Monthly Archives: June 2009

Media, Politics

President Obama’s Gift For King Abdullah

I guess one could say that President Obama is making some progress in gifting heads of state. But you would never know it from the US media.

Obama has a record on this since becoming President. One of the first things he did to outfit the Oval Office was to give the bust of Winston Churchill back to Great Britain after the offer to keep it for at least the next four years was turned down by The White House. That was in February.

A bust of the former prime minister once voted the greatest Briton in history, which was loaned to George W Bush from the Government’s art collection after the September 11 attacks, has now been formally handed back.

How far that move helped our image around the world is debatable. British diplomats were not impressed.

Considering the reason the gift was offered in the first place says more about Obama’s views of the war on terror and the attacks on 9/11 than his sensibilities for international diplomacy and relations with Great Britain.

The first gift exchange came later when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had his first State visit to The White House.

Brown presented Obama with a pen holder crafted from the timbers of the 19th century British warship HMS President (whose sister ship, HMS Resolute, provided the wood for the Oval Office’s desk), Obama offered up … 25 DVDs of American movie classics.

Then came Obama’s trip to Great Britain where he and the first lady met the Queen.

The president, who was accompanied by the first lady, gave Her Majesty an iPod loaded with video and photographs of the queen’s 2007 visit to Jamestown, Richmond and Williamsburg, Va. He also gave her a songbook signed by composer Richard Rodgers.

In return, the queen gave the president a silver-framed, signed photograph of her and her husband, Prince Philip, which is reported to be a standard present for visiting dignitaries.

I'm not bowing. I'm not bowing.The next gift exchange happened in Saudi Arabia when the King presented the President with the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit, which is the country’s highest honor. From the picture, it could be easily confused with bling from MC Hammer or MC Obama. But to the Saudi Arabian people, it is a high honor bestowed on special people.

What has not been reported in the US media, strangely enough (I’m kidding), is the kind of gift that President Obama gave King Abdullah. No, this time it is not something off an end-cap in Best Buy. For this visit, the president put a lot of thought into this gift, which took 5 months to make. So at about the time Great Britain was being insulted by all the above, a gift based on the Quran for Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah was being made. It’s not that he doesn’t know any better.

President Barack Obama’s invaluable gift to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has a noble connotation.

It is a Qur’anic verse which says: “O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the most righteous of you. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Qur’an, 49:13)

From the picture it looks like a nice gift. So why is it that the US media hasn’t reported on it? You have to look at Saudi media to find out. Doesn’t it show that the president has made some progress in gift giving? Besides, it does go a long way to reinforce the president’s sensitivities to Islam that he spoke of in his speech in Cairo. Do you think that’s why?

More pictures here.

Economy

Today's Special, The Federal Reserve

I’m beginning to see a pattern here in determining reasons to fire an Inspector General. If you put your head in the sand, like FRB IG Elizabeth Coleman, you keep your job. If you actually find problems, like IG Gerald Walpin, your gone.

Elizabeth A. Coleman was appointed Inspector General for the Board effective May 6, 2007. In this role, Ms. Coleman leads a staff responsible for promoting economy, efficiency,and effectiveness within Board programs and operations. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is also responsible for preventing and detecting waste, fraud, and abuse at the Board, among other duties. The OIG achieves its legislative mandate through audits, evaluations, investigations, legislative reviews, and by keeping the Chairman of the Board and Congress fully informed.

Wouldn’t you like to know what the Fed has been doing with trillions of your, your children, and grand children’s dollars? Don’t you have a right to know? This video is a jaw dropper. And Alan Grayson’s (D-FL) questions are spot on, and up to this point have never even been asked. As is his conclusion that no one is keeping track of the money.

Who’s auditing the auditors? Who’s auditing the Federal Reserve? It’s time for the Fed to bend over and grab the ankles, and show us where they’ve put trillions of stimulus dollars. And why? The transparency the Obama administration promised the American taxpayer is lost. Some would argue we were lied to and there never was any intention for the administration to show their hand.

In this video Alan Grayson (D-FL) discusses Ron Paul’s (R-TX) H.R. 1027, a bill to audit the Federal Reserve.

Hat Tip: The Daily Bail

Media

Goebbels Media, Obama Media, What's The Difference?

President Obama is so worried that his government-run health care will not pass, that on June 24th ABC will be turning over its programming to The White House. Literally.

ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House. The network plans a primetime special — ‘Prescription for America’ — originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.

The White House plans a town hall style infomercial, with no opposing viewpoints.

Do you believe Obama when he says, as he often does, that he wants a vigorous debate on important issues?

The Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Ken McKay fired off a letter of complaint that said in part . . .

Today, the Republican National Committee requested an opportunity to add our Party’s views to those of the President’s to ensure that all sides of the health care reform debate are presented. Our request was rejected. I believe that the President should have the ability to speak directly to the America people. However, I find it outrageous that ABC would prohibit our Party’s opposing thoughts and ideas from this national debate, which affects millions of ABC viewers.

I guess the Obama camp has burned out CNN’s (the most trusted name in news) credibility during the campaign with their ‘plants’ as questioners so they are turning to ABC to carry the load for this one.

ABCNEWS Senior Vice President Kerry Smith on Tuesday responded to the RNC complaint, saying it contained ‘false premises’ . . .

“ABCNEWS prides itself on covering all sides of important issues and asking direct questions of all newsmakers — of all political persuasions — even when others have taken a more partisan approach and even in the face of criticism from extremes on both ends of the political spectrum. ABCNEWS is looking for the most thoughtful and diverse voices on this issue.

“ABCNEWS alone will select those who will be in the audience asking questions of the president. Like any programs we broadcast, ABC News will have complete editorial control. To suggest otherwise is quite unfair to both our journalists and our audience.”

Apparently, ‘diverse voices’ is not the same as opposing voices. No surprise that folks like CNN or the Huffington Post don’t mention the lack of opposing viewpoints in this ‘vigorous debate.’

Pointing out media bias has become a daily exercise, in futility. I don’t understand how journalists are not just embarrassed by the sheepish, slavish, totally in the can for this president behavior? The answer to that was written long ago, when journalism as a media watchdog died.

h/t: Provolone Greg

related links: Drudge | Time CNN | Huffington Post

Media

Words, Just Words

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The arrogance and bias of the mainstream Obama-media is getting even more in your face.  Try this headline for example, ‘Analysis: GOP using buzz words to taunt Dems.’

Steeped in denial over the reason for the Tea Parties around the country, the media is showing us the same denial when ‘analyzing’ Obama’s accomplishments and plans for the country. The attempt to discredit legitimate concerns by reducing opposition to ‘buzz words’ is the media circling the wagons around the president.

Republicans are lining up behind a pointed political attack line: President Barack Obama is nationalizing American industry and socializing medicine.

Tax and Spenders are buzzwords. That Obama is nationalizing American industries and socializing medicine are not. And its not just Republicans that feel that way. The bi-partisan angst is growing here in the US and abroad.

Where are the articles claiming that the European Union are reacting to buzz words when they voted to roll back socialism in all but one country?

The fact that Obama is too socialist for socialists should be a clue.

Media, Politics, War On Terror

It's What Passes For Safe That Matters

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That the Obama administration has made America less safe in the war on terror isn’t even debatable, but you’re welcome to try.

Starting with

  • conferring constitutional protections afforded to US citizens to foreign terrorists
  • to trying to dismantle the most effective parts of the Patriot Act that the Left calls domestic spying
  • to the apology tour where the words terrorist and terrorism were not mentioned
  • to the revelation (whether or not they are ultimately released) of more 6 or 7 year old fun pictures of terrorists being uncomfortable
  • to closing Club Gitmo (11 months remaining) and trying to put the jihadists in the American prison system, where they can do some recruiting
  • to re-defining acts of terrorism as a ‘man made disaster’ for the purpose of not offending the enemy that wants us dead
  • to limiting missile defenses and halting development of missile defense systems while North Korea fires off ICBMs and nuclear bombs
  • to the seismic shift from fighting a war to a law enforcement task where the FBI will be mirandizing terrorists captured alive on the battlefield
  • to putting a lawyer/professor/politician in charge of the CIA.

Putting people with no experience in top positions seems to be a hallmark of this administration. Leon Panetta was Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff from 1994-1997. With change like this, hope is all that’s left.

Taking all that into consideration, you’d have to be a fool to think that what vice president Cheney said was not true. He said the policies of this administration have made and will make America less safe. Fact is, Cheney didn’t say he hopes we get attacked again.  That is the Left’s spin of what he said which, the AP dutifully repeats as an unchallenged fact.

Which brings us to this article in the AP where CIA director Leon Panetta is doing what liberals are quick to do. Ignore the message, attack the messenger. Close debate, end of discussion.

CIA Director Leon Panetta says former Vice President Dick Cheney’s criticism of the Obama administration’s approach to terrorism almost suggests “he’s wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point.”

The reason Cheney spoke up to call it as he sees it was because no other elected Republicans were. He loves this country and believes the people need to know what this administration is up to, including its attempt to re-write history. Which is especially important right now because the media will not. The Liberals in charge of Washington don’t like that inconvenient truth but, it is what it is.

Remember the infamous 911 Commission’s report that liberals were quick to pounce on in some areas, while ignoring other parts? The parts that the Left chose to ignore speak directly to Cheney’s remarks and our security at home and abroad.

They (the terrorists, al-Qaeda) were at war with us and we were not at war with them. And, it is not a matter of if but a matter of when another attack will come.

The same article quotes Vice President Biden on the NBC show ‘Meet the Press’ this morning who said ‘I think Dick Cheney’s judgment about how to secure America is faulty, I think our judgment is correct.’

What say you?

related links: CIA head says Cheney almost wishing US be attacked | Cheney Responds to Panetta

Economy, Politics

Small Business Loan Program (ARC)

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Compared to the trillions of dollars being dumped on future generations of Americans to grow government and to create temporary jobs with make-work programs, here is one program, maybe the only program, that is designed to help small business. Emphasis on small.

America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) Loan Program is a new temporary guaranteed-loan program authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act). ARC Loans provide small businesses access to the capital needed to drive economic recovery and to retain and create jobs.

ARC Loans are deferred-payment loans of up to $35,000 available through SBA’s 7(a) participating lenders. Potential borrowers are viable, for-profit small businesses located in the United States that need short-term help to make their principal and interest payments on existing, qualifying loans. ARC Loans are interest-free to the borrower, 100% guaranteed by SBA to the lender, and have no fees associated with them. SBA pays the interest to the SBA 7(a) lender making the loan. ARC Loan funds are to be used for payments of principal and interest for up to six months on existing, qualifying small business loans.

The program sounds good to those that don’t own or run a small business,  though not near as bold as the programs the administration is implementing to grow government.

The practicality of a program like this is limited in scope and effectiveness. $35,000 would only last a few months at best for a typical small business, depending on the overhead, number of employees, and benefits associated with employment. It is fair to say that the economic troubles this economy is in will last a lot longer than a few months. However, it does account for the ‘save or create’ rhetoric coming out of Washington.

Why this program isn’t in the news is another story.

Below is a communication sent to SBA employees by Eric R. Zarnikow, Associate Administrator for Capital Access.

Continue reading Small Business Loan Program (ARC) →

Media, Politics

When Good Is Bad, Obama Fires IG

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In what will become the most unreported action by President Obama, in his supposedly open and honest administration, Chicago-style politics rears its ugly head yet again. The president removed the Inspector General in charge of overseeing how government grant money is spent after he found discrepancies. After he found the abuse of public funds, the U.S. Attorney balked at having the justice department take a look at it.

Obama’s move follows an investigation by IG Gerald Walpin of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is an Obama supporter and former NBA basketball star, into the misuse of federal grants by a nonprofit education group that Johnson headed.

Walpin was criticized by the acting U.S. attorney in Sacramento for the way he handled an investigation of Johnson and St. HOPE Academy, a nonprofit group that received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants from the Corporation for National Community Service. The corporation runs the AmeriCorps program.

The IG becomes the focus of the story, that the matter wasn’t handled right, instead of the corruption of the person responsible for handling the public funds.

Sen. Grassley (R-Iowa) felt an explanation was needed, since the IG had identified millions of dollars that were mis-appropriated.  White House Counsel Gregory Craig, in a letter to Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, cited the U.S. attorney’s criticism of Walpin to an integrity committee for inspectors general.

In the end, Chicago style politics takes the day. The bad guy is good, and the good guy is bad. Keeping the matter out of the courts and out of the media, the U.S. Attorney worked out a ‘deal.’

The U.S. attorney’s office reached a settlement in the matter. Brown cited press accounts that said Johnson and the nonprofit would repay half of nearly $850,000 in grants it received.

This is not change. This is more of the same.