If we raise the minimum wage, we’ll get these fantastic results!!

The narrative of the left is that even people who have never had a job and/or don’t have any skills deserve and need a “living wage.” Merriam-Webster defines a living wage as “a wage sufficient to provide the necessities and comforts essential to an acceptable standard of living,” which varies widely depending upon where one lives.

The drive for a hike in the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, or sometimes as much as $15 an hour, lives on as a cause du jour for some Americans, defying the laws of business economics. Workers, labor unions, and politicians, support the wage hike through lobbying efforts, civil demonstrations, and labor strikes often paid for by labor unions.

These folks reject out of hand the fact that every job has an actual calculable value in the business it is a part of that takes into account the benefit to the business’s entire operation, the qualifications of the worker, and other real factors, unlike what drives the minimum wage hike: it is a nice idea, makes people feel good, helps unions raise members’ wages, and garners support for politicians.

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) notes that minimum wage hike proponents support an increase because it would save the government money in social support services, since those whose wages rise will be less likely to seek and need welfare benefits.

Research by the Economic Policy Institute shows that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would reduce welfare spending by $7.6 billion, but that is only 3.8 percent of the total of $200 billion in welfare spending that taxpayers fund. Not that saving seven or eight billion is a bad idea.

However, in its efforts to give to people things they should earn through personal effort, the left focuses on the benefits of their ideas, and ignores the negative consequences.

This erroneous reasoning is responsible for a long and growing list of government programs the negatives of which far outweigh their benefits. The Community Reinvestment Act combined with repealing Glass-Steagall, and Operation Fast and Furious spring quickly to mind.

Addressing the negative impact of a wage hike, NCPA cites research by Ben Gitis of the American Action Forum asserting that raising the minimum wage will result in lost jobs. His analysis shows that 2.2 million new jobs would not be created, totaling a stunning $19.8 billion in lost earnings, if the minimum wage is increased.

The truth is that the number of minimum wage earners who really need a living wage is tiny. Only about 3.6 million workers, or 2.5 percent of all workers, earn the minimum wage, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, and teenagers living at home comprise 31 percent of that group. And 55 percent are 25 years old, or younger, mostly inexperienced and just learning skills. Therefore, of all workers over 25, only 1.1 percent would be affected by a wage hike that would cost 2.2 million future jobs.

Combine that small number with the fact that well over half of workers earning less than $9.50 an hour are the second or third earner in a family, two-thirds of whom earn more than $50,000 a year, and that critical number shrinks even more.

As a percentage of hourly workers those earning the minimum wage has shrunk dramatically since 1980, when they comprised 15 percent of that group. Today, that portion is just 4.7 percent. And more than half of them are part-timers working less than 30 hours a week.

If you earn the minimum wage it certainly is appealing to imagine getting an increase in your wage of about half. But a hike in the minimum wage has to have solid economics-based reasons behind it, or it shouldn’t happen. The economic reality is that the numbers just don’t add up to support a $10.10 an hour minimum wage.

This wildly popular idea evolves from not understanding business and basic economics. How, in a country with education spending on average of $11,000 per student per year, can there be so many who have no idea about things like supply and demand, and how high costs, high taxes, excessive regulations raise prices and decrease sales.

The United States has just lost the top spot in the world in productivity to China, the first time since Ulysses S. Grant was president that America has not led the world.

A friend who ran a company doing business in several foreign countries was talking about his company’s expansion into China a few years ago. At the time China had 1.35 billion people, he said: 100 million communists, and 1.25 billion capitalists.

While Communist China embraces capitalist principles and becomes the most productive nation, the United States, once the bastion of free enterprise, increasingly embraces socialistic mechanisms and lost the lead in productivity for the first time in more than 130 years.

Most likely few of the proponents have ever had to make a payroll or keep a business viable in the face challenges like competition, high taxes and onerous regulations.

Foolish ideas like raising the minimum wage without sound reason helps explain our loss to China and our overall anemic economy. 

Obama to Top Brass: Will you fire on American Citizens?

This may be the most important interview you will have seen within the last year.   I do have a little bit of skepticism associated with it...but not much.

In the video that follows, Gary Franchi of the Next News Network interviews Dr. Jim Garrow about the call he claims to have received from a retired, high-ranking military officer who told him that the Administration is beginning to ask military officers whether or not they will be willing to fire on American citizens if those citizens refuse to surrender their arms when ordered to do so.   One of the more interesting pieces in the interview is when Dr. Garrow talks about China, our debt to them, and how our natural resources are being given away to them as a way of paying off American debt to China.

I have not yet seen any corroborating evidence in regards to this reported "litmus test" of military leadership, so it is something we need to keep an eye on.  I have seen some "hits" on the Chinese being allowed into our nation to exploit our natural resources, but have not yet been able to draw any conclusions from them.

Link to video


Other commentary on this issue:
-- Rick Wiles (TRUNEWS) interview with Dr. Jim Garrow (23 Jan 13)
-- Examiner.com article "Renowned author: Obama wants military leaders who will fire on U.S. citizens" (22 Jan 13)

Cross-posted from Against All Enemies

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Troops in Africa: Is this why we have a military?

In March, the United States plans to send elements of the Second Brigade, First Infantry Division, to Africa (under AFRICOM) to conduct over a hundred different missions in 34 nations, such as humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and training indigenous forces.  (source: Washington Times) The Second Brigade is a heavy brigade equipped with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and self-propelled artillery, mind you, not a light infantry brigade or Special Forces unit.  As a result of the deployment, their training on these systems in a wartime scenario will most likely suffer.

We are also a bankrupt nation, yet spending millions deploying portions of our military to areas that are not critical to our national security.  Sounds to me like we may have found a portion of the national budget we can cut if our military has nothing better to do than hand out humanitarian assistance and wait for natural disasters in some far off land.

Our tax dollars need to instead be spent on our military defense, not on ambiguous blanket missions of doing everything except the defense of our nation.  We need to get ourselves out of this recession/depression first before we should even consider doing a mission like that of the 2nd Brigade in Africa.  The national debt is the biggest threat to our national security, not some non-existent disaster in Africa.

We must ask ourselves: Are the Armed Forces of the United States serving as the military force of the United Nations/World Government, or are they protecting America and its citizens?

As an organization, the US military is slowly being forced to reject its original foundation of the Christian faith and in its place accept humanism, as evidenced by the removal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy allowing for open homosexual behavior in the ranks.  Even the mere presence of religion in military organizations is under attack from organizations such as the Military Religious Freedom Foundation who espouse a perverted interpretation of the First Amendment.

A key component of humanism is relativism, where there is no absolute truth.  This has in part led to the development of a manual in Afghanistan that blames our own troops' insensitivity to the Islamic culture for causing the green on blue violence in that nation, rather than blaming the true source--Islamic jihad.

Furthermore, our military is confused as to who the enemy is.  They are attacked by a jihadi at Fort Hood and it is called "workplace violence."  Russian military forces are invited in our borders to participate in "counter-terrorism" exercises.  We are aiding and abetting the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East, an organization that intends to re-establish a hostile Caliphate and destroy America.  One of our Ambassadors is slain in North Africa while the military is forbidden from coming to his aid.  We kill al Qaeda operatives in Yemen (for Saudi Arabia?), while supporting them and their allies in Syria and Libya.

Military leadership has been involved in suppressing the First Amendment rights of United States citizens when it comes to speech against Islam, and have publicly humiliated a fellow officer for teaching the threat that Islam presents.  Then they "pivot to the Pacific," however China is not considered a threat but Iran in the Middle East remains so.  Then some in our government talk about unilaterally reducing our nuclear arsenal to below 300 weapons while Russia is modernizing and exercising their nuclear triad.

Who is the enemy???

We need to get our military back on track and fast.  They are all over the world "chasing Indians," disasters, and handing out humanitarian assistance.  They need to be focused on the one thing they need to get right--defending our nation against existential threats.  They need to be preparing for war, and they need a clear vision as to who are the enemies of America.  With the imminent reduction in the military budget, this becomes all the more critical.

--Against All Enemies

Army plans to shift troops to U.S. Africa Command

Aims for quick crisis response

By Kristina Wong - The Washington Times, Sunday, December 23, 2012

U.S. Africa Command, the military’s newest regional force, will have more troops available early next year as the Pentagon winds down from two ground wars over the past decade, Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, Army chief of staff, told The Washington Times.

As part of Gen. Odierno’s Regionally Aligned Forces concept, about 1,200 soldiers will deploy to Africa as early as March in an effort to place troops strategically around the globe to respond quickly to sudden challenges in hot spots such as Libya and to develop ties with the people and officials in host countries.

“It’s about us moving towards a scalable, tailorable capability that helps them to shape the environment they’re working in, doing a variety of tasks from building partner capability to engagement, to multilateral training to bilateral training to actual deployment of forces, if necessary,” Gen. Odierno said in an interview.

Amid budget cuts and with President Obama’s new military strategy downplaying the chances of another major land war, the Army has sought to maintain its relevance among admirals and generals in the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa — likely places for the next flash point. When terrorists attacked the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, no U.S. troops were close enough to help.

[...]

Ready, responsive

Beginning in March, small teams of soldiers from the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based in Fort Riley, Kan., will conduct at least 108 missions in at least 34 countries in Africa through mid-2014.

The missions could include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, training host-nation forces in marksmanship, first aid and other skills, and conducting military exercises. To prepare for these missions, soldiers are studying the regions and cultures of countries where they will deploy, and learning Arabic, Swahili, French and Portuguese.

Continue Reading (article continues)... 

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GE CEO Immelt Praises Communist Chinese Government

Here is Jeffrey Immelt, the man placed in charge of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, praising the communist form of government in China.

BEN BAKER / REDUX

"State-run communism may not be your cup of tea, but their government works.  They have five-year plans..." (link to video)

GE is looking at exporting more jobs and now nuclear technology to China:

"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is supporting a bid by General Electric to export jobs and nuclear technology to China by seeking assurances from Beijing that it will not steal or transfer valuable reactor technology, the Free Beacon has learned." (Washington Free Beacon)

And here is some of GE's behavior during World War II...supporting the Nazi government in Germany (obviously Immelt was not in charge, but it demonstrates how big business can work against the national security interests of your own nation):

"In 1946 General Electric was fined by the US government owing to its nefarious wartime activities. In partnership with Krupp, a German manufacturing firm, General Electric deliberately and artificially raised the price of tungsten carbide, a material that was vital for machining metals necessary for the war effort. Though only fined $36,000 in total, General Electric made around $1.5 million out of this scam in 1936 alone, hampering the war effort and increasing the cost of defeating the Nazis. GE also bought shares in Siemens before war broke out, making them complicit in the use of slave labor to build the very same gas chambers where many of the stricken laborers met their end." (Business Pundit)

I guess my point here is this: do people like Immelt have the best interests of the American people in mind?  Should they be placed in positions to have influence over the "jobs and competitiveness" of America?  Should they be allowed to export nuclear technology to our adversaries?  I would argue no, absolutely not.

--Against All Enemies

Link to video

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Video: Trevor Loudon's Urgent Message for America

Trevor Loudon hails from New Zealand and owns the New Zeal blog.  Over the past several years he has done massive amounts of research on Marxist influences in America, and has the following message for the nation (video link follows).

In it, he describes how the Marxists of the world, especially Russia and China, seek to destroy the United States military as it is the only thing standing between them and world domination.

He also mentions how the Chinese have already told Australia that they now have to make a choice who will they seek for their protection, will it be China or the United States...

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt44D6ZlFKI&feature=player_embedded

Marx & Satan: Is Everything Permitted?

Richard Wurmbrand was a Christian Pastor who was jailed and tortured by Communist Romania security forces for 14 years because of his opposition to communism.  After his release, he wanted to better understand why those who followed communist ideals committed such evil acts.  The results can be found in his book "Marx & Satan."  I recommend that you get a copy and read it.

I will attempt to share some of his work with you in my blog.  Here is a portion where he describes how in Satanism "Nothing is true, and everything is permitted."  It sounds very much like today in our appeasement of Islam.  How can we forbid such a cruel ideology if everything is permissible and nothing is forbidden?

Is Everything Permitted?

The Satanist cult is very old, older than Christianity. The prophet Isaiah might have had it in view when he wrote, "We have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him (the Savior) the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). 

True religious feeling is at the opposite pole. Certain Hassidic rabbis never said "I," because they considered it a pronoun that belonged only to God. His will is binding on human behavior. 

By contrast, when a man or woman is initiated into the seventh degree of Satanism, he swears that his principle will be, "Nothing is true, and everything is permitted." When Marx filled out a quiz game for his daughter, he answered the question "Which is your favorite principle?" with the words, "Doubt everything.” 

Marx wrote in The Communist Manifesto that his aim was the abolition not only of all religions, but also of all morals, which would make everything permissible. 

It was with a sense of horror that I read the mystery of the seventh degree of Satanism inscribed on a poster at the University of Paris during the 1968 riots. It had been simplified to the formula, "It is forbidden to forbid," which is the natural consequence of "Nothing is true, and everything is permissible." 

The youth obviously did not realize the stupidity of the formula. If it is forbidden to forbid, it must also be forbidden to forbid forbidding. If everything is permissible, forbidding is permissible, too. 

Young people think that permissiveness means liberty. Marxists know better. To them, the formula means that it is forbidden to forbid cruel dictatorships like those in Red China and the Soviet Union. 

Dostoyevski had said it already: "If there is no God, everything is permitted." If there is no God, our instincts are free. The ultimate expression of this kind of liberty is hatred. Whoever is free in this sense considers loving-kindness a weakness of the spirit. 

Engels said, "Generalized love of men is absurdity." The anarchist thinker Max Stirner, author of The I and I is Property and one of Marx's friends, wrote, "I am legitimately authorized to do everything I am capable of.” 

Communism is collective demon-possession. Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago reveals some of its horrid a results in the souls and lives of people.

(Richard Wurmbrand, Marx & Satan, pp. 107-8)

--Against All Enemies

Disclaimer: These opinions are solely my own, and do not reflect the opinions or official positions of any United States Government agency, organization or department.

The Sino-America War

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

It is coming as sure as the sun rises in the east.  China and America are headed for a military showdown. 

China’s recent announcement that it will now consider roughly 90% of the South China Sea it’s territorial waters will certainly cause our two navies to brush up against each other and create sparks… sparks that could easily ignite a global conflict between the US and China.

“China’s aggressive behavior and threatening rhetoric are complemented by massive militarization. Beijing is projecting military power far from its shores with a rapidly growing, modern blue-water navy, long-range aircraft with refueling capabilities, a global satellite network, anti-access ballistic missiles (read aircraft carrier killers) and its first aircraft carrier. These instruments of war provide Beijing an expeditionary capability that could lead to a shooting war.” (SOURCE)

Things have gotten so touchy between the US and China militaries that “… the U.S. established a cold war-like hotline between China’s People's Liberation Army and the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff …”) (SOURCE)

With tensions so high it is prudent to expect the US 7^th Fleet to find itself in perilous situations with China’s navy as the 7^th fleet patrols the South China Sea.

All this pugnacious behavior by China has scared the dickens out of many of the neighborhood’s Asian countries. They have begun banding together and they are asking the US to join with them to aid them in countering China’s expansionist moves in the region.

Just as things are reaching critical mass in the Middle East and China is showing signs that it is about to begin throwing it’s military weight around, the US government is seriously discussing massive cuts in the US military.  If the huge cuts in the military budget, made possible by the failure of the Congressional “Super Committee’s” inability to reach some sort of agreement, are actually allowed to come to pass, the US will have a military slightly larger than it had at the beginning of World War One. The feared “hollow military” will become a fact --  and the world will be defenseless against such opportunist countries as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, not to mention the Islamofacists and their terror machine.

Look.  Cutting the US military at such a critical time in world history would be stupid and idiotic -- not to mention suicidal.

A US-China war has been brewing since shortly after the Second World War.  With Chinese interests and assets all over the world now, when it comes, it will be a global conflict.  

The ‘dogs of war” are inevitably set loose when America elects a weak President.  Mr. Obama has proven to be an astonishingly weak President. His administration has been a “by-stander” administration. He enjoys leading from the rear much as “parade ground generals” do.  It looks good, but it does absolutely nothing to either maintain the peace or instill confidence in the military -- let alone our friends and allies.

If history has taught us anything -- it is that a weak US President invites trouble from America’s enemies.

Leftist and liberal presidents usually ARE weak in defending America.  It appears they are embarrassed for being an American citizen, and they jump at every chance to apologize to the world for what THEY consider America’s mistakes.  Such weakness only emboldens America’s enemies and makes a laughing stock of America’s President. More importantly, it places the people of the United States in danger.    

Some in the Obama Administration are suggesting to the President that the US should reduce its military commitment in the Middle East and re-focus on Asia.  They are claiming the US has allowed Asia to “slide,” if you will, in the past few decades.  I agree with only a part of that suggestion.  It seems to me that America should focus on China and prepare for the inevitable – military conflict with the Chinese. At the same time, the US cannot afford to turn its back on the Middle East.  The plain truth is -- we MUST have Middle Eastern oil.  AND we have Islamic enemies based in the Middle East who are intent on the destruction of the US (and Israel).  In fact, the US will not BE ALLOWED to turn away from the Middle East, even if we wanted to.

China’s neighbors in Asia are seriously seeking to create a sort of NATO of Asian states with the US as the anchor, just as in NATO.  That may, in fact, turn out to be a good idea.  Even the former enemy of the US, Viet Nam, is angling for an American security blanket in Asia. THAT should tell you just how frightened China’s neighbors really are.

Even Europe is unstable these days.  European history teaches us that European states tend to go at each other’s throats when desperation sets in -- as it seems bound to do in the very near future.

The US simply cannot afford to reduce its military when the world is on the brink of utter chaos.

The wisest course, it seems to me, is for the US to BUILD-UP its military, and prepare for the coming contest between itself and China.  On the other hand, the US needs to accept that America is in the Middle East for many decades to come.  To make huge cuts in the US military budget now, or in the immediate future, is a pipe dream and should be trashed and forgotten.

J. D. Longstreet

How To Destroy A Friendship

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

 Friendship is defined as:  A friendly feeling or disposition.  Yet in the last week we have witnessed President Barack Hussein Obama destroy the special relationship the United States has had with Israel.  A relationship based on mutual trust, understanding, and respect.  As of Thursday, all that is now a one-way street, with Israel being the friend and the United States actively and openly working to destroy the tiny Jewish state.

In doing this without condemning the violence perpetrated towards Israel, the official indoctrination of Anti-Semitism into the minds of Arab children, the rewriting of history with the purpose of distorting and obliterating the presence of the Jewish people from the Land of Israel, and finally the daily calls for the destruction of the State of Israel has displayed to the world (And especially Jewish voters.) that the United States is no longer a full partner with Israel but just one of many who condemn the Jewish state.

This has left Israel with very few options.  They can no longer trust the United States to veto resolutions in the Security Council that condemn it for any whim the Arab/Muslim world decides to invent.  And let us face it, these idiots invent so many things against the only beacon of freedom in the Middle East.

On Thursday President Obama was 45 minutes late in addressing the State Department in his second major address to the Muslim world.  He was on the phone with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of Israel who was vainly trying to get him to remove the  passage:  1967 borders.   This Obama did not do, nor was he going to.  In doing this, President Obama has effectively backed the Israelis into a corner.  They cannot return to the Auschwitz Borders, nor can they use it as the starting base in negotiations.



Without condemning Hamas for the rocket fire into Southern Israel, or Fatah for the murder of Israelis (Especially the slaughter of the Fogel family.), President Obama has effectively turned the Foreign Policy of the United States in a 180 degree turn away from Israel.

This is leaving President Obama with a problem here at home.  To be exact a Jewish Problem here at home.  While in 2008 President Obama received over 78% of the Jewish vote, today that support is down to 55% (The exact same number that Jimmy Carter received in 1980.) and it is dropping.  While in 2008 the Obama campaign found that their major donors were Jews, today donations from The Tribe is down 60%.  The more President Obama's foreign policy turns away from Israel and towards the Muslim world, the more Jews will desert him in favor of a candidate that is more appealing to their values.  In an economy that is doing well, with low gas prices, this wouldn't even be an issue.  As we know the economy is going to hell in a handbasket, gas is rising out of sight, and this is now a big issue with the Jewish voters.

As for what Israel will do.  Sources in the Israeli government have remarked that they are looking for a new partner.  A new friend.  Russia, France and Great Britain are no friends.  Their record of official anti-Semitism for centuries destroys that idea.  Instead the Israelis are sending out feelers towards China.  China needs a source of high technology.  While the Arabs have oil in abundance, they are very low on the Leaders of Technology scale.  And while Israel is very short on oil, it is a Leader in Technology (In robotics it will surpass the United States and Japan by 2015.).  China will be able to buy oil from anyone, but gaining the technological advantage takes more than money.  Takes a willing partner to help them.

It is a shame that the United States under the "leadership" of Barack Hussein Obama has destroyed the friendship between Israel and the United States and may have helped China become a technological giant by forcing a friendship between Israel and China.

The Battle For Jerusalem Has Begun

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

You should know that the Zionist regime has reached the end of the line and no one can save this regime.”   Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a speech Thursday April 7^th, 2011. (SOURCE)

Earlier, on April 4^th, Ahmadinejad said: “A Mideast without Israel and America is now possible.” (Source)

American evangelical Christians are backing Israel now, more than ever, as they interpret Obama’s rejection of Israel as the fulfillment of Bible prophesy in reference to the so-called “end-times.”

In the Scriptures, as the huge armies gather from, in my opinion, Russia, China, and the Arab Nations to bring all their power to bear in a combined effort to destroy Israel, it becomes clear that the US will not intervene on Israel’s behalf.

The alignment of nations against Israel today is eerily like the alignment of the great nations from the North (Russia), from the East (China) and from the South (the Arab Nations) … in fact, EXACTLY as laid out in the scriptures.

(As Iran is backed by Russia, we have to add Iran to the Army from the North. Remember, too, the Iranians are not Arabs.  They are Persians.)

Students of Bible prophecy, observing the events unfolding in the Middle East today, are fairly trembling with anticipation. Observing the events they have studied for so long seem suddenly to be prophecy no longer -- but real world fact -- is sending shock waves of jubilation through certain denominations within the Christian faith.

Why?

Because their faith teaches that when they see these things happening -- then their “redemption is nigh.”  In other words, the Rapture of the Church is at hand. 

Look.  This is important stuff!  Whether you are Christian, or not, whether you are a believer, or not.  Whether you are Gentile or Jew, agnostic, atheist, or secularist, there can be no question that an event of earth shaking importance is about to happen in the Middle East.  In fact, I believe it has already begun.

In my opinion, it is sensible to believe that, at some point, Iran will attack Israel with nuclear weapons -- unless, of course, Israel takes Iran’s nuclear capability away. Israel has first AND second strike nuclear capabilities … NOW. 

The situation in the Middle East is so fluid that it is difficult to stay abreast of it on a daily basis.  There is one thing fairly certain.  That is that Iran is in there, somewhere, pulling the strings that will leave them in the catbird’s seat when things begin to settle down. 

The creation of an Islamic caliphate has been suggested as Iran’s motivation.  That is certainly a possibility but I think it is much simpler.  It is, I believe, a power grab by the mad mullahs and their puppet Ahmadinejad. 

Do not be so naive as to believe that Israel has been sitting in its bunker while all the surrounding Muslims have been clawing at each other’s eyes.  Israel has, quite possibly, the best intelligence service existing on the planet today… far better than either the US or British intelligence services. If anyone knows what Iran is up to, what all the fighting in the Arab countries surrounding them is REALLY about -- it is Israel’s Mossad.  And that intelligence is in the hands of Israel’s IDF and their Prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, himself, a former member of the Israeli Special Forces.

Looking past religion … take a look at the price of gasoline today.  Now, consider this:  When the Muslims turn their rage on Israel, there is every reason to believe that the US oil supply from the Middle East will be cut off –completely.  The Suez Canal will last … maybe… 48 hours, as will the Straits of Hormuz.  That means, what … eight or ten dollars a gallon gasoline?  We should be so lucky!

Now, I am not a theologian.  I’m not a prophet.  I’m not an “expert” on anything I am aware of … believe me.  I’d like to think I’m a fair “pamphleteer” …  and that’s about all.  But, I am aware of what’s going on round me.  I make a real effort to stay informed on current events … and I don’t mean the lives of movie and TV celebrities and/or royalty.

Too often I have had friends say to me, when I question them about current events:  “I don’t worry about that because there is nothing I can do about it, anyway.”  That cop-out won’t fly any longer. Do you realize that a virtual hand-full of Americans changed one half of the national legislative body of the United States last November?

By this coming fall, I expect we will see a strong push by the Obama Administration, in league with the UN, to force upon Israel a Palestinian state -- and in the process take away a portion of the city of Jerusalem in the deal.  Any fool can already see that such a move will only bring on war between the two states and Israel will conquer and take back that which is rightfully her’s and, I expect when the dust is finally settled, Israel will own ALL of the land God gave them … not just that sliver they hold today.

So. When is the Battle of Armageddon?  I have no idea. But this I do know:  Hung out to dry by the US and much of western Europe and the English speaking world, Israel will still have any ally. See. Like so many others of my generation – I have read the book – and I know how it ends.  Israel will win -- decisively!

Oh. Israel’s ally?  Just God.

J. D. Longstreet

Stop START

Stop START
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

Americans would do well to pray for the failure of the US Senate to ratify the “New START” Treaty with Russia. (The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) The security of the United States is at risk. In fact, the US should be building nukes at an increased pace and we should, most certainly, move forward, with all deliberate haste, to create and bring on line a viable Anti Ballistic Missile System as quickly as is humanly possible.

The New START may be good for Russia, but it is certainly NOT GOOD FOR AMERICA and it should be scrapped!

A few reasons the Senate should not ratify New START: It limits the development and deployment of America’s missile defense system. It also reduces America’s nuclear stockpile, does not allow America to modernize our existing nuclear assets, and some say there are no hard and fast rules within New START for verification.

New Start is a BAD treaty for America and we urge the US Senate to give it a “thumbs-down.”

What with North Korea kicking up its heels, these days, nuclear proliferation should be addressed, as well. Actively waiting in the wings are Syria and Iran. Soon they will step onto the stage as nuclear powers. Now that I think about it, nuclear proliferation should be addressed BEFORE there is any discussion of a treaty, of ANY kind, that will reduce our nuclear stockpile.

I maintain today, as I have for over a decade that China is our mortal enemy and we need to worry about China’s growing nuclear arsenal and the continued modernization of their nuclear delivery systems, as well as their on-going construction of underground bunkers, which are meant to insure a second-strike capability for China.

There are reports that China's warhead numbers have even doubled in recent years. The US’s top brass say China may now be able to put multiple nukes on a single, newly developed, road-mobile missile.

Peter Brookes, A Heritage Foundation senior fellow and a former deputy assistant secretary of Defense writes the following:

“China's 2nd Artillery (nuclear forces) is reportedly building 3,000-plus miles of tunnels in central China, known as "the Underground Great Wall" -- likely providing Beijing with an enhanced, land-based, second-strike capability. Naturally, China's ICBMs are thought to be targeted at us.

But Beijing is also diversifying its nuclear capabilities by broadening its force structure into the traditional triad -- missiles based not just on land but also on bombers and subs.

China's new class of strategic submarine may already carry its first sea-based ICBMs. And Beijing's building another "boomer" sub class, too, significantly raising its nuclear-strike mobility and survivability -- while lowering detectability.

It's also adding advanced strategic bombers to the mix. Analysts believe China is developing long-range cruise missiles for these aircraft, which may have both conventional and nuclear warheads.” You may read Mr. Brookes’ entire article in the NY Post (HERE).

Mr. Brookes points out that China avoids arms control treaties.

The proponents of the New START treaty seem to think that other nations will follow America’s example if we disarm. That is a fallacy that could be fatal. In fact, in our opinion, that is infantile reasoning. It is a lesson I learned was wrong while I was yet in grade school. After being pounded upon (a couple of times) by the school yard bully, I learned to expect bad behavior from my fellow students, prepare for it, and be ready to put up a hell of a fight when the time came.

It is difficult for me to have a great deal of confidence in our leaders after they required several days to decide if a contrail streaking up the western coast of America was from a plane or a missile. Just as any experienced soldier can tell if the sound made by an artillery shell is “in-coming” or “out-going” the least we can expect is for our military leaders to know the difference between the contrails of a missile and/or an aircraft.

With all the terrorist groups and rogue states in Asia and the Middle East, with nuclear weapons or working 24/7 to create them, Russia’s nuke capability is less important than a viable missile defense system for America.

America is more in need of some adult leadership in the White House than any new arms control treaty with Russia -- or any other country.

The New START Treaty deserves nothing less than a quick death in the US Senate.

J. D. Longstreet

Top Russian Analyst Predicts U.S. Breakup and New North American Currency

Monday a top Russian political analyst predicted that the United States is heading for collapse and will divide into six separate parts. Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will adopt the Amero currency, and China and Russia will regulate world markets.

According to RIA Novosti (Russian News and Information Agency), Professor Igor Panarin was interviewed by Izvestia and the interview was published on Monday.

If and when the U.S. breakup comes about Panarin states that "we” (Russia) “could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all."

Panarian said that because the dollar “is not secured by anything,” and because America’s debt has “grown like an avalanche” and is now more than 11 trillion, this “is a pyramid that can only collapse.”

Panarin has been making this prediction since 1998. RIA Novosti reported that Panarin made these dire predictions at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago when the U.S. economy appeared to be strong.

Panarin hedged when it came to pinpointing the exact time of the “expected” U.S. economic collapse.

When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: "It is already collapsing. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: America will no longer be the world's financial regulator."

Panarin said that China, “with its vast reserves, and Russia, “could play the role of a regulator in Eurasia."

Panarin stated that millions of Americans have lost their savings and because General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse and whole cities will be left without work. Because governors are also demanding money from the federal government, dissatisfaction is growing. Panarin continued:

"Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles."

RIA Novosti also reported that Panarin points to a vulnerable political setup in the U.S., which includes "lack of unified national laws," and "divisions among the elite,” which will bring the breakup about in the very near future.

He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts - the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong. . . He even suggested that "we could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all."

According to RIA Novosti, Panarin claimed that a secret (North American Union) agreement in 2006 was reached between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. making the Amero currency the new monetary unit. This Amero will replace the dollar under the pretext that “terrorists are forging them and they need to be checked."

For a little perspective on Russia’s failing economy read Wednesday’s article, Russia and the Global Economic Crisis by Stephen Sestanovich published by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Apparently Russia’s economy isn’t doing all that well. Export earnings from energy and metals are sharply declining, corporate balance sheets are over-leveraged, there is a “chorus of bailout appeals,” bank failures, credit crunches, failing real-estate and mortgage defaults . . . and the list goes on.

Technorati Tags: Russian,RIA Novosti,Izvestia,Professor Igor Panarin,Amero,North American Union,Federalism,sovereignty,world markets,regulation,independence movements,economic collapse,Alaska,United States,Canada,Mexico,Russia,China

Trackposted to Conservative Cat, The World According to Carl, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People

The UN meeting observing the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is to be held Tuesday at the UN headquarters in New York. Today is the second day of the two-day celebration which includes numerous pro-Palestinian exhibitions.

Haarretz.com reports that Israel is bracing for a concerted diplomatic attack against Israel during this second day of Palestinian day celebrations at the United Nations.

Haarretz.com predicts that the Palestinians and the Arab states will push forth their public campaign directed at the international community concerning the suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation and they will denounce Israel as being responsible for a lack of solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The debate is expected to end with the adoption of some 20 anti-Israel resolutions. In the past, these included denouncing Israel for annexing East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in separate resolutions.

Many supporters of Israel view this day as the annual “anti-Israel ritual” where the UN will typically pass a number of pro-Palestinian resolutions due to the fact that there is a “built-in Arab and third-world majority in the General Assembly.”

According to China View, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sent a congratulatory message to a UN meeting which stated that “China staunchly supports the restoration of the legal rights of the Palestinian people as well as the Mideast peace process.”

Jiabo went on to say:

“As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will continue to support the United Nations in playing an important role in solving the Mideast problem and pushing forward the settlement of the Palestinian issue.”

JBlog Me

Technorati Tags: UN,International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People,Israel,Palestinians,Arab states,China,UN Security Council,Mideast peace process,Golan Heights

Obama's Admiration of China - A Country with No Water

Cross-posted by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

"Everybody’s watching what’s going on in Beijing right now with the Olympics. Think about the amount of money that China has spent on infrastructure. Their ports, their train systems, their airports are vastly the superior to us now which means if you are a corporation deciding where to do business you’re starting to think, Beijing looks like a pretty good option.”

The problem is, China has no water. Beijing may look sleek and gorgeous at the Olympics, but the truth is, water is an apocalyptic issue to the Chinese.

Beijing, the business environment admired by Senator Obama, is a northern city - where the water is not. Forget the reports of diverting water from farmers for the Olympics; that's no big deal, but what is a big deal is that Beijing's water supply is down to one-third of the supply available just ten years ago. MSNBC reported that despite China's efforts to quell the use of water by farmers and move industry out of the city, Beijing's water has dropped by two-thirds in ten years:

BEIJING - When 16,000 athletes and officials show up this summer, they will be able to turn the taps and get drinkable water — something few Beijing residents ever have enjoyed.

China has a long history of championing water conservation, but with an exploding population and often less-than responsible regulatory policies, few measurable results are evident.

In May 2000 the Earth Policy Institute reported that the water table underneath the city of Beijing fell by eight feet, and since 1965 the water table has fallen nearly 200 feet.

In November 2007, The International Herald Tribune confirmed that the underground water table beneath Shijiazhuang, China is "steadily running dry."

The underground water table is sinking about four feet a year. Municipal wells have already drained two-thirds of the local groundwater.

In the 1950's, Shijiazhuang was home to 335,000 people. Today, the population of the city and its surrounds is in excess of 9 million. Increased population, accelerated housing and commercial development, combined with policies that have sometimes allowed building at the "lowest points in the city's water table," have created a mammoth problem.

China’s disadvantage, compared with the United States, is that it has a smaller water supply yet almost five times as many people. China has about 7 percent of the world’s water resources and roughly 20 percent of its population. It also has a severe regional water imbalance, with about four-fifths of the water supply in the south.

Throughout the country groundwater shows unacceptable levels of contamination. From WorldWatch Intitute:

The water in Zhao Bo’s village on the outskirts of Beijing was a sickly shade of green. After drinking from the local well, Zhao and his fellow villagers could not go a month without suffering from diarrhea.

From SciDev.net:

[BEIJING] Some 65 million Chinese rely on underground water supplies that are heavily contaminated with arsenic or fluoride, according to the first national survey of the quality of the country's supply of drinking water.

Another problem: China can only barely feed it's people, and water is part of the problem.

China's plan to self-feed 95% of its population "within 12 years," faces huge challenges. Current facts reveal the enormity of the task.

Vice Minister of Water Resources, Hu Siyi, recently announced a price increase on water usage to the consumer. Siyi cited the country's "low-level" of efficiency of agricultural water usage. According to the Vice Minister, 70% of China's water is used for agricultural purposes.

In February 2008, China announced an increase in the country's "minimum purchasing price for wheat and rice," in an effort to protect the profit levels of the farming industry:

The announcement said the minimum purchasing price for different types of rice ranges from 75 yuan (about US$10.4) to 79 yuan per 50 kilograms; while that for wheat ranges between 70 yuan and 75 yuan.

Last year the minimum purchasing price for wheat and rice stood at 69 to 72 yuan and 70 to 75 yuan, respectively.

I can't think of anything (and I've spent some time thinking about it) in China that is superior - certainly not "vastly superior" to the U.S. Trains? China must have them; the people cannot afford autos. Ports? China cranks out the goods to the West, but we are certainly capable of receiving them in our ports. Airports: I count twelve major airports for China's huge population. Getting around this enormous country must be hell.

Obama: not much thought given to his remarks - trying to convince Americans how very disadvantaged we are. Most Americans know better.

China bans bra, underwear, sex toy ads and more world news

Originally posted at Right Truth

No more advertisements for bras, sexy undies, sex toys, or related items in China. That goes for "llegal 'sexual medication' advertisements and other harmful ads [which] pose a grave threat to society." The sex police say, "no more for you!"

BEIJING - China has banned television and radio ads for push-up bras, figure-enhancing underwear and sex toys in the communist government’s latest move to purge the nation’s airwaves of what it calls social pollution.

Regulators have already targeted ads using crude or suggestive language, behavior, and images, tightening their grip on television and radio a few weeks ahead of a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress at which some new senior leaders will be appointed.

The latest move by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or SARFT, also bans advertisements for sexual aids such as tonics that claim to boost performance in bed.

The notice indicated that regulators were concerned about both lascivious imagery and outrageous or insupportable claims about some products' benefits or effectiveness. [snip]

China has already also issued strict rules for TV talent shows, including the banning of "American Idol"-style mass audience voting by mobile phone text message or the Internet. [snip]

Regulators have also banned television shows about cosmetic surgery and sex changes, and a talent show that they deemed coarse. (AP via Peace and Freedom II)

That sounds like Iran rather than China. Now, on to other/more serious news:

Kingdom Urges New Approach to Middle East, Arab News

Addressing the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said the Israeli occupation of Arab territories was the main reason for the spread of extremism and terrorism in the region.

“Current circumstances in the Middle East are extremely dangerous. The Israeli occupation of Arab land continues to transform the whole region into multiple crisis zones (more)

Thanks to Caroline Glick, we get a reminder from Ahmadinejad - if you make up laws out of your own heads, you have put yourself in the position of God, Villagers With Torches

Mahmoud the bold, Yourish (hat tip Elder of Ziyon)

Lally Weymouth of the Washington Post - daughter of the late Katherine Graham - interviewed Mahmoud Abbas for the paper. The interview is here.

Elder of Ziyon is certainly correct that there’s nothing “moderate” in the positions he espouses.

Spin Dr. Rice, Time Blog, Middle East:

A state of denial about the real Middle East? A forced effort to salvage Bush's legacy? A stubborn determination to persist with flawed policies? What to make of Condi Rice's spin (such as here and here) in New York this week, as she rallied support for Bush's proposed international meeting on the Middle East and laid down her narrative of what the administration has accomplished in the region thus far. (more)

Confusing? Maybe. But we all need to get this right., World Wars

Figuring out where you stand in the confusing, semi-factual, frequently context-free torrent of charges and counter-charges [against the IDF/military] is hard for some to do. But absolutely essential if we’re going to stop terror. (more)

Islamic Thought Contagion, Infidel Bloggers Alliance

Memetically, Islam is a very successful memeplex (group of memes). Several embedded memes help make it so. For example:

If Muslims drift away from Mohammed's teachings, God will end the world. That makes converting others and promoting Islam a matter of survival. It also motivates Muslims, as Lynch points out, "to dissuade each other from losing faith." (more)

Islam: Increasingly Unpopular, The Truth Shall Set You Free

The public is becoming increasingly aware of the fact that Islam encourages violence. A full 45% now believe that Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions. (more)

A Dose of Reason On Iran, Mitchell Plitnick's Blog, TMP Cafe

Let’s start with this: Iran is a threat. Iran has long harbored ambitions of expanding its influence in the Middle East, and the destruction of Iraq removed the biggest barrier to their goals. Iran is the leader of the Shi’ite world, a part of Islam much smaller than the majority Sunni, but also a group whose people happen to be situated in several countries (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq) on top of large oil deposits. (more)

Iran Hegemony: What's not to like?,Spot On

... they [ Iran] have legitimate interests in the region could go a long way toward calming the place down. But Iran has to accept that the U.S. has interests, too, and those need to be taken into account as well. If the U.S. steps away from the zero-sum politics of the last 28 years, then Iran has a responsibility to do so as well. (more)

Islam’s incompatibility with democracy and equality, Muslihoon

This is most forcefully demonstrated by the fact that after Muhammad’s flight [from Mecca to Medina], Muhammad revelations take on a vastly more political tone (almost to the point of legal minutiae) and a much more intolerant tone (as, being the indisputed leader, he no longer had to tolerate or appease anyone). (more)

Ahmadinejad at Columbia, Jesse Larner, The Huffington Post

Iran is not a dictatorship. It's an oligarchy with certain aspects of democracy, including meaningful elections and a meaningful parliament with some real power. Sort of a hybrid system. It is true that, as the Iran-is-not-so-bad posters have it, women vote and have full political rights, and there are Jews and Christians and Zoroastrians in parliament. Ultimately, however, power rests with the Supreme Religious Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the Guardian Council (which can overrule the parliament and which must approve all candidates for the presidency.) (more)

Iraq Thought-bites, Greg's Brain

Since most U.S. military services, formerly carried out by the U.S. military itself, are now privatized and handled by U.S. corporations using mostly non-Iraqi and non-U.S. citizens, much and possibly most Iraqi spending will go to them. Much of this spending will go to services that never get done or are done with much greater cost than was previously accomplished by U.S. military workers: (more)

It is my judgement that Iran, while blustering, IS FULLY confident of victory in any set of circumstances, and this guides their policy, Iran threatens counterstrike at Israel with 600-missile arsenal, Villagers With Torches

The Dripping Faucet Drips. Drip… Drip… Drip…, Islamanazi

The Israelis attacked a nuclear research facility at Dir a-Zour! Nowhere else but here on this blog and at two links only will you find Dir A-Zour listed on Google. Wikipedia has nothing at all on Dir a-Zour. The other Google link refers to the area as a source of oil exports and a “research facility”. A search for Syrian oil resources, research, exports and so on produces absolutely no mention of Dir a-Zour! (more)

China's At It Again

Originally posted at Right Truth

Chinese arms have been recovered after attacks on British and American troops by Afghan insurgents. Hyscience says this is nothing new, and give some very interesting background:

And wouldn't you just know it, according to an intelligence report back in 2002, China and our "friend" (sic) Musharrif's ISI intelligence service actually collaborated in training the Taliban prior to 9-11. In that same year, evidence of Chinese military backing for the Taliban surfaced when U.S. Army Special Forces troops discovered 30 HN-5s, the designation for Chinese-made SA-7s surface-to-air missiles, in southeastern Afghanistan.

By the way, let's not forget to through Russian and Iran into the mix of terrorist supporting nations and problem initiators for the U.S.

Related: The Pakistan-Taliban-Al Qaida phenomenon started in 1994. (read it all)

Here's the story on the UK:

At a meeting held recently at the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing, a British official expressed the UK's growing concern about the incidents.

When asked about the latest British concerns, the Chinese foreign ministry referred back to a statement made by their spokesman Qin Gang in July who said China's arms exports were carried out "in strict accordance with our law and our international obligations".

For their part, the Taleban have recently begun boasting that they have now got hold of much more sophisticated weaponry although they refused to say from where.

Afghan officials have also privately confirmed to the BBC that sophisticated Chinese weapons are now in the hands of the Taleban. (BBC)

Also on China from Peace and Freedom II, "China denies hacking Pentagon" and "Chinese hackers targeted British government too - report" and "China: ‘Trust but verify’ needed"

Don't miss Wake Up America's exclusive interview with Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward, which is also printed at The Washington Times

China's Olympic Village to have multi-faith worship center

Originally posted at Right Truth

Strange news coming from a country that heavily restricts all religious activity.

BEIJING (AP) -- Beijing Games organizers say they plan to build a multi-faith worship center in the Olympic Village, ...

"All will be arranged in accordance with the practices ... adopted by other Olympic host cities," Liu Bainian, vice president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, said in the official China Daily newspaper.

The Communist Party-controlled association governs China's Catholic churches, while other state-controlled bodies keep watch over the country's Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, and Protestants.

Worship in non-state recognized churches and temples is illegal and other religions have no official recognition.

Also see: More Mideast-China investment ‘hampered by culture’, at Peace and Freedom via here.

“There is a cultural gap that acts as a barrier” to trade, the chairman of the Dubai-based Gulf Research Centre told delegates at the China-Middle East Investment Forum in Dubai.