Dr. Jack Wheeler
HALF-FULL REPORT 10/19/12
"It's over." When hyper-partisan Democrat operative Bob Beckel throws in the towel, as he did last night on Fox, you know it really may be for Zero. In fact, you might mark down on your calendar that last night, October 18, is when the Zero Presidency died, as it suffered what looks to be an unrecoverable triple whammy. First was Beckel's verdict in response to the latest Gallup poll (10/17) showing Romney with a virtually insurmountable lead of 52%-45% over Zero. Second was the greatest gaffe Zero has ever uttered, timed less than three weeks before the election. Last night on Jon Stewart's Comedy Central show (yes, a comedy show), he actually said, in response to Stewart's questioning his handling of the Benghazi scandal: "If four Americans get killed, it's not optimal." Tim Stanley of the London Telegraph thinks he's channeling Michael Dukakis. Third was Romney's hilarious gutting of Zero at the Al Smith Dinner last night, the ultimate elite white-tie event for Catholic charities held annually at the Waldorf-Astoria. Example: now as Mr. Obama is in "the last few months of his presidency," he must be thinking: "So little time, so much to redistribute." Or how about this: "Campaigns are hard, and I and the President are each very lucky to have one person who's always in our corner, someone who we can lean on, someone who's a comforting presence without whom we wouldn't be able to go another day. I have my beautiful wife, Ann. He has Bill Clinton." Enjoy the whole monologue, and note how it was a huge hit with the New York audience:
THE LOSERS OF THE LEFT
There are 19 days to go. We must continually keep Yogi Berra's wisdom in mind: "It's never over until it's over." Yet the momentum, the energy, of the campaign is clearly and obviously surging in Romney's direction. With every day that passes, it becomes massively more difficult for Zero and his minions to reverse it. We all know that if voters choose to elect Zero, it will be a willful act of seppuku, the ritual suicide of America by disembowelment. There is no chance our country will recover in the foreseeable future. Anyone who thinks some group of capitalist heroes will emerge out of the pages of Atlas Shrugged to resurrect America from Zero's ashes is indulging in a complete fantasy. There will be nothing left but ashes. Mitt Romney is as close to a capitalist hero as we're going to get. He's no John Galt or Hank Rearden. All he gives us is a chance, and that's all we can reasonably ask of history or reality. Actually, not one chance, but a large number of chances or opportunities available for us take advantage of. Let us count the ways, and identify the Losers of the Left.
THE OPPORTUNITY BIDEN GAVE TO ROMNEY FOR TONIGHT’S DEBATE
Joe "The Smirker" Biden's off-the-wall non-stop rudeness to Paul Ryan in their debate last week was repulsive to all Americans who value plain decency and courtesy. His boss, Mr. Obama, by contrast announced that he "could not be prouder" of his vice-president, deeming his debate performance and his treatment of Mr. Ryan as "terrific." This presents Mitt Romney with a marvelous opportunity, in the second presidential debate tonight (10/16), to ask his opponent if he really is proud of his El Segundo interrupting Mr. Ryan 85 times and laughing about the prospect of Iran nuking Israel. Mr. Romney has an even greater opportunity, however, to ask his opponent if he agrees with Mr. Biden's incredible lies and distortions during his "terrific" debate.
HALF-FULL REPORT 10/12/12
Weirdos. That's what I kept thinking watching SloJoe being such an obnoxious jerk on purpose in front of tens of millions of voters last night. Why do Democrats so consistently have weirdos as their leaders? Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, Algore, Harry Reid, Pelosi Galore, Zero, SloJoe, and for all his disarming charm, Bill "Better put some ice on it" Clinton - all are obnoxiously, arrogantly, pretentiously, immorally weird. Why can't at least one of them be a normal human being? How does a normal person, like Paul Ryan, handle someone who is trying as hard as he can to be as rude and weird as possible? You could try this: (see video) In fact, Biden was so weird last night that it's being seriously asked if he was on coke. The Sodahead website says it's a valid question. As one Tweeter commented, "Biden already got in a few good lines... in the bathroom just before the debate!" It may be no joke. The VP debate is, however, a Prelim. The Main Event is next Tuesday, October 16 - which may turn out to be BOBHICA Day for Zero - Bend Over Barack, Here It Comes Again - with the 2nd Romney-Zero debate.
WESTERN CIVILIZATION’S OCTOBER HAT TRICK
The second week of October offers a triad of heroic anniversaries worth celebrating by any admirer of Western Civilization. Today, October 11, we celebrate the 1,280th anniversary of the Battle of Tours in 732 AD, when Charles Martel (686-741), forever known as The Hammer, and his 30,000 Christian soldiers crushed an invading horde of 200,000 Moslem Jihadis in what is now central France. As Gibbon noted, had the Moslems won that day, all of Europe would have been Islamized and Western Civilization would have been extinguished. Saturday, October 13, is for celebrating the 87th birthday of the great Lady Champion of Liberty, the most heroic woman of the 20th century, Margaret Thatcher. The story of how she, with Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, saved Western Civilization from Soviet Communism is told in Now There Is One (April 2005). And we must also celebrate this October 13, for it was on this day 237 years ago, 1775 in Philadelphia, that the US Navy was founded. Tomorrow, October 12, is for celebrating the 520th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America, for on this day in 1492, the Great Admiral landed on Guanahani (now known as San Salvador or Watlings) island in the Bahamas. Unfortunately, Columbus Day is for most Americans just an excuse for a three-day weekend (last weekend this year, 10/06-08). What it should be is a commemoration and celebration of Western Civilization - which is why the Left hates Columbus and his holiday.
HALF-FULL REPORT 10/05/12
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I'm here on business, but that sure won't keep me from writing this HFR. Holy Toledo, what a week. First, though, I have to thank Jack Kelly for his marvelous HFRs while I've been away. Future historians may entitle what happened in Denver on Wednesday night (10/03) The 90 Minutes That Saved America. It took the RNC all of 12 hours to take advantage of the split-screen presentation of the debate, and flood battleground state airwaves with this devastating ad called simply "Smirk"... Schadenfreude can be so much fun. The entire Moonbat Media was just so totally certain that their messiah was going to obliterate Mitt. Their rage and disappointment was beautiful to behold. Chrissie Tingle-leg was in full meltdown on MSNBC. The Business Insider headline: Romney Absolutely Destroyed Obama. The London Telegraph's: Romney Humiliated Obama. Zero's media lapdogs tried to blame moderator Jim Lehrer. Other than Zero himself, I'd blame the White House Svengali, Valerie Jarrett, who controls access to him and makes sure no one who'd criticize him gets a chance to. So when Romney rhetorically began smacking him around, he became a resentful deer in the headlights. It was fascinating to watch Zero seem to literally shrink in size right on the debate stage. Zero is 6-1, while Romney is 6-2, but it was Mitt's commanding presence and energy that was so much larger. Zero became small right before our eyes. Look how small he is (and how bitter-angry Moochelle is) in this post-debate pic:
HOLLYWOOD FRACKS UP
Matt Damon's new film Promised Land - scheduled for theatre release on December 28 - sounds really promising. It's about a cynical young man sent by a large wind farm company to a lovely village in rural Pennsylvania to seduce the locals with tales of the massive sums of money they'll make if they sign a deal to have huge wind turbines built on their farmland. Dollar signs flash in the greedy hicks' eyes. This wind farm scam is crazy: no way would they have made that much money in their entire lives from just farming. Every one rushes to Damon: "Where do I sign?" But Damon has begun falling in love with a local farm girl who tells him the truth about wind farms: that they're ugly, that they kill birds and bats, that they ravage the countryside, blight views, divide communities and make people sick with their Low Frequency Noise. So instead of bribing locals to have these bat-chomping bird-slicing eco-crucifixes erected in their village, Damon leads the fight back. NO MORE WIND FARMS! The village is saved and he and the girl live happily ever after. If only. The sad truth is...
WE NEED A PRESIDENT WHO PRACTICES THE FREEDOM HE PREACHES ABOUT
America's most quoted philosopher (and baseball player) Yogi Berra once said, "You can see a lot just by looking" -- simple wisdom that President Barack Hussein Obama is not likely to heed. In order to see, you have to want to look at the truth that's actually out there. With reality so different from how our president wishes to portray it, he has little interest in seeing things as they really are. The president delivered a "Kumbaya" appeal this past week (9/25) to the current session of the United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, Obama quoted South African leader Nelson Mandela, saying, "To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." This from an American president who is now forcing American employers to buy condoms and abortion pills for their employees, even if it is against that employer's religious convictions. Or from a nation where poor children are forced to attend public schools where teaching traditional, religious values that they desperately need are prohibited. Or where the people of the state of California voted to define marriage as between a man and a woman, only to have this referendum overturned by a federal court.
THE WORLD’S CRAZIEST COUNTRY
Beijing. I've just come back from two weeks in a hermetically sealed land. No internet, no cell phones, no contact with the outside world. It is George Orwell's 1984 made real, where its inhabitants truly, deeply, passionately love and worship Big Brother. These people were born on an isolated political island cut off from the world, and have lived all their lives surrounded by a sea of state-worship propaganda. The State makes every effort to prevent them from learning anything about their country or the world it doesn't want them to. The word that summarizes being here is suffocation. You are constantly, ubiquitously, unrelentingly suffocated with the deification of the rulers. The films on television or in the theatres are propaganda productions without exception, with unending smiling, laughing, happy faces, everyone so joyously doing whatever their work is. There is never, ever, the slightest hint of criticism, cynicism, or irony. All forms of art are suffocatingly saccharine, all the pictures, paintings, songs and singing are beautiful, smiling, and sugary sweet. This is the Land Without Irony, where Doubt is never permitted. You'd think that this is the world's craziest country. But after returning from my second venture into it - I was here two years ago as well - I am convinced that it isn't. I'm now headed for one even crazier - much crazier, in fact. Where have I been and where am I going?
AN OUT-OF-COUNTRY EXPERIENCE
I'm in a place so bizarre that one of the folks I'm with describes being here as an out-of-body experience. The internet is not allowed for anyone in the country (save for the ruling elite), and we are not allowed to have cell phones - so we are simply cut off from the rest of the world. Yesterday (9/20), I ran into a British guy who had just arrived. Any news about the US? I asked. "This tremendous scandal of Romney's has exploded," he replied. I sighed. He explained: "He was caught on a secret video telling a group in Florida that 47% of voters think they are ‘victims' who the government has to take care of, so they will vote for Obama no matter what." I was befuddled. "Why is that a scandal? That's the plain truth," I stammered. He shook his head. "Your press doesn't think so. All your papers and television are treating his words as so outrageous that his campaign may be dead, that Obama's reelection is now assured." With that, I realized that my own country is on its way to becoming as crazy as the one I'm in. Call it an out-of-country experience. So I wrote this up, put it on a thumb drive, am giving it to a friend who's leaving today and will email it to Miko for posting on TTP. Hope this works, as I'll be here until the end of the month and you won't hear from me again until then.
OBAMA’S TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICA
"It's unbelievable," said an unemployed waitress. "How can Obama be leading in the polls and likely to win enough electoral votes for a second term despite the worst economic performance by any President in the past 100 years?" "It's downright frightening," said A small business owner. "What is the real plan that Obama and the Democrats have for their ‘transformation of America' and, more importantly, how are they going to achieve that plan and how will it affect my business and my family?" The answers to these critical questions is clear. There is enough evidence, both direct and circumstantial, to provide reasonable answers. Yet, the reasons for Obama's showing in the polls and his transforming plan are kept masked by a media and a public who is seduced by the silver-tongued politician. Obama's ability to mask his intentions produces an almost opium-like effect. That mask, however, will be removed once re-elected and America will, more clearly than ever, see and feel the impacts of the ‘plan'. Here is that unbelievable, frightening plan to transform America.
THE WORLD’S CRAZIEST BORDER
[Note: From the world's craziest border, tomorrow I embark for the world's craziest country, in which there is no communication to the outside world. You may not hear from me for the next 16 days. TTP will be in good hands, however, with Miko and Jack Kelly.]
Tin Bigha Corridor, Dahagram-Angarpota Enclave, Bangladesh. For some time now, I've been preparing a research study for the Asia Subcommittee in Congress on India vs. her neighbors. Here is one key place to do so. What follows will be incorporated into the research study.
There are a lot of maps and pictures I took over the past few days. I think you'll find it all mind-blowingly informative.
THE SUBMISSION OF ISLAM
[The original version of this ran in 2005] Today, September 11, 2012, we commemorate the eleventh anniversary of a day of Islamic infamy. A day that will remain an indelible moral stain on the Islamic religion, and an acute moral embarrassment to all the world's Moslems. The Atrocity of 9/11 was performed in their name, claimed by its perpetrators to be justified by Allah. Imagine if a group of terrorist Christians committed a hideous atrocity of like magnitude upon a Moslem population in the name of Jesus Christ. The entire world Christian community would experience an explosion of revulsion. There would be no dancing in Christian streets, no attempts to excuse or justify it, nothing but a wholesale rejection of the disgusting claim that Jesus would sanction such an act. Christians all over the world would join the hunt to find the Christian terrorists responsible and do all they could to bring them to justice. The world Moslem community has done no such thing with regard to Al Qaeda. There are individual Moslems who have done so, and there are Moslem groups who pretend to, but there has been nothing remotely close in the Moslem world compared to what it would be in the Christian. Yes, there are plenty of "moderate" Moslems. The questions they need to ask themselves are: Why should I participate in a faith that allows its followers such as Osama Bin Laden to disgrace, insult, and humiliate it? Is this a faith that is an impotent loser, or simply doesn't care about its worshippers? How can Islam today be a faith worthy of worship? It needs to be made clear that as presently constituted, Islam no longer has a future. It is finished as a world force capable of challenging the West. That is why most Moslems dream of ancient Islamic glory centuries ago.
TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI
Folks, here I am in the mountains of the Bangladesh-Burma border with Christian tribal people, and I just got word that the permits I've been trying to secure to visit Libya have been approved. This is serious short notice, for the permits allow me to bring a small group of TTPers to Libya for one week next month: Saturday, October 20 to Saturday, October 28. The place is going gangbusters economically, as oil production is now exceeding pre-revolution 2009 levels of 1.6 million barrels a day. Politically, things are still in flux, as many sectors of society are trying to cooperate in thwarting Islamist efforts to hijack the Libyan Spring. It's going to be fascinating to watch this playing out first-hand - and in safety. We'll be well taken care of. We'll see what's happening in both Tripoli and Benghazi; visit Berber villages up in the Nafusa Mountains, the best-preserved Roman ruins on the planet, and the center of the unique form of moderate Libyan Islam; investigate business opportunities, and see what direction post-Gaddafi Libya is heading. The hotels are nice, the food is good, the people are friendly, and we are going to have an extraordinary time. The schedule and details are below. Appended at the end is A Note on the History of Libya - consider it your initial Libya briefing.
BANGLADESH IN OUR FUTURE
Bandarban, Chittagong Hills, Bangladesh. It's an interesting geopolitical story what I'm doing here, but that will have to wait until next week. This is a very remote region where Bangladesh, India, and Burma come together, and my internet connection is very iffy, so I have to make this quick. For a backgrounder (up to October 2004) on Bangladesh, see The World's Most Dangerous Cat Fight. Our future is not to be like here. This is the 8th most populous country on earth - over 140 million - squeezed into Iowa. The ubiquity of humanity is overwhelming - and nowhere more so than on the roads. You can't imagine the insanity of it unless you've experienced it, exclaiming Sweet JC! in earnest supplication a thousand times with each time you are sure you'll be in a mangled death-wreck that somehow never happens. Hordes of people walking; rickshaw bikes pedaled by skinny kids carrying people, furniture, sacks of rice, logs, and bamboo poles 50 feet long; motorscooter rickshaws as numerous as ants; motorbikes, cars, huge trucks, and giant buses - all of them frantically trying to pass anything moving slower. In the cities, villages, and towns, every street and alley is choked and clogged with traffic, from rickshaw bikes to buses, beyond belief. It is dystopian beyond any city or country in the world. With one exception. And that exception is what should be - needs to be - in our future.
HALF-FULL REPORT 08/31/12
After such an enjoyable week watching GOP all-stars slap Zero around like a hockey puck, I'm outta here - for I'm sure not sticking around to spend a minute watching Democrat fascisti indulge in lies, rage, and racism in Charlotte. Next week I'll be in Bangladesh - for real. Then I'm spending the rest of September, ah, somewhere in Asia. It's a place I can't write about - I'll have to explain when I get back. Meanwhile, the HFR will be in good hands with Jack Kelly. Thanks, Jack! Tampa. Let's start with Clint last night (8/30). The media moonbats erupted with scorn and mockery. They can't stand it when Zero is made fun of - any more than Zero can. The first time I watched Clint's skit, I was taken aback. By the second and third time, I realized I was watching comedic genius. Now think about the context... The RNC was all about the presidency, but what about the Senate? Let's discuss the prospects. Here's the HFR 2012 Labor Day Senate Sitrep.
TWO AMERICAN HEROS NAMED ARMSTRONG
The memory of exactly where I was remains vividly clear. On July 20, 1969, in the home of Leeds and Linda Davis in Honolulu, Hawaii, I sat transfixed in front of a television with a group of friends - several of whom are TTPers today - and watched the single greatest achievement in mankind's history as it was happening: Neil Armstrong stepping foot on the moon. We all realized we were witnessing an unmatched heroic triumph, but we didn't realize at the time just how heroic. As the Eagle Lunar Lander was on approach to land at a spot NASA dubbed Tranquility Base, its computer malfunctioned, the fuel gauge was flashing red-empty, and the designated landing area was riddled with boulders. The Eagle Lander was about to crash. Armstrong took the controls away from the computer, and smoothly flew the Lander himself to a boulder-free spot, gently set it down on the surface of the moon, and calmly reported to NASA Control and all humanity: "Houston, Tranquility Base here - the Eagle has landed." This great man passed away last Saturday (8/25) at age 82. A Congressman who I talked to observed, "One thousand years from now, the single most remembered name from our times will be Neil Armstrong."
THE RIGHT KIND OF HAT
A few days ago my best friend from High School sent me a 'Viet Nam Veteran' hat. I never had one of these before and I was pretty hyped about it, especially because my buddy was considerate enough to give it to me. Yesterday, I wore it when I went to Walmart. There was nothing in particular that I needed at the world's largest retailer but, since I retired, trips to Wally World to look at the Walmartians is always good for some comic relief. Besides, I always feel pretty normal after seeing some of the people that frequent the establishment. But, enough of my psychological fixes. While standing in line to check out, the guy in front of me, probably in his early thirties, asked, "Are you a Viet Nam Vet?" "No" I replied. "Then why are you wearing that hat?" he asked. "Because I couldn't find my one for the War of 1812." I thought it was a snappy retort. "The War of 1812, huh." the Walmartian queried, "When was that?" God forgive but, I couldn't pass up such an opportunity. "1936."
HALF-FULL REPORT 08/24/12
I've known Peggy Noonan for 27 years (when she came on board the Reagan White House in 1985), and for my money this is the funniest thing she's ever written:
"It is good that Joe Biden is going to the Republican National Convention next week to hold high the flag of his party. People make fun of his gaffes, of his embarrassing verbal forays, but he's no fool and he knows how to take it to the other guy. The speech he is working on, to be given in the heart of downtown, just across from the convention site, will be stirring and stentorian: ‘All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Tampa, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, ‘Ich bin ein Tampon'."That's for openers, folks. This HFR won't be a total laugh-fest, for there are serious things to discuss, but we going to be spending some fun time in Guffaw City.
ABORTING AKIN
Robert Roy MacGregor (1671-1734) became a Scottish folk hero by fighting English perfidy. In 1817, Sir Walter Scott wrote a historical novel about his life, entitled with the name he is known to history: Rob Roy. In 1995, Liam Neeson played the hero in a movie based on Scott's book, Rob Roy. It's a terrific action flick, with the climactic duel between Rob Roy and the villain Cunningham (Tim Roth) one of filmdom's greatest sword fights. But that's not why I remember it. The scene that has always stayed with me is when Rob Roy's wife Mary (Jessica Lange) tells him that she is pregnant as a result of her being raped by Cunningham, and asks him apprehensively what to do. In tears, she admits, "I could not kill it, husband." His response: "It is not the child who needs killing." He steps outside the dark cottage into the daylight. Mary knows he is off to challenge Cunningham to the death, who is a far better swordsman than he. "What if you do not return to us?" she asks with fear in her eyes. With a tender smile, he answers, "If it's a boy, call him Robert. If a lass, name her for my love - Mary MacGregor." This is possibly the most touchingly pro-life scene in motion picture history. If Todd Akin had recalled it to explain his pro-life position, rather than his crackpot "legitimate rape" irrelevancy, he'd still be an unknown politician beyond the borders of Missouri.
THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT MUST DISAVOW TODD AKIN
Rep. Todd Akin has, unwittingly to be sure, harmed the pro-life movement, his senatorial race in Missouri, the Republican Party, and therefore quite possibly the nation. Every person who speaks or writes for the public will make an occasional faux pas, and sooner or later, will write or say something inappropriate. The game of "gotcha" that the media play -- especially with regard to Republicans and conservatives -- is what makes so many politicians sound robotic when they speak. But Congressman Akin said something that cries out for condemnation and retraction -- and necessitates an explanation. On a Missouri TV program Sunday (8/19), he was asked his position on abortion in cases of rape. Akin responded, in part, that "from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." As one wit put it about such a comment: that was worse than wrong, it was stupid. Akin should say so. And so should the pro-life movement.
HALF-FULL REPORT 08/17/12
Remember the place: Chillicothe (chill-a-koth-ee), Ohio, a small town of some 22,000 about 50 miles south of Columbus. Remember the date: Tuesday, August 14, 2012. For this is where and when the landslide defeat of Zero by Romney truly began. I encourage you to read the entire text of Romney in Chillicothe - but when Team Zero heard Romney tell their boss: "Mr. President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting America" They spazzed in fright and faux outrage - for like their boss, they can dish it out but they can't take it. You know what freaks a fanatic out the most? Doubt. A fanatic is so because he's built a wall around his brain to keep out any hint of evidence he could be wrong. Once the drip of doubt starts creating cracks in that wall, his brain can dissolve into a puddle of goo. Team Zero was so sure they could wipe the floor with Romney as they did with McCain. They were overjoyed when he picked Paul Ryan to run with him, so sure they could gut him like they did with Sarah Palin. That was so yesterday.
THE MOSLEM RED HERRING
Reuel Marc Gerecht is not a dumb guy. He was with the Agency in the Middle East back in the 90s, has been a Fellow with a number of "neocon" DC think tanks, and writes a lot of well-informed stuff about US foreign policy. This week, The Weekly Standard (8/20 issue) ran an article of his, in which you'll learn a lot about the mullah crazies who run Iran, particularly "Supreme Leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (not to be confused with Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 revolution who died in 1989). Perhaps Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes are taking an August break in the Outer Banks and turned over editorial decisions to some copy editor or marketing intern - because Gerecht's think tankish piece was pumped up into the most idiotically-entitled cover story of any conservative publication in recent years: The Most Dangerous Man In The World. Has TWS lost its mind? Some medieval turban-head is the world's greatest bad guy? This is a tasteless bad joke, especially given the dangers we face right now that are orders of magnitude larger than this Moslem loudmouth in the Persian desert. Those dangers are inside our gates, not outside.
IS OBAMA USING BIRTHERS TO DISTRACT FROM HIS REAL ILLEGALITY AS PRESIDENT?
The birth certificate provided by Barack Obama is an obviously altered document, according to multiple digital forensics experts. Have you ever wondered why such a blatant forgery was presented? Were the Obama handlers that incompetent? Didn't anybody in the White House care that such a shoddy piece of photoshop work was made public? The answer lies within our legal system. Obama and his DNC and Holder Justice lawyers are notorious for using the mechanisms of the system to gain power and abuse it, thwarting the law in the process. This is a part of their strategy. In fact, the ongoing furor over the place of birth is exactly what Obama wants. It is a red herring, a distraction. Here's why.
HALF-FULL REPORT 08/10/12
"Spec-Ops." A very elite term, applied to the best of the best in our military, the various Special Operations commands such as the Army Rangers, Green Berets, MARSOC, Delta Force, and of course, the Navy SEALs. TTPer USN Capt. (ret) Larry Bailey was not only a SEAL, he was the guy in charge of training them, the Commandant of the Naval Special Warfare Center at Coronado, California. He's as disgusted at what Zero is doing to our country as we all are - and Larry has decided to take action. Larry is uniting veterans of all US military Spec-Op commands to oppose Zero's anti-American/anti-military policies in an organization called Special Operations Speaks - or "SOS" - a joint task force dedicated to Zero's defeat in November. All Spec-Ops folks are welcome - and their supporters....... Edd Forke is bugging me to disclose who Romney's VP pick is. But as my friend John Fund says, those who know aren't talking and those who are talking don't know. So here's the truth: there is no VP pick. There will be, sometime within the next two weeks, but Mitt hasn't made up his mind yet...... We're going to take a break here before getting into all the Washington craziness of the week, and get out into the world to discuss a term that's a real eye-opener: Peak China.
MITT ROMNEY AND THE CULTURE OF CHUCK BERRY
Chuck Berry on American Bandstand, 1959: {youtube}BCEOlID6gqk{/youtube} Take the lyrics to heart: Oh well, oh well, I feel so good today, We just touched ground on an international runway Jet propelled back home, from overseas to the U. S. A. New York, Los Angeles, oh, how I yearned for you Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge Let alone just to be at my home back in ol' St. Lou. Did I miss the skyscrapers, did I miss the long freeway? From the coast of California to the shores of Delaware Bay You can bet your life I did, till I got back to the U. S. A. Looking hard for a drive-in, searching for a corner café Where hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and day Yeah, and a juke-box jumping with records like in the U.S.A. Well, I'm so glad I'm livin' in the U.S.A. Yes. I'm so glad I'm livin' in the U.S.A. Anything you want, we got right here in the U.S.A. The Anti-American infestation in the White House is presently giving speeches and airing campaign ads threatening that his Republican opponent wants to "drag us back to the 1950s." That's a threat? More like a promise. Yet again, Zero demonstrates his total cluelessness about America. Far, far more Americans are nostalgic over the 50s, rather than fearful. Chuck Berry's Back In The USA epitomizes why.
OBAMA THINKS HE CAN WIN BY BEING ANTI-ISRAEL
Less than 100 days before the US presidential elections, the Obama administration is openly denying Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem. Can this be a vote-getter? The Emergency Committee for Israel released an ad titled, "O, Jerusalem." The commercial shows administration officials squirming when asked to name the capital of Israel, and highlighted the recent refusals of White House and State Department spokespeople to acknowledge that Jerusalem is Israel's capital city. The underlying message of the ad is that the administration's policy is out of step with the views of the majority of Americans. As Republicans repeat traditional positions, the Democrats are rendering conventional statements of amity with the Jewish state controversial. It is the Obama White House and its surrogates who are attacking those (like Mitt Romney) who recognize Israel's capital as diplomatic flamethrowers. It is the Democrats who are demonizing American supporters of Israel (like Republicans) as disloyal. What has changed? Why are Obama and his surrogates now highlighting Obama's hostility? Why are they making opposition to Israel a partisan issue and attacking Republicans for being pro-Israel? The answer is clear: Obama has given up on the pro-Israel vote. He's going for the anti-Israel vote and the indifferent-to-Israel vote. He thinks that's the way to win in November.
HALF-FULL REPORT 08/03/12
What a fun week. So much fun it's hard to know where to begin? Should we start with Boris? That would be London's clown mayor, Boris Johnson, who blasted Mitt Romney for saying to the British press all the threatened union strikes (UK Border Police, security guards, London cabbies, etc.) during the Olympics were "disconcerting." That was last week (7/26). This week (8/01), Boris became an Olympic joke with his Zip Line Fail. Everyone in the UK is laughing at "The Dangling Mayor" now, not our next president... The fun will continue, but first this truly important announcement. Thanks to TTP's Miko de Great, the dates and venue for the TTP Victory Rendezvous have been set: Friday November 9--Sunday November 11, Key Bridge Marriott, Washington DC. We'll have details and costs soon, but make your plans to be with your fellow TTPers to celebrate the weekend after Zero and the Dems go down in flames on Nov. 6th. .. Back to joke politicians. Boris is a buffoon, always has been. Harry Reid has always been a twerp, but this week he became a symptom of Dem derangement. Harry's losing it, as in going wacko, suffering a nervous breakdown, something haywire in his brain circuitry...
THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION OF THE RIGHT
Catalysts are funny things - especially historical ones. For close to a half-century, America has been in steady decline due to the Left's Cultural Revolution of the 60s (although Ronald Reagan temporarily slowed it down, even he couldn't reverse it). Who would have ever guessed that its demise and America's revival would be sparked by a chicken sandwich? For decades, year after unrelenting year, drip by never-stopping drip, the Hate-America Marxists of the Scumbag Left infesting our schools, media, and cultural institutions perpetrated one outrage after another to damage America's founding values and wound America's soul. Then finally it happened, the over-the-top act of total hubris that precipitates a fall from power. By attacking with hysterical viciousness a decent moral man over his views that up until recently any sane person would have considered as obvious as the sky is blue, the Scumbag Left exposed itself as irretrievably fascist and inhuman. A chicken sandwich caused people to realize the Left hates what makes us human. Actually, what made us human, what enabled us to become human in the evolutionary first place.
ROMNEY IN POLAND
[This is the full text of Mitt Romney's speech in Warsaw yesterday (7/31). As inspirational as it was to the Polish people, it is also a call for Americans to be inspired by the Poles to have the courage to be free and to prosper. -JW] Thank you all very much for the warm welcome to this great city. It has been a privilege to meet with President Komorowski, Prime Minister Tusk, Foreign Minister Sikorski, and Former President Walesa. This is a nation with an extraordinary heritage that is crafting a remarkable future. At a time of widespread economic slowdown and stagnation, your economy last year outperformed all other nations in Europe. I began this trip in Britain and end it here in Poland: the two bookends of NATO, history's greatest military alliance that has kept the peace for over half a century. While at 10 Downing Street I thought back to the days of Winston Churchill, the man who first spoke of the Iron Curtain that had descended across Europe. What an honor to stand in Poland, among the men and women who helped lift that Iron Curtain.
HALF-FULL REPORT 07/27/12
This has been a very instructive week. We have less than 15 weeks to go to learn if America is going to live or die. With each of them, it will become progressively more obvious that Z2 - a Zero 2nd term - will mean the Death of America. That certainly is true of this week. On the other hand, each passing week now will alsoprovide evidence that the Left's stranglehold on our culture is coming to an end. We discussed this yesterday (7/26) in Democrat Megadeath, but there are other indications. We could call them "Blooms of Insanity." So let's talk about mayflies. They remind me of Democrats these days, because they "bloom" - explode in growth swarms, then die out. This phenomenon of efflorescence is common to many types of insects, and now it's happening to liberal intellectuals, journalists, activists, and politicians. That's why we should look at all these LibDem spasms of outrage, intolerance, and rabid fascism as "blooms of insanity." Another way of looking at the Dems is that the 20th Century is finally ending, the Fin de Siècle at last.
DEMOCRAT MEGADEATH
A giant fat German guy (six-foot-six, 300 pounds of blubber) with a decidedly sketchy background (pleading guilty to embezzlement is just one of many examples) and a goofy artificial name would seem an outlandish candidate for a catalyst of Democrat Megadeath - but you know what truth is stranger than. Kim Schmitz grew up in Kiel, Germany, where he dropped out of 9th grade and became a criminal child prodigy like the kid Leonardo DiCaprio played in Catch Me If You Can. After an endless series of scrapes with the law (including two convictions both with 2-year probations), in 2005 at age 31 he founded a company in Hong Kong called Megaupload, a "file-hosting service" with an elaborate array of websites for video sharing, music sharing, and online commerce. By this time, Schmitz had legally changed his name to Kim Dotcom, and moved to New Zealand. Because Megaupload made it super-easy for members to share anything video including full-length movies and anything audio including the latest rock hits and albums, it exploded in popularity with 50 million visitors a day, $100 million in annual revenue, and accounting for 4% of all internet traffic worldwide. For this, Hollywood declared him Enemy #1 and ordered Zero and Holder Justice to destroy him. Big mistake. He's now going after Zero's jugular and that of the Dem Party. As a result, both will bleed to death on November 6th.
ROMNEY AS REAGAN
[This is the full text of Mitt Romney's extraordinary speech last night (7/24) at the VFW Convention in Reno, Nevada. I entitled it "Romney As Reagan" as it is a speech Ronald Reagan could have given and would be proud of. -JW] Thank you. Commander Richard DeNoyer, I appreciate the introduction, and I'm proud to see a combat veteran from Massachusetts serving as National Commander of the VFW... I am an unapologetic believer in the greatness of this country. I am not ashamed of American power. I take pride that throughout history our power has brought justice where there was tyranny, peace where there was conflict, and hope where there was affliction and despair. I do not view America as just one more point on the strategic map, one more power to be balanced. I believe our country is the greatest force for good the world has ever known, and that our influence is needed as much now as ever. And I am guided by one overwhelming conviction and passion: This century must be an American Century.. I will not surrender America's leadership in the world. We must have confidence in our cause, clarity in our purpose, and resolve in our might. This is very simple: if you do not want America to be the strongest nation on earth, I am not your President. You have that President today.
WHO ARE THE RAPISTS?
You may have seen the story up on Drudge and all over the news about a 17 year-old high school girl in Louisville, Kentucky, Savannah Dietrich. Savannah was raped by two teenagers who plea-bargained and got off with probation - then the judge placed a gag order on her not to disclose her rapists' names. She did anyway on Twitter - and now faces six months in jail for contempt. The outcry has been deafening. Yet in all the hundreds of news stories about Savannah defying this contemptible judge and outing her rapists - not one story says who the rapists are. Every news outlet in America is obeying Judge McDonald's order. Well, not TTP. We've learned who they are and are happy to identify them by name.
THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN IS UNWORTHY OF A DEMOCRAT PRESIDENT
[Note: this public letter is written by a hard-core life-long Democrat. Even these guys have had it with Zero.] As a Democrat and a staunch support of Barack Obama, I am completely disgusted by his campaign. Are we talking about the President of the United States? Are we talking about a principled man who has boosted our ideal for a fair and equitable America? Does this have anything to do with the American people? 1. A harassing campaign Everybody takes turns to bombard us with e-mails, phone calls to chip in for one reason or the other. Even those of us who asked to only receive selective information. To that "presidential" harassment one needs to add what the Democrat Party does: strangely enough they only call and e-mail to collect money. Never to tell us what are the important causes for the Party.
HALF-FULL REPORT 07/20/12
We might as well start right out enjoying ourselves with the funniest headline in world news this week. From New Zealand, we learn that Traffic Signs Are Being Destroyed by Prostitutes. Seems the working ladies use the signs for street pole dancing to advertise, and some of them are "big, strong women." Since the passage of the Prostitution Reform Act in 2003, all forms of hookerism - from brothels to street solicitation - are legal in Kiwiland. There's even a hooker's union: the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective (NZPC) with its own website: nzpc.org. More enjoyable news. Secretary of State Pantsuit went to Egypt on Sunday (7/15) to talk with the Moslem crazies who now run the country. Egyptians greeted her warmly - by throwing tomatoes and shoes (the latter being a gesture of utter contempt) at her motorcade in Alexandra. Even more insulting was the crowd taunting her with shouts "Monica! Monica!" And the week's best news - that would be Mitt Romney going lex talionis.
WEEKLY MIND FOOD 07/20/12
Welcome to the second issue of a new feature on TTP, Weekly Mind Food, which aims to show you what TTPers without a regular column, but with deep expertise in key fields, are paying attention to. Note the "Weekly Mind Food" category in the left side-bar now, which will have all our issues. We'll put out each issue on a Friday so you can peruse the linked articles at your leisure over the weekend. Note also that "Weekly Mind Food" is Free Access, as are all the linked articles. We call ourselves TTP's Team B. Paul continues to focus this week on Internet technology & security, with some side trips into economics. David will soon be joining us to cover technology, economics, and Plan B personal security; and Citizen K is beginning to cover the global hydrocarbon industry. More to come. We also congratulate TTPers mrapp, hardcharger, and dougk, for freelance link suggestions that met the test. To simplify your scans, I've divided the links into sections: Polis (domestic politics), Techne Logos (tech), Economos (global economy), Stratiootika (geopolitics & military), and Friday Joy (brighten your day and/or make you better). Enjoy!
LENIN IN THE WHITE HOUSE
There are many contenders for who is the most evil human being to walk the face of the earth - and there is no doubt that Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (1870-1924) is among them. He was born on the Volga River in Russia but he wasn't Russian. His father was an Oirat Mongol, his mother was Jewish-German/Swedish. He grew up in prosperity with his father as a prominent professor. He turned radical Marxist in college (Kazan University) becoming the devotee of Georgi Plekhanov ("the Founder of Russian Marxism"), and was exiled to Siberia for three years for subversive activities. While in Siberia, copying Plekhanov who adopted the revolutionary name "Volgin" after the Volga River, he invented his own revolutionary name after Siberia's Lena River: Lenin. As the great Austrian economist Ludwig Von Mises explained, his understanding of business was that of a filing clerk. A filing clerk soon to become a ruthlessly fascist tyrant. And today in America, we have our very own Lenin in the White House.
THE SURVIVAL OF ASIAN EUROPE
Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabagh, de facto Armenia. The only thing most Americans know about Armenia is that it’s where Kim Kardashian’s family comes from. Me, the only thing I know about Kim Kardashian is that she’s one of those PR Celebrities famous for being famous. What exactly she’s popular for I haven’t a clue.
Skye, of course, knows not only about Armenia, but this part of it seized from Azerbaijan in 1992. Yet even he was concerned. “Stay safe!” he cautioned. Yes, this was a war zone until recently, but the greatest danger I face here is imbibing too much Armenian brandy—after all, Winston Churchill considered it the best brandy in the world.
Actually, the scary part is getting here – driving a ridiculously dangerous mountain road with no guard rails known as the Lachin Corridor (see map) connecting Stepanakert to Armenia proper. It’s even more fun at night in rain and heavy fog. They’ve built a new airport and promise to start flights as soon as they believe the Azerbaijanis won’t shoot the planes down.
Once you’re here, though, it’s a big surprise. This place is booming, with construction cranes at work all over, new hotels and restaurants, folks brimming with optimism, not a soldier in sight, streets so safe kids play at night with no worries. I have a good internet connection and a cold Kotayk beer.
It’s great being here – and a perfect place to talk about the survival of Asian Europe.
OBAMA’S DISASTROUS TRANSFORMATION OF OUR MILITARY
Last week (7/05), in a case before the U.S. Military Court of Appeals, by a 3-2 vote the judges delivered an outrageous decision. Army Ranger First Lieutenant Michael Behenna was deemed to have no right to self-defense when he killed the Iraqi prisoner he was interrogating after the latter threw a concrete block at him and tried to seize his firearm. Unless he is pardoned, Lt. Behenna will remain incarcerated for the next twelve years. (Note: to support Lt. Behenna, go to defendmichael.com.) Unfortunately, under President Obama, service personnel's rising fears of being prosecuted for acting to protect themselves and their missions are but one of many disastrous ways in which the military is being, to use his now-infamous turn of phrase, "fundamentally transformed." Consider a quartet of examples: