or do they want a return to founding principles, fiscal discipline and respect for the rule of law?

This election will be about founding principles, the most important of which are faith, family, private property rights and individual liberty. Those tenets were foundational to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Our rights are God-given, not offered in a bill by some bureaucrat in Washington. How can someone articulate the nature of American exceptionalism without a grounding in our founding document and our highest law?

The "Great Society" proved the defective nature of the Democrats' philosophy. Even if they were inspired by altruistic desires, Democrats have utterly destroyed the two-parent family, especially in the urban core.

Dozens of studies have proven that easy access to food stamps and welfare payments inflate the percentage of single-parent families. And single-parent families are linked directly to violent crime: in fact, no matter what race you are, you have the same chance of going to prison if you are raised in a single-parent household.

As for private property rights and the rule of law: the Constitution means what it says. To the extent that temporary politicians dismiss the genius of the Framers; strip away the bonds on the federal government placed explicitly upon it; and confiscate more and more private property in pursuit of a Utopian, benificent state that can't be and never was; they are corrupt and lawless. A government that takes your private property for purposes other than those specifically enunciated in the Constitution is operating outside of the law.

These lines are crystal clear and it will take an articulate conservative grounded in the founding principles to draw the sharpest contrast between the European nanny state that Obama seeks and the kind of government our Framers created.

You can cherry-pick the man's record all you want, but Santorum's record is one of consistency.

Santorum has a legislative record...

Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)
Voted YES on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)
Voted YES on prioritizing national debt reduction below tax cuts. (Apr 2000)
Voted YES on 1998 GOP budget. (May 1997)
Voted YES on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)

Rated 25% by CURE, indicating anti-rehabilitation crime votes. (Dec 2000)
Rated 27% by the NEA, indicating anti-public education votes. (Dec 2003)
Rated 0% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes. (Dec 2003)
Rated 100% by CATO, indicating a pro-free trade voting record. (Dec 2002)
Rated 0% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record. (Dec 2003)
Rated 0% by the AFL-CIO, indicating an anti-union voting record. (Dec 2003)
Rated 81% by NTU, indicating a “Taxpayer’s Friend” on tax votes. (Dec 2003)

--Source: Issues 2000 Legislation Tracker

Rick Santorum is a true, God-fearing, Constitutional conservative in the mold of Ronald Reagan. If we are to begin repairing this country, we need him or someone like him as President.

This election won't be about access to condoms. It's going to be about freedom. What it means to be an American. And Rick Santorum would be an outstanding choice as president.

So, to my friends in Arizona and Michigan: I urge you to consider supporting Rick Santorum for president. Send a message to Washington: the era of big government is over. The time for action is now.

We have a country to save.


Photo Sequence: Ryan Seacrest Gets Doused in Ashes by the Dictator

Think what you want about Sacha Baron Cohen, but the man knows how to market himself. Initially banned from attending the Academy Awards in costume, Cohen was later granted permission to stroll down the Red Carpet.

Interviewed while portraying the character from his forthcoming movie The Dictator, Cohen "accidentally" spilled the ashes of Kim Jong-Il all over Ryan Seacrest.

Turns out that that Kim had always wanted to visit the Red Carpet.

Cohen closed the sequence with a prepared punchline to Seacrest, delivered in a stilted accent: "Now, Brian, when someone asks what you're wearing, you can tell them Kim Jong-Il!"


Democrats dismiss importance of elections: Obama, Hillary see absolute certainty of SCOAMF reelection

Apparently, your voice means very little to those with dictatorial sensibilities.

President Barack Obama promised five more years of SCOAMF leadership.

President Barack Obama, expressing confidence he will win re-election in November, told a Hispanic audience he would use a second term to seek comprehensive immigration reform.

'My presidency is not over,' Obama said in an interview with Univision Radio when asked about his failure so far to push through an immigration bill.

'I've got another five years coming up. We're going to get this done.'

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience in Tunisia to ignore the rhetoric coming from the Republican presidential primary process and assured them that Obama's reelection was certain.

"...a lot of things are said in political campaigns that should not bear a lot of attention...

...There are comments made that certainly don't reflect the United States, don't reflect our foreign policy, don't reflect who we are as a people. I mean, if you go to the United States, you see mosques everywhere, you see Muslim-Americans everywhere. That's the fact. So I would not pay attention to the rhetoric...

...watch what President Obama says and does... He's our president. He represents all of the United States, and he will be reelected president, so I think that that will be a very clear signal to the entire world..."

As Nancy Pelosi once said, "the fact is that elections shouldn’t matter as much as they do."

If Democrats had their way, elections wouldn't matter at all.

Which seems a curiously similar attitude to other hard left, totalitarian Statists humanity has suffered with over the last century, from the Leninists, to the Nazis, to the Stalinists and Maoists, Saddam Hussein and Vladimir Putin.


Apology accepted: Iran says White House should be burned down, officers hung over Koran-burning incident

This appeasement strategy is working out beautifully, eh?

JPOST.COM, 2/26/2012

'US officers should be hung over Koran incident'


Al Arabiya: Iranian commander says White House should be burned; Afghan ministry worker suspected of killing US officers.

A top Iranian military commander said Saturday that nothing but burning the White House and hanging US commanders could remedy the pain caused to Muslims by the burning of Korans at a US military base in Afghanistan, pan-Arab Al Arabiya news channel reported Sunday.

"The US has committed such an ugly act and burned Korans because of the heavy slap it has been given by Islam," Basij (volunteer forces) Commander Brig.-Gen. Muhammad Reza Naqdi [said] ... “Their apology can be accepted only by hanging their commanders; hanging their commanders means an apology." ...

US President Barack Obama sent a letter to Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday apologizing for the incident, which occurred last week, and saying that it wasn't intentional.

In a continuation of events, two American officers were killed as rage gripped the country for a fifth straight day over the burning of the Muslim holy book, despite Obama's apology.

Afghanistan's interior ministry said on Sunday it suspects one of its employees may have killed the two US officers inside the ministry a day earlier...

Hey, if you liked the Iranians during the Carter hostage crisis, orchestrating the Beirut Marine bombing, and fomenting Iraq's civil war, you'll love 'em when they have nukes!

Thanks, President Obama!


Way cool: new smartphone has built-in projector, throws 50" display

Daddy like:

The concept is simple: take a full-powered 4-inch Galaxy smartphone and add a 15-Lumens LED-powered, nHD projector. The result is a yellow and black phone that at first glance looks like a slightly fatter version (it’s 12.5mm thick and weighs 145.3 grams) of any of today’s top 3G phones.

Samsung didn’t skimp much to squeeze in the projector or, potentially, keep the price down. The Beam has a 5 MP camera (a tad less than the 8 MP we’re now used to), 8 GB of storage (upgradeable via micro-SD card to 32 GB) and 768 MB of RAM. It’s also running Android 2.3. The 480×800 screen looked clear and bright, but those specs and the screen are not the real story here. It’s reasonable to assume that the only reason someone would buy the Galaxy Beam is if you desperately wanted a dual phone/projector.

In operation, the Galaxy beam appeared flawless. It’ll play virtually anything you run on the small screen, and had no trouble shining a roughly 3-ft image onto an 8- or 9-ft ceiling. Images in a fully darkened room were very sharp and bright, but since it relies on the smartphone speakers for sound, you’ll want to hook up external speakers. Samsung execs told us that they’re working on a variety of docks and accessories.

The phone also worked well in presentation mode. Samsung execs projected a presentation on a nearby screen and changed slides by touching the Galaxy Beam’s screen.

The Telegraph asserts that the Beam "can show films and pictures at up to 50"."

You can easily envision salespeople clamoring for this type of device.


Hat tip: BadBlue.com.

The nauseating employment chart that President Obama and the Democrats don't want you to see

Via MetricMash comes this stunning chart that depicts just how dire the employment situation has become under the SCOAMF.

As this chart illustrates:

• Over the last 30 years, we have never seen the kind of sustained decline in the labor-force participation rate we're experiencing under Obama. More people are dropping out of the labor force at a faster clip than during any recent stretch and, worse, there's absolutely no sign of recovery.

• The unparalleled success of the Reagan tax cuts is on full display: not only did unemployment drop, but the labor-force participation rate increased at a phenomenal angle. All Americans benefited from these tax cuts and the job creation spurred by Reagan went well into the Clinton years.

Which is why Democrats and the media -- but I repeat myself -- shield you from information like this. There is only one way out of this economic mess: unleashing the private sector by slashing taxes, minimizing the size of government, and obliterating the out-of-control regulatory state. But Democrats prefer failure, so long as they get to control you, the individual. Because they're power-hungry statists, trying to maintain a white-knuckled death grip on the reins of government.


Larwyn's Linx: The Perversion of Rights

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

The Perversion of Rights: Steyn
More than 2,500 religious leaders oppose Obamacare: Foundry
The Sharia Court of Pennsylvania — the Transcript: McCarthy

The Obama White House Is Campaign Central: BigGovt
Pay No Attention to the Mandate Behind the Curtain: Foundry
FBI Turns Off Thousands of GPS Devices After Ruling: WSJ

Koch Bros Respond to Obama’s Smears: Nice Deb
Anti-Semitic stalking horses in NJ-09 Democratic primary?: Lane
Obama World Apology Tour – Year 3.1: ProWis

GOP Primary

Santorum hits hard: Romney’s on the left’s team: Scoop
Mitt Romney Attacks Santorum At AFP Forum in Troy: Kuznicki
Santorum Blasts Obama: “He wants to remake you in his image”: VS

Economy

'Unions v. NY': The Battle Over Mixed Martial Arts: BigGovt
War on School Lunch: CDN
Who’s Offering Economic Solutions?: RWN

The Socialist Transfer of Wealth: Who are the real 1%?: Solway
Chicago Schools Aren’t Broken, They Need More Money: ConCom
FLOTUS asks rich to share wealth while wearing $2,400 outfit: NakedDC

Scandal Central

'Taxpayer-funded Clean Energy Company Laying Off Workers While Execs Get Raises' Story o' the Day: Malkin
Obama Sics IRS After TEA Parties: ConCom
Holder, DOJ continue to drag out Fast & Furious probe, say lawmakers: Kouri

Climate & Energy

Democrats to Obama: Tap strategic oil reserve: Politico
President Obama Blames You for High Gas Prices: Foundry (4/7/2011)
Flashback: Obama and Democrats Blast Bush for High Gas Prices in 2008: GWP

Media

The War On Women, By Women: Loesch
L.A. Times to Charge for Content: Patterico
Charles Blow apologizes for religious insult, NYT ready to ‘move on’: Greenroom

Media Skewers Santorum, Romney On Faith, What About Obama?: Stranahan
Letter: Preserve our republic: George Roy
Your Right to the Pursuit of Happiness: XCV

AP Nonsense on Santorum: 'Misidentified' As Evangelical -- By Time Magazine: Blumer
“I can’t help noticing that if you take the 1 in 1969...": Troglopundit
Congress Tried to Change Natural Born Citizen Clause Over and Over: MagNote (7/6/11)

World

Why Apologize to Afghanistan?: McCarthy
Iran and Obama Share a Common Goal: Stopping Israel: Tobin
Santorum Was Right About Iran—When It Was Unpopular: WSJ (Ledeen)

Prompt American Apologies Forestall Deadly Violence in Afghanistan Over Accidental Koran Burning: VS
What would one big nuke do to Israel? This …: Peth
Soldiers nearly lynched by Arabs in Haifa: ynet

Syria’s (Literal) Information Warfare: Foundry
UN: Iran is enriching uranium at secret site: Telegraph
22 tourists robbed in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico bus assault: Fox

Harvard's Kennedy School of Government to Host Conference On the Extermination of Israel: AmPower
Desecration of Holy Quran widely condemned: News of Pakistan
Progress on plans for Galway Che Guevara monument: Advertiser/IE

Sci-Tech

How to Take Down a Corporation's Facebook Page with a Fake Email Account: AtlWire
Is Israel losing Temple Mount war?: ynet
New Samsung Galaxy Beam phone includes projector that can show films and pictures at up to 50”: Telegraph

Cornucopia

Millennium Falcon lands in Roswell? Footage takes Internet by storm: DC
Ebony and Irony: MOTUS
With No Apologies, Try This One: ASWI

Image: Weasel Zippers
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "We have officially lost our minds.

The New York Times reports that President Obama has sent a formal letter of apology to Afghanistan’s ingrate president, Hamid Karzai, for the burning of Korans at a U.S. military base. The only upside of the apology is that it appears (based on the Times account) to be couched as coming personally from our blindly Islamophilic president — “I wish to express my deep regret for the reported incident. . . . I extend to you and the Afghani people my sincere apologies.” It is not couched as an apology from the American people, whose frame of mind will be outrage, not contrition, as the facts become more widely known.

The facts are that the Korans were seized at a jail because jihadists imprisoned there were using them not for prayer but to communicate incendiary messages... Also understand this: In sharia societies, non-Muslim religious articles are confiscated and destroyed every single day as a matter of policy. In Saudi Arabia, where sharia is the law of the land, where Mecca and Medina are closed to non-Muslims, government guidelines prohibit Jews and Christians from bringing Bibles, crucifixes, Stars of David, and similar artifacts emblematic of their faith into the country. When that prohibition is violated, the offending items are seized and burned or otherwise destroyed. " --Andrew C. McCarthy