Archive for November, 2009
Add Italy to the Shit List
Posted by Tom in Defense, Foreign Policy, Foreign Trade on November 6, 2009
Where will Obama’s Eurocentric worldview lead? Yesterday’s news tells of Italy’s conviction, in absentia, of 23 Americans (CIA agents) charged with kidnapping Osama Mustafa Hasan Nasr and taking him out of Italy and eventually to Egypt. No question of Nasr’s terrorist connections as Italian security forces were cooperating with our CIA operatives. The conviction violates a long-standing principal of international law that officials of foreign governments operating within a country with official consent are immune from prosecution.
Today’s WSJ editorial makes the cogent and obvious point that if American intelligence officials can’t safely cooperate with their in-country counterparts, the both nations are less safe.
We saw in May the results of the Obama worldview when Spain’s top investigative judge launched a new criminal investigation into allegations of torture at Guantanamo Bay indicating that he would investigate high-level Bush administration officials!
Has Obama’s bowing and scraping and apologizing for America taken us to this new low? Does he intend to completely sacrifice US sovereignty to the filth of the UN?
I fear for our nation and our security under this president. And like the 23 US intelligence operatives “convicted,” I will no longer travel to Italy nor will I buy any of its products. Italy, Spain…the shit list is getting longer! Wonder who’ll be next?
Tom Motherway
Weak, Dithering President, Dithers Away Democratic Opportunity
Posted by Tom in Defense, Foreign Policy, Military Policy, National Character on November 4, 2009
From a foreign policy standpoint our young untested president understands only applause and adulation, which he gets by apologizing for America’s past and equating his country with the lowest of the low in the obsessive, Israel-bashing Human Rights Council of the United Nations. Yep, our tax money is going to these fools!
Hey, Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize with his rock-star status, so who can fault him? Certainly not the European socialists he tries to emulate, forgetting that American protection and blood spilt in two world wars and beyond gave his fellow-travelers the luxury to become socialists.
But there are some who may find fault. I suspect the GIs in Afghanistan waiting for support and some decision from his seemingly constant vacillation may be a bit anxious and perhaps nervous in the leadership shown so far by their commander-in-chief.
Then the Eastern nations, Hungry, Poland, the Czech Republic may shudder a bit at Obama’s abandonment of the nuclear shield they so courageously agreed to host, abandoned so Obama could curry favor with Russia which continues to play him like a fool.
Without a doubt there are the Iranian dissidents who had the courage to protest the fraudulent elections sponsored by the mullahs and Amadinejad. Their ranks are being tortured, beaten, raped, imprisoned and killed on a daily basis without a word of support from Obama. There is a telling piece in the November 4th WSJ by Akbar Atri who in his younger days participated in the Iranian Hostage crisis thirty years ago. He tells of his maturity and realization that Iran must embrace modernity and freedom. He tells of how he became one of the leading voices in democratic opposition. And, sadly, he tells of how the Untied States under Obama has failed democracy.
Now a rational American perspective suggests four alternatives with Iran: 1. Allow Iran to have nuclear arms and export them to terrorists. 2. Sit back and wait for Israel to strike unsuccessfully. 3. Attack Iran’s leadership and nuclear installations, or, 4. Support the democratic dissidents and foster an overthrow to a more democratic, modern and rational regime. If a rational, brave and proud American president and leader of the free world were to make the decision which decision would you expect and hope for him to make?
Would he continue to seek applause and adulation from his European sycophants or would he make the hard choice and do what is best for America? Obama is weak, he continues to dither, and our adversaries are playing him like the fool that he is.
God save us!
Tom Motherway
Celebrate New Ideas and Happenings
Posted by Tom in Economics, Nationalized Health Care, Politics on November 3, 2009
Bravo to John Geanakopolos of Yale had his Archimedes, “Eureka!” moment when rereading Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Indeed, Shylock’s “pound of flesh” is what Geanakopolos saw as the “collateral stretching” in the mortgage market when there was too much investor demand for too little mortgage supply. In essence, to accommodate demand (caused by too loose a money supply), lenders artificially “expanded” supply (caused by Fannie-Freddie forced junk expansion) by lowering collateral standards.
Credit Bernanke who had worked in the academic area with recognizing John’s innovation and inviting him to participate in Fed discussions. See the front page WSJ article here.
Tom Donohue, Chamber of Commerce President is not a “rent seeker!” When so many of our business leaders have traded solid principal for competitive expediency and advantage, it is refreshing to see that the Irish CoC President is willing to stand up and oppose Obamacare. Some of the big wig corporate members who quit because of Donohue’s stance have had second thoughts. Bottom line, Donohue won’t put up with Obama statism which costs this country jobs and growth. Kimberley Strassel’s WSJ interview is worth the read.
Congratulations to the voters of Virginia and New Jersey. Let’s hope intelligence permeates the ranks of voters across the nation in 2010!
David Goldhill who watched his father die unnecessarily took up the effort to understand healthcare and health. Both are unrelated and indeed distinct from insurance. He penned a long article articulating some of the changes we have hear at our symposium. He also had an excellent Cato podcast which is inserted here. Basically, he says, if you knew what it costs as a percent of your income, you wouldn’t buy it!
Tom Motherway