Saturday, November 30, 2013

ObamaCare is an Overstuffed Turkey


Across America, families are emerging from their Thanksgiving turkey comas, and have returned home after battling Black Friday 'sales' buying things they do not need, with money they do not have.

Both of these events put me in mind of the turkey that is ObamaCare and the ever more frenetic marketing of (as one wag put it to me) the "s*it sandwich" that is being sold to us as Obama's signature legacy.

Each day as we, the consumer, find out more of those details that the politicians wouldn't share with us, before the legislation was passed (with NO help from the Republicans) commentators are finally admitting what some of us have been screaming about all along.

I still have not found one person who admits to reading the whole 2,000+ page abomination, but finally, I HAVE found an analysis of the dollars and (non) cents UNConstitutional Act   (based on omissions, innuendos and outright lies) that shows why this product being foist on us by the Not-So-Super-Salesman-In-Charge, must not stand.  Read on:

11/29/2013

Carving up the Health Care Pig

Have you ever wondered why it costs so much to see a doctor?  After all, a Doctor's time can only be worth so much, right?  Still, medical care has gotten so expensive that most are willing to pay a 3rd Party to pay the bill instead.  Somehow, it's perceived that paying someone else to pay the Doctor will decrease the cost of seeing the Doctor.  They call it "insurance," but the definition no longer fits the reality.  Insurance is designed as numerous individuals paying a little into a fund that covers catastrophic but unlikely events, while modern "health insurance" pays for routine events and common ailments.  But, for the sake of clarity, I'll refer to it as "health insurance," as it is commonly referred to as such. 

Let's begin with just a visit to the Doctor's office.  The fee charged doesn't just cover the Doctor's time.  It also has to pay the time of the Nurse who prepares you to see the Doctor and asks the questions he needs answered to optimize his time with you.  It also has to pay for the time of the receptionist who schedules your appointment, pulls your records, and makes sure the Doctor has time to see you, prioritizing those with the most urgent of needs.  It also has to pay the mortgage on the building the doctor had built to see you.  It also has to pay for the chair you sit in waiting to see the doctor, and the table he examines you on, and all the equipment he needs to have on hand.  It also has to pay the costs of those loans he took out to gain that medical knowledge, and the costs of the loans of his Nurse.

Costs are going to snowball quick in this reality, and this is going to get long, while only touching on the generalities of those costs. 

Now, your Doctor's Office has set up a fairly efficient system where by he sees many patients in a short amount of time, with each phase of the visit using the lowest cost labor needed, and requiring you to wait a little while longer for his time.  So, in a normal free enterprise system, where it was a business and a customer relationship, the visit would probably only run $20 to $40, but we've added a lot of paychecks and infrastructure that has no part in actually providing the service.

Rather than just writing a check, or paying in cash or plastic, we've added the insurance company, which means the Doctor's office has to process the paperwork to justify the charges to someone that wasn't there.  The insurance company has to pay someone to ensure the justification is correct, because they weren't there.  It has to pay for a building and filing cabinets and phones and cubicles, not only for the verifiers, but for the salesmen, and those that bill the patient for the coverage.  It has to pay for lawyers to make sure the paperwork is correct with the State.  And it has to charge the patient enough to pay for all of those costs, and to pay the Doctor for his time, and the costs of running the Doctor's office.

In effect, we have just doubled the number of paychecks and infrastructure it requires to pay for the Doctor's visit, just by adding the Health Insurance company to the mix.  And many will notice that their co-pay is very close to what the cost would have been otherwise.  Of course, we also "added jobs" to the equation, but there is still only one Doctor giving the care, and still only one Nurse checking vitals, and one receptionist helping to maximize efficiency in that care.

A sad reality is that many in America today believe that their best opportunity to "strike it rich," is through a lawsuit.  The lottery is high on the list as well, but business ownership is too low on that list.  "Medical malpractice" lawsuits are way too common, and combined with this belief that a lawsuit is the most likely means to riches, there are many frivolous lawsuits against Doctors and Insurance companies.  That's not to say that all are baseless, but the more common the lawsuit, and the more money awarded, or spent on a defense, or both, the higher the cost of insurance to protect the Doctor in the case, no matter how good he is.  The cost of that insurance becomes a part of the Doctor's Fee and is passed on to the patient in the cost of higher insurance premiums.

And then we have all these pills, that companies now advertise to the patient, on TV and patients now demand the magic pills from their Doctor.  It may be that each and every pill does exactly what the corporations claim, including the side effects, such as suicidal thoughts.  But, those pills require chemists, and scientists, and researchers, and laboratories to test them in.  They require test subjects, and then proof to the FDA that they are what they say they are.  All of those things cost money, and lots of it, and that's before it goes to production in a sanitary factory, or TV advertising.  Doctors can't know every pill made and the companies that make them pay a lot of money to ensure they do know their latest greatest.  They pay salesmen to woo the Doctor and educate them on the latest thing out.  The patient demands not only a prescription written by a doctor, but also "coverage" for the cost of the pills, and that adds time to the Doctor's billing as well as to the Insurance companies costs, which are again added to the costs of those premiums, while the co-pays likely cover the costs of actually manufacturing, and the rest has to cover the cost of all those middlemen. ...



There is MUCH more here, with irrefutable commonsense and FACTS.  Yes, I know that common sense and facts are frowned upon these days by the politicians who would rather we, the people, just meekly swallow this bitter pill called ObamaCare. 

I am seeing glimmers of hope that the patient (the American citizen) is waking from the ObamaCare coma.  My prescription is to share this column with all those patients who are still wavering and remind them that the *Doctor* does not always know best.  

In this case, America cannot afford the ill-conceived monstrosity that is Obama's UnAffordable Care Act.  My prescription?  Citizens MUST act, before the disease of "we are the government, and we are here to help you" renders the Republic terminal.





Netanyahu: "...we will act as a light unto the nations.”




From JihadWatch:

Netanyahu vows to banish "darkness" of Iran nuclear program

BNetanyahu.jpg

A light unto the nations indeed. "Netanyahu vows to banish ‘darkness’ of Iran nuclear program," by Joshua Davidovich for the Times of Israel, November 28:


Melding the Hanukkah holiday and foreign affairs, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu solemnly vowed to act as a “light unto the nations” and act against Iran’s nuclear program should diplomacy fail Thursday night. 


Speaking at the Western Wall for a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony, Netanyahu compared Iran’s nuclear program to a darkness that would be forced out by Israel, referencing a popular children’s song for the holiday.


“We came to drive out the darkness, and the largest darkness that threatens the world today is a nuclear Iran,” he said. “We are bound to do all we can to prevent this darkness. If possible we will do this diplomatically, if not we will act as a light unto the nations.”...


There IS more, here.

Friday, November 29, 2013

IAF launches "Blue Flag" Exercise

IAF Launches Largest International Military Exercise in Israel's History

 This past Sunday, Nov. 24, the Israel Air Force launched – for the first time in Israel’s history – the Blue Flag international training exercise at the Ovda airbase in southern Israel. The large-scale international exercise is a joint exercise of the US, Italian and Hellenic air forces and will be held entirely in English. The exercise, which will continue through Thursday, Nov. 28, is a part of the IAF’s elite training program. The goal of the exercise is to improve Israel’s general air defense capabilities while learning together and cooperating with global allies.

Argentina sabre rattling over Falklands - again




From British Forces News:

Argentine threat over Falklands oil 

29 November 2013 | British Forces News

Argentina has threatened oil businesses operating off the Falkland Islands with fines, jail terms, and confiscation of assets.

Its London embassy announced that new laws have been passed by the Argentine Congress to punish exploration it claims is in breach of a United Nations resolution.

But the Foreign Office insisted the activities were "wholly legitimate and legal" and entirely under the control of the Government of the island, a British overseas territory.

Islanders recently voted overwhelmingly by 1,513 to three to remain a British overseas territory.
Buenos Aires has issued repeated written legal warnings to firms that they face administrative, civil and criminal action for operating off the islands which Argentina calls Las Malvinas....


Yes, you know there is more here.


I have written many times about the Falklands, so for background just put Falkland Islands  in the search thing above.

As any long-time reader here knows, I stand 100% with the Islanders who  choose to remain part of Britain, rather than Argentina.

So, nice try, Argentina, but NO!

Red Shirt Friday? WHO supports the Troops?


Many have died while serving their country (Canada) and now many are dying because their country will not serve them (Canada)...Canadian veterans affairs and the system that governs it is a disgrace and dishonours all who served,,past and present...The politicians will not right the wrongs until we the people tell them to...IT IS TIME TO TELL THEM !!! This message needs to go viral...what are YOU waiting for????

 A Message to Veterans Affairs:

Show some respect. Honour the sacrifice and pay what is needed.
Lest you have already forgotten !!!!


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

America is broken: Who will fix it?



This is the document that clearly authorizes what the Federal government is allowed to do, what authorities and responsibilities the separate entities of the Government have.  It is what Our Troops swear to defend and what our politicians and judges have sworn to uphold:


We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

 Those words in the first paragraph above are the beginning of an article written on War On Terror News back on Constitution Day 2011.

As is pointed out within that article, the US Constitution is but four (4!!!)  pages of simple language setting out what America is/will be, and what it is NOT.  The foundations upon which a great nation was based seem to have been shaken to the core in recent years, as the current crop of politicians seem determined to over-reach the very clear limits placed upon them within that framework.  Today, from where I sit, America is under attack by those very 'servants' of the people who - as noted above - swore to uphold the Constitution. 

 America is broken: Who will fix it? 

Since the first election campaign of the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania, I have watched the media aid and abet those candidates who preached things like: Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

 On the first campaign Obama repeatedly said things like:   America does not need to be divided and angry. "You can't afford to settle for the same old politics," and was constantly referred to as the 'great uniter.'  He made many silver-tongued promises of how if we just voted for him, he would join us all as one to transform this country,  that was forged in those values held most dear by the Founding Fathers.

Really? Okay, well  not so much.  At almost every turn, this administration has been based on the willingness of the uneducated masses to blindly follow an ideology, an agenda, that was based on emotion, rather than a  clear  articulation of what that transformation really meant.  Sure, his golden oratory promised that there would be 'peace in the world; the dawning of a new era' or something like that.  A whole new America, where every mouth was fed, and everybody would be healthy and wealthy living in this new nirvana.  What he did NOT say explicitly was that government would tell parents what their children would be taught in school (Common Core,  anybody?), what those kids must eat in school (Let's Move, courtesy of the missus), a health care system  where everybody would have equal access to healthcare, no matter their economical or citizenship status - or their individual choices?  (ObamaCare of course!)  As for everybody sharing the wealth of America? NOwhere in the Constitution is the power given to the Federal Government to give gazillions of taxpayer dollars to create phantom 'shovel ready' projects to give fake jobs to citizens. All well and good, but the America the Constitution was written in, and for, was an America that ANY and all of those were attainable by the individual effort.  They are NOT mandated within the Constitution, nor are they God-given rights.  "The PURSUIT...", not the giving.  

From where I sit, this administration and their policies foisted upon us, has divided America in a way I have not seen before. And I am not alone in seeing this. COL (r) Allen West had this up today.



THIS administration has gone so far outside the Constitution of America, exceeded the mandate set therein, that the evidence of a divided America cannot be ignored, denied.

Every President of the United States swears an oath to defend the United States Constitution:


I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.


This POTUS has taken this oath twice now, but from where I sit, this self-proclaimed 'Constitutional expert' has wilfully ignored the Constitution, and in so doing, has brought America to a very dangerous precipice.

 NOwhere in the Constitution does it stipulate that any government (Federal or State) has the right to tell Americans what products they must buy, and then fine them if they do not.  NOwhere in that document could I find it stated that it is the duty of the Federal government to tell schools (within different States) what the curriculum should be...

“Give me just one generation of youth, and I'll transform the whole world.” - Lenin
“Give me two generations of children of Americans in school without God and I will take the nation without firing a shot!” - Lenin 

Search as I might, I found no dietary mandate for the Federal government within the records.  Nor did I find any reference to the Federal government politicians having the duty to enable the ever more greedy, and dependent: the 'give me" generation.  As I watch the America I love more divided - and angry - than I ever remember, I see Americans demoralised and asking themselves: Where is my America?

There is no denying that America IS broken, and the next question must be: Who will fix it?   Our politicians ignore their sworn duty as set out in the Constitution, and forget that they are servants of the people, elected to serve us, not just ensure a lifetime career with the perks - paid for by your taxes - that they somehow see as their right, their entitlement.  Dare to challenge that?  You are branded a terrorist, un-American, and subject to public ridicule and character assassination. 

NOwhere in the US Constitution does the president have unlimited power over the people, nor the authority to rule over every aspect of the citizens' lives.

Found a very interesting series of videos, where the same simple language as found in the Constitution is used to explain the function and limits of each of the three branches of government. Take a look:




"...their terms [Congress] are short to check corruption... this [the Senate] was designed so their duties would be to have a powerful role in checks and balances to the Federal government , so that it would not gain total power  over the people. The Founding Fathers never intended for the Federal government to rule over the states or the people..."

In 1913, the 17th Amendment was implemented, which in effect weakened the individual States' powers to check the Federal government.   Go check out the series of videos.

One of those videos focuses on the reason the US chose to be a Republic rather than stay under the Rule of a Monarchy.

There is a very simple Pledge of Allegiance, that swears (as per the original):


I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

 A very interesting history of that can be found here.

Part of that History can be found here, where it is noted:


In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today.[...]. Today it reads:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

An element present in the Pledge,  and enshrined within the Constitution, is the pursuit of Liberty...NOwhere in the Pledge of Allegiance, NOR in the Constitution. is there a pledge to whatever president occupies the Oval Office.  NOWHERE!  Yet, in the current climate in America, partisanship rules the days and the politicians of all stripes demonstrate on a daily basis that their own allegiance is to their own re-election, and their political agenda, to the peril of the citizens. The cost? Freedom and our God-given Rights to Liberty.

That 1954 version of the Pledge still stands today, and yes, as noted, it was 'in response to the Communist threat of the times.'

That was a very real threat, and in those days America WAS vigilant of any threat to the freedom of the Republic's citizens.  As well that might be to today, as we see very real threats to the Liberty and Freedoms determined to beat down the doors of the Republic.

From 1930,  and still so very relevant today, with current enemies hell-bent on destroying the American citizens' God-given rights to liberty, and freedom to pursue those liberties:
"War to the hilt between communism and capitalism is inevitable. Today, of course, we are not strong enough to attack.

Our time will come in thirty to forty years. To win, we shall need the element of surprise. The Western world will have to be put to sleep. 


So we shall begin by launching the most spectacular peace movement on record. There shall be electrifying overtures and unheard of concessions. 


The capitalist countries, stupid and decadent, will rejoice to cooperate to their own destruction. They will leap at another chance to be friends. 


As soon as their guard is down, we shall smash them with our clenched fist."


Declaration by Dimitry Manuilski Professor at the Lenin School of Political Warfare in Moscow - 1930

Am reminded of : Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.   At this time when Putin is on the world stage - front and center as an effective 'statesman'  -  as POTUS busies himself with drawing ineffectual red lines, and appeasing our enemies, it seems to me  that the wolves have already breached the walls of the Republic.  

Today, the wolves pervade every level of our government, as the citizenry are apparently intent on proving the truth of those words from 1930;

The capitalist countries, stupid and decadent, will rejoice to cooperate to their own destruction. They will leap at another chance to be friends. 


From where I sit, the truth of that is staggering and is happening right before our eyes, and yet the sheep sleep on, as the current administration continues to run full-speed over their Constitutional duties, and implement programs for the 'gimmes' in our midst, all the while stepping into matters that are not their business.  Beer summit, anybody?  Trayvon Martin ring a bell? Giving trillions of dollars to auto industries? Meddling in private industries by giving away millions of our tax dollars to 'green ideas'?  NOwhere in the Constitution is the power given to any government to dictate every detail of the people's lives. NOwhere in the Constitution is it stated that the Federal government can force any free citizen to buy a product, be forced to give financial aid/incentives, but rather they are given freedom to make their own individual choice.  

On the illegal implementation of ObamCare, someone I know and respect, recently wrote this:

[...]

ObamaCare: It is long past time that this un Constitutional law be repealed, in its entirety.


And no, I will not entertain arguments that the SCOTUS ruled, therefore it is Constitutional. The SCOTUS does not have Constitutional Authority to amend the Constitution, or legislate from the bench. If you want to claim it's Constitutional, quote me the entire clause which makes it so; not two words and not a generality that is defined in following specifics. Quote me the clause of the Constitution that authorizes the Federal Government to FORCE an Individual Citizen to buy anything.

All of which is absolutely correct as stated in the simple language of the Constitution. Written over two hundred years ago, the values and rights of the citizens enshrined by the Founding Fathers are still relevant today.  BUT as we see, the government insists on  ignoring the rights of a FREE people, and imposing their ideology, on an ever more somnambulant population. 

America IS broken:  Who will fix it?

Talking with a Military Veteran friend just last night, I was sharing how depressed - how angry - I get at the seeming unwillingness of the citizenry to really grasp the enormity of the current threats to all our Freedoms. 

As the Military oath sworn by all new recruits says:


I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.  [yes, emphasis mine]

And there is part of my depression: it appalls me that our Troops have gone to far off lands to honor that oath, to advance the cause of freedom in places ruled by tyrants and despots.  Yet, when they come home, they find the tyrants are more powerful, more pervasive than could almost be imagined.

There is an old cliche that goes something like 'only those who have fought for freedom, know the true value, the taste of it.'  Today,  I listen and watch the ever growing segment of our society who have no idea what it means to fight for their freedom.  In this time of increasing unemployment stats (and if you believe the official figures released, you really ARE asleep); when a huge percentage of the population is lined up for some form of government hand-out, that they have not earned, I am reminded of the "no such thing as a free lunch' truism.  Yes, Obama phones are 'free' for some, and yes, healthcare is 'free' for some,   but not only is somebody else (another American citizen) paying for that  - again, in direct contravention of the Constitution -  but when we as a whole lose our Liberty and our Freedoms because we are too apathetic to fight and defend those very underpinnings of our Republic, there will be NO free anything: Not for you, me or the Obamaphone folks...

When our Military Veterans have to fight at home for the respect and care they have earned, because their Commander In Chief disrespects the sacred duty to our Defenders of Freedom, I have to despair.  When I see Gold Star Families being threatened with cut off of their rightful due, because of partisan politics, I am beyond angry...OUR Military (no, not "HIS" Troops, as Obama claims) deserves better from a Chief Executive who swore to defend the Constitution.  Part of the Constitutional powers given to the POTUS is to do with the "Defense of the Nation."  Seems to me that the POTUS bears direct responsibility - within the clear parameters of the Constitution - for ensuring that those he expects to follow his orders, be well provided for both on and off the battlefield.  These days, evidence clearly shows,  to those of  us paying attention, that the Constitution is irrelevant to the CinC, and he ignores it,  as and when it suits his political  agenda - aided and abetted by his political cronies and hacks, of course....

In the Constitution it is clearly stated that defense of our borders is part of the government's duties.  Tell that to the family of Brian Terry.  (Go watch the video at that link.  Unbelievable) Tell that to the family of the rancher in AZ who was murdered.

Neither of these lives would have been lost, if the Federal government  adhered to the Constitution (and we won't even get into Fast and Furious here, where the guns were supplied by the US DoJ and then proven to be used against Americans because of the open, porous border.)  Go here to see how  the dereliction of duty by the Homeland Security government department directly affects the US Border Control's ability to defend against all foreign enemies. Gone are the days when oppressed people eagerly grasped the legal opportunity to enter the US, and earn the rights of Freedom and Liberty accorded American citizens.   Nowadays we have a POTUS and DoJ who are actively lobbying to reward those illegals who scurry across the unguarded borders in the dark of night. NOwhere in the Constitution does it give this power to POTUS, a deliberate flouting, blatant disrespect of the Republic's laws.  And if you don't understand the magnitude of that problem, go look at some videos of the hundreds, yes hundreds,  who weekly break our laws, confident that they can rape, murder and more, as they are promised amnesty, and given short-cuts to citizenship of America,  that they have not earned. 

Freedom and Liberty in America - FOR Americans - is under attack, and we have lost our way from the Founding Fathers' vision of this great Republic.


   



Our Founding Fathers, here in this country, brought about the only true revolution that has ever taken place in man's history. Every other revolution simply exchanged one set of rulers for another set of rulers.

 But only here did that little band of men so advanced beyond their time that the world has never seen their like since, evolve the idea that you and I have within ourselves the God-given right and the ability to determine our own destiny. But freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. 

The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it and then hand it to them with the well thought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same. And if you and I don't do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free. Thank You. 

And then there is Mark Twain,  who is also credited with  "what the government giveth, the government can take away":

“The mania for giving the Government power to meddle with the private affairs of cities or citizens is likely to cause endless trouble, [...] and there is great danger that our people will lose our independence of thought and action which is the cause of much of our greatness, [yes, emphasis mine] and sink into the helplessness of the Frenchman or German who expects his government to feed him when hungry, clothe him when naked, to prescribe when his child may be born and when he may die, and, in time, to regulate every act of humanity from the cradle to the tomb, including the manner in which he may seek future admission to paradise.” – Mark Twain, “Official Physic,” The Twainian, November, 1943

 The list is long, yet simplicity itself,  of the Freedoms - God-given Rights - paid for and earned by Americans, and I have but scratched the surface of those under attack.  The attack on the Second Amendment Rights is a battle being fought in parts of the country, as America-loving Patriots understand very well that sometimes we really DO need to fight to maintain the Freedom and Liberty enshrined in our Constitution.

America is so broken.  WHO will fix it?

Today this question is so critical, as we face such dangerous threats within our country.  We have lost the "one nation under God," and from where I sit, the Republic is in grave danger of collapse.

The Constitution begins:  We, the people" and it is my firm belief that only when We, the People wake up and see that it only by our own actions,  will we save our Republic.  WE who care about our Constitution, who believe that our Freedoms and Liberty ARE our God-given Rights, that no mere politician can squander for their own gain, must defend America.

Am I suggesting we all  take up our weapons,  and stage an armed insurrection? No.   What I am suggesting, URGING, is that all of us who see the precipice directly in front of us, continue to educate the sheep - after we have woken them up, of course! - and make them understand what is at stake here. Read and re-read the Constitution, so that you understand the foundations of America. Demand that every politician set aside their partisan politics, throw away their party loyalties, and demonstrate their loyalty to our country, our Constitution. If they are not capable of that, throw them out of office, and elect those Americans who WILL honor our Founding Fathers' vision of this great Republic. 




Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.

God bless America.

UK Wounded get a leg up

From the MoD:

Life-changing prosthetics technology

27 November 2013

 Corporal Matt Webb trying out his new prosthetic legs at Headley Court

At a facility that was held today at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court, some of the 50 patients who have been fitted with ‘bionic’ legs, which have provided essential new movement possibilities, talked about their experiences.

Government funding is providing new prosthetics, including the Genium ‘bionic’ leg made famous by Private Derek Derenalagi in the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Earlier this year the government committed over £6.5 million to guarantee that injured personnel and veterans with above-the-knee amputations could receive the latest technology prosthetics. 

Ninety ‘bionic’ legs have since been fitted, which give patients the ability to step over obstacles, negotiate stairs and walk backwards safely....


Much more here.


Obama Lied: Will (more) people die?


More information is coming out about the late night 'historic deal' with Iran,  that isn't really a deal at all. More commentators respond to the 'final details that have yet to be worked out.'

 From Victory Girls:

Go Figure: White House Lied About Details of Iran Deal


by Kit Lange on November 26, 2013

As a nice little in-your-face move, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson made a point of mentioning that the fact sheet Obama’s White House released to explain the debacle of the Iran agreement was…you guessed it…a lie.


“What has been released by the website of the White House as a fact sheet is a one-sided interpretation of the agreed text in Geneva and some of the explanations and words in the sheet contradict the text of the Joint Plan of Action (the title of the Iran-powers deal), and this fact sheet has unfortunately been translated and released in the name of the Geneva agreement by certain media, which is not true,”

Before you toss this aside as Iran lying to make the United States look badly, think about this: What exactly makes the US look worse?  Claiming they lied when they didn’t, or exposing them when they did?  I’ll give you a moment to think about that.  To bolster their case, Iran released the actual text of the agreement to the media.  Here’s a part you might want to pay attention to:...


Obama LIED?  Nooooooooo, who'da thunk that??????  Go read the rest here.

Jihad Watch weighs in, calling a lie a lie:

[...]

Iranian officials say that the White House is misleading the public about the details of an interim nuclear agreement reached over the weekend in Geneva.

Iran and Western nations including the United States came to an agreement on the framework for an interim deal late Saturday night in Geneva. The deal has yet to be implemented

The White House released a multi-page fact sheet containing details of the draft agreement shortly after the deal was announced.

However, Iranian foreign ministry official on Tuesday rejected the White House’s version of the deal as “invalid” and accused Washington of releasing a factually inaccurate primer that misleads the American public.

“What has been released by the website of the White House as a fact sheet is a one-sided interpretation of the agreed text in Geneva and some of the explanations and words in the sheet contradict the text of the Joint Plan of Action, and this fact sheet has unfortunately been translated and released in the name of the Geneva agreement by certain media, which is not true,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham told the Iranian press on Tuesday...

Read the rest here.


All we are missing here is Bill (or Hillary) to define the meaning of 'lie'.  Yeah, that'll work!

Wednesday Hero

This post was suggested by Kathi


Tlingit Code
Talkers

Tlingit Code Talkers

We all know about the Navajo Code Talkers, but chances are you've never heard of the Tlingit Code Talkers from Alaska. During a ceremony on November 20, they were finally recognized for the contribution in the war with Congressional Gold Medals.


You can read more about the Tlingit Code Talkers here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero Logo




Tuesday, November 26, 2013

'Karzai demands...': Not just "No!..."

 Photo: AFP/GETTY


From Jihad Watch:

Karzai demands release of Afghan jihadis from Gitmo before he will sign deal with U.S.

Thumbnail image for KarzaiObama.jpg

Don't sign, Hamid! Don't sign! Tell the Americans to get out!

"Karzai Adds to Demands on U.S. in Meeting With Susan Rice," by Gopal Ratnam and Eltaf Najafizada for Bloomberg, November 25[...]

Afghan President Hamid Karzai added to the demands he said must be met before he’ll sign an agreement permitting some U.S. forces to remain in his country after the end of next year. 

In a dinner meeting yesterday in Kabul with U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Karzai insisted that the U.S. release Afghan inmates from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a condition for the Bilateral Security Agreement, according to a Persian-language statement e-mailed by his office.

U.S. officials have been frustrated by Karzai’s shifting demands, even after a council of 2,500 tribal elders endorsed the draft agreement over the weekend, and by the delay he’s seeking in signing the pact until after Afghanistan’s presidential election in April....

Read the rest here, as the insanity continues.

Not just NO!  HELL NO!  Period.  The end.

9/11 health fund payments slow


From abclocal:

9/11 health fund payments slow to come

November 23, 2013

By DAVID B. CARUSO

The federal fund for people with illnesses related to the Sept. 11 attacks said Friday it has been able to issue compensation decisions to only 112 people out of nearly 55,000 who have applied so far - a performance one advocacy group called unacceptable. 

In her second annual report, Sept. 11th Victim Compensation Fund special master Sheila Birnbaum said her staff had spent much of the year resolving bureaucratic problems and dealing with a huge surge in applications that arrived as people exposed to dust at the World Trade Center raced to beat an October filing deadline. 

The fund has been able to award only $27.2 million of the $2.78 billion appropriated by Congress. Little of that money has actually reached people, because of a decision to hold back 90 percent of the cash until administrators know whether they will have enough in the fund to pay all claims. 

The slow pace has upset some advocates for the sick. It also raises questions about whether the fund has the resources to handle the mountain of applications from police officers, firefighters, construction workers, and other people who were caught in the dust cloud when the twin towers collapsed, or who worked on the burning debris pile. 


Much more here.

  For the 2013 Annual Report from the Victims Compensation Fund go here.

Wreaths Across America




For all locations, go here.


Dear [name]


This week I learned something surprising, and I wanted to bring it to your attention.

The numbers for Wreaths Across America (wreaths to be placed on
veterans headstones) are up 18% overall this year for the 900
participating locations, but I was shocked to learn that the numbers are
 way down for Arlington National Cemetery.

While the patriotism of honoring our veterans and their families is alive and strong all around the country, it seems people are focused on honoring veterans locally and have forgotten that veterans from every state are buried on those hallowed grounds at Arlington.
Specifically, the numbers are 30,000 wreaths lower at this time of year compared to what it was a year ago. And if this trend continues, on National Wreaths Across America Day we are going to have volunteers but not enough wreaths to go around, which will be a great disappointment for a lot of people.
I want to make sure everyone has a chance to experience that solemn moment of tribute and appreciation that has come to mean so much, to so many people. We don’t want to discourage people from coming to volunteer, but I am asking for your help in getting the word out so more people will sponsor a wreath.
  • Every $15 places 1 wreath on a veterans headstone
  • $60 is a family sponsorship of 4 wreaths
  • A company or corporation could do $150, $1500, or more
http://wreathsacrossamerica.org (click Sponsor A Wreath in the upper right)
Many people ask us – why wreaths during the holidays when there are so many living veterans with needs. We agree with doing everything we can to support our veterans who sacrifice so much – but visit our blog or Facebook page and you will see how much this program means to our Gold Star families and the many families of veterans who have passed, and just want to know all those sacrifices and lost holidays were not in vain.
Please help me share this message in whatever way you think we can do the most good. 2014 is the 150th anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery and our goal is to place a wreath and honor every veteran buried there. But to do that we need to get the word out, get more people involved, and make the gift of remembrance an annual tradition.
Thank you
- See more at: http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/category/2013-newsletter-stories/#sthash.HWzIZF82.dpuf
While  the patriotism of honoring our veterans and their families is alive and
 strong all around the country, it seems people are focused on honoring
veterans locally and have forgotten that veterans from every state are
buried on those hallowed grounds at Arlington.


Specifically, the numbers are 30,000 wreaths lower at this time
of year compared to what it was a year ago. And if this trend continues,
 on National Wreaths Across America Day we are going to have volunteers
but not enough wreaths to go around, which will be a great
disappointment for a lot of people.


I want to make sure everyone has a chance to experience that
solemn moment of tribute and appreciation that has come to mean so much,
 to so many people. 


Many people ask us – why wreaths during the holidays when there
are so many living veterans with needs. We agree with doing everything
we can to support our veterans who sacrifice so much – but visit our
blog or Facebook page and you will see how much this program means to
our Gold Star families and the many families of veterans who have
passed, and just want to know all those sacrifices and lost holidays
were not in vain.


Please help me share this message in whatever way you think we
can do the most good. 2014 is the 150th anniversary of Arlington
National Cemetery and our goal is to place a wreath and honor every
veteran buried there. But to do that we need to get the word out, get
more people involved, and make the gift of remembrance an annual
tradition



Thank you

- See more here.   


Dear [name] This week I learned something surprising, and I wanted to bring it to your attention. The numbers for Wreaths Across America (wreaths to be placed on veterans headstones) are up 18% overall this year for the 900 participating locations, but I was shocked to learn that the numbers are way down for Arlington National Cemetery. - See more at: http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/category/2013-newsletter-stories/#sthash.HWzIZF82.dpuf
Special Note: if you are looking to support any of our other participating locations, you can find a complete list and fundraising pages here. - See more at: http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/category/2013-newsletter-stories/#sthash.HWzIZF82.dpuf

Monday, November 25, 2013

Iran: Reaction and details


From Jihad Watch:

Saudi prince to Iran: We won’t sit idly by

Not just Israel is scrambling to adjust to Obama's capitulation to Iran. "Saudi prince to Iran: We won’t sit idly by," from the Times of Israel, November 24: In an acerbic interview shortly before the Geneva interim deal was signed, a senior Saudi diplomat issued a rare direct threat to Iran, warning that “all options are available” should the international community fail to rein in Iran’s alleged drive to acquire nuclear weapons.

The statement from Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi ambassador to London, came as talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers were in full swing in Geneva.

In his interview with the Times of London (paywall) on Friday, Prince Mohammad also voiced unusually abrasive criticism of the West for what he said was a too-soft approach to Iran, calling Washington’s “rush” to engage with Tehran “incomprehensible.”

[...]

Appeasement hasn’t worked in the past, and I don’t think it will work in the 21st century,” he was quoted as saying....

Much more here. 

From Homeland Security NewsWire:

The interim agreement between the P5+1 and Iran: the details

25 November 2013

The P5+1 countries (the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China, facilitated by the European Union) have been engaged in negotiations with Iran in an effort to reach a verifiable diplomatic resolution which would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. On Sunday, the P5+1 and Iran reached a set of initial understandings which halts, at least temporarily, the progress of Iran’s nuclear program and rolls it back in key respects. In return, for Iran’s concessions, and as part of this initial step, the P5+1 will provide what the agreement describes as “limited, temporary, targeted, and reversible” relief to Iran.

The White House said that President Obama has made it clear that achieving a peaceful resolution that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is in America’s national security interest.

[...]

The initial, six month step includes what the White House describes as “significant” limits on Iran’s nuclear program and begins to address the U.S. most urgent concerns, including Iran’s enrichment capabilities; its existing stockpiles of enriched uranium; the number and capabilities of its centrifuges; and its ability to produce weapons-grade plutonium using the Arak reactor.

It should be noted that the concessions Iran has committed to make as part of this first step will also provide the P5+1 with increased transparency and intrusive monitoring of Iran’s nuclear program. “In the past, the concern has been expressed that Iran will use negotiations to buy time to advance their program,” the White House says. “Taken together, these first step measures will help prevent Iran from using the cover of negotiations to continue advancing its nuclear program as we seek to negotiate a long-term, comprehensive solution that addresses all of the international community’s concerns.”...
  
Read the rest of this, here. 

From Breitbart, comes this from international law expert Alan Dershowitz:

Dershowitz: Iran Deal Could Be a 'Chamberlain Moment'

24 Nov 2013

Harvard professor and noted civil rights and international law expert Alan Dershowitz criticized the nuclear deal with Iran sharply on Sunday, saying that it "could become a Chamberlain moment" for President Barack Obama.

"I don't think that this deal was motivated by any anti-Israel sentiment," Dershowitz told Breitbart News. "I think that both President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry believe that the deal is in the best interest of the U.S. and Israel. But I think they're dead wrong. [Emphasis mine]

"When you do a risk-benefit analysis, the possibility that this will actually result in ending Iran's nuclear weapons program is probably in the range of 10%, and the risk that it will increase their likelihood of moving quickly toward developing a nuclear weapon is in the 20% to 30% range. The rest is uncertainty. 

"I think it was a very bad example of negotiating from weakness rather than strength. The U.S. had Iran where we wanted them, in a much weakened position. And instead of continuing the pressure we sent three messages. 1. Sanctions are over. We are going to eliminate some now--it's only a few billion dollars' worth, but we are going to send a message to China and others that have been dying to so business with Iran that it's OK. And we will never get them back to that point of pressure. 2. I think we effectively took the military option off the table and made it much more difficult for Israel to pursue a military option in the next several months. 3. We gave them a yellow light, at least, if not quite a green one, as to continuing onto certain aspects of developing nuclear weapons--triggering devices and material that could be easily transposed to military use. ...


There is more - here.

NOW, more than ever: PAY ATTENTION!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Iran scores a historic victory: Neda is unavailable for comment


Today from the BBC:


Iran agrees to curb nuclear activity at Geneva talks

Iran has agreed to curb some of its nuclear activities in return for about $7bn (£4.3bn) in sanctions relief, after days of intense talks in Geneva. 

The deal will last for six months, while a permanent agreement is sought.

US President Barack Obama welcomed the deal, saying it would "help prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon".

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran's right to uranium enrichment had been recognised. Israel, however, said the agreement was a "historic mistake".

World powers suspect Iran's nuclear programme is secretly aiming at developing a nuclear bomb - a charge Iran has consistently denied.

In a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, President Rouhani repeated that his country would never seek a nuclear weapon He hailed the deal, saying it met one of Iran's fundamental principles.

"No matter what interpretations are given, Iran's right to enrichment has been recognised," he said....

Much more here.

To say that this "coup for John Kerry" is monumentally stupid, with global implications,  doesn't even come close to my reaction when I first heard this late last night. Am I the only one who noticed that again, the current US administration 'concludes' yet another 'historical agreement' under dark of night? Wonder if they left the washable red crayons at home?

 Israel's Prime Minister had this to say:


What was achieved last night in Geneva is not an historic agreement; it is an historic mistake. Israel is not bound by this agreement. The Iranian regime is committed to the destruction of Israel, and Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.
Photo: Haim Zach, GPO

'Historic mistake' is absolutely right, and proves - yet again - that the MIC and his mouthpiece John Kerry are wilfully ignorant of the FACTS of history.

On Twitter Netanyahu said this (H/T Twitchy): 



Israel knows better than anybody what any student of history should know. They live with the constant threat from Iran, who is on the record, repeatedly, as vowing to wipe Israel off the map.  Israel also knows well, as MIC et al seem determined to ignore, that appeasement of such murderous regimes as Iran, does NOT work.

From elsewhere on social media today:


"Those who fail to learn from History, are doomed to repeat it."
In 1938, after signing the Munich agreement with Adolf Hitler, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared 'peace for our time'. Yesterday in Geneva, the US and global powers signed an agreement with Iran easing sanctions for 'peace'. Israel will not allow the past to repeat itself.



As the world msm applauds this bright new day,  I heard Kerry quoted as saying that 'no, human rights in Iran were not part of this negotiating process.'.  I have to ask:  Why not?????   As the title of this piece says "Neda was unavailable for comment". Neda, for those who forget, was one of those Iranian citizens who was gunned down and murdered in the bloody aftermath of the 2009 elections in Iran. Need reminding?  Go here, (with graphic video) here, or here to read what the current US administration said about human rights abuses in Iran..

An excerpt from that last link:

[...]

US imposes sanctions on Iranian officials for 'abuses'

US President Barack Obama has ordered for the first time sanctions against senior Iranian officials for "sustained and severe violations of human rights".

The eight men include the head of the Revolutionary Guards, a former interior minister and the prosecutor general.

The treasury department said they would face a travel ban and asset freeze.

The alleged abuses include the killings and beatings of anti-government protesters after the disputed presidential election in June 2009.

[...]


In a statement, the White House said: "As the president noted in his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly, human rights are a matter of moral and pragmatic necessity for the United States."...

Yes, he really said that.  But I guess that was so long ago, so 'what difference does it make' today, or to the rest of the world?  Even further back but still in recent history, was the 1979 siege by Iranian 'students' of the US Embassy in Tehran.   That was American citizens under attack by the terrorist regime of Iran.  Today?  There are other Americans,  (and no doubt many thousands of Iranian citizens) being held and tortured in Iran, whose fate was not part of the current negotiations. The administration may consider this American's treatment irrelevant in light of this new dawn, but others are noting:

 An Appalling Betrayal of American Pastor Saeed Abedini 
 
On the night of November 23, 2013, the President of the United States left an American pastor, Saeed Abedini, behind.

The "deal" with Iran announced tonight by President Obama, which allegedly halts "part" of Iran's nuclear program, allows Iran to enrich uranium and allows it to maintain a nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions and humanitarian relief.

It is outrageous that the Obama Administration commenced these negotiations and concluded them without the release of Pastor Saeed – a U.S. citizen.  In fact, the Administration has just confirmed that he was not even part of the negotiations, stating that “The P5+1 talks focused exclusively on nuclear issues.”

The Obama Administration did not volunteer this information; it was revealed only after a specific inquiry from Fox News.

For more than a year, Pastor Saeed has undergone torture at the hands of his Iranian captors, most recently being transferred to one of the most deadly prisons in the world.  Yet instead of demanding the release of this innocent U.S. citizen as a precondition to any negotiations with Iran, the Obama Administration is relaxing sanctions and providing humanitarian relief, while getting nothing but more meaningless promises in return....


Read the rest of this here. 

There is also a former US Marine still being held in an Iranian prison under who knows what conditions of deprivation.  I seriously doubt if  Amir Mirza Hekmati's fate was 'part of these negotiations.'  

Back in March 2012, War On Terror News wrote this:

Monday, March 05, 2012

September 11, 2013

DETROIT A former U.S. Marine held in Iran for two years said in a letter to the U.S. secretary of state that he has endured "miserable prison conditions" and believes Tehran is holding him hostage for use in a possible prisoner exchange.
Amir Hekmati's letter, handwritten and dated Sept. 1, was addressed to John Kerry and first published Wednesday by Britain's Guardian newspaper.
Hekmati, 30, wrote that he has been "held on false charges based solely on confessions obtained by force, threats, miserable prison conditions and prolonged periods of solitary confinement.
"This is part of a propaganda and hostage-taking effort by Iranian intelligence to secure the release of Iranians abroad being held on security-related charges," he wrote in the letter that the Guardian said was smuggled from the prison.

[...]

From the CBC:

Iran nuclear deal gets 'deeply skeptical' response from Canada

Iran agrees to halt nuclear program in historic deal with 6 world powers

Nov 24, 2013

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says he is "deeply skeptical" of the newly brokered nuclear deal with Iran and says Canada's sanctions will remain in "full force" against the country.

"We will evaluate the deal reached not just on the merits of its words but more importantly, on its verifiable implementation," Baird said at a news conference in Ottawa on Sunday.

He said that because of previous Iranian leaders had made hostile comments toward Israel, “we're deeply skeptical of the deal and the work that's brought us to this stage.”...


Much more here.

There are so many things wrong with this 'interim' deal, not least of which IS the global impact.  No matter that MIC et al would have us all believe that a new era of  kumbaya is upon us, wishing AND empty rhetoric doesn't make it so.

I have been saying for a while now that we live in very dangerous times.

Pay attention!