A Changing World: Barack Obama, 2013-2017

[ebilly99]

You do realize the debt ceiling debate does little to hurt economic growth, especially when you compare it to programs like Obamacare which is forcing small businesses to cut employee hours.



Then again you wouldn't mind posting said articles

First it is funny we keep bringing up spending, as only congress controlls the purse strings. This also gives Bush a pass and Clinton a strike against the few things he is remembered for.
Second why does everyone call it Obamacare. Romney worked hard on it :P (Naw it's not really eithers fault but the idea that everyone needs health care and is not a bad idea, PRO TIP though, next time don't do it in a recession)

[BigLutz]

First it is funny we keep bringing up spending, as only congress controlls the purse strings.

Yes, but the Senate refuses to pass a budget, thus it continues off a continuing resolution based off of a high spending budget of a Democratically controlled Congress of 2009. This has been a massive point of contention for Republicans as the Democrats have refused to pass a budget that deals with the debt or the entitlement crisis.

This also gives Bush a pass and Clinton a strike against the few things he is remembered for.

Except it is not that black and white, yes Clinton gave a surplus budget, but he did so on the backs of a .Com bubble and did nothing to provide protection against this bubble. He also did little to stop the impending terrorist attack on 9/11 which further weakened our economy. Now to be fair Bush signed off on large spending budgets under a Republican Congress, but it should be pointed out that the Republican's were actually going toward a more balanced budget from the spending highs of 2002/2003 when the Democrats took over in 2006 and went on a massive spending binge, when accelerated our debt ( See my sig and inclosed pic for proof of that )

http://abriefhistory.org/wp-content/...1992-20171.jpg

Second why does everyone call it Obamacare. Romney worked hard on it :P (Naw it's not really eithers fault but the idea that everyone needs health care and is not a bad idea, PRO TIP though, next time don't do it in a recession)

-Care has been added onto any major medical proposal from the leader since Hillarycare in 1993, you have Romneycare in Massachusetts and you have Obamacare now.

[ccangelopearl1362]

One might have thought that entitlements and pensions would remain high for the rest of the country, but then, it may be because few, if any, have any idea about the course of the United States of America and its allies as the cuteness, energy, and information revolutions and Europe, Russia, and Islam’s cultural collapses speed along. If payback is the overriding impulse between any various ethnic activists remaining inside this country, then there is no limit to any political endeavors that the ensuing groups will undertake for these remaining election cycles. The irony would be boundless for anyone else caught in these trends.:

Los Angeles Times: As Obama takes up immigration, strategy poses a challenge
Hill Hillicon Valley: Jennifer Martinez: Technology firms holding out hope for high-skilled immigration reform

As certain segments of the Senate attempt to join forces in setting new rules for verification of workers’ legal status and updating “the criteria for legal immigration”, worries are strong over direct intervention out of the White House. This group of Republicans and Democrats has been racing to hammer out a statement of common principles to stay ahead of this intended launch, and even Latino lawmakers were split on whether to counter this group or remain silent. For their part, technology companies, especially Apple and Google, are expressing encouragement over something known as the Immigration Innovation Act, which has Senators Marco Rubio and Amy Klobuchar among its sponsors. This new bill remains alone for now, but the very nature of the aforementioned revolutions could make certain types of jobs intended to be filled by whoever’s arriving as a result of these deliberations… obsolete, thereby nullifying the reason for existence of the societies of the people in question. As such, these new arrivals will inculcate instincts for as much destruction as possible, whether small or large in scale, and they could be all too eager to welcome support for certain sources with common agendas.:

Daily Beast: Ilan Berman: Iran Woos Bolivia for Influence in Latin America
Fox News Channel: Iran Sentences American Pastor Saeed Abedini to 8 Years in Prison

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards and Iranian Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are pushing for revenge as their society crumbles, and it looks like they intend to take Pastor Saeed Abedini and his (alleged) network of churches down with them. The Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas opened a regional defense school a while back, and Iran provided operatives to indoctrinate the people attending the facility. Bolivian President Evo Morales welcomed initiatives to expand the reach of a television channel promoting diplomatic ties to Iran among Spanish-speaking people, and significantly, no one knows just how much lithium – or uranium – Bolivia has. In the wake of the current bloodbath in Syria, this may be seen as a dark tool with which to strike against North America. Closer to Tehran, the American Center for Law and Justice has to be stepping up its campaigns to alert the rest of the world to the “mockery of justice” that prevailed earlier this morning. The State Department remains in contact with the Abedinis, which should give Senators John Kerry and Chuck Hagel a fascinating reference point. Congress couldn’t move rapidly enough to improve this country’s radio broadcasting capabilities, giving our mission a constant platform for the rest of the world.:

Fox News Channel: Clinton Pushes for More Broadcasting of Pro-US Message, Raising Questions about Agency’s Mission

Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for a new focus on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which includes Voice of America and Radio Free Europe in its main projects. Media broadcasters from other countries naturally have values differing from this country, especially Al-Jazeera, so perhaps some assistance will be helpful. I could think of a few talk radio hosts who’d welcome comprehensive discussions about and defenses of this country’s founding principles, but I’m not optimistic about the survivability of certain places worldwide. The House of Thani couldn’t have a more oddly apt position here.:

British Broadcasting Corporation: Sporting events shine spotlight on Qatar’s human rights
Ahram: Egypt’s political rift widens as Islamists, opposition forces swap accusations

If the Central Intelligence Agency, the Secret Intelligence Service, the General Directorate for External Security, and the Federal Intelligence Service have contingency plans surrounding the House of Thani’s shopping sprees throughout Europe, then this new turbulence involving the Muslim Brotherhood could give a new reason among countless others to… confiscate any assets snapped up in response to this market meltdown. Qatar lobbied for the right to host the 2022 World Cup, perhaps laying the groundwork for its investments in London’s 2012 Olympic Village. However, Muhammad Al-Ajami still has that prison sentence, last I checked, and no input has been sought from ordinary Qataris or foreigners inside that patch of land jutting out from Saudi Arabia. One Ali Al-Kuwari is calling for reform, pointing to a lack of transparency from the House of Thani. They and their associates could dig in and spend as much money as they wanted on the transport networks and media forums necessary for this event, among other features, and all that would be left would be a rather huge and nasty fall for Al-Jazeera, Yusuf Qaradawi, and by extension, the rest of the Muslim Brotherhood. Indeed, the violent protests across Egypt this weekend could be pulling them closer to that fall already. This widening rift has the likes of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya accusing certain Marxian elements of fomenting the violence, which injured hundreds in cities as diverse as Cairo, Luxor, and Alexandria and even killed about 30 in Port Said yesterday. I can only guess that this leaves the Salafis and the Islamic Liberation Party to launch direct appeals to people still scattered throughout the Middle East into North Africa, so that we will have to adjust our strategies accordingly.

[Snorunt conservationist]

Do you actually come here to debate, or is this more about making obvious statements. We all know Obama isn't a true liberal, a good portion of his base is, therefore he tends to talk about issues such as gay marriage to rally his base.

His base isn't liberal either.

This is basically your argument at this point. Obama isn't a liberal, yet he's pursuing a liberal agenda (which he isn't) in order to rally his "liberal" base (which aren't liberal). In short, Obama is pursuing policies he doesn't like or want. Ok. Cool.

No, no its not. Taxing based on income isn't the same as a blanket increase, but please don't let facts get in the way of your ignorance.

I'm talking about the principle behind Obamanomics. Namely that "The Rich" must pay more under the guise of a "progressive tax system". Obama is a rich basher. The lowest form of class warfare.

1: America owes most of its debt to its own financial institutions.

So what? It also owes trillions and trillions to foreign countries.

2: As has been pointed out China is indebted TO US.

Not on the same scale.

3: The country of America isn't like a freaking family that's on the verge of bankruptcy because it's creditors are demanding their money back. Chase, AIG, BofA aren't going to demand their debt be paid, in fact they want to forgive most of it.

Got any proof of that?

I seem to remember unemployment falling.

Unemployment when Obama assumed power- 7.8%

Unemployment at time of election- 7.9%.

Unemployment rose over his time in power.

Maybe this would be going better if your buddies in congress didn't actually stymie economic growth by having a debt ceiling debate every few mknths (purposely pushing it back to further slow the economy)

I'm not a Republican, but you've shown your level headed approach on this issue by blaming the debt ceiling entirely on them.

[ccangelopearl1362]

Hmm… Given everything I’ve typed in the past few months, this conclusion was inescapable. Even when I wondered about President Barack Obama’s arguments, I was always certain that he truly believed in them. If anything, that sense of decisive belief made his activities during his first term even more worrisome, but now, I have the opposite concern. These media-oriented groups will need all the alertness they can muster in order to keep this discussion in real time as often as possible… as will the rest of us.:

Fox News Channel: Conservative Media Watchdogs Push Back on Obama’s Fox News Attack

President Ronald Reagan designed and implemented policies expanding talk radio freedom, and Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity were and are two of the most hearable products of that expansion. If anyone could explain why free enterprise benefits everybody, then I imagine that those two men would do everything in their power. Maybe Reagan should’ve proposed a deal allowing them to broadcast their perspectives and opinions into certain parts of the world, and the point would’ve been to inculcate a culture of lawfully free speech among people in the streets, people who’ve yet to access any up-to-date technology and information at that time. In any case, I suppose it’ll be all that the rest of this country can do. Even earlier this afternoon, I remember hearing Mr. Limbaugh consider himself “boggled” that people could place their faith in someone with no idea “how any industry, business, or service works”. If anything, he may have answered his own concern, especially given the nature of the issue in question. The Republican Party wants to appeal to smaller businesspersons, while the Democratic Party has labor unions and racial activists in its corner, with information and energy companies holding their positions. That could bring this divide into a new light, so to speak. Market modernization has made these traditional cultures throughout this planet obsolete, so the only possible goal their people(s) could have in migrating here at this point would be to settle these differences once and for all. Latinos, blacks, and Arabs will shout each other down for whatever they can devalue, and no matter what other ethnic groups pop up, this form of collectivism will mark at least the next few election cycles. Of course, I haven’t even mentioned any backlashes that erupt in response to our pivot to East Asia, but perhaps it’ll happen in due time. For now, this could sideline the Republican Party on the national and local stages, but more disturbingly, it will be certain to turn the Democratic Party into a tool of ethnic and racial redistribution. The freefall of the Muslim Brotherhood and the House of Thani could only persuade others to join this wave, and Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and other talk radio hosts would see their communication lines flooded. At least ordinary Malians could welcome efforts to explain the bloodlust and destruction encouraged by anyone still sympathetic to the jihadists.:

France 24: French special forces ‘to protect’ Niger uranium mines
Daily Telegraph: British cocaine users helping fund Islamic terror groups behind Algerian siege and Mali conflict

Well, well, well. I think we just found a major clue as to how France’s nuclear power providers got the idea to reach out to Kazakhstan. Areva has some uranium projects in Niger, which, as I recall, was the subject of more than a few deliberations involving Saddam Hussein. At any rate, this elite team is using the mobilization against Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to cover its attention, and Areva itself is stepping up its security protocols. The company’s been there for the past five decades, giving the Anglosphere quite a base of familiarity should we ever want to consult it. As French and Malian military units move deeper through the jihadists’ new fiefdom, their most secretive handiwork will and should give at least a few people chills. AQIM and its associates have shipments of cocaine fueling their revenue, including the military commanders of Guinea-Bissau. Drug cartels in Latin America are the main partners, allowing fees of up to $2,000 “for every kilo trafficked”, and the resulting profits went to the purchase of weapons in the wake of the conflict in Libya. At least some of the terrorists are even using the cocaine themselves, most likely as battle stimulants. The United Nations Security Council heard an annual estimate of $900 million in cocaine trafficking from former Russian Ambassador to Britain Yuri Fedotov, which, one might guess, will position Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Ansar Al-Sharia as rivals to the likes of the United Wa State Army farther to the east. If anyone can imagine a scenario in which People’s Liberation Army units find themselves confronting some bands of Islamic terrorists, then Abu Musab Abdel-Wadoud, Abdelhakim Belhadj, and Abu Muhammad Al-Julani could offer the most likely ideas, depending on the locations of Chinese investments. One suspects that these Salafis won’t hesitate to massacre their way through the Sunni-Shiite fault line in Syria, triggering consequences beyond even their control.:

Daily Star: Jumblatt in France: Lebanon should be spared from Syria crisis
New York Times: Israel Prepares for Hezbollah Getting Syrian Weapons

French President Francois Hollande and his advisors must be more popular than they expected after this discussion. The Druze’s Walid Jumblatt has taken a position opposite Hezbollah and Bashar Al-Assad, calling on his people to join the likes of the Free Syrian Army, which may still be on alert for the Al-Nusra Front. Directly south, however, it sounds like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t wasting any time. Military and intelligence officials have emphasized secrecy during their meetings with him, and no doubt they have some resources trained on the 30,000 Syrian refugees that have fled to Jordan in the past month. The Salafis are intent on completely ruining the country, and in all their revengeful rage, the ayatollahs could place Israel in their crosshairs after targeting Pastor Saeed Abedini’s family. All the Salafis would need to solidify their position would be successful outreach to the Nour Party and the Islamic Liberation Party and placement of clerics allied with them at Al-Azhar University. They would alarm no small number of people throughout Eurasia, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Closer to Egypt, though, they – and we – could look across the Mediterranean Sea for further disruptions inside Europe.:

Greek Reporter: Andy Dabilis: SYRIZA Wants State Break with Church
Greek Reporter: Andy Dabilis: New Democracy Keeps Lead over SYRIZA

Ah, Greece, widely seen as the epicenter of the European side of the global market meltdown. Fortunately for us, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has stayed ahead of the new Marxian leader in question, one Alexis Tspiras, who apparently wants nationalized banks, health care, and transportation, as well as dismemberment of the Greek Orthodox Church, and dislikes pay and pension cuts. Then again, at least for the moment, it appears that the Greeks still have faith in their democratic system, placing New Democracy at 29.2%, the Coalition of the Radical Left at 27.8%, and Golden Dawn at 11.6%. If it’s any help, Tspiras and his associates have avoided condemning any violence erupting recently in Greece as a result of the austerity measures favored by the likes of Germany, and even with the United States positioning its military units throughout the region, there may not be much preventing Greece from tipping over. Some anarchists tossed bombs at a bank in downtown Athens a couple of years ago, continuing their attacks against globalization at a shopping mall… this past week. Incredibly, even Golden Dawn has been targeted, while the latter believes in Jewish, read Israeli, influence over global banks. They could reach out to certain factions suspicious of even the Putinists’ corrupt entanglements, and Russia and Greece alike would be pushed that much closer to decline, especially in the face of those aforementioned revolutions. On the other hand, Al-Qaeda could attempt to contact its networks in the Balkan Peninsula, especially near, say, Albania and Kosovo, giving the Salafis a new foothold. Either way, Greece would be that much closer to having collectivists encircle and eventually overwhelm it. I’ll welcome any efforts to compare and contrast the Greeks’ situation with ours.

[BigLutz]

So things are not looking good for Obama this week, the American economy contracted for the first time in three years ( And this time he cannot blame Bush ), and Obama has dissolved his Jobs Council, further giving the impression that he does not care about the economy. Meanwhile Chuck Hagel is on Capital Hill right now getting grilled, not only did he flounder when it came to his record on the surge, but he has now claimed that Iran is a legitimately elected government. Which sounds remarkably like: "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration."

[Silver Soul]

So things are not looking good for Obama this week, the American economy contracted for the first time in three years ( And this time he cannot blame Bush ), and Obama has dissolved his Jobs Council, further giving the impression that he does not care about the economy. Meanwhile Chuck Hagel is on Capital Hill right now getting grilled, not only did he flounder when it came to his record on the surge, but he has now claimed that Iran is a legitimately elected government. Which sounds remarkably like: "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration."

And yet he had a 60 percent approval according to a recent poll. Also, it's just typical Republican obstruction in preventing the President from getting anything done even if it causes negative impact for America. Pardon me but, how's the Republican outreach to Hispanic voters going?

[BigLutz]

And yet he had a 60 percent approval according to a recent poll.

And yet low to mid 50s in all others, making that one a outlier.

Also, it's just typical Republican obstruction in preventing the President from getting anything done even if it causes negative impact for America.

Obstructionism? It's not the Republicans that caused him to not use his jobs council, it is not the Republicans who have caused him to focus on left wing ideas and not on the economy, those are all on him.

Pardon me but, how's the Republican outreach to Hispanic voters going?

Quite well considering Marco Rubio one of the leading candidates for 2016 is getting all the praise for the immigration reform bill.

By the way I noticed that you did not say anything on the disastrous hearing with Hagel. Not a good day or week for Obama.

[Silver Soul]

And yet low to mid 50s in all others, making that one a outlier.

In the meantime, Congress is still at an all time low so they don't have much leverage.

Obstructionism? It's not the Republicans that caused him to not use his jobs council, it is not the Republicans who have caused him to focus on left wing ideas and not on the economy, those are all on him.

I'm sorry but, who was it that created the Fiscal Cliff hysteria?

Quite well considering Marco Rubio one of the leading candidates for 2016 is getting all the praise for the immigration reform bill.

Unfortunately, Republican Senator (R-La.) David Vitter disagrees who called Rubio "amazingly naive" and nuts.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/0...#ixzz2JW9RsKvX

By the way I noticed that you did not say anything on the disastrous hearing with Hagel. Not a good day or week for Obama.

Oh from what I see, I saw who was once considered a more suitable candidate of 2000 until he was beaten by his opponent in the primaries via money and loses another at the general stage while bringing the wrong VP pick into spotlight became a typical angry Republican. The hearing will go as well as Hilary Clinton's.

[BigLutz]

In the meantime, Congress is still at an all time low so they don't have much leverage.

Sure they do, just because they do not have a high personal approval rating does not mean they cannot beat Obama on issues that he scores low on.

I'm sorry but, who was it that created the Fiscal Cliff hysteria?

That would be Obama, he was the one who came up with the idea of the Sequestration. But the Fiscal Cliff did not cause for the contraction, the new taxes in Obamacare can be blamed for that.

Unfortunately, Republican Senator (R-La.) David Vitter disagrees who called Rubio "amazingly naive" and nuts.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/0...#ixzz2JW9RsKvX

And he speaks for the Hispanics? Or even the Republican Party?

Oh from what I see, I saw who was once considered a more suitable candidate of 2000 until he was beaten by his opponent in the primaries via money and loses another at the general stage while bringing the wrong VP pick into spotlight became a typical angry Republican. The hearing will go as well as Hilary Clinton's.

Is that why, and I quote from CNN: Several senators- even undecideds-tell me there's a ton of buzz on senate floor about hagel's lackluster performance. "Shock" is the word

Doesn't sound like it went very well to me.

[ccangelopearl1362]

France 24: Euphoria as French, Malian troops take historic Timbuktu
France 24: Mali Tuareg rebels say they control Kidal, Islamists gone

Judging from the speed at which French and Malian military units – and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad – barreled through the specified region, the Sharia terrorists might have been the ones who had an even worse week. Once the French troops took control of Timbuktu Airport, they seized the rest of the city in a matter of hours… without encountering resistance. Almost three weeks will have passed since France’s mobilization, and those Tuareg insurgents appear to be staying put for now. Their pockets are scattered near Algeria, but there isn’t too much sympathy between them and those Malian soldiers. They will quite likely need to update their profiles if other countries around the area start taking an interest in them. Indeed, one country completely outside North Africa already has a substantial presence there, among other activities.:

World Affairs Journal: Massoud Hayoun: Strange Bedfellows: China’s Middle Eastern Inroads
New York Times: Chinese Hackers Infiltrate New York Times Computers

There’s a new mosque in Algiers scheduled to go up, widely purported to be one of the largest in the world by its completion. The contract to build it went to… the China State Construction Engineering Corporation, alongside a highway project intended to stretch from Morocco to Tunisia. China started these inroads into Islam in response to September 11, 2001, with at least one individual organizing that Chinese-Islamic halal forum – back last September, evidently – stressing it as an alternative to general discrimination against Muslims. Chinese imports and exports to Arab countries have been calculated to hit $300 billion by 2015. Farther east, Hong Kong has certified about 50 halal restaurants since 2009 and accepted regulations for a Sharia finance market modeled on Dubai. Off the cameras and publications, however, Chinese officials have been, shall we say, less than cordial, “barring minors from entering mosques” and targeting a few for outlawed religious practices, which I’m guessing were thought to subvert the homeland in some unspecified way. Incredibly, even Hong Kong’s biggest bank dissolved its Sharia divisions in Bangladesh, Bahrain, and even the United Arab Emirates early last October, with the exception of Islamic bonds offered through the bank’s branch in Saudi Arabia. Media publications in Algeria have raised charges that corruption surrounds that highway project, while dissatisfaction over that new mosque has turned against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The People’s Liberation Army could owe the General Directorate for External Security some explanations as these complaints increase, and the New York Times could launch additional investigations of other corrupt projects to follow up on that October report, which I also remember. It turns out that the hackers in question started attacking the publication’s computer networks just after that report’s release, with the intent of looking for information in e-mails or files possessed by David Barboza and Jim Yardley, the bureau chiefs for Shanghai and South Asia. The hackers ended up routing their attacks through American university computers and stealing the corporate passwords for every New York Times employee, and they restricted their search to information directly relevant to that report on Wen Jiabao’s family connections. As it happens, something similar happened to Bloomberg (News) when it had a report on wealth accumulated by relatives of incoming Chinese President Xi Jinping, but “no computer systems… were compromised” that time. This stream of attacks began with notification from AT&T of behavior matching past methods used by Chinese military teams. The hacking attacks began at 8:00 a.m. Beijing time, continued until midnight, and stopped for a few two-week periods. They set things up even earlier, on September 13, by setting up “at least three back doors into users’ machines that they used as a digital base camp”, starting their search from there. The hacking team has been able to steal data on Chinese dissidents and Tibetan activists and then attack a company specializing in aerospace technology, and even now, the New York Times has the Federal Bureau of Investigation and an Internet security company called Mandiant assisting it in tracking those hackers. For my part, I could imagine a more comprehensive response by the likes of Google, Twitter, the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, the Public Security Intelligence Agency, and the United States Cyber Command in the coming years, while the Salafis and loyal groups and individuals prepare to strike back against us on one side, the Muslim Brotherhood on another, and the Chinese Communist Party, Pakistan, and Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on one more still. Call it a global cyberwar, and as more nationalistic factions within China feel themselves encircled, the turmoil reverberating through Islam will grow. I suppose that certain points along the Mediterranean Sea can be up for predicting how and why these ripples will smash right through them.:

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and United States Council on Competitiveness: Samuel Allen, Joseph Echevarria, and Deborah Wince-Smith: 2013 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index
Greek Reporter: Andy Dabilis: Erdogan Offers to Build Mosque in Greece

This new index compiled insights from more than 500 corporate leaders worldwide on the progress of manufacturing, and some of the numbers could speak for themselves.:

• 2013 competitiveness: 10.00 for China; 7.84 for America; 7.65 for India; 6.21 for Thailand; 5.73 for Vietnam; 5.28 for Switzerland; 4.35 for Russia; 3.85 for Colombia; 3.57 for Saudi Arabia; 1.00 for Greece
• 2018 competitiveness: 10.00 for China; 7.69 for America; 8.49 for India; 6.24 for Thailand; 6.50 for Vietnam; 5.42 for Switzerland; 5.04 for Russia; 4.01 for Colombia; 3.46 for Saudi Arabia; 1.00 for Greece
• 2011 manufacturing export percentages: 59.9% global average; 93.2% for China; 88% for Japan; 82.7% for Germany; 64.3% for America; 44.9% for Canada
• Government vs. market forces: local market attractiveness, energy cost and policies, and cost and availability of labor and materials vs. health care and legal systems and physical infrastructure

By this point, even United States President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and French President Francois Hollande are staying clear of Greece, so I might wonder just how bad the Coalition of the Radical Left would have to be to make Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the House of Thani look good. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras got the idea to fly to Doha earlier this week to attempt to convince businesspersons from both Islamic countries to send their money his way, meaning that if he succeeds only to have Greece implode anyway… well, at least those officials won’t have to wonder what happened to that money. As it is, the Eastern Orthodox Church remains headquartered in, of all cities, Istanbul, once known as Constantinople. I suppose that any Turkish – and Kurdish – officials sympathetic to this arrangement will have a reason or two to step up their contacts, but I’m far less than optimistic. Some North Africans fleeing the Islamic implosions landed in Greece, and they’ve been classified as illegal immigrants alongside several other ethnicities involved. The angle to explore here should prove informative to those of us still living and working in this country.:

Christian Post: Stephanie Samuel: Immigration Coalition Calls Out ‘Small’ Anti-Amnesty Faction of GOP
Catholic News Agency: Vatican official hopes legal dialogue will help persecuted Christians

If evangelical Christians stand solidly with Hispanic immigrants, whether legal or illegal, then give Pastors Luis Cortes and Samuel Rodriguez the lion’s share of the credit for pushing this approach. The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference was among the groups present at a forum early last December, hearing concerns that the 2012 Republican National Convention’s stance on illegal immigration had been hijacked, pointing to the Federation for American Immigration Reform as one of the main culprits. Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission president Richard Land – a Christian Post editor, interestingly – believes that labor activists could derail any negotiations in order to keep inciting Latinos and unionists against each other. Family is the main principle cited, and they could issue more calls to assist others, especially refugees escaping their home countries with no intention of returning. Hostility to Christians has grown worldwide, and my church wants to stress and explain differences between ecclesiastical laws and civil, or secular, laws. Many from, say, North Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia could’ve accepted Judeo-Christianity in any denomination, and I’m certain that the organizations mentioned here would’ve welcomed them. There seemed to be a general view that one way or another, these various cultures would continue to exist, and I wanted to recognize them for what they were, from Western Christendom to Africa, from Latin America to Japan. David Goldman’s demographic analyses have permanently nullified that view, now including Mexico, among other Catholic countries worldwide. As such, contrary to the worries of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, I’d argue that the regimes most hostile to Christians are cracking down precisely because they’ve concluded that their societies can’t survive Judeo-Christianity and modernization. Meanwhile, back here, ethnic activists are left to bring in as many of their own people(s) as possible, insisting on collective identity to defend themselves from outside threats as rigidly as they can. Are they wrong? Not at all, only as villainous and tragic as Muslim Brotherhood theologian Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, Al-Nusra Front leader Abu Muhammad Al-Julani, and the United Wa State Army. Even now, the adversaries of modernity are looking to expand their targeting capabilities against us, possibly including some newer faces.:

Fox News Channel: Bomber Kills Guard in Terror Attack on US Embassy in Turkey
Fox News Channel: Al-Qaeda Affiliate in Africa Looking to Strike More Western Targets, Intelligence Officials Say

The terror attack in Ankara happened earlier today, right as new Secretary of State John Kerry was getting sworn in, with a Marxist terror group known as the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party suspected of organizing it. I suppose outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband could continue monitoring the rest of the region and provide information as necessary. Three members of the House of Representatives visited that embassy earlier this week, most likely to review its security protocols. The bomber detonated himself at the security checkpoint heading into the compound, but it doesn’t look like there was much, if any, damage. The RPLP wants to violently install a regime following Karl Marx’s doctrines, presumably to transfer wealth directly from any business elites based in Istanbul and Ankara down to the poorer segments of Turkey, and by launching this attack, it effectively beat a certain global terror franchise to striking against the dreaded American Empire. As for said franchise itself, it appears our intelligence officials have actual reports that Al-Qaeda and its North African allies want to pool their resources, making said Marxian terrorists a bit of a wild card. One could suspect that the United States now looks to orient itself toward informational – and cute – capitalism, matching its new global focus in turn. A more unusual set of movements could start happening in both sides of Congress.:

Roll Call: Appropriations Assignments Are No Longer Coveted
New York Times: Senator Menendez’s Ties to Political Donor Are Scrutinized

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees are faring fairly poorly after a ban on earmarks, which “undermined the ability of appropriators to mete out money to their own congressional districts and win favors by sending funds to other districts”. The lack of a budget means that power within the committees themselves just isn’t as visible, and Kentucky Representative Harold Rogers was among those who gained political clout through projects for their local constituencies. On the other hand, new Senators Jeff Merkley and Mike Johanns are looking to use their own experiences to support the broader national debate, and there’s been no notable drop in campaign contributions since that earmark ban. The new members have a continuing resolution in March to leave as much money as they can if there’s no actual budget passed, but no one is certain just yet about cooperation from the White House. Even weirder to yours truly could be this tidbit surrounding one New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, related to a friend named Dr. Salomon Melgen. The eye surgeon, who resides in Florida, had a company with a contract for port security in the Dominican Republic, and Menendez responded by urging the State and Commerce Departments to enforce it as quickly as they could, to the tune of $500 million, a little over two years ago. They flew to the Dominican Republic on a regular basis and tightened their common interests by the start of 2010, but a letter within the Dominican government prevented authority to enforce that contract because it had “exorbitant” sections designed to violate commercial ethics. For their part, Menendez and Melgen’s supporters state that drug traffickers in the Dominican Republic are intent on derailing the contract, and this partnership has gained the attention of Latino activists, especially those more supportive of Senator Marco Rubio. This could be what has really grabbed the attention of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and I’m certain that Congress will have to stay alert for any new developments here.

[Thriller]

You know who I wish was President right now? Newt Gingrich. Now he was the highlight of the entire 2012 Election cycle. I was crushed when Herman Cain dropped out, but eventually I warmed up to Newt when he did so well in the South Carolina Primary and for his power to stand up to the media. He made it a point that, unlike the President, he knew how to actually run Washington. He's done it before. And was damn good at it too. A Newt Gingrich vs Barack Obama election run would have been catastrophic for the President, and would have been far more interesting than what we got with Romney.

The mainstream media knew this, but unlike Herman Cain, they couldn't take him down due to Newt's power to stand up to the media. It was that ******* Rick Santorum that took all of Newt's Southern voters because Santorum was claiming himself to be a "True Conservative." Then, all of a sudden, he dropped out, giving the victory to Romney. The Corrupt GOP at its finest.

I'm glad I don't live in USA.

[BigLutz]

Honestly, I wouldn't mind Hillary being President right now. I honestly would love a Republican in the White House, but if I had to choose a national Democrat I would choose Hilary over the two idiots in the White House right now for many reasons, one of the biggest being is that she is no where of the narcissist that Obama is. I have to say we haven't seen a President this narcissistic since Nixon, and he may even surpass him.

[ccangelopearl1362]

Washington Post: Chinese hackers suspected in attack on The Post’s computers
Times of India: Army chief to visit Japan to bolster military ties

We can add the Washington Post to the list of targets in the emerging global cyberwar – and China to the list of cultures at increasing risk of complete dismantlement by modernization. The reporters and executives here used the same Internet security company as the New York Times after noting eerily similar computer behavior… toward the end of 2011. The Chinese diplomatic team in Washington, D.C., is keeping silent, while “the intruders gained access as early as 2008 or 2009”, looking for information on sources used for various reports. Most of the Washington Post’s employees were kept in the dark until recently, and if they happened to have assignments inside, say, Beijing, then they had steps in place to evade constant espionage by Chinese officials. Dozens of companies might already be at risk from these cyberattackers, and as a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies states, any published intelligence reports would reveal a comprehensive effort to suppress and destroy all dissent. The Chinese Communist Party wants to exert as much control over the global narrative of the country as possible to counter any subversive dialogue or activity, presumably including Indian Chief of Army Staff Bikram Singh’s upcoming visit with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera. Both countries intend to coordinate anti-piracy patrols and terrorism policies and conduct joint combat exercises, with the goal of securing and defending the seaborne trade routes stretching from the Arabian Sea to Indonesia. I might have a few scenarios for how those Chinese military commanders could strengthen their inroads into the Islamic Community, with tacit support from incoming President Xi Jinping, no doubt. More than a few West Africans could take issue with such movements, though.:

Daily Telegraph: Timbuktu hails France’s President Francois Hollande, its savior in a suit

Hoo, boy. If I had seen the entourage’s faces during this visit yesterday morning… well, one might not have to guess just how prominent Great Britain and France could become. A week ago, Timbuktu groaned under the bloodlust of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, but now, the French military units present there thought it appropriate to bring their leader himself in to review their progress and urge the people of Mali to strengthen their country and their brethren. Timbuktu Airport used to be a destination for tourists seeking exotic adventure, but yesterday morning, French troops who secured it last Monday lined up while the presidential entourage disembarked. The man himself wanted to maintain the impression that he was doing nothing more or less than touring one of France’s outermost provinces, but as his motorcade approached downtown Timbuktu, the cheers erupted. An Islamic prayer caller named Khalifa Cissi recalled the “period of fear” to which the terrorists subjected him and his people, while a different dignitary confused Francois Hollande with Francois Mitterand, a decidedly different Socialist Party leader. The President of France ended up walking right into the crowd, leaving his team – including Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and acting Malian President Dioncounda Traore – behind him, before they left once more to plan their next move in this region. Those Tuareg insurgents could gain access to Twitter, and they’d be able to instantly communicate with anyone they wanted, perhaps opening up new avenues of cooperation across the region.:

Washington Post: UK’s Cameron visits Algeria, unveils security partnership following hostage crisis
New York Times: Algeria Sowed Seeds of Hostage Crisis as It Nurtured Warlord

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika are aiming to coordinate their security policies for West Africa, accompanied by Secret Intelligence Service Chief (Sir) John Sawers, focusing on border security, roadside bombs, and terror propaganda. I would guess that Iyad Ag Ghali, among other leading jihadists, wanted to strike as quickly as he could before he and his jihadists fled. That energy facility is just north of Tuareg territory, and as his fighters joined other AQIM operatives in attacking Mali’s cities, he and his negotiating team were in Algiers attempting to essentially hold the Algerians off. Just days before Christmas 2012, there was an announcement of a peace deal with the Helpers of the Faith, which broke down into destruction of mausoleums and mobilization by France. By now, I’d think it’s too late for these Al-Qaeda operatives, just as it might be too late for other Sharia supremacists.:

Jakarta Globe: PKS Leaders’ Defense of Luthfi Could Hurt Party’s Image: Expert

Talk about a new merger. The Prosperous Justice Party suffered a scandal involving a $4 million bribe on beef imports a few days ago. Anis Matta stated that his predecessor, one Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, was the victim of a broader conspiracy targeting the party, which is leading the voters there to start doubting it. It probably won’t help matters that the party received a stamp of approval for its Sharia credentials from Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and copied the secretive hierarchical structure used by the Muslim Brotherhood back in Egypt, so the corruption there stinks already. The House Foreign Affairs Committee might have some tidbits with which it can launch a new investigation, assuming that it doesn’t get bogged down in the coming weeks.:

Roll Call: House GOP Remains on Offense on Budget
Fox News Channel: Democrats Still Saying Republican Aim to Shortchange ‘Greatest Generation’ in Fiscal Deal
New York Times: Top Donors to Republicans Seek More Say in Senate Races

“No budget, no pay” is the approach favored by Georgia Congressperson Tom Price, but House and Senate Democrats are dismissive. They might as well hunker down since the President of America himself has his eye on attempting to preserve any semblance of Social Security or Medicare. Paul Ryan remains involved in figuring out the numbers, stressing a net aimed at safeguarding especially vulnerable Americans. In general, Republicans are insisting on balance in the budget using “just spending cuts”, perhaps with outside help. The Conservative Victory Project, which has support from Karl Rove, wants to “counter other organizations that have helped defeat establishment Republican candidates over the last two election cycles”. They see the vacancy opened by outgoing Iowa Senator Tom Harkin – the main witness to Howard Dean’s infamous scream – as their first opportunity to test out their new strategy, and I guess the donors to it have agreements with it to keep their names secret until the time is right. Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform pointed out various candidates who received establishment support but still fared poorly against Tea Partiers, and I might think that others are preparing their own local campaigns. The rest of you might not need to guess how optimistic – or pessimistic – I am about this development.

[miles0624]

So what? It also owes trillions and trillions to foreign countries.

Not on the same scale.

Truly it is. The Trillions and Trillions we owe are also owed to us. No, it is not the same amount, but they can claim debt on us before we claim it on them. We owe China 1.2 Trillion last time I checked, but China owes us 600 billion. We owe Brasil 500 billion, but they owe us 800 billion. The U.S is not going into bankruptcy anytime soon. Do we need to get spending under control? Yes. However, with the size of our economy (approximately 60 trillion dollars) and the money owed back to us (about 12.5 Trillion dollars) if we were to go banrupt, we are taking the whole world with us.

Got any proof of that?

Look at above comment. For any country to ask for their debt currently would be suicide. Especially China. Read on their history a little.

Unemployment when Obama assumed power- 7.8%

Unemployment at time of election- 7.9%.

Unemployment rose over his time in power.

Not by much. It was expected to happen after the finicial crises.

I'm not a Republican, but you've shown your level headed approach on this issue by blaming the debt ceiling entirely on them.

He did.

You know who I wish was President right now? Newt Gingrich. Now he was the highlight of the entire 2012 Election cycle. I was crushed when Herman Cain dropped out, but eventually I warmed up to Newt when he did so well in the South Carolina Primary and for his power to stand up to the media. He made it a point that, unlike the President, he knew how to actually run Washington. He's done it before. And was damn good at it too. A Newt Gingrich vs Barack Obama election run would have been catastrophic for the President, and would have been far more interesting than what we got with Romney.

The mainstream media knew this, but unlike Herman Cain, they couldn't take him down due to Newt's power to stand up to the media. It was that ******* Rick Santorum that took all of Newt's Southern voters because Santorum was claiming himself to be a "True Conservative." Then, all of a sudden, he dropped out, giving the victory to Romney. The Corrupt GOP at its finest.

I'm glad I don't live in USA.

I love Newt too darn it. Yet, I am still fine living in the U.S.

[BigLutz]

Look at above comment. For any country to ask for their debt currently would be suicide. Especially China. Read on their history a little.

Okay, saying "I think it is this" is not proof, proof would be providing a source to back up your claims.

[miles0624]

Okay, saying "I think it is this" is not proof, proof would be providing a source to back up your claims.

I didn't say I think it is this, I just stated the numbers. Just facts. I'll provide sources later. Currently just on the phone.

When I made mention to china's history, I was stating about their history with their economical structure, which is the reason most people only refer to them as an economical superpower.

Also, the aprroximately wasn't thinking, it was just me rounding from the numbers. Difference, but I will be back later tonight.

[ccangelopearl1362]

New York Times: Vast Oil Reserve May Now Be Within Reach, and Battle Heats Up
Fox News Channel: Sophisticated Cyberattack Hits Energy Department, China Possible Suspect

Either Divine Providence is pulling these threads together, or the people involved recognize exactly what they intend to work with. As the global cyberwar now hits the Energy Department, California has a bit of a brawl between two heavyweights within the Democratic Party. An energy field known as Midway-Sunset is located near a shale formation with a few exploratory sites set up already. Speculation abounds that California could be about to experience “a new oil boom”, with energy newcomers setting up shop in nearby Bakersfield. Some have bid as high as $1,000 per acre in auctions that once went up only to the minimum of $2. At least some, if not all, information companies are backing environmental groups, especially the Sierra Club, while certain ethnic activists could rally behind these new energy companies, especially activists within the League of United Latin American Citizens, with stated concerns about low-income people in that state. One could imagine or intuit that while Latino entrepreneurs will fare better in some areas, black entrepreneurs will fare better in other areas. A boost for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference could even arise quickly enough. Either way, I see a battle brewing for President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy within that state – and an altogether different battle brewing across the Pacific Ocean. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has dispatched agents to reinforce the Energy Department’s cybersecurity programs, with notifications sent out to employees with stolen information. The National Nuclear Security Administration is responsible for maintaining our nuclear bombs, and indications exist that the hackers wanted classified data on them this time. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if, say, the Democratic and Republican National Committees ended up targeted for theft down the road, between these two trends and Southeast Asia’s fluctuant emergence.:

Diplomat: Thomas Kean: Burma’s Biggest Win: Its Legislature
Times of India: Armed forces building deadly drone arsenal, also want combat UAVs

Burmese President Thein Sein, the National League for Democracy, and the Union Solidarity and Development Party moved quite quickly in setting up a lawmaking body for their country. Little was expected out of the USDP after a “deeply flawed election” back in November 2010, but the Kachins were able to alleviate a food shortage, while investigations into various land disputes, including confiscations, are taking shape. Former Burmese military officers can now converse with former political prisoners, whom they themselves might have once imprisoned and interrogated for threatening the state or their purposes, to empower the people in general. Legislators from all parties involved have split numerous times on different proposals and bills and ignored recommendations from President Thein Sein himself, largely because USDP members have been known to mix and socialize with non-USDP members on a regular basis, according to the lawmakers. House of Representatives Speaker Shwe Mann has encouraged this focus on national concerns, but plenty of gains remain, such as Internet access. The Kachin Independence Army and those Burmese military commanders could agree to stop their conflict and start the addition of that region to the rest of the world, and that’d be it. Perhaps those officers would even cite the exact same worry I described earlier for such an opposite course of action. In any case, once that happened, the United Wa State Army would have a chance to be the main ethnic troublemaker within Burma, and Generals Bikram Singh and Thanasak Patimaprakorn would have more than a few chances to coordinate their countries’ security ties. India’s military officers are expanding their capacity to acquire and maintain fleets of drones, and Israel Aerospace Industries is generous enough to provide them. From microdrones capable of spying beyond enemy detection grids to “killer” drones capable of firing missiles directly at enemy targets, India wants to set out into its neighborhood, and it might be closer to throwing off a few factions off to the west than even it knows.:

Ahram: Syria, Mali crises overshadow Islamic summit in Cairo
Ahram: Egypt’s presidential palace clashes take toll on local businesses

The Organization for Islamic Cooperation could’ve succeeded in calling all of its members together, and it’d be that much closer to swamping the Muslim Brotherhood, particularly Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi. Al-Qaeda appears to be a major theme for that Islamic nongovernmental group, the Islamic countries’ main forum for coordinating their positions, and it had to postpone its last meeting because it was scheduled for… February 2011, right in the middle of Egypt’s initial implosion. For its part, the upheavals frightened Saudi Arabia into choosing its own delegate, one Iyad Madani, to replace Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu once this summit unfolds this week. The businesses surrounding the presidential palace in Cairo, on the other hand, are clear already, giving the area the appearance of a ghost town. Entrepreneurs aren’t optimistic at all regarding their prospects in the coming weeks and months, but exceptions do exist, such as street vendors selling snacks, cigarettes, and protest masks. The demonstrators could march straight to the location of this summit, and the open jaws and blank stares on certain Islamic leaders would be enough to bring a few chuckles out of me. If their presence convinced certain People’s Liberation Army officers to start monitoring their country’s North African investments ever more closely, whether on energy or food, then the friction could only grow. We could be facing a similar problem in Florida even now.:

American Enterprise Institute: Timothy Carney: Sugar Industry Would Wither without Big Government

Sugarcane subsidies have marked an area south of Lake Okeechobee, and as a consequence, farmers of all stripes favor constant restrictions on imports in order to keep prices high. Even Senator Marco Rubio buys into this story, arguing that accommodations for the likes of Brazil would obliterate the sugar industry. However, it looks like man-made canals are helping prop up these fields, first set up by one Napoleon Broward with help from the Army Corps of Engineers, who drained the surrounding portion of the Everglades. In addition, cheap labor was brought in from Jamaica and the Bahamas, and Florida outlawed any attempts by sugarcane cutters to quit. The main corporate tycoon behind the current arrangement is one Pepe Fanjul, and he’s tossing his money into the fight to preserve these sugarcane subsidies. If this bit of news reaches Rush Limbaugh, then I’m certain that other sugarcane growers throughout this country will have a field day. I find myself increasingly curious, so the rest of you may feel free to cite some numbers for sugarcane production if you wish.

[SBaby]

I didn't say I think it is this, I just stated the numbers. Just facts. I'll provide sources later. Currently just on the phone.

When I made mention to china's history, I was stating about their history with their economical structure, which is the reason most people only refer to them as an economical superpower.

Also, the aprroximately wasn't thinking, it was just me rounding from the numbers. Difference, but I will be back later tonight.

Alright. Come back with an actual link to this information, and we'll be more likely to believe it.

[BigLutz]

Got a thing I wanna throw out here, and that I believe that there is a bipartisan case to be made to filibuster Hagel.

For Republicans: Hagel is a horrible nominee, he signals weakness to the enemies, he has a line of Anti Semetic thought that would harm our relationship with Israel, and he is in many ways a complete idiot in a dangerous position.

For Democrats: It allows Obama to harp on the dastardly Republicans for filibustering Hagel while privately being thankful. It allows him to then advance Michelle Flournoy who served as Undersecretary of Defense for the first three years of Obama's term. Served in the Pentagon under Bill Clinton with numerous citations for excellence, and would be the first Woman Secretary of Defense allowing Obama to deflect some of his issues he is having with women.

Now I hate to have Republicans fall on the sword for Obama's own incompetence, but it does save us all from a horrible Secretary of Defense.