As if one couldn't tell by the throngs of shoppers at the malls, the beloved songs on the radio, and the twinkle in every child's eye, today marks the beginning of Ramadan - a sacred, month-long Islamic holiday marked by fasting, prayer, and (as the president just impishly proved) "some surprises."
In this case, the surprise was Obama's barely reported release of six more Al Qaeda detainees from Guantanamo Bay, including three of Osama Bin Laden's bodyguards.
The prisoners, all of whom were classified as "high risk" by US intelligence in 2008, were reclassified as harmless (if not downright cuddly!) by Obama's "Periodic Review Board," which is charged with "finding a way to empty Gitmo - period."
To accomplish this, the Review Board takes into account things like whether the jihadists have been good about attending taxpayer-funded yoga classes designed to curb their violent impulses, and the detainees' expressed desires to return to the war torn Middle East only for the purpose of starting "milk and honey farms." No, really.
Oh sure, skeptics are going to point to the fact that nearly 30% of detainees released from Gitmo go back to killing on the battlefield. But shouldn't the holidays be a time to set aside skepticism and simply believe wholeheartedly in peace on Earth and good will to enemy combatants?
Apparently Barack Hussein Obama thinks so.
BONUS: HAIR APPARENT
Donald Trump announced yesterday that he, like everyone else, is now officially running for president. Frankly, Hope n' Change finds it hard to take him seriously - but then again, maybe it's best not to judge a potential president based only on a hairstyle.
A lesson the Spokane NAACP just learned the hard way.
Donald Trump may not have much of a chance to win the nomination, but he'll keep things stirred up and keep it interesting. He will give the MSM and Hope and Change a lot of material to use to poke fun at a Republican. This may keep some of the heat off of the other candidates.
ReplyDeleteAt least 'The Donald' won't back down from the tough questions and he's the candidate with perhaps the most successful track record in business. And the United States is a business, albeit a business with jet fighters, tanks, a humongous military force, and atom bombs. And he's most likely to surround himself with staff who are experienced in their particular discipline. Unlike the current crop. I don't think he will be a whiney milktoast such as we have had the displeasure of seeing at debates in the past.
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm going to get my beer and popcorn and sit back and watch the entertainment. It well be interesting for the next 17 months.
Ramadan? Meh. The religion of peace can take Ramadan and ram it.
ReplyDeleteI have not yet made up my mind about the Donald, and the usual stodgy but mostly accurate folks at Commentary dismiss him out of hand. but I heard him on Mark Levin's radio show, and even though Levin himself does not 'endorse' him, Trump resonates with Americans who are fed up with the status quo of both parties, and the crass, corrupt Washington combine. I am interested in listening to him; want to hear him say what others won't say ... talk about American exceptionalism, talk about the capitulation to China, Mexico, etc. He is the Anti-Republican Republican, and he has the Establishment and their mouthpieces in an uproar.. It WILL be interesting to hear, see both Trump, and the punditocracy try to spin and dismiss him.
ReplyDeleteLet's see, he suggested the Oprah as his VP.
ReplyDeleteShould tell you everything right there.
@Chish -- Yeah, I know. Even though the Veep slot is not worth a bucket of warm spit, it is a heart-beat away from the POTUS. As we already know, this is probably not a serious candidacy, but Trump will shake up the race.
ReplyDelete122 detainees remain in Gitmo. That is the same number of illegals that Øbonzo released back into society without deportation who went on to murder US citizens. Evidently anyone who wishes to harm Americans are on his special treatment buddy list.
ReplyDelete@Joseph ET- I can't take Trump seriously, but I do think that his directness and willingness to spar with the other GOP candidates can be a good thing. The actual election is going to be an ugly, bare-knuckle brawl. Weeding out the non-fighters is a good idea.
ReplyDelete@Fred Ciampi- Trump has actually accomplished a lot, and his business and managerial talents would be a welcome replacement for the purely scholastic, ivory tower "qualifications" currently on display in the Obama administration. That being said, I can't imagine him "playing well with others" in Washington to actually get things done.
@TrickyRicky- If you're not careful, you're going to lose your invitation to the annual White House end of Ramadan feast!
@Gang of One- Nicely put.
@Chish McFicken- I think he's only mentioning Oprah because #BlackVotesMatter.
@Gang of One- Truth be told, Oprah would probably make a far better president than Obama has. Not that he's set the bar very high...
@Geoff King- Good point, and another terribly under-reported story. Obama just keeps dumping killers, rapists, and other criminals (all of whom are here illegally) into the unsuspecting populace. Trump says that he'd build a wall on our southern border, and that I actually believe and support.
Yeah well sure. Pinch-hitting for John here but my guess? It will be Hillbilly/Trump ticket. Yeah sure!
ReplyDeleteThink about that for a moment.
OK, never mind. Maybe just a mind meld or something. Fix his hair, fix her lack of personality.
WWJD? [That would be John.]
Gitmo: All part of Obama's only almost-kept promise to the lunatic left; undoing the Bush years. So no surprise here. The only upside is that in the future, our soldiers in the field will know better than to go to the risk and trouble of capturing these people alive and just zap them on the spot. Easier and cheaper for everyone that way. Does that make you happy leftists?
ReplyDeleteTrump: Trump is capitalism's unwanted court jester. Contrary to what he'd like people to believe, Trump's primary product is not real estate, casinos, or other supposed businesses, but is the name "Trump". He makes his money marketing himself and his name. He hardly has "the most successful track record in business". Far from it. Most of the businesses with his name on them are not actually his, and most have unimpressive to dismal track records. More than a few have gone bankrupt. But since Trump doesn't actually own them, he comes out shining. That's the genius of Trump; He basically exists based upon other people's money. Others, who are impressed by his aura take the risks and he reaps the rewards. Honestly, based upon his his performance in "business", I think he'd make a better Democrat.
That said, I did watch all of his "event" yesterday. In fact, I agreed with almost everything he said; He sounded like a genuine conservative populist. Based on his rhetoric alone, of all the GOP candidates, he's the only one that sounds the least bit like Reagan would. This may be the benefit of Trump in the campaign; he's not afraid to say what the establishment GOP squishies will not, and I have a feeling that conservatives tired of the squishies and the middle-class Democrats who have finally figured out that they've long been abandoned by the Democratic Party and the undecideds will respond to his message. The squishies will have to respond. That's a good thing.
So I don't take Trump seriously, either as a businessman or a candidate. If anything, he's a showman. He won't be and shouldn't be the candidate. But he will shake things up. And if anything needs shaking up, it's the GOP which has done little for us over the last 25 years than to serve up candidates that aren't really all that different than what the Democrats have to offer.
@Juanita, since both Hillary and Trump are utterly shameless, they really do belong together. They have far more in common than either thinks.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I did catch that piece about how the Clintons shamelessly rent themselves out to charities like the "Boys and Girls Club" for obscene amounts of money. I can't be alone in thinking that it's sheer insanity for a candidate to rail against greedy CEOs while the Clinton trio won't walk into a room for less than 6-figures for an hour of their time. Perhaps this will be a plus of having Trump in the race; Most of the squishies will be too timid to hit Hillary in the gut for this transparent hypocrisy, but Trump won't be.
IMHO, I say "Shame!" to the charities that pay up for this, as they're basically the enablers that make this whole sick charade possible.
It appears that Obongo will continue his plan to empty Gitmo. Instead of wasting jet fuel flying them back to wherever on a C-5 Galaxy, how about we put these dirtbags into the same type of boats that freedom loving refugees had to flee in. It would be a shame to lose a few along the way, no?
ReplyDeleteAs to Trump; I do not take him seriously either, but I greatly enjoy watching the left (and much of the right) going apoplectic over the statements he made during his "event".
Other amusing leftist hypocrisy: Canadian rocker Neil Young isn't happy with Trump's use of "Rockin' in the Free World" at his rally yesterday. Let's look over the hypocrisy over this:
ReplyDeleteFirst, Trump paid the appropriate licensing fee to use the song. Why was he able to do this? Because Neil licensed the song out to be used by one of the licensing agencies. Young didn't have to do this; he could have kept the song to himself and exercised total control. But there isn't much money in doing that, and it certainly doesn't support the lifestyle of a 1%-er. So instead, he chose to go for the easy money and sold or licensed the rights. But the cost of that easy money is lack of control over every way that song could be used. He can't have it both ways. Young has no right to complain. He sold it and got paid for doing so.
Second, I'm not sure this is hypocrisy or just ignorance, but Neil Young says he supports Bernie Sanders, the socialist. Under socialism, Neil Young would have very few property rights, especially as a certifiably 1%-er that Bernie says he'd like to rape. Perhaps like most of the other rich socialists, Neil Young believes that he'll be exempted from the consequences of the revolution. That remains to be seen, but either way I think it's sheer hypocrisy and/or ignorance to argue for property rights and then support an outright socialist within the same paragraph.
Back just after O'Liar's first coronation, I fully expected him to close Gitmo in one fell swoop, and move all the inmates to a cushy federal prison on US soil. He instead is slowly and steadily turning a few loose at a time, hoping, no doubt, that conservatives won't notice and his libtarded buddies will praise him for it. I doubt he is gaining brownie points from either side.
ReplyDeleteStilton, I appreciate you reminding me that it is Ramadan. I'm going to celebrate by eating nothing but meals that contain bacon, sausage or ham for the whole damn month!
For all that Donald Trump is, he has my vote for sheer audacity. I absolutely loved his proclamation about being filthy rich, and took that to mean that he can not be bribed. I actually believe that for some odd reason; I don't think the man is beholden to anybody, and if he is, he seems to not give a crap. He is going to liven things up a good bit (provided he makes the debate cut).
It IS still OK to collect Democrat and other nutcake party campaign stuff to post as targets on the range; right? It's great therapy; and better sighting practice than just concentric rings (center of mass and all that), but I've a growing suspicion they can come and get me for some trumped up offense. Littering? Nope, I clean it up. Hate crime? Bullshit, I love doing this. It's even recycling.
ReplyDeleteRama dama a ding dong uh ee uh hah hah.....
ReplyDeleteSadly I would actually pull the lever for trump if he was the candidate, which moves him to 7th place on my list and moves jeb down to 148th place.
The good news though Doc, should you decide to declare, trumps entry does not effect your place on my list or John the Econ should he also decide to declare. So rest easy.
ReplyDeleteI'm with REM1875. I pray to God we don't get Bush shoved ddown our throats. ALL of the other repubs are fine... no problem voting for any of them, including Trump.
ReplyDeleteLittle chance of that, @REM1875. The vast majority of America would have very little interest in me as a candidate. I'd be the first candidate in living memory to tell Americans what I would not be doing for them as President. Since a majority of Americans today now receive some form of "assistance" from government, they've been bought, if not paid for by big government. On the other side, Hillary, Bernie and whoever else will be offering them more freebies to be paid for by either people they say they hate, or more simply by printing more dollars. We're long since the point of being able to compete against that I am afraid. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of printing dollars: Fed leaves interest rates unchanged
For almost a decade now, I've been arguing that once interest rates are set next-to-zero, it will be politically impossible to raise them until it's too late. And so far, my prediction has held. Since early this year, the Federal Reserve kept signalling that rates would rise in June. It's June, and rates are not moving. The Fed now says that they'll "rise gradually", but not likely until next year. So, what do you think will happen next year?
This is good news for the Democrats. The bulk of Obama's multi-trillion debt run-up is currently financed at artificially low rates, and the longer rates stay artificially low, the further Obama and the Pelosi/Reid-era Democrats will be separated from it. When interest rates do rise, the both national debt and the deficit are going to explode. Since so few people truly understand the "debt" and "deficit", or even that they are two different things, it will be up to a future President and Congress that will get to own the problem and deal with that. Neither will be popular.
This just in: Retired Democrat Barney Frank, architect of the Fannie/Freddie economic crash and co-author of Dodd-Frank, the biggest banking regulation bill since the '30s, has now joined the board of, wait, a bank. The revolving door keeps spinning.
And this just in: Suspect in killing of nine at black US church arrested: officials.
Our prayers go out to the victims of another senseless madman.
...and no sooner than I post that, I see Obama take the opportunity to exploit this for the gun control agenda. Shameless.
ReplyDeleteStacking and standing on still warm bodies behind the podium makes them seem taller to express their moral outrage. Coming from a group who advocates no morals these seems a little hypocritical and bit ironic.
ReplyDeleteOur prayers go out to all the injured and suffering. How anyone could kill those he had just been praying with (who is not a mooseslime) in inconceivable. God bless, comfort and aid all who suffer.
Yes, John the Econ, I saw that also...'never let a good crisis go to waste!' Matter of fact, I was WAITING for that to come out of those lying lips! They love them some gun-control!
ReplyDelete@John the Econ- Aw, crap. I just finished tomorrow's Hope n' Change which (spoiler alert) expressed the hope that people wouldn't exploit the horrendous murders in South Carolina for their own political benefit.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I knew it would probably happen - but damnit anyway.
@Stilton, it used to be that out of some lingering sense of propriety they'd at least wait 24 hours before letting the crisis exploitation fly. No longer. As the President himself just said, "...even though all the facts are not in...". Now, they're just to fast, even for you.
ReplyDeleteWas it Rahm-a-don Emanuel who coined the phrase "never let a crisis go to waste"? How could ANY sentient being NOT realize that attention whores would take ANY problem and try to draw it to THEIR agenda with THEIR explanation?
ReplyDelete@Stilton Jarlsberg:
ReplyDeleteThis is kind-of off topic, but ...
the official Jeb Bush campaign logo is the word 'JEB" followed by an exclamation point: JEB!
It really ought to be that but also preceded by an inverted exclamation point as is the custom in a certain foreign language ...
Exploitation doesn't take long at all when there's a well-practiced playbook and folks on alert for any triggers. What a bunch of asses.
ReplyDelete