A Little Bit Pregnant

JB raises a salient point when he poses the question regarding OBL being shot in cold blood; that is to say, he was ‘unarmed’. Even the WH spin-Meisters appeared to have trouble explaining it as evidenced by the fact that they felt compelled to change their story regarding this. It must be assumed that the second version is true.

This administration has had trouble with (what now appears to be) this particular policy before. It reminds me of the would-be Detroit bomber who was read Miranda rights before he even had time to spill the beans. And again, with a strike that presumably was designed to take out Kaddafi (but failed to achieve its objective). It may just be a way for the administration to circumvent its own rules and directives; and also a way to keep from having to add to the inconvenient GITMO population. It may also be due to an understanding that there are now no longer any interrogation methods at our disposal that are both legal and effective.

It’s not a question of us knowing what bin Laden would have said. By unwritten contract with our government we agree to not know some of the seamier deals that go on between governments and international outlaws. We assume that there are competent people whose job it is to know and how to handle such things while keeping our own best interests at heart.

I remember Bush saying (shortly after the 9/11 attacks) that appropriate measures will be taken; that we will be aware of some of these and not of others; that even our successes might never be known. In trying to find the exact quote (which I didn’t), I ran across Bush’s speech before a joint session of Congress (with Tony Blair in attendance). I was moved by this speech. I had forgotten it, though I must have seen it because I remember the line, ‘you’re either with us or…”

How our world has changed since then! Bush was subsequently attacked and vilified incessantly for cheap partisan political advantage. He was mocked, taunted. He was denied his victory. That would go the Barack Hussein Obama in much diluted form.

I urge you to watch this particular speech again and tell me honestly how Bush’s own words paint him as a buffoon. He was never a buffoon. He was painted that by ourselves (for whatever prurient reasons). This speech says volumes about the Bush presidency – the last American presidency.

Everything Bush spoke that night was true, logical and understandable. His plan of attack was measured and sound. Little did he know that the nation would be derailed by our own; that the enemies of America had already infiltrated and organized into a powerful force at the highest levels of our key institutions.

Instead of coming together, we came apart, installing our first post-American president to our highest office; a man, whose words ring hollow to most Americans. They serve only to divide us even further. Trust has been broken between us and our government. Even, what now should be regarded as a great victory is tainted with uncertainty and suspicion.

Take some time to hear President Bush’s post 9/11 speeches again and note how far we have fallen – now, to the very brink of bankruptcy. Take a look at the pictures of the collapsed Trade towers. It’s a fair metaphor of where we find ourselves today. Bin Laden never had to lift another finger. We ourselves bravely went out and finished his work in his stead.

The fact that many people are yet unwilling to recognize what has happened to us makes us into little girls who come home and announce, “Guess what? I’m a little bit pregnant.”

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Soros: What's In A Name?

I don't understand why we don't see it. We've erased the word 'war'. We've erased the word 'victory'. We're working on erasing Israel. Who does it benefit? Answer: Iran. We've got Iran in the White House!

We can tell Obama all we want about what he should do. He won’t listen. In fact, by telling him, he’ll know to do exactly the opposite. We can tell him to lower taxes, cut regulations, allow drilling, etc. There are a lot of very good and time-tested ideas floating around. It won’t matter. His goals are fundamentally different from ours. And until we accept this, and see it for what it is, we will continue on our downward trajectory.

I’m not even blaming Obama. He’s just a water boy for the big man who’s pulling the strings: George Soros. Soros appears to have some giant mad chip on his shoulder about having been born a Jew. There’s nothing more lethal than a self-hating Jew. (Hitler is said to have had a similar hang-up.)

Soros’ name changed three times. Brings to mind all the social security numbers that have been attributed to Barry S. ‘Soros’, the name that stuck, is a palindrome. That makes it special. It also means ‘next in line’ or ‘designated successor’ in Hungarian; and ‘will soar’ in Esperanto. George was taught Esperanto from birth. I need hardly explain the significance of Esperanto to this audience.

The evidence suggests that Soros engineered Obama’s electoral victories. It’s not a stretch to assume that he even now controls the lad.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

No Joy In Mudville

Whereas in dreams landscapes often change and even faces merge into rough composites of people we may have known, the dreamer always remains the same, encompassing all that we understand the core of ourselves to be. It therefore behooves us to make some modicum of effort in making inquiries of anyone we aim to enter into a contract with. If we should want to get the garage roof fixed, for instance, we would normally first seek references before deciding on a roofer.

Society, even a democratic society, always breaks down into a hierarchy of leaders for the rest of us to follow. Leaders are freely chosen on the basis of their resumes and our assumption that their intentions are similar to ours. When the actions of a leader approximate what we would do under similar circumstances, we can pretty much take it for granted that the leader has our best interests at heart.

Last night, on the John Batchelor Show, John ran a segment in which three of his guests were asked to recall their personal experiences back in the late 70’s, waiting in gas lines (on alternate days) to have their tanks filled. Curiously, all three drove Pintos. We all were so much younger then, but we all remember having participated in some capacity in the drill. Back then, we blamed OPEC and, to a lesser extent, president Carter’s ineffectiveness. It made for large headlines all over the country but never rose to the level of existential concern. After all, Ronald Reagan stood in the wings.

Today, a similar situation earns barely a whisper. True, so far there have been no shortages; only the price of fuel is spiking. Enough money will buy you anything. Still, it’s worrying as we are coming face to face with our own limitations in our need to keep up.

We’re not talking about it because we fear we already know the truth. And we’d rather not know. Every dollar we spend on oil goes to fuel our own destruction. And it’s being orchestrated by our own White House. Every policy decision our current leadership has made seems specifically designed to make us more vulnerable. There can no longer be any doubt: this re-distribution of our wealth in the name of atonement is fast approaching the limit of our endurance. Our dependence on oil remains constant even as our sources and options decline. We have been rendered literally powerless to save ourselves.

With Carter in office, we at least knew that things could possibly turn around with the next election. Now, we’re no longer so sure. Obama appears to have his second term well in hand. We may never get another chance.

That’s why we don’t talk about it. Instead, we grin and bear it. Two years - even one - seems like an eternity. Any plan to unseat Obama seems like a long shot. And though spring is approaching after a long hard winter, there’s not much joy in Mudville as the driving season commences.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

We've Dug Deep Enough

Interesting architecture to the spin coming out of the Middle East (as the region burns). At first, it was Tunisia. Then Tunisia was faulted for what happened in Egypt; then, Tunisia was all but forgotten and Egypt became the fault for what’s happening in Bahrain; and so it goes on and on: the incident previous to the last one is conveniently forgotten with the aim of burying the source of the agitation. It’s very much like our housing collapse was explained to us.

Also, Israel is hardly ever mentioned; neither is Islam. POTUS is said to be unaware and unprepared. There’s no indication that he even knows that the 5th Fleet is anchored in Bahrain - or cares.

How can he not care? How can he not know? Ask such questions and you soon stumble upon the source of it all. He knows full well. He cares a lot - but not in the way we care. Despite all those exotic names that Americans can no longer pronounce or locate on a map, the real target in all this is the U.S. and, of course, Israel.

The script was hatched in the White House and it’s global in nature. It involves everything from Pakistan to Arizona and now Wisconsin. The plan is still unfolding, perfectly coordinated. There are no surprises for those in the know.

Look all that’s happened in the past two years since Barack Hussein Obama has been in office: the economy tanking; our foreign policy in disarray; people out in the streets protesting; our states insolvent; immigration out of control; our system of governance unresponsive to the public’s demands; jobs vanishing; oil and food prices spiking; etc. I suppose we can always blame it on Bush - or George Washington.

The ride to hell is infinite. We’ve already blown by any number of major milestones. (The passage of Obamacare was one. So was the sinking of the Cheonan.) We’ve been told to ignore all that. Who among us, looking at all this wreckage, can say we’ve turned the corner? Who can honestly say things are improving; that America is scoring points? Every day we’re treated to a new and ominous reality. Every day we dig ourselves deeper. Enough with the shovel-ready jobs already! We’ve dug deep enough.

It is an accident of destiny? I maintain it’s not. And we’d better start calling a spade a spade.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

ElBaradei: Sliced Bread

We, John Batchelor junkies, are pretty much all in agreement that ElBaradei is a Tehran stooge. He speaks English and that makes him acceptable to the West. Remember that after the Iranian revolution, they also installed a stooge who was termed acceptably ‘moderate’. We know all this.

Does the White House know? Sure. Does the media? Unknown. In any case, they’re following the script which says that ElBaradei is the best thing since sliced bread. No discussion at all about Israel. Israel seems to have been forgotten in all this. The White House has already written Israel off - as well as the Suez Canal.

Is the White House engaged? Sure. Was the White House taken by surprise? I doubt it. We, the people, were the ones taken by surprise. We are the ones who still insist on believing that this White House does things with America’s interests in mind.

Go on insisting. Go on being caught off guard when things happen. Go on believing POTUS incompetent. When Tehran comes knocking at our door, open up and ask, “Who is it?”

The Islamic threat is spreading west. I’ll know who it is at the door. They’ll see the light on but will find nobody home.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

...and liberals applaud

The headlines this morning read that the reason for Hu’s visit to the U.S. was to proclaim to the world that China is now equal to the U.S. It has also been quite apparent for some time that China is on the rise (while America is in decline). Therefore, it can be now be said with some certainty that China will overtake the U.S. in the future. Such is the narrative of the (popular mechanics) press at any rate. …and liberals applaud.

There are, however, still some facts on the ground that put the lie to this view. The Chinese economy is clearly only a fraction of the U.S.’s. China’s military might, while growing, also lags behind. The difference as it stands now is in the willingness each country exhibits in using these to advantage. China has shown it is serious about overtaking the U.S., while America, under the current administration, could care less about maintaining its edge.

We have come to a critical point in world history. For the first time, we have an administration whose fundamental view is that America should not be preeminent on the world stage and is actively seeking to bring this about. It has happily abandoned the notion of American ‘exceptionalism’ and gone to foreign shores to apologize for America over and over again. At the same time, it has all but abandoned its traditional allies and sought to embrace its enemies.

The strategy, if there ever was one, was to ease points of friction by simply stopping the wheels. It has not worked. Unilaterally deciding to step aside and end our resistance to the thrusts of our traditional enemies will not automatically make them into friends. Instead, they will interpret this as a sign of weakness and double down on their efforts. Meanwhile, our friends are heading for the tall grass.

So far, our media has put down sundry omissions and missteps in diplomatic protocol to our president’s inexperience. In the diplomatic world, however, no serious player would return symbolic gifts to allies, offer inappropriate gifts to heads of state, bow to lesser leaders, inadvertently fly foreign flags upside down, or misspell the names of foreign dignitaries on White House table settings. Just not done.

Lang Lang’s ‘prank’ was not a mistake. It was carefully and deliberately orchestrated with the full knowledge of Chinese leadership. It was meant primarily for home consumption, showing that China is running rings around a timid and uninformed America. (Chavez pulled a similar stunt.) It is the equivalent of Chinese proxy North Korea sinking the Cheonan or bombing a South Korean (populated) island with impunity.

As is his way, Obama, the President of the United States, leader of our nation, just sits there in seemingly ignorant bliss and allows the credibility of our once great nation get dragged through the mud. No doubt Hu Jintao (as well as bin Laden) has seen the pictures of American soldiers tied to the backs of Toyota pick-ups being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. It’s doubtful that Obama’s memory goes back that far.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

The King's Speech

Has POTUS abandoned his radical-left base completely? Or do they understand that POTUS must appear to be ‘moderate’ if he wishes to have any chance of being re-elected in ‘012? As it becomes increasingly clear that Obama needs to re-kindle center-left support, a Dick Cheney look-alike certainly can’t hurt (yet another nod to what now looks like a ‘successful’ Bush presidency).

Other Obama appointees have certainly not come without credentials and have drawn cautious praise from the likes of Kudlow and company. Most have since failed in the public eye. Some have now departed while others have hung on - like POTUS himself, for instance (no LBJ “…I shall not seek, and I will not accept…” shocker in the offing here).

What has become clear (to my mind anyway) is that hand puppet POTUS is running the show. Daley, however ‘moderate’ he may be, will have little ‘moderating’ influence on White House policy overall.

It remains to be seen if the flashing of ‘right’ signals will do the trick. I would not be surprised if it did. The overwhelming majority of the American people are still desperately looking for their prodigal son to return.

Saw “The King’s Speech” yesterday. A beautiful, well-wrought film as only the British can make it. I imagine the history to be correct. I’ve heard no complaints. If indeed so, it brings to mind an era in which a sense of duty, some degree of sobriety, and patriotism prevailed. Even LBJ’s speech referenced above far surpasses the political rhetoric we are accustomed to hearing today.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Empty White House?

JB, your way of looking at this is not dissimilar to Obama’s. You’re both looking at the same thing, but from different sides. Things or people exist only in relation to something or someone else; and then, only if there is a common element in both. There is no common element between you and POTUS. You watch Obama from afar and your expectation of what he should be doing does not match up with what you see. Therefore you say, “The White House is Empty.” If the moon should fail to rise on a night it is expected to, what would you say? “The sky is empty”? No, of course not. But most would recognize that something of profound significance had occurred.

Similarly, POTUS has taken a measure of what he understands his own sacred mission to be and decided that both the people and the Constitution (which he has sworn to uphold, by the way) are an impediment to him. Therefore, he has seen fit to sever these from his consideration and is now operating rogue. He has said in effect that the people and the Constitution do not exist as far as he is concerned.

That’s how we have come to the point where much of the legislation that has been passed already (during the past two years) is patently unconstitutional. But who would challenge it? Congress - the people’s representatives? Hardly. Congress, as an institution, has debased itself by flagrantly shirking its duty to represent the people; by governing against their will; by making disparaging remarks about constituents and their Constitution; by exempting itself (and ‘friends‘) from it’s own laws. Can you say ‘corruption’?

Much hope is being heaped on the incoming Republicans - particularly Tea Party- supported Republicans - in their ability to sweep in and clean up the mess. Too much hope, if you ask me. They will be faced with a stacked deck; tilting machines; computer keyboards with the ‘W’s’ removed; etc. Much of the damage has already been done (and is now irreversible), especially to the honor, credibility, and legitimacy of the concept of representative government overall.

Obama exists alright, in that everything he does affects us both directly and indirectly. He moves us willy-nilly, like sticks of furniture, around the room. We cannot respond - or, our response goes unheard and unheeded - while the wheels of what has already been set into motion grind on. It is we who do not exist. It is we who inhabit empty rooms. Obama is still president. He can do as he wants.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Chavez U.

Again we are asked to follow the narrative: Obama the shirker, the incompetent. When, in fact, the Clintons are being set up for the fall. Bill stumbles into it. He suddenly finds himself alone in front of the Washington press corps, defending the tax cut (sic) compromise. Obama knows full well it will destroy the Democrat party - what’s left of it. Clinton is invited to the White House. He can’t stay away. Too many painful memories to reawaken and wallow in. It’s his chance to make good (perhaps). Hillary, if she had been around, would have advised against it.

Who is Obama’s primary challenger? The Clintons. Only Obama knows the Bush tax cuts will expire in January. He can claim to have been on either side of the issue. Bill has no clue about all the backroom wheeling and dealing. He goes out there and defends the already failed proposition to the hilt. His words have no effect on the eventual outcome. He’s simply there to absorb some of the heat.

The economy will tank. That is the plan. People will blame Congress. Some will blame Obama. And now, some will also blame the Clintons. Blame all around.

Obama is the only one left with a leg up on this one by virtue of being president. Once the dominoes begin to fall, everyone will be wiped out. Only Obama remains - by virtue of being president. Chavez will run a course on the internet about winning friends and influencing people. He will claim Obama to have been his first successful graduate.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Why Bother?

It’s getting down to the wire. There are indications that nothing you hear from now on can be trusted; that things will be said solely for the purpose of manipulating the vote. It sometimes works. Exit results in the East have been known to suppress voter turnout in the West. Exit polls are not official. These can be, and often are, wrong.

Similarly, talk of a Republican landslide can work either way. It can keep both Republicans and Democrats from going to the polls. Talk of races tightening can have the opposite effect. Like it or not, turnout is key.

In short, do not believe anything you might hear. Go to the polls knowing nothing. Simply vote your conscience - but do vote.

There are some things we do know. We know that this is an important election for both parties. We know that our economy is not doing so well, no matter who may be at fault. We also do not see signs of things getting better. We’ve lost much of our 401 nest egg. Inflation is set to take the rest. And jobs are getting ever harder to find.

Internationally too - for those who follow world affairs - we’re in dismal straits. Our friends are distancing themselves and our enemies have taken to laughing out loud. We can accept Obama’s excuses and pretend he hasn’t been in office for two years, or we can make up our minds to do our share to change direction.

We also know that the media won’t tell us the truth. Make no mistake, the president is on the ballot. “D” = Obama; “R” = against. I myself have questioned just how much Republicans are willing or able to do after the election. None of that matters now. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we must first get to the bridge.

One last point: Expect close results to be fought over. We don’t have a friend in the White House, nor at Justice. A close result means we lose.

It is my belief that there will be beaucoup surprises. When it’s over, the word ‘unexpected’ will likely be heard everywhere. The Tea Parties will know better. They know the 'force' is with them. The morning after, we’ll likely have the unmitigated pleasure of taking our foot off the gas, pulling into a 7/11 to purchase a NYT - just for a long and healing laugh.

On second thought - why bother? We already know what they're going to say.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Somebody Tell The White House

I am deeply saddened tonight. A middle-aged Ecuadorian man was beaten to death on Saturday night. He was sitting on a bench in a small park across the street from the Indian restaurant where he worked as a dishwasher. At around 9:30 in the evening he was approached by three youths. Two sat down beside him. One threw a white cloth over his face; a second beat him; while a third video taped the action. The attack appears to have been unprovoked.

This happened smack in the center of town where I have lived off and on for over 50 years. In all that time, I cannot remember anything like this ever happening. The victim was taken to Overlook Hospital where he died on Tuesday.

It took the police and mayor till Tuesday to release a statement. They were hoping the man wouldn’t die so the incident could be swept under the rug and forgotten. Meanwhile, the video had made the rounds on the internet long before. Citizens are understandably outraged. What had taken the mayor so long to warn residents? He claimed that an immediate statement would have compromised the investigation.

An 18-year old was arrested. A 17-year old, who is said to have inflicted the fatal blows, has also been taken into custody, though his name was not released due to his age. The camera guy was let go.

Summit is one of the wealthiest towns in the state. Property values have barely been affected by the recession. The prosperous commercial center where it happened consists primarily of banks, up-scale restaurants and hair salons. Though, since the recession started, there have been some businesses that have closed.

There is a sizable and close-knit Hispanic community here. There will be more blood. It got me to thinking that the race war the White House seems so intent on provoking will misfire. The battle is coming alright. But it will not be fought between whites and all others. Whites will know enough to steer clear.

Somebody tell the White House.