Monday, June 28, 2010

Joint Letter to UC President re: Anti-Semitism

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


The below linked letter has been sent to University of California President Mark Yudof by three UC professors protesting continued anti-Semitism on UC campuses. It also contains statements by several Jewish students on various campuses. The complaints are damning.

A copy was provided to me by Ms Benjamin, and I am cross-posting it off the website of the Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism

http://octaskforce.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/2575/

(click "letter")

LET US KNOW THE TRUTH!

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

I have thought I have heard it all about this disaster that BP caused.  But this article is scary if it turns out to be true.
The Oil Drum is a widely respected website that focuses exclusively on the international oil industry and energy issues. Earlier this week a reader and industry insider sent this article posted on The Oil Drum. The article suggests that the well bore structure may be compromised “down hole.” If this is true, it turns this very serious situation into an absolute nightmare.
Dave wrote in with this:
I work in the oil exploration business – and I don’t scare easily when it comes to the rumors that circulate re: the Deepwater Horizon incident – but this article is downright horrific.

I can’t comment about how accurate it might be – the guy paints a fairly plausible picture – but it is something right out of a science-fiction horror movie – nobody (not even the author) wants to talk about what might really be needed here to stop this runaway well – and that might be a nuclear device detonation downhole to seal the wellbore.
Meanwhile, Obama golfs, vacations, and sings with Paul McCartney -

I don’t know if either BP or the government is telling the public just how bad this might become – possibly for fear of starting some sort of panic – and Obama is clueless – and so, for that matter is Salazar — I went to college with this guy – and he is totally an affirmative action baby, a complete idiot — now elevated to a position way, way, way, way beyond his competency level.

Here is that article from The Oil Drum:

OK let’s get real about the GOM oil flow. There doesn’t really seem to be much info on TOD that furthers more complete understanding of what’s really happening in the GOM.

As you have probably seen and maybe feel yourselves, there are several things that do not appear to make sense regarding the actions of attack against the well. Don’t feel bad, there is much that doesn’t make sense even to professionals unless you take into account some important variables that we are not being told about. There seems to me to be a reluctance to face what cannot be termed anything less than grim circumstances in my opinion. There certainly is a reluctance to inform us regular people and all we have really gotten is a few dots here and there…

First of all…set aside all your thoughts of plugging the well and stopping it from blowing out oil using any method from the top down. Plugs, big valves to just shut it off, pinching the pipe closed, installing a new bop or lmrp, shooting any epoxy in it, top kills with mud etc etc etc….forget that, it won’t be happening..it’s done and over. In fact actually opening up the well at the subsea source and allowing it to gush more is not only exactly what has happened, it was probably necessary, or so they think anyway.

So you have to ask WHY? Why make it worse?…there really can only be one answer and that answer does not bode well for all of us. It’s really an inescapable conclusion at this point, unless you want to believe that every Oil and Gas professional involved suddenly just forgot everything they know or woke up one morning and drank a few big cups of stupid and got assigned to directing the response to this catastrophe. Nothing makes sense unless you take this into account, but after you do…you will see the “sense” behind what has happened and what is happening. That conclusion is this:

The well bore structure is compromised “Down hole”.

That is something which is a “Worst nightmare” conclusion to reach. While many have been saying this for some time as with any complex disaster of this proportion many have “said” a lot of things with no real sound reasons or evidence for jumping to such conclusions, well this time it appears that they may have jumped into the right place…


TOP KILL – FAILS:
This was probably our best and only chance to kill this well from the top down. This “kill mud” is a tried and true method of killing wells and usually has a very good chance of success. The depth of this well presented some logistical challenges, but it really should not of presented any functional obstructions. The pumping capacity was there and it would have worked, should have worked, but it didn’t.

It didn’t work, but it did create evidence of what is really happening. First of all the method used in this particular top kill made no sense, did not follow the standard operating procedure used to kill many other wells and in fact for the most part was completely contrary to the procedure which would have given it any real chance of working.

When a well is “Killed” using this method heavy drill fluid “Mud” is pumped at high volume and pressure into a leaking well. The leaks are “behind” the point of access where the mud is fired in, in this case the “choke and Kill lines” which are at the very bottom of the BOP (Blow Out Preventer) The heavy fluid gathers in the “behind” portion of the leaking well assembly, while some will leak out, it very quickly overtakes the flow of oil and only the heavier mud will leak out. Once that “solid” flow of mud is established at the leak “behind” the well, the mud pumps increase pressure and begin to overtake the pressure of the oil deposit. The mud is established in a solid column that is driven downward by the now stronger pumps. The heavy mud will create a solid column that is so heavy that the oil deposit can no longer push it up, shut off the pumps…the well is killed…it can no longer flow.

Usually this will happen fairly quickly, in fact for it to work at all…it must happen quickly. There is no “trickle some mud in” because that is not how a top kill works. The flowing oil will just flush out the trickle and a solid column will never be established. Yet what we were told was “It will take days to know whether it worked”….”Top kill might take 48 hours to complete”…the only way it could take days is if BP intended to do some “test fires” to test integrity of the entire system. The actual “kill” can only take hours by nature because it must happen fairly rapidly. It also increases strain on the “behind” portion and in this instance we all know that what remained was fragile at best.

Early that afternoon we saw a massive flow burst out of the riser “plume” area. This was the first test fire of high pressure mud injection. Later on same day we saw a greatly increased flow out of the kink leaks, this was mostly mud at that time as the kill mud is tanish color due to the high amount of Barite which is added to it to weight it and Barite is a white powder.

We later learned the pumping was shut down at midnight, we weren’t told about that until almost 16 hours later, but by then…I’m sure BP had learned the worst. The mud they were pumping in was not only leaking out the “behind” leaks…it was leaking out of someplace forward…and since they were not even near being able to pump mud into the deposit itself, because the well would be dead long before…and the oil was still coming up, there could only be one conclusion…the wells casings were ruptured and it was leaking down hole…

What does this mean?

It means they will never cap the gusher after the wellhead. They cannot...the more they try and restrict the oil gushing out the bop?...the more it will transfer to the leaks below. Just like a leaky garden hose with a nozzle on it. When you open up the nozzle?...it doesn't leak so bad, you close the nozzle?...it leaks real bad, same dynamics. It is why they sawed the riser off...or tried to anyway...but they clipped it off, to relieve pressure on the leaks "down hole". I'm sure there was a bit of panic time after they crimp/pinched off the large riser pipe and the Diamond wire saw got stuck and failed...because that crimp diverted pressure and flow to the rupture down below.

Contrary to what most of us would think as logical to stop the oil mess, actually opening up the gushing well and making it gush more became direction BP took after confirming that there was a leak. In fact if you note their actions, that should become clear. They have shifted from stopping or restricting the gusher to opening it up and catching it. This only makes sense if they want to relieve pressure at the leak hidden down below the seabed.....and that sort of leak is one of the most dangerous and potentially damaging kind of leak there could be. It is also inaccessible which compounds our problems. There is no way to stop that leak from above, all they can do is relieve the pressure on it and the only way to do that right now is to open up the nozzle above and gush more oil into the gulf and hopefully catch it, which they have done, they just neglected to tell us why, gee thanks.

A down hole leak is dangerous and damaging for several reasons.

There will be erosion throughout the entire beat up, beat on and beat down remainder of the "system" including that inaccessible leak. The same erosion I spoke about in the first post is still present and has never stopped, cannot be stopped, is impossible to stop and will always be present in and acting on anything that is left which has crude oil "Product" rushing through it. There are abrasives still present, swirling flow will create hot spots of wear and this erosion is relentless and will always be present until eventually it wears away enough material to break it's way out. It will slowly eat the bop away especially at the now pinched off riser head and it will flow more and more. Perhaps BP can outrun or keep up with that out flow with various suckage methods for a period of time, but eventually the well will win that race, just how long that race will be?...no one really knows....However now?...there are other problems that a down hole leak will and must produce that will compound this already bad situation.

Finish reading this here.
This is a highly technical article to say the least. I will admit to you, my truth seeker, that I fully understood only a part of what the author was trying to convey to his colleagues.  But his message is clear:  BP and perhaps the US government have no intention of stopping this oil spill.  In fact the only way to stop it is the use of a low yield nuclear device (Less than 1 KT [KiloTon].).

Not only is oil and tar washing up upon the beaches of the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, but now it looks as if we have inadvertently tapped into an enormous cache of frozen Methane gas:

Surf On Pensacola Beach Boiling Like Acid



And just when you thought it can't get any worse, comes this from The Washington Post:
Each day, another way to define worst-case for oil spill

An enduring feature of the gulf oil spill is that, even when you think you've heard the worst-case scenario, there's always another that's even more dire.

The base-line measures of the crisis have steadily worsened. The estimated flow rate keeps rising. The well is like something deranged, stronger than anyone anticipated. BP executives last month said they had a 60 to 70 percent chance of killing it with mud, but the well spit the mud out and kept blowing.

The net effect is that nothing about this well seems crazy anymore. Week by week, the truth of this disaster has drifted toward the stamping ground of the alarmists.

The most disturbing of the worst-case scenarios, one that is unsubstantiated but is driving much of the blog discussion, is that the Deepwater Horizon well has been so badly damaged that it has spawned multiple leaks from the seafloor, making containment impossible and a long-term solution much more complicated.

Video from a robotic submersible, which is making the rounds online, shows something puffing from the seafloor. Some think it's oil. Or maybe -- look again -- it's just the silt blowing in response to the forward motion of the submersible.

More trouble: A tropical wave has formed in the Caribbean and could conceivably blow through the gulf.

"We're going to have to evacuate the gulf states," said Matt Simmons, founder of Simmons and Co., an oil investment firm and, since the April 20 blowout, the unflagging source of end-of-the-world predictions. "Can you imagine evacuating 20 million people? . . . This story is 80 times worse than I thought."

The bull market for bad news means that Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's point man for the crisis, is asked regularly about damage to the well bore, additional leaks and further failures. "Can you talk a little about the worst-case scenarios going forward?" a reporter asked Tuesday. "What happens if the relief wells don't work out?"

"We're mitigating risk on the relief well by drilling a second relief well alongside it," responded Allen, possibly the least excitable figure in this entire oil crisis.

He said he's seen no sign of the additional leaks that have gotten so many bloggers in a lather. But Allen's briefings offer plenty of fodder for the apocalyptic set. Allen repeatedly has acknowledged that there could be significant damage to the well down below the mud line. That's why, he said, the top kill effort last month was stopped: Officials feared that if they continued pumping heavy mud into the well, they would damage the casing and open new channels for hydrocarbons to leak into the rock formation.

Finish reading here.
I'm now going to shock you all!

This is NOT Barack Obama's fault!  It is the fault of BP and the mentality of their corporation to cut corners, ignore warnings from their engineers and putting profits before safety, and an attitude of Screw the small people".

It looks like they have screwed us up royally.  Right up the keister!

Now what do we do?  It looks like we have an oil well that can't be stopped, a company who has an attitude against owning up to their villainy, and a President who is not capable of the leadership to give the appearance at least, that things are going to be better. You should have gone to the Gulf in the first couple of days after the spill Mr. President, not gone to the golf course, the baseball game, or the road trips you took.  You waited too long to address the nation, and your administration has and is still lying to us about the nature of this spill.

It is time for all parties to come clean about Deepwater Horizon well!

LET US KNOW THE TRUTH! 

We are adults, Mr. President, we can handle the truth.  We are coming to the realization that we will no longer be able to fish the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, that the price of seafood will go up, that oysters and shrimp might never again be part of those waters or part of our  meals, that a fragile habitat is gone for good, that the way of life and livelihood of millions of Americans has been destroyed, and that lying to us about the extent of this disaster is NOT going to help!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

US Government Boycotts Arizona: Border Control Joins the Heist


The U.S. Government is boycotting the State of Arizona, jeopardizing the livelihood and personal safety of the people who are legitimate citizens, in the endless quest to protect those who are not, and doing so in violation of federal law. The Department of Education and, astonishingly, Border Control joined the heist and cancelled conferences, where taxpayers have long paid for bureaucrat's massages and sauna time in Arizona's beautiful desert climate. Our government placed signs just 30 miles out of Phoenix saying the area is rife with armed drug and human smugglers, and announced they will sue the state for attempting to defend their own borders. Obama's stash brigade of unions and government workers are mowing down the private sector. He and Attorney General Eric Holder believe they can break the state and if they can break the back of Arizona's sovereignty in our courts, we have to ask, who is next?

Who's Flag?




Danger - Public Warning
Travel not Recommended
Active Drug and Human Smuggling Area
Armed Criminals and Smuggling Vehicles

In Venezuela's recent past, the working class fought hard against Hugo Chavez' power grabs, but not hard enough. Chavez took away much of everything it takes to make the private sector work, and vested his heavily fortified government pawns and the riff-raff on the street with "his stash." The Stash Brigade bullied and threatened and voted - maybe more than once, and the Venezuelans outside the government lost everything. It didn't happen overnight, but when it did happen, it moved rapidly.

In the land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, we have our own government pawns - their numbers growing mightily every day. Obama's Stash Brigades are the unions, government employees and everyone needing a pension bailout. Many millions of voters.

Chavez nationalized most heavy industry, with another grab this week, and placed tight regulations on business and finance. He devalued the currency, known as the "strong bolivar," and the people lost half of everything they had in January 2010. Chavez didn't let the private sector crisis go to waste. He used his own now hefty government "stash" to lavish on social programs and raises for bureaucrats - the charter members of the Chavez Stash Brigade.

The masses of government pawns won the battle, and the country is has been led into Marxism, as they passed the marker of Socialism. Another South American dictatorship is rising:
Government negotiations with opposition forces are nonexistent; the judiciary rarely restrains government action; state employees are forced to act as campaign props and vote for the government; electoral authorities disregard the law; and the ruling party is allowed to make use of state resources that are systematically denied to the opposition.
The above quote from Javier Corrles, a contributor to Huffington post, comments on the "chaos" in Venezuela:
Chavismo advances its objectives by enabling chaos. This produces discontent, but it also discourages collective action against the state...the promotion of disorder.
The government does nothing to stop rising crime rates or arbitrary decisions of the bureaucracy. Consequently, ordinary citizens live in fear of random violence, regime opponents live in fear of targeted assaults by state-sanctioned thugs, and business leaders live in fear of attacks by government-sponsored labor groups.
Free speech no longer protects Venezuelans. There are notelevision channels free to express opinion against Hugo Chavez, after finally shutting down Globalvision. And, grocery stores shelves are empty - as "mountains of rotting food" lies in government warehouses. Read this horrific story at the Conservative Hideout.

When government pawns approved lifting the ban on terms limits in Venezuela, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with Fidel and Raul Castro congratulated Obama's "stash brigade" is galloping, and private businesses in the U.S. are stagnant as business owners wait to see what taxes and regulations are coming at them next. Anyone thinking the path to Chavez' heavily booted footprint is not in the line of vision of our government, is ignoring a somber reality. 

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Another Kind of Racism

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


Chinese woman who tells of her experiences going to school in the Oakland inner city. It is disturbing, and it must be brought out into the open.

Note: I am not endorsing any of the reader comments that may appear after the below articles.

http://frontpagemag.com/2010/06/25/ghetto-racism/

Meanwhile, there has been another riot in Paris-this time by ethnic Chinese-a truly astounding event given that community's general law-abiding and peaceful manner. They have aproblem however, they are targets of young hoodlums from the Arab and North African communities. To make matters worse, as with the Jews, there is not much reaction from the police. Here is the story from Gates of Vienna:

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2010/06/security-for-all.html#readfurther

Oakland and Paris; two vastly different environments. Last year, there was a similar story out of Philadelphia reporting attacks upon Asian students by black students. What these cases have in common is that they don't attract the attention of those eager to report cases of white on minority racism. But what happens when the racism is from one minority upon another? What agenda does that fit into?

This is my take: All ethnic groups can be affected by racism or religious hate. For decades now, many white Americans have clung to the naive illusion that black racism is not really racism because it is a result of their rage against the oppressors. The Europeans are today making the same excuses for the Muslims who engage in violence in their cities. But have Asians oppressed any other minority in North America or Europe? Hardly. "Rage against the oppressor" cannot explain this phenonym. Is it jealousy against a minority that has been successful? Is it the same jealousy that leads some even in academic circles to express "concern' about the huge number of Asian-Americans in California universities? It is a fact that some in California academic circles would love to devise a way to lower the ratio of Asian-American students vis-a-vis other minorities. I wrote on that issue last year. In my view, if Asian-Americxan students are running circles around the rest of us (including whites) then good for them. It is up to the rest of us do better.

Racism is wrong-period. If Frenchmen in Paris were attacking African immigrants, it would be just as despicable. However, all forms of racism must be openly confronted equally. I hate to remind you, but this is polical correctness in action.

Oppose Unionization of Police & Firefighters

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



"Whadda ya mean youse don't wanna join da union?"


I have received a message from the National Right to Work Committee alerting me to a proposed bill to put police and firefighters under union control. This is a bill that Harry Reid is trying to push through before November to please his union buddies. It is called the Police and Firefighters Monopoly Bargaining Bill (S 3194). The below link has a petition by which you can urge your senators to vote no.


http://www.righttoworkcommittee.org/pfactionfax.aspx

When I was a Customs Agent in the early 1970s, there was a move to bring us under a union (I think it was the AFL-CIO.) In an office meeting, one of our agents stated that if we, as law enforcement personnel, joined a union, we could never call ourselves professionals. I agreed with him then, and I agree with him now. The thought of police and firefighters being under the thumb of a union and engaging in strikes is abhorrent to me.

I hope you will sign the petition. Believe me, there are young staffers galore in Washington whose job it is to count the yeas and nays from their constituents

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Hamas Denies Latest Plea By International Red Cross To Visit Gilad Shalit


Cross posted from Holger Awakens with permission.

Hamas is citing their fear that an International Red Cross visit to captive Gilad Shalit would lead to an Israeli military operation to save him as the reason the terror organization has denied yet another call by the Red Cross to visit Shalit.

From the story at Haaretz:


Hamas has rejected the latest request from the International Red Cross to visit abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, Israel Radio reported on Wednesday.

Hamas denied the request for fear that the visit might lead Israel to try to free Shalit in a military operation, according to Hamas lawmaker Yehia Moussa, who told a Hamas newspaper that the Red Cross did not take the military reality in the Middle East into account when it made the request.

"One of our main achievements is that we have been able to visit nearly everyone detained in connection to this conflict, with the exception of Gilad Shalit," Pierre Dorbes, deputy head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Israel and the Occupied Territories, told Haaretz on Tuesday, adding that he felt talks to free Shalit are deadlocked.
I've blogged so many times about Gilad Shalit that I'm nearly blue in the face - you've seen me get excited about new possibilities of his release only to let down by another opportunity lost. I firmly believe that there are some in Hamas that think that Shalit is the only insurance policy they have against Israel and unfortunately, those are the clowns whose opinion apparently counts.

One thing I'd like to say to Hamas is that when Hezbollah returned the bodies of IDF soldiers Goldwasser and Regev....when the Israelis saw exactly how those two sons of theirs had been treated....when the Israelis saw the tortured bodies of two of their defenders...believe me, that image will be burned into the memory of the IDF forever and one day, Hezbollah will feel the wrath of that. Bank on it. So Hamas, remember Operation Cast Lead when your terror organization was nearly wiped out and multiply that operation by 100 if anything happens to Gilad Shalit.



Hamas: We won't let Red Cross visit Shalit


Hamas has rejected the latest request from the International Red Cross to visit abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, Israel Radio reported on Wednesday.

Hamas denied the request for fear that the visit might lead Israel to try to free Shalit in a military operation, according to Hamas lawmaker Yehia Moussa, who told a Hamas newspaper that the Red Cross did not take the military reality in the Middle East into account when it made the request.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it has approached Hamas a number of times to allow its representatives to visit the kidnapped soldier in Gaza, only to be denied time after time.

"One of our main achievements is that we have been able to visit nearly everyone detained in connection to this conflict, with the exception of Gilad Shalit," Pierre Dorbes, deputy head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Israel and the Occupied Territories, told Haaretz on Tuesday, adding that he felt talks to free Shalit are deadlocked.

Meanwhile, Shalit's grandfather, Zvi Shalit, met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem Tuesday. Following the meeting, which was also attended by top Shalit negotiator Haggai Hadas as well as Netanyahu's military secretary, Brig. Gen. Yohanan Locker, the 85-year-old told Haaretz that the meeting was strained and fraught with disagreements.

The elder Shalit had to wait for three hours before Netanyahu was able to see him, as the prime minister's schedule shifted around the budget votes.

"I spoke [to Netanyahu] as a human being and as a grandfather who wants to see his grandson return home after four years [in captivity]. I told Netanyahu the conduct over this matter was not satisfactory and he said that yes, it was," he added.

Although Netanyahu did not issue a statement about the content of the meeting, nor did he allow photographers to be present, his office did comment Tuesday on the three-hour delay in the meeting.

Next week, the Shalits are hoping to join thousands of supporters, including supermodel Bar Refaeli and dozens of other local celebrities, on a cross-country march for Gilad's release.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is holding a special concert near the Gaza border — conducted by renowned conductor Zubin Mehta — to call for Shalit's release.

Shalit's parents have pledged to camp outside the prime minister's residence until their son is freed from captivity.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Mission Free Iran and HR 1371

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


In answer to a posting I wrote some time ago on Iran, I received this comment today from Maria Rohaly of Mission Free Iran. Rather than let it lie buried in the archives, I think it merits a separate and new post. Of interest is that Code Pink, Feminist Majority and N.O.W. have, as yet, shown no indication of support for Maria's group and their effort.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our organization (Mission Free Iran) is holding the feet of NOW, Feminist Majority, and Code Pink to the fire. House Resolution 1371 has echoed our demands to condemn the ascension of the Islamic Republic to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and to actively work to remove the regime from the Commission.

I have asked each of these organizations twice now what their position is on HR1371, and none of them have responded. They will be held accountable for their refusal to stand up for women's equality.

Please feel free to join us in demanding that these organizations take a position on HR1371:
Feminist Majority: feedback@feminist.org
Code Pink: info@codepinkalert.org.
NOW's email form is here: http://www.now.org/comments.html Ask them about their position on HR1371."

June 22, 2010 5:32 PM
Gary Fouse said...
I'll do better than that, Maria. I will make your letter a post. Thank you for your efforts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So there you go, Maria. Will you keep us posted on your efforts and also on whether you get a response back from Code Pink, Feminist Majority and N.O.W.? I'll be glad to report that as well.

Good luck.

Sgt Smack-The Real Story Behind "American Gangster"

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


Some time ago, I wrote a post on the movie, "American Gangster", a greatly distorted account of New York heroin dealer Frank Lucas. I mentioned that a book was in the works about Leslie "Ike" Atkinson, the true kingpin of the organization based in Southeast Asia and North Carolina in the 1970s. Now that book is on the bookshelves. Since I gave some historical assistance to the author, Ron Chepesiuk, in regards to the events in Thailand, the publisher and author have sent me a flyer, which I would like to post here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


New Biography of Drug Kingpin Ike Atkinson Uncovers Biggest Hoax in the History of the International Drug Trade


"Sergeant Smack:
The Legendary Lives and Times of
Ike Atkinson, Kingpin,
and His Band of Brothers"
Hits Bookstores June 21


Former Kingpin Ike Atkinson and Crime Author Ron Chepesiuk to Embark on Book Tour


Raleigh, North Carolina - In what might be considered a 'literary' showdown, award winning crime author Ron Chepesiuk uncovers one of the biggest hoaxes in the history of the international drug trade in his new release, "Sergeant Smack: The Legendary Lives and Times of Ike Atkinson, Kingpin, and his Band of Brothers." Slated to hit bookshelves on June 21, just days after "American Gangster" Frank Lucas' book is released, "Sergeant Smack" details the true legend of Ike Atkinson, one of the biggest Black drug traffickers in U.S. history.

Atkinson pioneered some of the most innovative methods used in international drug smuggling. They ranged from duffle and AWOL bags, to the U.S. Army Postal System to the use of unsuspecting crew chiefs who operated military aircraft to teakwood furniture.

But, contrary to popular belief, Atkinson's methods did not include the bogus cadaver-heroin smuggling connection conspiracy exploited by Frank Lucas in Hollywood's blockbuster film, "American Gangster." The film not only distorted Atkinson's historical role in the international drug trade, but falsely depicted Lucas as the pioneer of the Asian heroin connection. As the book, "Sergeant Smack" conclusively shows, the conspiracy is a hoax, as is Frank Lucas' claims to participation with Ike in the conspiracy.

"One of the major reasons we decided to do the book was to set the record straight on the cadaver-heroin conspiracy hoax," Atkinson explains. "It's truly amazing to me that the media and the public have bought Frank Lucas' story without checking it out. Lucas' claims defy common sense. How could Lucas mastermind the cadaver-heroin connection when he was never in the military? Why would I ship dope via such a grisly method when I had much easier and safer ways to ship it? Why hasn't anybody stepped forward to verify Lucas' claim? Why has no one ever been arrested or convicted?"

Chepesiuk is no newcomer to uncovering crime. He has penned some 25 books including titles, "Gangsters of Miami," "Drug Lords, the Rise and Fall of the Cali Cartel," "Gangsters of Harlem" and "Gangsters of Chicago" and over 4000 articles and features. His last book, "Gangster of Miami" was the award winner in the "True Crime" category of the 2010 National Indie Excellence Awards and won the silver prize (second place) in the True Crime category of Foreword Magazine's 2009 Book of the Year awards.

Chepesiuk contends that Frank Lucas stole much of the gangster legend that positioned him as Hollywood's big ticket from Ike Atkinson. Now 84-years old, Atkinson was recently released from federal prison after serving a 32-year prison term. Deemed one of the biggest American drug kingpins ever to operate out of Asia, Atkinson, who operated in the 1970s, never carried a gun, never committed murder and never bowed down to the infamous Italian La Cosa Nostra. As a U.S. Army Master Sergeant, he utilized his intellect and charm to, by conservative estimates, smuggle over 1000 pounds of heroin annually from Bangkok, Thailand, through U.S. military bases into the United States. Atkinson's notorious enterprise was so complex and profitable; it easily rivaled that of popular modern day hoodlums, the Black Mafia Family.

"It will be interesting to see how this ultimately unfolds," observes Chepesiuk. "With both of these crime legends having books come out in the same month, readers should find it interesting to actually document the truth behind the drama. For example, in the movie version of his life, and in Mark Jacobson's New York Magazine article, upon which the movie is based, Lucas claims to buy dope in Bangkok from a mysterious drug trafficker he called '007.' 007 was in reality, Luchai Ruviwat, Ike's partner!"

Chepesiuk adds. "What Lucas knew about the Golden Triangle he learned from his visit to Bangkok under the guidance of Ike Atkinson and from the stories he heard while there at Jack's American Star Bar, a venue co-owned by Ike. Also, interestingly, Frank Lucas is not Ike Atkinson's cousin, as portrayed in the movie. In no way are they related by blood!"

Ike Atkinson has publicly requested a sit-down interview with Frank Lucas, but it has been to no avail as Lucas has yet to respond.

Ike Atkinson and Ron Chepesiuk are planning an East Coast book signing tour that kicks off on July 17 at Black Star Video in Harlem, New York City. Join Ike Atkinson on Facebook for tour updates and details.

See and hear from Ike Atkinson himself
at youtube.com and read about him at IkeAtkinsonKingpin.com. For more information about Ron Chepesiuk, go to ronchepesiuk.com .

And pick up the "Sergeant Smack: The Legendary Lives and Times of Ike Atkinson, Kingpin, and his Band of Brothers" online or at a bookstore near you!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to the media: Both Ron Chepesiuk and Ike Atkinson are available for interviews. Contact jazzmynepr@gmail.com. E-book copies of Sergeant Smack" available upon request.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(I must admit that I am a little uncomfortable in promoting Leslie Atkinson's part in this, but he did spend over 30 years in prison, so I suppose he has paid his debt to society.)

From 1975-1978, while being stationed in Bangkok, Thailand, I became involved in the Bangkok end of the DEA investigation into the Atkinson organization. This group consisted of retired army NCOs who set up a heroin smuggling ring from Bangkok to the US utilizing the military transportation system. Shipments of heroin to the US usually consisted of approximately 50 kilos of pure heroin per shipment. Once retrieved in the US, the heroin was distributed to local dealers in various US cities including Frank Lucas in New York. Contrary to "American Gangster", Atkinson, not Lucas controlled the smuggling operation and supervised those in Bangkok. In
1976, Atkinson and about 10 others including his daughter and son-in-law were tried in Federal Court in Raleigh, North Carolina. I attended the trial in Raleigh, in which Atkinson was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison. (Atkinson was already incarcerated in Atlanta penitentiary on a previous conviction. He was only released a couple of years ago. He is now in his eighties.)

Chepesiuk is an internationally recognized crime writer, and if you want to learn the real story behind "American Gangster" (of which Lucas was really only one figure) then you might want to pick up a copy. (You might even find my name in there once or twice.)

What is Going on in the Jewish Community in Boston?

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


The below video is produced by Peace and Tolerance.com and concerns Imam Abdullah Farooq of the Boston Islamic Cultural Center, a man who is on tape making violent statements, has questionable associations, but who seems to have important friends in Massachusetts.



Now that you have seen the tape and heard a little about Farooq and his associates, you are probably asking yourself why a man who makes such references to a gun and a sword has support from the Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick. Surely, you also remember the name of Massachusttes Attorney General Martha Coakley, right?

No? Remember the Ted Kennedy Senate seat where a Republican surprised everybody by winning? Coakley was the Democratic opponent.

Now comes another interesting sidelight. One of the figures who has brought much of this to light is a distinguished Jewish civil rights veteran named Charles Jacobs, who is with Americans for Peace and Tolerance, an organization whose mission it is to protect Jews from Islamic extremism and support Muslim moderates. As we speak, he is being slammed by about 70 greater Boston rabbis who are defending Farooq, with whom they are engaged in many of those inter-faith get togethers we all hear about. Not only slamming Jacobs, they are trying to make him an outcast in his own community. (Some of you UC-Irvine watchers will note a familiar trend here.) Here is a cross-post from StellaPundit, written by Stella Paul, cross-posted on American Thinker reporting on this story.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/06/when_bad_rabbis_happen_to_a_go.html

A word about inter-faith activities between Muslim, Jewish and Christian groups: In theory, they are a great idea, and no doubt, many are sincere on all sides. I do suspect, however, that many of them-not all-but many- are nothing more than deceptions designed to lull the Jewish and Christian communities to sleep. There is a word-taqqiya- which decribes this deception. The important thing is to truly identify those Islamic entities that are truly moderrate and peaceful in their intentions. That is what Jacobs is trying to get across here.

I need to say another thing here which may offend many of my Jewish friends. I hope they won't take it in the wrong way, but I need to say it. There are many within the Jewish community whom I would (loosely) compare to the old Nazi-era Judenrats and Kapos.*

* The Judenrats (German for Jewish Councils) were established by the Nazis to act as administrative go-betweens between them and the Jews who were being assembled into ghettoes for eventual deportation to the death camps.

Kapos were Jewish prisoners in the death camps who actually were used to herd arriving prisoners and dispose of the dead for a period of a few months until they too were gassed.

I know that is a harsh comparison and perhaps trivializes the Holocaust, which I have no desire to do. However, if ever a second Holocaust comes to pass (and I don't discount the possibility) there will be many Jewish "useful idiots" who will have blood on their hands as they go to their own deaths.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

They Thought They Were Free: How America Today Parallels Germany of 1933-1945

They Thought They Were Free: How America Today Parallels Germany of 1933-1945

BHO: Marxist ideologue or evolving madman?

Source: RenewAmerica.com  ...also posted here "pick up your burlap to make your slaves' clothes"

Barack Hussein Obama: Marxist ideologue or evolving madman?

By Sher Zieve

At their best Marxists are simply individuals who want to be corrupted, rule over others (known as either "the great unwashed masses" or "the proletariat" — same thing) and live "the good life" at the expense of others; that's the rest of us. These people (and I use that word advisedly) steal from and bleed others until; they are almost devoid of funds and life. Note: They cannot completely dry up their serfish golden geese as the ruling class elite need these newly-made serfs to work for them.

The subsequent pillage from the planned and growing underclass goes into the coffers of these ruling Marxists to be used at their leisure and for their largely prurient pleasures. As I have written for well over a decade, Marxism — also known as Fascism, Leninism and any other Totalitarianism — is a feudal system. There is the ruling class and there are "the workers" — no longer called employees. Marxism replaces freedom and liberty with bondage and slavery. It takes everything from those over whom it rules and gives it to the Marxist masters and those whom they believe can and will keep them in power — forever. Under Marxism virtually everyone is for sale. Only their respective prices are negotiated. This is Marxism at its best. But, believe it or not, there is an even much darker side.

The darker side of Marxism and all totalitarian governments is, in reality, the end result of all of these systems — the termination/extermination of human life. Note: This bodes well for the followers of Lucifer (aka Satan) but, not for humans. Remember, Saul Alinsky (one of Obama's mentors) dedicated his anti-human book "Rules for Radicals" to Lucifer. And, no. It wasn't a joke on Alinsky's part. From what I can ascertain Alinsky — as all other Marxists/leftists/progressives/liberals (take your pick) — did not have a developed sense of humor. Instead, he (as all other totalitarian would-be rulers) was a decidedly angry man who desired power and control over humans and eventually planned to challenge God Himself. But, Alinsky was, most certainly, not alone in his unending quest and unquenchable thirst for supremacy over humankind — and to eventually raise himself up on the bodies of his victims to become a twisted and maniacal god. It is what the sickest and most perverse of humans have been attempting since the tempting serpent's sojourn into the Garden of Eden.

One prime example of this deformed and merciless behavior was inherent within the Soviet Union tyrant Josef Stalin. Stalin murdered between 7-10 Million people — via a designed starvation plan — in the Ukraine in the 1930s. Note: It was the "patriotic duty" of the Ukrainians — men, women and all infants and other children — to die for "Uncle Joe." During Stalin's 25-year reign of terror, the estimates of his caused human carnage (called "purges") wavered around and about 20 Millions. Stalin viewed humans as nothing more than instruments to serve the State — and him.

China's Mao Zedong was no slouch, either, when it came to exterminating humans. His reign of terror (this title is given to ALL totalitarian rulers — a title they all seem to embrace and take pride in) lasted from 1949-1975. During this period of time, it is estimated that Mao's genocide included at least 40 Million people. Mao affected this genocide to rid himself of all of his opponents. As China is still a patently Communist country and still ruled by iron hands, it appears to have worked.

By comparison, Nazi Germany's Adolph Hitler was a bit of a piker, having murdered — some, including children, in the grossest of ways — only between 6-10 Million people overall.

Many additional tyrants (who should be relegated to the litter boxes of history) can be found in multiple historical accounts. But, each and every one of them transmitted what they were going to do before they did it and each and every one of them promised "change" — but never told the people they would soon rule about that change. The people, however, mesmerized by the words that fell trippingly from the soon to be tyrants' tongues refused to hear what they were really saying. So, like lambs to the slaughter, they elected the horrors to office. This brings us up to current day.

While campaigning for President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama promised "change" and that the change would be "transformational." It is.

1. He is transforming the USA from our former Republic into a Marxist rulership. Power OVER the people

2. He has taken over control of We-the-Peoples' bodies and turned them over to soon-to-be genocidal bureaucracies with ObamaCare. It still has nothing to do with health or care — only the planned deaths of Americans who oppose The Obama. Power OVER the people

3. Amnesty for Illegals is back on the table to replace the American legal votes with those of illegals. Power OVER the people
4. Cap and Trade is back on the table, in order to make it almost impossible for many if not most Americans to afford electricity. Power OVER the people

5. Obama has taken over student college loans to ensure that no one is funded unless he or she bows to The Obama. Power OVER the people

6. He has stolen most of OUR money and is placing it in his and his supporters' pockets. Power OVER the people

There are too many examples of Obama's instilling of power over the people to list in one — or even several — columns. But, one additional example is today's release of Obama's NON Nuclear protection policy. On 6 April 2010 Obama announced that even if the USA is attacked, we will likely not retaliate. In other words, the USA may soon — literally — be toast. Another is even more Orwellian and Luciferian than the rest of the Obama's destruction of the USA and its people.

Almost seeming to try to hide one of the worst examples of the Obama agenda, ALL of the media — including Fox News — has stopped talking about one of the most dangerous of the ObamaCzars. Calling for a "democratic revolution," ObamaCzar and the Czar now in charge of controlling the FCC to ensure all opposition to Obama and free speech ends is Mark Lloyd. Lloyd extolled the use of the Hutu-controlled media to lie about the Rwandan Tutsis so that there would be genocide of the opposition to the Hutu government. In 100 days between 800,000-1 Millions Tutsis were murdered. Lloyd [see below video link] believes this same use of the media should be employed in the USA. Why? To rid Obama of his opposition. Bear in mind, Lloyd's comments were made before Obama was elected. Obama knew who and what he was — and is.

So, Obama is now daily passing (via fiat) new rules and regulations — if not laws — that will destroy the USA and get rid of its pesky people who oppose the dictator. Those who are too indoctrinated, too stupid or too brain dead will never see that which is in front of them. But, those of us who are awake, sober, intelligent and/or finally waking up can see and hear it loudly and clearly. Our country is being murdered in front of our eyes. We must now immediately stop those who are at the viper's head of the destruction and all of those who collaborate with them. If not, pick up your burlap to make your slaves' clothes. That really is all that will be left for you.

 Josef Stalin murder of the Ukrainians:http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/stalin.htm

Josef Stalin Genocide and Crimes against Humanity:

Mao Zedong murder of 40 Millions:

Mao Zedong Genocide and Crimes against Humanity:

Obama Raises White Flag Over America:

Mark Lloyd How to Use the Media to commit genocide on people:

Rwandan Genocide:

Friday, June 18, 2010

Why Did Obama Reject Foreign Help?

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


Every day, I hear a few of the folks out there is still believe in Barack Obama say, "What is he supposed to do? He didn't cause the leak. He can't suck it up with a straw" (to borrow a line). Yet, I suspect that during Katrina, these same folks were damning George Bush for not saving the citizens of New Orleans-even as Coast Guard helicopters were lucking people off roof tops.

Here are a couple of things, Obama could have done in the early days of this disaster. First (on Day Three), he could have accepted the offer of the Dutch to sail ships into the Gulf with skimmers. (The Dutch know a thing or two about dealing with leaks, you know.) Yet astonishing, the State Department...


Yeah you!

.....politely declined the offer as well as other offers from several other nations. Basically, DOS said that they had it under control.

Besides, there was an obscure law from 1920 called the Jones Act, which essentially requires boats carrying goods in our waters to be built, owned and operated by American crews. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

"The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (P.L. 66-261) is a United States Federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports.

Section 27, also known as the Jones Act, deals with cabotage (i.e., coastal shipping) and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry, but agricultural interests generally oppose it because, they contend, it raises the cost of shipping their goods, making them less competitive with foreign sources."



Of course, such a regulation could be waved by the President as George W Bush did during Hurricane Katrina when several nations pitched in to help.

And those miles of booms sitting in a Maine warehouse? Can't blame that one on BP, folks?

It reminds me of Katrina when firefighters and rescue personnel from all over the country were volunteering their services. Once accepted, they were sent to Atlanta for a training course on FEMA guidelines, etc-even getting classes on the history of FEMA and sexual harassment rules. Many gave up in disgust and went home. That wasn't Katrina's fault; that was the government's fault.

And in that vein, having a dozen government agencies down there in the Gulf tripping over each other stopping one effort after another due to their own regulations is only showing government incompetence.

A Man After My Own Heart

"I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying."
From Sea Fever by John Masefield Posted by Storm'n Norm'n

US sailor returns after record-breaking 1,152 day trip
Source: BBC

For BBC video click here
A sailor has returned to shore after spending more than three years at sea without touching dry land.
Reid Stowe, 58, docked in Manhattan after his 1,152 day voyage, and was greeted by his girlfriend and 23-month toddler who he had never seen.
Mr Stowe left in the 70-foot (21m) two-masted sailing boat in April 2007.
Guinness World Records say they are looking into the claim that the trip sets a new record for the longest voyage.
Mr Stowe set off from New Jersey on a round-the-world trip which finished in Manhattan.
He originally set off with his girlfriend, Soanya Ahmad, 26, until she had to return to shore after suspecting she was pregnant.
The couple agreed that he would continue without her, despite it meaning that he would miss the birth of their son.
He said that seeing her go was the hardest part of his trip.
"Before we left, we had an agreement that if I had to get off for any reason, he would go on," Ms Ahmad said.
"I knew if he came back and didn't finish the voyage, he would just go back again. There was no way he wasn't going to finish it."
Sailor Reid Stowe sails his 70 ft. gaff-rigged schooner "Anne" into the New York Harbor Mr Stowe said his trip was a "voyage of love" Yoga and painting
The vessel was built by Mr Stowe and his family 30 years ago, and named "Anne" after his mother.
While at sea, Mr Stowe says he spent his time repairing torn sails, painting, practising yoga and writing a book.
He was able to send e-mails and make satellite phone calls.
Mr Stowe refers to his trip as a "voyage of love".
"She's done what no vessel in the world has done," Mr Stowe said.
"She got worn out and beat down to death.
"I'll tell you that boat will take me for another year and there is still a years worth of food on that boat... It's a magical boat, it's full of love."
Charles Doane, editor of Sail magazine, said he believes that Mr Stowe set a new sailing record.
He said that the GPS satellite system that tracked the voyage provides evidence that the boat had not touched land during the trip
______________
As you all know Roger lived in the seafaring town of Newburyport, Massachusetts...
Here's some scenes from just down the street from Roger's place...I'm sure he loved the sea as much as I.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Obama's Great Speech-Even MSNBC Hated It

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


Barack Obama reminds me of the smooth-talking traveling salesman-the guy who talks his way through your front door and proceeds to talk his way right out the back door. This week, his speech fell flat not just to Fox News, but even the mad hatters at MSNBC hated it. (Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews and Howard Fineman). When even Chris Matthews doesn't get that tingling down his leg, you've failed. The inspiring rhetoric has now fallen on deaf ears. In his speech, Barack Obama might as well have been speaking to a nation-wide audience of oysters.

Obama covered three areas, which may be summarized as follows:

1 Clean up- From Day One we have been doing a great job-30,000 people, millions of feet of boom, ect (They are not. It's a mess)

2 Gulf Coast restoration- Blue ribbon commission to be headed by ex-Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus. Yawn.

3 Make sure it never happens again, from which he segued into the need to switch to clean energy (wind turbines, solar, etc).

In addition, he told us how he and Ken Salazar have been reforming the MMS agency that for a decade had been corrupt and in bed with the oil companies. Translation? Blame George W Bush.

He also told how he is going to dictate to BP that they set up an escrow fund to pay for the damage. Of course, he has no authority to do so, but BP will probably agree for purposes of PR if nothing else.

Bottom line? Obama has very little clue as what he should do, so he made a speech, which is what he used to do best.

Look, I, as much as anyone, would like to see us switch to cars that could run on peanut butter or anything else but oil. But we are talking about the here and now. No windmill is going to blow my car down the road. The sad fact is that the world runs on oil and we need it. We can't continue to keep buying it from Saudi Arabia and all those other lousy countries that don't even like us. We need to produce our own oil while we develop this elusive alternative clean energy. Drilling in the middle of the ocean (thanks to the environmentalists) has produced a leak that nobody can plug for 4-5 months. We should be drilling off the coast and in Alaska. Then, when that new source of clean energy is developed, we can celebrate the end of oil.

America is finally learning that you can't run a country on great speeches.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Platitudes Of Oil

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle



Book of Obama:  Chapter 11





nd The Anointed One spoke unto the masses:

While I was fixing your economy, granting everyone Healthcare, and destroying this nation's alliances with our traditional  friends, my enemy (Republicans and Teabggers) destroyed a deep well in the Gulf of Mexico.

This happened due to the incompetence of the British and how it was caused by the evil done by Bush the Lessor.

This was not MY fault, The Anointed One he exclaimed!

It was BP, they lied to Me, they said they could plug the leak. For they had many plans, though none would work well, they all looked good when they proposed them.

It was the fault of Steven Chu, he is the smartest man I know after Me. He has a Nobel in Physics, head of MY energy policy and should have known how to solve this mess.  Chu failed Me!

And MY predecessor, Bush the Lessor, caused this disaster.  It was his policies that was the direct caused of this.  It was his lack of regulation, his people that let BP, that evil Corporation, to do what they wanted to.

Yet I will heal this mess.  I will require the passing of the Cap and Trade Bill.  Yes it will raise yourn electric rates by 30% but it will save the environment (At least MY poll numbers with them!).

I demand an end to all drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.  We can never allow an disaster like this to happen again (This will please MY Saudi masters.).





visited the Gulf, not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times.  I talked to the fishermen, innkeeper, tavern owner.  They cried they will go broke.  They have no income, no monies, it is all the fault of BP.  They will be destroyed.

I told them that I will force BP to put Billions of their dollars into a special account and a third party will settle all claims (I think I can get Andy "The Weasel" Stern to head it.).  They will get paid eventually, but not until I get MY share (It is the Chicago Way!).

I went to the Gulf, and held out MY arms.  I demanded the oil to stop spilling (It was keeping Me from MY golf game!), but nothing happened.  The oil kept flowing.  I am The Anointed OneThe Chosen of the People.  If I say stop, it will stop!
But the flow of oil did not stop.  Not when The Anointed One demanded it to, not when the people of the region prayed to their God, not for many months.  It flowed and destroyed the sea and land.  The birds and fish.  The hopes of the people. It destroyed all because of the hubris of  The Anointed One.

The people, those who follow God and those who reject his laws, started to turn from the false Messiah. "He has lied to us too many times."  They cried.  And the Holy Poll Numbers were dropping.  "Soon his numbers will be so low, he will not be able to rule us." The growing multitude sang to the world.

But until that had come to be, they watch and pray and worry.

Pray for the people living on the Gulf Coast!

Get Ready-Obama to Speak to the Nation

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk



US Government agencies in action on the Gulf Coast
(Wait till you see how they run health care.)


Tonight is the night we have all been waiting for since that oil disaster began a couple of months back. Tonight, the Messiah, Barack Obama, will speak to the Nation. Tomorrow, all the problems in the Gulf Coast will be solved. What will Obama say? Here is the official Fousesquawk preview.

First, he will tell us that the "buck stops here" because he's the President. Then he will talk about all the problems going back the previous decade (Bush). Count how many times he will say, "Day One" to describe how his administration has been on the job from "Day One". Maybe he will tell us about those 12-13 federal agencies, which all have some degree of jurisdiction over this and that, who are stepping all over each other in what must resemble a figure 8 stock car race in gridlock-"since Day One".

He will also announce that he is appointing an "Oil Recovery Czar". God only knows who that might be. The czar will report directly to him. Maybe he will also appoint a "Blue Ribbon Commission" that will report directly to him-or the czar.

He will tell us how he is kicking BP's ass with one boot while keeping the other boot on BP's neck.

He will talk about how this disaster is teaching us that we must find alternate, green sources of energy and move away from drilling. Don't expect him to say anything about how the environmentalists have forced oil companies into much deeper waters where capping a leak is more problematic because that technology has not caught up.

Similarly, don't expect him to tell us why the EPA declined an offer from the Dutch Government on Day Three to supply skimmers that would collect thousands of barrels of oil a day.

Don't expect him to explain why all those miles of booms have been sitting in a warehouse in Maine while Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was pleading for the government to send booms.

Don't expect him to explain why Jindal, tired of waiting, is sending in the National Guard to set up booms to protect the state's coastline.

Of course, his clones at MSNBC will follow up by telling us that the President said precisely what he had to say to restore public confidence in the government. Fox will say the opposite.

The truth is he is probably better off saying nothing. Not too many people are listening any more.

Another truth; yes, the disaster is BP's fault. It is their responsibility to cap the leak and pay for all the damages and costs. It is the oil industry that supposedly has the expertise to accomplish this. The government's responsibility is to help keep that oil away from our coastlines.

My liberal friends will tell me that I am a hypocrite for demanding government action when, as a conservative, I am always arguing for smaller government that stays out of our lives. On the contrary, government's first and most important duty is to protect the nation, its citizens and property. Seems to me that this fits right into that category. It is fair that he and the leaders of the impacted states be judged on their performance-not their words.

Monday, June 14, 2010

UC-Irvine Suspends Muslim Student Union

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


The University of California at Irvine has announced the suspension of the Muslim Student Union in response to the February 8th 2010 incident when Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech was disrupted. The OC Register has the story below:

http://www.ocregister.com/news/university-253265-union-student.html

Due to privacy rules, the university is unable to release details of any disciplinary action against individual students.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Mosab Hassan Yousef Video: Yousef's Conversion from Islam to Christianity


by Maggie at Maggie’s Notebook

Mosab Hassan Yousef is a Palestinian man living in San Diego, seeking political asylum. His father is a founder of Hamas, and today is in an Israeli prison. Mosab became an undercover agent for Israel’s Shin-Bet. He is credited with saving many Israeli lives, included thwarting an assassination of Shimon Peres.

Mosab Hassan Yousef

The Department of Homeland Security believes Mosab is a national security threat. He faces a San Diego Homeland Security Immigration judge on June 30th and faces deportation. Sending Mosab to the Middle East will mean certain death. Learn more about Mosab Yousef’s story at Save Mosab Yousef.
In the video below, Mosab explains how a chance meeting with a tourist in Jerusalem started him on a long journey of study, and eventual conversion.

This video is quite a story. For those of us who believe we understand the grace of Jesus Christ, it is difficult to contemplate what this very young man went through.

Visit Dark Skies Blog for the entire 6 videos. The following video is No. 5.




Mosab Yousef on His Conversion from Islam to Christianity (video)




Bye-bye Vice President Biden?

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

That is the speculation and prediction of Liz Peek.

Joe Biden has been a liability to the Obama Administration Regime since he was put on the ticket in 2008.  It seems the Vice President has Foot-in-Mouth Disease.  He opens his mouth and inserts his foot.  He has become an embarrassment and a political liability to this regime. Therefore he must go!

Ms. Peek predicts that Obama will cut loose Joe Biden in favor of Hillary Clinton.
Here’s a prediction: the Obama administration will bounce Joe Biden off the 2012 ticket, and invite Hillary Clinton to run in his stead.

The move will aim to bolster Obama’s standing and provide some excitement among core Democrats – something that Biden fails to provide. Hillary will agree, because just four years later she will be superbly positioned to run for president – ever the rainbow on her personal horizon.

At present, her polls are high, with 58% of voters viewing her at least somewhat favorably.

Wistful Dems who wonder these days what could have been will tout her hard work and pragmatic diplomacy as she chases one impossible Obama pipe dream after another to all corners of the globe.

Certain wishful Dems are hoping she will challenge Obama in a primary. I don’t think so. As Ted Kennedy found when he tried to pick off Jimmy Carter in 1980, even an unpopular incumbent is still an incumbent.

If the White House political team brings Clinton on board over the next year, they can remove whatever threat exists from that quarter. Meanwhile, Hillary can bide her time and husband her resources, eventually running against Obama’s legacy.

She will have better answers on health care, a subject she has studiously avoided discussing, and could adopt her husband’s centrist approach to trade and taxes to win over independents.
Up until President Eisenhower, the position of Vice President on a political ticket was easily changed.  FDR had 3 different VPs (John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, and Harry S. Truman.).  So it isn't out of the question or against historical precedent.


Joe Biden was originally chosen for his experience in foreign affairs.  A skill it seems, judging from the last 2 years of this regime, neither Joe Biden or Barack Hussein Obama have or ever has aquired.

Nor has Hillary Clinton showed her great skill in foreign policy and foreign affairs in her tenure as Secretary of State.

In fact the trio remind on of the bumbling antics of the 3 Stooges.  It would be funny, but the price to our security is too high for such jokes or jokers.

I have always wondered why Joe Biden was brought onto the ticket.  He brought no electoral votes, no region of the nation to swing towards Obama, he is a bumbler, a fool at times, yet he and not Hillary was chosen to be the VP.  Could it be that the idea of President Biden is so horrible to the nation that the Congress will allow Obama to do anything to prevent that from happening?  Does Joe Biden make Obama safe from impeachment?  If so, why the change of heart?

This is all speculation and will not matter if Obama's polls continue to drop.  Who is going to vote for a President with a 20% or less approval rating?  Pretty much no one.  So regardless of who is on the ticket in 2012, as things look right now, Obama is a one-term President and should be considered a lame duck.

America's Foreign Policy Leaders!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Al-Jazeera Article by Mark LeVine

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk


I am linking a pro-Palestinian article written by Professor Mark LeVine of UC-Irvine (where I also teach) on Al-Jazeera. LeVine, who made "headlines" lately by calling David Horowitz a "liar" on "international television" (actually, it was on Sean Hannity's show), is solidly pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, which is his right. Aside from his condemnation of Israel, however, there were a few lines that really caught my eye.

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/06/20106162847943928.html

I have a couple of comments. First of all, I am not interested in debating who the good guys are and who the bad guys are in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. LeVine supports the Palestinians and I support Israel's right to exist in peace and to defend herself. As far as America's alliance with Israel over the years, the reasons may have been complicated from one period to the next, but to me, it has been the moral thing to do. I guess the main reason I have been sympathetic to Israel all of my adult life (which began in the 1960s) is that I remember so many Palestinian/Arab terror attacks over the decades, from the skyjackings, to the airport attacks (i.e. Rome and Vienna), the 1972 Munich Olympics, Entebbe, the kidnappings, the hostages, the Achille Lauro etc. In many of these incidents, Americans and other nationalities died. I remember the 1967 and 1973 wars, in which Israel was fighting for her very survival. Then more recently came the suicide bombings and the rockets lobbed into Israel.

I have never tried to argue that the Palestinians did not have legitimate grievances or that Israel was perfect. I simply believe, as stated above, that Israel has a right to exist and defend herself. So on that we can agree to disagree.

I would, however, like to take issue with one point that LeVine makes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The martyrs of the ships are heroes, they are warriors every bit as deserving of our tears and support as the soldiers of American wars past and present.

They are, in fact, the soldiers of the future - the only ones who can help us get out of the disastrous slide to moral turpitude that we, as much as Israel, have descended as a country.

Let us hope that the deaths of the Gaza flotilla activists will not be as in vain as those of the 5,000 American soldiers who have died in our own illegal and useless wars in the last decade."
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Sorry, professor, but you are out of line here.













I do not consider the 9 Turks that were killed on the Mavi Marmara to be heroes or martyrs. More importantly, to compare those thugs with American soldiers who have given their lives in wars past and present (some of which you call illegal)is insulting. I don't know if you have ever served in the military (I have), but I suspect if you had, you might have more reverence for our fallen than to compare them to the 9 "martyrs".