Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.
Henry Ford
While Obama Continues to Spike the Football on UBL
This quote courtesy of IBD:
After all, according to Richard Miniter's book "Leading From Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him," it was at the urging of White House adviser Valerie Jarrett that President Obama canceled the operation to kill Osama bin Laden three times before finally approving the May 2, 2011, Navy SEAL mission. Her concern: the political harm to Obama if the mission failed.What if UBL had left while Obama dithered? I'm troubled by Obama putting politics above leadership.
Don't Tell Me Words Don't Matter:
Revisiting the Crowley Debate Screw-Up
I've read reports of emails, messages, drone video, alleged orders to stand down on confronting the attack. But, not to be beating a dead horse, but let's go back to the Rose Garden Sept. 12 transcript:
- He speaks "acts of terror". He unambiguously references to Benghazi as an attack or this act on multiple times. It's clear that he is making a general point, and two paragraphs earlier he specifically references the "9/11 attacks".
- Somebody could argue Obama was including the Benghazi attack with the original 9/11 attacks, but that is highly unlikely from context. Why? A number of reasons:
- He doesn't use the term specifically with respect to Benghazi. Instead he seems to contrast "this terrible act", not "this act of terror".
- He specifically references the film, like his administration constantly over the next 2 weeks " We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence." Notice he uses the term 'senseless', i.e., "without discernible meaning or purpose". Terrorist acts are not random acts of violence.
- For a guy whom notably avoided tipping off the Pakistan government about UBL, "we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people." Killers: criminals, not terrorists.
The first two amendments involve certain qualifications for county orphan court judges to be member in good standing with the state bar. As a libertarian I always worry about anti-competitive effects of crony restrictions (e.g., suppose an experienced orphan court judge from Ohio, not yet admitted to the Maryland bar, moved into the county, and the local candidates had no such experience: it's not clear why you need to be certified on all Maryland law to be an orphan court judge).
I haven't found a lot on the motivation here (a gap analysis review of judicial position qualifications?), but requiring a minimal, independent standard of legal competence for a local/state judge seems reasonable on its face.
The third question expedites the process of removing convicted elected officials from office. A big thumbs UP here. public service is a privilege, not right.
Question 4 is Maryland's version of the Dream Act; generally allows for resident Maryland high school students to qualify for in-state resident college tuition. This blog is pro-immigration and the question does not involve trumping federal supremacy on immigration vs. the Constitution. I don't want tuition double standards for resident Maryland high school graduates. The TV ads are so progressive, morally self-superior over-the-top nonsense, they almost make me want to vote against it in spite. But a fourth thumbs up.
Question 5 is a referendum on Maryland's gerrymandered districts to protect Maryland's Congressional Democrats. This is a big THUMBS Down,
Question 6 is a referendum on Maryland's legalization of "gay marriage". This is a big THUMBS DOWN. I have written multiple posts on this; I don't have a problem with civil unions or domestic partnerships. The ads lately had me confused because I saw the PRO-side answer ad first, about a teacher denying this law would affect (implied) sex education in the classroom (maybe she's a math teacher?)
It turns out the traditional side points out after the Massachusetts court created "gay marriage", schools started teaching acceptable gay couple lifestyles as early as second grade with no parental right to know. I would have preferred keeping this out of the debate. The teaching of progressive propaganda in public schools is a different topic (remember those chilling videos of little kids singing Obama cult songs?)
Question 7 expands state-sanctioned gambling: thumbs down. I distinctly don't like opaque, wheeler-dealer processes between companies and legislatures, related tax deals, a history of legislative lock-box raids and budget shell games. But I particularly hate state protectionist arguments and tying a vice to alleged jobs. One ubiquitous ad stars a massive retired local pro football player Jon Ogden and then talking about gambling money from other residents as somehow it's "Maryland money" (as if the only reason Marylanders gamble elsewhere is no Maryland casinos--wait: there are a couple already, but some still gamble out of state.) I don't gamble, rarely drink, don't smoke, don't use drugs, don't pick up hookers, etc. As a libertarian, I oppose cracking down on victimless stupidity. But I always thought it was perverse to depend on stupid people funding government programs, like education in this case being used to sell this corrupt bargain.
Election 2012 Countdown
Hurricane Sandy has affected polling; Obama seems to have tightened the race a bit; you have to wonder, though. if storm-caused early voting cancelled days won't hurt the Deems more: GOP voters will show up this election. Early voting is down from 4 years back, and the big turnout helped Obama. But the Obama campaign is playing last-minute defense in the Midwest in states once thought blue, e.g., PA, MI, WI, IA, etc. This has all the signs of a losing campaign: they are shifting resources in the short time left and leaving other tossup states uncovered. There's also some evidence their strongest supporters have already locked up their votes
Here's an interesting blurb from newsmax about how much Mitt Romney has sacrificed since he left Bain in 1999 to serve in the public sector:
And while Romney is today worth an estimated $230 million, it is indisputable he could have accumulated a far greater fortune had he not left Bain.
Forbes calculates that had he remained at Bain, Romney’s stake in the company would be worth $1.5 billion today. Bloomberg has come to a similar conclusion, estimating that his stake would be worth $1.32 billion.
By leaving Bain when he did, Romney missed out on a decade of lucrative performance fees and the ability to claim some of the firm’s most profitable deals, which all told could have brought in another $500 million.
Had he remained at Bain, then, Romney would “probably be worth $2 billion by now,” Vardi writes, adding that Romney “has consistently shown that he is willing to sacrifice huge sums of money in order to chase his political dreams.”
News flash to Obama: Romney has already given up more than a little bit more.
By the way, has anyone noticed MSNBC is continuing to promote its Lean Forward campaign even after Obama adopted Forward as its campaign theme
Thumbs UP!
I mentioned yesterday that I had to rewrite my post from scratch. Fusion centers were supposed to develop synergies among local, state and federal law enforcement. As Cato points out, these centers went on spending sprees (e.g., more PC's than staffers; James Bond-like gizmos unnecessary for their responsibilities, etc.) This is but an ongoing history of inadequate management controls where Dems are arguing they've eliminated Medicare fraud after 4 decades (yeah, right....)
This reminds me: Citizens Against Government Waste has released its 2011 Congressional ratings here.
Check out the ratings of Congressmen and Senators up for reelection, Below 40% is unfriendly or hostile. Most Dems rate in that category, including Senate incumbents from Missouri, Montana,Washington, Florida, California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Michigan. Two Congressmen running for Senate (Flake R-AZ and Mack R-FL) rate as heroes.
California Prop 36 Thee Strikes Reform: Thumbs UP!
According to Ballotpedia:
"Proposition 36, specifically, will if enacted:
- Revise the three strikes law to impose life sentence only when the new felony conviction is "serious or violent".
- Authorize re-sentencing for offenders currently serving life sentences if their third strike conviction was not serious or violent and if the judge determines that the re-sentence does not pose unreasonable risk to public safety.
- Continue to impose a life sentence penalty if the third strike conviction was for "certain non-serious, non-violent sex or drug offenses or involved firearm possession".
- Maintain the life sentence penalty for felons with "non-serious, non-violent third strike if prior convictions were for rape, murder, or child molestation.
Political Humor
"Don't ask, don't tell" is back. Not for gays in the military — it's President Obama's new policy for questions about Libya. - Jay Leno
[It also describes Obama's position on news conferences and Fox News interviews,]
I don’t know if you guys caught the show last night, but because of Hurricane Sandy, we had to do the show to a bunch of empty seats — or as Clint Eastwood calls that, “a full house.”- Jimmy Fallon
[Or as Obama or Biden call it, a "campaign rally".]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
The Carpenters, "Merry Christmas, Darling". Most pop acts have a trademark contemporary Christmas hit--doesn't this song feel like snuggling near your babe on a cold night in front of a crackling fire?
