This could get REAL interesting on Wednesday

A while ago, a Muslim group called  AMPAC, announced a “Million Muslim March” in DC on 9/11 (reformatted, emphasis mine):

The American Muslim Political Action Committee is hosting what it hopes will be a gathering of one million people in Washington, D.C., on the 12th anniversary of 9/11 to urge the government to reveal “the truth” about the attacks.  “We want to hold President Obama accountable for his empty promises of creating a transparent government,” march organizer Isa Hodge told U.S. News. “What exactly have we spent all our money, lost lives and taken lives for? The entire record of the 9/11 Commission has never been released.” Protesters will also denounce “FBI traps,” “illegal tapping and surveilling of Muslim Americans” and “media propaganda making the word terrorist synonymous with Muslim,” he said. The march was announced as the “Million Muslim March” earlier this year, but its name has since been changed to the “Million American March Against Fear,” according to Hodge.

Two Million Riders to DCYeah, the name was changed (er, whitewashed) due to the bad PR they got when it was announced (I remember a big blow out for them when a representative went on Hannity).  Then the bikers caught wind of it and a group called “2 Million Bikers to DC” sprang up – many of them vets who fought Islamic Jihadis in Iraq and Afghanistan (and other “kill ya if I tell ya” places).  They knew what this march meant – and got a tad cross over it.  Their response?  Well, I reviewed some of the comments and they are not Politically Correct (yeah, some folks would have a cow over them).  In fact, some would call it hate speech.  And try to stop them from going (after all, the Left cannot tolerate any dissent).

And they did – the National Park Service, that is – and the reaction is shown below (love that “Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children” logo on the right hand side, aka “we take no crap from no one ’cause we already put our lives on the line for the USA”):

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Data Point – Flat Lined

I disagree with the job creation number in the post (150,000 / month) needed to keep up with population expansion as the numbers I have read vary from 200,00 at a minimum up to 300,000.  But even at 150K, this ought to be a very sobering number that shows how poorly the Obama Administration has … Read more

Data Point – New Hampshire is amongst the LEAST corrupt states in the country

  Corruption exists – we often look at Illinois (Governors there), Massachuesetts (Hmm, Speakers of the House, Representatives); and of, the State of Huey Long (Louisiana).  But in looking at this chart, based on the number of public officials jailed per 100,000 residents, who’da thunk that both North and South Dakota were hotbeds of public … Read more

Determined Weakness – I guess I’m not the only one

I’ve said for years that the phrase “Determined Weakness” has been the hallmark of Obama’s intentions from from the get go.  His view of his mission to “make this America better” is actually to make it weaker.  Look at the results of his domestic policies (and not his words or “intent”):

  • High unemployment still
  • Worst labor participation percentage ever
  • Putting the Welfare State growth on steroids
  • Debt has soared $7 Trillion
  • Unconstitutional and illegal (as ruled by several courts) actions
  • Attempts to redefine the meanings of the plain language of the Constitution
  • The use of Government for retribution for identity groups that oppose him (Christians, TEA Party, Conservatives)
  • Unwillingness to work with Congress
  • Hollowing out our military

The list goes on and on.

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Announcing GrokGear!

GrokGearYes, GrokGear!  We’ve heard from a lot of readers “Where can I buy that hat?  Can I get a T-Shirt?  How about that rugby shirt”? Well, we listened – and spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to best do this.  We’re bloggers – not a haberdashery.  We’re purveyors of opinion – not cloth and thread.  And when I travel to events, the vehicle is full of electronics – not display racks.  But we are honored that folks would want to be identified with GraniteGrok, to agree with what we stand for, and to wear our logo(s).

Speaking of which:

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Notable Quote – H.L. Mencken

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” – H.L. Mencken   This was … Read more

Data Point – Arctic ice pack has not “disappeared” as previously modeled

Artic Ice that was supposed to be gone is quite large

Heh!  Those scientists – such cards!   From The Corner:

BBC, December 12, 2007:

Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice. Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years.

2007 + 6 (using my old ancient math on a slide rule) is 2013.  Why, that’s NOW!  You know, I’m kinda looking up at that picture, and even last year, there was lots of ice (just a lot less than before).  This year?  Heh!

Instead, days before the annual autumn re-freeze is due to begin, an unbroken ice sheet more than half the size of Europe already stretches from the Canadian islands to Russia’s northern shores.

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Data Point – Do we need a bake sale for Dept of Defense?

1970 to 2013 - Spending for SSA DoD HHS Treasury and Foreign AidYears ago, one of the Left’s favorite bumper sticker said that they would have achieved their goal when instead of schools having bake sales, the Department of Defense had to have one.  The idea was also summed up by the phrase “Make Love Not War”.  Now, education, peace, and love are nice things, important things – but so is the ability to defend oneself. Well, from a great new interactive tool from the CATO Institute comes this chart that shows spending for Federal Departments from 1970 to 2013 that shows that those Leftist nostrums are now coming true.  I picked:

  • Social Security Administration (due to the Boomers retiring)
  • Department of Defense (to see the effects of Obama as C-in-C)
  • Department of Health and Human Services (as I have felt that our welfare state has been growing out of control, especially under Obama)
  • Department of the Treasury (to see the effects of the “stimulus” spending and if it has slowed)
  • International Aid Programs (because it seems every TEA Party rally has folks railing against this kind of spending)

Big picture after the jump and H/T: Townhall

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Syria: Obama is learning that not everyone is willing to live up to their own book

Yeah, but this is what happens when it doesn’t work:

RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity’s very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)

It seems, however, that Obama has assumed that everyone would play by his playbook and, well, have “a book” that he could turn against them.  For his fumbling concerning Syria, this may be his Waterloo.  Prattling on about a “Red line” and “moral authority”  Obama has tried to make others just fall into line like good little doobies (no, not the kind that the Choom Gang was familiar with) with his use of RULE 10 (“If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.”).  He tried it with the American people who have rightly seen through it.  He has tried to force the Congress to “live up to its rule book”  but having been ignored, slighted, and bullied by him, it looks like they are growing a few hundred pair.  Plus, all of these elected officials are rightly worried about being seen  as favoring the same people that attacked us, Al Qaeda, and started us into 2 wars – and given how they have or are turning out, they are more concerned with their butts than Obama’s legacy or Presidency.

Or, have the blinders finally come off?

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Notable Quote – Tom Bethell

Nationalization has been discredited, but it has been replaced by a more insidious philosophy. The owner retains title, but is saddled with taxes, impositions, and regulations that might in some cases have seemed excessive to feudal tenants. Contract is here and their yielding it crucial gains to status. Individual rights are threatened by the privileges … Read more

Data Point – White House Gender Pay differential

“I hereby call upon President Obama to promote gender equality by addressing a serious gender wage gap for women working on his staff at the White House. According to an analysis of salary data from the “2013 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff,” the 228 female employees in the Obama White House are … Read more

Editor of Uber-Progressive “The Nation” is OK w/an militaryintervention against Red States (Really!)

Conservatives believe Liberals are misguided; Liberals think Conservatives are EVIL!

And old phrase – but when you have been watching not only what Liberals / Progressives say but also what they DO and behave, it is clear that Katrina vandenHeuval is not kidding:

You see, EVIL must be stamped out – and anyone or ANYTHING that disagrees with them, their agenda (bordering on religious heterodoxy), or their politics must be wiped out completely.  How often have you seen Conservatives hounded and driven out, not only the area in which that Conservative “has sinned” but everything in which that Conservative participates?  And she wants to step that up by using the US Military?

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This is what happens when elected officials outsource their responsibility

Yesterday I posted this about the bomb that Anthem laid concerning healthcare under Obamacare rules – and the rules laid down by our own State bureaucrats:

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield confirmed that nearly half of the hospitals in its network will not be taking part in the program. Understanding what the rules are at the Insurance Department around network adequacy, we determined we had to come up with an appropriate balance between access and affordability,” said Paula Rogers of Anthem.

Well, as I figured, a little more came out today:

“We are well aware the concept of a narrow network is new to New Hampshire,” Rogers said. “Do we need 26 hospitals to serve our plan? We decided we didn’t.” The network for Anthem individual policy holders who do not purchase through the exchange will be limited as well when current policies expire.

I have no problem with a private company making decisions in how it runs that business – after all, it is “private property” which the owners control and the First Amendment gives them the Right to associate with whom they wish – and who they don’t.  If a Free Marketplace truly existed, there would be competition in a heartbeat to fill the vacuum left by this decision to join up the OTHER 1/2 of the hospitals left out of Anthem’s plan.  Unfortunately, as opposed to Progressives trying to mask the government control over healthcare by making it seem that there is a “real marketplace”, there isn’t one and anyone who says otherwise is either woefully stupid or crassly lying to you.  Anthem has this to do CYA:

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I blame Jeanne Shaheen – but what will Chuck do?

I guess I was prescient yesterday.

Jeanne Shaheen Wicked WitchRemember, before now US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, she was the NH State Senator who sponsored SB711 – that godawful bill of healthcare destruction that annhiliated the insurance carrier competition in NH.  From over two dozen companies vying for New Hampshirites’ business and dollars (and forcing them to provide better coverage based on what people were willing to pay), we ended up with two (and change).  This is what Jeanne Shaheen’s Democrat Party calls “goodness” – more regulation ensued and that’s all they cared about – for nothing says “we care” than regulating all choice out of the marketplace.  Even choices that people really liked and wanted.  But, like all good busybody Nanny Staters, Shaheen just couldn’t leave other peoples’ wants to themselves – she just had to step in to “set those citizens right”.  And did it again, being one of the major pushers of Obamacare.

She must be so “HAPPY HAPPY” (a little Duck Dynasty, that) over the latest news that her push to kill competition has resulted in only ONE carrier in the State for the Federally sponsored ObamaExchange (then there will be only 1 company to kill off to get to her penultimate goal – the Federal Govt nationalizing the industry outright.  Quiet Jeanne – only in word for her deeds against her “New Hampshire wards” speak for her.   The news of the day?  That the single company in the NH Exchange, Anthem, has decided that as the only Obamacare representative carrier in the State, it only needs 1/2 the hospitals in the State – and YOU DON’T EITHER!  After all, these are the Smart People and know far better than you that a far away hospital is best (“for the common good”).

And we can directly blame all those Obama voters here in NH for putting everyone into this pickle.

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Talk about magical misdirection…

Enough manufactured crisis (or events allowed to go to “crisis) for Obama yet?  What’s he doing about one of the biggest crisis of all?  Or is this part and parcel of “Determined Weakness”? (H/T: NY Post)

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