The Breathing Tax

Excellent post on Cap and Trade policies and how it will affect our economy and our lives over at Stand Up for America. Check it out. And hold your breath or you'll pay dearly!

Morphing Serpent Stew

In case you weren't looking, there is a new alliance forming in the Middle East. While Hillary was pushing the “red button” with the Russians and Obama was writing a $900 million check to Gaza, Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq started rearranging the furniture in the Helen Keller School for Blind Foreign Policy. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1069327.html

This development should have the appropriate Washington agencies with their eyebrows raised. It should also be causing some serious heartburn in Israel. Now that it is “all but certain” that Israel will have to “go it alone” in the nuclear disarming of Ahmadinejad, it is time for those who care, to reflect on what the new terrain will look like the morning after Iran's nuclear capability is set back a few years. Ahmadinejad has promised to turn the Middle East into an inferno. That promise most likely includes the assets the US has deployed to the Persian Gulf, and more specifically the Straits of Hormuz. Since the word is out that Ahmadinejad's nuclear toys may be ready within a year, the clock is ticking down rapidly for Israeli action. Mr. Netanyahu and most sane casual observers understand the issue is one of survival for Israel. But what does this situation hold for the rest of the planet?

If you feel the United States economy is healthy and robust right now, you can skip the rest of this and go on to something more important. However, some financial analysts feel the US economy is currently struggling just a little bit, and will continue struggling until the middle of 2010. Well, Mr. Netanyahu can't wait until mid 2010 to take action. The bottom line in this situation involves the disruption of the flow of oil that would surely occur nearly instantaneously in the event of Israeli action against Iran. The immediate effect on the price of gas in the US and Europe could be a doubling in a week, and perhaps much higher in the following week or weeks. That would play havoc with the US economy, as would the response to such events on Wall Street. Depending on the nature of the Arab world's reaction to an Israeli attack on Iran , the price of gas might be the least of our worries.

If the Hezbollah and Syria, together with the remnants of Hamas were to strike out at Israel in a coordinated fashion, Israel would have their hands full on two fronts and possibly with some Air Forces from Iran. It does not take much imagination to envision a long line of martyrs signing up to wreak havoc against Israel. US and Israeli embassies would surely be targeted by radical Islamic terrorists where convenient. Now for the nightmare scenario. If it appears Israel is losing ground against those attackers, and the fight is a fight for survival, is it conceivable that Israel would resort to a practical demonstration of the fact that they have their own nuclear arsenal? At this point, the crystal ball becomes useless.

It should suffice to say, that it would behoove the President to immerse himself and his key advisers in the Department of Defense and the State Department in a dialogue concerning how the US will respond to any action initiated by Israel, and the subsequent response by Iran. Hopefully, that dialogue would include advising both China and Russia of the limits of US reaction. By the same token, both China and Russia should be involved in providing mutual assurance that the Middle East inferno will not be stoked until it consumes a much larger portion of the planet. The time for dialogue with Iran will end very soon. It is now time for cooperative dialogue, without arrogance, with all the major stakeholders. Anything less is unacceptable. One brief look at a map of the Middle East should cause some serious analysis of the nature of this new “alliance” forming among and between Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria.


This post was written by our new guest contributor, James Newman, Lt. Col, USAF (ret). Thank you Jim, for a wonderfully written and insightful look into the current issues facing this tumultuous region.

I'm Tired

Great post by The Old Jarhead, a Marine Corp vet, and 5 term Massachusetts State Senator. Definitely worth a read.

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-02-21T18%3A08%3A00-06%3A00

Gilligan & Buddies on "Obama Isle"

The news is getting so awful I have to step back and have a light hearted moment here. So today I'm going to demonstrate how the crew and passengers from that zany show, Gilligan's Island, would fair if they had landed on Obama Isle.

So, Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic shore aboard this tiny ship...

Let's start with the Skipper. The poor Skipper, being a small business owner, soon discovers that Obama views him as the money making machine which keeps the island operating. The Skipper's taxes rise to 39.6%, plus he has to pay all of his, and half of Gilligan's, FICA tax and healthcare benefits. Never mind the new carbon tax that The Minnow is going to cost him. When the Skipper pleads "But I work 90 hours a week and put most of my money back into the business, AND I create jobs for others", Obama scoffs at the Skipper's utter selfishness before heading off to lunch at the beach bar to enjoy a nice weygu steak sandwich and a Corona.

Gilligan. Obama loves Gilligan. He immediately gets some union thugs to coerce the sorry boy into signing on, and "Poof!" He gets a pay raise, a full pension, and lifetime healthcare benefits, along with the stipulation that he does not have to work outside of the contract. When the weather starts getting rough and the tiny ship is tossed, well, that's the Skipper's problem. Gilligan soon gets used to this great new deal, and ACORN registers him and his imaginary friend Gary as Democrats.

The Professor. Being a liberal elite intellectual from an Ivy league school with no practical knowledge but lots of great ideas, The Professor is definitely "in" with Obama. Obama uses him as his front man for all policy making (as he personally has no clue) and puts him to work 24/7 to find a way out of their little problem of being stranded. The Professor is, however, definitely not cool enough to be invited to parties at the Island White House.

Ginger. Ginger, as a Hollywood starlet, is definitely the "It Girl" and is invited to every White House party. However, when she breathily sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President", Michelle, who has been holding in her contempt for the dumb redhead, jumps her, and a cat fight ensues. It's Friday night Smack Down at the White House! With her toned arms and big booty, the smart money is on Michelle.

Thurston Howell III and wife, Lovey. Obama's first order is to send tax cheat Tim Geithner to hunt down Thurston's gazillions of dollars hidden in secret Swiss Bank accounts. When the Swiss don't comply, Thurston is put under Hut Arrest, whilst the wheels of the legal system turn ever so slowly. No matter, Lovey is there to comfort him, and fill him in on the island goings on as their savings are depleted in the tumbling Obama stock market.

Mary Ann. Hailing from the midwest and chock full of good traditional American values, Mary Ann does not like what she sees happening on on the Island. She's disgusted with Gilligan for betraying The Skipper and foregoes making him any more coconut cream pies. Instead, she puts her perky talents towards protesting Obama's new rules and holding Tea Parties which only the Skipper and Lovey attend. Obama soon clamps down on the dissent and sends pesky Mary Ann to pry abalone shells off of the rocks at low tide.

States to Obama: Don't Tread On Me!

At least 20 states are considering resolutions under the 10th amendment to prevent Washington from thwarting state sovereign rights guaranteed under the Constitution. Much of the funds given to states under the $789B Stimulus Plan include provisions that demand that states change their laws to reflect federal mandates. One such law requires that states offer unemployment compensation to part-time workers, which in effect, would INCREASE some states' debt, even as they collect money from the Stimulus Plan. In addition, these laws would remain on the books long after the Stimulus money has been spent.

Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress are determined to force their socialist agenda upon all Americans in a stealthy and insidious manner. By increasing rules, regulations, and mandates, they can effect change at every level of government without the populace being any the wiser until it is too late. This time, the states are standing up for themselves and telling Obama, "Back Off!"


"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican lawmakers from more than 20 states across the country are willing to take federal funding, but only on their terms.

Some state lawmakers are pushing for sovereignty from the federal government.

From Montana to South Carolina, lawmakers in mostly red states have pushed ahead with measures calling for state sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment, saying the federal government has overstepped its bounds with the stimulus package. The states are calling for the right to ignore laws they deem unconstitutional." Read more...

The Propaganda Machine

Great post over at American Thinker about secret daily meetings at the White House to spin their web of propagandist falsehoods.

The New Cold War?

While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives her Russian counterpart a RED Button (the traditional icon for launching a nuclear weapon- D'OH!), which supposedly said "Reset" in Russian (it actually said "overcharge" D'OH again!), Russia may be flexing it's military muscle in preparations to take out our highly advanced satellite technology. The little incident last month in which an American communication satellite collided with an out-of-commission Cold War Russian satellite is raising some eyebrows as the Russians accuse the US of engineering the collision. The more likely scenario is the opposite- the defunct Russian satellite was intentionally turned into a "kill satellite" by altering it's orbit as it neared our operational Iridium 33, thus causing the collision that destroyed both. With Russia playing footsie with all of our BFF's, including Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba, what is Obama going to do about this? Give them some more red buttons?

Read the whole story here.