News of the Week for January 10^th, 2016

• Obama Scandals
• Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline
• Obamacare
• War & Terror
• National News
• Economy & Taxes
• International News
• Opinion

 

Obama Scandals

 

SecNav Bans Marine Job Titles With Term “Man” to Ensure Gender Neutrality
Also demands Marine Corps make boot camp co-ed

Internal Government Emails Reveal Intentions for Contraceptive Mandate
Next Monday I will file an amicus brief in Zubik v. Burwell, the contraceptive mandate case that Ed Whelan has so thoroughly discussed in this space this week. My brief will criticize the Administration for adopting an irrelevant tax provision that exempts some entities from filing tax returns (26 U.S.C. § 6033) as the mechanism for determining which religious groups are exempt from the contraceptive mandate and which must beg the Department of Health and Human Services for an “accommodation.”

Missing U.S. Hellfire missile located in Cuba
One of the most advanced U.S. missiles was unintentionally shipped to Cuba in 2014, according to a report Thursday evening in the Wall Street Journal.

 

Gun Rights

 

Obama Executive Order May Require Those Selling Even a Single Firearm to Become Licensed Dealers
Order also brings back plan to keep certain Social Security recipients from buying guns

Obama, Dems all in on gun control in 2016
President Obama and Democrats are going all in on gun control.

Obama’s Gun-Control Plan Includes Gun-Ban For Some Social Security Beneficiaries
The White House released a fact-sheet Jan. 4 which previews the executive gun control Obama will unveil Tuesday and one aspect of the new controls is the inclusion of “information from the Social Security Administration in the background check system about beneficiaries who are prohibited from possessing a firearm.”

Doctors can report some mentally ill patients to FBI under new gun control rule
Delivering on its promise to deliver “common sense” gun control, the Obama administration on Monday finalized a rule that enables health care providers to report the names of mentally ill patients to an FBI firearms background check system.

In One Year, Gun Owners Stopped Hundreds Of Criminals, Saved Countless Lives
Gun carrying, private citizens who used firearms to stop criminal attacks saved at least 283 potential victims in a period between July 2014 and July 2015, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis.

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &
“Green Energy”

 

Evidence of the Medieval Warm Period in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania
The climate of the pre-industrial past is of greatest importance to the ongoing climate discussion. Current climate can only be understood when interpreting it in the paleoclimatological context of the past few thousand years.

A New System for Determining Global Temperature
There are a number of organisations that produce estimates of global temperature from surface measurements. They include the UK Met Office Hadley Centre, the Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) and Berkeley Earth, but there are others.

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

CBO: ObamaCare repeal bill would reduce deficits by half a trillion dollars over 10 years
Plenty of Americans choose to reject ObamaCare to save themselves a boatload of money. Republicans in Congress believe the US budget should have that choice, and the CBO agrees with them that it would work, too. Their latest analysis of a bill that would repeal the major components of ObamaCare through the reconciliation process concludes that it would reduce federal deficit spending by $516 billion over the first ten years

Missing U.S. Hellfire missile located in Cuba
One of the most advanced U.S. missiles was unintentionally shipped to Cuba in 2014, according to a report Thursday evening in the Wall Street Journal.

 

War & Terror

 

Manmade Island to Be China’s Newest Aircraft Carrier
China flexes its muscles on new 3,000 meter airstrip

US Hellfire missile sent to Europe for training was wrongly shipped to Cuba in 2014
one of the worst losses of sensitive military tech

Terror Arrests in Texas, Sacramento, Milwaukee
Reuters says one of the terrorists is a Syrian refugee — fabulously vetted! tremendously vetted! — who came over in 2012.

Confessed ISIS Sympathizer Shoots Philly Police Officer; Mayor Says the Shooter Is Not ISIS
Early today, a Philadelphia police officer, Jesse Hartnett, was ambushed on a Philadelphia street. He was in his police cruiser when 30-year-old Edward Archer charged him and fired eleven (early reports said 13) shots, hitting Hartnett at three times in the arm. Hartnett was able to return fire, hitting his attacker three times. Both men are alive and in the hospital. The whole incident was captured on surveillance video.

Blast at William Nagar market in Meghalaya, 2 dead
At least two people were killed on Saturday in a blast at William Nagar market in East Garo Hills in Meghalaya.

This Portland Hippie Is Planning a “Peace Concert” in ISIS-Controlled Syria
James Twyman, “Peace Troubadour,” is embarking on “the most important and dangerous peace mission” of his life—to the Israel-Syria border and beyond, wielding his classical guitar.

Islamic State Executes 4-Year-Old with Remote-Controlled Bomb
Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) jihadists in Iraq have reportedly blown up a four-year-old boy with a remote-controlled bomb.

Top US Admiral Fired For Questioning Obama Purchase Of Mansion In Dubai
A stunning new Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report circulating in the Kremlin today states that one of the United States Navy’s top commanders was relieved of his command a few hours ago after he sent out an “email/posting” revealing that President Barack Obama was in the process of purchasing a multi-million dollar seaside luxury villa in the United Arab Emirates city (UAE) of Dubai.

 

National

 

Full Story on What’s Going on In Oregon – Militia Take Over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge In Protest to Hammond Family Persecution…
Grab a coffee, because this is soup-to-nuts.

Clinton: Aliens may have visited us already
Hillary Clinton says that aliens may have already visited humanity.

Social Justice Warriors At Oberlin Don’t Know Anything About Ethnic Food
Kids at Oberlin College are complaining because their cafeteria serves bad versions of…American food.

Two Military Strategists Face Off Over The Bundy Occupation In Oregon
Members of the Cliven Bundy family and another 100 to 150 men have reportedly seized control of a wildlife refuge in Oregon to protest decades of alleged government harassment of a ranching family.

What Are the Bundys Protesting?
We’re often told that in order to defeat the terrorists, we need to understand their grievances. So, not to defend an armed occupation of federal property (#OccupyNowheresville!), but to understand some of what might motivate the folks doing it, let’s take a look at the case they are protesting, and the broader issue of federal control and management of Western lands.

Of slavery and swastikas
The University of Missouri’s efforts to placate protesters have created a backlash

Periodic table’s seventh row finally filled as four new elements are added
Discovery of four super-heavy chemical elements by scientists in Russia, America and Japan has been verified by experts and formally added to table

Republicans Call for Oregon Protesters to “Stand Down Peaceably”
Rubio and Cruz weigh in

Norman Lear: The current Golden Age of TV is too politically correct
Though prolific producer Norman Lear called this the Golden Age of television, he also thinks what we’re seeing on the small screen these days is too politically correct.

New Black Panthers with Guns, Lots of Them
I remember the good old days when President Obama and his Justice Department weren’t so worried about nasty racists and felons having guns. I remember when President Obama and his Justice Department refused to do anything about New Black Panthers with guns, even New Black Panthers with criminal records possessing firearms and others threatening to kill cops.

Candidate accused of faking signatures of Big Bird, dead people
A woman who tried to run for Denver City Council last year has been charged with 13 counts of forgery and perjury after submitting petitions filled out with signatures of Sesame Street characters, dead people and voters who told investigators they never signed her petition.

Food Stamps Ripped Off By Walmart-Shopping Bureaucrat
Missouri Department of Social Services eligibility specialist Pamela O’Dell faces criminal charges after she went on a shopping spree with $52,000 worth of food stamps she stole, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

Freddie Gray Trial: William Porter ordered to testify in trials of other officers
Porter expected to seek injunction from Court of Special Appeals

University accused of racism in campus sexual assault lawsuit
Two students expelled for campus sexual assault are suing their university, alleging racism played a role in their case.

Lawyers Went to Rahm Emanuel, Then Quashed the Laquan McDonald Video
The mayor’s men demanded that dash-cam video be kept confidential for at least several years as part of a $5 million settlement with the teenager’s family.

New Missouri bill would require lobbyists to declare, list their sex acts with lawmakers.
Welcome to 2016! Here’s your accordion.

Woman who showed co-worker a nude photo of her son’s rape victim sentenced to 7 days in jail, 5 years of supervision
The woman who showed a nude photo of her son’s 13-year-old rape victim to a co-worker was sentenced Tuesday.

Mother, 46, who posed for naked pictures for boy, 14, after they had sex up against a bath is cleared of abusing him
Amanda Lockhart was accused of forcing teenager to have sex three times

Macaca Monkey Loses Selfie Suit
On Wednesday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that a monkey who took selfies cannot be the copyright owner of the photos.

L.A. Street Artist Depicts GOP as Fossils-To-Be
Is the GOP on the path to extinction?

Email: Hillary Personally Ordered Aide to Strip Classified Markings Out of Classified Document and Send It “Nonsecure”
Via Hot Air, which I’ll link in a moment, Fox News reports that the latest batch of the emails Hillary didn’t delete include sixty-six with some degree of classification, which she was sending and receiving illegally.

New Hampshire Takes Important Steps to Curb Civil Asset Forfeiture Abuse
New Hampshire is not one of the worst jurisdictions when it comes to civil asset forfeiture – in fact, they are among the best. That having been said, the Republican-led New Hampshire House of Representatives has taken an important step that other states should follow. The House voted to approve a package of reforms, including most importantly a measure that prevented police departments from keeping assets they seize from citizens.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Uses GMail Account For Government Business

Common Core Creator Warns Parents: Don’t Help Your Own Kids With Math Because Teachers Know Best
One of the chief creators of the Common Core math standards is warning America’s parents to stop teaching their own children basic math because, he says, public school teachers are well-trained experts who understand rudimentary arithmetic far better.

Google is tracking students as it sells more products to schools, privacy advocates warn
In public classrooms across the country, the corporate name that is fast becoming as common as pencils and erasers is Google.

Black Students Demand “Segregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever”
The sole exception to the federal fetish for desegregation at bayonet point is at the university level.

Now it’s “micro-inequities” – they “do the most damage”
Australia’s Jill Rathborne may have added a new term to the already crowded field of politically correct academese: “micro-inequity.”

Another example of the federal war against private land owners in the West
It is becoming abundantly clear that the public “servants” assigned to manage federal public lands in the West don’t want any stinking private land ownership anywhere near their vast, wide-open nature communes.

How the bureaucrats are conquering the West
One problem with the federal control of so much land in the West is that the bureaucrats are hell bent on expanding their domains.

Gay actor takes role of gay character in controversial show
A producer for ABC’s new sitcom “The Real O’Neals” wanted a gay actor for the role of a teenager who comes out to his shocked Catholic family but was prevented by a law designed to protect gays and lesbians from asking those auditioning about their sexual orientation.

 

Economy & Taxes

 

Why Silicon Valley May Be At “DEFCON 1” Status
Over the last 5 years in “The Valley” (meaning everything representing tech and disrupting) there has been no other land of opportunity that lived, created, self defined, along with redefined its business metrics than the tech world. Unicorns, Non-GAAP, IPO’s, and more were the terms bandied or used to encapsulate what it was to be a “disrupter.”

Yellen’s Job Puzzle: Why Are 20-Somethings Retiring?
Americans are increasingly foregoing paychecks due to disability, school or retirement

 

International

 

A Starfish-Killing, Artificially Intelligent Robot Is Set to Patrol the Great Barrier Reef
Crown of thorns starfish are destroying the reef. Bots that wield poison could dampen the invasion

Oz: Row over Navy’s Islamic account after Tony Abbott retweet
A navy Twitter account has been shut down after its most senior Muslim officer retweeted a counter-terrorism expert mocking Tony Abbott following the Liberal Party leadership coup and backed the Grand Mufti’s response to the Paris terrorist ­attacks.

Venezuela tense as defiant deputies take over assembly
A tense struggle for control of Venezuela’s legislature threatens to come to a head at a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday as opposition lawmakers defy government efforts to weaken their majority.

Coverup of Mass Molestations on New Year’s Eve in Cologne Draws Ire
Oh, how the German authorities wanted to bury this story. But when nearly a hundred women reported sexual molestation by a crowd of Arabs numbering nearly 1,000 during the Silvester celebrations in the heart of Cologne, the news got out.

Police in Norway proclaim “Oslo is lost”
Gronland is a district in Oslo, Norway, very close to Parliament. Per a Poqari News report, the area looks like “Karachi, Basra, and Mogadishu all rolled into one.” The situation has devolved to such a point that the police in Gronland have declared: “Oslo is lost.”

Laurentian University professor loses class after asking students to sign form allowing offensive language
At the start of this school year, Laurentian University professor Michael Persinger handed his first-year psychology students a form warning them he might use profanities and other potentially offensive language during his lectures.

Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Dusseldorf… New Year’s Migrant Sex Assault In Every Major German City
German capital city Berlin has joined the sad parade of cities touched by migrant sex violence on New Year’s Eve, with hundreds of assaults now reported to police in Cologne and other cities.

“I Feel So Dirty. So Used” – Harrowing Testimony Of Cologne Victims
Victims of the Cologne New Year’s Eve migrant sex abuse gangs have told of the harrowing attacks they were subjected to this weekend, as it emerges a total of 118 Germans have now come forward to police to report having been assaulted.

Muslim Rape Gangs Attack Women, and Feminists Won’t Say a Word About It
Roving packs of men sexually assaulted dozens of women on New Year’s Eve in western Germany’s city of Cologne, officials said, describing the attacks as unprecedented.

Cologne Mayor: Women Should Be More Careful After Migrant Mass Rapes, Promises “Guidance” So They Can “Prepare”
A political scandal is developing in Germany as ordinary citizens wake up to the scale of the migrant crime cover-up, and the callous reaction of the mayor of Cologne to mass-sex crime on new year’s eve.

German Interior Minister: Chatroom Comments are Just as Bad as Muslim Mass Sex Attacks on Women
Things will be getting very ugly very soon in Germany. If self-preservation is an instinct the German people possess, it’ll be getting ugly for their new “migrants” from Syria.

Suspects in Cologne sex attacks “claimed to be Syrian refugees”
Leaked police report claims senior police officers feared fatalities and that one of those involved in attacks told officers: “I am Syrian. You have to treat me kindly. Mrs Merkel invited me”

Huge influx of migrant men will lead to more sex attacks like those in Cologne, says analyst, as it’s revealed Austrian police have ALSO covered up identical gang assaults
Some 106 women reported being assaulted in Cologne on New Year’s Eve

Germany cracks down on speech by citizens enraged over its immigration policy
During my time at law school, I had to good fortune to study under a great scholar of the Constitution, rather than, say, a glib community organizer. That scholar was Gerald Gunther.

Vietnam probes mysterious “space balls”
Vietnams military is investigating the appearance of three mysterious metal balls — believed to be debris from space — which landed in the country’s remote north, a senior army official said Friday.

Military vows Maduro support in deepening Venezuela crisis
Venezuela’s military pledged loyalty to President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday, ramping up a high-stakes standoff between his socialist government and a center-right opposition that has vowed to use its new legislative powers to oust him.

Removal of Chávez Images From Venezuela Capitol Raises Tension
With triple-digit inflation showing no signs of retreating and the new National Assembly vowing to remove the president, Venezuela over the last few days careered toward crises both economic and political.

Unprecedented sex harassment in Helsinki at New Year, Finnish police report
Finnish police “tipped off” about plans by groups of asylum seekers to sexually harass women

Germany Sells Out Of Pepper Spray As “Frightened Germans Buy Protection Against Refugees”
Despite occasional videos of angry Germans protesting at what has become the biggest “foreign invasion” of Europe since World War II, the German popular response to the wave of migrants, which is now expected to top 1 million in 2015 has been relatively calm. Fear (and anger), however, are building beneath the otherwise calm surface.

Japanese government weighs immigration to maintain population, boost workforce
This is the last of a five-part series on Japan’s population woes caused by its graying society and low birthrate.

Nude Cologne Protest: “We Are Not Fair Game, Even When We Are Naked!”
A performance artist has taken to the very same square in which dozens of women were sexually assaulted, stolen from, and raped, in a bid to remind Germany and the newly arrived migrants that women are “not fair game” even when naked.

Thousands Flood The Streets In Germany As Fury Over Refugee Sex Assaults Reaches Boiling Point
The water cannons are out as is the tear gas

“RAPEFUGEES NOT WELCOME”: Thousands Take To Cologne Streets To Protest Migrant Sex Attacks
Supporters of the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA) have rallied outside the main train station in Cologne today, the location of nearly 200 migrant sex attacks on New Year’s Eve.

Periodic table tribute for Lemmy “could make up for lack of knighthood”
The man behind the petition to name an element in the periodic table after Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister said he hopes the tribute will make up for the lack of a knighthood during his life.

What a Euthanasia Future Looks Like
Canada’s Supreme Court pushed the country into the euthanasia abyss with a radical ruling imposing doctor-administered death on the country. It gave the nation 1 year to pass laws governing the practice.

Boozing is unsafe at “any level”, thunders chief UK.gov quack
Show us your science. What? You mean you don’t have any?

 

Opinion

 

Some “Armed” Protest Occupations Are More Equal Than Others
Different media lenses depending on the group.

How Liberals Are the New Autocrats
Progressives may preach the joys of localism, but the trend in government is all the other way in everything from climate change to the economic complexion of your neighborhood.

What Kids Should Actually Learn In Sex Ed
California”s new “comprehensive” sex ed will teach kids “affirmative consent,” which doesn’t at all answer the questions kids are asking or transmit crucial information.

Dear “Male Feminists,” Leftist Women Hate You
Thanks to Instapundit, I came across this priceless cartoon, first published in Feministing and then tweeted out by Planned Parenthood

The Iowa Corn Lobby is Following Ted Cruz Around Like a Bunch of Spoiled Children
Conventional wisdom says that you cannot win Iowa without kissing the pinky ring of the Iowa corn lobby and pledging your fealty to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the anti-science policy which is bad for the environment, fuel mileage, and America at large. Iowa’s traditional role as the first Presidential contest for both parties basically ensures that anyone with even a whiff of Presidential ambition has largely taken a pass at criticizing a policy which is a bad idea for everyone except an extremely well-connected group of corn farmer lobbyists.

The dangerous separation of the American upper middle class
The American upper middle class is separating, slowly but surely, from the rest of society. This separation is most obvious in terms of income—where the top fifth have been prospering while the majority lags behind. But the separation is not just economic. Gaps are growing on a whole range of dimensions, including family structure, education, lifestyle, and geography. Indeed, these dimensions of advantage appear to be clustering more tightly together, each thereby amplifying the effect of the other.

Brazil and Mitchell’s Theorem of Societal Collapse
I remember feeling like an outlier a few years ago when so many people were waxing rhapsodic about a glowing economic outlook for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. These so-called BRICS nations were enjoying some decent growth at the time, but I was not optimistic about their long-run prospects because they all suffered from too much statism according to the rankings from Economic Freedom of the World.

House of Saud about to collapse
The beheading of 47 political prisoners — terrorists — by the House of Saud may trigger a formal war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The ayatollahs in Iran want control of Mecca and Medina, which are now in Saudi hands. This is the heart of the Islamic War, although there are plenty of other issues and frontlines.

Why Is Marco Rubio Co-Sponsoring A Left Wing Bill That Strips College Students Of Their Rights?
Last year, left wing nut bar, Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill, offered one of those bills with an utterly Orwellian title that enables the left to cover their malicious acts with virtuous words. This bill was titled the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The bill was a direct response to the whole “campus rape” hysteria that led to a pathological liar being able to make a career of accusing an innocent man of rape and the tarring of an entire university and fraternity system for condoning rape.

Big Business Still Has No Idea Why Americans Don’t Like It Or Common Core
Fortune magazine has no idea what capitalism means, even though it’s at the heart of why huge majorities of Americans distrust big business.

The subversive feminism of two Obama staffers’ Secret Service codenames
Secret Service code names tend toward the masculine, if for no other reason than the majority of people who need them are of the dude persuasion. President Obama is “Renegade.” President George W. Bush is “Trailblazer.” Even many women’s names, though typically far less aggressive, skew androgynous. For example, Michelle Obama is “Renaissance,” while Laura Bush is “Tempo.”

Facebook’s Going Out Of Style Because It’s A Garbage Dump
Everyone knows Facebook is now the domain of the aging. So, in 2016, treat Facebook the way it ought to be treated.

How You Pronounce “Muslim” Says A Lot About Your Politics
Ever notice how those on the Left pronounce “Muslim” like “Mooss-lim”? Here’s what it means.

Politicians’ Response To Transgenders Is Likely To Increase Suicides
A December 2015 study shows no evidence of cross-gender brain in transgenders. What they did find suggests a link to mental disorders, which are in turn linked to suicide.

5 Notable Americans Who Fought For Their Opponents’ Rights
In 2016, let’s resolve to learn the difference between disagreement and force.

Clint Bolick for SCOTUS!
Terrific news out of Arizona today, where Governor Doug Ducey has announced his appointment of Clint Bolick to the state’s Supreme Court. How great an appointment is this? Well, the folks at the Center for American Progress are having a cow

Common SJW Phrases Translated into English
Have you ever looked at an SJW and wondered “just what is this idiot trying to tell me?” Or, have you perhaps contemplated the intellectual musings of a Tumblrista and wondered “what in the everlasting fuck is this person actually saying?”

I hate to break it to feminists, but “white male privilege” is a myth
How’s this for dark irony: throughout 2015, “white male privilege” was the buzzphrase on every rad tweeter and liberal hack’s lips, as they fumed against the easy, pampered lives allegedly enjoyed by human beings who had the fortune to be born with a penis and pale skin. Railing against “white men” and their cushy existences has become the stock-in-trade of many feminists.

Feminist Barbie and “Rape Culture”
“Math class is tough!” With that simple four-word phrase, Mattel’s “Teen Talk Barbie” became the focus of a feminist uproar in 1992.

Inside the Garden of Political Town Hall Plants
On Thursday, CNN will host a town hall with President Obama as part of his “final-year push to make gun control part of his legacy.” In addition to sitting down with liberal anchor Anderson Cooper, the network says Obama will “take questions from the audience.”

Feminist Tumblr Syndrome
Kylo Ren is the name of the villain in the latest Star Wars movie. You may wonder, “What does that have to do with feminism?” Honestly, I don’t know, but Lis is a feminist Tumblr blogger

LGBT Shirts Now Trump American Flag Shirts in Public Schools
It is becoming increasingly clear that constitutional rights only apply to some people in our country. The PC climate seems to be trumping that which is constitutionally right for all and instead, we’ve got judges replacing constitutional rights with cherry-picked cases that benefit a few.

Our Moral Superiors™
Liberal intellectuals are convinced that the rest of us are so stupid we need them to tell us what to think.

The Solution to Income Inequality is to Empower People
Income inequality is on the minds of journalists and political candidates. It’s on the lips of people who worry about social justice. I think income inequality is a symptom and solving for it won’t change anything. There are deeper problems that we can attack as a society which will do a lot for the symptom.

PETER HITCHENS: Only strong borders and pride in our civilisation can save us now
Every educated and intelligent person glories in the freedom of women in Western societies to exercise their talents to the full, and their freedom to walk safely in the streets of our great cities.

Burning Rousseau In Effigy
Despite strident denials there are large numbers of people who are Marxists without knowing they are Marxists. In fact, it is because they’ve never read Marx or studied economics that they’re not aware of how much of their world-view is Marxist. Well, that and because the Marxists took advantage of mass-media, mass-education and mass-entertainment to pound into their heads a uniform Marxist message that became what “Everybody knows.”

Aztecs Next Door? Freedom and Neighbors
What are the limits of certain rights? If we take the Declaration of Independence at face value, and accept that certain rights are granted by the fact of our existence as humans, including “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness,” how do we square government limitations on practices that are also protected?

Not Yours To Take
One of the toughest parts about freedom is that it necessarily means that you have to put up with things you do not like, or do without things you might prefer. For example, in Texas, they have very loose zoning laws, so that you can have a neighborhood of homes right next to an amusement park. Loud, bright lights, lots of traffic, but people are free to do that if they choose.