THE DEMOCRATS’ DEPENDENCE ON SURVEYS OF STUPID PEOPLE

Let’s set aside the findings of the controversial IQ and the Wealth of Nations, (which placed the U.S. in a six-way tie at #19 in an international intelligence survey, with an estimated national average IQ of 98) and go with the Forrest Gump model for now:

Stupid is as stupid does.

Ask yourself this question – and answer it honestly. (You too, loons.) What percentage of Americans do you think could pass a basic quiz on politics, the economy, and world events?

While we may disagree on the percentage, anyone who has the intelligence and interest to be reading this blog knows the correct answer: A staggering minority. 

Howard Stern, Democrats and Barack Obama. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Howard Stern (of whom I’m not a fan) sent Sal Governale to Harlem to interview people about who they would vote for and why; the predictable video speaks for itself:

Before we proceed, loons, this is a perfect opportunity to whip out the race card, isn’t it?

Okay, so let’s move on. Political ignorance isn’t limited to black people who cluelessly support Barack Obama for the sole reason that he’s black. I’m confident there are a number of white people who refused to vote for him for the same reason. However, there were millions of people of all colors who did vote for him – solely because he told them the same old crap Democrats have been telling their minions for decades.

R&RR subscribers and those who read me on a regular basis know that I am fond of referring to “political lies,” which I astutely define as:

“Liberals saying things they know aren’t true for the sole purpose of the patronizing the ‘less-than-informed’ for political gain.”

Lest you get your socialist panties in a knot, liberals, realize this: Your politicians not only understand exactly what the Rat is saying here – they know he’s right. Democrats have relied on political lies for more than 50 years because they know this is the only way they can gain – or remain in – power: Class envy. “Us” against “them.” Unsubstantiated fear.

Hell, just listen to your president every time he opens his mouth.

The curiousness of meaningless political surveys. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (nor a liberal elite) to understand why Democrats love surveys more than they love life itself; surveys reduce complex positions and policies down to the lowest common denominator of average American intelligence – which gutless and unprincipled politicians dutifully patronize, placate ad exploit as often as is possible.

Nope, the mystery lies with why so many conservatives give a damn about whether or not the “less-than-informed” agree that taxes should be raised on “the rich.”

Fox News is just as guilty as is MSNBC on this one, folks. Networks not only create headline stories out of meaningless poll results – they even conduct their own surveys, and make “news” out of those as well. Back to “the rich”:

Of course a society’s “have-nots” will always believe that its “haves” should pay ever higher taxes to fund an unsustainable welfare state. (See: “Europe.”) Therefore, why is it news when poll after poll tells us that a majority of Americans favors higher taxes for the wealthy? Seriously, is this not a big fat “duh?”

The conflict over government spending illustrates the general ignorance of the American public. Every honest economist knows how to deal with the debt:

Institute cost-saving reforms to big-ticket entitlement programs; strategic cuts to overall government spending, and lastly – if growth remains slow – tax reforms. (not to be read as tax increases on the “one-percenters,” which is a political objective.)

But poll after poll shows that voters have no clue what the budget actually looks like. A 2010 World Public Opinion survey found that Americans want to tackle deficits by cutting foreign aid from what they believe the current level to be, (27% of the budget) to a “more prudent” 13%. The real number is under 1%

A Jan. 2011 CNN poll discovered that even though 71%  of voters want smaller government, vast majorities oppose cuts to Medicare (81%), Social Security (78%), and Medicaid (70%). There solution – in addition to the ridiculous assumption about foreign aid? Slash waste - a category that, in their fantasy world, includes 50% of government spending, according to a 2009 Gallup poll.

Needless to say, it’s impossible to balance the budget or reduce the deficit by following the wishes of ignorant people. It is, however, a good way for Democrats to remain in power. Captain Socialist could tax the “one- percenters” 100% of their income and we’d still be in the same boat. He knows that. The Democrats in Congress know it. They know we know it.

As long as Liberals pander to the “less-than-informed,” and continue to encourage their ignorant misapprehensions, we will continue down the road to Obama’s vision of a European America.

Hell, look at us; we’re arguing over short-term spending cuts and whether the inexplicable payroll-tax cuts should be extended for two months – or a year. Go figure. If you know how.

^

That Forrest Gump was one smart dude.

House Republicans Cave on Payroll Tax Cuts Extension

A muted House Speaker John Boehner announced today that Republicans have decided to accept a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut, preventing a hike in taxes just nine days before the tax break expires for 160 million Americans.

House GOP leaders appeared to be adopting a compromise suggested by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass the two-month extension in exchange for the Senate appointing members to a conference committee, which will negotiate a longer-term solution. The proposal won a nod of approval from President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

But Boehner was visibly unhappy with the deal.

"Kicking a can down the road for a couple of months does cause problems," he said at a news conference today.

House Republicans had originally wanted a one-year extension but faced mounting pressure from conservatives and their Senate counterparts to come to an agreement on the short-term deal.

"Sometimes it's politically difficult to do the right thing," Boehner said.

He admitted that the House Republicans' refusal to compromise on the short-term extension, which received backlash even from conservatives, politically "may not be the smartest thing in this world... but our members waged a good fight."

The deal entails a new bill with language protecting small businesses from a measure in the Senate bill that creates temporary new caps on the wages that are subject to payroll tax relief, a Republican aide said. Reid accepted the House Republicans' proposal late this afternoon.

The bill will be passed by unanimous consent, which would not require all the members to return for a vote.

Obama hailed the agreement and congratulated Congress members "for ending the partisan stalemate," but he also urged Congress to extend the payroll tax cut for the full year in 2012 "without drama or delay."

Earlier this afternoon, Obama assailed House Republicans for a "ridiculous Washington standoff" and stepped up pressure on them to pass a two-month extension bill that sailed through the Senate by a bipartisan vote.

"This isn't a typical Democrat versus Republican issue. This is an issue where an overwhelming number of people in both parties agree," the president said today. "How can we not get that done? Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when people agree to things, we can't do it? It doesn't make any sense."

Obama: Just How Dysfunctional Is Washington? Watch Video

Obama: Average Americans Could Lose $40 Per Paycheck Watch Video

Payroll Tax Cuts: GOP Leaders Want a One-Year Bill Watch Video

The president, who delayed his vacation to Hawaii with his family because of the stalemate, was surrounded by individuals who wrote to the White House detailing how the end of the payroll tax break would affect their lives.

The White House pursued an aggressive campaign on social media to highlight the loss in benefits that millions of Americans will incur on Jan. 1 if Congress doesn't act. Americans, on average, would lose about $40 per paycheck if the tax cuts expire. On Wednesday, Obama himself personally took to Twitter asking Americans to share what that loss would mean to them.

"Forty dollars can make all the difference in the world," Obama said today, as he read out stories from Americans who had responded to his request. "Enough is enough. The people standing with me today cannot afford any more games."

Obama said more than 30,000 people have responded to the White House's "What 40 Dollars a Paycheck Means to American Families" campaign on Twitter, Facebook and whitehouse.gov.

House Republicans faced increasing pressure, even from their Senate counterparts, to find a compromise quickly. Outwardly, the House GOP leadership showed no outward sign of caving in, reiterating defiantly that they would not support the Senate bill.

But internally, even rank and file House Republicans were beginning to break away from Boehner and the GOP leadership's insistence that Congress approve a year-long deal to extend the payroll tax cut, instead urging the speaker to consider a short-term deal.

Rep. Sean Duffy, a freshman Republican from Wisconsin, today called on his leadership "to immediately bring up the Senate's two-month extension for an up or down vote."

"Middle class families deserve a Congress that will rise above the squabbling and ensure their taxes don't go up right after Christmas," Duffy wrote in a statement. "This is about preventing hardworking Wisconsin families from paying an extra $40 a week for the dysfunction in Washington, D.C."

Another House Republican freshman, Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas, wrote a letter to the speaker that asked for all options to be on the table as time runs short.

All week long, conservatives ranging from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to Karl Rove took shots at Boehner and the House GOP for holding out for a long-term extension.

"There's no doubt this hurts the Republican Party, and that bothers me a great deal, as a Republican," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said on CBS News this morning, adding that he feels bad for American taxpayers who are "innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire."

"This is really tragic for the American people. And I would say that next November, no incumbent is safe, nor should they be," McCain said.

Senior Democrats, meanwhile, pounced on Republicans for not agreeing to the two-month extension.

"Republicans have been arguing about process and politics," House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said today. "The stakes are too high to be arguing about politics and process. The Republican contention that the two-month compromise somehow is unworkable is simply untrue."

If the payroll tax cut was not extended, 160 million American workers would have seen a 2 percentage point raise in their taxes, starting Jan. 1, raising the overall tax burden to 6.2 percent. Three million people who are receiving long-term unemployment benefits would also have seen their benefits drop. The gridlock would also impact Medicare, which would likely lower reimbursements to doctors.

The payroll tax cuts, passed by George W. Bush's administrations are popular on both sides of the political aisle. Washington experienced a similar gridlock in 2010 when the time came to renew the cuts.

Meanwhile, 2012 Republican presidential contenders expressed mixed views on the payroll tax extension debate.

Continue reading...

Obama’s spin on Iraq War looks pathetic

Clearly one of the prerequisites to becoming president of the United States is to be a consummate actor. Prior to becoming “leader of the free world,” President Obama was a vociferous critic of the Iraq War. During his campaign for his 2008 presidential bid, he told audiences that he knew the US-led invasion would have “dangerous consequences” and “would not work out well” while promising to bring US troops home within 16 months of his presidency. It took more than three years for his pledge to manifest which, in the end, wasn’t a decision entirely of his own making.

Obama wanted to maintain one or two military bases in country, home to around 20,000 US troops. But his ambition was thwarted by sentiment on Iraq’s streets and the clamor of armed sectarian organizations that propelled Iraq’s government to stand strong in its refusal to extend the occupation — and, more particularly, to allow members of the US military immunity from prosecution.

Today, he is attempting to bolster his re-election chances by covering himself with glory for bringing America’s finest home when, in fact, he has been forced to adhere to a US-Iraqi Status of Forces Agreement mandating the exit of US military personnel from Iraq before the end of 2011, signed by President Bush before he left office. Obama’s recent speech to 3,000 soldiers at Fort Bragg evidenced just how disingenuous and self-serving the president has become; either that or he’s suffering from amnesia. He forgot his abhorrence of the war when he told the “men and woman in uniform” that “because of you we are ending these wars in a way that will make America stronger and the world more secure.”

He characterized their sacrifices as the price for “the progress of human freedom and dignity.” He referred to his fresh-faced audience as “part of an unbroken line of heroes spanning two centuries – from the colonists who overthrew an empire, to your grandparents and parents who faced down fascism and communism, to you –men and women who fought for the same principles in Fallujah and Kandahar and delivered justice to those who attacked us on 9/11.” And in Obama’s alternative universe, the US is “leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq with a representative government that was elected by its people.”

It’s just as well that Obama wasn’t attacked by a truth virus like Jim Carrey’s character was in the movie “Liar, Liar” else his message would have sounded more like this: “You who have sacrificed almost 4,500 in your ranks have been victims of a cruel and senseless war of choice designed by neoconservatives in the Bush administration to illustrate America’s power, consolidate US influence in the Middle East, secure dwindling oil resources and ensure Israel’s longevity.

 “This was a war dreamt up long before 9/11. Iraq was one of nine countries on the Bush administration’s wish list destined for invasion. It was sold to the US public and the world on a series of false pretences. Intelligence services shaped intelligence around Bush’s political will. It was well known that Iraq had destroyed its WMD in the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War as Saddam’s sons-in-law had spilled the beans to the CIA when they defected to Jordan. Moreover, during the following years, weapons inspectors found nothing of consequence and prior to the invasion, the IAEA was on the point of giving Iraq a clean bill of health.


 “Convincing America’s allies and the public of the invasion’s necessity was no easy task which is why there were so many concocted stories, such as Saddam’s attempt to purchase uranium in Niger and his links (nonexistent) with members of Al-Qaeda. Our good friend former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s task was greater than ours when millions of anti-war Britons took to the streets. But he succeeded to pull the wool over his fellow citizens’ eyes with a lurid ‘sexed-up dossier’ falsely claiming that Saddam could target British interests within 45 minutes and another, ‘dodgy dossier’ filched from a student’s thesis on the Internet, typos “n’ all. “My friends, you’ve been fooled.

We didn’t go into Iraq to save the long-suffering Iraqi people from a brutal dictator. Since when as our country been that altruistic; after all, the war has cost over a trillion dollars and rendered the US almost bankrupt. We’ve failed in our true aims on every level. We are hated by most Iraqis with the exception of the Kurds and the war has increased anti-Americanism throughout the Arab world. Moreover, we were the ones who opened the door to terrorists and extremists. Our reputation has been scarred by the inhuman abuses at Abu Ghraib broadcast around the world which for all the Pentagon’s propaganda could not be excused as the work of a few bad apples. “The eight-year-long invasion has sadly achieved nothing except death and destruction on a mass scale. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed or maimed – although we never bothered to do a count. Untold numbers have been displaced while many of the brightest and best have fled abroad. Worst of all, our misadventure has resulted in sectarian divisions that did not exist under Saddam when Shiites and Sunnis often inter-married and socialized together.

 “The truth is that we are living Iraq in the hands of a pro-Iranian government. Political problems are already fomenting with the Sunni-backed bloc boycotting Parliament. We may call Iraq a democracy of our making but as long as there is a Shiite majority population the Sunnis will lose out. We are leaving behind a nation still traumatized by violence and under the cloud of a major dispute between Arabs and Kurds as to the ownership of the oil-rich city Kirkuk.


 “In the end, we got nothing. No bases, no oil, no consolidation of influence and no respect. All we really leave behind in Iraq is an embassy the size of a small town staffed by up to 17,000 diplomats, military advisers, service personnel and those mercenaries we prefer to call ‘contractors.’” It’s just as well the truth is an alien concept for most US politicians because I doubt that those uniformed men and women going home to their loved ones after years of thanklessly battling heat, dust and insurgents for a spurious cause or those remembering the fallen are in any mood to hear it.

From The Arab News.

 

A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM OUR JEWISH FRIEND, BEN STEIN

PERHAPS A  BIT MORE TOLERANCE ON ALL SIDES

WOULDN’T HURT ANYONE

I’ve written recently of the intolerance of atheists during the Christmas season. We’ve heard it from public officials as well – as more and more of the symbols of Christmas disappear from public view: We musn’t offend atheists. We musn’t offend Muslims. We musn’t offend those who believe in other gods – or no god at all. We simply “musn’t offend.”

Unless we offend Christians, that is.

While I have written several articles over this past year critical of atheists, those who read me understand that it has not been the non-beliefs of atheists with which I have repeatedly taken issue; it is their intolerance, lack of respect, ridicule and often – outright hatred of Christianity that I have attacked.

Why do we not hear more of tolerance and respect? Tolerance and respect for those who believe in God – even if we don’t? Tolerance for those who believe in gods other than ours? Tolerance for those who believe in no God at all?

I came across this message from Ben Stein today. I can’t think of a more fitting message for the Christmas Season – written by a proud, tolerant, Jewish American:

"I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don’t feel threatened. I don’t feel discriminated against. That’s what they are, Christmas trees.It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, “Merry Christmas” to me. I don’t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.

It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from – that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren’t allowed to worship God? I guess that’s a sign that I’m getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for laughs, this one is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it’s not funny, it’s intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her “How could God let something like this happen?” (regarding Hurricane Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

In light of recent events – terrorist attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (She was murdered;, her body was found a few years ago.) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we said “OK.” Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said “OK.”Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock’s son committed suicide.) We said an expert should know what he’s talking about. And we said “OK.”

Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no consciences, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with “WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.”

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send “jokes” through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

My Best Regards, Honestly and Respectfully,
Ben Stein 

We need more Ben Steins in the world – on all sides of the political and religious spectra.

Merry Christmas, Ben.

^

Happy Hanukkah, as well.

From The Rat.

Intel Experts: CIA Penetration by Terrorist Group is 'Catastrophic'

From Human Events:

The recent setback for the U.S. Intelligence Community – specifically CIA – wherein scores of operators working for the Agency were seized by Iranian security forces in Iran and Hizballah, Iran’s proxy army, in Lebanon; speak to two disturbing truths.

The first is that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps​ (IRGC) and Hizballah, which is both financially and operationally supported by the IRGC, maintains human intelligence and counterintelligence capabilities that are as “formidable” as any fielded by the West.

Secondly, they are aggressively operating against us.

According to Reuters, former CIA operations officer Bob Baer​ said, "Hizballah’s security is as good as any in the world's. It's the best. It's better than that of the KGB, [the former Soviet spy agency]."

And at least one expert refers to Iran and Hizballah’s aggressive counterintelligence operations and recent success as bordering on war.

Prof. Walid Phares – an advisor to the U.S. House’s Anti-Terrorism Caucus and the author of several books on Jihadist terror (including Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies Against America), said, "This latest operation by Hizballah’s against a major U.S. intelligence agency is bordering on an act of war. Lebanon is a sovereign country, and a terrorist organization has had the freedom to wage counter-espionage operations against CIA, and they have detained individuals they believe were working with that U.S. agency. If the Lebanese government endorses this operation, it would be responsible for an act of aggression bordering on an act of war against the United States.”

Phares said, “If the Lebanese government considers such operations against a U.S. agency on Lebanese soil as rogue – and conducted without legitimate Lebanese government authority – then it should demand Hizballah cease its activities against the U.S.”

The professor said, the Lebanese government – which receives military support from the U.S. – may raise the matter of U.S. espionage operations in Lebanon in bilateral discussions with the U.S. government. But Hizballah has no legal authority to conduct such counter-espionage operations against what is considered to be an ally of Lebanon.

Rep. Sue Myrick (R.-N.C.), who chairs the U.S. House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counter Intelligence, said both the immediate issue and the threat extend far beyond Iran and Lebanon.

Wednesday, she said, "This operation alleged by Hizballah against CIA resources in Lebanon shows their determination to hurt the United States. This terrorist organization claims their war efforts are only pursued in their war against Israel.”

The congresswoman said, “Their heavy involvement in terror operations against American interests in Iraq and the Gulf area, and in Latin America all the way to Mexico south of our borders, shows clearly that they are targeting U.S. national security.”

This latest claim by Hizballah in Lebanon only adds to their intentions to target U.S. interests, she said.

This should not come as a surprise.

Recall that my colleagues and I have discussed at length the tri-border area of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay that has – according to a 2009 study by the Rand Institute​ – “emerged as the most important financing center for Islamic terrorism outside of the Middle East."

But it is the effective penetration of a U.S. intelligence agency by Iran and Hizballah that disturbs most.

Phares said, “The reality is someone who knew of these names must have leaked them to the organization [Hizballah].”

The leak was not an accident, he said.

“That person or persons is either a member of Hizballah or they are working with the terrorist group. The U.S. Congress should investigate the possible penetration Hizballah may have developed over the years enabling it to have these kinds of access to names,” he said

Clare Lopez, deputy director of the U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team, said, “Up against Hizballah on its own turf, it seems that U.S. intelligence is out of its league. HIzballah's intelligence capabilities, learned from the Iranians, are highly sophisticated and include the full classical tradecraft skillset as well as very competent counterintelligence capabilities.”

A former member of the U.S. Intelligence Community, who spoke to Human Events on condition of anonymity, said, “This should come as no surprise to anyone who understands the sophistication of these jihadist enemies and their professionalism in the skills of classical clandestine tradecraft.”

There has been an atrophy of talent inside the intelligence agencies, the source said.

“U.S. Intelligence Community failures to identify, effectively confront, and defeat the Islamic jihadist enemy speak not only to erosion of that skillset within the CIA, but also to catastrophic failure to master an understanding of the enemy ideology, the ideology of Islamic jihad,” the source said.

The former operator said “Intent and motivation are as critical as capability to the enemy's strategy and absent their accurate assessment, will lead as surely to defeat as failure to measure capability. America's enemies have penetrated its Intelligence Community in the past and betrayal of top CIA assets abroad has been tracked to moles deep inside the system more than once.”

How this plays out is anyone’s guess for the near future. But what we cannot continue to neglect are the overt threats and activities of Iran and Hizballah, the developing sophistication of their covert capabilities, their global reach and obvious intent, and the fact that – as former Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff​ said - Hizballah "makes Al Qaeda​ look like a minor league team."