This is, of course, just too delicious. And frankly, I’m going to keep my own comments to a minimum and let the leftists speak for themselves.
By way of seriously left leaning, BDS blogger/journalist, Salon’s Glenn Greenwald, and linked to a post by Jan Hamsher on FireDogLake.
Creepy, revealing quote from White House staffer
by Glenn Greenwald, Salon
Well, that “feel good” moment the Dems hoped for, as well as a July 7th photo op, is down the drain. The Dem controlled Senate was smug in their delight of passing a formal apology for past US generations INRE slavery and Jim Crow segregation…. until it hit the House and a face off with House Black Caucus members, that is.
The Senate found that out two weeks ago when it passed a resolution calling on the U.S. to apologize formally for more than three centuries of enslavement and segregation of African-Americans.
Senators thought they’d done the right thing. The feel-good moment was short-lived, however, after several members of the Congressional Black Caucus vowed to fight the measure when it reached the House of Representatives. They object because it contains a disclaimer saying that the resolution can’t be used to support legal claims against the U.S. by those seeking reparations, or cash compensation for the suffering endured by blacks.
~~~
“Stand by Me” On June 24, Iranian Superstar Andy Madadian went into an LA recording studio with Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and American record producers Don Was and John Shanks to record a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran. This version of the old Ben E. King classic is not for sale - it was not meant to be on the Billboard charts or even manufactured as a CD…..it’s intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people…to give voice to the sentiment that all people of the world stand together….the handwritten Farsi sign in the video translates to “we are one”. If you know someone in Iran - or someone who knows someone in Iran - please share this link.
Magnificent.
New heights in chutzpah from the Oval Office… Hot BBC article with a video of the big Zero labeling the Honduras removal of a President, ignoring rule of law, as “illegal”. Let me get this straight… Iran’s stolen elections are legitimized by the Ayatollah’s certification, flying serious excrement in the face of reality; and the legal removal of a law-breaking SOB as Honduras President (and replacement of their next in command) per their law is not?
Note: No embed code provided…
Per their accompanying article:
US President Barack Obama has described the removal of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya as illegal.
His remarks came after left-wing Latin American leaders declared their support for the deposed leader, who was expelled by the military on Sunday.
~~~Our correspondent says that even though the international community regards the exiled leader as the legitimate leader of the country, any comeback will not be easy.
Speaking after a meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Mr Obama said Mr Zelaya remained the democratically-elected leader of Honduras.
And he said a “terrible precedent” would be set if the coup were not reversed.
Earlier on Monday, speaking in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spelled out his opposition to the situation in Honduras.
“We cannot allow a return to the past. We will not permit it,” Mr Chavez said.
He spoke after talks with Mr Zelaya, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
Sorry… but what was that about meddling again?
What a difference a day makes. “Meddling” by the Obama admin is now in vogue when it supports extreme leftist leaders, as I posted on Sunday. But the Obama admin is not confining themselves merely to “words”, but is evidently working behind the scenes to get ousted President, Manuel Zelaya, reinstated.
Well that didn’t take long to “wait” in order to “see”…. Iranian leadership, stolen elections and brutal Tiananman Sq tactics on dissent be damned, the big Zero - aka Eunuch in Chief - has decided to leave open the door with Iran over it’s nuke program. From the WaPo article:
The Obama administration will leave open the door for discussions with Iran over its nuclear ambitions even as demonstrators question the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election, administration officials said Sunday.
~~~ The legitimacy of the government, while questioned by the people of Iran, is not the critical issue for the U.S. goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear capability, Rice said.
“It’s in the United States’ national interest to make sure that we have employed all elements at our disposal, including diplomacy, to prevent Iran from achieving that nuclear capacity,” she said.
Both Rice and David Axelrod, Obama’s top adviser, said Ahmadinejad doesn’t appear to have the final say over Iran’s foreign policy. Axelrod, dismissing Ahmadinejad’s harsh language against the U.S. and Obama as “bloviations,” said being open to talks with Iran is not an effort to reward the country.
“We are looking to … sit down and talk to the Iranians and offer them two paths. And one brings them back into the community of nations, and the other has some very stark consequences,” Axelrod said.
The Honduran Army has ousted and arrested Chavez pal, and Obama supporter, President Manuel Zelaya. According to the Reuter’s report:
The Honduran army ousted leftist President Manuel Zelaya and exiled him on Sunday in Central America’s first military coup since the Cold War, after he upset the army by trying to seek another term in office.
~~~
Speaking on Venezuelan state television, Chavez — who has long championed the left in Latin America — said he would do everything necessary to abort the coup against his close ally.A military plane flew Zelaya to Costa Rica and CNN’s Spanish-language channel said he had asked for asylum there.
After Zelaya “upset” the Army? Tsk tsk, Reuters…. it is much more than that, as you shall see.
The Iranian leader compared the US position with what he claimed was the more sinister role played by Britain. He said the UK had meddled in the aftermath of the disputed election and cautioned Mr Obama not to replicate the approach.
“They already have a bad record in these matters,” he said, describing Downing Street as being run by “political retards”. “But why did the US president fall into their trap?
“I hope you [Mr Obama] will avoid interfering in Iran’s affairs and express regret in a way that the Iranian people are informed of it,” Mr Ahmadinejad said. “Will you use this language with Iran? If this is your stance, there will be nothing left to talk about.”
He advised Mr Obama to demonstrate he was different from his predecessor President George W Bush: “Do you think this behaviour will solve the problem for you? This will not have any result except that the people will consider you somebody similar to Bush.”
Uh huh… he says virtually nothing, and still Iran postures. Were this not so predictable and obvious, it would be hilarious. Yeah.. negotiate with this loser… illegitimate and downright insane to boot. New American policy under Obama… we *do* recognize propped up dictators, and negotiate with terrorists and illegitimate regimes.
In the meantime, the crackdown intensifies as the regime locks up academics at Universities who “…were believed to be among a group that has been pushing for a more liberal form of government.” Yes, folks… it’s criminal to have a dissenting opinion in Iran.
The ball’s in the appeaser-in-chief’s corner, now.
The fickle and tunnel-visioned western media apparently has had it’s fill. For days the nation watched mesmerized as Iranian demonstrators, under physical and police assault, smuggled out news via the New Age Internet media even professional journalists couldn’t match.
Yesterday and today… sans any shocking bloody videos to show… US news has turned it’s eye away from Iran and the citizens fight for fair elections and the right of free speech.
Just because the media’s eye isn’t focused, doesn’t mean Iran is quiet and banking on the Ayatollah’s five day election review extension. In fact, since they certified Ahmadinejad as the winner and vowed no retreat only the day before, and are set to swear him into office early August, the five day complaint review of the election is merely for show.
Yet despite the media’s distracted eye elsewhere, Iran was not without it’s clashes in the yesterday, or today.
Ah… the media was a’flurry with reports that the Eunuch in Chief was actually about to take a definitive stand INRE the freedom fighters in the streets of Iran. Little did they know that the only ones he *was* getting tough on were his critics… like me… calling him a wuss.
I watched and listened to the press conference. The deadpan POTUS - sans his favorite sidekick, TOTUS - delivered the following prepared statement from his cue cards.
I’d like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.
I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all interfering in Iran’s affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society. And we deplore violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place.
The Iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future.
More from our screwed up judicial system that makes you go “huh”? Do these guy in lower federal district courts (or Circuits, for that matter) pay *any* attention whatsoever to the SCOTUS?
Apparently not. On Friday, US District Judge Jeffrey S. White denied the Obama DOJ’s motion to dismiss the suit of Padilla v Yoo, where Padilla accused Yoo rendering legal memos that led to his “severe abuse” in a Naval brig for over three years. (Read the original complaint) The “severe abuse”, as defined in his complaint:
…. For nearly two years, Mr. Padilla was held in complete isolation and denied all access to the court system, legal counsel and his family. He was subjected to mistreatment including, but not limited to extreme and prolonged sleep and sensory deprivation designed to inflict severe mental pain and suffering; exposure to extreme temperatures; interrogation under threat of torture, deportation or even death; denial of access to necessary medical and psychiatric care; and interference with his ability to practice his religion. In the year and a half Mr. Padilla remained in the Brig after he was granted limited access to legal counsel, much of this severe abuse continued.
Padilla’s attorneys’ argue that it was Yoo’s legal memoranda that provided proximate legal basis for his “severe abuse”.
A couple of notable articles today…. one from ERIC SCHMITT and DAVID E. SANGER in the NYT’s today, documenting the migration of many AQ leaders and fighters from Pakistan to friendlier digs in Somalia or Yemen.
In communications that are being watched carefully at the Pentagon, the White House and the Central Intelligence Agency, the terrorist groups in all three locations are now communicating more frequently, and apparently trying to coordinate their actions, the officials said.
~~~ Somalia is now a failed state that bears some resemblance to Afghanistan before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, while Yemen’s weak government is ineffectually trying to combat the militants, American officials say.
The shift of fighters is still small, perhaps a few dozen, and there is no evidence that the top leaders — Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri — are considering a move from their refuge in the Pakistani tribal areas, according to more than half a dozen senior administration, military and counterterrorism officials interviewed in recent days.
Most officials would not comment on the record about the details of what they are seeing, because of the sensitivity of the intelligence information they are gathering.
Leon E. Panetta, the C.I.A. director, said in remarks here on Thursday that the United States must prevent Al Qaeda from creating a new sanctuary in Yemen or Somalia.
This truly can’t be much of a surprise. As I posted on April 16th, the Somalia pirates links to local jihad groups and their alliance with AQ is plainly out in the open. And since, in this economy, piracy seems to be the only job security for a desperate jihad group, Somalia is certainly a logical choice for their financial woes. Garnishing a percentage of the pirates booty shouldn’t be difficult to negotiate in exchange for favors, protection and arms.
And in fact, financial woes are playing a large part in the decision to shift AQ resources to Yemen and Somalia, according to CLEMENTE LISI in the New York Post today.
The Obama administration has been racing to complete a deal with Fiat SpA purchasing Chrysler, and blowing thru bankruptcy court at breakneck speeds.
On May 2nd, I posted the Chicago style strong arm tactics used on some of the secured investors, represented by Bankruptcy Attorney, Tom Lauria of White & Case. Two days later, I was pondering the possibility of political blackmail… and then, 24 hours later, the client being strong armed silenced Lauria in the press.
All seemed to flow along without major headlines until, late last week, Judge Arthur Gonzalez approved the sale of most of Chrysler’s assets to Italian automaker Fiat SpA, leaving 789 Chrysler dealerships with the “Old Chrysler” in bankruptcy, along with unwanted factories. According to the NY judge, a bankrupt manufacturer didn’t need a dealership network.
“Absent a car manufacturing business, the dealerships would not seem to serve any purpose for the debtor,” Gonzalez said, but added there may be a case for the dealers to pursue damages.
huh? Absent “.. a car manufacturing business..”?? Just what is it Fiat is buying, if not a car manufacturing business?
The news outlets are a’hum today with 400 approx villagers from Upper Dir district’s Haya Gai area who formed a militia, and did their own vigilante mission thru five villages to hunt Taliban. Their complacence with Taliban muscle rule broke after a homicide bomber killed 33 during weekly prayer services on Friday.
Surely, in the dawn before any theatre action, so much must run thru the minds of our warriors. The scale of D-Day is humbling, and much is captured in this video on the Army’s website. Visit the page for more photos, maps and historic data on the June 6th, 1944 airborne and beach assaults on Omaha, Utah, Gold and June Beaches by American, British and Canadian forces.
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