Posts Tagged ‘Chicago’
Friday, March 6th, 2015
Welcome to Friday! With so much being written about Hillary Clinton’s secret email server (well, secret to mere peasants like you and me, if not foreign governments…) and the King v. Burwell ObamaCare hearings, I didn’t include anything on them in this LinkSwarm. Maybe later…
Egyptian-born imam called for Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s death for defaming Islam. Does the Department of Justice: A.) Seek to deport him, B.) Investigate his ties to terrorism, or C.) Hire him to teach Islam in prison? (Hat tip: Jihad Watch.)
The Syrian rebel group Harakat al-Hazm, the last “moderate” group backed by the White House, disbands and joins the jihadists. Another towering Obama/Clinton/Kerry foreign policy triumph!
So the forces trying to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State are Iranian-led Shia militias?
Hillary Clinton’s foreign payola wasn’t just illegal, it was unconstitutional:
The Washington Post reported last week that the tax-exempt foundation run by Bill and Hillary Clinton accepted money from seven foreign governments while Hillary served as U.S. Secretary of State (it’s unclear how much foreign money the organization accepted while Hillary was a U.S. Senator). Super shady, right? It’s worse than that, though, because Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution actually bans foreign payola for U.S. officials.
The constitutional ban on foreign cash payments to U.S. officials is known as the Emoluments Clause and originated from Article VI of the Articles of Confederation. The purpose of the clause was to prevent foreign governments from buying influence in the U.S. by paying off U.S. government officials. Here’s the text of the clause:
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
Ted Cruz participated in a discussion with Elie Wiesel on the dangers of letting Iran obtain nuclear weapons. But what would Elie Wiesel know about attempts to exterminate Jews?
Obama’s greatest accomplishment is kicking people out of the workforce. Well, at least domestically…
The New York Observer has a hotline to the Kremlin
Egypt declares Hamas a terrorist organization.
Maryland Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski to retire. (Hat tip: Moe Lane.)
Chicago’s credit rating slashed. That’s what happens when you spend like drunken sailors. Or, worse yet, Californians.
Via Borepatch, an entire blog dedicated to improvised arms.
The Top 10 GOP Donors in Texas.
Science shows that fracking is not responsible for earthquakes in the DFW area.
Guy decides to leave civilization behind and start his own Utopia. It turns out exactly as any rational observers would expect.
Tweet:
The Llamas With Hats saga is now complete.
Tags:Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Barbara Mikulski, bribes, Chicago, Democrats, Egypt, Elie Wiesel, Foreign Policy, Hamas, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Iraq, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Jihad, LinkSwarm, Media Watch, Military, nuclear weapons, Syria, Ted Cruz
Posted in Democrats, Foreign Policy, Jihad, Media Watch, Military, Texas | No Comments »
Monday, December 23rd, 2013
Saw this over on Ace of Spades, and thought it worthy of much wider distribution. Essentially, black voters in Chicago are tired of a political machine (including black aldermen and preachers ) that does nothing but screw them over.
Caveat: These are obviously excerpts, so we don’t know what the rest of the meeting was like.
But certainly black Americans in most American cities have real complaints about a welfare state that’s left them behind and made their lives worse rather than better, and those in Chicago, with one of the heaviest Democratic machines and the highest murder count in the country, have more cause for complaint than most. And it’s absolutely true that the Democratic Party takes them for granted, and will continue to do so as long as they blindly vote 9-1 straight ticket Democrat in every election. Why shouldn’t Democrats take them for granted if they continue to reap lockstep votes without having to exert any effort. (And whenever it waivers, they seem to feel they need only shout “Trayvon!” or some other race card distraction to continue their grip.) And the Great Obama Recession has consistently been worse for black America than white America.
(It also needs to be noted that at the state level, many Illinois Republicans are just guilty of ignoring voter needs as part of the corrupt bipartisan Combine that runs the state.)
But at least Chicago’s black community has made the first step of speaking out about how the Democratic machine has been harvesting their votes and handing out welfare, but otherwise neglecting them and taking them for granted. There’s no guarantee they’ll take the next step, be it actually talking to Republicans, consider abandoning the failed liberal welfare state model that’s destroyed their community, or even form a new political party (maybe The Urban Party) rather than demanding a bigger share of the corruption (as so many black politicians have). But at least the recognize there’s a problem.
Finally, I still think Al Sharpton is among the lowest of race-hustling poverty pimps, but let’s give him one cheer here for setting this up and actually letting people speak.
Tags:Al Sharpton, black, Chicago, Democrats, Illinois, illinois Combine, Rahm Emanuel, video
Posted in Democrats, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | No Comments »
Friday, November 8th, 2013
Time for another LinkSwarm, still top-heavy with ObamaCare failure news:
Have insurance through your employer? Don’t worry, ObamaCare will screw you as well.
“Can the Obama-loving media really bring itself to report that their Beloved is simply lying about every single aspect of his signature program?” Beyond a few iconoclasts like Sheryl Atkinson or Chris Wallace, I think we all know the answer to that one.
ObamaCare was bad enough to start out, but the Obama White House intentionally made it worse.
Short and no doubt woefully incomplete list of businesses that have already cut back hours and hiring due to ObamaCare.
ObamaCare demonstrates “timeless demonstration of the failure of central planning, government regulations, and the entitlement state. It is a failure so total, so comprehensive, and so multifaceted that it will be studied by schoolchildren 50 years from now when their teachers explain to them why the giant welfare and regulatory state built up in the second half of the 20th century collapsed in the first half of the 21st.”
Krauthammer on ObamaCare’s continued unpopularity: “And unless they stop the avalanche here, the Democrats are going to get buried in this.”
And now the ObamaCare website is dishing out gibberish?
A quarter million Coloradans have their health insurance ObamaCared.
I’m shocked, SHOCKED to find Chicago’s Democratic machine abusing bonds to paper over deficits.
Having Dana Milbank say that Obaama lives in a reality bubble is like the guy who just mugged you saying “Man, this is really a high crime neighborhood! You should watch out!”
Philadelphia man adds two more to the dead goblin count.
If you’re the son of the most famous Fascist* in British history, maybe it’s best not to participate in Nazi-themed S&M sex orgies.
Voters in Amarillo and Houston rejected spending money for sports complexes.
Another hammer drops on Prenda Law.
Things to make you furious: Cops killing puppies.
And speaking of dogs, I missed this from a week ago: Giant George, RIP.
Heh.
*Real Fascist, not just in the liberal name-calling sense.
Tags:Charles Krauthammer, Chicago, Colorado, Country Music Awards, Crime, Dana Milbank, dogs, fraud, Max Mosley, Media Watch, ObamaCare, Prenda Law, self-defense, video, Welfare State
Posted in Budget, Crime, Media Watch, ObamaCare, video, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | No Comments »
Friday, September 13th, 2013
My schedule is finally close to getting back to normal after Worldcon, so here’s the latest Friday LinkSwarm:
Greek unemployment hits 27.9%. Remember: For all the mentions of “austerity measures,” they’ve never balanced a budget.
Why we were in Benghazi. Short answer: Smuggling arms to Syrian rebels. Remember: No Americans died in Iran-Contra.
Syrian rebels do what they do best: kill women and children.
Obama’s Syrian policy is “is an unmitigated cl*st*rf*ck.” And that’s from his friends at The New Republic.
Charles Krauthammer calls it epic incompetence.
Today is the 20th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, which, as we all know, finally brought long-lasting peace and stability to the Middle East. “Decadal stasis points to the sterility of the Arab-Israeli diplomatic process.”
Mark Steyn on ObamaCare.
Mickey Kaus is worried that Republicans can still snatch amnesty defeat from the jaws of victory.
How often does Defensive gun use occur? “From about 500,000 to more than 3 million per year.”
PPP’s poll data showed Giron was in trouble, but they didn’t release the poll, ostensibly because they didn’t believe it. That may be the case, but their explanation is suspect, given they actually testified in court as part of the effort to get the recall effort thrown out. Also, they didn’t do Giron and the gun-grabber side any favors by suppressing the results (the Liberal Reality Bubble strikes again). Bonus: Pollster Twitter slap fight!
Is the House Republican leadership actually stupid enough to kill the sequester in a deal with Obama? Let’s hope not…
Jihadi rapper killed by fellow jihadis. And you thought Vanilla Ice’s reviews were brutal…
To a visitor from India, America looks like a classless society. “I’ve noticed that most Americans roughly have the same standard of living. Everybody has access to ample food, everybody shops at the same supermarkets, malls, stores, etc. I’ve seen plumbers, construction workers and janitors driving their own sedans, which was quite difficult for me to digest at first since I came from a country where construction workers and plumbers lived hand to mouth.” (Hat tip: Ace.)
How can Newspapers make money these days? How about by selling off their old photo morgues?
UK’s NHS: Now With Added Death.
Million Muslim March falls a mere 999,970 marchers short of their goal.
Rep. Peter King of Long island is running for President. Expect GOP voters to greet his campaign with the same enthusiasm with which they greeted Jon Huntsman’s.
Super-genius astronomer wants to name an asteroid “Trayvon”.
New Jersey police: hate crimes don’t happen to white people.
Police Chief meeting with Sheriff Joe Arpaio on his own time and money? That’s a suspension.
Austin: 13 murders in 8 months. “Otherwise known as a slow weekend in Chicago.”
Holly Hansen takes a look at Williamson County judicial races.
Tags:amnesty, Angela Giron, Austin, Border Controls, Charles Krauthammer, Chicago, Colorado, European Debt Crisis, Foreign Policy, Greece, gun control, Guns, Holly Hansen, Israel, Jihad, Joe Arpaio, LinkSwarm, Mark Steyn, Mickey Kaus, Oslo Accords, Peter King, Syria, Williamson County
Posted in Austin, Border Control, Foreign Policy, Guns, Jihad, Republicans, Texas | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 18th, 2013
Here’s a Whitman’s Sampler of gun news for you to chew on:
The Truth About Assault Weapons, in easy-to-follow graphic form.
Dwight is all over Polifact Texas “checking” Ted Cruz’ statements about untracked gun buyers.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot appeared on a RedState podcast discussing guns.
More on the tremendous success of Chicago’s gun control initiative, and how it’s throwing a wee bit of a kink into Obama’s gun control pitch.
In the Texas legislature, Rep. James White’s House Bill 1142 would allow firearms safety to be taught as an elective.
Missouri Democrats introduce a bill to seize the guns of the law-abiding.
What happens when an expert arrives to provide testimony on modern sporting rifles? If you’re a Minnesota Democrat, you actually walk out of the presentation.
Borepatch suggests a legislative strategy.
Interesting profile of Bond Arms of Granbury, which makes derringers. The article calls them the only gun manufacturer in the DFW area, which I rather doubt.
Ted Cruz will be visiting LaRue Tactical to support the Second Amendment. Sadly, Wayne Slater is evidently too unprofessional to bother telling you when Cruz will be visiting. (Do they just not teach “Five Ws and an H” in journalism school anymore?) Since I offer a full-service blog: Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 11:00 AM, LaRue Tactical, 850 County Road 177, Leander, TX 78641.
Finally, here’s a fine NSFW rant about how liberal “civil libertarians” are only too ready to watch the rights of gun owners trampled:
“At the time the Constitution was written, the weapons in question were muskets.”
You know what? You’re right. And marriage was between one man and one woman. So what’s with gay marriage? No longer will I offer any moral support, oppose any online statements attacking it, speak out for it. They have the same right as anyone—to marry someone of the opposite gender. And given that all gays support raping little boys (just like all gun owners support shooting school kids), I don’t think I can support them. We should do things just the way they were done 220 years ago. That’s the liberal way.
“The Heller Decision was by an activist court. It doesn’t count.”
Indeed. Just like Roe v Wade was an activist decision. It doesn’t count.
“We’re not trying to take your guns away, just have reasonable limits. It’s a compromise.”
And some people want reasonable limits on abortion, like waiting periods, gestational time limits, ultrasound, etc. It’s a reasonable response to an activist court decision, and reasonable restrictions on a right, for public benefit. Don’t come whining about your right to murder babies, and I won’t come to you whining about my right to shoot school kids.
And no one is saying you can’t ride the bus. You just have to sit where people think is reasonable. No one is saying women can’t work. They just have to get paid what is reasonable for the work they do, allowing for the fact they’re going to leave the workplace and raise a family. It’s a compromise.
“Assault weapons are an extreme interpretation.”
True. And not allowing any religious emblems on government premises is an extreme interpretation. As long as they’re privately paid for, what’s it to you? No one is saying you can’t belong to the Christian church of your choice, just not to extreme groups, like atheists or Muslims. It would be paranoid to think anyone was trying to infringe on your legitimate right to be free from state religion, just like I’d be paranoid to think they wanted to take my guns. Quite a few states had official churches well into the 1800s. This is not an infringement on your freedom of religion.
“Given Sandy Hook, you have to make reasonable compromises.”
“We just want licensing and safe storage requirements so the wrong people don’t get guns.”
“Publicizing the information lets people make informed choices about who they live near.”
Accepted. In exchange, gay men should make reasonable compromises over Penn State. They will simply have to accept being registered and kept a safe distance from children. This isn’t a violation of their rights. It’s just common sense. The public has a right to know.
This should apply to protests, too. No reasonable person would object to being identified. They should welcome it—it means they can’t be wrongly maligned. All union members, blacks, gays and feminists should be signed in with ID before a march or gathering, just so we can track the real criminals to keep the rest safe.
Also:
First they came for the blacks, and I spoke up because it was wrong, even though I’m not black.
Then they came for the gays, and I spoke up, even though I’m not gay.
Then they came for the Muslims, and I spoke up, because it was wrong, even though I’m an atheist.
When they came for illegal aliens, I spoke up, even though I’m a legal immigrant.
Then they came for the pornographers, rebels and dissenters and their speech and flag burning, and I spoke up, because rights are not only for the establishment.
Then they came for the gun owners, and you liberal shitbags threw me under the bus, even though I’d done nothing wrong. So when they come to put you on the train, you can fucking choke and die.
Tags:AR-15, Austin, Chicago, gun control, Guns, James White, LaRue Tactical, Leander, Minnesota, Missouri, Modern Sporting Rifle, Ted Cruz, Texas
Posted in Austin, Democrats, Guns, Texas | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
Senator Ted Cruz is already doing a bangup job bringing the conservative message to Washington. Today’s example: laying a glorious smackdown on Chicago mayor (and former Obama chief of staff) Rahm Emanuel over the latter’s trying to pressure banks into not doing business with gun manufacturers.
Take, for example, this:
We do not accept the notion that government officials should behave as bullies, trying to harass or pressure private companies into enlisting in a political lobbying campaign. And we subscribe to the notion, quaint in some quarters, that private companies don’t work for elected officials; elected officials work for private citizens.
And this:
In light of the reception you have received in the Windy City, please know that Texas would certainly welcome more of your business and jobs you create.
And this:
Should Mayor Emanuel’s bullying campaign prove successful, I am confident that there are numerous financial institutions in Texas that would be eager to earn your business. And in the event that it might prove helpful, I would be happy to introduce you to their leaders.
And…well, just read the whole thing:
Letter from Senator Ted Cruz to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Bank of America, TD Bank Group, Smith & Wes… by Senator Ted Cruz
Tags:Chicago, Guns, Rahm Emanuel, Ted Cruz, Texas
Posted in Guns, Texas | No Comments »
Friday, January 11th, 2013
Between work and the TPPF Policy Orientation, it’s going to be a busy day, so here’s a quick Friday LinkSwarm:
How bad did you think 2012’s economy was? Guess what? It was even worse than you thought.
Profile of Jim DeMint’s replacement, new South Carolina Senator Tim Scott: “One of the most threatening places to be in politics is a black conservative…there are so many liberals who want to continue to reinforce a stereotype that doesn’t exist about America. That somehow, some way, if you’re a Republican you’re a racist and if you’re black, there’s no chance for you in society.”
Phil Gramm on how wind subsidies screw up the economy.
Obama played Ed Koch for a schmuck.
George Will on why Republicans should push for a balanced budget amendment. “No politically conceivable or economically feasible middle-class tax rate can fund the entitlement state.”
Obama doesn’t think he has a spending problem, just like Lindsay Lohan doesn’t think she has a drinking problem.
A story of fake job shenanigans from a government employment center. “We were used by a bogus company to rake in funding by the state. It’s like a full blown industry here to pass around jobless people and keep them from getting real jobs.”
35 years ago, the Chicago Sun-Times exposed the city’s corruption in the Mirage tavern series. Does anyone think Chicago is any less corrupt today? Why don’t they have the balls to do something like that now? (Hat tip: Dwight.)
I think Bloomberg just hates people.
Washington is booming on your money.
The homeless are responsible for 35% of downtown Austin’s violent crime.
Tags:Austin, Budget, Chicago, corruption, Crime, Democrats, Energy Policy, George Will, LinkSwarm, Michael Bloomberg, Phil Gramm, pork barrell, Texas, welfare
Posted in Austin, Budget, Crime, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Texas, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011
So Ezell vs. Chaicago has been decided, and the three-judge panel basically bitchslapped Chicago into the 21st Century. Basically, Chicago was saying 1.) You have to get firearms training at a licensed firing range to own a gun, and 2.) We don’t need no stinking firing ranges within the city limits, and the court tore them a new asshole for blatantly disregarding DC vs. Heller.
Even more dramatically, the ruling makes explicit parallels between first Amendment and Second Amendment restrictions, which the Brady Bunch and their liberal Democratic co-conspirators have been denying for years.
I think any decision where the gun-grabber ordinance in question is actually derided in the decision as “thumbing of the municipal nose at the Supreme Court” has to count as a pretty overwhelming victory for the Second Amendment.
If I were a hardcore gun blogger, I’d read the entire judgment, quote chunks from it and offer closely reasoned, pithy insights.
If I were a semi-hardcore gun blogger, I’d skim the decision and offer some quick insights.
However, because I’m feeling very lazy tonight, I’m merely going to link to the writeup over at Snowflakes in Hell, since Sebastian has provided a far better, and more insightful, post than I could on the subject.
As a bonus, in the post just below that, he tears into Rahm’s ridiculous shooting range ordinance, another blatant attempt to deprive Chicago residents of their Second Amendment via absurd regulations, such as:
Requires that range operators inspect every gun brought into the range for safety, and that the caliber is appropriate for an indoor range.
You must have a range master for every three shooting patrons. That range master must be on duty at all times. [Even by the standards of Chicago union featherbedding this is outrageous.]
Ranges may only sell ammo for use onsite, and must ensure no one leaves the range with unauthorized ammo.
Et Freaking cetera. “Rahm’s ordinance is basically a joke, and an insult. I can’t imagine anyone would even try to operate a range under these ridiculous standards, and I suspect that’s the whole idea.”
Read the whole thing, on both posts.
Tags:Chicago, DC vs. Heller, Ezell vs. Chicago, gun control, Guns, Second Amendment, Snowflakes in Hell
Posted in Democrats, Guns, Supreme Court | 1 Comment »
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
Another LinkSwarm of sundry sundries:
- More reasons to be thankful Paul Kanjorksi is gone.
- “Much of what this Democratic Congress did, or tried to do, was like throwing Molotov cocktails at business.”
- Top Ten Upsets of the 2010 Election. (Warning: slide show.) Some of the surprises were the Democrats that didn’t lose (such as Harry Reid), but several (Ortiz, Oberstar, Wilson, Gene Taylor) were upsets I predicted.
- The RNCC has put up a page (with donations links) for the eight house races still up in the air.
- The question isn’t whether Blake Farenthold beat Solomon Ortiz, the question is whether the win is “outside the margin of ACORN.”
- Need an example of the above? Try this: “The Bean campaign approached the Cook County Clerk’s Office, requested and received a list of all outstanding absentee ballots with name, address, and phone numbers. As alarming as that was, they also asked for and were provided an exact image of a blank absentee ballot.”
- Study after study have shown Republicans are more generous than Democrats. This year’s election just proved that the same applies to the Texas congressional delegation. “The 20 Texas Republican incumbents, none of whom faced serious opposition, gave an average of $100,000 each to Republicans. Texas Democrats, meanwhile, provided relatively meager support for endangered Democratic incumbents. They averaged $26,000 in donations to other candidates in their party.”
- The Democrats have a Rust Belt problem: “The drop-off in Democratic support among older voters and white voters from the last midterm election is remarkable. In 2006 Democrats lost white voters by 4 points in House races, which are a fairly good indicator of party preference, and they tied among voters 65 and over. This year they lost whites by 23 points and lost older voters by 21 points.”
- “Many Dem Staffers on Capitol Hill Face Tough Job Market.” Perhaps they should check with IBM. I hear they’re working on a nanoscale violin construction program that might be appropriate for them…
Tags:ACORN, Blake Farenthold, Charles Wilson (Ohio), Chicago, Democrats, Elections, Gene Taylor, James Oberstar, Joe Walsh, Melissa Bean, Paul Kanjorski, Republicans, Solomon Ortiz, voting fraud
Posted in Democrats, Economics, Elections, Republicans | No Comments »
Friday, October 8th, 2010
Some links of potential interest to tide you over the weekend while I work on a more substantial post.
- The 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in America. W. Lake St.
(60612) in Chicago tops the list, with two from Texas: E. Lancaster Ave. (76102, 76111, 76103) in Ft. Worth, and Church St. (77550) in Galveston. Las Vegas weighs in with three of the top 10. Biggest surprise for fans of David Simon: Not a single Baltimore neighborhood makes the list.
- Dwight over at Whipped Cream Difficulties looks a proposal by the Austin Chief of Police to arrest people who aren’t drunk for being not drunk. That’s some mighty fine police work, Art…
- Speaking of police chiefs, he also had this follow-up on the city of Bell’s police chief and his $400,000-plus annual pension.
- Another firsthand account of the One Nation rally, courtesy of one of Jerry Pournelle’s readers: “The rally was sparsely attended and quite small in comparison to the rally led by Glenn Beck. My wife and I both observed a few things such as the large pile of paper signs on the ground in a walk way right below a green party spokesman haranguing the crowd about being green. We also noticed just how overweight if not obese a lot of these people were. Most of the crowd were union members or supporters of some sort. The rest were 9-11 Truthers, communists, or socialists (well at least that’s what their signs said…). There were many signs saying those in my profession [military] are murderers.”
- Alabama Democratic Representative Bobby Bright’s future isn’t.
Tags:Bobby Bright, Chicago, Communism, Crime, David Simon, Galveston, Jerry Pournelle, Las Vegas, One Nationa Rally, socialism
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Elections | No Comments »