"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Saturday, December 17, 2011

CESARIA EVORA - RIP

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SINGERS HAS DIED:

Cesaria Evora, who started singing as a teenager in the bayside bars of Cape Verde in the 1950s and won a Grammy in 2003 after she took her African islands music to stages across the world, died Saturday. She was 70.   
Evora, known as the "Barefoot Diva" because she always performed without shoes, died in the Baptista de Sousa Hospital in Mindelo, on her native island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, her label Lusafrica said in a statement on its website. It gave no further details.  
 ... She sang the traditional music of the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa, a former Portuguese colony. She mostly sang in the version of creole spoken there, but even audiences who couldn't understand the lyrics were moved by her stirring renditions, her unpretentious manner and the music's infectious beat. Her singing style brought comparisons to American jazz singer Billie Holiday. "She belongs to the aristocracy of bar singers," French newspaper Le Monde said in 1991, adding that Evora had "a voice to melt the soul." 





ANOTHER JAZZ GREAT CAME FROM CAPE VERDE: HORACE SILVER. THE SAME MELANCHOLY SEEMS TO WEAVE ITS WAY THROUGH MUCH HIS MUSIC:


 

THE MELANCHOLIA... IT'S THE HEART OF SOUL. HE HAD IT. SHE HAD IT.

RIP CESARIA.

ISRAEL'S POLITICIANS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BALKED AT RECOGNIZING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

S.H. Rolef, a former Knesset employee, has written an op-ed about how until recently, Israel's politicians refused to make an actual recognition of the Armenian Holocaust:
In 1915-16, during World War I, the Turks were responsible for the massacre of as many as 1.5 million Armenian inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire. Among the first to warn about the nature and scope of the atrocity was Aaron Aaronsohn – the renowned agronomist from Zichron Ya’acov who established the Nili spy ring, which in the course of the war collected information about Ottoman military movements and other strategic issues and passed it on to the British authorities.

Several of Aaronsohn’s relatives and colleagues actually witnessed the bloody manifestations of the massacre. In November 1916, Aaronsohn sent the British authorities a memorandum entitled “Pro Armenia,” in which he described the atrocities.

The previous month, he had sent a long letter to Judge Julian Mack – a leading American Zionist – in which he tried to convince him to adopt a pro-British position, inter alia describing the massacre of the Armenians and claiming that the Ottoman policy against both the Armenians and the Jews (who he feared might suffer a similar plight) had “made in Germany” written all over it. The Ottoman Empire, it may be recalled, was an ally of Germany in the war, and at the time Aaronsohn was writing, many Jews held pro-German or neutral positions. The Jewish yishuv in Palestine, the Zionist Organization and the State of Israel since 1948 could not claim ignorance of what happened to the Armenians.

And yet until recently, Israel has chosen to ignore the event, with numerous excuses, each of which is shameful in its own right.

The first is that since Turkey denies that a systematic massacre of Armenians ever took place, as well as minimizing the numbers involved (a number that justifies the term genocide), and since for years Israel regarded Turkey as a strategic ally – one of the few Muslim states it could regard as such – Israel would do well not to “let sleeping dogs lie.”

The fact that other states, including the US, adopted a similar policy seemed to justify Israel’s position.

The second excuse was that referring to the massacre of the Armenians as genocide might belittle the enormity of the Holocaust – an Israeli attitude that applies to other cases of genocide as well (and is, in my opinion, not just unjustified, but disgraceful). The Jewish Holocaust – in terms of both its circumstances and its manifestations – is without doubt unique. Nevertheless, this does not justify our belittling or ignoring the horrors that have occurred to other peoples.

The third excuse is that since we do not like others criticizing our treatment of the Palestinians, we should avoid criticizing other states for the way they treat their minorities. This excuse is simply foolish, and may easily boomerang, because no matter how problematic our record of treating our Arab citizens (and the Palestinians in general) might be, it bears no resemblance to the sorts of acts we are talking about. On the contrary, given the nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict, our record – though certainly not free of blemish – cannot be described as involving massacres or acts of genocide at all, as some, including the Turks, can. The Turks are the first who should be confronted with the difference, and it is a shame that only now, when Israel’s relations with Turkey have deteriorated to unprecedented levels due to unbridled Turkish attacks, Israel has finally decided to have its public say on the Armenian genocide.

For years, various MKs from Meretz have tried to get the Knesset to hold a public debate on the subject. Until last week, the only sort of debate to which the Foreign Ministry, speaking in the name of the government, would consent was one in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, whose proceedings are confidential and whose minutes are not published.

On May 18, the plenum finally decided, following a motion brought forth by MK Zehava Gal-On, to hold an open debate on the subject in the Education, Culture and Sports Committee – the proceedings of which are public, with full minutes published on the Knesset website.

No one opposed the subject’s being referred to the committee, and all the speakers, from Right and Left, religious and secular, spoke in its favor. All one can say is: “better late than never,” but what a shame it took so long.
The irony here is that it's a small leftist Israeli party that would sponsor such a bill, one that caused enough problems for Israel in years past, including anti-religious sentiment, and which for all we know is still likely to continue doing so. I personally find it troubling if no right-wing party ever took it upon themselves to promote a motion for the subject, since it cannot be left solely to the left to deal with. And besides, what if leftists in Israel decide later on not to promote this because they don't want to offend the Islamists? That's practically what's now happening in America, and Obama certainly hasn't done anything to promote the history subject.

Israel's politicians owe a very serious apology for the trouble they've caused in the past, most likely because they knew it could bring up the subject of Islam, and they didn't want to get into it out of classic cowardice.

TURKEY GETS NASTY AGAINST FRANCE

It's because of the bill they want to draft making it an offense to deny Turkey's genocide of the Armenians during the last years of the Islamic Ottoman empire. So now, Turkey's Erdogan is rearing his ugly head:
ISTANBUL - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told France on Saturday to study its own history rather than Turkey's in a warning against the French parliament passing a law making it illegal to deny the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire was genocide.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a major critic of Turkey's flagging bid to join the European Union, told Turkey in October that unless it recognized the 1915 killings as genocide, France would consider making denial a crime.

Erdogan has already sent Sarkozy a letter warning political and economic relations would suffer grave consequences if the bill was passed into law and he reiterated the message at a news conference on Saturday.

"Those who want to see genocide should turn round and look at their own dirty, bloody history," Erdogan said after talks with Libyan National Transitional Council chairman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil.

The draft law, put forward by a deputy from Sarkozy's party, is due to go before parliament next Thursday and proposes a one-year prison sentence and 45,000 euro ($58,500) fine for denying the killings constitute genocide.

"If the French National Assembly wants to take an interest in history let it take the trouble of illuminating what happened in Africa, in Rwanda and Algeria," Erdogan said in his first operation since recovering from surgery.

"Let it go and research how many people French soldiers killed in Algeria, how they killed them and what inhumane methods they used."
Oh really, Erdogan? Just how many of those "people" you speak of were really jihadists? I suggest you be more honest about what happened in that otherwise vicious region, which isn't doing much better even after France and other western nations left.
France is Turkey's fifth-biggest export market and sixth-biggest country from which it imports goods and services.

Armenia, backed by many historians and parliaments, says some 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government.

Ankara denies the killings constitute genocide and says many Muslim Turks and Kurds were also put to death as Russian troops invaded eastern Anatolia, often aided by Armenian militias.
As is typical of such sickos, they deny their wrongdoing and act as though the Armenians and Russian soldiers weren't fighting back to stop the genocide the Ottomans caused in that time. A true disgrace that Erdogan and his minions are.
The French Foreign Ministry has stressed the draft law was not a government initiative.

Erdogan said in his letter common sense should prevail over political calculations, a hint the draft law was aimed at securing the support of 500,000 French voters of Armenian descent in elections due in five months time.

Turkey and Armenia signed a peace accord in 2009, agreeing to set up a commission of international experts to examine the events of 1915, restore diplomatic ties and open their border to trade, but neither side has ratified the deal.

Turkey has increasingly flexed its rising economic and political muscle on the world stage and in the Middle East as its economy continues to show strong growth while western Europe suffers a financial crisis.
Well don't worry, those fortunes - assuming the info is accurate - will soon turn to asphalt as sharia comes into effect in Turkey down the road. As the news here signals, the accord hasn't exactly worked out, and will probably fall apart later.

France would do well to let go of any exportation they make for Turkey. To my knowledge, Renault might have a few vehicles built there. They'd do well to cease production of any cars and trucks in Turkey, and see if they can build (and sell) them in America/Canada instead. Turkey, under monsters like Erdogan, is not worth the bother any longer.

DRONES VERSUS SUICIDERS: THE METAPHOR THAT REVEALS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND THEM

WE USE EXPENSIVE REMOTELY CONTROLLED DRONES THAT CAN PINPOINT THEIR ATTACKS ON SPECIFIC MILITARY TARGETS FOR MAXIMUM POLITICAL EFFECT AND MINIMAL COLLATERAL DAMAGE.


THEY USE IDEOLOGICALLY CONTROLLED  SUICIDERS THAT DELIBERATELY TARGET CIVILIANS TO INFLICT MAXIMUM EMOTIONAL DAMAGE, AKA TERROR.


WE DEVELOPED AND USE DRONES BECAUSE WE LOVE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. AND ARE STILL WILLING TO DEFEND THESE VALUES.

OUR VICTORIES IN WW1, WW2, AND KOREA INCONTROVERTIBLY REVEAL THIS FACT: WE SEEK NEITHER EMPIRE OR RICHES, BUT HAVE ALWAYS SPREAD LIBERTY.

THEY USE SUICIDERS BECAUSE THEY LOVE DEATH, MARTIAL FASCISM, MISOGYNY, AND GENOCIDE.

THEIR VICTORIES HAVE ALWAYS SPREAD SERFDOM.

PACIFICISTIC FOLKS WHO DECRY ALL WAR MISTAKENLY EQUATE THESE TWO DISTINCT AND REVEALING THINGS.


IF WE WIN, THE HUMANITY WINS. 


IF THEY WIN, THE  HUMANITY LOSES.


IF YOU'RE NOT ON OUR SIDE, THEN YOU'RE ON THEIR SIDE.

EVERYONE MUST CHOOSE.

OBAMA DID NOT END THE WAR IN IRAQ - BUSH DID

OBAMA MERELY CARRIED OUT BUSH POLICIES -

EXCEPT FOR FAILING TO OBTAIN A MILITARY BASE THERE - EFFECTIVELY CEDING IRAQ TO IRAN'S SPHERE OF INFLUENCE.

OBAMA = SCOAMF.

UH-OH: CHINA'S ECONOMY COLLAPSING

HOW DO YOU SAY REAL ESTATE CRASH IN CHINESE?

Friday, December 16, 2011

INCOME INEQUALITY, BABE RUTH, MIKE PIAZZA AND LADY THATCHER

SOME FACTS:
By the end of the 1990s the average major league player was earning over $1.4 million a year, 35 times the $41,000 average of 25 years earlier. 
... In 1947 the average baseball player earned $11,000 a year, a little more than four times the pay of the average American worker.  
In 1967 the average player earned $19,000, about 3.5 times the $5,500 average for workers.  
In 1973 baseball salaries had jumped to $36,000, but workers too had generally experienced a large gain (to $9,500), leaving the player-worker ratio still a little under the 1947 level.  
But by 1999 the average baseball player was earning $1.57 million, while the average worker earned just $28,000: a ratio of 56 to one.
AND THIS FACT:
... Mike Piazza signed his then-record seven-year, $91 million contract with the Mets on Oct 26, 1998...
THAT MEANS PIAZZA EARNED ABOUT 58 TIMES WHAT THE AVERAGE BALLPLAYER EARNED. (LOTTSA FACTS HERE.)

IN 1930, BABE RUTH ONLY EARNED $900,000 IN PIAZZA ERA DOLLARS.

IN OTHER WORDS, THE GREATEST PLAYER OF ALL-TIME RUTH EARNED LESS THAN THE  AVERAGE PLAYER DOES TODAY.

WHEN RUTH MADE $80,000 THE AVERAGE BASEBALL SALARY WAS $6000. 


SO, RUTH ONLY MADE 14x MORE THAN AVERAGE.


THEREFORE, THERE WAS LESS INCOME INEQUALITY IN 1929, BUT ALL PLAYERS MADE LESS - AND - ALL MADE LESS THAN THEY DESERVED.

AS INCOMES FOR THE VERY BEST IMPROVED, SO DID INCOME FOR THE AVERAGE PLAYERS - BUT NOT AS FAST SO THAT BY TODAY, THE BEST MAKE MANY TIMES MORE THAN THE AVERAGE PLAYER.

THE FACT THAT PIAZZA MADE 56x WHAT THE AVERAGE PLAYER MADE DIDN'T MAKE THE AVERAGE PLAYER POORER. 


IF ANYTHING, IT MADE THEM RICHER.


THERE IS MORE INCOME INEQUALITY IN BASEBALL TODAY THAN IN THE 1930'S, BUT NO SANE PERSON WOULD ARGUE THAT ALL PLAYERS OR EVEN JUST THE AVERAGE PLAYERS ARE WORSE OFF NOW AS COMPARED TO THE 1930'S.

AND NO SANE PERSON WOULD ARGUE THAT THE BEST PLAYERS SHOULD SHARE MORE OF THEIR SALARIES WITH AVERAGE PLAYERS ON THEIR TEAM OR ON OTHER TEAMS.

BUT THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT SOCIALISTS LIKE OBAMA ARE ARGUING WHEN THEY SAY THAT INCOME INEQUALITY IN THE USA AS A WHOLE HAS GONE UP AND THAT THIS INDICATES WE ARE SOMEHOW A LESS FAIR ECONOMY.

AND THAT WE NEED FEDERAL POLICES TO REDISTRIBUTE THE WEALTH.

IT'S BULLS*IT.

DON'T FALL FOR IT.

ALL PEOPLE ARE BETTER OFF WHEN THE ECONOMY GROWS - WHEN THE PIE GROWS.

THE RICH MAY DO BETTER AT A HIGHER RATE THAN THE POOR, BUT THE POOR'S INCOME AND QUALITY OF LIFE IS ALSO IMPROVING.

LADY THATCHER WAS RIGHT WHEN SHE CAUGHT LEFTISTS IN PARLIAMENT ACTUALLY ARGUING THAT SOCIETY WOULD BE BETTER OFF IF EVERYONE WAS POORER:



STALKING HORSE THIRD PARTY GAINING GROUND

Americans Elect has won ballot approval in 11 states and says it is within days of completing the process in California, the biggest electoral prize. It expects to complete gathering the necessary signatures by Dec. 31 for ballot petitions in all 30 of the states that allow the process to be completed this year; it anticipates no problem meeting the requirements in the remaining states next year.“We’re removing the barrier to entry, which is 50-state ballot access,” said Elliot Ackerman, chief operating officer of Americans Elect.

AS I HAVE BLOGGED MANY TIMES (SCROLL DOWN), THIS IS SOROS/AXELROD/OBAMA'S NY CD 26 STRATEGY: 

GET A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE TO DRAIN AWAY ANTI-OBAMA VOTES WITHOUT GIVING THEM TO THE GOP.


THIS IS THE ONLY WAY OBAMA CAN WIN.

BARRY OBAMA IN 2013

THIS IS THE REAL OBAMA, NOW:

WITH HIS PAL CHRIS DODD

WITH HIS PAL SOROS

DOING WHAT HE LOVES MOST 
AND DOES MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE

WITH HIS PAL MAHMOUD "NO SETTLEMENTS" ABBAS

SAYING HI TO THE LITTLE PEOPLE
WHO HELP KEEP THE OCEANS FROM RISING

SHOWING DISRESPECT TO THE OFFICE, 
AND THE OFFICE FURNITURE 
WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH BIBI

WAVING BYE TO THE LITTLE PEOPLE WHO HELP HIM
HEAL THE EARTH

LOOKING DOWN UPON HIS RICH FRIENDS WHO OFTEN PONY UP
$35,000/PLATE FOR THE CHANCE TO DINE WITH HIM

CONFERRING WITH BLAGO - WHOSE CONGRESSIONAL SEAT WENT TO RAHM BEFORE RAHM BECAME HIS CHIEF OF STAFF, 
BEFORE RAHM WENT BACK TO BECOME MAYOR OF CHICAGO 
AFTER RICHIE DALEY DECIDED TO RETIRE 
AND HIS BROTHER BILL DALEY WENT TO DC 
TO TAKE RAHM'S OLD JOB.


WHAT OBAMA DESERVES TO BE DOING IN 2 YEARS:

UH-OH: FITCH AND MOODY'S ISSUE MORE EU DOWNGRADES

HOLY CRAP:
The eurozone’s third- and fourth-biggest economies were warned by Fitch of a “near-term” downgrade, alongside Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia and Cyprus.  
In a further blow, Belgium separately saw its credit rating downgraded two notches, to Aa3, by another leading agency, Moody’s. It cited the “sustained deterioration” in funding conditions for eurozone countries with relatively high levels of public debt, like Belgium, and new risks stemming from the country's troubled banking sector.  
The downgrade and warnings, delivered after the markets closed last night, came as Spain said its debts had soared; talks with Greece’s private bondholders stalled; and Hungary broke off talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE, NOT BETTER.

HUBBLE PHOTO OF COSMIC SNOW ANGEL

FROM HERE.



VIDEO: HALLEY ENDORSING ROMNEY

HERE'S WHY IT'S TIME LEVIN AND RUSH STOP BASHING MITT:

SEC SUES FORMER FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC EXEC'S

MORE PROOF IT WAS SOCIALISM/CRONY CAPITALISM THAT BROUGHT ON THE CRASH:

S.E.C. Sues 6 Former Top Fannie and Freddie Executives
The Securities and Exchange Commission has brought civil actions against six former top executives at the mortgage giants Fannie Mae andFreddie Mac, saying that the executives did not adequately disclose their firms’ exposure to risky mortgages in the run-up to the financial crisis. 
The case is one of the most significant federal actions taken against top executives at the center of the housing bust and ensuing financial crisis. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been lightning rods in Washington as symbols of the excessive risk-taking that pushed the country into an economic downturn.The agency filed complaints on Friday in the United States District Court in Manhattan against three former executives at Fannie Mae – its chief executive, Daniel H. Mudd; chief risk officer, Enrico Dallavecchia; and executive vice president, Thomas A. Lund.Freddie Mac’s former chief executive, Richard F. Syron; Patricia Cook, its chief business officer; and its executive vice president, Donald J. Bisenius, were also named in a separate complaint.“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives told the world that their subprime exposure was substantially smaller than it really was,” Robert Khuzami, the head of enforcement for the S.E.C., said in a statement. “These material misstatements occurred during a time of acute investor interest in financial institutions’ exposure to subprime loans, and misled the market about the amount of risk on the company’s books. All individuals, regardless of their rank or position, will be held accountable for perpetuating half-truths or misrepresentations about matters materially important to the interest of our country’s investors.”

THE END OF DRONE WARFARE?

CSM Exclusive: Iran hijacked US drone, says Iranian engineer

In an exclusive interview, an engineer working to unlock the secrets of the captured RQ-170 Sentinel says they exploited a known vulnerability and tricked the US drone into landing in Iran.Iran guided the CIA's "lost" stealth drone to an intact landing inside hostile territory by exploiting a navigational weakness long-known to the US military, according to an Iranian engineer now working on the captured drone's systems inside Iran.

Iranian electronic warfare specialists were able to cut off communications links of the American bat-wing RQ-170 Sentinel, says the engineer, who works for one of many Iranian military and civilian teams currently trying to unravel the drone’s stealth and intelligence secrets, and who could not be named for his safety.

Using knowledge gleaned from previous downed American drones and a technique proudly claimed by Iranian commanders in September, the Iranian specialists then reconfigured the drone's GPS coordinates to make it land in Iran at what the drone thought was its actual home base in Afghanistan.
IF THIS IS TRUE, THEN THE DRONES ARE FINISHED.

AND IT MEANS THAT - IF THE WEST INTENDS ON A PREEMPTIVE ATTACK ON IRAN TO PREVENT IT FROM ACQUIRING NUKES - THAT DRONES CANNOT BE USED TO SOFTEN UP THE BATTLE SPACE.

THIS MEANS THE WAR WILL BE BIGGER AND MESSIER. SIGH.

RTWT.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

RIP Joe Simon

Captain America's co-creator along with Jack Kirby has passed away at 98 years of age.

I think what I appreciated most about Simon besides creating one of the most famous superheroes for Marvel was that he understood the menaces we're still facing long after 9-11 back in 2001 (I think he supported the war in Iraq) and, as he told in this interview written just 2 months ago:
SIMON: Stan Lee, bless him, was right in that we’d all like to be that hero, punching out Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden. I did an updated version of the famous comic book cover, this time featuring bin Laden, and one day we may make it public.
I do hope we can get to see that newer drawing someday, but what if the lefties now holding Marvel hostage try to prevent that? It remains to be seen if Simon's drawing of Cap punching bin Laden will ever see the light of day.

For now, it's sad to see another legend gone. We owe Simon a lot of thanks for the good he brought in his time.

IRAN ACTUALLY HAD A DOME SHAPED LIKE DAVID'S STAR

But now, as the latest news reports, they've destroyed it:
Tehran municipality workers destroyed the "Star of David dome" in the capital's main square, according to a report by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, cited by Channel Two News.

The authorities reportedly ordered the destruction of the dome, which had "characteristics associated with the Zionist regime." Fars reported that the move came after increasing disapproval was expressed regarding the feature.

The dome was placed in the square in August last year, surprising many due to the central location. It was allegedly placed there instead of a monument to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a symbol and leader of Islamic opposition to the shah’s secular and Western-aligned rule.

According to report, the ornamental tiling which bore a symbol resembling the Star of David was removed, leaving the dome bare.

Over a year ago government officials in Iran were incensed when they discovered the outline of a Star of David atop the roof of the headquarters of Iran.

The six-pointed star was discovered by an eagle-eyed Google Earth user, over three decades after the building that houses the national airline of the Islamic Republic was constructed by Israeli engineers.
Who knew that the dome constructed in August 2010 would end up in the shape of a Star of David, and would be overlooked so easily? It's sad they don't like our symbol either, but I suspect that even if it were a Japanese Buddhist symbol, since some Japanese did use that too, they'd still be as hateful as ever.

MAKING SENSE OF THE CRISIS?

This financial crisis we are living through is difficult to understand - especially for your average Joe.  I am not about to offer the perfect explanation - or ask you to pay $19.95 for our latest financial news alert.  Velocity of Money has collapsed.  We are facing the risk of a liquidity trap ("Signature characteristics of a liquidity trap are short-term interest rates that are near zero and fluctuations in the monetary base that fail to translate into fluctuations in general price levels") and deflation.  But worst of all - Europe and the United States are suffering from a leadership vacuum and a lack of concensus as to the direction and strategy needed to navigate the world economy.  Unfortunately the markets will not wait.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Kayak.com Joins Bank of America, Campbell's Soup, Lowes, and Sears In Removing Advertising From "All-American Muslim"

And, in announcing their reasons, they implicitly admit that The Learning Channel Network has attempted to hide it politicization of the subject of Islam in America:

In issuing that mea culpa via a corporate blog post, Robert Birge, the chief marketing officer at Kayak, the travel Web site, laid a good deal of the blame for the matter at the feet of TLC, part of Discovery Communications. He complained that the channel “was not upfront with us about the nature of the show” and “went out of their way to pick a fight on this, and they didn’t let us know their intentions.”

“Sadly, TLC is now enjoying the attention from this controversy,” Mr. Birge wrote.

A spokeswoman for Discovery, Laurie Goldberg, said the company would have no comment on Mr. Birge’s contentions.

In his blog post, Mr. Birge said that Kayak had not pulled its ads from “All-American Muslim,” which appears at 10 p.m. Sunday on TLC. Rather, he said, “our ads kept running on this program, but we have made the decision not to give TLC more money when the show returns in January.”

Three other sponsors that the Florida Family Association identified as having withdrawn their commercials from the show have also disputed that claim. They are Bank of America, Campbell Soup and Sears Holdings.

Mr. Birge, in his post, said that Kayak had agreed to advertise in “All-American Muslim” because “we adamantly support tolerance and diversity.”

“We get what America is about,” he wrote.

Kayak’s decision against advertising on the series in the future “comes across as bending to bigotry,” Mr. Birge said, and “it also appears that we did not support people who deserve support as people and as Americans.”

“For that, I am profoundly sorry,” he said. “We would not want anyone to think that we caved to hatred.”
It was “angry e-mails” about Kayak’s sponsorship of “All-American Muslim” that led Mr. Birge to look into the series “more thoroughly,” he said, and “the first thing I discovered” was TLC’s lack of transparency about the nature of the show.

A reporter who received an e-mail from Kayak with Mr. Birge’s blog post was puzzled because there was considerable publicity about “All-American Muslim” before its debut. Articles outlined the contents of the show and its focus on the Muslim-American community of Dearborn, Mich., a Detroit suburb.

The reporter e-mailed Kayak to ask why Mr. Birge believed TLC kept information from the company. In an e-mail response, Mr. Birge replied: “When TLC pitched ‘All-American Muslim’ to advertisers, it was characterized as a fair-and-balanced look at the life of an American Muslim.”

“However,” he continued, “what was not disclosed was the pre-existing controversy surrounding race, religion and specifically the divide between the Muslim and Christian communities in Dearborn, Mich.”
Dearborn “has been a center of controversy for right or wrong,” he added. “However, that was omitted by TLC when it pitched the show.”

In his e-mail, Mr. Birge wrote that as a company of 150, Kayak did not “have the resources or time to do a full background check on the contents of every show on which we buy advertising.”

Mr. Birge’s e-mail did not address the matter of why Kayak believes TLC wanted to “pick a fight” about the series or was “enjoying the attention.”

Mr. Birge, in his blog post, said that as part of his exploration of the matter, he watched the first two episodes of “All-American Muslim” and, he said, “Mostly, I just thought the show sucked."

“Based on our dealings with TLC and the simple assessment of the show,” Mr. Birge concluded in his blog post, “I decided we should put our money elsewhere. Apologies again.
So, the point here is, Kayak has no problem advertising on a show with Islamic content. What Kayak seems to object to is the use of the show as agitprop designed to instill the notion that Muslims are victims of bigotry.

And, to top it off, the show sucks.

This is not the first time  that The Learning Channel has attempted to sell propaganda as family programming. In 2010 TLC broadcast a TV show called Sister Wives which was about a Polygamist Family.

One must wonder what is wrong with the people at TLC. Certainly they know there has never been a Polygamist society which has afforded equal rights to women.

Likewise, certainly they must know that there is not a single Muslim nation on the face of the Earth which affords equal rights to women.

And yet, TLC is actively promoting two ideologies which similarly oppress women and promote polygamy.

Is TLC merely courting controversy for the sake of ratings, or do they have a vicious agenda against women?

Actually, I don't think it's either. I think they are Gramscians set on tearing down the foundational values of Western society in order to replace them with what they likely think of as a Progressive society.

In doing so, they are playing with fire.

Western Society, minus it's foundational values (all men are created equal with equal rights under the law) will not become "Progressive", but will instead give into the natural impulses of Primitivism, which means women will be devalued, the assertion of male dominance through violence will be prized, and property will not be a matter of individual rights so much as it will be a matter of the invidual's willingness to kill and murder.

FACT: THERE WERE MORE JEWISH REFUGEES THROWN OUT OF MUSLIMS NATIONS THAN ARAB REFUGEES WHO FLED ISRAEL

ARAB CLAIM ON SPAIN STRONGER THAN THEIR CLAIM ON ISRAEL

Spain has a history of Arab rule, not Israel.
MORE:

“Not one settlement in the Land of Israel has a name that is of Arabic origin. Most of the settlement names originate in the Hebrew, Greek, Latin or Roman languages. In fact, till today, except for Ramlah, not one Arabic settlement has an original Arabic name. Till today, most of the settlements names are of Hebrew or Greek origin, the names distorted to senseless Arabic names. There is no meaning in Arabic to names such as Acco (Acre), Haifa, Jaffa, Nablus, Gaza, or Jenin and towns named Ramallah, El Halil and El-Kuds (Jerusalem) lack historical roots or Arabic philology".
(FOR EXAMPLE: NABLUS IS ARAB PRONUNCIATION OF NAPLES A ROMAN PLACE-NAME FROM ROMAN OCCUPATION.)

ALL THIS IS BASED ON A 17TH CENTURY BOOK.

RTWT.

UH-OH: PARTS OF CHINA IN OPEN REVOLT

Inside Wukan: the Chinese village that fought back
Something extraordinary has happened in the Chinese village of Wukan.

For the first time on record, the Chinese Communist party has lost all control, with the population of 20,000 in this southern fishing village now in open revolt.

The last of Wukan’s dozen party officials fled on Mondayafter thousands of people blocked armed police from retaking the village, standing firm against tear gas and water cannons.

Since then, the police have retreated to a roadblock, some three miles away, in order to prevent food and water from entering, and villagers from leaving. Wukan’s fishing fleet, its main source of income, has also been stopped from leaving harbour.

The plan appears to be to lay siege to Wukan and choke a rebellion which began three months ago when an angry mob, incensed at having the village’s land sold off, rampaged through the streets and overturned cars.

Although China suffers an estimated 180,000 “mass incidents” a year, it is unheard of for the Party to sound a retreat.

But on Tuesday The Daily Telegraph managed to gain access through a tight security cordon and witnessed the new reality in this coastal village.

Thousands of Wukan’s residents, incensed at the death of one of their leaders in police custody, gathered for a second day in front of a triple-roofed pagoda that serves as the village hall.

For five hours they sat on long benches, chanting, punching the air in unison and working themselves into a fury.

At the end of the day, a fifteen minute period of mourning for their fallen villager saw the crowd convulsed in sobs and wailing for revenge against the local government.

“Return the body! Return our brother! Return our farmland! Wukan has been wronged! Blood debt must be paid! Where is justice?” the crowd screamed out.

Wukan’s troubles began in September, when the villagers’ collective patience snapped at an attempt to take away their land and sell it to property developers.

“Almost all of our land has been taken away from us since the 1990s but we were relaxed about it before because we made our money from fishing,” said Yang Semao, one of the village elders. “Now, with inflation rising, we realise we should grow more food and that the land has a high value.”
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT A CHINESE ARMY GENERAL RECENTLY WARNED ABOUT AND THAT WE POSTED ON 2 WEEKS AGO:

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2011

UH-OH: CHI-COMS ADMIT FEAR OF MASSIVE SOCIAL UNREST AS THIER ECONOMY FALTERS

BBC:
China's security chief has warned that the government needs better methods to deal with social unrest due to a slowing economy.

Zhou Yongkang, a member of the politburo, asked provincial officials for improved "social management".

China has seen an increase in labour unrest in recent weeks.

The comments are a sign that the Chinese government is worried that another slowdown could spark public anger.

"It is an urgent task ..."
I FEAR THEY WILL MAKE TIENANMEN LOOK LIKE A PICNIC.

STAY TUNED...
YUP: STAY TUNED... IT'S GONNA GET WORSE AS THE CHINESE BUBBLE DEFLATES AND EUROPE COLLAPSES....

UH-OH: MARKET ORACLE: It's Time to Brace for a Repeat of Financial Crisis 2008, Recession 2012

If you think the global economy is out of the woods now that the European Union (EU) has expanded its effort to solve the sovereign debt crisis, then I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken.

No doubt, the European crisis is far from being solved - but that's hardly the only potential economic catastrophe looming on the horizon.

Indeed, two successive articles in the Financial Times last week warned of a new disaster approaching: They forecast 25% declines in financing volume for both commodities finance and aircraft purchases in 2012.

Now that would be truly bad news.

You see, the most job-destroying feature of the 2008-09 recession was a 17% decline in world trade that was caused by the financial crash and the disruption to the world's banks. That decline intensified recessionary conditions and caused millions of job losses worldwide. Some 700,000 jobs were being lost each month in the United States alone for a period in early 2009. That's more than double the previous worst monthly losses since World War II.

And now we could be in for a repeat.

In fact, it's hard to see how one can be avoided.
BETTER BRACE YOURSELVES...

ROMNEY VERSUS GINGRICH IS LIKE CASTLE VERSUS O'DONNELL

IF THE GOP NOMINATES GINGRICH, THEN THEY WILL GET THE SAME RESULT NATIONALLY THAT O'DONNELL GOT IN DELAWARE.

THAT'S PERHAPS WHY O'DONNELL HAS ENDORSED ROMENY:

SHE WANTS THE GOP TO WIN THE WHITE HOUSE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

EVERY POLL SHOWS NEWT DOING POORLY AGAINST OBAMA - AND MITT BEATING HIM.

END OF STORY.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

NEWT'S GOT A BIG MOUTH, ALICE. A REAL REAL BIG MOUTH!

Intermixed with Newt Gingrich’s many positive qualities is a proclivity to make outlandish and unproductive statements that won’t benefit him should he win the White House.

He can be, for lack of a better term, a blabbermouth.

As he has steadily risen in the polls to become the GOP front-runner, Gingrich has done a remarkable job controlling his blabbering, but there have been a few lapses. These lapses help highlight one of the major downsides of his candidacy.

RTWT.

AS ALICE USED TO SAY ABOUT RALPH KRAMDEN: YOU GOTTA BIG MOUTH!

RUMOR: DOWNED DRONE WAS A FAKE?

THIS IS HOW RUMORS/DISINFORMATION GETS STARTED:

this whole operation is a classic diisinfo gag:

this is a fake drone we deliberately “crashed” inside iran to make them think we are “droning” them and – since we know it will surely end up in china – it’s been loaded with bad/phony computer crap to steer the chinese in the wrong direction.

12/8/11 At 6:35 PM , Blogger Reliapundit said...

IT'S DIDN'T CRASH AND WASN'T SHOT DOWN.

THE DRONE IS A FAKE DELIBERATELY AIR-DROPPED INTO IRAN WITH BAD TECHNOLOGY IN ORDER TO THROW OFF THE CHICOMS, RUSKIES AND IRANIANS.


OUCH: “The president had three options on his desk and he rejected all of them.”Well, nobody ever accused Bush & Cheney of being indecisive.

Of course, if we’re really smart, the drone is fake — just real enough to lead the Chinese down the wrong path. Like the stealth helicopter that “crashed” in the bin Laden raid. The question is, are we that smart?


MAYBE IT'S WORSE THAN A MERE FAKE? MAYBE IT'S LOADED WITH VIRUSES?

NYTIMES: ISLAMO-NAZIS GET MONEY FROM INTERNATIONAL DRUG TRAFFICKING

Last February, the Obama administration accused one of Lebanon’s famously secretive banks of laundering money for an international cocaine ring with ties to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Now, in the wake of the bank’s exposure and arranged sale, its ledgers have been opened to reveal deeper secrets: a glimpse at the clandestine methods that Hezbollah — a terrorist organization in American eyes that has evolved into Lebanon’s pre-eminent military and political power — uses to finance its operations. The books offer evidence of an intricate global money-laundering apparatus that, with the bank as its hub, appeared to let Hezbollah move huge sums of money into the legitimate financial system, despite sanctions aimed at cutting off its economic lifeblood.

At the same time, the investigation that led the United States to the bank, the Lebanese Canadian Bank, provides new insights into the murky sources of Hezbollah’s money. While law enforcement agencies around the world have long believed that Hezbollah is a passive beneficiary of contributions from loyalists abroad involved in drug trafficking and a grab bag of other criminal enterprises, intelligence from several countries points to the direct involvement of high-level Hezbollah officials in the South American cocaine trade.

One agent involved in the investigation compared Hezbollah to the Mafia, saying, “They operate like the Gambinos on steroids.”
MORE HERE:

A Lebanese national, who U.S. authorities say is the ringleader of a vast internationaldrug smuggling ring with links to the Hizbullah terror group, was indicted Tuesday on drugand money laundering charges, The Associated Press reported.

The indictment against announced 47-year-old Ayman Joumaa, who is currently at large, alleges he led a conspiracy that, among other activities, sold nearly 100 tons of Colombian cocaine to the Zetas drug cartel in Mexico between 2005 and 2007 that was ultimately smuggled into the United States.

THIS SHOULD COME AS NO SHOCK.

SCUM WHOSE RELIGION TEACHES THEM THAT MURDERING YOUR DAUGHTER CAN RESTORE FAMILY HONOR AND THAT THE 9/11 ATTACKS WERE GOOD ARE OF COURSE CAPABLE OF DRUG TRAFFICKING. AND GENOCIDE.

WE OUGHT TO DEMAND THE ARREST OF THE ENTIRE HIZBALLAH LEADERSHIP AND THEN DEMAND EXTRADITION TO... GITMO.

REMINDER: HIZBALLAH ARE THE STOOGES OF IRAN - SO I'D GUESS IRAN IS UP TO ITS EYEBALL IN DRUG TRAFFICKING TOO.

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL SUPPORTS MITT

SHE PREFERS MITT. SHOULDN'T YOU?





EQUAL TIME:


WOW: PROOF CLIMATE ALARMISTS WERE HIGHLY CONSCIOUS OF POLITICS AND FUNDRAISING

EMAILS SHOW THE CLIMATE SCIENTISTS WERE NOT FACT-FINDERS BUT GRANT-SEEKING, FUND-RAISING POLITICIANS.

BEST REASON TO VOTE FOR NEWT &/OR MITT: THEY'RE NOT LAWYERS

OBAMA AND BIDEN AND HILLARY ARE LAWYERS.

MITT AND NEWT ARE NOT. (MITT HAS A JD BUT NEVER PRACTICED.)

CASE CLOSED.

1/2 of the GOP won't vote for Newt

UH-OH.

Newt might win the PRIMARY battle, but then the GOP loses election the war....

Newt is a loose cannon who is not more conservative than Mitt.

The New Newt says he’s 68 years old and therefore has mellowed and matured. He was 65 years and a few months old when he opposed TARP and then supported it. He was still just 67 years old when he criticized President Obama for not instituting a no-fly zone over Libya and then criticized him for doing it. He was on the cusp of 68 when he denounced Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform as “right-wing social engineering,” before contorting himself to explain it away.
NEWT IS NOT THE BEST POSSIBLE CHOICE.

THE CLOSING OF THE STRAITS OF HORMUZ: BOLTON SAW ALL THIS IN 2009

TAB 2 YEARS AGO:

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2009

BOLTON: IF ISRAEL ATTACKS IRAN IT WOULD BE AWFUL, BUT A NUCLEAR IRAN WOULD BE WORSE

BOLTON:

Consider the most-often mentioned Iranian responses to a possible Israeli strike:

1) Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz. ...
2) Iran cuts its own oil exports to raise world prices. ...
3) Iran attacks U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. ...
4) Iran increases support for global terrorism. ...
5) Iran launches missile attacks on Israel. ...
6) Iran unleashes Hamas and Hezbollah against Israel.

... This brief survey demonstrates why Israel's military option against Iran's nuclear program is so unattractive, but also why failing to act is even worse. All these scenarios become infinitely more dangerous once Iran has deliverable nuclear weapons.
WHAT IF THE IRANIANS HAVE NUKES NOW?

AND WHAT IF THIS WAR-GAMES STUNT ISN'T A WAR-GAMES STUNT BUT A POWER GRAB?

AND WHAT IF THEY CLOSE THE STRAITS AND SAY THEY WON'T OPEN THEM UNTIL ISRAEL RETREATS TO 1949 BORDERS?

ACCORDING TO OBAMA'S MODEL - JIMMY CARTER WHO ENUNCIATED THE CARTER DOCTRINE IN 1980 - THE GULF OIL IS A NATIONAL AND GLOBAL SECURITY RESOURCE AND WE WILL GO TO WAR TO DEFEND IT.

WOULD OBAMA ENFORCE THE CARTER DOCTRINE?

SOME REPORTER SHOULD ASK HIM.

GLENN BECK HAS REALLY PUT HIS FOOT IN HIS MOUTH THIS TIME

I used to think Beck was an inspiration. Now, thanks to his latest really bizarre acts of stupidity, I think I'm going to have to reconsider. Over a year ago, Beck made an early error when he called Geert Wilders a fascist. But this time, he may have really leaped the shark. It first began when out of nowhere, the man whom we thought backed the Tea Party movements thought the best way he could voice his disapproval of Newt Gingrich's supporters was to suggest that by supporting Newt, they were racists. Huh?!? Now what brought that on? How could he possibly succumb to the exact kind of insult to the intellect that the left was hell bent on pushing?

Now, he's really stepped in it after he said he was willing to consider voting for Ron Paul as a third party candidate (also via PJ Media), this despite Paul's atrocious stance on Israel and his support for 9-11 Trutherism, to say nothing of his ignorance of Iran's nuclears.

I can't even begin to describe how stupefying this is, that Beck, who just several months ago made such a big effort to bring inspiration to Israel is all of a sudden willing to throw the Promised Land under the bus all for the sake of Paul, and even willing to risk enabling Obama to be reelected. You may or may not have noticed, but if you know where to look, there does seem to be some disunity among some conservative commentators lately, and Beck isn't helping any by making such divisive statements and playing with fire. Already, he seems to have made quite a negative impact with some former fans, including Andrew Breitbart. And one of the folks on iOwnTheWorld doesn't want to link to his sites anymore. And while reading this posting on Nice Deb, I came across the following comment, which asks:
So his idea to get rid of the Fed is brilliant? Suppose he did that – what would happen to the dollar? All those green pieces of paper, with the words “Federal Reserve Note” would suddenly become worthless. I may have missed his suggestion, but what does he propose replacing the Fed with? What does he propose about the money?
Say, now that's interesting. What exactly does Paul have in mind? Could it be turning society into something almost marxist? In that case, who says his views on economy are anything worthwhile?

Now, even I'm so mind boggled by Beck's horrific shock tactics, I don't know if I should keep turning to the Blaze site for info either. When a man you thought knew his way turns to the dark side like this, it becomes very difficult to want to rely on him and his sites for vital news anymore. This a friend of Israel? I'm sorry, but if that's how he's going to run his biz, I can't buy what he says any longer. Don't be surprised if GBTV loses subscriptions because of this.

NYC COP SHOT DEAD; BLOOMBERG BLAMES WEAK GUN LAWS - BUT IT WAS A BAD JUDGE'S FAULT

A COP IN NYC HAS BEEN SHOT AND KILLED AND BLOOMBERG BLAMES WEAK GUN LAWS.

BLOOMBERG IS WRONG: IT WASN'T THE HANDGUN'S FAULT.

IT WAS THE FAULT OF A BAD JUDGE AND CRAPPY DA:

Earlier Monday, NBC New York first reported that Pride was released by a judge after a drug arrest in Coney Island last month, despite an outstanding warrant in North Carolina for a violent shooting in that state.

Kelly said Pride was wanted for aggravated assault in North Carolina. In that case, Greensboro, N.C. police said he was one of three men involved in a dispute that led to a shooting on Aug. 5.

The warrant for Pride's arrest was not filed until seven weeks later, on Sept. 23, according to New York state officials. Just a day before, he had been arrested in Brooklyn on charges of knife possession.

And Pride was arrested several other times, including Nov. 3 in Coney Island for a drug charge in an apartment. A child was also present at the time, and Pride was charged with drug possession and endangering the welfare of child, both misdemeanors.

When police ran his rap sheet that day, the report came back just minutes later that he was wanted for the North Carolina felonies, NBC New York has learned.

But when he was arraigned the next day in Brooklyn criminal court, the judge released him.

Standard practice for suspects with outstanding warrants is to hold them without bail until the warrant issue is resolved. In this case, the warrant also indicated he could be "armed with a handgun."

It's not clear what happened with the information about his warrant and why he was released. The DA only asked for $2,500 bail in front of the judge.

WE SHOULD BAN BAD JUDGES AND CRAPPY DA'S, NOT GUNS.

TAXING THE RICH WON'T HELP THE POOR - OR EVEN THE LESS RICH

TAXING RICH PEOPLE TRANSFERS MONEY TO THE CAREER POLITICIANS AND THE PET PROJECTS OF THEIR CRONIES, NOT TO THE NEEDY.

TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE TO SEND TO CAREER POLITICIANS TO SPEND ON BUREAUCRATIC BOONDOGGLES WON'T CREATE JOBS OR RAISE WAGES.

IT WILL HAVE THE OPPOSITE EFFECT.

CLASS WARFARE IS MASS HYSTERIA THAT CAN MORPH INTO MASS SUICIDE.

DON'T FALL FOR IT.

Crony Capitalism

Government interference is indeed a huge part of the economic problems we face today:


Yet, so many Americans are looking to the government to solve the present economic crisis. Ain't gonna happen, folks!

Big government IS the problem!

THIS IS WHO THEY ARE...


AND THIS IS WHAT THEY DO:

Monday, December 12, 2011

ASSAD HAS KILLED MORE ARAB CIVILIANS THIS YEAR THAN ISRAELIS HAVE IN THE LAST ELEVEN YEARS COMBINED

THAT'S A RATE THAT'S 10x WORSE THAN DURING THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT ON OVER A DECADE!
THAT AHMADINEJAD ---
  • AND NASRALLAH
  • AND MESHAAL
  • AND IRAN
  • AND HIZBALLAH
  • AND HAMAS
  • AND THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
  • AND ARABS IN GENERAL ---
REMAIN VIRTUALLY SILENT IN THE FACE OF THE GENOCIDAL WAR ASSAD IS WAGING ON HIS OWN PEOPLE PROVES THAT WITH REGARD TO THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT THESE PEOPLE REALLY DON'T CARE ONE WHIT ABOUT ARAB LIVES OR ARAB SELF-DETERMINATION.

THEY ONLY REALLY CARE ABOUT ANNIHILATING ISRAEL AND THE JEWS.

WHICH IS WHY THE ARABS DESERVE AND GET LEADERS LIKE ASSAD AND AHMADINEJAD AND NASRALLAH AND KHADAFI AND SADDAM.

IS NEWT PHYSICALLY FIT ENOUGH TO BE PRESIDENT?

JUST ASKING...

I LIKE A LOT ABOUT BOTH CANDIDATES.

I LIKE NEWT'S RHETORIC MORE, BUT NOT HIS PENCHANT FOR BOMB-THROWING.

NEITHER IS CONSERVATIVE ENOUGH FOR ME.

BUT THEY'D MAKE A GOOD TICKET.

NOW, LOOK AT THEM, WILL YOU:


NEWT IS 68 - AND LOOKS LIKE AN UNFIT GEEK.

MITT LOOKS MORE FIT.


ROMNEY SEEMS TO HAVE MORE STAMINA AND STRENGTH -
MORE VIM AND VIGOR.


I THINK HEALTH AND VITALITY ARE IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTES IN A CANDIDATE.

I THINK IT'S TIME BOTH MEN RELEASED THEIR FULL MEDICAL RECORDS.

BUYCOTT LOWE'S THIS CHRISTMAS!

BECAUSE LOWE'S HAS PULLED ADS FROM A TV SHOW THAT PROPAGANDIZES IN FAVOR OF ISLAMIZATION (IN THE GUISE OF A RELAITY SHOW), THE ISLAMIZATIONISTS ARE GOING AFTER LOWES AND ASKING THE PUBILC TO BOYCOTT THEM.

IT'S A PERFECT TIME FOR US TO FIGHT BACK!

BUYCOTT LOWE'S FOR CHRISTMAS!