December 31, 2012

Hollywood's got the waterfront covered on this one, boss..

This came via Drudge on this last day of 2012. Apparently, there was one of those sob-sister, bleeding-heart sober-stares-at-the-camera-because-I-am-your-friendly-local-celebrity-for-gun-control commercials that was just begging to have these hypocrites' bloody, violent snips pasted between their pathetic bleating for the government to strip this country's citizenry of a constitutional right. Ligths, camera, action, roll film:


Aside from the chuckles these airheads cause with their hypocrisy, it raises a good point. Ask yourself which would be more incentive for an orange-haired loon or reclusive, autistic nut-job to -- er -- go ballistic, watching any of the movies shown here or watching an NRA gun safety training film?

UPDATE: Here is a follow-up sent by The X. O. again:
On Sunday December 17, 2012, 2 days after the CT shooting, a man went to a restaurant in San Antonio to kill his ex-girlfriend. After he shot her, most of the people in the restaurant fled next door to a theater. The gunman followed them and entered the theater so he could shoot more people. He started shooting and people in the theater started running and screaming. It’s like the Aurora, CO theater story plus a restaurant!

Now aren’t you wondering why this isn’t a lead story in the national media along with the school shooting?

There was an off duty county deputy at the theater. SHE pulled out her gun and shot the man 4 times before he had a chance to kill anyone. So since this story makes the point that the best thing to stop a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun, the media is treating it like it never happened.

Only the local media covered it. The city is giving her a medal next week. Just thought you’d like to know.

..of course, you do not hear shit about this from the MSM who prefer to use the violent, unhandled events to promote their agenda.

-30-

December 29, 2012

Gummint finances explained..


More from my prolific X. O., "Sky" King:
Lesson #1
* U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
* Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000
* New debt: $1,650,000,000,000
* National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
* Recent budget cuts: $38,500,000,000

Now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

* Annual family income: $21,700
* Money the family spent: $38,200
* New debt on the credit card: $16,500
* Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
* Total budget cuts so far: $38.50

Got It?
OK, then try this..

Lesson #2
Here's another way to look at the Debt Ceiling:
Let's say, You come home from work and find
there has been a sewer backup in your neighborhood..and your home has sewage all the way up to your ceilings.

What do you think you should do? Raise the ceilings, or remove the shit?
-30-

December 28, 2012

Historical context..

Here's a"Big Picture" episode on the right to keep and bear arms -- circa late 1950s. It addresses some interesting points about how unnecessary gun control is if only lawmakers enforced existing laws and people engaged in responsible gun safety and handling.



..some interesting and troubling comments to be found here. Particularly compelling is Craig Stevens (star of the Peter Gunn show in the late 50s) and his narrative calling out other Hollywood stars. To be sure, there are those in Hollywood who are against gun control and who appreciate and use guns. But too many are the mindless who follow the liberal mantra of banning  and confiscating.

-30-

December 26, 2012

"Only in America.."


 From "Sky" King:

TOP-10 "ONLY IN AMERICA" OBSERVATIONS -- BY A CANADIAN

(1) Only in America could the wealthier people - who pay 86% of all income taxes - be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any income taxes at all.

(2) Only in America could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when they have a black President, a black Attorney General, and roughly 18% of the federal workforce is black while only 12% of the population is black

(3) Only in America could they have had the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department and Charles Rangel who once ran the Ways and Means Committee, BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.

(4) Only in America can they have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.

(5) Only in America would they make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege while we discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just 'magically' become American citizens.

(6) Only in America could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country's Constitution be thought of as "extremists."

(7) Only in America could you need to present a driver's license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.

(8) Only in America could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).

(9) Only in America could the government collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a Trillion dollars more than it has per year - for total spending of $7-Million PER MINUTE, and complain that it doesn't have nearly enough money.

(10) Only in America could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000.00 a plate campaign fund-raising event.

-30-

December 21, 2012

"I hate this person.."


..as in "green with jealousy".

-30-

December 19, 2012

Common sense and an ounce of prevention..


..or there's this piece of irrefutable lib logic:


-30-

Breastses!

From my X. O.:

..and some handwriting analysis from Carl:



-30-

December 16, 2012

Oregon, Connecticut..

A disclaimer: I am torn by the anguish that must be felt by the parents and relatives and friends who lost their loved ones in Oregon and Connecticut. It's a terrible thing. And, yes, I DO know how this can be solved but you probably don't care because -- being a gun hater -- CCW probably shocks the living crap out of you. More later.

I wondered why the shooting in Oregon -- where the perp was using an AR-15 -- didn't earn more anti-gun screaming headlines. I mean, this is one of the assault weapons that are the favorite targets of the anti-gun crowd. Well, this was sent to me by my friend Lieutenant "Cappy" Robertson and it goes a long way to show why that incident go buried by the media:


The source of the video, The Easy Bake Gun Club blog, turns out to be an excellent source on debunking the media hysterics and provide regular features on why gun owners should not be intimidated by the liberal media and politicians screaming for their second-amendment rights to be abridged.

I'll leave it to you stew over this if you are anti-gun or do the research if you like. The blog is an excellent resource. I'll also leave you with two questions to ponder:

Why isn't Obama shedding tears around the clock for the poor unfortunate folks of his home town who suffer from criminal gun violence?

Why did the Obama administration allow school security funds lapse?

..you might want to also check out the murder statistics on Wikipedia. It shows 75% of the murders in Illinois are committed with a gun which is second in the nation and California at 72% is fifth in the nation. The leader with almost 80% is Louisiana. (Think New Orleans.)

"When seconds count, law enforcement is minutes away."

-30-

December 13, 2012

It's really this simple..

..NOW I get it! (Four years too late.)

-30-

December 9, 2012

Nuts!

Parable:
A man goes into the hospital for a vasectomy. Before the procedure a very attractive nurse comes in and takes his vitals, then tells him to take all of his clothes off.

When he is fully undressed she instructs him to lie down on the table. The man obeys. The nurse then takes all of her clothes off and climbs on top and has her way with him.

Upon the completion of the act the man catches his breath and asks what that was all about. The nurse informs the patient that studies have shown that before a vasectomy if the man has an ejaculation, he will be more relaxed and that the cord is easier for the surgeon to locate and sever, thereby making the surgery safer, more efficient and quicker.

The nurse then wheels the patient to the operating room. While they are going down the hall the patient looks through a window to the right and sees six men in a room masturbating. Curious, the man asks," What are they doing in there"?

The nurse responds, "They're preparing for vasectomies too, but you have Blue Cross, and they have Obama Care."

..thanks to Lt "Cappy" Robertson.

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December 8, 2012

Social...Security?

From My X. O., 1LT Kevin "Sky" King:
SOCIAL SECURITY NOW CALLED 'FEDERAL BENEFIT PAYMENT'/ENTITLEMENT

Have you noticed, your Social Security check is now referred to as a "Federal Benefit Payment"?

I'll be part of the one percent to forward this.

The government is now referring to our Social Security checks as a "Federal Benefit Payment." This isn't a benefit - its earned income! Not only did we all contribute to Social Security but our employers did too.

It totaled 15% of our income before taxes. If you averaged $30K per year over your working life, that's close to $180,000 invested in Social Security.

If you calculate the future value of your monthly investment in social security ($375/month, including both your and your employer's contributions) at a meager 1% interest rate compounded monthly, after 40 years of working you'd have more than $1.3+ million dollars saved! This is your personal investment.

Upon retirement, if you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $39,318 per year, or $3,277 per month.

That's almost three times more than today's average Social Security benefit of $1,230 per month, according to the Social Security Administration (Google it - it's a fact).

And your retirement fund would last more than 33 years (until you're 98 if you retire at age 65)! I can only imagine how much better most average-income people could live in retirement if our government had just invested our money in low-risk interest-earning accounts.

Instead, the folks in Washington pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madoff ever did. They took our money and used it elsewhere. They "forgot" that it was OUR money they were taking. They didn't have a referendum to ask us if we wanted to lend the money to them.

And they didn't pay interest on the debt they assumed. And recently, they've told us that the money won't support us for very much longer. But is it our fault they misused our investments?

And now, to add insult to injury, they're calling it a "benefit," as if we never worked to earn every penny of it. Just because they "borrowed" the money, doesn't mean that our investments were a charity! Let's take a stand.

We have earned our right to Social Security and Medicare. Demand that our legislators bring some sense into our government.

Find a way to keep Social Security and Medicare going, for the sake of that 92% of our population who need it.

Then call it what it is: Our Earned Retirement Income.

..to add to this screed's math are the following facts: You cannot collect Social Security at age 62 and still work. Well, you can, but for every $3 you earn, you lose $1 of your Social Security payment. When you finally reach the age where you can take your payment without this penalty and you still work, then you pay Federal taxes on 80% of your payments -- the same ones that you paid taxes on when they were withdrawn from your paycheck over the years. If you still work, Social Security is still deducted from your paycheck yet your payments only increase by the pittance of a COLA (usually 1-2%) the assholes in government deign to give you.

So, even with this little Ponzi Scheme, the assholes in D.C. still can't keep it solvent.

The money you had withdrawn from your paychecks along with the rest of us? In a lock box? Actually, it's in a file cabinet in a government office someplace in the form of IOUs from the feds to the Social Security Administration ever since the crooks in D.C. started raiding the fund and spending the loot.

The more you find out about that stuff, the more it turns your stomach.

Tom Clancy wrote two books: Debt of Honor and Executive Orders. The ending of the first book was about a mad Japanese commercial aircraft pilot driving his 747 into the Capitol building while a joint session of Congress was being held. The latter was all about the effort President Jack Ryan went to to get a new Congress elected to replace the one that got wiped out. He reveled in the fact that the replacement process was sending mostly common folk -- businessmen and workers instead of lawyers -- to Washington to do the people's business.

Good idea (he first one). Now if we could only find an angry JAL airplane driver..

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November 29, 2012

Time for fun..

In keeping with o new policy of retaining sanity and dialing down politics, I am gonna start hanging out over at The Right Hand of Zod.
 

The into says it best:

..having grown weary of wall-to-wall political blogging as well as the shenanigans perpetrated on the citizenry by asshole Democrats and incompetent, complicit Republicans, I see refuge in another blog.

The purpose of this site will be to document my miscellaneous amateur radio (and related) projects. I also might throw in some commentary on my guns, reloading, and black powder shooting escapades.


I frankly do not care who visits or comments; this is for my enjoyment. If any is of interest to you, feel free to make comments or ask questions.


Otherwise enjoy!

-73-

November 28, 2012

The day has finally arrived!

The day that Albert Einstein feared may have finally arrived.


Having coffee with friends..
..or a day at the beach..
..or having dinner out with your friends..
..or taking in the big game with your friends..
..or out on an intimate date..
..or having a conversation with your best friend..

..or enjoying a day at the museum..
..or driving around with your buds..
..could result in this?

All things considered, this mindless behavior is truly scary. Think about how mnay times you see this going on around you.

(Thanks to Lt Col Phil Laisure of Costa Mesa Squadron 68.)

-30-

November 25, 2012

More Bill Whittle..


I cannot bring myself to bag on Mitt Romney who I believe is about as honorable a candidate as we could have. However, he lost.

Since the election, I have made the decision (like many, I am sure) to dial out of politics and devote my energies to the survival and prospering of my family. Unless and until a contingent of U. S. citizens (do not want to use the work “political party”) emerges with an inspiring message enunciating the principles of our Constitution, it will continue to be droning, ineffectual blather and cliches.

Mr Whittle emerged on election night with just such a message. His chats on this subject are below -- the first a shorter variant redux of the much longer second talk he did to the Hancock Park Patriots in SoCal. Both are worth pouring a neat dram of whiskey and watching.



Two things in Mr Whittle’s tone and words strike me: (1) his second amendment remarks are eerily reminiscent of those made by Tom Clancy’s President Jack Ryan in Executive Orders and (2) overall, his response to the personal wealth question is refreshingly like Ronald Reagan’s self-assured cockiness.

Unless and until we re-tool to have an inspiring message similar to Mr Whittle’s, we will see a steady parade of entitlement-seeker candidates elected.

If you chafe at the possibility that Mr Whittle's rant may be ineffectual, remember that the Tea Party was essentially by a rant from the trading floor back in February 2009.

-30-

November 20, 2012

Suicide is kind of a drag..

From my old high school buddy, Detective TOm, in Georgia:

Don't find many Heroes like this one!

On January 9th, a group of Pekin, Illinois bikers were riding west on I-74 when they saw a girl about to jump off the Murray Baker Bridge. So they stopped.

George, their leader, a big burly man of 53, gets off his Harley, walks through a group of gawkers, past the State Trooper, and says,"What are you doing?" She says, "I'm going to commit suicide."

While he didn't want to appear "sensitive," he didn't want to miss a be-a-legend opportunity either so he asked, "Well, before you jump, why don't you give me a kiss?"

So, with no hesitation at all, she leaned back over the railing and did just that -- and it was a long, deep, lingering kiss followed immediately by another one.

After they finished, George gets approval from his biker-buddies, the onlookers, and even the State Trooper, and says, "Wow! That was the best kiss I have ever had Honey! That's a real talent you're wasting Sugar Shorts. You could be famous if you rode with me. Why are you committing suicide?"

"My parents don't like me dressing up like a girl."

It's still unclear whether she jumped or was pushed.

(For Odie..)

-30-

November 16, 2012

Drudge Headline


-30-

November 7, 2012

What to do while waiting for the revolution..

..pull up a chair, get a libation, and watch this proposal by Bill Whittle:


It is long (over one hour and it rambles a bit and there are some funny embedded commercials) but it is a discussion of a sound idea for getting around government by adhering to all of the laws and without the muss and fuss of a bloody revolution or moving to Idaho and joining one of those survivalist communes.

Oh sure, you can move to Montana, but give this concept some consideration first.

-30-

..4..3..2..1..

..ZERO..

1460 Days Left!


So, if you don't mind, I will be taking a hiatus from this venue and politics in general. I have to preserve, protect, and defend my family and what remnants of this country that will not be eaten away by the 47% of the delusional tit-sucking takers that will burgeon under POTUS RE-ELECT CRAPSACK®.

EXIT QUESTION: Won't it be fun listening to President Shit-for-Brains moan about how -- this term -- he inherited a mess from his predecessor?

Check back here in about 3 years, 11 months, and 29 days.

UPDATE: Shoes beginning to drop, etc. department:
LAS VEGAS (CBS Las Vegas) — A Las Vegas business owner with 114 employees fired 22 workers today, apparently as a direct result of President Obama’s re-election.

“David” (he asked to remain anonymous for obvious reasons) told Host Kevin Wall on 100.5 KXNT that “elections have consequences” and that “at the end of the day, I need to survive.”
..also on Drudge: BOEING Announces Big Layoffs In Cutback to Below 2010 Levels...

Story also says they will be closing units in California. Thanks, Jerry Brown and the rest of the teeming masses of shit-sucking parasites who want us to carry the burden.

-73-

November 6, 2012

End of the road?


War Planner's Humpbot:


-30-

November 6th, 2012..

Many of us have been waiting for this day since November 4th, 2008 and it is finally at hand. No matter the outcome of this day, we are still in this fight to the end. We will soldier on and we will triumph.

But let this day be our Battle of Agincourt, our Crispian’s day.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
Let’s get this done! 

-30-

November 4, 2012

Tangential rant..

I posted the verbiage below over at Hot Air in response to a series of comments about poll, etc. It's my memories of 1980.
By the way, I gotta tangential rant on Dark Star's observation.

Raise your hand if you are an old codger like me and remember VOTING in 1980 to flush that drooling goober farmer! The rest of you gather 'round while the ol' War Planner regales you with his rapidly fading memories.

It was back in the Fall of ought-80 that we were saddled with that drooler but there warn't no interwebs or nothing. All we had was the Alphbets and a few polls. That bravo sierra that The Gummed Faerie was proliferating was absolute rubbish -- as was his goddam scatter chart showing reagan up mightily in the polls over Carter.

LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN SO WE'RE CLEAR ON THE SUBJECT!

All we proles knew was (1) we hated Carter and (2) we woulda voted for Beelzebub instead of that road pie. We were all groveling for our Victory Gin and thin stew and chocolate ration and we were at war with Eastaisa (at the time) and them bastages had held our embassy folks for 444 days. WE HAD NO FREAKING IDEA WHO WAS AHEAD OR BEHIND. WE JUST WANTED CARTER GONE!

I stepped into the polling booth at about 1715 PST on that first Tuesday and pulled the chain. I had no freaking idea it was going to be a landslide.

GOT THAT?

No freaking idea!

When I got home at 1730 PST, my father-in-law told me Carter capitulated! So, this over-the-weekend movement towards Ronald Reagan may have gone on, but it was a well-kept secret from the average Joe like myself.

So, here's what I think: what you're seeing with all of the last-minute polling shenanigans may be partly these idjits trying to preserve their little A-2 bomber-jacket-wearing fruitball POTUS but it's probably partly the sausage being made that you can now see because of the intertoobes or something.

What's that HG commenter say?

Clear ether!

..thanks for listening. We will now resume our regularly scheduled programming.

..just wanted to preserve this. I think Tuesday, our nightmare will come to an end. Hope I am correct.

-30-

Idiot wind..

Another sawdust-brained hawtie for The Sack-o-Crap® POTUS.


..rumor has it that Ms Perry is so-o-o-o-o dumb, that they had to put "Backward" on the back of the dress so she'd know how to wear it correctly.

Exit question: what's with the back-up dancers wearing knee pads (see lower left corner of pic above or hunt up the vid on You Tube or something)  -- or is that too impolite to ask?

Two more days until The Big Flush.

-30-

November 3, 2012

November 6th, 2012..

-30-

Voter fraud? Nawwwww?

Just sayin'..


..the lady's comments about her mere presence being enough to tone down the Dem strongarm tactics. There's a lesson here, I think.

By the way, Alicia has a lovely smile, don't you think?

-30-

November 2, 2012

You want revenge, Crapsack™?

..I got your revenge right here.

POTUS Sack-o-Shit™ asked his voters to "take revenge" on election day:
During a speech in Springfield, Ohio, Obama talked about the Clinton administration and its economic plan that "asked the wealthiest Americans to pay a little bit more." Then he mentioned Mitt Romney, drawing boos from the crowd.

"No, no, no -- don't boo, vote," Obama said. "Vote. Voting is the best revenge."

It was a slight riff on the president's usual interjection when members of the audience start booing.
Romney was quick to pounce on that:


..and followed it up with this:
"I think it's a terrible message to be sending," Romney senior adviser Kevin Madden said. "The contrast could not be more stark. Governor Romney is out campaigning on a positive message of change while the president is talking about revenge."
Of course, one of Obama's minions wee-weed out something about Romney scaring people with his talk of Jeeps being made in China, but the whole conversation sure is indicative of who's winning and who is a nervous little man strutting around the country in his little POTUS USAF A-2 bomber jacket, afraid of losing his precious title and perks.

What a nutless frump!

-30-

De plane! De plane!

With any sort of luck, we shall be leaving their Fantasy Island next Tuesday..


-30-

November 1, 2012

Cartoonish!

This is how bad the Benghazi avoidance by the MSM has become. Here are a few that fill the bill:




..what's that smell?

-30-

October 31, 2012

Seals on speed dial? Busy signal? Leave a message?

The Sack-o-Crap™ POTUS wanted it both ways and gets called by a women's group for his denying SEALs assistance in Benghazi:


..steal this ad and make it go viral!

UPDATE: A friend sent me a link to a video that tells the ugly side of the incredibly casual understanding that this POTUS has of military affairs and national security:


The man seems to have wantonly used the military as well as the other organs of the government for the sole purpose of perpetuating himself in office, conveniently leaking vital information in a vainglorious attempt to steal the valor and hard work of the Navy SEALs, military, and members of the intel community who brought that goat-raping camel jockey to justice. And now, when to former SEALs among four brave Americans were murdered by AQ operatives in Eastern Libya, he engages in dissembling, obfuscation, and blame-shifting to keep his tutu pristine.

Is it too much to ask that this piece of slime be cast from office, prosecuted for his incompetence, and forced to live a life of disgrace and dishonor? Well, if not, at least to have him be found in an alley out back of a cheap Hotel Street Faery Bar wearing a sequined pantsuit and seven-inch platform heels fellating a bearded merchant seaman?

-30-

October 30, 2012

Stay classy, Crapsack™

Well, it seems that Preezy Sack-o-Shit© is now doin' it with the oldies:


..so there you have it, a steaming pile of inter-generational slime and degradation. If this keeps up, when this election is over, we're all gonna need to get hosed down by a Haz-Mat team.

I feel so-o-o-o-o-o dirty!

(Hat tip to Gateway Pundit via Drudge.)

-30-

October 27, 2012

Crapsack POTUS™ Hitler Youth Stikes Again..

First there was this scummy trollop advising young people to climb into the sack with The Pantload™:


..and now, since Big Big, Binders, Bayonets, and Bullshit doesn't work, they've trotted out the UbamaJugend Choir to ramp up the guilt amongst their deranged base:


To quote Allahpundit over on Hot Gas:
Three years ago, kids sang hymns to the goodness and greatness of Our Leader; today they sing about how an America under Romney will let sick people “just die.” That evolution’s worthy of another four years, no? WaPo has a column today declaring Obama some sort of archetypal father figure. Here’s the message that he’s fathered.
And, if the sweet little voices aren't enough to remind you here are the incredibly creepy, heavy-handed lyrics:

Imagine an America
Where strip mines are fun and free
Where gays can be fixed
And sick people just die
And oil fills the sea

We don’t have to pay for freeways!
Our schools are good enough
Give us endless wars
On foreign shores
And lots of Chinese stuff

We’re the children of the future
American through and through
But something happened to our country
And we’re kinda blaming you

We haven’t killed all the polar bears
But it’s not for lack of trying
Big Bird is sacked
The Earth is cracked
And the atmosphere is frying

Congress went home early
They did their best we know
You can’t cut spending
With elections pending
Unless it’s welfare dough

We’re the children of the future
American through and through
But something happened to our country
And we’re kinda blaming you

Find a park that is still open
And take a breath of poison air
They foreclosed your place
To build a weapon in space
But you can write off your au pair

It’s a little awkward to tell you
But you left us holding the bag
When we look around
The place is all dumbed down
And the long term’s kind of a drag

We’re the children of the future
American through and through
But something happened to our country
And yeah, we’re blaming you

You did your best
You failed the test

Mom and Dad
We’re blaming you!
..again, truly and terrifyingly scary. We have 10 days; make each one count!

-30-

October 25, 2012

Jobs Bullshit..

A Hot Gas regular opines this with respect to Obama's new jobs plan booklet:

..in response to my comrade-in-arms, here's ONLY the unformatted text of that VERY RECENT publication:
“I’m asking the entire country to rally around a set of goals for our country – goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit… This is a real, achievable plan that will lead to new jobs and more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation.” – President Obama
It’s time for a new economic patriotism, rooted in the belief that growing our economy begins with a strong, thriving middle class. Over the past 31 months, American businesses have created 5.2 million jobs. Independent economists project that our economy will create an additional 12 million jobs in the next four years. The President believes we must do even more to grow our economy and strengthen the middle class. The goal of his jobs plan is to strengthen middle-class security by making smart investments in education and training, growing small businesses, promoting technology and innovation, and reducing the deficit.

BUILDING AN ECONOMY FROM THE MIDDLE CLASS OUT
Reviving American Manufacturing. President Obama’s policies have helped manufacturing rebound,
creating nearly 500,000 jobs in the last 31 months. The President’s plan will build on that success,
creating 1 million new manufacturing jobs by 2016.

Energy Made in America. Dependence on foreign oil hurts our economy and imperils national
security, which is why President Obama has set a goal of cutting our net oil imports in half by
2020. President Obama’s policies have helped to cut net imports by nearly 30% in his first term

already, and his plans to expand domestic energy production will support more than 600,000 jobs in the natural gas sector alone.
Growing Small Businesses. Small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in America.  President Obama has invested in entrepreneurs and small business owners by cutting taxes, helping them expand into markets overseas and working to ensure they can get the capital they
need to invest and grow.
Quality Education. A quality education is not a luxury.  It is an economic imperative for good-paying jobs, a strong middle class and a workforce that out-innovates the world. President Obama will strengthen our schools by recruiting 100,000 math and science teachers, training
2 million workers for real jobs at community colleges, and cutting tuition growth in half.
Cutting The Deficit By More Than $4 Trillion. We must return to the principles that made
America great, rewarding hard work and responsibility. By eliminating special loopholes and tax breaks that benefit big business and the wealthiest – as part of a balanced deficit reduction plan that also cuts spending we can’t afford – we can grow our economy
without burdening our children and grandchildren with debt.
Putting YOU in Charge of Your Health Care. Health care costs were skyrocketing and families were denied care. So President Obama passed a landmark law to expand access to affordable insurance, letting young adults stay on their parents’ plan until age 26,
eliminating lifetime coverage limits, ending denials based on pre-exisiting conditions, and eliminating cost sharing and other out-of-pocket costs for recommended preventive care.
Protecting Retirement Security. We can choose a future where we cut our deficit
without wrecking our middle class. President Obama has put forward a specific,
balanced plan of spending cuts and revenue increases providing more than $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade, without ending guaranteed benefits in Medicare or slashing Social Security.
“We refused to let Detroit go bankrupt. We bet on American workers and American ingenuity, and three years later, that bet is paying off in a big way.” – President Obama
“I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules. We’ve brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration – and it’s made a difference.” – President Obama


REvIvING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING
Manufacturing and technology are the life-blood of middle-class families and key engines of the American economy, sparking innovation, generating higher-wage jobs, and strengthening entire communities. But we can’t create an economy built to last if America doesn’t make things the world buys.
Nearly 500,000 new manufacturing jobs since January 2010.
The American manufacturing sector has rebounded – led by the auto industry rescued by President Obama
– fueling 31 straight months of job growth, adding 5.2 million private sector jobs. Manufacturing jobs are growing for the first time since the mid-1990s.
President Obama gave emergency loans to rescue General Motors and Chrysler, saving more than 1 million jobs up and down the auto supply chain and preventing the loss of over $96 billion in personal income.
President Obama created the National Export Initiative to promote U.S. goods and signed Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Panama and Columbia, removing trade barriers, expanding access to credit, and putting America on the path to double exports by 2015. Exports are up 36% since he took office.
President Obama brought more trade cases against China in four years than the previous president did in eight years and won every one of them that has been decided.
For the first time in years, manufacturing companies are seeking to bring back jobs that were sent overseas, according to the Boston Consulting Group.
President Obama passed a tax credit for companies to manufacture advanced energy technologies in the U.S., supporting 183 projects in 43 states.
But there’s more to do.
A national goal to create 1 million new manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016:
1.
Reforming the corporate tax code to bring down tax rates – cutting tax rates on domestic manufacturers by nearly a quarter – while closing tax preferences and loopholes to pay for it.

2.
Ending tax deductions for companies shipping jobs overseas, and using the savings to create a new tax credit for companies that bring jobs home.

3.
 Standing up for American workers and businesses in the global marketplace, taking on China’s unfair trade practices through a new trade enforcement unit to level the playing field.

4.
Training 2 million workers with the skills for good jobs through new partnerships between community colleges and employers.

5.
 Creating a new network of 15 to 20 manufacturing
innovation institutes to bring together business
and research universities to ensure that the
next generation of products are invented and
manufactured here.



One million new manufacturing jobs can put middle-class people back to work and give new college graduates good jobs right out of school.

“With only 2% of the world’s oil reserves, oil isn’t enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy. A strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.”
– President Obama, State of the Union Address, 1/25/12


ENERGY MADE IN AMERICA
We can’t fuel our recovery without developing more American-made energy.
To continue to fuel booming exports, the President is leading the fight to safely and responsibly develop all sources of domestic energy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and while protecting the environment.

What we have done together:

Cutting foreign oil imports to a 20-year low.

Since President Obama took office, America has regained its position as the world’s leading producer of natural gas. We’ve doubled renewable energy production from wind and solar, and domestic oil production grew to a 14-year high. The result: our dependence on foreign oil is at a 20-year low this year.
The number of oil rigs in production in the United States is now at a 25-year high. Natural gas production is at record levels, and electricity generation from wind, solar, and geothermal is on track to double by the end of 2012. Wind energy production in the US now supports over 75,000 clean energy jobs across the country.
President Obama has made a historic $5 billion investment in clean coal, our largest source of domestic power, to develop new technologies to capture carbon pollution.
And President Obama has doubled fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks.
All of this is putting thousands of Americans back to work.



The way forward:
Expanding underground and clean energy production and cutting foreign oil imports in half by 2020.
President Obama is pursuing an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that will produce reliable, affordable energy and take steps to protect our climate:
1.
Opening up millions of acres for exploration and
development, including undiscovered oil and gas
resources in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic.


2.
Investing in domestic energy sources including
wind, solar, clean coal, nuclear, and biofuels. All
while increasing our energy efficiency.


3.
Doubling fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 54.5 mpg by 2025, which will reduce oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels a day and save consumers more than $8,000 at the pump.

4.
 Calling on Congress to build on our success in
positioning America to be the world’s leading
manufacturer in high-tech batteries. President
Obama is calling for extending tax credits that
support clean energy manufacturing.


5.
 Setting a standard for utility companies so that 80% of the nation’s electricity comes from clean sources by 2035. This will help create a market for American manufacturers to make the clean energy technology we need, while improving access to cheaper, more secure energy for U.S. manufacturers.



President Obama’s plan will grow America’s piece of the global clean energy market, creating well-paying jobs here at home, including more than 600,000 jobs in natural gas alone.
And by growing American energy, we can keep our young men and women working here at home, not fighting wars on foreign soil.

“I said I would cut taxes for small businesses – who are the drivers and engines of growth – and we’ve cut them 18 times. And I want to continue those tax cuts for middle-class families and for small businesses.”
– President Obama


GROWING SMALL BUSINESSES
From the mom-and-pop storefront shops to high-tech startups, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. These businesses create two out of every three new jobs in America, helping spur economic growth in communities across our country and giving millions the opportunity to achieve the American dream.
But when President Obama took office, American small businesses were struggling under the burden of a credit crunch created by the Wall Street meltdown, runaway health care costs, and the devastating effects of the recession.
President Obama went to work, cutting small
business taxes 18 times.

And the President is fighting to continue tax cuts for 97% of small business owners, while passing new relief for businesses that invest and hire.
President Obama signed 18 small business tax cuts into law to encourage more hiring and investing, and is fighting to keep income taxes low for 97% of all small business owners.  The President expanded low-cost loans through the Small Business Administration, opening up access to capital for growth. 
President Obama provided tax credits for small businesses through the Affordable Care Act, which will cover 50% of costs for small businesses’ health insurance premiums, helping small businesses afford insurance for their workers.
Big plans for Small Business Growth:

1.
Cutting taxes for small businesses that hire new workers or increase wages and extending 100% of expensing, letting businesses immediately write off the costs of new plants and equipment.

2.
Extending the middle-class income tax cuts which would prevent 97% of small business owners from facing a tax increase.

3.
Expanding the health reform tax credit to cover 50% of small businesses’ health care costs in 2014 and providing access to group rates, so small businesses won’t continue to pay up to 18% more than large firms for health insurance.


After years of economic policy focused on the needs of big business, President Obama’s policies level the playing field for small businesses. Last year, there were 60,000 more new businesses started than in the year the President took office, and the share of Americans who are starting new businesses is at a near 16-year high.
With tax incentives for hiring and growth and greater access to capital, especially for women-owned businesses, more Americans can be their own boss and grow their existing businesses.
“You can choose a future where more Americans have the chance to gain the skills they need to compete, no matter how old they are or how much money they have. Education was the gateway to opportunity for me. It was the gateway for Michelle… And now more than ever, it is the gateway to a middle-class life.”
– President Obama, Convention Acceptance Speech, 9/6/12

IMPROvE EDUCATION FOR MIDDLE-CLASS JOBS

Over the next ten years, more than half of all new jobs will require a college degree. Yet, as many as half of our students aren’t even finishing high school.  Today, the United States is just 14th in the world in the share of adults, age 25 to 34, holding college degrees and certificates. More than ever before, education is the surest path to the middle class and a competitive economy.
That’s why the President made major investments and reforms to our education system:
Education begins at home, with parents who read to their kids, set limits on the TV, and instill a lifelong love of learning. But there’s no substitute for a good school, or the teacher who stands at the front of the classroom. That’s why, even as we faced one of the worst economic crises in history, President Obama worked with states to help save the jobs of 400,000 educators.
The President demanded reform in return for more resources, and for less than one percent of what our country spends on education each year, nearly every state is raising standards for teaching and learning. 
President Obama cut the big banks out of the student loan business, and passed the savings directly to students earning their education. He gave nearly 10 million young people Pell Grants and created the American Opportunity Tax Credit to give students up to $10,000 over four years of college.
President Obama’s plan for America’s future: Highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020 so we can compete and win in the 21st Century economy:
1.
 Cutting tuition growth in half over the next ten years. We can make college more affordable by continuing tax credits to help middle-class families afford college tuition, doubling the number of work-study jobs and creating incentives for schools to keep tuition down.

2.
 Recruiting and preparing 100,000 math and science teachers. We can out-compete China and Germany by out-educating them. The STEM Master Teacher Corps and investments in research and innovation into the best ways to teach math and science will help improve math and science education nationwide.

3.
 Strengthen public schools in every community. Because we can’t compete for jobs of the future without educating our children, we must prevent teacher layoffs. We also must expand Race to the Top to additional school districts willing to take on bold reform. The President will offer states committed to reform relief from the worst mandates of No Child Left Behind, like incentives to teach to the test, so they can craft local solutions.

4.
Train 2 million workers for good jobs that actually
exist through partnerships between businesses and
community colleges.



President Obama believes investing in our children is the best way to invest in America’s future and create opportunity for everyone.

“Asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.” – President Obama
PRESIDENT OBAMA VS. MITT ROMNEY

Tax Savings Under Obama
Tax Increase Under Romney
In his first term, Obama has
Romney’s plan raises taxes by
already cut taxes for the typical
more than $2,000 on middle-
family by $3,600.
class families with kids.
(White House National Economic
(Tax Policy Center, 8/1/12)
Council, 7/12)


A TAX PLAN THAT CUTS THE
DEFICIT AND CREATES JOBS

Upon taking office, President Obama inherited the largest deficit in history, largely caused by putting the costs of two wars on a credit card, giving massive tax cuts for the wealthy that were not paid for, and suffering a historic recession made worse by the financial crisis.
If we’re going to restore the security the middle class has lost, we’ve got to return to the principles that made America great. That means making sure that hard work and responsibility pay. It means rewarding work over wealth. It means eliminating special loopholes and tax breaks that benefit big business and the wealthiest, and asking them to pay a little more.
The Obama Record: Cutting taxes for the Middle Class. Cutting $1 trillion in spending.
To strengthen the middle class, President Obama passed wide-ranging tax relief for working families, including a payroll tax cut for every American worker, and tax cuts for small businesses to help them weather the recession and spur new private-sector hiring. And the President has provided new tax cuts to help the middle class afford higher education and health care.
Under President Obama, the typical American family saved $3,600 in taxes over the past four years.
The President has already signed $1 trillion in spending cuts into law and has put annual domestic spending on track toward its lowest level as a share of the economy since Eisenhower was President.
A balanced approach to reducing the deficit:
Asking the wealthiest to do their fair share while creating an economy which out-educates, out-innovates, and out-builds the world.
1.
President Obama’s plan reduces the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade, including $1 trillion in spending cuts he signed into law last summer, and cutting $2.50 in spending for every $1 in additional revenue from the wealthiest families and closing corporate loopholes.

2.
The plan makes sure millionaires aren’t paying lower tax rates than many middle-class families.

3.
President Obama would commit half of the money saved from responsibly ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to reducing the deficit and the other half to putting Americans back to work rebuilding roads, bridges, runways, and schools here in the United States.



President Obama’s plan keeps middle-class tax cuts in place and reduces the deficit by finally asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.
It’s a plan that grows the economy and puts people back to work, without piling debt on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren.
“It is up to you whether we go back to a health care system that lets insurance companies decide who to cover, when to cover it, whether they can drop you from your coverage whenever you need it most, or whether we keep moving forward with a law that is already cutting costs and covering more people and saving lives. They call it Obamacare. I like that name, because I do care.” – President Obama


PUTTING YOU IN CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH CARE
Affordable health insurance you can rely on is part of the middle-class bargain. Americans who work hard and pay their premiums should have the security that comes with good health care.
Before President Obama took office, the average cost of health care premiums was growing three to four times faster than inflation, insurance companies were routinely charging women 50% more than men for the same coverage and nearly 15 million young Americans were without health insurance.
America’s New Health Care Law – Putting You Back in Charge.
The new health care law puts an end to the worst insurance company abuses.
It gives working families the security of knowing they’ll have affordable health insurance options if they lose their job or switch jobs, and their coverage will be there when they get sick. It prevents insurance companies from refusing to cover children with pre-exisiting conditions and, in 2014, all adults with pre-exisiting conditions.
And 47 million women will benefit from the health care reform provision that requires health plans to cover life­saving preventive care that women need without out-of­pocket costs.
Young Americans can stay on their parents’ plan until age
26. As a result, 3.1 million young adults have already gained health care coverage.
Under Obamacare, insurance companies are required by law to spend 80% of premiums collected on medical care, limiting the amount they can spend on things like overhead and executive pay. If they don’t follow this rule, they have to refund money to their customers. Nearly 12.8 million Americans have received more than $1.1 billion in rebates this year.
Obamacare is working to rein in insurance companies and give people more control over their health care. Starting in 2014, the Obamacare Law:
1.
 Ensures that all Americans can purchase health coverage, even if they have a pre-existing condition.

2.
 Creates a marketplace that offers group rates and new tax credits so everyone can afford insurance.

3.
 Prohibits discrimination in premiums so women don’t pay up to 50% more for the same policy as men.

4.
 Further cuts taxes for small businesses to cover 50% of
their premiums.



By putting a stop to insurance company abuses and expanding access to coverage, Obamacare is giving millions of Americans more economic security.

PROTECTING RETIREMENT SECURITY
With each paycheck, American workers contribute some of their hard-earned wages for the promise of a secure and healthy retirement. There’s a good reason for that.
Prior to Medicare’s inception, one-half of American seniors did not have hospital insurance. And 14 million Americans aged 65 and older would fall into poverty now if they did not receive their Social Security payments.
Medicare is a critical safety net for America’s seniors and people with disabilities. Before President Obama took office, mismanagement of Medicare drove the plan 20 years closer to default.
President Obama strengthened Medicare by cutting overpayments to insurance companies and cracking down on billions in health care waste, fraud and abuse. The President added eight years to the Medicare Trust Fund.
And President Obama saved nearly 4 million seniors an average of $600 last year on their prescription drugs and provided free coverage for recommended preventive care, saving Medicare beneficiaries money and keeping them healthy with regular check-ups and screenings.
“I will never turn Medicare into a voucher. No American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies. They should retire with dignity and the respect that they’ve earned.”
– President Obama

President Obama’s plan protects American workers’ path to a secure retirement and keeps the promises we’ve made to current and future generations:
1.
Oppose efforts to gamble Social Security on the stock market. President Obama will fight for balanced deficit reduction, and extend the life of Medicare and Social Security, without ending guaranteed benefits or slashing benefits.

2.
Stop proposals to turn Medicare into a voucher system. For decades,
American workers have contributed some of their hard-earned wages in
exchange for guaranteed medical coverage in their retirement.


3.
Save 60,000 lives and $10 billion for Medicare’s future by partnering with hospitals to reduce inpatient infections and needless readmissions.



Working Americans paid into Social Security and Medicare with every paycheck. President Obama’s plan will make sure middle-class families get the secure retirement they have earned.

MOvING AMERICA FORWARD


Four years ago, our country faced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The President took bold action to stem the crisis and stimulate our economy and, since that time, America has worked hard to produce 31 straight months of private sector job growth, with businesses large and small creating 5.2 million jobs.
President Obama knows that it is not enough to just recover from the recession – we must create an economy that is built to last, that restores economic security for the middle class and creates a lasting economic recovery.  This blueprint for America’s future lays out the steps we need to take together to get us there.
“Over the next few years, big decisions will be made in Washington on jobs, the economy, taxes and deficits, energy, education, war and peace – decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children’s lives for decades to come…
“It will be a choice between two different paths for America. A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future. Ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known…
“But know this. Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. We are moving forward, America.” – President Obama


F[o]RWARD.

BarackObama.com/Plans
So, my friend, you can screen scrape it and rearrange the test however you wish. But, as you can readily see -- like Oakland, California -- there ain't a whole lot of there there!

UPDATE: I just did some "stats" on the resulting text file of this sack of crap jobs plan:


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October 23, 2012

And now for something completely different..

I think we were more or less talking about a stupid POTUS and the stupid things that he and his stupid posse stupidly do. In that vein, here is a woman who is concerned about the placement of deer crossing signs:


Disclaimer: honest to gosh true call (not a Phil Hendrie excerpt) with honest to gosh folks and honest to gosh honest to goshness. Thanks to my high school buddy and retired Georgia detective, Tom.

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As usual: POTUS "Plan" is too little..too late..

Or, more appropriately, this late-to-the-dance, newly released economic plan is as worthless as the interminable oral flatulence this Crapsack™ has been uttering over the last half-decade.

The D&C and Obama campaign have released an ad discussing this -- it's over on the link cited above, I ain't helping out that P.O.S. -- and here's an excellent refutation of the points from an HG commenter:



..isn;t it grand when smart people do the heavy lifting for you? Thanks, dominigan!

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October 22, 2012

Horseshoes and hand grenades..

..or, like President Crapsack™ says, bayonets and horses.

Well, turd breath, I don't know about the horses, but I sure as hell there are still a lot of bayonets being used by our military and other armies around the world. I have three words for you: M7, M9, and OKC 3S.

Below is an old US Krag-Jorgensen 1899 Bayonet I inherited from my father (who inherited it from his uncle who served in the Spanish-American war). Note that it also fits on a Springfield M1903 and on my M-1 Garands:


And here is am OKC 3S -- acquired by my son, The Good Lance Corporal, and gifted to me for my AR. It, like the one above is an inter-generational possession that I will treasure until the day that I die:



The OKC 3S model are standard issue in the USMC and probably the U. S. Army. So, will someone please tell this iggorant sumbitch POTUS that there are probably MORE bayonets in use today than here were back in the early 1900s.

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October 21, 2012

Hey, second look at the stimulus?

One of the headline articles over at Hot Gas:
TWO careful studies have looked at the relationship between this formulaic spending and employment. Both find that states that received more money fared substantially better. This is the strongest direct evidence that the Recovery Act contributed to employment growth. Based on the estimated size of the effect, the studies suggest that the act created more than three million jobs.

Another study using a related method finds noticeably smaller effects. Even it, however, suggests that about a million jobs were created, and that estimate doesn’t include the effects of the act’s tax cuts.

In addition to its near-term jobs effects, the Recovery Act may also be having more lasting benefits. It’s too early to measure the value of the roads, bridges and airports improved through stimulus funds. But a survey of influential studies looking at highway construction in the 1950s and ’60s suggests that such investments contribute substantially to long-term growth.
Read the Article
..earth-moving comment of the day:

 

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A vote for Johnson or Paul is a vote against Obama..

Now, I know we're way past the point of the so-called "principled conservatives" or little- or big-"L" libertarians -- and I respect their opinions AND their right to vote for whom they please for any reason they please -- but these are special circumstances and, as such, require special considerations. Bill Whittle deals with this little plotchit of road pie in the video below. This enunciates my sentiments better than anything I have seen to date:


Before you take umbrage with me and post some steamy comment, pay particular attention to the last minutes of Mr Whittle's screed and know that after Governor Romney becomes President Romney -- if we are so fortunate -- I will be at the barricades with you fighting for the conservative government that we all want.

On January 21st, 2013, there's gonna be a whole new set of rules that Romney and Ryan will have to adhere to.

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October 20, 2012

Let's all play Twenty Questions..

There's a big steaming kettle of septic tank stew been brewing up over this Benghazi flap -- the Crapsack™ POTUS and his folks lying, shifting blame, throwing the State Department and the security agencies under the bus, and other stuff like that.

Well, chances are it'll all come to a head Monday evening in the final 2012 presidential debate from Boca Raton,. Florida. Still in all, why do I believe there will be some threads left dangling?

Anyway, Stephen Hayes proposes that the answer to twenty questions will get us all right with Jesus -- and, maybe, will sink this turd bag POTUS once and for all. (Well, maybe the get us right with Jesus part; the last item I added.)

Here they are:

Twenty Questions



At about 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 18, Barack Obama strode into the Manhattan studios of Comedy Central for a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The two men discussed several issues, including Libya. Stewart noted the exchange between Obama and Mitt Romney on that subject at the debate earlier in the week and asked Obama about the “confusion within the administration” over the attack that left Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans dead in Benghazi.

“Why? What was it that caused that confusion?” -Stewart asked.

“Well, we weren’t confused about the fact that four Americans had been killed,” the president replied. “I wasn’t confused about the fact that we needed to ramp up diplomatic security around the world right after it happened. I wasn’t confused about the fact that we had to investigate exactly what happened so it gets fixed. And I wasn’t confused about the fact that we’re going to hunt down whoever did it and bring ’em to justice. So, as I said during the debate, nobody’s more interested in figuring this out more than I am.”

At roughly the same time the president was chatting with Stewart in New York City, another interview was taking place in Benghazi, Libya. The man suspected of organizing the attack on the U.S. consulate there, Ahmed Abu Khattala, “spent two leisurely hours .  .  . sipping a strawberry frappe on a patio” with a reporter from the New York Times and boasting that he hasn’t even been questioned by investigators from the governments of Libya or the United States. He has not gone into hiding and has no plans to do so. The Times reported that Abu Khattala, a leader of al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Sharia, “expressed a notable absence of remorse over the assault.” According to the story, “witnesses have said they saw him directing other fighters that night,” and both governments believe he was involved. Abu Khattala denied he masterminded the attack but confirmed reports that he was in the compound. Why? He happened to be in the area “to break up a traffic jam,” and after the fighting broke out he entered the -facility because he wanted to help Libyan guards working for the Americans.

We commend Times reporter David Kirkpatrick for getting the interview, but it raises an obvious question. Why is it that, more than a month after the attack, a New York Times reporter can spend two leisurely hours with the alleged mastermind, yet no agent of the U.S. government has ever approached him?
In his interview with Jon Stewart, Obama also claimed, implausibly, that his administration has been eager to share information about the attacks with the American people.

“When a tragic event like this happens on the other side of the world, immediately a whole bunch of intelligence starts coming in and people try to piece together exactly what happened,” he explained. “And what I have always tried to do is to make sure we just get all the facts, figure out what went wrong, and make sure it doesn’t happen again. And we’re still in that process now. But everything we get, every piece of information we get—as we got it—we laid it out for the American people.” Really?

On Friday, the Associated Press reported: “The CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of last month’s deadly attack on the U.S. consulate that there was evidence it was carried out by militants, not a spontaneous mob upset about an American-made video ridiculing Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.”

But the Obama administration took more than a week to acknowledge directly that it was a terrorist attack. And some two weeks after the fact, top administration officials, including the president himself, were still pushing the discredited notion that the assault grew out of a spontaneous protest sparked by the video.

The CIA station chief in Libya would certainly be the first person consulted after the attacks and the official with the most authoritative voice in explaining what happened. Are we really to believe that his reporting was ignored for two weeks?
If the president really wants to level with the American people, here are some questions he needs to answer.

1. Were there references to Libyan security threats in the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) during the three weeks before the attacks in Benghazi?

2. If there were, did President Obama participate in an intelligence briefing after the Libya threat was raised in the PDB?

3. Did President Obama ask his CIA briefer about threats in Libya during the three weeks before the attacks?

4. Were Libyan security threats discussed in any daily intelligence briefing that President Obama did not attend?

5. How many morning intelligence briefings did President Obama participate in during the month prior to the Benghazi attack?

6. Did any other governments or liaison intelligence services warn us about threats in Libya in the days before the attack in Benghazi?

7. Did any of the communications from intelligence officials in Libya on September 10 include discussions of threats to the consulate in Benghazi or other U.S. interests? Will the administration make those communications available?

8. The State Department’s timeline notes that Ambassador Stevens, who participated in meetings around Benghazi on September 10, was instructed to remain in the Benghazi compound on September 11, the day of the attack? Why? Were there specific threat warnings?

9. Did any intelligence product—raw or finished—include detailed reporting on any protest outside the compound in Benghazi before the attack began?

10. If not, why did administration officials repeatedly mention alleged protests? Where did those claims originate?

11. A senior administration official told the Washington Post on September 13 that the compound in Benghazi featured a “robust American security presence.” Does the White House stand by that assessment?

12. Why did U.N. ambassador Susan Rice, who has no direct involvement in the Libya attacks and no special intelligence knowledge on Libya, appear on multiple TV shows on September 16 to claim that spontaneous protests over the video led to the attack? Was Secretary Clinton or some other high official asked to represent the administration, before Rice was sent out instead?

13. Did James Clapper, the director of national intelligence and CIA director David Petraeus clear Susan Rice’s talking points? If not, who did?
14. A September 28 statement from Clapper’s office  claiming that administration talking points had come from the intelligence community was not signed by Clapper. Why not?

15. Who was on the interagency phone call on Saturday, September 15, to prepare Rice for her TV interviews?

16. Did Rice talk to any senior Obama campaign advisers before she spoke for the administration?

17. Is there any intelligence product—raw or finished—that links the attacks in Benghazi to the anti-Islam YouTube video?

18. If not, why did President Obama himself make a direct link between the film and the attack during his September 18 appearance on the David Letterman show?

19. Will the White House release unclassified versions of the PDBs and Daily Threat Briefs for the three weeks before the Benghazi attack?

20. Will President Obama ever hold a news conference to address these and other unanswered questions about the attacks in Benghazi?

That makes 20 questions for the president, but this is no parlor game. Four lives were lost, and the credibility of the administration is at stake.

Clip this out and save it for the debate. Check off all the questions that were answered.

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