Illinois Review

Googlegate…oh, what a tangled web – part two

By Irene F. Starkehaus - 

We recognize the despotism that the Progressive Movement has produced and we all nod our heads in agreement with my prosaicisms which do wonders for singing to the choir but nothing else. The problem with this kind of generalization is that it does little to improve the political climate other than ignite a week's worth of opposition posting from the internet's conservative blogosphere before we move on to the next outrage. The fact that there is a next outrage shows us that we are whistling in the wind and such reality promotes despair within the ranks of conservative reformers ~tangled web - part one.

This week we celebrate the 26^th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's perhaps most famous speech at Brandenburg Gate in what was then West Berlin, Germany. For those of us who are old enough to remember that stirring address, it's good that we take the time to explain to those who are young the relevance of the era that we refer to as the Cold War.

The Cold War – a term coined by George Orwell in 1945 in reference to the dawning of the nuclear age. The term was adopted by US presidential advisor Bernard Baruch in 1947 to express the beginning of the never ending conflict between the US and the Soviet Union that was a "peace that is no peace."

We well remember Ronald Reagan – the man who used the job as president to do whatever he could to free future generations from the grips of Soviet aggression. Sadly, Soviet aggression is now the least of our children's worries. They have their own bogeymen with which to contend. They go to school and perform safety drills to protect them from homegrown terrorists and other likeminded whack jobs with perhaps a tad less futility than huddling under one's desk to protect oneself from the imminent nuclear holocaust, but the truth is that, in the grand scheme of things, we have just supplemented one evil empire with another.

As We Remember the Many, Remember Too the Individuals

By John F. Di Leo - 

Each Memorial Day, Americans proudly, and solemnly, display our flags only at the half-staff position for the morning, not to return them to the full-staff position until noon. This we do in memory of the million-some casualties whom our nation has lost in battle since the Founding era.

We hold parades in their honor; we hoist a flag and raise a toast at city parks and private barbecues. We may wear red, white and blue clothing, or flag lapel pins, or decorate our homes with bunting. But for all this show of support, who are we really honoring?  Do we know?

On July 4, we celebrate the Founding Fathers, a generation of giants who won us our independence and designed the greatest system of government ever attempted. We know their names, from school and books and popular culture. Our street signs bear their names, as do our school buildings and even our towns. 

Obama in the Bunker on Benghazi, Coverup Exposed with Victoria Toensing

By Teri O'Brien - 

After last week’s hearing on Benghazi before Darryl Issa’s House Oversight Committee, we have even more questions about what happened on the most recent anniversary of 9/11. Still, it’s a clear picture is emerging, and common sense allows us to connect the very obvious dots. We’ll explore the remaining questions with über attorney Victoria Toensing, who represented the Benghazi whistleblowers, and who was scheduled to appear last week, but was delayed while traveling. Combining what happened in the hearing with an application of my knowledge of the Chicago Way, I’m pretty sure I understand what happened. I’ll tell you during today’s show. Suffice it to say for now that it’s time to put Valerie Jarrett, David Plouffe, and Obama’s ultimate sleazemeister, David Axelrod under oath and get some answers.

There was another hearing in Congress last week, this time in the Senate on immigration. Any doubt that this 844-page monstrosity drafted by the Gang of 8 is a trick cooked up by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), should be gone after what we heard last week. Of the over 300 amendments proposed to the bill, the defeat of the one specific change tells us everything we need to know. Paging Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). Let me say it again: you are being played.

Whistleblowers' attorney Victoria Toensing talks Benghazi Coverup

By Teri O'Brien - 

During a week when Barack Obama had to state that rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated, the reality is that rumors of al Qaeda’s demise, fueled by the One’s desire to perpetuate his pre-election mantra that “GM is alive and Osama bin Laden is dead,” are the thing that has been seriously, and dangerously exaggerated, as demonstrated by both Benghazi and Boston.

The Benghazi coverup is beginning to unravel.

In a terrific piece of reporting, Steve Hayes of the Weekly Standard confirms this weekend what we knew all along; specifically, “senior Obama administration officials knowingly misled the country about what had happened in the days following the assaults.”

Where’s my shocked face?

This coming Wednesday, three whistleblowers, all career State Department officials, will testify before Rep. Darryl Issa (R-CA) and his Oversight and Government Reform Committee. We are delighted that their attorney, the amazing Victoria Toensing, will be our guest Sunday.

International Trade Across the Centuries

By John F. Di Leo -

National Security Issues Don’t End at the Border

For over a decade, the British Crown had been at war with the American colonies. One could argue that April 6, 1776 was the day that the American colonies had finally had it.

The sundering of the bonds between two peoples is not something that happens in a day. The relationship between Great Britain and what was to become the United States of America began as a close-knit bond. The link between these frontier territories and their mother country was tight and fond at first; Americans were proud to think of themselves as British citizens, and even our most rabid patriots regretted having to give that up in the end (with only the odd Francophile as exceptions). But so they did, and the events of April 6, 1776 were a turning point.

After the costly French and Indian War, the British government was broke. They decided, understandably, that the American colonists should contribute to that burden more directly, through some form of taxation. Fair enough. The American colonies all had their own state legislatures, and had for a century or more; reasonable discussions about how America might share the burden would certainly have been justified.

Obama Administration's Stunning Admission on Border Security

By Teri O'Brien -

Last week the Lame Stream Media indulged two obsessions, one old, and one new. The former, their celebration of the anniversary of the tenth anniversary of the liberation of Iraq by demonizing Pres. George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and their new shiny hobby horse, the essential and immediate legalization of so-called same sex marriage, there was actual news that will affect you and your family. During a hearing in the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security made a stunning admission, one that went virtually unreported, even on so-called “conservative” news outlets like Fox News. Do you know about it? If not, listen and learn not only about another instance of incompetence, at best, or deliberate malfeasance, at worst when it comes to securing the border. We’ll discuss this shocking revelation with our guest Mark Kirkorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. We’ll also ask him about Sen. Rand Paul’s extremely disappointing statement earlier this week, an effective endorsement of open borders, and what about those Chinese baby factories in California? Is it time to put an end to birthright citizenship, and do we need a constitutional amendment to do it?

On Missiles and Missed Opportunities – The Verdict Is In

By John F. Di Leo -

On March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech that horrified the liberal establishment of the time: his call for a Strategic Defense Initiative.

Ronald Reagan was not your typical politician. The only president born and raised in Illinois (yes, Lincoln, Grant, and Obama moved to Illinois as adults, but only Ronald Reagan grew up there), he came to politics with a heartland sensibility: do what makes sense, do what’s right; don’t worry about what the elites from the Ivy League or Foggy Bottom insist upon.

Reagan came to party activism late in life, running for public office for the first time in his successful 1966 campaign for the California governorship, after having moved there at 26 and making his career in various aspects of entertainment, as a film and television actor, longtime president of the Screen Actors Guild, and corporate spokesman for General Electric. Only at 55, therefore, did he hold his first political office; perhaps that too helps to explain his approach to political problems, an approach that we today refer to as “thinking outside of the box.”

Jew Hater/Prospective Obama Award Winner's Amazing On-Off Twitter Hacker

By Teri O'Brien -

Yesterday the Obama State Department decided to revisit its plans to give an International Woman of Courage Award to Samira Ibrahim, someone with an unfortunate history of tweets celebrating 9/11 and otherwise expressing what some might call unfortunate sentiments like how cool it is that some Israelis got killed in Bulgaria. She claimed that some evil miscreant had hacked her Twitter account and written that nasty stuff, but she was sent packing anyway. Oh no! The hacker is back! The Weekly Standard, the publication that exposed this disgrace in the first place, reports that her latest tweet reads:

"I refuse to apologize to the Zionist lobby in America regarding my previous anti-Zionist statements under pressure from American government therefore they withdrew the award.”

Go away, you mean hacking person who keeps "stealing" this heroic woman's Twitter feed! As the youngsters say, haters gonna hate, and this one seems unstoppable!

George Washington, Keeper of the Peace

By John F. Di Leo - 

A year into his second term, President George Washington celebrated his 63rd birthday on February 22, 1794, and received one of the best birthday present any head of state ever received. The new minister from France, Jean Antoine Joseph Baron Fauchet presented his credentials as the new ambassador from France, replacing the troublesome Edmund-Charles Genet at last.

Citizen Genet was many things. A child prodigy, fluent in six languages by age twelve, he was born at Versailles in 1763, the only son of a French civil servant. Genet served as court translator in his youth and was then sent to the embassy to Russia, at St Petersburg, at age 25. While serving thusly as a French diplomat, Genet proved so undiplomatic that Empress Catherine the Great had him ejected in 1792, declaring him persona non grata, famously saying that his further presence at the Tsarist court would be “not only superfluous but intolerable.”

Fortunately for him, however, the government he served had changed while he was in Russia; France was now ruled by the Girondists. This new regime loved their bold young anti-monarchist ambassador, and sent him right on to the United States, where he arrived to the immediate public acclaim of huge, excited, and misguided crowds. 

Larry Elder on Fathers, Jack Cashill on Hillary's Many Lies

By Teri O'Brien -

The Sage of South Central, Larry Elder, will be our guest to discuss his riveting new book, Dear Father, Dear Son…Two Lives, Eight Hours, which describes his horrific childhood with a brutal father who beat him and his brothers on a regular, albeit not always predictable, basis. How did growing up in this environment shape his future, especially his attitude about fathers and their absence? He has spoken eloquently about the epidemic of broken families in the black community, but what about American society in general? Don’t the recent high-profile mass killings committed by young men with untreated mental illness say that we have a serious social problem involving our boys and young men? We’ll also ask him about his decades long battle against the race baiters who have tried to enlist black Americans in a cult of victimhood, and the case of former Los Angeles cop Christopher Dorner, now accused of two murders, and author of a bizarre manifesto. The Lame Stream Media has scrubbed references to Mr. Dorner’s admiration for well-known media liberals like Chris Matthews and Piers Morgan, as well as his admiration for Barack Obama. Is he surprised?

A Week in Bizarro World

By Teri O'Brien - 

This week was one of bizarre spectacles, over and above the 2^nd inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama, praise be his name. That event featured Richard Blanco’s poem “One Today.” “My face your face” is part I remember. Seriously? “My ass, your ass,” I thought. Of course, I’m probably just a peasant who doesn’t appreciate great art from a man who is both Latino and an open homosexual, and therefore, above criticism.  Then the great speech by the One himself. I didn’t notice. Did they hand out the little red books to the assembled cadres there or is Organizing for Action going to send those out using their tax-deductible contributions?

In other bizarro world events, consider the following:

Blabbermouth Brennan Has Some Splainin' To Do

By Teri O'Brien -

Barack Obama’s nomination of John Brennan has liberals reviving their wails about his complicity in the evil Bush administration’s “torture” of people like Khalid Sheik Mohammed, however, there are other, and potentially, more serious obstacles to his confirmation; specifically, the issue of Benghazi, raised in this post, where we praised Sen. Lindsay Graham for demanding answers before he agrees to allow Brennan’s confirmation to proceed. Then there’s also this issue. From Politico:

The bitter election-year battle over alleged White House leaks of national security secrets is heating up again — this time fueled by President Barack Obama’s pick for CIA director.

Obama’s nomination of counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the CIA is reviving long-simmering claims that the president’s aides leaked classified information to bolster his reelection chances. …

Di Leo: Greco Sees Double

By John F. Di Leo - 

The minor mob boss from the south of Europe learns about double-entry bookkeeping… coming soon to a western nation near you?

It was a good day for a walk. The sun was shining, the air was clear… the view from Athens, out across the lovely Aegian Sea, had never been so sparkling. So Greco put on his pea coat and fisherman’s cap, clipped his blackjack on his belt and checked his pocket for his switchblade, pulled on his driving gloves and walked outside.

In the old days, Greco had more employees to help with the collection task; he just got the business himself, then sent out his bagmen for the monthly protection money (weekly for some… you might say Greco’s business required certain flexibility in payment plans).

"American Independence" Doesn't Just Mean Independence from Kings

By John F. Di Leo -

“When in the Course of Human Events…”  thus begins the most famous divorce decree in history, conceived by the Committee of Five in the Continental Congress, crafted principally by future governor and president Thomas Jefferson, with the helpful editing of their fellow delegates in Philadelphia, in June and July, 1776.

It was indeed a divorce decree, not a letter of annulment.  It did not declare that we had never been partnered with England; it acknowledged clearly that there had once been legitimate bonds between England and these colonies.  But the Declaration of Independence analyzed the then-recent practices of King George III, his ministers, and the British Parliament, and found them wanting. 

It is time for the United States to recognize that another such international divorce is needed: a permanent end to our long relationship with the United Nations.

Carney decries GOP "Obsession" with Four Dead Americans; Susan Rice Still Lying

By Teri O'Brien -

As nearly everyone with a pulse now knows, on September 16, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice infamously appeared on five Sunday morning news shows to present a false and deceptive narrative to the American public. Her ostensible purpose was to explain the murder of four Americans in Libya on the eleventh anniversary of the original 9/11 attacks. We know that she told us that these deaths were the result of “spontaneous” demonstration, caused by a “reprehensible” (Hillary Clinton’s word) “offensive” YouTube video. Give Ms. Rice credit. She was able to recite this risible story with a straight face. As of today, she’s still lying. After meeting with the three Republican senators who, unlike Barack Obama, don’t consider the murder of 4 Americans “a bump in the road,” and want to get to the bottom of what happened, she issued a statement describing the meeting, which included the following statement:

Why We Lost: In a Word, Timidity

By Teri O'Brien -

I was right about one thing. It was over by 11 p.m. Central. Unfortunately, I was wrong about Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and Colorado. I was really, really wrong, and I was very surprised. It was more 2004 than 1980. Like you, I am disappointed, however, I am not one to dwell on disappointments. After all, life is full of disappointments, and given that the human mind can focus on only on thing at a time, if we ruminate about events that have happened, and that we have no power to change, we waste time and mental energy that we could use to do something constructive. What is constructive in the face of bad outcomes is to learn from them. So what have we learned? Why did Mitt Romney lose? In a word, timidity.

Why Romney Will Win in a Landslide?

By Teri O'Brien -

Our friends in the Lame Steam Media are trying to convince themselves that Barack Obama’s “presidential” handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, along with the effusive praise he received from Gov. Chris Christie, will push him over the finish line on Tuesday. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think that images of the One playing dress-up in a bomber jacket, and hugging a couple of storm victims before jetting off to another screech fest of silly slogans, are sufficient to cause the American public to ignore images of people in Manhattan dumpster diving, not to mention his demonstrable and pathetic performance on the issue of the economy. Unemployment is higher today than when he took office. How can this be? All Obama mouthpieces on the Sunday shows claim that they have created 5.5 million jobs, but just how many jobs have been created during Barack Obama’s tenure in office? (Hint: a lot fewer than David Plouffe, David Axelrod, and Barack Obama are telling you.)

Obama has a plan for America - an insidious plan

By Teri O'Brien - 

Barack Obama is a man with a plan, and it isn’t the recycled, and long ago broken, promises repeated in the silly brochure he has been waving around in front of his low-information fans during recent campaign appearances. It’s true that these tired slogans reflect his no-growth, big government policies, and are a rehash of what he promised in 2008. It’s also true that the only people left who are surprised by that fact are the afore-mentioned ignoramuses who still don’t recognize what a breathtaking failure he has been. The pamphlet is nothing more than another coverup of his actual plan for America; specifically, to make it poorer and weaker, no longer the world’s sole superpower, but just another country in the United Nations roll call, to make its citizens more dependent on the government for even their most basic needs, and to confiscate and redistribute wealth from the makers to the takers.

Clinton: I'm responsible for diplomats' security

PERU - On a South American junket Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told CNN that she is responsible for the breach of security that led to the terrorist attack and death of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on September 11. Three U.S. Senators replied to Clinton's remarks: (video below)

White House admits Libyan attack was not affiliated with protest

WASHINGTON DC - Tuesday afternoon, Fox News was blocked from a White House conference call about the Benghazi attack in which the US Ambassador to Libya was killed, along with three other Americans. The White House broke information on that call to review information that will become public during a congressional hearing Wednesday.  After the call, the White House notified Fox News that they were inadvertently overlooked when the other media was contacted for the conference call.

Fox News' Bret Baier obtained a copy of the call script, in which State Department officials admitted  no one was protesting in the streets outside the embassy as late as 8:30 PM on 9/11, the night the Benghazi embassy was attacked. 

An hour later, at approximately 9:40 PM, the embassy's security cameras showed armed attackers merging on the complex. There were no spontaneous protests or organized reactions to the Cairo protests and the attack had nothing to do with the YouTube.

It is now clear, and the White House admits and will tell Congress Wednesday, the Libyan embassy attack was planned. Below is ABC News' breaking bulletin issued late Tuesday afternoon:

Di Leo: Greco Strikes a match

By John F. Di Leo -

The mob boss from the south of Europe encounters an unexpected demonstration as he makes his rounds in Athens one September Wednesday...

Greco was feeling sorry for himself.  As his career decline approached four years of sheer misery, he was beginning to wish he had become a fisherman, hotel clerk, tour guide, archaeologist… heck, anything would be better than running the rackets in times like these.  How do you shake people down when the people don’t have anything left to be shaken out of them?

Wednesday, September 26 was a particularly bad day for Greco, as he wandered through Athens on his regular collection run. 

It wasn’t a difficult job; you get up in the morning and shower and dress, like everybody else… maybe put on a leather jacket or a wool pea coat, depending on the weather, a traditional Greek fisherman’s cap as a rakish nod to the past… affix a blackjack to your belt and keep a set of brass knuckles in your pocket… and head out to work.  A lot like your typical commuter, Greco thought, except that his hours were his own, and he got more fresh air than most people.

O'Brien: Lame Stream Media Polls: Shiny Objects of Distraction

By Teri O'Brien -

Many of my fellow conservative commentators have spent a lot of time talking about the oversampling of democrats in nearly all of the recently released presidential election polls. Just in case you haven't noticed, they show that holding the presidential election is a mere formality at this points, since Barack Obama has effectively won. While I don't doubt that it's true that these polls are skewed, that's not the real story.

The real story is that for the last two weeks, these polls, along with Mitt Romney's allegedly "infamous," "horrific," "revealing," and granted, poorly worded, comments at a May fundraiser, are presented incessantly by the LSM as the lead story, the most important news since some dude with a super powerful telephoto lens snapped photos of a topless Kate Middleton.

So, it's not that the polls are skewed, which they are. It's that they are being used by the Obama administration's propagandists to facilitate its deliberate coverup of the murder of four Americans, one of whom was the first American ambassador to be murdered by terrorists since 1979, in Libya on September 11, 2012.

Freedom may not be easy, but it is simple

By Cranky Housewife -

After much debate, intellectuals within the international community have concluded that world peace could and will be obtained when there's far less freedom floating around to mess things up. They have also decided that they are just the people to eradicate the great obstruction to commonality…formally known as liberty. They will, therefore, usher in a new utopian mandate where people must not be overburdened with those pesky freedoms of expression and self-discipline. Too many variables can get in the way of their proposed symmetry and equity because when some individuals lacking restraint are exposed to cultures where autonomy prevails, they just can't handle it. Naturally, their answer is to shut down the autonomy.

Mitt, Don't Go Wobbly in the Face of East Coast Brain Rot

By Teri O'Brien - 

When I hopped on my treadmill at 5:22 a.m this morning, (and “hopped” probably creates the impression of a lot more “get up and go” than I have that hour, but go with me here), I expected that the “usual suspects” (wait until the end of this piece for a surprise ending!) on the televised 24/7 nuthouse would be wringing their hands over Mitt Romney’s latest disastrous misstep. This time his very appropriate and very accurate remarks regarding the Obama administration’s Carteresque appease-and-apologize foreign policy.

The gang at Morning Joe didn’t disappoint. Mika wailed “What’s wrong with them?” Andrea Mitchell furrowed her brow and the segment was bannered “Political Misfire.” They cited Peggy Noonan’s tisk tisking of Gov. Romney. Yes, that Peggy Noonan (R-Dick Lugar), the one who endorsed Barack Hussein Obama. 

The Do-Over Party’s Do-Over Candidate, Barack Obama 3.0

By Teri O'Brien -

David “The Combover” Axelrod’s review of the Republicans in Tampa is classic liberal projection. He calls it the “Reinvention Convention,” as if it’s the GOP that is trying to recover from an endless series of mistakes with one “do-over” after another. First there was Monday’s attempt to put the “No, Americana aren’t better off” toothpaste back in the tube after various Obama mouthpieces, including the aforementioned Mr. Axelrod, stepped in it by actually telling the truth rather than giving the politically-expedient answer on the Sunday shows. Then there was the do-over on moving the venue of the One’s acceptance speech indoors because of worries about weather, as in “we’re not sure whether, even if we bus every illegal alien, public employee union member, retired teacher and welfare recipient within a 500-mile radius here, we can fill even half the capacity of the arena.” Most embarrassing of all, the do-over, apparently on orders from the One himself, re-inserting a reference to “God” and to “Jerusalem” as the capital of Israel, back into the Democrats’ platform. They tried to get away with making their platform reflect the values of their party, but once there were outed, in part by a bizarre interview performance from national laughingstock Sen. Dick Durbin, there was no turning back. All things considered, they should have included a name change, the “Do-Over Party” into their platform.

Raul Castro and the Mending of Fences

By John F. Di Leo -

Thoughts on Raul Castro's current "outreach" to the United States

Raul Castro, dictator of Cuba and brother of dictator emeritus Fidel Castro, is in the news.   He took advantage of a Cuban national holiday on July 26, 2012 (a national holiday in a communist country -- now that sounds like fun, doesn't it?), to announce his desire to reopen relations with the United States.

Castro seems reasonable; he says that anything can be on the table, as long as it is a conversation between "equals" -- he emphasizes that Cuba is nobody's puppet, after all.

The Castros seem discouraged that the USA never "forgave and forgot" with Cuba, the way that the USA did with so many other countries two decades ago.  We patched things up with East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, even Russia!   Why not with Cuba too?

Here's Your Chance to Thank a Soldier - Troopathon

By Hannah Ihms -

When retired Navy SEAL Kevin Lacz was asked why he decided to become a SEAL, he said: “It’s an easy question. I wanted to be one of the best of the best. I knew I’d always be in good company. I wanted to serve my country, and I thought the best way I could do it was to be a SEAL. It was the best decision I could make, and I’m really proud of it, and I’m really proud of the people I was able to serve with.”

The courage of the men and women of our armed forces is inspiring. Serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, they fight a primitive yet postmodern ideology that encourages its adherents to endanger civilians, sacrifice themselves and others as homicide bombers, carry out random acts of violence using improvised explosive devices, continually indoctrinate even children religiopolitically, and engage in psychological warfare—all in the name of Allah.

Fighting such an ideology in remote and desolate regions poses a significant challenge; fighting entrenched antipathy here at home poses another. Two generations ago actors such as Jimmy Stewart ran bombing raids on and off the screen, but today the mainstream media, and Hollywood in particular often marginalize the military, reclassifying heroes as victims (“Stop Loss”), brutes (“Badland”), or both (”Brothers”). In the news media, military casualties instead of military successes are emphasized—when the wars are mentioned at all.

Di Leo: Greco sees a ghost

By John F. Di Leo -

The poor relative of Europe contemplates his choices, with just a little help from beyond…

Greco had had a bad year. Well, that’s not entirely true. He’d had several bad years, and they just kept getting worse. 

In debt up to his eyeballs with a grubber list that no amount of income could ever cover, he had turned to the biggest loan sharks on the continent: He got hundreds of billions from Madame Angela and Slick Nicky, back when Slick Nicky still had a say in the matter. Now that he’s heard of a change in management up at Mob Headquarters in Brussels, he’s beginning to fear for his life.

Greco thought he’d tried everything before turning to the loan sharks. He’d nicely recommended to his grubber list that they cut back on their spending; they said no. So he nicely asked them to contribute a bit more to the pot; they said no. 

The Death of Liberalism with R. Emmett Tyrell, and (Ret.) Col. Lawrence Sellin

By Teri O'Brien -

Yesterday, while out and about at a local mall, I overhead a mother explaining to her very young daughter, who was probably about 4 years old, why her daddy would be home tomorrow. The woman said that tomorrow is holiday when we remember all the soldiers who died so that we can be free. I wanted to chase after her and hug her, and say “You are a wonderful mom, and great American,” but I decided I’d rather spend my weekend out of the slammer or the loony bin. My heart was in the right place, though. Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer, and while it is a terrific time to relax with family, friends and enjoy delicious food and beverages, it should be first last and always a day to commemorate the courage and selfless sacrifice of millions of members of the U.S.military that makes these celebrations possible. It’s essential that we convey that message to our children and grandchildren.

ChiTown Occupiers greet 99% Solidarity comrades

Just outside Chicago Thursday am ...

Barack's Mission Accomplished Speech

By Teri O'Brien -

During yesterday's "mission accomplished" speech, LIVE from KABUL!, the One, clearly a cross between Gen. George Patton, Winston Churchill and Jack Bauer, spoke to voters, and said the following:

“Our goal is not to build a country in America’s image or to eradicate every vestige of the Taliban,” he said. “These objectives would require many more years, many more dollars and many more American lives. Our goal is to destroy al-Qaeda, and we are on a path to do exactly that.”

Great goal, Barack, except that is destroying al-Qaeda enough to keep us safe? Probably not. From the Washington Times, "No Safety in a Weaker al-Qaeda:"

One Small Town, One Terrible Lesson

By John F. Di Leo -

Reflections on the anniversary of the liberation of Dachau…

For eleven centuries, it was just another town.

Founded in what is now southern Germany sometime before the early 800s A.D. (the first documented deed is dated 805), Dachau was home to merchants, farmers, millers, and brewers, like a hundred other towns in Bavaria for 1100 years. In the 1800s, it became known for its artists’ colony.

But all that was to be forgotten when the world learned of what had gone on near this town, in the twelve years from 1933 to 1945, when Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party ruled the country.

Here He Goes Again: Obama's Farcical Lecture at the Holocaust Museum

By Teri O'Brien -

Be prepared this week for an orgy of incessant LSM slobbering over B. Hussein Obama’s foreign policy superstardom, which was supposedly demonstrated by last year’s killing of Osama bin Laden. Giving Barack Obama credit for killing bin Laden is like giving Richard Nixon credit for the moon landing. This childish rejoinder to anyone who questions the Dear Reader’s clueless performance on the international stage (“He killed bin Laden!”) is tailor made for the low-information saps that the Obama campaign so successfully got to the polls in 2008, but slogans are no substitute for genuine leadership, an understanding of America’s place in the world and serious decision making.

This morning’s embarrassment was his speech at the Holocaust museum, in which he again demonstrated his greatest skill, as noted by Dr. Thomas Sowell, “the ability to say things that are demonstrably false, and make them sound not only plausible but inspiring.”

Ayers: Emanuel's NATO plan a setup for riots

CHICAGO - If you'd like to sleepover at the Ayers-Dohrn home in Chicago, you're invited. From the former Weather Undergrounder Bill Ayer's website:

We’re excited and you’re invited: Come to Chicago, May 18-May 21. Bring a sleeping bag, and if we have room, you can stay with us on the Southside.

Ayers' site calls for Occupy protestors to come to Chicago to protest NATO/G8 - although the White House moved the G-8 conference to Camp David earlier this week. Ayers is not happy with fellow liberal Mayor Emanuel's plans to contain anarchy and violence in the streets:

...Mayor Rahm Emanuel has made it entirely clear that he alone will happily host NATO/G8, but that the 99% are decidedly not welcome.  He has funding to further arm and mobilize the police and militarize the city; he has announced plans to contain and suppress demonstrators; he has pushed through legislation that restricts and criminalizes free speech and assembly, and requires insurance for public demonstrations; he is issuing a steady stream of pronouncements about Chicago-under-siege from ominous and dangerous outside forces.

And for that preparation, Ayers calls Emanuel's actions "obstinate" and "foolish:"

O'Brien: Will China Rule the World?

by Teri O'Brien

In response to the release of New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor’s new book “The Obamas,” Michelle rejects the charge that she is “an angry black woman,” a phrase that no one can find in Ms. Kantor’s book. Michelle’s use of that phrase is very revealing. If we want to find ample evidence that Mrs. Obama is a race-obsessed, seething cauldron of rage and entitlement, we need look no further than her own statements over the years. Let’s enjoy some of those together today, shall we?

While commenting on the kerfuffle over the book, former Enron consultant/leftist munchkin Paul Krugman was the latest Lame Stream Media mouthpiece for the current administration to marvel at the lack of scandals in the Obama administration. Perhaps Mr. Krugman is a teensy-weensy bit out of the loop. The name “Solyndra,” the now-bankrupt recipient of a half-billion dollars of our cash and coincidentally an investment owned by Obama campaign “bundler” George Kaiser, is now infamous, but even as it was the subject of yet another Friday document dump by the regime, it turns out that there are actually 11 more Solyndras, ratholes into which Barack Obama has thrown buckets of taxpayer money. CBS’ Sheryl Atkisson continues to commit actual journalism on this case, just as she did on the Fast and Furious gun walking mess, another Obama “non scandal.” 

My Close Encounter with Newt: Today on the Teri O'Brien Show

By Teri O'Brien -

This coming Tuesday, we’ll experience the most significant, earth-shaking event since last season’s finale of “The Bachelor,” the Iowa caucuses. Not to be dismissive of our Hawkeye friends, but let’s get real. As Michael Barone pointed out in his excellent piece, As Iowa Goes, So Goes Iowa:

In the five presidential nominating cycles with active Iowa Republican caucus competition, the Hawkeye State has voted for the eventual Republican nominee only twice—in 1996 for Bob Dole, in 2000 for George W. Bush—and only once was the Iowa winner elected president.

Head of IMF Balances Work and Leisure

by Sam Pierce

Reuters has an article, "IMF urges members to boost funding under 2010 plan." At the top of the article is a picture of the sun-ravaged head of the entity which should not exist, or at the very least, should not have United States involvement.

The photo shows the professional side of Christine Lagarde:

One wonders if a lady in such a high stress position can find time to relax. Fear not, there is photographic proof that Ms. Lagarde enjoys some well-earned down time:

Why are we there?

by Sam Pierce

I'm no philosopher. I have, however, wondered why we are here or why we exist. The question which really intrigues me now is "why are we there?" Where is there? There is everywhere our military is outside our borders. It seems that there is spreading faster than venereal diseases at various "Occupy" loser encampments.

I'm not very familiar with history as it didn't matter to me until I was a father, what we did, where we did it, or how much was spent. Chalk it up to public school education or whatever you like, but I simply did not think about things outside my own little sphere. I mention this because ignorance of history is among the first weapons used by fans of ever-expanding military actions when one questions their validity. Ignorance is in the top three, I think, accompanied by lack of patriotism and hatred of our military. So I grant you the ignorance. If there is historical data that informs the validity of military action in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, and wherever else there might be some reason to go to war, I admit ignorance.

Hey Congress, is Religion in Egypt Covered by your Enumerated Powers?

by Sam Pierce

Just who the hell do these (7 Republican) members of Congress think they are? On one hand, what business is it of our House of supposed Representatives to tell Egypt's new government how to treat religion? On the other hand, what is the point of some stupid little time-wasting "resolution" to encourage the new government of Egypt to do anything? H. Res. 459 (Encouraging any new government convened in Egypt to fully allow for freedom of religion) is yet another symptom of the ridiculous overreach of those who actually do seem to Occupy D.C.

Look around, dwellers of the D.C. influence and power market. Our country is in the toilet and you have the incredible arrogance to assume that some congressional "resolution" is going to influence the radical islamists who are likely to form Egypt's new government. So many big-mouthed know-it-alls thought that democracy was in action with the overthrow of the previous government... the people of Egypt will get what they (and many of the busy-bodies in our country) supported.

Optimist or not, there are always things to fear

by John F. Di Leo

Political thoughts on Halloween

At Halloween time, our children dress up in their scariest costumes, but if they’re too scared, the masks can always come off. Teenagers go to the movie theater for their fright, but as terrifying as a horror movie may be, the kids can always just head back to the lobby “for some popcorn and soda” until they’ve calmed down.

Some are afraid of the dark; they can just turn on the light.  Some are afraid of the neighborhood; they can invest in a burglar alarm system, or move to where it’s safer.  So many of the fears we have can be easily assuaged, by a light-switch or a change of scenery.

But there are some fears that are all too real, and we’re reminded of them too, each Halloween.  Because Halloween comes before the 1st Tuesday in November, a time when genuine fears rise to primacy in the public consciousness.

Barack Obama's Foreign Policy "Successes?" Plus, Marco Rubio Gets Palined

by Teri O'Brien - on today's Teri O'Brien Show

This week Barack Obama spiked the football over his amazing foreign successes. From terminating Osama bin Laden with extreme prejudice back in May, to killing Anwar al-Awlaki last month, and this week’s two-fer, the dramatic announcement that all American troops would leave Iraq by the end of 2011 and the death of the man Ronald Reagan called the “mad dog of the Middle East,” Muammar Gaddafi.

Certainly, when we think of this character’s decades-long sponsorship of worldwide terrorism, and his involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, the phrase “good riddance” springs to mind. I shed no tears for Gaddafi, but that’s me, your typical right wing extremist. 

From Alliance to Independence at the Hotel d’York

by John F. Di Leo

On September 3, 1783, a group of tired diplomats got together at the Hotel d’York, and signed the Treaty of Paris.  It was a long time coming.

Rumblings of dissatisfaction began to be noticeable during the French and Indian War, growing to a fever pitch in the Stamp Act Congress, then a few years of calm, and then Revolution.    From shots fired at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 through the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, the fighting had lasted – in one of those interesting coincidences of history – exactly six and a half years, but it still wasn’t really over… not until one army’s surrender translated into an empire’s capitulation in a hotel in Paris.

Painful Honesty about the Holy Land, and a New Path to Peace

by John F. Di Leo

On Wednesday, May 19, 2011 A.D., President Barack Obama, the head of state of one of Israel’s greatest allies, called for a massive shrinkage in the geographical size of her tiny friend.  He will spend the rest of his life trying to explain away this attempted sellout.

The United States is a huge country.  Running from the Pacific to the Atlantic, from the Rio Grande north to Canada, it contains some 3.8 million square miles.  By contrast, Israel is measured in the thousands of square miles, well under ten, in fact. Even that gives little indication to the true size of the country, because of its long and narrow placement, surrounded by enemy nations committed to its destruction.

For example, while the current width of the nation is only about 45 miles wide at some points, the pre-1967 size of the country was only eight miles wide at a particularly vulnerable central point – nearly indefensible then, likely completely indefensible today.  And yes, foolish though Obama is in so many ways, he and his administration most certainly do know this.

Today on the Teri O'Brien Show, 5/22/11

by Teri O'Brien

The 2012 campaign got a kick in the pants yesterday when plain spoken dynamo Herman Cain made his formal announcement that is he running for president. Then overnight, Bush proxy/establishment GOP darling Mitch “I can’t debate Obama on foreign policy” Daniels, nursing a banged up head he got from walking into a door, announced that he’s going to stay on the porch. Am I the only one who thinks that possibly after seeing what Mr. Cain had to say about “foreign policy experience” during his barn burner of a speech, Milquetoast Mitch decided to take a powder? And what about Herman Cain’s support for a national sales tax? Can we be confident that it would replace and not just supplement all existing taxes? Did he stumble on the issue of the so-called Palestinian “right of return” this morning on Fox News Sunday? You decide.

Critics Assail Lack of FTC Approval for Fatah-Hamas Merger

by Teri O'Brien

On the day that President Barack Hussein Obama will make a major foreign policy speech about the Middle East at the State Department, Mohammed Mohammed Abdul Abul Abdullah, spokesman for KABOOM (Kindred Alliance of Bombers, Osama-Worshipping, Oddball Maniacs) expressed the organization’s unhappiness that the recent merger of Hamas and Fatah did not require approval by the FTC. He referred not to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, but rather the Fanatic Terrorist Commission, a little-known organization that attempts to promote competition among murdering terrorist groups.

 Mr. Abdullah explained:

Many Americans do not understand that we are not anti-modern. We are anti-Western. We hate America, but we love its technology. Don’t be fooled by that video of Osama watching that 70’s style dorm tv with the wires coming out of the back. He was old school, no matter how much we tried to drag him into the 21st century when it comes to technology.  He was worse than your Aunt Tillie, who still has a VCR, and one with that “12:00” flashing on the clock! Honestly, it was ridiculous. Many people believe that the reason that he didn’t have a cell phone was that he was afraid of being captured. That wasn’t it at all. We just couldn’t get him to use one that wasn’t made in 1998 and wasn’t the size of a toaster! We finally gave up and took it away from him.

A Chilling Study in Cause and Effect

by John F. Di Leo

In a small town in Florida on March 20, the pastor of a small church held a public event: burning a koran for his audience and a video camera.  His American Christian audience reacted as one would expect from them:  they were happy to be a part of this provocative event; they returned to their homes and jobs after the service, and went on with their lives.

The world continued to turn… nobody of substance cared about Pastor Jones’ latest attempt at news coverage… until almost two weeks later, when it made the news half a planet away, in Afghanistan.

The president of Afghanistan denounced the event; imams and mullahs hammered it in their mosques.  Their Afghan muslim audience reacted as one would expect from them:  they streamed out into the streets, hunting down foreigners, beating hundreds of UN aides, NATO staffers, contractors, travelers, journalists, soldiers…  rioting in the streets,  burning the shops in their own neighborhoods, destroying property, attacking innocent bystanders.  At least a hundred injuries and dozens of killings were confirmed by the second day of the riots.

Barack Obama's "Mission Accomplished" Speech

by Teri O'Brien

Just about 36 hours after his Secretary of Defense, Bob “No Vital Interest” Gates and acting President Hillary “Don’t Make Me Slap You” Clinton did a confusing and cringe-inducing “Who’s on first?” routine on two of the Sunday public affair network shows, Barack Obama finally emerged from exile to explain America’s “kinetic military action” in Libya.

His speech was predictable. The pompous, prevaricating pantload currently occupying the Oval Office lied about “consulting Congress” and offered no answers to the obvious question on Americans’ minds, most important why the “images of slaughter and mass graves” that he imagines might have come from Libya are more horrifying than the actual images of those things from Iran, Somalia, Syria or Ivory Coast. Instead, appearing petulant and resentful that he had to explain anything at all, he took gratuitous, childish slaps at his predecessors George W. Bush and even Bill Clinton.

Returned to Sender, Unopened and Unread

by John F. Di Leo

In November, 2010, the American people had their first opportunity, as a nation, to speak with a single voice and send a message to Barack Hussein Obama and his whole leviathan-feeding, bounds-breaking party.

The TEA party activists, Republicans, conservatives, and others joined this Great Awakening on the last national Election Day, sending a message that the days of excess must end.  Henceforth, the Constitution must be obeyed – strictly – by all those who take an oath to do so, or they will be fired.

And in March, 2011, BHO declared in no uncertain terms that he received the message, and returned it, unopened and unread, by unilaterally involving the United States in a brand new foreign war without either Congressional authority or a legitimate grounding in our national security.  He couldn’t care less about the national will, our Founding Fathers’ legacy, or his oath of office.  He has power, and he is committed to using it, constantly and brazenly, for as long as he holds the Oval Office.

Down With Qaddafi! Viva Whomever!

by John F. Di Leo

Sun Tzu, Thucydides, and Caesar wrote about war… the army and navy have war colleges… an entire industry exists to support it, to study it, to improve its prosecution.  After four millennia of development, we should be pretty good at it by now, shouldn’t we?

But for all the technical aspects – the geography, logistics, strategy, talents, equipment, and sheer numbers to consider – there is also something about war that cannot be mastered.  However much we know in advance, however well we plan, there are always surprises, both in things we could have planned for, but failed to, and in things utterly unexpected. 

Barack's Excellent Libyan Adventure: Hillary's Revenge?

by Teri O'Brien 

Back in 2008, Hillary Clinton tried to warn everyone that Barack Hussein Obama was an inexperienced, unqualified empty suit, It wasn’t that he wasn't ready for prime time. He’s got that covered as long as there’s a working TelePrompTer. It’s that he was not, and is not, ready for 3 a.m. Rather than listening to her wise words, enough people were taken in by what apparently they considered a debonair, eloquent, thoughtful statesman, not the skinny, platitude-reciting poseur that she and most of us knew him to be, and he won. Watching her have to take a back seat to him was painful.