The Past Week: February 22-28, 2009 (Laura Bush Lives On; Budget Director Peter Orszag/Robert E. Rubin, Iceland Bankrupters; China Taking Advantage of U.S. Weakness As It Looks to Buy Foreign Oil Companies?; U.S. Deaths Spike in Afghanistan; Baracus Caesar Obamacus Meets Barackistanis)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

R.I.P. my camera, which died just after I finished taking yesterday’s pictures.  I’ve got to get a new one ASAP!!  I discovered today that a couple of my lantana plants are starting to send up shoots–which means, spring is really springing!!

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While driving around a couple of days ago I heard a public service announcement for either the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs or The Big Brother program, I forget which one. Anyway, guess who was delivering the PSA?  Laura Bush!  Which got me thinking…I’m wondering when we start hearing from Michelle Obama?  I wonder what causes she will lend her services to??  Or is she too busy visiting all the governmental agencies so she can deliver hubby’s message of hope and change?

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Truth is Gold had a really excellent post up on Friday called  Lest We Pay the Price Too Dear…Learn From History!

An excerpt, with permission:

I cross post today an urgent message, gleaned from three very well informed journalists who know their history well. Urgency dictates that I introduce them and furnish you with the links from which to read their messages in entirety.

The first, by Eric Margolis, reminds us of Afghanistan’s solid history of making mincemeat out of its invaders, from Alexander the Great in 327–325 BC, to the Soviets in 1989, disasters all.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis138.html

In the second, Kevin Barrett reveals in OpEdNews’s “Obama: Political Messiah, or Just Another Third World Dictator?” the facts behind the most recent resident of our White House and cites Webster Tarpley’s work in detail, Tarpley being among the foremost political and historical researchers of our time. Further research has substantiated the fact that indeed, Tarpley’s work is almost faultless in terms of his list of players and the historical context in which they exist.
The third of this terrifying trilogy is Christopher Bollyn’s work on Obama’s new budget director Peter R. Orszag.

SNIP

Orszag, for example, could start by explaining exactly what happened to the Icelandic economy. Orszag was, after all, the founder and president of the economic consultancy firm which advised the Central Bank of Iceland – before it went bankrupt. How did Icelandic banks become so indebted? Ask Peter Orszag.

MORE

Read the whole post.  Read about his links to Robert E. Rubin, Clinton’s Secretary of the Treasury and recently resigned head of Citigroup.  It isn’t looking good…

By the way, the Central Bank of Iceland just hired an interim governor, an economist from Norway. One of the former governors of the CBI who was asked to resign has been offered a job at….the Norwegian Central Bank. And, a possible snag?

“Law professor Sigurdur Líndal told Fréttabladid that he doubts a foreign citizen can be hired to the position, explaining that the constitution states that no one can become a public official in Iceland without holding the Icelandic citizenship.”

Central Bank of Iceland

There’s that “citizenship thing” again…

***

Here’s some more news that will cheer you up…not.  Let’s catch up with some of China’s latest moves.  How will this play out?

First, China is on the prowl, looking to buy foreign oil companies.  From The Telegraph:

CHINA PREPARES TO BUY UP FOREIGN OIL COMPANIES

China is preparing to open a new phase in its race for the world’s resources by using its huge currency reserves to buy foreign oil and gas companies.

SNIPA conference of officials from the National Energy Administration has agreed to consider establishing a special fund for China’s state-owned companies to buy oil and gas firms overseas. The beneficiaries would be the Beijing’s three giant energy companies – Petrochina, Sinopec and CNOOC.

SNIP

The possibility of a Chinese state subsidy for overseas acquisitions may ring alarm bells in Western economies. Four years ago, CNOOC tried to buy an American oil company, Unocal, and succeeded in outbidding its main US rival. But the Chinese firm eventually withdrew its offer amid opposition from American Congressmen. They opposed the idea of a private US firm falling into the lap of a state-owned company, bankrolled by the Chinese Communist Party.

This time, China may calculate that Western governments are in a weaker position to object. They are, after all, spending billions on taking over their own companies, notably the banking sector.

MORE

More background on China’s increasingly bold investments abroad.

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And what’s this? SPIKING DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN??

***

While visiting RBO, I happened to see this ANNOUNCEMENT about America’s new name, Barackistan.

New! Congratulations to Cinie of Cinie’s World who has found the perfect title for the leader of Barackistan — “Just Barely President, Baracus Hubris Maximus (hail Ceasar!)”. Psst! Baracus Ceasar Obamacus is good, too.

Thanks to Insight Analytical‘s Grail Guardian, America will be referred to as Barackistan and all you little former free-thinking, openly-voting Americans as Barackistanis.

RBO couldn’t think of any more fitting name for the White House/West Wing/Congress than Barackistan HQ.

Any questions?

***

Signing off from Free America…where we’re still “thinking freely”…

THE PAST WEEK

*By Kenosha Marge

Saturday Sanity: The Antidote to the Madness–the Garden Waking Up! (Pic Heavy)

Obama Energy Plan Includes Nano-Generators That Bite

Canadian Banks On the Move Buying U.S. Banks While Bailout Recipient AIG Sells Canadian Life Insurance Business to Bank of Montreal (”Picking over the Carcasses”)

A Giant White Rabbit in Britain Reminds Us How “Logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead”…

The SCANNER–International/Political Edition, 2/24/09 (Which Deficit is Obama “Halving”?; Canada Rubs U.S. Nose into Its Stable Banking System; GM/Chrysler Beg for Bailout Help in Canada, Too; Half of Foreign Criminals in Canada Are Fleeing to the U.S. [???])

*Maudlin Mawkishness in the Age of the Gush

The Past Week: February 15-21, 2009 (”Efficiency” Experts Michelle and “3-Card Monte” Barack Obama…Michelle’s Legacy at U of Chicago Hospital Under Fire by ER Physicians; Hubby Plans to Halve the Deficit via “Efficiency” (Among Other Things…); Spring Garden Prep!

The Past Week: December 28, 2008-January 3, 2009 (Court Dates; Barnicle on Bloggers; Burris-Delmarie Cobb Connection [Clinton Supporter]; Economic Collapse; The Feeding Machine)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

As we regroup for the REAL onslaught of Obama et al in a couple of weeks, let’s catch up on a few items of unfinished business.

First of all, if you’ve lost track of the court cases involving Obama’s eligibility to be President, check out this section of the January 1 post  from Truth Is Gold entitled New Years Blessings:

On the political front, much history continues to be made, despite media’s refusal to report any of it. Rather than report that 54% of the American people now believe there is reason to be concerned about Barack Obama’s eligibility to occupy the Oval Office, http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84990 or that Supreme Court of the United States has now scheduled two conferences on Philip Berg’s cases, Jan. 9th and 16th; [Mr. Berg has now entered an interpleader naming Barry Soetoro himself as a defendant, thus shifting the burden of proof to Soetoro/Obama, also naming a member of the military as a plaintiff, which satisfies the standing issue]; or that, although Congress is scheduled to count the electoral college votes which were due by December 15, 2008, [December 24th was the deadline for receipt of electoral votes at NARA], Public Law 110-430 changed the date of the electoral vote in Congress in 2009 from January 6 to January 8, [again for the first and only time in history], and that a presidential candidate has only 180 electoral votes, with 26 states not yet reporting despite the fact that the deadline for receiving votes was over two weeks ago. http://larrymwalkerjr.blogspot.com/2008/12/electoral-college-update.html , http://archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008/ Some of the states have not yet responded and some have refused to vote for Soetoro/Obama. In any event, he is still one hundred votes from the 270 required to get elected. [It has been touch and go from the beginning, so why should it be any different now? Don’t blame us, we tried to warn everyone that he was unelectable!] It is surely the first time in history that our country has been faced with a candidate about whom nothing is known except for the fact that he is most certainly not eligible to be president because he is not a natural born American citizen, and yet all we hear about is Barry’s fondness for wearing his hat backwards and playing with his Blackberry while complaining about his security detail as Middle East conflicts continue to escalate.

In short, we are facing a number of historical firsts, NONE of which main stream media has seen fit to report.

And what’s this about a Kenyan birth certificate?

***

Speaking of the “main stream media,” one of its stellar representatives, the delightful Mike Barnicle (the guy who told Joe Scarborough a few weeks ago that Obama wasn’t vetted by the media because we all “knew him” and that it was all about having a “feeling” about him) –THAT Mike Barnicle– paid homage to the blogosphere the other day by uttering this astute analysis:

“I’m sure, and I know, that there are some terrific bloggers, and some legitimatge bloggers. But I think by and large, a huge percentage of people who are blogging, are doing it for self-therapy.”

What this barnacle affixed to the bottom of the media garbage scow, of course, fails to mention that any such need for “self-therapy,” if it even exists, is there because of the pain caused by watching the media bend over to enable the creepiest candidate in my lifetime, Barack Obama.

***

Meanwhile, as the Blagojevich-Burris saga remains alive the folks at The Chicago Reader give Blago the win so far (Thanks to our Chicago Correspondent Leslie for this item)…

Meet Senator Burris

by Mick Dumke on December 30th 2008 – 7:48 p.m.

(SNIP)

The governor has an obvious gift for helping other politicians look decisive, thoughtful, and bright, even some of those who are currently sitting in jail. But I’m afraid I’m with those who think he won this round of politics.

“I think it was a very smart decision on the part of Rod Blagojevich—it was ingenious,” political consultant Delmarie Cobb said in an interview this afternoon. “Who better than Roland could rise above what’s going on? His integrity is unassailable…. If there’s anybody you could put in who doesn’t draw lightning, it’s him. I think Roland can ride it out.”

To be sure, Burris has been involved with his own business and political dealings, and Cobb, who was one of his top advisers during his 1998 and 2002 runs for governor, clearly remains a fan. But after talking with several other elected officials, I think she’s right: Burris may just make it into the U.S. Senate.

The above piece fails to mention that Delmarie Cobb was a Clinton supporter. But, if you click on her name  in the above excerpt, you’ll come to a a story from April 2008 entitled “Race in the Race.”   Interestingly, Cobb had no problems with Jeremiah Wright. But she really was very strong on taking issue with the tactics of the Obama campaign.  She pretty much nailed him to the wall back then. Pity that Clinton “pulled her punches and that we didn’t see Cobb on TV at the time.  According to correspondent Leslie, she was a delegate for Clinton at the convention and was “threatened” because of it, which was not unusual. (When I hear the current blabbing about how “good” it was of Obama to appoint Clinton as SOS, it makes me want to gag all the more.)

Cobb has long and strong ties to Burris… you have to wonder if Clinton is enjoying Cobb’s praise of Burris!! This is an excerpt from a long interview which is well worth reading in it’s entirety, as it touches on so many of the issues that still bother us today. (Note: Italics are mine.)

Race in the race

by Mick Dumke on April 2nd 2008 – 7:08 p.m.

Democratic consultant Delmarie Cobb is a veteran–in 1996 she was the press secretary for the Democratic National Convention, and over the years she’s managed campaigns and dispensed advice to a long list of local and national politicians, including Jesse Jackson, former Illinois gubernatorial candidates Roland Burris and Dawn Clark Netsch, and congressmen Jesse Jackson Jr. and Bobby Rush.

(SNIP)

What [the media has] decided is that [Obama] is a new black person who doesn’t make race an issue. This is someone we can accept. But this is a fight in the black community—it’s between the black people who’ve been fighting their whole lives for civil rights and the people who’ve been the beneficiaries of that fight.  (MORE)

In the full interview,  Cobb makes some very strong statements about the treatment of Hillary Clinton and other female candidates and use of the term “bitch” to describe strong women as well as other interesting comments about other aspects of the primary race.

***

OF SPECIAL NOTE: Watch for a piece on Monday by American Lassie on the Burris appointment!

***

Trot on over to Logistics Monster if you want to worry more about the economy:

America’s Economic Collapse: An Intricate Web Of Money, Power, and Political Agendas, Part I

America’s Economic Collapse: An Intricate Web of Money, Power and Political Agendas, Part 2

***

As I finish compiling this post, Chaplin’s Modern Times has just ended.  That “feeding machine” for the worker on the assembly line reminds me of how we’ve all been force-fed Obama for the last year…What AGITA!!

***

THE PAST WEEK

*By Kenosha Marge

*The Squirrel in the Driveway

Why Chris Matthews Has Nothing to Worry About…

7. The Man Who Paints Street Numbers…(Final Installment in Our “Season of the Heart” Series)

December 31st–World Healing Day: Locate a Labyrinth or Find Your Place, Wherever You Are

Revisited: Seeds Planted in 2004, a Suicide in 2008 (And a Few Other Stops Along the Obama Way)

A Party Held HOSTAGE: Michelle Obama Wasn’t Alone in Her Hostility at the Rainbow/PUSH Conference in 2004–Protests Against Jesse Jackson, Threats Against Democrats/Kerry By Ministers in an Eerie Preview of the Rev. Wright Episode

BREAKING: El Paso Man Commits Suicide, Leaves Note to Obama “Take Care of My Family”; Other NM News–VOTING Problems, Giuliani in So. NM Tonight (Saturday)

*On Being “Disagreeable”

The Past Week(s): December 14-27, Recaps and Random Thoughts (”Heart” Series; Betty Currie Returns; “Money as Debt”; FDA Caves to Pressure, Antibiotics Back IN Food Animals as of 11/30)

The Past Week: Recaps & Random Thoughts, September 21-27 (Obama Goon Squads; Mortgage Mess; “Girl Power!” on CNN; Lynette Long on the Record; “Presents” in TX; Obama Strikes Gold; Rezko [Updated 1X]; “Racism” Now in O.J. Trial; For Democratic Reform)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

Well, where do I start???   This week we welcomed Grail Guardian as a contributor, joining kenosha Marge! Her first posts proved to be very popular…we look forward to more great posts from this awesome team!

Now, onto the roundup…

GOON SQUADS…unreal…I had heard about it earlier on Saturday,and Uppity Woman wrote the story with the video and statement by Missouri Governor Blunt (and it’s also cross-posted at No Quarter ). I’ve been wondering when the dirt on Obama will be showing up in TV ads by 527s. I recall an ad that was blocked from being aired a while back.  I did a bit of research. The very first “swiftboat” ad against John Kerry was aired on August 5, 2004. Aren’t things pretty quiet so far? Well, maybe it’s because of threats…and now we have the Obama goon squads…while I detest “swiftboating,” I’m more alarmed by how far Obama and his minions are going with the use of intimidation. A MUST READ!!

***

The Mortgage Mess…Backgrounders

On the mortgage mess, Truth is Gold has a great post titled “The Emperor’s Clothes…Continued” with a bevy of fantastic links on the subject.  Definitely worth a look!  As is this piece at No Quarter titled “Consumer Rights League, Obama, Acorn, and the SubPrime Mortgage.  Another example of the type of research that the mainstream media can’t…or WON’T do!

***

Women’s Stuff…

I was sitting in a waiting room on Wednesday about 10 am MT and CNN was on.  The anchor (Kyra Phillips?) passed it over to a female correspondent who reported on a big meeting of women business leaders in NYC and which also included shots of Condoleeza Rice and Sarah Palin.  Guess what the title across the bottom of the screen read???

GIRL POWER!!!

I nearly retched…when I have you last seen the video of a group of male leaders referred to as possessing “BOY POWER!!!” ?

Thankfully, some women are getting some respect in the media…namely, Lynette Long of The Reclusive Leftists, who was referred to by none other than Bill Clinton on The View, although he didn’t name her.  And, she also was the subject of a piece by Marc Fisher, a Metro columnist at the Washington Post which was picked up by The Dallas Morning News (and who knows where else?) on Saturday entitled “Why a Hillary Supporter Flipped to McCain.” It’s a pretty straightforward article, but there is the obligatory dig at Sarah Palin’s “knowledge base” which Lynette responds to by referencing her character, instincts and her being “real.”  I, personally, would like to shove Obama’s “knowledge base” into Fisher’s face…but, they haven’t interviewed me!

Now, I have no idea why a “Metro reporter” writes an interview and it lands in the op-ed section, but maybe it’s just the way things are done these days. Sort of like when I read a Washington Post story in my local paper which is about McCain “eating” his plan to stay in D.C. if the bailout agreement couldn’t be finalized before the debate.  It’s full of more snide comments that pass as “reporting”…and, to me, it is pure op-ed on the news page.  But, that’s the state of “churnalism” these days…

***

Texas “Presents”

Over at Hillbuzz earlier in the week, there was a video posted from the Republican Party of Texas.  The “narrator” wasn’t a professional…at first, I thought it was something created by a non-politico.  It grabs your attention simply because it doesn’t come across as a typical, canned politica ad and features a young-sounding person speaking out against Obama.  It’s on the subject of Obama’s voting record in IL…all those “presents” he used…Really interesting.

Hillbuzz (via Will Bowers’ PUMA) is where I also found out about the lovely gold coins that the Obama campaign is issuing with The Chosen One’s mug on them.  I thought the fake U.S. seal was bad…Funny thing is, I have a silver coin with Bill Clinton’s face on it…but, jeez, that one was from 1992 and was celebrating his actual INAUGURATION! For a guy who limped into the nomination and hasn’t closed the deal yet in the general, I’d say there’s a serious problem here   And, is THIS how they spend their money? This is like “Greek Temples Take Two“…

***

Trials

Just in case you’ve lost track of Tony Rezko, the latest news from The Chicago Sun-Times blog (dated September 20) is that he will be sentenced on October 28. His attorneys want the case thrown out because key witness Stuart Levine was “unreliable.”  Recall that final sentencing was postponed 2 months (originally it was supposed to be August 21); now it will be a week before the election on the last couple of counts!  How will this reminder of Rezko effect the race? Anything?  The media will bury it, so it will be up to the GOP to show us pictures of Rezko’s tenements and chat about where the government money that was supposed to fix them went…Of course, if it gets any play, you can be sure that Obama will pose as having been victimized again and the media will make sure he’s portrayed as being clean as a whistle after all…

UPDATE

Uppity Woman points us to a story at The Real Barack Obama (formerly Rezko Watch) which has all the latests details on “the wide-ranging probe”–is Rezko SINGING???  There was much speculation that he might…if he is, what’s his tune?  Speculation:

“I’m told by a close friend of Rezko that he’s cooperating with the feds,” said a Sneed source. “I don’t know whether he’s talking about Gov. Blagojevich or Barack Obama or anyone else,” the source said.

Meanwhile, at the OJ Simpson trial, we’re seeing references to “bias and racism” leveled at the Las Vegas Metro Police.  See below for the link to the relevant post on the trial and how the outcome may affect the Presidential race…

***

On Friday The Confluence announced a new site dedicated to taking back the Democratic Party. It’s called For Democratic Reform (FDR). This site should be a real boost for a strong push to get rid of the machine that has taken over the Democratic Party, as well as efforts to get the party back to its core values.

***

This week in the fall garden…A couple of days ago I ripped out the pepper plants, all except the pimiento–the peppers are finally turning red!  Still plenty of Sweet 100 tomatoes and Golden Boys. I’m way behind in clearing things out so I can get the mustard, lettuce, and kale in…and I still haven’t planted the collard and broccoli seedlings, which are now VERY large seedlings…

***

Finally, a brief remembrance of Paul Newman…a wonderful actor who became a great humanitarian.  Godspeed…

THIS WEEK’S POSTS

Posts by

*kenosha Marge

**Grail Guardian

Obama’s Presidential Portrait Already Chosen??? (See here) (Why Bother With More Debates or Having an Election??)

*Celebrity Endorsements and Other Annoyances

What? ACORN Given 20% of Bailout Money under Original Bailout Proposal??????? UPDATE 1X

Race, O.J., and Politics–The Potential for an October Meltdown

**Why Obama Doesn’t Want Clinton Democrats

The Sisterhood of Shared Indignities (A Double Post by kenosha Marge and InsightAnalytical-GRL)

**Selling America: Why the MSM Can’t Tell the Truth

The Past Week: Recaps & Random Thoughts, September 14-20 (Dog Activism; The Palin Wars; More McCain Offices Open; Joe Biden; We Need 30%; Odinga Revisited; A “Comment” on Congress)