Author: Patrick

I own the thing...

Smoking Marijuana is not that bad says Pat Robertson?!?!

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The Video:

The money part comes at the beginning of the video.

Quote: (Via Raw Story)

“I’m … I’m not exactly for the use of drugs, don’t get me wrong, but I just believe that criminalizing marijuana, criminalizing the possession of a few ounces of pot, that kinda thing it’s just, it’s costing us a fortune and it’s ruining young people. Young people go into prisons, they go in as youths and come out as hardened criminals. That’s not a good thing.

Of course, CBN had to walk back the comments, because, well, because they’re CBN! 😆 Anyhow, here’s the walk back…:

In this instance, even though he clearly expressed support for the reform of US marijuana laws, a spokesman for religious television station CBN walked back Robertson’s comments, telling Raw Story on Thursday morning the Christian Coalition founder “did not call for the decriminalization of marijuana.”

“He was advocating that our government revisit the severity of the existing laws because mandatory drug sentences do harm to many young people who go to prison and come out as hardened criminals,” CBN spokesman Chris Roslan wrote. “He was also pointing out that these mandatory sentences needlessly cost our government millions of dollars when there are better approaches available. Dr. Robertson’s comments followed a CBN News story about a group of conservatives who have proven that faith-based rehabilitation for criminals has resulted in lower repeat offenders and saved the government millions of dollars. Dr. Robertson unequivocally stated that he is against the use of illegal drugs.”

While it might sense for Rev. Robertson to say this on a political level; on a Religious level, it would be suicide; that is because the 700 club and CBN in general; run on donations and if they dry up, Pat Robertson would be out of business.

Bombs explode in Rome

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Video:

The Story via the U.K. Telegraph:

The first explosion, which occurred at midday (11amGMT) seriously injured a caretaker at the Swiss embassy.

Another possibility mentioned by investigators is that “the attack was organised by insurgent anarchist groups.”

One of the investigators said that one of the main lines of inquiry was on “anarchist circles of the eco-terrorist movement.”

The Rome prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation on suspicion of “an attack with terrorist aims,” ANSA news agency reported

The second, which occurred at around 3pm (2pm GMT), was at the Chilean embassy, also injuring one person.

Such violent people those far leftists. 🙄


No, it is not time to abolish the F.C.C.

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First, I would like to apologize to my readers for my silence for the past few days.  I have been under the weather and really have not felt like writing at all. Your Prayers are appreciated, I am doing better than I was last night; but I am not 100 percent yet.

Ed Morrissey, who is usually a reasonable Conservative, raises the specter of abolishing the F.C.C.  As a licensed user of a service that is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission — I must politely object to this sort of “Wild West” mentality of the libertarian stripe.

When I am not criticizing liberals and their moronic ways, I also partake in another hobby — Amateur Radio. Amateur Radio or Ham Radio is regulated by the F.C.C.; when Amateur radio was just beginning, it was regulated and licenses issued by United States Department of Commerce and Labor, which subsequently split into two separate Government entities. When it became clear that Amateur Radio and other such radio services were going to be established, a new Government entity was created, The Federal Communications Commission.  This was because the work of licensing was too great for the United States Department of Commerce and Labor, which did have much other work to do.  In addition, an entity dedicated to licensing of all Radio of all sorts was needed.

The Federal Communications Commission acts as regulatory and enforcement body for the Amateur Radio Service; it also deals with issues like type-acceptance of Radios to be sold in the United States.  To pursue the idiotic notion of abolishing the FCC would mean absolutely chaos on the Amateur Radio bands, with no enforcement of the rules and regulations, or removing them entirely would be a huge mistake.

As a Conservative, who sides with much of what the Republican Party stands for; I believe in rule of law.  However, I do not believe in the “Wild West” mentality, which is promoted by those who are of the libertarian stripe — notably the libertarian left.  Which is why I am quite shocked to read that Ed Morrissey — who was a Amateur Radio Operator, until his licensed lapsed —  of all people —- wants to see a vital Governmental organ like the FCC abolished.

President Ronald Reagan said famously, “Big Government is bad Government.”  However, any sane rational Republican will tell you that no Government at all is insanity.  There are legitimate uses for Government and the FCC is one of them.  To even suggest that the United States Government abolish the Federal Communications Commission is utter insanity and is borderline “Ron Paul Kookyville”

We need small responsible Government, not anarchy and chaos.  Doing what Ed Morrissey suggested would bring on just that, and in an age where our National Security is being threatened daily, the idea of getting rid of an agency that protects us from harm, is asinine at best.

Others on the subject: Power Line, Denver Post, Hot Air, Fausta’s Blog, Pajamas Media, Left Coast Rebel, Betsy’s Page, Liberty Pundits Blog, The Mahablog, Little Green Footballs, AOL News, Post Tech, Free Press, protein wisdom, GigaOM, The Anchoress, Ars Technica and Engadget Washington Examiner, Outside the Beltway, POWIP and protein wisdom

Ouch, that is going to leave a Mark…..

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Okay, who left the stupid door open again?!?!? 🙄

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), a potential Republican presidential candidate, has an interesting perspective on the tumults of the civil rights era that swept through his Deep South state.

As Barbour recalls it in a new profile in The Weekly Standard, things weren’t so bad in his hometown of Yazoo City, which took until 1970 to integrate its schools (though the final event itself is said to have gone on peacefully). For example, Barbour says that there was no problem of Ku Klux Klan activity in the town — thanks to the Citizens Council movement, an organization that was founded on the basis of resistance to integration and the promotion of white supremacy.

“You heard of the Citizens Councils? Up north they think it was like the KKK,” said Barbour. “Where I come from it was an organization of town leaders. In Yazoo City they passed a resolution that said anybody who started a chapter of the Klan would get their ass run out of town. If you had a job, you’d lose it. If you had a store, they’d see nobody shopped there. We didn’t have a problem with the Klan in Yazoo City.”

The White Citizens Council movement was founded in Mississippi in 1954, shortly after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregated public schools, and was dedicated to political activities opposing civil rights — notably boycotts of pro-civil rights individuals, as opposed to Barbour’s recollection of actions against the Klan. It was distinguished from the Klan by the public self-identification of its members, and its image of suits and ties as opposed to white robes and nooses

via Haley Barbour and White Supremacists | Citizens Councils | Mediaite.

I do believe that Gov. Haley Barbour just killed any notion of him ever running for President. I knew he was from the south; but I really did not think he was this bad. 😯

I do believe that Gov. Haley Barbour just wandered off into Ron Paul territory.

Somewhere, Trett Lott is smiling…

Update: Bloggers React

You think it is bad now? Wait till the States start collapsing!

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This is totally unbelievable: (H/T to HotAir.com)

Speaking of money and taxes, here is Congressman Ron Paul talking about Taxes, Money and of course, the Federal Reserve: (H/T Lew Rockwell’s Blog)

Needless to say, the next couple of years are going to be very interesting to watch. 😯

Investing Advice: Trading the Holiday Grind

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It’s that time again when volume dries up and prices rise into the new year. A lot of individuals are scrambling to prepare for the holidays, even though we had a year to prepare. The big money has already done most of their year end shuffling and will be taking it easy until January.

The market is overbought and sentiment readings are at extreme levels which in the past have been the start of large sell offs and even bear markets. While I am keeping a close eye for a top, there is not much we can do but stay long stocks and commodities until the market tips its hand and distribution selling is in control. The U.S. federal government is the only wild card going into year end that should be on traders’ radars. They have been doing a great job boosting prices in the equities and commodities market, but can they continue to hold things up when the big money and the proverbial herd start unloading positions in 2011?   — Please, Click here to read the rest.

News from a different perspective

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Original Source

GRAPHICAL PDF VERSION

THE GLORIOUS HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE (Friday Church News Notes, December 17, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – We celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible in 2011, and it is not merely another translation. Its heritage and the manner in which it was created are unique. The early record of the English Bible is one of the most fascinating chapters of church history and reads almost like a novel. The history of the British Empire, of the American nation, and of the English language itself are inextricably intertwined with the King James Bible. Our book The Glorious Heritage of the King James Bible recounts this history, beginning with the Wycliffe Bible of the late 14th century. Every English-speaking believer should know these things; yet, sadly, even in the staunchest Bible-believing churches it is rare to find someone who is well informed about the great price that was paid to provide us with such an excellent Bible in our own language. I have studied this history for many years, not only through literature (having built a large and expensive personal library on this subject) but through onsite research in the places where the history took place. By God’s grace I’ve traveled to Lutterworth and Oxford and Cambridge, to Little Sodbury Manor and St. Adeline’s Church and St. Dunstan’s and Fulham Palace, to Smithfield and Hampton Court and Westminster and the Jerusalem Chamber, to Lambeth Palace and the Lollard’s Tower and St. Paul’s Cathedral, to Vilvoorde and Geneva. I’ve handled ancient Waldensian New Testaments at the Cambridge Library and Trinity College Dublin and early edition Tyndale Bibles at the British Museum. This fascinating research has greatly strengthened my faith in God and in the authenticity and preservation of His holy Word, and I trust that The Glorious Heritage of the English Bible will do the same for each reader of this book. It would be a great book for families to read together in 2011. (This illustrated book is available from Way of Life Literature.)

U.N. CLIMATE TALKS START WITH A CALL TO GODDESS (Friday Church News Notes, December 17, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The United Nations climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, opened with the invocation of the ancient jaguar goddess Ixchel. Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, told the crowd of scientists and politicians that Ixchel was not only goddess of the moon but also “the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving” (“Post Carbon,” The Washington Post, Nov. 29, 2010). Figueres prayed that Ixchel would inspire the delegates “to weave together the elements of a solid response to climate change, using both reason and creativity as your tools.” This is typical United Nations New Age spirituality. (Had she invoked Jesus Christ, she would probably have been booed off the stage and fired.) At the U.N. Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro in 1992, the opening ceremony featured a ship called Gaia, named for the Greek goddess of the earth. That conference was preceded by an all-night ceremony to worship Mother Earth. At dawn a Brazilian tribal high priestess led the worshipers to the edge of the ocean where they offered flowers and fruit to a sea goddess identified as the “mother of the powers, queen of the seas.” The Rio Declaration, which contains a radical environmentalist agenda, was referred to as “a sacred text.” In reality the U.N. climate change agenda is all about a greedy transfer of wealth and the furtherance of a one-world government, which is setting the stage for the events of the book of Revelation. The delegates to Cancun from 193 nations are hypocrites who claim that there has been major global warming and that the icecaps and glaciers are melting, but instead of meeting in Alaska in December they are meeting in Mexico. And instead of walking and bicycling and sailing to Cancun, they flew in gas-guzzling airplanes that many of these environmentalists have condemned as greenhouse gas-producing monstrosities.

STREET PREACHER WINS JUDGMENT AGAINST ARRESTING POLICE (Friday Church News Notes, December 17, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from The Daily Mail, London, Dec. 10, 2010: “Police have been ordered to pay compensation to a Christian street preacher who was hauled off in handcuffs for saying that gays will go to hell. A judge condemned the arrest of Anthony Rollins, who quoted the King James Bible on the subject of the ‘effeminate’ as he preached in Birmingham. Mr Rollins was handcuffed and then held in a cell for nearly four hours after a passer-by dialled 999 and complained that his language was ‘hugely offensive’. The ruling–which ended with West Midlands police ordered to pay more than ÂŁ4,000 in damages to the 45-year-old preacher–appears to set a new landmark in the battle between the gay lobby and Christians who want to say in public that homosexual sex is wrong. It comes as Christian leaders, notably former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, have been complaining against the use of equality law to force Christians to act against their consciences. … Mr Rollins has been speaking on the city’s streets as a member of a Christian mission for 12 years. In June 2008 he was handing out leaflets in the city centre and quoting passages from the King James Bible–the Authorised Version which reaches its 400th anniversary next year–that refer to homosexuality. … Mr Rollins said yesterday: ‘The judgment is excellent news. But I didn’t do this for the compensation. I did it for freedom of speech.’”

SWORD OF THE LORD OMITS REPENTANCE FROM SPURGEON SERMON (Friday Church News Notes, December 17, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – Recently I received the following e-mail from Jim Koenig: “Last night we watched your video ‘How to Avoid False Professions’ for the second time and the segment on repentance was even more enlightening this time around. Over the years we have noticed that the Sword of the Lord has shifted away from the doctrine of repentance and cunningly led their readers in that direction. A good example is the Charles Spurgeon sermon ‘Only Trust Him’ in the November 26, 2010 issue. They have left out what he said about repentance. The original sermon can be found at www.spurgeongems.org/sermons.htm (sermon #1635) and the omitted part is on page three of the sermon, the 6th full paragraph down. Years ago my wife and I graduated from the Sword Soul Winning Director’s College, taught personally by Bro. Smith, Bro. Norris Belcher, and the late Bro. Larry Staner. At no time, never, was the word ‘repent’ mentioned or implied during the three day course. I am not anti-Sword, but they are 100% wrong on repentance and have influenced thousands of young preachers to spread their one-two-three repeat after me prayers.” COMMENT BY BROTHER CLOUD: I could not agree more. The Sword of the Lord truly has a problem with repentance, and this is not a new thing. While the founder of the Sword, John R. Rice, taught that repentance is “a change of mind toward God and toward sin” and “to turn from your sin” (What Must I Do to Be Saved, 1940), Rice’s successor, Curtis Hutson, changed the biblical definition of repentance. He did this in his influential 1986 booklet Repentance: What Does the Bible Teach? Hutson denied that repentance means to turn from sin (p. 4), that repentance is sorrow for sin (p. 8), and that repentance means “a change of mind that leads to a change of action” (p. 16). He claimed that repentance simply is “to change one’s mind.” Hutson quoted Scripture that appears to support his position but he ignored the many Scriptures that plainly contradict it. He misquoted the writings of men like his predecessor John R. Rice and mixed in a heavy dose of human reasoning. (See our book Repentance and Soul Winning for documentation of this.) Under Hutson’s watch, the Sword also removed repentance from some of the hymns in the 1989 edition of the Soul Stirring Hymns. For example, the lyrics of “The Old Account Was Settled” were changed from “O sinner, seek the Lord, repent of your sin” to “O sinner, trust the Lord, be cleansed of all your sin.” (They also did this with the lyrics to “Almost Persuaded” and “Give Me Thy Heart.”) I am thankful for many things that the Sword has stood for through the years, but the issue of repentance is not a light matter. The Sword has been at the forefront of the downgrading of this doctrine and of the promotion of the heretical practice of “Quick Prayerism” whereby psychological manipulation, human salesmanship, and an empty “sinner’s prayer” have too often replaced Holy Spirit conviction and miraculous regeneration. I refuse to join hands in ministry with men who are guilty of this serious error. (The Sword has also been at the forefront of exalting men far beyond scriptural bounds.)

CANADIAN CHRISTIAN TV SHOW PULLED OVER REMARKS AGAINST HOMOSEXUALS (Friday Church News Notes, December 17, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Evangelical TV Show Pulled,” National Post, Dec. 20, 2010: “Christian broadcaster Crossroads Television System (CTS) has been found in violation of broadcasting codes for statements made by evangelical television personality and minister Charles McVety that implied there was a ‘malevolent, insidious and conspiratorial purpose’ to the activities of homosexuals. Rev. McVety said he was told Thursday by CTS that his show, Word TV, would be temporarily pulled from the air. ‘My good name has been impugned by this report.’ The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, a self-regulated industry watchdog, said that Rev. McVety disparaged gays in episodes that ran between July 2009 and February 2010 when commenting on Toronto’s massive gay pride parade and a revised Ontario sex curriculum for grade schools.”

PASTOR BEATEN, BIBLE SCHOOL BULLDOZED IN VIETNAM (Friday Church News Notes, December 17, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Vietnam Officials Beat Pastor, Christian Post, Dec. 14, 2010: “A Protestant pastor and human rights activist in Vietnam was beaten unconscious Tuesday morning by Ho Chi Minh City officials. His Bible school, located in the city’s District 2, was also bulldozed, according to Release International, which serves the persecuted church around the world. About 500 police, soldiers and fire officers showed up at the school with bulldozers at 7 a.m. local time and began demolishing the property. Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang, who leads the Mennonite Church, meanwhile, was beaten with batons until he fainted. Currently, Quang and five members of his congregation are being held at an undisclosed location. They were detained for allegedly ‘resisting arrest’ six years ago, as reported by Release International. In 2004, the human rights activist was arrested and charged with ‘interfering with officials carrying out their duties.’ The arrest took place months after he had called for the release of Christians who were imprisoned for distributing Christian literature in Ho Chi Minh City. The police raided his house and confiscated all his money and files detailing human rights violations by the government. His house, which served as the head office of the Mennonite Church, was also partially destroyed by some 200 officials while he was in prison. … Though Vietnam’s constitution provides for freedom of worship, the Communist government continues to restrict organized activities of many religious groups. Only government-controlled religious organizations are allowed.”

IS GOD’S LOVE UNCONDITIONAL (Friday Church News Notes, December 17, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The good news of the gospel must begin with the bad news of sin and condemnation. This is how Paul preached the gospel in Romans. He began with nearly three chapters on man’s sinful, condemned condition before a holy God before he got to the good news of what Jesus did on the cross. According to the emerging church, Christ’s love for sinners is unconditional, but this is not true. His love is unfathomable and unmerited but not unconditional. Consider the following statements that the Lord Jesus Christ made: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:5-6). “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Repent or perish is not the message of unconditional love!

The late night mental health break: Van Halen

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Dream another dream Liberals……Because this one is over! 😛

From the New York Times:

The Senate on Saturday blocked a bill that would have created a path to citizenship for certain young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children, completed two years of college or military service and met other requirements, including passing a criminal background check.

The vote by 55-41 in favor of the bill, which is known as the Dream Act, effectively kills it for this year, and its fate is uncertain. The measure needed the support of 60 senators to cut off a filibuster and bring it to the floor.

Supporters said they were heartened that the measure won the backing of a majority of the Senate. They said they would continue to press for it, either on its own or as part of a wide immigration overhaul that some Democrats hope to undertake next year and believe could be an area of cooperation with Republicans, who will control a majority in the House.

Most immediately, the measure would have helped grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant students and recent graduates whose lives are severely restricted, though many have lived in the United States for nearly their entire lives.

Young Hispanic men and women filled the spectator galleries of the Senate, many of them wearing graduation caps and tassels in a symbol of their support for the bill. They held hands in a prayerful gesture as the clerk called the roll and many looked stricken as its defeat was announced.

President Obama had personally lobbied lawmakers in support the bill. But Democrats were not able to hold ranks.

Five Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the bill. They were Senators Max Baucus of Montana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Jon Tester of Montana.

And three Republicans joined the balance of Democrats in favor of it: Robert Bennett of Utah, Richard Lugar of Indiana, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Mr. Obama, in a statement, called the outcome “incredibly disappointing” and said that he would continue fighting to win approval of the bill.

Which should prove that America is a center-right Country and that most Americans oppose any sort of disruption of what is commonly known as “RULE OF LAW.”

That is all…

Others: Don Surber, neo-neocon, Vox Popoli, Scared Monkeys, Left Coast Rebel, Wake up America, Weasel Zippers, iOwnTheWorld.com,

Kudo’s to Powerline Blog

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For their milestone.

Powerline is one of the original Conservative Blogs around, they started way back in 2002.

In a personal note: I have been accused by fools of being an antisemitic person; which is, of course, idiotic at best.  Seeing that being the case, I will say this. Powerline is a stalwart defender of Israel. I have read there quite a bit. Admittedly, I do not always agree with the positions there; however, I will give those men credit; their consistency in defense of Israel’s Liberty and of the Jewish State is something to be greatly admired. Not to mention, they are truly a stalwart defender of American Liberty.

Good show gentlemen, keep it up. 🙂

Gold and Stock Advice: Playing new fear in equities markets

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So far this week we have been seeing fear creep in the equities market. This Wednesday we started to see fear (green indicator) reach a level which tells me to start looking for the market to bottoming. I do follow a few other charts and indicators which warn me of a possible trend reversal (high probability setup) before it takes place but the US Dollar and selling volume are key.

As we all know, when the market is trying to top and roll over it tends to be more of a process than a couple day event. It’s this lengthy topping process which has a lot of choppy price action sucking traders into a position much to early or shakes you out of the position before the market does what you anticipated. Knowing that tops tend to drag out for an extended period of time is critical for an options trader simple because of Theta (time decay)

On the flip side, bottoming is more of an event because it tends to happen after a strong wave of panic selling. Fear is the most powerful force in the market (other than the Fed/Manipulators.. but that’s another topic). That being said, when you know what to look for in bottoms you can generally see the market starting to bottom and prepare for it. — Read More Here

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Disclosure: If you follow the link and sign up, I get a small amount of compensation at no extra cost to the customer.

Disclaimer: Quite bluntly, I post these articles to make money; period. The posting of this and other articles is in no means to be considered a endorsement of the ideas and investment strategies. In other words, if you try this and lose your butt; do not come crying to me or wanting me to refund your money. Because it is not going to happen, period.

New Report: It’s Dangerous to Diversify — Find Out Why

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New Report: It’s Dangerous to Diversify — Find Out Why

A free report from Elliott Wave International reveals the risks of portfolio diversification
By Elliott Wave International

Despite near-unanimous endorsement among mainstream advisors, the strategy of portfolio diversification has a huge, glaring flaw: Namely, when large sums of liquidity begin to flow into global investment markets, formerly disparate trends become strongly correlated. And markets that go up together ultimately go down together; in turn, the value of diversified portfolios goes down with them. Read more.

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Disclosure: If you follow the link and sign up, I get a small amount of compensation at no extra cost to the customer.

Disclaimer: Quite bluntly, I post these articles to make money; period. The posting of this and other articles is in no means to be considered a endorsement of the ideas and investment strategies. In other words, if you try this and lose your butt; do not come crying to me or wanting me to refund your money. Because it is not going to happen, period.

Out for a while….

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I shall be away from the blog for an extended amount of time. Real life beckons me. Today is the annual Christmas Party for my Dad’s union. There will be plenty of good food! 😀

The bad part is, I will be going on about 4 1/4 hours of sleep. I went to bed around 11:30 and promptly woke up at like 3:30 a.m. So, I’m going to be feeling like death warmed over later today. 😳

So, I shall be away from the blog, the laptop, the internet, and everything else, until I am able to recover. 😀

Till I do, I bit thee farewell…. 🙂

Hey Vox…..

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I think it is cool and all that you made that list. But, trust me, I would not gloat about it.

John Hawkings is a, quite bluntly, rat bastard. 😡 His treatment and attitude towards David Frum confirmed what I suspected about that fat assed piece of shit.

I would not want to be on any list that moronic asshole made up, ever.

Besides all that, who the hell would want to be on a list with a bunch of idiots who are fans of a woman who believes she is entitled to be President of the United States of America, because of her sex organs? I mean, seriously! 🙄

UPDATED — BREAKING NEWS: FORMER DETROIT MAYOR KWAME KILPATRICK & OTHERS INDICTED ON LITANY OF FEDERAL CHARGES — Video of Press Conference Added

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INDICTED!

Finally…. Justice is starting to be served here in Detroit.

There is news of it from all over the place in Detroit.

First Video from WXYZ-TV in Detroit:

Next Video from FOX 2 in Detroit:

Update: Here is that actual presser announcing said charges against all involved:

Here are the actual pages of the indictment itself: (via WDIV-TV)

READ PAGES 1-8 of Federal Indictment: Kilpatrick Charged With Conspiracy, Fraud, Extortion

READ PAGES 9-16 of Federal Indictment: Kwame Federal Indictment: Pages 9-16

READ PAGES 17-25 of Federal Indictment: Kwame Federal Indictment: Pages 17-25

READ PAGES 25-32 of Federal Indictment: Kwame Federal Indictment: Pages 25-32

READ PAGES 33-40 of Federal Indictment: Kwame Federal Indictment: Pages 33-40

READ PAGES 41-48 of Federal Indictment: Kwame Federal Indictment: Pages 41-48

I think it would be fair to point out that Kwame Kilpatrick was and still is a REGISTERED DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEMBER!

The Detroit Free Press reports:

A federal grand jury today indicted former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his father and three former top aides on racketeering charges, accusing them of turning the mayor’s office into a criminal enterprise to enrich themselves, families and friends.

Besides the now-jailed former mayor, the 38-count indictment names his father, Bernard Kilpatrick, city contractor Bobby Ferguson, former top Kilpatrick aide Derrick Miller and former water department chief Victor Mercado in one of the largest public corruption investigations ever in the City of Detroit.

The indictment outlined four general areas of misconduct.

It said the defendants extorted money from municipal contractors, state and non-profit donors and engaged in bribery and extortion involving other public contracts and investments.

The indictment said that Ferguson kicked back at least $424,000 in cash and other items of value to the mayor and that Kilpatrick used more than $590,000 in cash derived from the conspiracy to pay his credit card bills, purchase cashier’s checks and clothing and repay loans.

Bernard Kilpatrick, the indictment said, deposited more than $600,000 in cash into his personal bank accounts. He was charged with three counts of filing false tax returns for calendar years 2004, 21005 and 2007.

The penalties for the charges laid out in the indictment range from three to 30 year in prison.

I believe it also would be fair to point out that this is what happens when you have the mentality THAT YOU ARE BLACK AND THAT YOU ARE ENTITLED! This sort of mentality, for what it is worth; dates back to the days of the Coleman A. Young administration. The difference is that Kwame was not able to pay the feds off, like Mayor Young was able to do. Further more, from what I heard at the presser, that Kwame and friends were even doing this sort of that back when Kwame was a state representative.

The Detroit News Reports the list of people, besides Kilpatrick, who have been charged…..so far:

Karl Kado: The former Cobo contractor, who has said in sworn testimony he made illegal cash payments to former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, remains a key government witness and got three years probation.

Glenn Blanton: The former Cobo Center director who admitted taking illegal payments from Kado was sentenced to one year in prison for obstruction of justice.

Lou Pavledes: Another former Cobo director who admitted taking bribes from Kado, Pavledes got 14 months for a banking offense.

James R. Rosendall Jr.: The former Synagro Technologies Inc. vice president became an FBI informant and got 11 months for bribery.

Rayford W. Jackson: The Detroit businessman who was Synagro’s local partner is serving a five-year sentence for bribery.

Monica Conyers: The former Detroit city councilwoman who cast the deciding vote in favor of the $1.2 billion Synagro deal was sentenced to 37 months in prison for bribery.

Jerry M. Rivers: A former member of the mayor’s executive protection unit, Rivers pleaded guilty to bribery in connection with a city land sale and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Kandia Milton: A childhood friend and top aide to Kilpatrick, Milton pleaded guilty to bribery in connection with the city’s sale of Camp Brighton and was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

DeDan Milton: Another longtime friend of Kilpatrick, who like his brother is cooperating with prosecutors, is to be sentenced to 42 months in prison for bribery.

Sam Riddle: The political consultant and former top aide to Monica Conyers pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge in May and was sentenced to 37 months in prison.

Mary Waters: Pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor tax charge in May in connection with the Southfield case and was sentenced to one year of probation.

William Lattimore: The former Southfield city councilman pleaded guilty to bribery after he was picked up on a wiretap of Riddle’s cell phone. Lattimore was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Marc Andre Cunningham: A former aide to Kilpatrick, he pleaded guilty to a bribery charge in November and awaits sentencing Feb. 10.

Brian Dodds: Co-owner of Howell-based D&R Earthmoving LLC, he pleaded guilty to concealing a crime in connection with an inflated contract Kilpatrick pal Bobby Ferguson received. He is to be sentenced Jan. 10. Ferguson has been indicted on multiple counts and awaits trial.

Rodney Burrell: The head of Northville-based R&R Heavy Haulers pleaded guilty to concealing a crime in connection with the same bid-rigging on the Ferguson contract. He is to be sentenced in March.

Hopefully and I do mean hopefully; this will send a message to anyone who seeks office in the city of Detroit — that if you run for public office and you decide to break the law, that you will be caught and you will be charged and that you will end up and jail.

Although, I will not lie to you; I have sinking suspicion that somebody somewhere, will play the race card and point out that the people filing these charges are mostly White and latino and will somehow or another convince a judge to throw out the case.  I do truly hope that I am wrong about this, I really do. Because Detroit has been rife with corruption for much, much too damned long. Many people, for many, many years have gotten very wealthy by corrupt means in Detroit for much too long —- while the rest of the City of Detroit falls into ruin. It is morally wrong and these turkeys that broke the law ought be jailed for the longest terms possible.

Hopefully, and I mean this one, with all the sincerity that I can muster — as a former resident of that city — this will close the chapter of the culture of corruption in that City and that the City of Detroit can finally, and I do mean finally get on with the business of restoring that City to its once great status. This might be a small step, but it is a very important one and God-willing it will be the first big one.

Richard Holbrooke: The US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan passes away

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So very sad…. 🙁

Via the Washington Post:

Longtime U.S. diplomat Richard C. Holbrooke, whose relentless prodding and deft maneuvering yielded the 1995 Dayton peace accords that ended the war in Bosnia – a success he hoped to repeat as President Obama’s chief envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan – died Monday in Washington of complications from surgery to repair a torn aorta. He was 69.

A foreign policy adviser to four Democratic presidents, Mr. Holbrooke was a towering, one-of-a-kind presence who helped define American national security strategy over 40 years and three wars by connecting Washington politicians with New York elites and influential figures in capitals worldwide. He seemed to live on airplanes and move with equal confidence through Upper East Side cocktail parties, the halls of the White House and the slums of Pakistan.

Obama praised him as “a true giant of American foreign policy who has made America stronger, safer and more respected. He was a truly unique figure who will be remembered for his tireless diplomacy, love of country, and pursuit of peace.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement that the United States “has lost one of its fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants.”

The death could have a profound impact on the administration’s efforts to implement aspects of its strategy for the war in Afghanistan, which relies not just on military gains but development assistance and diplomatic initiatives with the governments in Kabul and neighboring Pakistan that had been his principal focus.

Mr. Holbrooke’s expansive career began in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, where he served as a field officer, and included appointments as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and as one of the youngest assistant secretaries of state in U.S. history. When Republicans were in power, he was a banker, a journalist and a best-selling author.

His most prominent role was as a presidential wartime problem solver, to which Mr. Holbrooke applied an unwavering energy, a flair for diplomatic improvisation and a hard-charging style that could yield dramatic breakthroughs but also generate bitterness and enmity, even among his American teammates.

Although the consequences of his forceful personality were laid bare in his efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and Pakistan, leading to tense disagreements with leaders of those nations and fellow U.S. officials, Mr. Holbrooke never stopped trying to address the insurgencies that threaten both countries.

Over the past year, he maintained a peripatetic existence, often subsisting on just a few hours of sleep at night, as he globe-trotted to shore up allied support for the war and a costly reconstruction program.

“As anyone who has ever worked with him knows – or had the clear disadvantage of negotiating across the table from him – Richard is relentless,” Obama said earlier Monday at a State Department holiday reception. “He never stops. He never quits. Because he’s always believed that if we stay focused, if we act on our mutual interests, that progress is possible. Wars can end. Peace can be forged.”

[….]

Why *I* personally respect him:

Mr. Holbrooke was sent to Vietnam in 1963, assigned to the lower Mekong Delta as a field officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development, a post that would later give him unique perspective on reconstruction efforts and provincial stabilization in Afghanistan.

His insights drew the attention of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, and he was soon moved there to serve as a staff assistant to two ambassadors, Maxwell D. Taylor and Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.

In 1966, he joined the Vietnam staff in the Johnson White House, where he had a front-row seat for what came to be considered an unwise escalation of U.S. military forces based on deceptive assessments.

“Our beloved nation sent into battle soldiers without a clear determination of what they could accomplish and they misjudged the stakes. And then we couldn’t get out,” he said this year at a State Department conference on the American experience in Southeast Asia. “. . . We fought bravely under very difficult conditions. But success was not achievable. Those who advocated more escalation or something called ‘staying the course’ were advocating something that would have led only to a greater and more costly disaster afterwards.”

He quickly developed a reputation for writing brash but influential memos, earning the nickname “the Bulldozer.” In November 1967, Mr. Holbrooke drafted one such document, a 17-page paper for President Lyndon B. Johnson in the name of Nicholas Katzenbach, then the undersecretary of state, that argued that North Vietnam was winning the battle for public opinion in the United States.

“Hanoi uses time the way the Russians used terrain before Napoleon’s advance on Moscow, always retreating, losing every battle, but eventually creating conditions in which the enemy can no longer function,” he wrote. “For Napoleon it was his long supply lines and the cold Russian winter; Hanoi hopes that for us it will be the mounting dissension, impatience, and frustration caused by a protracted war without fronts or other visible signs of success; a growing need to choose between guns and butter; and an increasing American repugnance at finding, for the first time, their own country cast as ‘the heavy.’ “

Mr. Holbrooke was a junior member of the U.S. delegation to the Paris peace talks aimed at ending the war, and he wrote a chapter of the Pentagon Papers, the government’s secret history of the conflict.

By 1970, he moved on – first to the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, where he was a fellow, and then to Morocco, where he served as Peace Corps country director – but the searing lessons of the war remained. “Leaving Vietnam behind did not mean getting it out of one’s system,” he said.

President Obama shows some class:

Statement by President Obama on death of Richard Holbrooke

Michelle and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Richard Holbrooke, a true giant of American foreign policy who has made America stronger, safer, and more respected. He was a truly unique figure who will be remembered for his tireless diplomacy, love of country, and pursuit of peace.

For nearly 50 years, Richard served the country he loved with honor and distinction. He worked as a young foreign service officer during the Vietnam War and then supported the Paris peace talks which ended that war. As a young Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, he helped normalize relations with China. As U.S. Ambassador to Germany, he helped Europe emerge from a long Cold War and encouraged NATO to welcome new members.

As Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, he was the tireless….

…chief architect of the Dayton Accords that ended the war in Bosnia 15 years ago this week, saving countless lives.  As Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard helped break a political impasse and strengthen our nation’s relationship with the UN and elevated the cause of AIDS and Africa on the international agenda.  And throughout his life, as a child of refugees, he devoted himself to the plight of people displaced around the world.

When I became President, I was grateful that Richard agreed to serve as Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The progress that we have made in Afghanistan and Pakistan is due in no small measure to Richard’s relentless focus on America’s national interest, and pursuit of peace and security. He understood, in his life and his work, that our interests encompassed the values that we hold so dear. And as usual, amidst his extraordinary duties, he also mentored young people who will serve our country for decades to come.  One of his friends and admirers once said that, “If you’re not on the team and you’re in his way, God help you.”  Like so many Presidents before me, I am grateful that Richard Holbrooke was on my team, as are the American people.

Earlier this evening at the State Department, I met with Richard’s wife Kati and their family, David, Anthony, Lizzie, Christopher and Sarah, and I spoke to Kati after Richard’s passing. I expressed to them the gratitude of the American people for his lifetime of service.  They are in our thoughts and prayers tonight.  Tonight, there are millions of people around the world whose lives have been saved and enriched by his work.  As I said earlier this evening, the United States is safer and the world is more secure because of the half century of patriotic service of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.

As does Hillary Clinton:

Tonight America has lost one of its fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants. Richard Holbrooke served the country he loved for nearly half a century, representing the United States in far-flung war-zones and high-level peace talks, always with distinctive brilliance and unmatched determination. He was one of a kind — a true statesman — and that makes his passing all the more painful.

From his early days in Vietnam to his historic role bringing peace to the Balkans to his last mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard helped shape our history, manage our perilous present, and secure our future. He was the consummate diplomat, able to stare down dictators and stand up for America’s interests and values even under the most difficult circumstances. He served at every level of the Foreign Service and beyond, helping mentor generations of talented officers and future ambassadors. Few people have ever left a larger mark on the State Department or our country. From Southeast Asia to post-Cold War Europe and around the globe, people have a better chance of a peaceful future because of Richard’s lifetime of service.

I had the privilege to know Richard for many years and to call him a friend, colleague and confidante. As Secretary of State, I have counted on his advice and relied on his leadership. This is a sad day for me, for the State Department and for the United States of America.

True to form, Richard was a fighter to the end. His doctors marveled at his strength and his willpower, but to his friends, that was just Richard being Richard. I am grateful for the tireless efforts of all the medical staff, and to everyone who sat by his side or wished him well in these final days.

Tonight my thoughts and prayers are with Richard’s beloved wife Kati, his sons David and Anthony, his step-children Elizabeth and Chris Jennings, his daughter-in-law Sarah, and all of his countless friends and colleagues.

To be fair to Mr. Holbrooke; he was handed a giant bag of crap from the previous administration. The Neo-cons who were in power, basically ran the clock out on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Afghan war was basically the one, that was put on the back burner, while Bush and Co. went to topple Saddam. Which, in this writers opinion was the stupidest move ever made. Richard was brought in to straighten out that damned mess. He died trying to do that, as he did not want to see another Vietnam.  For that thankless and patriot act of service to this Country, Mr. Holbrooke should be honored very highly by this Presidential Administration.

However, knowing this Administration like I do; I highly doubt that he will ever be honored like he should be — basically, because Mr. Holbrooke is the of the wrong ethnic background and skin color. That my friends, is a horrible and God-awful tragedy. Sorry, in this former-Democrat voting person’s eyes — a statement, is just not enough. However, I am glad to see Hillary and Obama showing a little bit of class and acknowledging the man for saving the President’s bacon and sorting out the mess.

Blogger Roundup Here

Cartoon of the Day

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DepartMental Illness

The managing editor of Townhall Magazine called Diversity Lane “very, very well done.”  And Michigan Review described it as “laugh out loud funny.”  Why not make this the day you discover the best in conservative comedy today at Diversity Lane?
For more fun visit the website/blog at www.diversitylane.com or go directly to the blog at www.diversitylane.wordpress.com.

Personal Advice from ME: If you are small time stock investor, GET OUT NOW!

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…and here is why….

This comes via Gateway Pundit, who is one hell of a great blogger:

The story via the U.K. Telegraph:

US Treasuries last week suffered their biggest two-day sell-off since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. The borrowing costs of the government of the world’s largest economy have now risen by a quarter over the past four weeks.

Such a sharp rise in US benchmark market interest rates matters a lot – and it matters way beyond America. The US government is now servicing $13.8 trillion (£8.7 trilion) in declared liabilities – making it, by a long way, the world’s largest debtor. Around $414bn of US taxpayers’ money went on sovereign interest payments last year – around 4.5 times the budget of America’s Department of Education.

Debt service costs have reached such astronomical levels even though, over the past year and more, yields have been kept historically and artificially low by “quantitative easing (QE)” – in other words, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s virtual printing press. Now borrowing costs are 28pc higher than a month ago, with the 10-year Treasury yield reaching 3.33pc last week, an already eye-watering debt service burden can only go up.

Few on this side of the Atlantic should feel smug. The eurozone’s ongoing sovereign debt debacle has pushed up Germany’s borrowing costs by 27pc over the last month – to 3.03pc. The market has judged that if Europe’s Teutonic powerhouse wants the single currency to survive, it will ultimately need to raise wads of cash to absorb the mess caused by other member states’ fiscal incontinence…

…Some say that growing signs of a US economic recovery are positive for stocks, which means money is being diverted out of Treasuries, so lowering their price, which pushes up yields. That’s wishful thinking. Sovereign borrowing costs have just surged in the US – and therefore elsewhere – because a politically-wounded President Obama caved-in and extended the Bush-era tax cuts, combining them with a $120bn payroll tax holiday…

…The market is increasingly alarmed at the rate of increase of the US government’s already massive liabilities. America’s government debt is set to expand by a jaw-dropping 42pc over the next few years, reaching $19.6 trillion by 2015 according to Treasury Department estimates presented (amid very little fanfare) to Congress back in June. Since then, government spending has risen even more. So US debt service costs, like those of many other Western nations, are expanding rapidly in terms of both the volumes of sovereign instruments outstanding, and the yields on each bond.

You know what that means? It means that if you are a small time investor; that you need to get out of the Market NOW! This could have a huge impact on the market, and you could lose very big. I do virtual trading and so far, I have done well on my trades. But I am not about to lose my shirt, so, I ordered a sell off of everything. Now the big time guys will be able to afford to ride this out, because they have the wealth to spare. But the small time people will get burned. The best thing I can tell you small times investors, is to dump your shares and put it all into Gold. That would either be into EFT‘s or real actual Gold.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a expert on the subject of stocks, trading or even Gold. However, it does stand to reason that when such news as this is report, that it will affect the U.S. markets and the United States financial system. I do however, promote a great investment advice service called Elliotwave. You might want to check it out.

Video: Bill O’Reilly: Julian Assange is Anti-American

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The alternate headline here would be, “Bill O’Reilly, Big Government Statist?”

The Video:

Reaction from Michael S. Rozeff at Lew Rockwell’s Blog:

Actually, Assange has made his aim crystal clear: justice and a just civilization through transparency of institutions and through a free press. This is solidly in accord with traditional American values. O’Reilly knows this but doesn’t believe it. He thinks Assange is a liar. This doesn’t fly. Read what Assange has to say here and here. He is devoted to reporting truths that are being suppressed and kept secret, and the consistent history of WikiLeaks shows it. It is very implausible that a man would expose himself to vilification and the great dangers that Assange faces without a very strong belief in the higher values that he is passionate about. O’Reilly is afraid, not so much at the internet attacks that he mostly speaks of in the clip, but of what he slips in toward the end. He worries about “terrorists and anarchists” out to “destroy our way of life.” This is a strange fear in many ways. It actually seems to be, for one thing, a fear of liberty and a free press. It reminds me of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. That kind of suppression of political dissent was rejected by Americans when they elected Jefferson in 1800. These Acts were widely regarded as unconstitutional. For another thing, it is a fear of change, if that change means greater liberty and a lower degree of government control over people’s lives, as most anarchists want. It’s Bill O’Reilly who is standing up for anti-American values at this juncture.

So, what do you think? Is Julian Assange an Anti-American zealot…. or just an exposer of corrupt Government?

I present and you decide. comments are welcomed here, please.

The Early Morning Mental Health Break Presents: Crosby, Stills & Nash

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Via NewsBusters:

A Columbia University political science professor that blogs at the Huffington Post was charged Thursday with having a sexual relationship with his 24 year old daughter.

As the Columbia Spectator reported:

[David Epstein] was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with one count of incest in the third degree at an arraignment hearing on Thursday. According to police, the relationship appears to have been consensual.

Epstein declined to comment when reached on his cell phone Thursday evening.

His wife, Sharyn O’Halloran, chair of the executive committee of the University Senate and a tenured professor, also declined to comment when reached by phone.

The New York Daily News reports, “Epstein, who specializes in American politics and voting rights, has taught at Harvard and Stanford and often is quoted by news organizations.”

Epstein was not a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, but what he did write was quite liberal.

Update: Others: : Althouse, Instapundit, theblogprof, POWIP, Classical Values, American Power, Flopping Aces, Moonbattery, iOwnTheWorld.com, Pundit & Pundette, AmSpecBlog, NY Daily News, Gawker,Outside the Beltway, The Confluence, Salon, Runnin’ Scared, Althouse, Above the Law, NewsReal Blog and American Power

Video: Representative Ron Paul on Wikileaks “Lying is not Patriotic”

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Video: Representative Ron Paul on Fox Business

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The main subject: The Federal Reserve and it’s printing of money.

It is a great video to watch: (Via the Daily Paul)

Guest Voice: Jack Hunter on The Conservative Case for WikiLeaks

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(Via The American Conservative)

Transcript:

Lovers necessarily keep or share secrets. Being in a healthy relationship means achieving a certain level of intimacy, where shared knowledge of each others’ weaknesses and insecurities is protected by a bond of mutual trust. Sometimes lovers might do devilish things that outsiders wouldn’t understand, or shouldn’t be privy to, and this is fine. But by and large, what they do is simply no one else’s business.

But imagine that the man in the relationship kept it a secret that he had other women on the side, kids, a criminal record, venereal disease, and basically betrayed his lover in every way imaginable, unbeknownst to her?

Now imagine a third party felt it was their moral duty to reveal it?

No one questions that governments must maintain a certain level of secrecy, including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told Time that “Secrecy is important for many things … [but it] shouldn’t be used to cover up abuses.” The entire premise of Assange’s whistleblower organization is this: To what degree is government secrecy justified? And when particular secrets could be damaging to the other partner in the United States government’s relationship — the American people — should these secrets be revealed in the name of protecting the public?

How often does our government use “national security” simply as an excuse to cover up questionable dealings? Reports Time: “in the past few years, governments have designated so much information secret that you wonder whether they intend the time of day to be classified. The number of new secrets designated as such by the U.S. government has risen 75% … . At the same time, the number of documents and other communications created using those secrets has skyrocketed nearly 10 times…”

To say that government must keep secrets is not to say that all government secrets must be kept.

As admitted even by Pentagon officials and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, none of WikiLeaks’ revelations do anything to compromise national security or endanger American lives — but they have wreaked havoc on political life in Washington, D.C. Americans are not supposed to know, for example, that their government bullied and threatened individuals and other governments that might have undermined the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009. The federal government attempting to squelch anyone who might undermine global-warming dogma? Do WikiLeaks’ conservative critics believe revealing this is a “national security” risk?

Americans are not supposed to know, apparently, that behind the scenes Saudi Arabia has been encouraging the U.S. to take military action against Iran. But if we end up going to war with Iran shouldn’t it be in America’s national interest, and not simply as a subcontractor for another country? Asks Fox News’ Judith Miller: “Why should Americans not know that Arab states, often at the top level, have been urging Washington to take military or other drastic action against Iran, while they publicly oppose such action?”

And when did conservatives become so protective of Hillary Clinton? What happened to the days of the “Stop Hillary Express,” when right-wing talk radio portrayed the former first lady as Satan and theorized about all the devious ways in which, if in power, she might conspire to bring down the country? When WikiLeaks revealed that Secretary of State Clinton tried to obtain DNA, fingerprints, credit-card numbers, and other private information belonging to United Nations officials, we learned that Clinton’s style was every bit as mafia-esque as her conservative critics once warned. Yet conservatives now attack WikiLeaks for revealing what they once feared. It should also be remembered that the same conservatives now calling for Assange’s head either ignored or were sympathetic to Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame allegedly at the Bush administration’s behest — a revelation arguably far riskier to our national security than anything ever released by WikiLeaks.

But the worst hypocrisy throughout this controversy has been in conservatives reflexively defending the government and attacking WikiLeaks. Since when have conservatives believed that Washington should be able to shroud any action it likes in secrecy and that revealing government’s nefarious deeds is tantamount to treason? Isn’t it government officials who might secretly work for corporate, ideological or transnational interests — and against the national interest — who are betraying their country?

Interestingly, Wikileaks’ founder espouses the traditionally conservative, Jeffersonian view that America’s constitutional structure limits and lessens government corruption. Reported Time: “Assange appears to believe that the U.S. has not become ‘a much-worse-behaved superpower’ because its federalism, ‘this strength of the states,’ has been a drag on the combination of the burgeoning power of the central government and a presidency that can expand its influence only by way of foreign affairs.”

Decentralizing government power, limiting it, and challenging it was the Founders’ intent and these have always been core conservative principles. Conservatives should prefer an explosion of whistleblower groups like WikiLeaks to a federal government powerful enough to take them down. Government officials who now attack WikLleaks don’t fear national endangerment, they fear personal embarrassment. And while scores of conservatives have long promised to undermine or challenge the current monstrosity in Washington, D.C., it is now an organization not recognizably conservative that best undermines the political establishment and challenges its very foundations.

—-

The “Southern Avenger” Jack Hunter is a conservative commentator on WTMA 1250 AM talk radio and columnist for the Charleston City Paper in South Carolina.

Smartest damn thing Keith Olbermann has ever said on twitter

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I am, of course, referring to this:

He is speaking to this guy who stabbed me in the back and thinks nothing of shamelessly pimping out his Wife and Kids for Money on his Blog.