“Our school is different.”

Godfather Politics
Verbatim Post

I bet, if one visits the parents of children who go or went to the Miramonte Elementary School in South Los Angeles and tells them all the horror stories of what is actually happening in the public schools across the nation – the things taught, the experiments with the children, the actions of the teachers – nine out of ten will be quick to assure you: “Our school is different. Things like these don’t happen in our school. We have great teachers, and the children have a wonderful experience in our school. That’s why we are happy to send our children there. They are safe in our school.”

Except that Mark Berndt, a teacher for over 30 years at Miramonte Elementary, was arrested this week and charged with committing lewd acts with 23 boys and girls ages 7 to 10 between 2008 and 2010. Strangely enough, Berndt kept pictures of his acts in his home.

The pictures show children bound and gagged, possibly in a classroom, with giant cockroaches on their faces, with Berndt either having his arm around them or his hand over their mouths. Some of the acts memorized on the photos are not even decent to be mentioned.

If such a thing happened to homeschoolers, there will be a gazillion organizations campaigning for ending homeschooling and taking the children from the all the homeschooling parents. But when it happens at a public school, thousands of times, there isn’t a single voice to end public schooling.

The sticker that says “If you can read this, thank a teacher,” is complete nonsense. My children have never seen a public school teacher in their life, and they can read and write and do math and science better than any of their public school peers. And they score consistently in the 98th percentile for PSAT and SAT, nationally.

I have a better idea for a sticker: “If you have had a horrible experience that you wouldn’t forget for life, thank a teacher.” But I doubt many kids who graduated from public schools in the last several years will be able to read it.

The public school system, created by liberals to serve the liberals’ agenda, is rapidly getting to its full fruition. No education anymore; all kinds of “experiences,” and especially sexual experiences, for the gratification of the teachers.

And meanwhile, the parents still assure the skeptics, “Our school is different.”

Ice fishing fare

I'm game.:)

HERE

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Obama Bungles Jobs Numbers

"The Bungling Administration"

Darrell Issa threatens Eric Holder with contempt

Via NCRenegade

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) threatened Tuesday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress if the Justice Department did not provide certain documents in response to the committee’s subpoena.

In a letter to Holder, Issa wrote that “this committee will have no alternative but to move forward with proceedings to hold you in contempt of Congress” if Holder and the DOJ didn’t produce documents they demanded relating to the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal.

Holder has until Thursday, Feb. 9. to comply, according to Issa.

Issa accused the Justice Department of trying to “obstruct our investigation and deceive the public” by withholding documents.

“Your actions lead us to conclude that the department is actively engaged in a cover-up,” he said in a four-page letter.

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Kinston Hangings

Via Cousin John

Confederate Historical Association of Belgium

Kinston Hangings

NC Illegal Alien Crime Report for January

We have posted the latest monthly issue of the North Carolina Crime Report by Suspected Illegal Aliens on our website; www.NCFIRE.info. This report covers crimes by suspected illegal aliens in NC for the month of January. It is 97 Word doc pages long! This is NOT all of the crimes by suspected illegal aliens in NC. It is merely a random sampling. It is not physically possible for our staff to check every crime report from all 100 counties in NC. That is the magnitude of the problem we are facing. This report can be downloaded from our website: www.NCFIRE.info or viewed online here:http://ncfire.info/january2012.pdf . You can also view the past 3 years worth of monthly NC crime reports on our "Crime Report Archives" page here: http://ncfire.info/crimearchives.htm This ongoing and worsening crime wave on our citizens by illegal aliens has got to stop. It is killing us: financially, emotionally and physically. James Johnson President-NCFIRE North Carolinians For Immigration Reform and Enforcement www.NCFIRE.info www.Facebook.com/NCFIRE NCFIRE@ncfire.info 1-888-885-0879

Ron Paul @ Colorado State University 1/31/12

This week is Ron Paul and his wife's 55th wedding anniversary!

Via PumaByDesign

Good news: Allen West is moving districts

Via Legal Insurrection

In a deal with several moving parts, Conservative favorite Rep. Allen West will move over and run in Rep. Tom Rooney’s old district, as Rooney moves on to run in a newly created district. Additionally, Adam Hasner will drop his Senate bid, leaving a somewhat clearer path for Rep. Connie Mack to run for the Senate nomination.

U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hasner will likely leave the race and run for Allen West’s soon-to-be-vacated Congressional seat, a source tells us. West’s seat looks a lot like Hasner’s old legislative Delray Beach-based district.

Meanwhile, to avoid a bloody primary, leadership in the U.S. House asked Hasner to run for West’s seat. But first, West had to announce he’d leave his seat and run for Tom Rooney’s seat. And before that happened, Rooney had to announce he’d leave his district and run for a new district.

Read the full story at the Miami Herald.

West has released a statement at his website. The new district for him is viewed as more favorable for his chances of re-election in November.

“After much prayer, reflection and discussion with my close friends and family, I am announcing today my decision to seek reelection in Florida’s proposed 18th Congressional district. I have always believed the state of Florida would be best served by having both Congressman Tom Rooney and myself in the House of Representatives working to solve our nation’s most pressing problems. I have never waivered from my vision; to work to create jobs, restrain federal government spending, reduce America’s ever increasing national debt, and provide for a strong national defense to ensure a safer and more prosperous future for our children and grandchildren.

MORE@BIGGOVERNMENT

Occupy Movement v. Tea Party: The Facts

Via Godfather Politics

REPORTED	OCCUPY	TEA PARTY
ARRESTS	4,149+	0
RAPES	12	0
DAMAGE	$10,000,000.00	$0
PUBLIC DEFECATION	YES	NO
ANTI-SEMITIC RANTS	12	0
COST TO TAXPAYERS ( by 11/9)	$19,327,487.00+	$0
PUBLIC MASTURBATION	3	0
MOLOTOV COCKTAILS THROWN	10	0
FIGHTS STARTED	YES	NO
CHILDREN EXPLOITED	YES	NO
POLICE CARS DAMAGED	2	0
PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS	YES	NO
DRUG POSSESSION ARREST	YES	NO
CONCEALED WEAPON ARREST	YES	NO
DRUG OVERDOSE	YES	NO
THEFTS	YES	NO
BURGLARIES	YES	NO
VANDALISM ARREST	YES	NO
TRESPASSING ARREST	YES	NO
NON FATAL SHOOTINGS	1	0
PUBLIC URINATION	YES	NO
URINATION ON OTHERS	YES	NO
ISRAELI FLAGS BURNED	2	0
AMERICAN FLAGS BURNED	1	0
AMERICAN FLAGS DANCED ON	1	0
FELONY ASSAULT ON AN EMT	1	0
HEAD/BODY LICE OUTBREAKS	1	0
TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAKS	1	0
MURDER	1	0
SUICIDE	1	0
SHOTS FIRED AT WHITE HOUSE	1	0
SCABIES OUTBREAKS	1	0
OBAMA ENDORSED IT	YES	NO
PELOSI ENDORSED IT	YES	NO
CAIR ENDORSED IT	YES	NO
SOCIALIST PARTY ENDORSED	YES	NO
NAZI PARTY ENDORSED	YES	NO
MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ENDORSED	YES	NO
COMMUNIST PARTY ENDORSED	YES	NO
BIDEN ENDORSED	YES	NO
HUGO CHAVEZ ENDORSED	YES	NO
BLACK PANTHERS ENDORSED	YES	NO
HEZBOLLAH ENDORSED	YES	NO
MARXIST UNION ENDORSED	YES	NO
9/11 TRUTHER ENDORSED	YES	NO
BOLSHEVIK ENDORSED	YES	NO
IRAN GOVERNMENT ENDORSED	YES	NO
AYATOLLAH ENDORSED	YES	NO
NORTH KOREA ENDORSED	YES	NO
FARRAKHAN ENDORSED	YES	NO
NATION OF ISLAM ENDORSED	YES	NO

Flashback: Romney Pleased With Geithner, Backed TARP

Mitt Romney said three years ago that he was “pleased” with the appointment of Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary — even after it came to light that Geithner had not paid the taxes he owed.

A newly discovered video of Romney’s appearance on “Fox and Friends” also shows the former Massachusetts governor and current GOP presidential candidate saying he thought the TARP was the “right thing to do” — and calling the $1 trillion stimulus package “necessary.”

President-elect Barack Obama announced on Nov. 24, 2008, the nomination of Geithner, the president of the Federal Reserve of New York, for the Treasury secretary post. Soon thereafter, it disclosed that Geithner had failed to pay $35,000 in self-employment taxes for the years 2001 to 2004, which he termed an honest mistake.

During Romney’s interview with the Fox News Channel, he was asked whether he still thought Geithner was the “right guy” for the job.

“When I heard about his announcement I must admit I was pleased,” Romney responded.

“He’s a person of accomplishment and skill. I think he’s a very bright individual and obviously we’re learning as much as we can about his tax dealings in the past and his level of integrity.

“I think it’s appropriate to really delve into this matter. If they find it was an honest mistake, then I think he should be confirmed. If they find it was deliberate tax evasion, that’s a very different matter. Then a person would not be qualified.

MORE@NEWSMAX

"Interesting"

Via Puma By Design

Camp Mittens Duplicity on Allen West Worse than Conspiracy: It’s a Habit

All the crying going on from Camp Mittens denying that Romney set out to screw Congressman Allen West out of his seat in Palm Beach County is just the usual exaggerated outrage that we should be accustomed to from Mitt and Company when they’ve been caught in the act.

Remember these are the same guys who are saying that Mitt’s the most electable candidate, but if we question Mitt’s electability we’ll only have ourselves to blame if Mitt doesn’t get elected.

Or something like that.

It’s hard to keep up with the rhetoric when a campaign has one set of lies to fool the public, one set of lies to fool reporters and one set of lies to fool themselves, in a paraphrase of war-time British Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

“I must have missed something in today's column” wrote one rabid Romney fan, deliberately misreading criticism of Romney, “what office in the Florida legislature does Mitt Romney hold?”

None, of course

And no one is saying that Mitt Romney, much less his campaign, set out specifically to hurt Colonel West.

What we are saying, and what has been acknowledged to have some level of veracity, is that people in the Florida GOP who represent Mitt set out to hurt West during the redistricting process. They did it because they are essentially hostile to the Tea Party element. So get used to it because these are the people who Mitt picked to surround himself with.

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Obama the Chicken is Being Plucked

anuary 29 through the 31^st, 5% of the sheriffs in America are in Las Vegas Nevada, learning how to tell the Federal government agents to pack sand and get out of town. 20% of the 50 United States of America have been presented with lawsuits and or legal filings challenging the eligibility of Barack Obama to be on the ballot for the 2012 election.

Congressional representative Allen West summed up the American people's feelings for the Obama administration today when he told Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to, "Get the hell out of The United States of America!". His talk can be seen here.

Ten people will be murdered today in Mexico with guns provided to drug cartels by Eric Holder, the United States Attorney General. Politicians are calling for him to resign. Resign??

There is enough evidence presented to Congress to arrest him and prosecute him for an Act of War against the nation of Mexico, accessory to murder of thousands of innocent citizens in Mexico and America as well as the murder of United States Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. Resign?? Besides sending illegal guns to Mexico, Holder and his associates sold guns to criminal street gangs inside the United States where the guns will be used inside the United States. It will take years to find the thousands of guns these criminals sold to killers.

Eric Holder and his criminal operatives in his office and the Department of Justice need to be dragged out in handcuffs, jailed with no bail and put on trial with a jury of American citizens who are not federal government employees.

Like a dead chicken being plucked, Obama has lost his power and his support. Six months or so ago, French President Sarkozy called Obama, "Insane". Other world leaders have publicly called him incompetent and other derogatory names.

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It's a Sunny Day!

Via Hard Times Preparedness

Legendary last surviving founding member of SAS 'Originals' dies at 92

Via Theo Spark

He was in the Special Air Service before it was even called the SAS: a member of the formidable L Detachment who carried out stealth raids and daring missions throughout World War Two.

Jimmy Storie, the last surviving veteran of ‘The Originals’ who went down in history as the founders of the legendary SAS, has died aged 92.

Ayr-born Mr Storie was one of a handful of men brought together as the first raw form of the regiment, born out of fighting Rommel’s Afrika Korps in North Africa.

After a disastrous first mission that claimed two thirds of their original team, L Detachment soon became a byword for bravery and the scourge of the German and Italian forces.

Often, they simply walked on to enemy airfields, planting bombs and blowing up scores of planes. On one mission at Sidi Haneish in Egypt, they drove jeeps on to the airfield, shooting up planes with a range of firepower running to 90,000 rounds a minute.

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Gunporn

Link

2012 FIREFIGHT WITH U.S MARINES AND TALIBAN

Via Theo Spark

"They lied." Tweet from Senator Grassley

Via Sipsey Street Irregulars

ChuckGrassley

#F&F Documents releasd Fri nite by Justice clearly show Holders people knew abt gun running days b4 I opend investigation Yet they lied

28 Jan

Farmer beaten, tied to tree then shot

An every day occurrence. He had lived on his farm all his life.

Via Sarah Maid of Albion

A 77-year-old farmer who was murdered on his farm near Stella over the weekend was badly assaulted, tied to a tree and then shot dead, North West police say.

The body of Hendrik Johannes (Boet) Cilliers was found at 19:00 on Sunday near his farmhouse, after his bakkie was found abandoned on a nearby road.

He had lived on the farm all his life. It is situated about 15km from Stella on the road to Mahikeng.

Police spokesperson Captain Aafje Bothma confirmed that there was a gunshot wound on the forehead.

According to Jaco Scholtz from Stella, Cilliers’s legs were tied up and he was badly assaulted.

Scholtz said Theo Scholtz, one of his neighbours, had found the white Nissan 1400 bakkie on the road about 3km from Erfdeel. He called the police.

Several other people who had seen the bakkie had also called the police and driven to the farm. They saw the house was a mess but there was no sign of Cilliers. He was later found about 30 metres from the house.

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Heizer Defense Introduces - DoubleTap™

In .45 caliber. It is smaller in all dimensions and weighs 3 to 5 ounces less than my LCR .357, but holds 3 less and is more expensive. Love to have one.

Via Redleg

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Black Tea Party Member Attacks Obama’s Hypocrisy

Kevin Jackson is someone whom the president and fellow Democrats wished didn’t exist. Jackson is black and a member of the Tea Party where he serves as a spokesman for TheTeaParty.net

After the president’s State of the Union message, Jackson took offense to what Obama said to the nation. He claims the president is rife with liberal hypocrisy.

Jackson points out that Obama wants the wealthy to pay more in taxes because of the financial problems facing the nation. Yet at the same time the president takes half a dozen or so vacations a year, taking not only his wife and daughters, but other family members and friends all at taxpayer expense. The president also wastes taxpayer money by hosting lavish parties at the White House, some of which have nothing to do with politics.

He also points out that Obama criticizes Romney, who only paid about 15% in taxes. What Obama failed to note is that Romney reported $20 million in income and then gave $3 million (15% away to charity – mostly to the Mormon Church) where Obama, prior to his election only gave 1% to charity.

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GUERRILLA FORCE COMMUNICATIONS CONCEPTS

(In lieu of the promised third installment of the "Equipping the Guerrilla Fighter" series, which is still in the writing stages, I offer the following for readers. This article came about as a result of a conversation on the topic with a co-worker on Friday It subsequently brewed in my head until I felt obligated to include my thoughts on the subject within the blog.

I've also decided to tone down the formality of my prose style somewhat. While I've tried to keep the prose very third-person and somewhat inoffensive, the reality is, that's not how I speak. So, while I will still attempt to keep the profanity to a dull roar, I hope readers will pardon the somewhat less formal tone I will take as these articles continue. --J.M.)

In the real-world of small-unit warfare, communications are absolutely critical to surviva and success. Whether it is organizing and conducting "combined" operations, with the subversive underground and/or other guerrilla force elements, coordinating re-supply from caches wth the auxiliary, or maintaining security of the guerrilla base with LP/OPs and roving security patrols, secure, effective communications networks must be developed and maintained.

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Let's see, 2 or 3? AK's &

Link

Emily: Why I still haven’t bought a gun in D.C.

After careful consideration, I have decided to buy the Sig Sauer P229 two-tone. I knew I wanted a full-size 9mm that I could handle well and that felt comfortable in my hands (click to watch a video of me shooting it.)

To help with the final decision, The Washington Times launched a poll seeking input from gun enthusiasts. The Sig Sauer won with 27 percent of the vote. The Springfield Armory XD(M) was a close second with 23 percent, and the Glock 17 came in a distant third at 15 percent.

Along the way, I realized I should choose one made in the USA. This narrowed down my options significantly, but I discovered that the P229 was manufactured at Sig's plant in Exeter, NH. Plus I think their guns look cool -- especially the two-tone (black and stainless) version.

Quality guns are expensive. As I am new to the gun world, I thought it would cost maybe $400. So I was surprised to find that a new ones ranges from about $600-$1,200.

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Jindal’s Education Moon Shot

Link

Newt Gingrich wants the U.S. to return to the moon, but as challenges go he has nothing on Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s school reform plans.

Mr. Jindal wants to create America’s largest school voucher program, broadest parental choice system, and toughest teacher accountability regime—all in one legislative session. Any one of those would be a big win, but all three could make the state the first to effectively dismantle a public education monopoly.

Louisiana is already one of 12 states (including Washington, D.C.) that offer school vouchers, but its program benefits fewer than 2,000 students in New Orleans. Governor Jindal would extend eligibility to any low-income student whose school gets a C, D or F grade from state administrators. That’s almost 400,000 students—a bit more than half the statewide population—who could escape failing schools for private or virtual schools, career-based programs or institutions of higher education.

Funding for these vouchers (“scholarships” is the poll-tested term) would come not from a new fund, as in New Orleans, but from what the state already spends on public education per capita. So every student leaving a failing school would take about $8,500 (on average) with him, hitting the bureaucracy where it hurts. This is called competition, that crucial quality missing where monopolies reign.

Ten Items For Your Redneck Emergency Preparedness Kit

The DC

10. Smokes and Chew: Marlboro Lights for a category one hurricane or tornado, Marlboro Mediums for a category two or three, Marlboro Reds for a category four. You need a serious smoke for a serious hurricane. Chew is important because it counts towards your daily supply of vegetables.

9. Booze: Hide the Budweiser and have a couple cans of Milwaukee’s Best incase strangers stop by or you need to barter with neighbors. Follow this safety rule for consuming alcohol in emergency situations: beer for morning and Jack Daniels for afternoon and evenings. If you are too drunk to walk then use your ATV otherwise it will take you forever to get anywhere.

8. Food: Slim Jims and if you want to live large get some mustard for dipping, beef jerky, pork rinds and anything that was on the table that the dogs didn’t eat or wasn’t sprayed with Raid when you were clearing cockroaches during dinner.

7. A Boat: A true redneck has a boat in his yard for years at a time without ever using it once. That’s because it’s for emergency purposes. I highly recommend a two-stroke motor that will always start after it’s kicked a few times. Preferably that motor will be a Johnson, because jokes about your Johnson never get old.

6. Pickup Truck: A redneck is a man that has less than 50% of his vehicles running at any given time. It’s easy to tell the vehicle that is driven the most by counting the 7-11 hotdog containers on the floor. But, when a hurricane hits, it’s certain that a redneck in a Ford F-150 that is held together with bondo will be pulling your Lexus out of a ditch. And remember, that’s not just a redneck’s truck; it’s where his kids were conceived so understand that bench seat is sacred ground.

5. A Dog: A dog will tell you if something is edible or not.

4. A Flashlight: You need one in addition to the light the family uses at night to go out to the bathroom.

3. A Radio with a Powerful Speaker: That way you have something to drown out the wife, kids, mother-in-law, your sister-in-law Crystal, your sister Crystal, cousin Crystal, and your neighbor Crystal and her daughter little Crystal.

2. Home Security System: 1. Buy a pair of size 14-16 work boots. 2. Put them on the front porch with a copy of your most recent assault charge. 3. Put some giant dog dishes next to the boots and court papers. 4. Leave this note on your door: “Jake and Buster: I went for more ammo & beer. Back soon. Don’t mess with the pit bulls; they messed the mailman up bad this morning. I don’t think Satan took part; hard to tell from all the blood. I locked all four of ‘em in the house. Better wait outside. Be right back. The cops will be back too.”

1. Guns and Ammo: I’m not talking about the magazine. Looters will be shot on sight and their loved ones can buy their watches and rings back from the pawn shop. And personally, I’d like to say that if you have a gun then squirrel is always on the menu if a disaster causes the traffic to be bad.

Get yourself prepared in case you have a shortage of rednecks in your area.

Drones of your own

Global Guerrillas
Verbatim Post

Is there a Defense Against Drones?

Drones tip the scales of conflict in favor of offense. All of the technological trends in motion will only increase the offensive tilt:

• Smarts + + +
• Numbers + + +
• Cost - - -
• Maneuverability + + +
• Range + + +
• Payload + + +

Frankly, against a foe this maneuverable, numerous, and smart/crafty the ability to physically defend against an attack from a distance is nearly nil. This is the same problem the USSR ran into when cruise missiles (early, but very expensive, drones) were deployed in the 80's. The cost of an air defense system necessary to protect against cruise missiles was beyond their means. Some more detail:

• Missile Defense? Radar, missiles, etc. The cost of a missile that has the capacity to intercept a swarm of drones flying evasively is prohibitively expensive.
• EMP/HERFs/Lasers. Power and range problems.
• Kinetic weapons. Again, the range is too short. These point defenses would overwhelmed.

In reality, all you can do is armor/bunker up and make the attack expensive in material as you can.

- or -

Have a similar offensive capacity.

This means one thing: drones of your own.

Drones that can do damage to a foe that is at least equivalent to the value of you as a target.

Vivid Battle of the Bulge photos

Via Glenn, Belle Grove

Breathtaking new (18th December 2011) photographs, including several vivid full-color images, offer a never-before-seen look at the war-weary soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge who fought through the frozen Ardennes Forest in a mountainous region of Belgium in the dead of winter.

They show soldiers on both sides battling the frigid weather as they fought each other during Nazi Germany's last-ditch effort to drive back Allied forces between December 1944 and January 1945.

The pictures were released by Life Magazine on the 67th anniversary of the start of the grueling battle.

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Generic Congressional Ballot: Democrats 41%, Republicans 40%

For the first time in roughly two-and-a-half years, Democrats lead Republicans on the Generic Congressional Ballot, this time for the week ending Sunday, Jan. 29.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while 40% would choose the Republican instead.

Obama's Racial Politics

Via Nancy

There's been a heap of criticism placed upon President Barack Obama's domestic policies that have promoted government intrusion and prolonged our fiscal crisis and his foreign policies that have emboldened our enemies. Any criticism of Obama pales in comparison with what might be said about the American people who voted him in to the nation's highest office.

Obama's presidency represents the first time in our history that a person could have been elected to that office who had long-standing close associations with people who hate our nation. I'm speaking of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for 20 years, who preached that blacks should sing not "God Bless America," but "God damn America." Then there's William Ayers, now professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago but formerly a member of the Weather Underground, an anti-U.S. group that bombed the Pentagon, U.S. Capitol and other government buildings. Although Ayers was never convicted of any crime, he told a New York Times reporter, in the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attack, "I don't regret setting bombs. ... I feel we didn't do enough." Obama has served on a foundation board, appeared on panels, and even held campaign events in Ayers' home, joined by Ayers' former-fugitive wife, Bernardine Dohrn. Bill Ayers' close association with Obama is reflected by his admission that he helped write Obama's memoirs, Dreams From My Father.

Many Americans thought that with Obama's presidency, we were moving to a "post-racial society." Little can be further from the truth. Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, in a National Review (1/18/2012) article titled "Obama's Racial Politics," says that Obama's message about race and his charges of racial bigotry are "usually coded and subtle." Criticizing Republicans, before a Mexican-American audience, Obama said that he ran for office because "America should be a place where you can always make it if you try – a place where every child, no matter what they look like (or) where they come from, should have a chance to succeed." If you don't get it, "no matter what they look like" is code for nonwhite. Hanson says that Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, has "found race a convenient refuge from criticism – most recently accusing his congressional auditors of racism, for their grilling him over government sales of firearms to Mexican cartel hitmen."

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America’s 100 best beer bars: 2012

Link

Pubs, dives, taverns, canteens, watering holes and holes-in-the-wall: Once again, we’ve surveyed the lay of the beer-bar land and found 100 one-off spots where there’s a barstool any beer lover can call home.

HARRIKA’S BREW HAUS | Swansboro, N.C.

This quaint store-and-bar combo’s something you’ll only find in a small vacation town: It’s located in a seaside beach house, surrounded by a lawn peppered with art installations, and the beer selection, including the store, tops 300 varieties. Come for a game of chess and $9 patio pitcher, or grab a mixed sixer, beer soap and soothing teas to enhance your beach-bum bliss. 911 Cedar Point Blvd., teaandbeer.com

Obama eligibility challenges spread to 6 states

Via Cousin John

An administrative law judge in Georgia could decide as early as this week whether voters in the state convinced him Barack Obama’s name should be removed from the 2012 presidential ballot because he is not qualified to hold the office.

But win, lose or draw, the fight isn’t going to be over, as other cases are erupting across the nation, with challenges being raised anew even in Obama’s own adopted political network in Illinois.

The Georgia hearing was before Judge Michael Malihi, and while none of the lawyers who appeared in the proceedings was willing to predict what the decision will be, several did confirm that Malihi had considered simply granting them a default victory, because Obama and his lawyers expressly stated they would not participate in a hearing to provide evidence that he is qualified to be on the ballot.

A default presumably would have meant a recommendation from the judge that Obama’s name be stricken from the ballot, a decision which would head for review immediately by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

He, however, was the one who warned Obama of the “peril” of not participating in the hearing when Obama and his attorney had asked that the event be canceled.

Whatever the outcome in Georgia, the issue is gaining traction in other states, too, including Alabama, Tennessee, Arizona, New Hampshire, and even Illinois, Obama’s home political base.

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Pedal Pub ambushed by "flash mob" downtown

Via Tom

Before Pedal Pub season came to a close, Scott Ranney and his wife decided they ought to give it a try. They rounded up five other couples and drove in from their Lakeville home for a night in the city.

Everything was going great on the gooney contraption until the group started to make its way to The Local. As they headed down Nicollet Mall, the pub rolled to a stop at a red light. Then it all went to hell.

"It happened so fast," recalls Ranney.

Even before they got to the light, Ranney says the bar-on-wheels ran into trouble near the light rail stop. He says a group of about seven or eight 10-year-olds jumped on the Pedal Pub and tried to grab their wallets.

"They were just being annoying and rude saying things like, 'Oh, we're so wasted,'" he says. "It was really disturbing."

After a while, the Pedal Pubbers managed to kick the kids off and continued to the intersection of 6th Street and Nicollet.

Almost the instant they stopped at a red light, a crowd of "25 to 40 young African Americans" suddenly materialized and surrounded the pub, as Ranney told police later. The teenagers jumped up on the bar, shaking the whole contraption and screaming indecipherably. Ranney says a couple of the kids tried to grab purses from an overhead storage compartment, but that as they retreated, they dropped everything except his wife's BlackBerry.

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American Tyrants

When Elizabeth Warren went on MSNBC to deny that she was a member of the 1 percent despite her nearly 15 million dollar net worth, the denial had a cultural element to it. Despite being a millionaire, Warren did not see herself as "wealthy".

The current debate over the 1 percent and the 99 percent is notable mainly for the shifting boundaries that are not based on economics, but on identity. For all its 'Power to the People' antics American liberalism is not a movement of struggling people, there is a reason why the word limousine so often comes before liberal. Its roots lie in an upper class New England strata that relentlessly fought against Southern Baptists and working class Catholic immigrants. Those roots define modern day liberals much more so than the Jacksonian populism that they occasionally try to imitate.

The American liberal is not a populist, he is still a New England preacher, but without a religion to preach. He has a great faith in the virtues of an ordered moral society, even if that ordered moral society would have been completely incomprehensible and unacceptable to his forebears. It is a society based on the virtues of tolerance and the rule of the enlightened.

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