SENDING A MESSAGE: The Comic Strip

Stilton Jarlsberg of Hopenchange Cartoons is as talented an illustrator and writer that we have operating today. This is his latest.

[Regarding] today's cartoon, all we'll say is that if you want to send a message to someone, then you should send them the message - not send it to a random neighbor.

But sadly, we think that Iran has already received Barack Obama's "message" loud and clear: he will not prevent either their acquistion or use of nukes.

Because this president believes that Middle East "peace" will only be achieved when the entire Middle East is under the dictatorial control of radical Islam. And he seems to be doing everything possible to make it happen.

[And t]o make absolutely certain that the "message to Iran" will be unmistakably clear, John Kerry has just announced that any military action taken against Syria for using prohibited weapons will be "unbelievably small."  No doubt to match a foreign policy which is unbelievably stupid.

Bookmark Stilton's site. This guy's the real deal.


Hat tip: R.F.

This happenstance juxtaposition of paragraphs caught my attention

Bear with me. It will be worth it, promise.

• The New York Times takes down the Clinton Foundation (Dr. Tim Stanley, The Telegraph, 8/14/2013):

The cynical might infer from the NYT piece that the Clintons are willing to sell themselves, their image, and even their Foundation's reputation in exchange for money to finance their personal projects. In Bill's case, saving the world. In Hillary's case, maybe, running for president.

It's nothing new to report that there's an unhealthy relationship in America between money and politics, but it's there all the same. While the little people are getting hit with Obamacare, high taxes and joblessness, a class of businessmen enjoys ready access to politicians of both Left and Right that poses troubling questions for how the republic can continue to call itself a democracy so long as it functions as an aristocracy of the monied.

• The Plot to Save America (Andrew C. McCarthy, September 2013):

Despite some 11,539 proposed modifications since the first Congress convened nearly two-and-a-quarter centuries ago, the Constitution has only been formally amended twenty-seven times (and just two times in the last forty-two years—the last in 1992). One must say “formally” because ... the Constitution has been contorted to a fare-thee-well by judicial ukase (which, for example, enables Leviathan to hyper-regulate virtually every item in your home by construing the Interstate Commerce Clause to control intrastate commerce), by ambitious legislative schemes like Obamacare, and by imperious presidents overseeing the vast, metastasizing, and unaccountable administrative state to which Congress has delegated much of its legislative authority.

To roll back this tide is the burden of The Liberty Amendments...

...Although most discussions of separation-of-powers focus on checks and balances among the federal departments, the principal curb on federal power was to be the states. The Constitution, as the Federalist Papers attest, left control over the infinite details of everyday life to the individual and the local government closest and most accountable to him. The federal government was to handle just a few external matters, mainly dealing with national security and foreign relations. To restore that balance, to strip Leviathan back down to size, would take the collective strength and determination of the states...

...No priority is greater than supplanting the entrenched Beltway ruling class. As designed, the Republic’s central government featured citizen legislators, representatives of the people who actually were, well, representative of the people. More out of patriotic duty than financial remuneration, they met infrequently in the nation’s capital—just a few months out of the year—reflective of the fact that the national government’s responsibilities, though vital, were few and critically reliant on the indulgence of state governments. Over time, as the progressive administrative state grew, particularly under the Wilson and FDR administrations, Washington incrementally devoured state sovereignty. With this dramatic shift in the balance of power, a governing elite emerged—a permanent Beltway ruling class of career politicians whose main interest was in increasing federal power. They now inhabit Congress as if they were life peers or revolve between the bureaucracy and its back-scratching cottage industry of lobbyists, consultants, and celebrity media commentators.

I've concluded that there are two major political parties in this country.

There are the Beltway Elites, Democrats and Republicans, who are committed only to bigger government even as the country commits fiscal suicide.

And there are the rest of us.

BACK TO THE FUTURE: Hillary Clinton Edition

Mr. Peabody, please set The Wayback Machine to December 2007:

...Mr. Obama has begun to challenge Mrs. Clinton on her central claim that her candidacy represents a return to the Age of Pericles, a k a the 1990s. The Clinton candidacy -- everyone knows it is a her-and-his affair -- is at its core an appeal to selective nostalgia. We are supposed to remember the lack of a hot war, not the "holiday from history" as al Qaeda gained strength. We are supposed to recall the late-1990s boom, not that it began only after the GOP took Congress and repudiated many Clinton policies.

And we are supposed to forget entirely about Travelgate, Whitewater, lost billing records, the Rose law firm, the Lippo Group, Johnny Chung, Harold Ickes, miraculous cattle-future winnings and lying under oath. So selective is our memory supposed to be that we are asked to credit Mrs. Clinton as a kind of co-President during her husband's eight years, while her husband blocks public access to his Presidential records that might let us examine her actual contribution...

We can now add Benghazi and the entire, catastrophic "Arab Spring" to her impressive C.V. Not to mention the growing Clinton Foundation scandal.

If the field of politics didn't exist, precisely what would a woman like Hillary Clinton be qualified to do?

Remember When Pictures Mattered?

As cnredd reminds us:

Remember the good old days? ... You couldn't go 25 seconds without some Leftie bringing up this photo that was taken 8 years before [George H. W. Bush] got Iraq out of Kuwait and 19 years before [Bush 43] took out Saddam himself...

Good times, good times...

Any Lefty bringing this one up recently?

How about Bill Clinton with the vicious Hafez al-Assad, Bashir's father?

John Kerry and Bashir?

Democrat Senator Bill Nelson and Bashir?

How about Jimmy Carter and Bashir?

How about the pathetic leftist nitwit Dennis Kucinich -- who visited with the ruthless dictator a mere two years ago -- and appeared to "heap praise upon Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is being widely criticized for the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations"?

But don't worry: the greatest Secretary of State ever -- Hillary Clinton -- called Assad "a reformer", so we know this administration is on top of things.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 BENGHAZI TERROR ATTACK NEARS: It is Time to Demand Answers

Guest post by Watchdog Wire

BENGHAZI: Who are the players? WHITE HOUSE LIST, THE THREE AMIGOS, OTHERS ON THE HILL, MEDIA

On September 11, 2013 it will have been one year since the tragic attack on the US Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi, Libya. The attack claimed the lives of Ambassador Chris Stephens and three other American citizens – marking the first time an Ambassador has been killed in action since the Carter Administration. It seems unbelievable that, almost 365 days later, American citizens are still waiting for information, answers, and justice. Only four people were ever disciplined for their actions surrounding the attack and not a single person lost their job. And Secretary of State John Kerry recently returned all four officials to work, without subjecting them to hearings regarding their role in the attack. Apparently, answers on Benghazi aren’t at the top of Kerry’s “to-do” list.

Will anyone be held accountable for this giant security failure? Have we learned anything from the ongoing investigation of the attack? The families of the victims deserve answers and American citizens deserve an explanation.

TAKE ACTION

This September, join us in telling the Obama Administration that we haven’t forgotten. Contact the major players in the Benghazi incident and tell them we’re still watching and waiting for the TRUTH. Demand an update in the ongoing investigation!

As Citizen Watchdogs, it is our job to hold elected officials accountable. To help you, we have compiled a comprehensive list of the key players in Benghazi. We encourage you to reach out to these people with your questions. If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@watchdogwire.com. It’s time for Washington to come clean about what really happened at Benghazi.

–

THE WHITE HOUSE

*Don’t forget to use #BenghaziWatch when you tweet at member of the Administration.

Who are they: President Obama

Why you care: President of the United States during Benghazi attack.

How to contact:: @BarackObama @whitehouse, Email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

Who are they: Ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Why you care: Secretary of State at time of Benghazi attack. She assumed some responsibility for attack, and testified before Congress in January

How to contact: @HillaryClinton, Email: http://hillaryclintonoffice.com/

Who are they: Secretary of State John Kerry

Why you care: Returned all “disciplined” employees back to work. Took fired officer off administrative leave.

How to contact: @StateDept, @JohnKerry

Who they are: Secretary of Defense Charles Hagel

How to contact: @DeptofDefense

Who are they: National Security Advisor Susan Rice

Why you care: Rice appeared on 5 Sunday talk shows in the aftermath of the attack, reading inaccurate talking points devoid of references to al-Qaeda or terrorism and blaming the “Innocence of Muslims” film. She testified before Congress in a closed session in November.

How to contact: @AmbassadorRice, Email: usa@un.int

Who they are: James Comey, Incoming FBI Director

Why you care: Comey is conducting an ongoing investigation of the Benghazi incident. He helped scrub terrorism references from Rice’s talking points.

How to contact: @FBIPressOffice

Who they are: Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary

How to contact: @PressSecretary

Who they are: Eric Holder, Attorney General

Why you care: Holder filed first charges related to attack this month.

How to contact: @TheJusticeDept, Email: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov

Who they are: Office of the Director of National Intelligence (James Clapper)

Why you care: “Mistakenly” cut out terrorism references from Rice talking points following the attack in Benghazi.

How to contact: @ODNIgov, Phone #: 703 733 8600

Who they are: Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

Why you care: Dempsey testified before Congress in February. He only spoke to Obama once on 9/11/12, but has defended lack of military support for consulate.

How to contact: @Martin_Dempsey, Address: 9999 Joint Staff Pentagon, Washington, DC 20318

THE THREE AMIGOS

*Don’t forget to use #BenghaziWatch when you tweet with questions.

Who are they: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)

Why you care: These three Senators have taken the lead on the Benghazi investigation and have been the most vocal. Together, they formed a temporary committee to investigate the attack.

How to contact:

@SenJohnMcCain, (202) 228 2862

@GrahamBlog, @LindseyGrahamSC, (202) 224 5972

@KellyAyotte, @AyotteNH, (202) 224 4952

OTHERS ON THE HILL

*Don’t forget to use #BenghaziWatch when you tweet at these elected officials.

Who are they : Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Why you care: Issa is the Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He Recently subpoenaed State Department docs, held hearings in May.

How to contact: @darrellissa, @CongressmanIssa, @GOPOversight, (202) 225 3906

Who are they: Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

Why you care: Cummings is a ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee.

How to contact: @OversightDems, @ElijahCummings, (202) 225 4741

Who are they: Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA)

Why you care: McKeon is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee

How to contact: @BuckMcKeon, (202) 225 1956

Who are they: Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA)

Why you care: Smith is a ranking Democrat on Armed Services. He Called the Benghazi investigation a “witch hunt.”

How to contact: @Rep_Adam_Smith, @HASCDemocrats, (202) 225 8901

Who are they: Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL)

Why you care: Roby is Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. She heard classified testimony last month from Col. George Bristol on the attack.

How to contact: @RepMarthaRoby, @TeamRoby, (202) 225 2901

Who are they: Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)

Why you care: Royce is Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He held hearings in January and July to examine State Department accountability.

How to contact: @RepEdRoyce, (202) 225 4111

Who are they: Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)

Why you care: Engel is ranking Democrat on Foreign Affairs. He has vociferously defended Clinton’s actions.

How to contact: @RepEliotEngel, (202) 225 2464

Who are they: Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI)

Why you care: Rogers is Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He is conducting an ongoing investigation and has held 8 hearings on Benghazi.

How to contact: @RepMikeRogers, (202) 225 4872

Who are they: Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)

Why you care: Ruppersberger is ranking Democrat on Intelligence. He defended Petraeus’ role, and later become one of first Dems to admit that Rice’s talking points were wrong.

How to contact: @Call_Me_Dutch, (202) 225 3061

Who are they: Rep. Pete King (R-NY)

Why you care: King is Chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. He has been one of the most vocal critics of the administration on Benghazi.

How to contact: @RepPeteKing, (202) 225 7896

Who they are: Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)

Why you care: These four sent a letter, along with the Three Amigos and Issa, to FBI Director Comey last month.

How to contact:

@TGowdySC, (202) 225 6030

@Jim_Jordan, (202) 225 2676

@jasoninthehouse, (202) 225 7751

@SenRonJohnson, @Ron4Senate, (202) 224 5323

Who they are: Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)

Why you care: Levin is the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He held hearings on Benghazi in February.

How to contact: @SenCarlLevin, (202) 224 6221

Who they are: Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)

Why you care: Inhofe is ranking Republican on Armed Services. He has suggested Obama could be impeached over cover-up.

How to contact: @InhofePress, @jiminhofe, (202) 224 4721

Who they are: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)

Why you care: As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez held a hearing on Benghazi in January and heard Hillary Clinton’s testimony.

How to contact: @SenatorMenendez, @Menendez4NJ, (202) 224 4744

Who are they: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

Why you care: Corker is ranking Republican on Foreign Relations. He has been one of the most aggressive Republicans in criticizing the administration’s response to Benghazi.

How to contact: @SenBobCorker, (202) 224 3344

Who are they: Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)

Why you care: Carper is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. His committee published a report in December faulting the State Department for failing to respond to security threats.

How to contact: @SenatorCarper, (202) 224 2441

Who are they: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Why you care: Ranking Republican on Homeland Security, Coburn accused the State Department of “glaring omissions” in the Benghazi documents it turned over.

How to contact: @TomCoburn, (202) 224 5754

Who are they: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Why you care: Feinstein is Chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The White House has given her committee its emails relating to Benghazi.

How to contact: @SenFeinstein, (202) 224 3841

Who are they: Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)

Why you care: Ranking Republican on Intelligence, Saxby wants the White House’s emails on Benghazi to be declassified and made public.

How to contact: @SaxbyChambliss, (202) 224 3521

Who are they: Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)

Why you care: Burr is the second-ranking Republican on Intelligence. He accused the CIA of refusing to give his committee intel on Benghazi.

How to contact: @SenatorBurr, (202) 224 3154

MEDIA

*Don’t forget to use #BenghaziWatch when you tweet at these members of the media.

When you’re done pressuring politicos, don’t forget to give a shout out to those few who have watched the investigation closely. Here at Watchdog Wire, we can be skeptical and even critical of the traditional media, but many MSM reporters have earned our respect pushing for answers regarding Benghazi. Take a moment and thank them for their continued coverage of the attack and dedication to informing the American public. These journalists are rock stars!

Who are they: The Quilliam Foundation

Why you care: The Quilliam Foundation is a counter-extremism group based in UK. They were the first to debunk the story that the Benghazi attack was related to “Innocence of Muslims” film and prove link to al-Qaeda.

How to contact: @QuilliamF, information@quilliamfoundation.org

Who they are: SITE Intelligence Group

Why you care: SITE (Search for International Terrorist Entities) is the terrorism research group that reported 4 days after the attack that it was in retaliation for the killing of al-Qaeda #2 al-Libi.

How to contact: @siteintelgroup, subscription@siteintelgroup.com, (301) 841 7740

Who they are: Foreign Policy Magazine

Why you care: In November, Foreign Policy Magazine published documents from just before the attack in which consulate personnel expressed security concerns.

How to contact: @ForeignPolicy, FB@ForeignPolicy.com. (202) 728 7300

Who they are: Paula Broadwell

Why you care: Petraeus’ biographer and mistress, Broadwell revealed that the consulate’s CIA annex was used to imprison Libyan militia members.

How to contact: @paulabroadwell

Who they are: Margaret Brennan

Why you care: A CBS State Department correspondent, Brennan broke the news that DNI, CIA, and FBI had scrubbed “al-Qaeda” and “terrorism” references from Susan Rice’s talking points

How to contact: @margbrennan

Who they are: Sharyl Attkisson

Why you care: A CBS investigative reporter, Attkisson has been one of the leading journalists covering the Benghazi investigations. Her computer was mysteriously hacked.

How to contact: @SharylAttkisson

Who they are: Stephen Hayes

Why you care: The Weekly Standard reporter, has broken several Benghazi stories including details on how much scrubbing of talking points the CIA did.

How to contact: @stephenfhayes

Who they are: Ed Henry

Why you care: As Fox News Senior White House correspondent, Henry has pressed Obama and Carney on Benghazi

How to contact: @edhenryTV

Who they are: Julie Pace

Why you care: AP White House Correspondent

How to contact: @jpaceDC

Who they are: Jon Karl

Why you care: Karl is ABC News’ Chief White House Correspondent. He reported this spring on White House’s changing and scrubbing of Benghazi talking points

How to contact: @jonkarl

Who they are: Jake Tapper

Why you care: CNN anchor and Washington Correspondent, Tapper broke the story earlier this month that dozens of CIA agents were on the ground during the attack.

How to contact: @jaketapper

Who they are: Arwa Damon

Why you care: As CNN Senior International Correspondent, Damon interviewed a Benghazi suspect whom federal investigators have not spoken to about his role in the attack.

How to contact: @arwaCNN

Who they are: Drew Griffin

Why you care: A CNN Investigative Reporter, Griffin was the lead reporter for CNN on Benghazi. His access to the White House has been restricted since he started working on the story.

How to contact: @DrewGriffinCNN

Who they are: Michael Birnbaum

Why you care: Washington Post Berlin correspondent. Birnbaum reported on scattered FBI documents found at attack site.

How to contact: @michaelbirnbaum

Who they are: Andrea Mitchell

Why you care: Mitchell is NBC’s Chief Foreign Correspondent and lead reporter for NBC on Benghazi. She has accused Republicans of politicizing the investigation.

How to contact: @mitchellreports

Who they are: David D. Kirkpatrick

Why you care: Kirkpatrick is New York Times Cairo’s bureau chief. He has investigated on the ground in Libya and was the first to identify Ansar al-Shariah as the local al-Qaeda group that organized attack.

How to contact: @ddknyt

*If you know of other political players who should be added to this list, or better ways to contact them, please email us at Info@WatchdogWire.com and we will update the list. Thank you.

Obama silent as Egyptian Christians suffer a Kristallnacht at the hands of his Muslim Brotherhood allies

Guest post by Investors Business Daily


Mideast: Christians in Egypt are again the target of Islamist Muslim Brotherhood supporters using the new violence as a cover for ongoing persecution. If Christians were burning mosques, the world would be outraged.

Amid the raging violence in Egypt, a less-publicized war is being waged against Egypt's long-persecuted Coptic Christians, this time using the excuse that they were somehow involved in the military's ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi from power.

Coptic Christians comprise up to 10% of Egypt's 84 million people.

Ishaq Ibrahim from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights group has documented as many as 39 incidents of violence against churches, monasteries, Coptic schools and shops in different parts of the country within the past few days. They include Thursday's torching of the Prince Tadros Church in the province of Fayoum, where three similar attacks occurred on other churches the day before.

Islamists firebombed the Mar Gergiss Church in Sohag, a city with a large community of Coptic Christians, burning it to the ground. Islamists previously raised an al-Qaida flag over the church.

Another two places of worship, the Churches of Abraham and the Virgin Mary, were attacked in El-Menia province, leaving them partially damaged by fire. St. Theresa Church in Assiut in Upper Egypt was also burned.

It was on May 8, 2011, when Islamists stormed and set ablaze that same Virgin Mary Church in Cairo, shouting: "With our blood and soul, we will defend you, Islam." At that time they also burned down nearby homes occupied by Coptic families, killing a dozen people and wounding more than 200.

It's true the Coptic church backed Morsi's removal, with Coptic Pope Tawadros II appearing alongside army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as he announced the military action on July 3. But as Andrew McCarthy pointed out in National Review, Sisi also gathered by his side significant Islamic supremacist leaders and prominent secularists in opposition to Morsi.

"These guys have been blowing places up and killing people in Sinai," Michael Meunier, president of Egypt's Al-Haya Party and a Coptic Christian, said of Islamist attacks against Christians since Morsi's fall. "They've been attacking churches all over Egypt — putting al-Qaida flags and Morsi's pictures on churches, so there is no question the Brotherhood are the new terrorists."

Coptic support, however, was not violent. "I appeal to all to preserve lives of fellow Egyptians, with restraint to prevent violence and reckless attacks against any person or place," Tawadros tweeted. In fact, the campaign of arson and murder targeting Coptic Christians long preceded Morsi's election and removal.

In a terrorist attack one minute after midnight on Jan. 1, 2011, 21 Christians attending a New Year's mass were killed, and 97 people, mostly Christians, were injured as worshipers were leaving a New Year's mass at the Saints Church in Alexandria.

On April 7, two Copts were killed and 84 injured by a mob using guns, wielding machetes, throwing stones and possibly hurling Molotov cocktails at mourners exiting St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo. The worshippers were mourning the deaths of four Copts in an April 4 attack in Khossus in which a nursery and church were burned.

An investigation into the October 2011 attack on Coptic Christians in Cairo's Maspero district, leaving 30 dead and more than 500 wounded, was shut down by the Morsi regime. In the Egypt of the Muslim Brotherhood, Christian lives mean little.

As the administration quibbles over the definition of a "coup" regarding Egypt's military aid, we are reminded the U.S. and NATO went to war over the "ethnic cleansing" of Muslims in Bosnia. What will be our response to the ethnic cleansing of 10% of Egypt's population?


Hat tip: Investors Business Daily.

John Quincy Adams versus Barack Obama’s strange love for the Muslim Brotherhood

Guest post by Abernathy Crum


In his August 19, 2013 PJ Media article entitled “Obama’s Strange Love Affair with the Muslim Brotherhood,” Roger L. Simon’s lede reads, “It’s hard to fathom how or why our administration ever thought the Muslim Brotherhood saw democracy as other than a means to an end — and a particularly repellent one at that — in the first place.”

It’s true that Obama’s Brotherhood-infatuation is transparent. Those of us who have followed the machinations of Islamic radicals over the years know exactly who we’re dealing with.  The question is: Does Obama?

When a great nation’s foreign policy is run by second-rate, radical academics, with virtually no real world experience or understanding of radical Islam, dancing with the devil seems “just” and “fun.”  Their thinking is that – if you just talk to people, their innate goodness comes out. They have such a rich culture, after all.

That mindset permeates Obama’s Middle East foreign policy.

It’s wrong-headed on all counts.

Where Islam exists, radicalism is close at hand.  In fact, the Brotherhood is not radical, but orthodox.  Unlike much of Christendom, they don’t consider the Quran and the Hadith quaint metaphors; they read them literally. 

John Quincy Adams, 6^th President of The United States, took it upon himself to research Islam.  (Remember, our first foreign war was against Muslim pirates – the Barbary pirates – and our victory against them is why Marine officers carry a ceremonial scimitar to this day.)  Adams wrote the following:

"In the seventh century of the Christian era, a wandering Arab of the lineage of Hagar (Mohammed), the Egyptian, combining the powers of transcendent genius, with the preternatural energy of a fanatic, and the fraudulent spirit of an impostor, proclaimed himself as a messenger from Heaven, and spread desolation and delusion over an extensive portion of the earth.

Adopting from the sublime conception of the Mosaic Law, the doctrine of one omnipotent god; he connected indissolubly with it, the audacious falsehood, that he was himself his prophet and apostle. Adopting from the new Revelation of Jesus, the faith and hope of immortal life, and of future retribution, he humbled it to the dust by adapting all the rewards and sanctions of his religion to the gratification of the sexual passion.

He poisoned the sources of human felicity at the fountain, by degrading the condition of the female sex and the allowance of polygamy; and he declared undistinguishing and exterminating war, as a part of his religion, against all the rest of mankind. THE ESSENCE OF HIS DOCTRINE WAS VIOLENCE AND LUST: TO EXALT THE BRUTAL OVER THE SPIRITUAL PART OF HUMAN NATURE...Between these two religions, thus contrasted in their characters, a war of twelve hundred years has already raged. The war is yet flagrant...While the merciless and dissolute dogmas of the false prophet shall furnish motives to human action, there can never be peace upon the earth, and good will towards men"

Adams’ warning then is relevant to us today. “The war is yet flagrant...While the merciless and dissolute dogmas of the false prophet shall furnish motives to human action, there can never be peace upon the earth, and good will towards men."


Abernathy Crum is, by decades of training, experience and teaching, an expert in the strategy and tactics of information warfare deployed by tyrannical regimes throughout history. Related: A Brief, Illustrated History of the Muslim Brotherhood

Combating the Left’s Information Warfare Campaign

Guest post by Abernathy Crum


This article describes an Information Warfare Operation being orchestrated by the Left.  It is characterized by well-designed themes and memes, effective delivery, and advanced with MSM propagation. 

Not too confrontational, it uses fundamental American emotional buttons: family, kindness, and compassionate justice. It worms its way into the national psyche, one snippet at a time. The operation is funded, organized, and supported by the usual suspects; it’s coordinated with press organizations to carry the themes forward and propagate the message for as long as possible.

It starts with a question like this: “What are you going to do to stop the separation of families, for those of us that live in fear everyday due to unjust deportations?”

It’s a well-crafted question – a clever riposte for which we have not an effective parry. 

We are at war. Our efforts just do not match the opposition. We should have had a response packet put together before the meetings took place. To know what the Left is going to do, just visit their sites and blogs. They tell us their plans, and we’re still unprepared.  We need to plan for their campaigns, collect intelligence, and anticipate the obvious.   

Planning would enable this sort of exchange:

Valeria Ruiz, 17, of Racine, Wisconsin, prodded her congressman on deportations that divide families. According to the Facebook page of Voces de la Frontera, a Wisconsin anti-deportation group, she asked Paul Ryan, “What are you going to do to stop the separation of families for those of us that live in fear everyday due to unjust deportations.”

Ryan responded: “Welcome Valeria, I was looking forward to you coming this evening.  Did Voces de la Fontera or La Raza drive you? I hope your folks are well. I have one question for you.  Your parents are citizens. Your father Miguel was naturalized in 2004 and you mom has always been a citizen.  Who are you specifically referring to?  Can you define what an ‘unjust deportation’ is?”

The rank-and-file Left does not understand Operational Security.  Their leaders do, but their leaks and chest thumping on Facebook and blogs give us enormous insight. There we can learn what they plan to do before they do it.  That is called Predictive Battle-Space Awareness.  We should have been using it for a long time.

If the socialists win the next presidential election, this will no longer be a war of words.  It will be a war of survival, a war in all its manifestations. Why do you think they are building a domestic army? In a few years it will be formidable.

Robert Louis Stevenson said, "Sooner or later in life, we all sit down to a banquet of consequences." The debacle of the city of Detroit is the glaring reality of Leftist polices and the emerging consequences are writ large for the nation.
We fight or we perish, becoming a Detroit nation; lawless, corrupt and hopeless. We become helpless before tyrants who once were smiling politicians full of good will and earnest concern.  We are already a good distance down the troubled road to that outcome.  

Within the Leftists’ ridicule and posturing, and behind their histrionic stage dramas and concocted causes, can be heard the rattle of chains.


Abernathy Crum is, by decades of training, experience and teaching, an expert in the strategy and tactics of information warfare deployed by tyrannical regimes throughout history.   Special thanks to Lee.

Marines preparing for IEDs carrying WMD payloads

Egypt, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Iran: since the ascent of Barack Obama to the presidency, a series of baffling and bizarre decisions (and non-decisions) on the part of the administration have left the Mideast awash in violence and misery.

Which explains the U.S. Marines preparing for WMDs in improvised explosive devices (IEDs):

The Marine Corps’ explosives experts are enhancing their training to prepare for expected future encounters with improvised bombs carrying chemical, biological or radiological agents — so-called weapons of mass destruction...

To date, such improvised explosives have not been a credible threat on the battlefield, especially in improvised explosive devices. In Iraq, a few failed attempts were made using industrial chemicals, but the Marine Corps considers improvised WMDs a threat that’s likely, according to a contract solicitation from the service seeking assistance in developing this new training.

Marines with 1st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company at Camp Pendleton will attend the new Weapons of Mass Destruction Design and Defeat Course in October. The goal is to improve EOD techs’ chances for survival should they encounter improvised WMD, and help deployed forces adapt to the threat.

It is a matter of time before improvised WMD are used against U.S. forces, says Steven Bucci, ... a retired Army Special Forces officer, said attempts in Iraq demonstrated the enemy’s willingness to use them. All they lack are the materials, and failing states like Syria, which possess weaponized chemical agents, could provide them.

Improvised WMD would most likely incorporate chemical agents, Bucci said. While they are difficult to manufacture and weaponize, much of the work is done if enemy forces obtain chemical weapons from an unsecured national stockpile — artillery shells, for example.

“The bad guys know how to detonate artillery shells as IEDs,” Bucci said. “They did that in Iraq and Afghanistan. If they are chemical weapon shells or warheads, then you have a potential problem. So while that has not been a particular threat in the past — other than these lame attempts in Iraq — if they can get some of these things out of Syria, the possibility of creating chemical IEDs goes way up..."

Which reminds me: Hillary Clinton is the greatest Secretary of State ever.


Hat tip: BadBlue Real-Time News.

Female Member of Israeli Parliament Obliterates John Kerry: You will "cause the whole region to spin out of control"

Now, this is speaking truth to power:

In letter publicized to the press, Shaked attacks US pressure to release terrorists: "You are putting me and my children's lives at risk"

Bayit Yehudi MK Ayelet Shaked has released a scathing open letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, for pushing the Israeli government to release convicted terrorist murderers...

"In light of the current situation that you have brought about, I feel that I cannot be bound by the restraints of 'politically correct' wording, and I therefore will allow myself to convey my following message to you in the most straightforward fashion... By forcing Israel to capitulate to terrorism by releasing murdering terrorists with so much blood on their hands that the US would never dream of releasing if it was their own citizens murdered – you are not only being extremely hypocritical, but are actually dabbling in experimentation and gambling, by putting me and my children's lives at risk..."

..."Mr. Secretary: the price of releasing over a hundred convicted murderers will be borne by my family and my people, not by you." she continued, asking "How will you carry the burden of the terrible price toward which you are leading us?"

"You forced us into peace talks during a period of time that the entire Middle East is in chaos, without realizing that by doing so, you have foolishly put us in an impossible situation in which we cannot and will not make any concessions."

By "raising expectations to a dangerous level" in this way, Kerry is threatening "to cause the whole region to spin out of control," she claimed... Shaked ended the letter with a word of "advice" for the US Secretary of State.

"The past four years in Israel have been as quiet and peaceful as ever. Therefore I suggest you perform your job in a much more effective and relevant fashion by focusing your attention on Syria and Egypt, where people are actually being slaughtered."

Oh, damn.

Which reminds me: Hillary Clinton is the greatest Secretary of State ever.


Hat tip: BB.

Imagining an America with truthful headlines

I know, it's difficult.

Mark Levin's comments from Tuesday certainly apply.

MARK LEVIN: Hillary Clinton is the Greatest Secretary of State Ever

Mark Levin:

Did you know Hillary's the greatest Secretary of State ever? Can anyone give me one reason?

• We now have a new Cold War.

• We're hollowing out our military while the Chinese are massively building up theirs.

• Damn near the entire Middle East is on fire.

• Communism is spreading throughout Central and South America.

• And our allies can't stand us.

But she's the "greatest Secretary of State ever".

Maybe for Russia, but not for us.

Oh, by the way, she was once the greatest Senator ever.

What's she do? I don't know. But she was the greatest.

So what happens if she's elected? What happens with Bill Clinton? Is he put in charge of the Internship Program at the White House?


Follow Mark Levin on Twitter at @MarkLevinShow.

GERAGHTY: McAuliffe vs. Cuccinelli is a dry run for Hillary 2016

Writing at The Morning Jolt, Jim Geraghty raises some excellent points for conservatives to ponder.

Why the Cuccinelli vs. McAuliffe Race Matters to You, Even If You Don't Live in Virginia

First, does anyone want to argue that Ken Cuccinelli–Virginia's attorney general, and the current GOP candidate for governor – is not a conservative?

• Led the legal challenge to Obamacare.
• Defended Arizona's immigration-enforcement statute.
• Filed legal challenges to the EPA's findings on greenhouse gases being a threat to human health and thus an emission they have the authority to regulate.
• Supports right to life from conception until death, supported and pushed several pro-life bills while in the state legislature.
• Endorsed by the NRA.

...So if you're one of those folks who believes that Mitt Romney was a RINO squish, and that Republicans always lose when they nominate RINO squishes, then you really, really, really need Ken Cuccinelli to win this year.

If Ken Cuccinelli – Mr. Conservative Record – loses against a flawed competitor like Terry McAuliffe, in a purple state like Virginia . . . and simultaneously, Governor Hug-Obama-After-a-Hurricane-and-Move-Left wins in a landslide up in New Jersey . . . the message to the rest of the Republican party will be pretty clear. What you fervently believe – conservatives win, moderate squishes lose – will be refuted in the eyes of many Republicans.

Proud conservatives like to believe that their like-minded grassroots voters are, collectively, like a sleeping giant... [but if] the conservative grassroots are indeed a sleeping giant, so far they're hitting the "snooze" button on this race. At least through mid-summer, Cuccinelli's fundraising is pretty "meh"...

Cuccinelli, 44, had $2.7 million in cash as of the end of June, compared with $6 million for McAuliffe, 56, the former national Democratic Party chairman and fundraiser. While McAuliffe had been expected to out-raise Cuccinelli, the Republican is lagging behind where McDonnell was at this point in his 2009 race, when he had $4.9 million in cash on hand.

What, national conservatives, the stakes aren't high enough? You don't feel sufficiently invested in the success of Cuccinelli in November?

Okay, then think of the Terry McAuliffe 2013 campaign as a dress rehearsal for the Hillary Clinton 2016 effort.

Because that's how the McAuliffe team sees themselves ... In fact, McAuliffe and some of his top allies have suggested to big donors and consultants that supporting his campaign is a way to get in on the ground floor of Hillary 2016, several donors and operatives told POLITICO.

Geraghty's right.

We Constitutional conservatives like to think we have far more support for our principles than the RINO establishment has for its non-principles.  We need to prove it when it comes to serious candidates like Cuccinelli, especially when lined up against loathsome, crooked-as-a-corkscrew moonbats like Terry McAuliffe.

If you have a few bucks to spare, please drop by Ken Cuccinelli's site and help out.


You can read Geraghty most days he decides to wake up before noon by subscribing to The Morning Jolt.

You know that totally insane Benghazi conspiracy theory? Yep. It keeps getting less insane each and every day

Word broke today (via the outstanding Pajamas Media) that Arabic language media is confirming strong ties between the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

Multiple Arabic media sources have reported that the purpose of the Libyan intelligence chief’s recent trip to Cairo was to share information about Mursi’s involvement.

Other Arabic sources (1, 2, 3), including Masress, have reported on the details of the charges being filed against Mursi. They involve his release of [terrorist Mohammed Jamal] Al-Kashif...

If Mursi was involved, what were his possible motives? Indisputably, the two most prominent voices as of late demanding the release of “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdul Rahman were Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Muhammad Mursi. Interestingly, Mursi made such a demand before and days after the attacks in Benghazi.

Which begs the question: why are President Obama and same-sex senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham lobbying so hard for the Muslim Brotherhood?

Word of Egypt's involvement in the assassination of Ambassador Christopher Stevens had circulated in intelligence circles since September. Raymond Ibrahim reported then on a troubling Libyan intelligence document. It asserts that the Muslim Brotherhood, including Egyptian President Morsi, were involved in the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

On Wednesday, June 26, several Arabic websites ... quoted the intelligence report, which apparently was first leaked to the Kuwaiti paper, Al Ra’i... It discusses the preliminary findings of the investigation, specifically concerning an “Egyptian cell” which was involved in the consulate attack. “Based on confessions derived from some of those arrested at the scene” six people, “all of them Egyptians” from the jihad group Ansar al-Sharia (“Supporters of Islamic Law), were arrested.

According to the report, during interrogations, these Egyptian jihadi cell members “confessed to very serious and important information concerning the financial sources of the group and the planners of the event and the storming and burning of the U.S. consulate in Benghazi…. And among the more prominent figures whose names were mentioned by cell members during confessions were: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi; preacher Safwat Hegazi; Saudi businessman Mansour Kadasa, owner of the satellite station, Al-Nas; Egyptian Sheikh Muhammad Hassan; former presidential candidate, Hazim Salih Abu Isma’il..."

This jibes with original reporting from last September by Walid Shoebat. A cellphone video taken during the attacks depicts gunmen running toward the camera. At one point an approaching gunman cries, "Don't shoot us! We were sent by Morsi!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *In October of 2012, a comment by "Kozy" posited that the Benghazi attack was an "October Surprise". Easily dismissed at the time as some sort of conspiracy nonsense, with each passing day the scenario appears to become more plausible:

• Starting in late March, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz begs the State Department for more security assets. These requests are flatly refused.

• Also early in the year (February, March and April), White House visitor records show several lightly documented -- and possibly confidential -- visits by Hillary Clinton to the White House.

• In May, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz is swapped for Chris Stevens.

• In June, Egyptian President Morsi publicly pledges to secure the release of 'The Blind Sheikh', the extremist cleric responsible for the first World Trade Center attack.

• Also starting in June, Ambassador Stevens' security teams are systematically removed from Libya, despite increasingly urgent requests and dire predictions. By the time of the 9/11 attack, Stevens has not a single personal bodyguard. These stunning actions effectively remove any barriers to the capture of the Ambassador for use as a hostage.

• Did back-channel communications between the White House and the Blind Shiekh's legal representatives confirm that a swap could be achieved with a high-level hostage exchange? Were the Sheikh's cronies informed that Ambassador Stevens had no security in Benghazi? This would enable the Sheikh to be secured through a trade after capturing Stevens; after all, the ambassador has had his security teams completely stripped away.

• Someone -- it is not clear who -- arranges a meeting between Stevens and Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akinin in Benghazi, not Tripoli, late in the evening of 9/11. It is during this meeting that terrorist checkpoints are established around the compound. The terrorists know precisely where Stevens is and are prepared logistically to capture him.

• The initial attack involves only small arms fire. A fire was later used to smoke out the Ambassador from a safe room. In other words, the lack of RPG and mortar rounds during the initial attack means it is highly likely that the operation was a "smash and grab" designed to capture the Ambassador, not assassinate him. RPGs were only used later at the annex, hours later, after Stevens was known KIA.

• And, as stated above, during the initial attack, a video shot via camera phone records men yelling "Don’t Shoot us! We were sent by Morsi!"

Hostage swap

Under this operating theory, had all gone according to plan, the Obama administration would have secretly facilitated the capture of Ambassador Stevens. This would have permitted Obama to safely trade the Ambassador through the release of the Blind Sheikh.

The trade of the Sheikh for Stevens would have occurred, of course, just before the election. Obama would take very public credit for Stevens' safe return as well as a newly strengthened relationship with Egypt's Morsi.

Photo ops featuring Obama and Stevens would be splashed along the campaign trail, ostensibly solidifying the president's foreign policy qualifications.

Sound too far-fetched? Consider the following unanswered unanswered questions:

• Why did State repeatedly deny requests for more security in Benghazi, despite increasingly dire predictions? Instead, State completely stripped security from Stevens. No credible explanation has been offered for the removal of security by the White House or the State Department. It has been confirmed that the budget excuse proffered by State was completely false.

• Who arranged Stevens' meeting with Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akinin in Benghazi, not Tripoli, so late in the evening?

• Why on 9/11 -- of all dates -- was there no special security posture ordered in diplomatic installations around the Middle East?

• Why did so many people in the administration publicly lie about the nature of the attack when it was clear from the onset that it was an organized attack by terrorists?

• And, once again: why are President Obama and same-sex senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham lobbying so hard for the release of Muslim Brotherhood terrorists including Mursi?

• Why did the president go to sleep after getting word of the attack?

• Why did he reportedly refuse security briefings in the aftermath of the attack, instead simply departing for a fundraiser in Las Vegas?

The theory being: the President didn't need to stay awake after hearing of the attack. He didn't need any briefings. He knew exactly what had happened.

A review of the Complete Benghazi Timeline makes some of these anomalies apparent. It's high time for a special prosecutor and a full, Watergate-style investigation into this madness.


Hat tips: Wanda and MOTUS.

HOLY CRAP: Chinese Hackers Caught Attacking a Decoy US Water Plant

But don't worry, folks: President Obama is systematically de-funding the United States military, so what could possibly go wrong?

Chinese hackers have been harassing the US in a series of cyberattacks, but we've started trying to talk it out and cool this all down. But in the meantime, a security researcher has just revealed that he caught a team of Chinese hackers hijacking a fake water plant he set up. And aside from spotting the fake, they knew exactly what they were doing.

Kyle Wilhoit, a researcher with security company Trend Micro, explained the details of the whole thing at Black Hat on Wednesday. The hackers that attacked the honeypot are known as APT1 or "Comment Crew," and have been tracked back to the Chinese Army before; this isn't just some group of high-tech hooligans.

According to Wilhoit, the whole thing was extremely and obviously deliberate. He put it this way to the MIT Technology Review:

You would think that Comment Crew wouldn’t come after a local water authority. I actually watched the attacker interface with the machine. It was 100 percent clear they knew what they were doing.

This isn't an isolated case either. Wilhoit also shared information about 12 other decoys that attracted some 74 deliberate attacks from APT1 and other groups, 10 of which were able to completely control of the fake water plants. If the targets had been real and not decoys, the attackers would have had no problem doing pretty much anything they wanted with the infrastructure they managed to snag...

As researcher Trevor Loudon has warned us for years, the People's Republic of China is at war with the United States. Right now.


Via: BadBlue Tech News.

INTERNS FOR WEINER: Gag Posters Spotted Around Manhattan

Huma Weiner-Danger hardest hit:

There's a "War on Women" going on, alright, but the primary culprits appear to be Democrat perverts and their power-hungry enablers of the opposite gender.


Hat tip: BadBlue Real-Time News.

LADIES: Here's your front-line in the War On Women™

Binders full of women, indeed.

Heroines of the Left: pic.twitter.com/sajszbit89

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 30, 2013

If held to the same standard as any Republican, a Democrat couldn't have gotten elected Dogcatcher since July 18, 1969. That's the date Mary Jo Kopechne perished while an inebriated* Ted "Lion of the Senate" Kennedy fled the scene in Chappaquiddick.


* DISCLAIMER: Allegedly inebriated

And you thought we had hit rock bottom?

MM writes:

Oh, this is the big one, Elizabeth! You hear that Elizabeth? I'm coming to join you, honey.

JUSTICE FOR CHRISTOPHER: 75% of House Republicans Want Select Committee on Benghazi, Boehner Refuses

Is there a more pathetic, ludicrous, cowardly and failed Speaker of the House in modern American history than John Boehner? That's a rhetorical question, as evidenced by Rep. Frank Wolf's yeoman's work in trying to get the GOP leadership to name a Select Investigative Committee on Benghazi.

Wolf himself explained the other day on the House floor.

I ask my colleagues if the Congress can answer these questions and, if not, why?

· Was there an intelligence failure in vetting the true loyalty of the Libyan security guards for the U.S. consulate? Which agency was responsible for vetting the militias?

· Who provided the terrorists with details of the consulate property? Was it the security guards or someone in the Libyan government who was notified about the ambassador’s visit?

· Why did the guards in the car outside the consulate not warn the U.S. staff of the gathering terrorists as they drove away a minute before the assault began? Were they complicit in the plot?

When the Congress departs for the August recess in two and a half weeks, will the American people know why, after a year of investigations, who provided the terrorists with insider information about the consulate property and the ambassador’s location?

Again, this is why I believe a House Select Committee is the best way forward to ensure that these and other unanswered questions are resolved. To date, 160 House Republicans – nearly three quarters of the entire Republican Conference – have cosponsored H. Res. 36 to create a Select Committee on Benghazi to ensure the American people learn the truth.

And this Boehner refuses to do.


Please read: The Complete Benghazi Timeline in Spreadsheet Format and then call John Boehner at (202) 224-3121 and demand a Select Committe on Benghazi.

JOIN THE JUSTICE FOR CHRISTOPHER RALLY: Meet July 23rd 2013 on the Capitol Steps!

Guest post by Bob McCarty

EDITOR’S NOTE: I received the message below from my friend Capt. Larry W. Bailey, former commander of the U.S. Navy SEALs Training Program, co-founder of Special Operations Speaks and one of the folks who’ve endorsed my latest book, THE CLAPPER MEMO. Please READ and SHARE ASAP!

Dear Benghazi Patriot,

This is short notice for such a major event, but it has to be done.

You see, Special Operations Speaks has just been asked by Congressman Steve Stockman to mount an event to put pressure on the House of Representatives (and especially Speaker Boehner!) to form a select committee to investigate the tragedy that was Benghazi.

As a first step toward causing Congress to get serious about assigning responsibility for what happened at Benghazi, we are organizing a rally at Cong. Stockman’s request that will be held on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at noon, Tuesday, July 23, 2013. That rally will hear words from a number of patriots, including Cong. Stockman and Cong. Louie Gohmert, both of whom have been very supportive of our efforts to answer Hillary Clinton’s heartless answer to a Senator’s question about the men who died at Benghazi: “What difference does it make?”

Be with us next week as we demonstrate to Hillary and others like her “what difference it makes.” Bring yourself, a carload, or a busload, but be there.

Thousands of you showed up to protect the Vietnam Wall in 2007; please help us demonstrate that we will not tolerate the murder-by-neglect of four of America’s finest on September 12, 2012. Please help us send a message to our nation’s leaders that we demand full accountability for this national crime.

Thanks in advance for doing what you can to help make this rally a success!

Related: Special Ops Veterans Demand Answers About Benghazi