A Letter To Harvey Weinstein

Love from The Sultan Knish:

When the Peace Process allowed Arafat to take over the educational system of Gaza and the West Bank, the schools there have focused on one subject. Martyrdom. In this country, that is a fancy word for killing Jews. The Nazis called it, ‘Die Endlosung”. But the Muslims call it “Martyrdom” because they are not as good at it. When you fight war after war, and lose hundreds of tanks trying to drive the Jews into the sea, then you must resort to climbing through living room windows and hoping that no one hears you slashing a baby’s throat in the dark. And if they do, they might come and kill you. And then you will be a martyr, climbing to paradise on a ladder of murdered children

I don’t mean you, Harvey, of course. You are not the man who climbs through windows and slashes throats. You are the man who is marketing a movie about terrorists. Not the bad kind of terrorists who murder children in their sleep. It would be hard to empathize with that. No, your terrorists are the good kind of terrorists. Hurt and misunderstood. Forced into it by their circumstances. The balance of suffering always on their side. Even when they kill, they are still the victims. While you were hard at work pitching Miral, the real terrorists were hard at working murdering a family. That is the difference between entertainment and reality. It is the difference between what you do and what they do. It is not so different. You trade in lies. They trade in murder.

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The Fogel family is at peace now, for the most part. They have found the only form of peace that the terrorist gangs have ever delivered, in return for land, money, weapons and international legitimacy. Not the entire family of course. Three children survived. Three settlers. Three obstacles to peace.

The oldest daughter returns home to find the door locked. She goes to her neighbor’s house for help. Her neighbor, Rabbi Cohen returns with her carrying a gun. Have you known many Rabbis who carry guns, Harvey? You probably haven’t. But in the Samarian mountains, Rabbis and farmers and everyone else carries guns. Because sometimes men with knives come through your living room windows. If you’re lucky, then you will see them coming and you will shoot them. However if you aren’t lucky, then your neighbor will have to open the door for your twelve year old daughter. And then she will scream, as twelve year old girls do when they see entire family butchered. You have probably auditioned plenty of girls and listened to them give their best Fay Wray scream. But this is a different thing, Harvey. It is real. You will not hear this at an audition anywhere. It is the sound a twelve year old girl makes when the PLO fighters that movies like Miral glamorize have murdered her entire family.

Please go read the whole thing at the link. A couple of excerpts doesn’t begin to do it justice.

Harvey Weinstein reacted to criticism to his pro-Palestinian propaganda film:  ‘Miral’ Critics are ‘Crazy and Wrong’.

Harvey Weinstein has come out strongly against critics who claim the movie Miral is anti-Jewish or anti-Israeli.

“The people who don’t want you to see the movie for political reasons are crazy or wrong,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter at a disputed United Nations screening of the film. “I think the idea is, let there be peace.”

***

In a letter sent to General Assembly president Joseph Deiss on Friday, AJC executive director David Harris accused the movie of portraying Israel “in a highly negative light,” calling it “blatantly one-sided.”

The film will be released March 25.

See also:

Atlas Shrugs: Her Family Slaughtered by Muslim Jew-Haters, Anguished Orphaned Jewish Child in Israel Fears Obama’s America

Zilla of the Resistance: Don’t Let Them Sweep this Horror under the Rug

Obama Celebrates “Sunshine Week” By Accepting Transparency Award

The Japanese are hunkering down in sealed houses as radiation from multiple hydrogen explosions spreads through the air in the wake of their horrifying earthquakes and tsunami,   France is pleading for military intervention as Gaddafi forces attack Libyan rebels,  and our own budget is barely limping along with no help from him, but never fear,  President Sunshine knows just what to do: celebrate Obama’s noted commitment to transparent Government:

This isn’t the first undeserved award President Obama has won, but it’s still sure to surprise journalists and open-government advocates. Politico’s Mike Allen, reporting on President Obama’s schedule today, writes that later this afternoon, “the President will accept an award from a coalition of good government groups and transparency advocates to recognize ‘his deep commitment to an open and transparent government — of, by, and for the people’ in conjunction with Sunshine Week. There will be a pool spray at the top [brief photo opportunity].”

Of course, Obama’s notorious vow to run “the most transparent” administration in history has been an extraordinary failure, as AP reports today:

The administration refused to release any sought-after materials in more than 1-in-3 information requests, including cases when it couldn’t find records, a person refused to pay for copies or the request was determined to be improper under the law. It refused more often to quickly consider information requests about subjects described as urgent or especially newsworthy. And nearly half the agencies that AP examined took longer — weeks more, in some cases — to give out records last year than during the previous year.

The AP noted that the Obama administration even censored a cache of internal e-mails describing — ironically enough — its Open Government Directive, after the e-mails were requested by the news service.

Obama will accept the award at 2:55 ET.

Earlier this week,Keith Koffler of The White House Dossier reported on  the Obama administration’s systematic bullying of reporters who don’t tow the line, calling it “an assault on free speech”. Today he offers Obama some free advice: Obama Needs to Speak on Japan. Today.

Priorities!

Obama Not A “Decider”

Yesterday, Fritzworth at AoSHQ said, “I never want to hear about The Pet Goat, again, referring to the never-ending barbs President Bush sustained after being photographed  reading the book upside down to school children on 9/11. When he was made aware that one of the twin towers had been hit, he sat calmly, waiting for further intelligence, rather than abruptly jumping up and leaving, which would have startled the room full of children. The momentary paralysis has been the butt of jokes on the left for nearly ten years, and one of their many reasons for despising him.

Fast forward to President “Present” – whose entire foreign policy has been in a constant state of paralysis since day one of his Presidency.

In John Podhoretz withering assessment, he’s been reading his own “My Pet Goat” for going on four weeks, now:

Japan may be on the verge of an unprecedented catastrophe. Saudi Arabia is all but colonizing Bahrain. Qaddafi is close to retaking Libya, with bloodbath to follow. And, as Jim Geraghty notes, the president of the United States is going on ESPN to talk about the NCAA and delivering speeches today on his rather dull plan to replace No Child Left Behind with No Teenager Left Behind, or something like that.

***

He is largely notable by his absence, which is itself the result not only of not knowing what to do but also apparently believing it is better for the world if he remains a minor player as a bloodbath approaches in the Middle East and something more ominous seems to be approaching in Japan. When he talks, as he did in Friday’s press conference, he only makes matters more confusing; there is little reassurance that there is a hand anywhere near the tiller.

As Guy Benson at Townhall notes, Podhoretz isn’t the only one to have picked up the theme:

Podhoretz isn’t the only commentator who’s noticed the president’s studied aloofness on major international and domestic crises.  Jim Geraghty, Time, David Brooks, the Associated Press, Michael Barone, and Politico have all picked up on the same theme, offering varying degrees of criticism.

In yesterday’s White House Press briefing, CBS’ Chip Reid asked WH Press Sec, Jay Carney, “Doesn’t there come a point to make a — where you have to make a decision?”

Watch, starting at 18:24:

The transcript via Gateway Pundit:

Q On no-fly zone, what exactly is the U.S. — the administration’s position before the Security Council?

MR. CARNEY: Our position, Chip, remains that we are evaluating a number of options, military options, including —

Q But a decision has to be made now.

MR. CARNEY: — including a no-fly zone. We feel that it is important that any action like that that might be taken should be done in concert with our international partners. Through the United Nations would be our preferable vehicle for that, and therefore we would look to the U.N. as a forum for evaluating that option. I think I mentioned yesterday that today is the deadline for the no-fly zone option to — preparations or plans to be submitted in Brussels at NATO. And I believe the NAC will review those tomorrow. So this process is moving forward.

But our position is that action like that should be considered and taken if decided upon in coordination with our international partners, because it’s very important in the way that we respond to a situation like we see in Libya, that it be international and not unilateral; that it include the support and participation, for example, of the Arab League and other organizations and countries in the region.

And that is our sort of focus as we proceed with these conversations.

Q Is the President satisfied to follow, not lead, on deciding whether to do it?

MR. CARNEY: I take issue with the characterization. We think it is precisely because the President believes that the best outcome in a situation like we see in Libya, as we have seen in different forms in other countries in the region, that the best outcome will come when the action taken by countries — third-party countries outside of the country where the unrest is happening — be done in consensus with international partners, precisely so that it is not viewed by those who oppose positive democratic reform as the dictate of the West or the United States.

Q But wouldn’t it be fair to say — accurate to say the United States is still sitting on the fence on this? Isn’t it time to make a decision, yes or no?

MR. CARNEY: Well, Chip, you tell me if as an American citizen would you want your President not to consider all the implications and ramifications of taking military action.

Q Doesn’t there come a point to make a — where you have to make a decision?

MR. CARNEY: And I would go back to what I said to Jill, that we have acted with great haste, and we have coordinated international — led and coordinated an international response, the likes of which the world has never seen in such a short period of time. And we have — we continue to consult with our international partners. We meet — we have met with, as the Secretary of State did, with the Libyan opposition discussing new ways we can put pressure on Qaddafi.

And when it comes to considering military options, this President will always be mindful of what the mission, should it be engaged, what it entails, the risks that it poses to our men and women in uniform, and its likelihood of having the kind of impact that we set out for it to have. And that is his responsibility as Commander-in-Chief.

And I would suggest to you that that is what leadership is all about.

Leadership is about dithering while the last remnants of a rebellion are  crushed?…

Or as Ace put it:

Rebels In Libya Prepare For Slaughter; Look To US For One Thing That Can Save Them– Another Empty Statement from Obama That Qadaffy Must Go

When President Bush said, “I’m the decider”, he was mocked endlessly for that, too.

No doubt the rebels in Libya would appreciate a “decider” right about now.

See also:

White House Dossier: President Obama’s Trivial Pursuits

Video: Obama Administration’s Hostility To Drilling and Disregard For Rule Of Law Illustrated

Via Moonbattery, this is an video is a wonderful illustration of  the Obama administration’s malignant energy policy:

OMSA stands for the Offshore Marine Service Association. Their mission:

• To be the leading national association of, and spokesman for, the offshore marine transportation service industry.
• To vigorously defend the cabotage laws of the United States.
• To proactively foster, develop and promote positions which are favorable to the common good of its members with governmental and regulatory bodies, worldwide.
• To encourage and promote the highest standards of safety training and environmental protection in its member companies.

Pelosi Howler:“Democrats Have Long Fought For Fiscal Responsibility”…

Good grief, woman, put the shovel down…no one is buying your bull:

Next thing you know, some idiot will try to claim that Pelosi Will Go Down In History As One Of The Finest Speakers In The United States Of America.

Hat tip: Weasel Zippers

11% Of Americans Say Communism is Morally Superior to U.S. System of Politics and Economics,

Weasel Zippers reports “only” 11% think Communism is better…

(Rasmussen)- Communism as an ideological force largely died with the collapse of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, but even with many of its horrors increasingly forgotten, U.S. voters overwhelmingly reject the ideology that contended for world dominance for much of the 20^th Century.

Still, 11% of Likely U.S. Voters think communism is morally superior to the U.S. system of politics and economics, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. But 77% disagree and say the U.S. system is morally superior. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure.

I think the fact that more than one in ten of us are stone cold Commies is frightening. It explains the massive numbers that show up at leftist rallies with their Communist banners. It helps explain the undercurrent of violence we see  at so many left-wing rallies. It helps explain how Obama was elected and continues to have support as high as he does.

How can any sane person consider Communism “morally superior” to anything? It’s not even morally superior to Nazism, as Jeff Jacoby noted in this Boston Globe piece from 1995:

For pure murderous evil, there has never been a force to compare with Communism. The Nazis didn’t come close. The Holocaust was uniquely malignant – never before or since did one people construct a vast industry of death for the sole purpose of rounding up and destroying every single member of another people. But the Nazis exterminated 11 million innocents; the Communist death toll surpasses 100 million. Nazi power lasted from 1933 to 1945. The Communist nightmare began in November 1917, and continues to this day.

Savagery has always been a hallmark of Communism. It is an ideology that requires the destruction of human beings. “We have never rejected terror in principle,” wrote Lenin in 1901, “nor can we do so.”

Half a century later, even as he denounced the extremes to which his predecessors went, Nikita Khrushchev vowed that the terror so esteemed by Lenin would go on. “The questioning of Stalin’s terror,” he cautioned the Twentieth Party Congress in 1956, “may lead to the questioning of terror in general. But Bolshevism believes in the use of terror.” Not long afterward, Khrushchev sent 3,000 Soviet tanks to crush the Hungarian freedom fighters.

Communism equals murder. Everywhere. Always.

One in ten Americans say, “So what? You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.”

Rep. John Conyers Admits ObamaCare A “Platform” For Single-Payer System…

Like we said all along – ( in part, because so many of the Dems, esp. Obama, were on record supporting single payer) – but Democrats always denied it. They lied to the American people because they didn’t think we could handle the truth.. . We rubes weren’t to be allowed to have that much information.

CNSNews.com) – Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, told CNSNews.com today that the health-care law that President Barack Obama signed last March is a “platform” for a building single-payer health system in the U.S.

During a newsmakers program at the National Press Club on Monday, Conyers said that after discussing the issue with Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D.-Ohio) he voted for the health-care law because he saw it as a necessary “platform” for building toward a single-payer health-care system in the United States.

Watch video of Conyers’ comments at Weasel Zippers. Conyers notes: “Every industrialized nation on the planet has universal health care”. Sheesh people, get up to speed.

Apparently, we’re supposed to have forgotten already, how fervently they denied it.

Well, I certainly don’t. Because I called them out on the lies over and over and over again. And I’m still appalled and disgusted and outraged by their duplicity in the matter.  There would have been an even greater groundswell of disapproval, had they been honest about what they were doing.  But no. The Dems’ contempt for Americans had never before been so manifest.

Here is Obama during the election, trying to answer a tricky question about his consistency on the issue, since he had magically swerved towards the middle in the health care debate after he had decided to run for President. As you can see, there is no lie too preposterous for this man when his agenda is at risk:

He continued to lie throughout the Obamacare debate in 2009/2010…(although in fairness – so did all the Dem Socialists).

Here he is in his weekly address, August 21 2009, clearing up some of  the crazy misinformation that was going around:

We’ve all heard the charge that reform will somehow bring about a government takeover of health care. I know that sounds scary to many folks. It sounds scary to me, too. But here’s the thing: it’s not true. I no sooner want government to get between you and your doctor than I want insurance companies to make arbitrary decisions about what medical care is best for you, as they do today. As I’ve said from the beginning, under the reform we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your private health insurance plan, you can keep your plan. Period.

I went ahead and embedded the video so you could watch the Lyin’ King look into the camera and knowingly lie to the American people, (as is his habit). The White House launched a counter-attack on Republicans who were accusing ObamaCare of being a Trojan Horse for Single Payer.  Linda Douglas even set up a “snitch site”  for people to report the spreaders of “disinformation”, AKA (in Obamalingo): The truth.

See A Health Care Lie? Tell The White House.

Now Democrats feel bold enough to come out and say of course, Single Payer is the ultimate goal. Why would anyone have ever thought otherwise?

Monday Menagerie

Hey, I slept in, this morning – it’s Spring break for the kids, so I didn’t have to get up, and guess what? It’s snowing outside. On the first day of Spring break, we’re getting 2-4 inches of snow. But it won’t last, and Thursday is expected to be 70 degrees for the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

I’m just getting caught up, now, and there’s a lot of news out there, this morning.

Pray for poor Japan, a country that is experiencing devastation of biblical proportions – an earthquake, tsunami,  volcano, and partial nuclear meltdown all in one weekend. Over 10,000 dead… I can’t even begin to imagine what people are going through over there.

Pundette notes that there are Not enough body bags or coffins in Japan…

See slideshow of devastation at  NYTs:The Aftermath in Japan

Scientific American asked nuclear experts what the worst case scenario for Japan would be:

And just what is that worst-case scenario? “They’re venting in order to keep the containment vessel from failing. But if a core melts, it will slump to the bottom of the reactor vessel, probably melt through the reactor vessel onto the containment floor. It’s likely to spread as a molten pool—like lava—to the edge of the steel shell, and melt through. That would result in a containment failure in a matter of less than a day. It’s good that it’s got a better containment system than Chernobyl, but it’s not as strong as most of the reactors in this country.”

Finally, Bergeron summed up the events so far: “Based on what we understand, the reactor has been shut down, in the sense that all of the control rods have been inserted. Which means there’s no longer a nuclear reaction. But what you have to worry about is the decay heat that’s still in the core, that will last for many days.

Now, it’s being reported that Japan Says It Is Likely Meltdown Is Underway in 3 Reactors.

A third nuclear reactor lost its ability to cool today at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
ABC reported:

A series of nuclear reactors continue to deteriorate in the wake of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, raising worries of a nuclear meltdown.

After two hydrogen explosions in three days at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, a third reactor has lost its ability to cool. Officials are increasingly concerned about unit 2 at the plant.

More at AoSHQ: Fuel At 3 Reactors At Fukushima Likely Melting

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More apocalyptic, bad news via Jeff Dunetz at Big Peace: Iranian Documentary: The 12th Imam is Near and Ahmadinejad is Going To Lead His Army:

Last month, on the 32nd anniversary of the overthrow of the Shah Iranian President Ahmadinejad spoke of a New Middle East spurred by the by the Egyptian revolution and hastened by the 12th Imam. This new Middle East would be free of the United States and Israel, as he warned Egyptians to be watchful of America’s “friendly face.”

“We will soon see a new Middle East materialising without America and the Zionist regime and there will be no room for world arrogance (the West) in it,” Ahmadinejad told the cheering crowds who gathered despite the cold and cloudy weather.

“They (the United States) have adopted a friendly face and saying ‘we are friends of people of North Africa and Arab countries’, but be watchful and united. You will be victorious,” he said.

Then Ahmadinejad brought up his messianic beliefs saying the world was witnessing a revolution managed by Imam Mehdi, the 12th Shiite Imam who disappeared down a well as a five-year-old in the 10th century and who Shiites believe would return on the judgment day when the world is covered with blood and chaos.

Watch the disturbing  Iranian documentary at Big Peace.

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Walter Hudson at NewsReal: Horrorfic Stabbing of Infant Shows Flaw in Leftist Worldview

A three month old baby girl was stabbed to death along with most of her family on Friday.

In the Israeli settlement of Itamar on the West Bank, at least one terrorist broke into the home of Ruth and Udi Fogel (35 and 36). The mother and father of six were brutally stabbed to death in their bed. The killer(s) then stalked from room to room and slayed three of six children – two boys, Yoav (11), Elad (3), and a three month old infant girl whose name was Hadas.

“The children were literally slaughtered,” an IDF officer said, describing the scene, including the children’s toys spilled out on the floor and covered in blood. “This is one of the most brutal attacks we have ever seen.”

Three other children in the family survived. Two were in a side room and perhaps went unnoticed. A third, the eldest son Tamar (12) was away from the home. Imagine how their lives have been devastated, how difficult it will be to salvage their broken hearts and rattled souls.

In in age where news of mayhem is constant, it can be difficult to appreciate the impact of such an event, and tempting to shield ourselves from contemplating its horror. However, by allowing ourselves to reflect upon this unspeakable crime, we can confirm an essential truth which is indispensable to our deliberation of policy.

Why must we contemplate this horror? Because it serves to demonstrate that evil exists, and acknowledging that fact enables us to fight it. The policies championed by the Left, whether they involve foreign affairs or domestic social concerns, are often predicated upon a premise which this terrible crime plainly disproves.

Lisa Graas at NewsReal: Top 10 Islamapologists in the Obama Administration:

It is very troubling to find the White House taking a lead role as apologist for any religion, but especially for Islam. It is not within the realm of the president’s duty to decide and to proclaim for us all what Islam is and what it is not. Unfortunately, the White House has stepped up to the plate to emphatically defend this religion from all who may dare criticize it. We present for you now, the top ten Islamapologists in the Obama Administration.

Mark Steyn at The Corner reports the latest big thing for Islamofashionistas: Cosmopolistan:

Great opening sentences:

Al-Qaeda has launched a women’s magazine that mixes beauty and fashion tips with advice on suicide bombings.

Seriously. What else is in there?

Readers are told it is their duty to raise children to be mujahideen ready for jihad.

And the ‘beauty column’ instructs women to stay indoors with their faces covered to keep a ‘clear complexion’.

They should ‘not go out except when necessary’.

You can have it all! It’s like Cosmo for Waziristan.

***

A timely piece by Erick Erickson at Human Events: Gas Prices Are High Because of Democrats:

Ten years ago, President George W. Bush presented his energy plan to the United States Congress. The plan included $33.5 billion in tax incentives for energy companies to expand drilling for oil, natural gas and mining for coal. The plan also expanded energy conservation measures.

One of the key components of the energy plan was expanding domestic oil drilling so that the United States could finally wean itself off foreign oil. The United States House of Representatives embraced the plan, which called for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Unfortunately for Americans, the legislation then went to the Senate.

By the way: Poll: By Whopping 66-25% Margin Voters Say Obama Should Allow More Oil Drilling…

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TODAY’S MUST READ at White House Dossier: How the White House Bullies the Press

by Keith Koffler

President Obama’s conference on bullying Thursday was deeply ironic to some in the White House press corps. That’s because every reporter who regularly covers the place knows that President Obama’s staff has a policy – an actual, pre-conceived policy – of bullying.

It’s a tactic that amount to no less than suppression of speech.

The White House bullies reporters to try to ensure favorable coverage. When White House officials, particularly members of the press office, see a story they don’t like, they often call and verbally abuse the reporter who wrote the piece.

In diatribes often peppered with obscenities, they complain of profound injustice, bias, lack of relevance – anything they can think of to get reporters to back off their story.

Read the whole thing. This guy is a former reporter for Roll Call, and has also covered the Bush and Clinton administrations. He’s never seen anything like the systematic bullying that goes on with Obama’s blessing.  Everything about this malevolent President is fake. Why does the press stand for it? Because they are ideological partners, that’s why. In the few instances that they don’t tow the line, they pay for it, but most of these lap dogs never complain because they don’t want to risk losing access.

As we are constantly reminded, there are still many in the MSM who are more than happy  to tow the line…

Weasel Zippers: AP Gives Obama His Christ-Like Halo Back…

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Ace points to some good pieces about the Presentdent: Voting Present: Barone, Cost Push the Meme

Jay Cost at The Weekly Standard calls the Obama presidency: The Glorified Clerkship:

Nobody in the United States is as intent on reminding his fellow citizens just how awesome he is than Barack Obama. That’s what the “Age of Obama” is all about. But that seems to be about it. The sense of awe he has cultivated has not been used for any great purpose — not to forge a bipartisan compromise on the stimulus, not to push through an intelliglble health care plan, not to handle the deficit, not to lead on any of the various foreign policy flareups. This is more a clerkship presidency, with a commander in chief either unwilling or unable to take the lead on the most challenging issues of the day.

The latest at Left Wing Institute For Civil Discourse: New Tone Award Nominee: Alan Grayson For Saying Gov. Rick Scott Wants FL To Become Like Somalia Watch the exciting video!

Check back…I’m just getting started.

***

And then, who?

Ace says: ” Republicans need to read every word of this and memorize every single figure, and then memorize additional figures that illustrate the problem, and repeat them endlessly on every Sunday talk show they appear on and every speech they make.” Mathematical Fact: You Can’t Tax The Rich Enough To Pay Down the Deficit.

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Fox News reports on election finance  fraud in Nevada: Nevada Election Chief Questions Rory Reid on 90 Campaign Accounts With Same Address

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Latest from Rasmussen: Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 46%, Democrats 37%

 

New Rasmussen Reports telephone polling finds that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters nationwide say they would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate, while 37% would choose the Democrat instead. The gap is three points larger than it has been for the past two weeks

Republicans lead by 20 points among men but run basically even with Democrats among women. The GOP holds a 19-point lead among voters not affiliated with either major political party.

Video: Angry Pro-Union Horde Protests Outside Walker Fundraiser At Steak Pit Restaurant In Washburn

The unionistas are now stalking the Governor everywhere he goes, including fund-raisers in small town restaurants. They started lining up outside of the Steak Pit at 4:30, and when the Gov. arrived in a convoy of six unmarked police cars at 5:45 pm, the crowd recognized him, and erupted with boos and shouts of “Recall Walker”, and “Shame!”

The “boisterous” crowd was estimated at 2000-5000 people, making the protest perhaps double the size of the small town of Washburn, which has a population of 2.271.

According to  The Duluth News Tribune, one of the protesters videotaped the license plates of the cars, as they passed by.

People were definitely saying their piece, greeting each vehicle that arrived for the dinner with shouts of “Shame!” while waving protest signs and shaking their fists. One person videotaped the license plates of at least some of the vehicles that entered.

Protesters banged pots, shook tambourines at car windows and sounded horns. Most of the drivers and their passengers stared straight ahead. They had to navigate through a narrow tunnel formed by protesters on both sides, held back by Bayfield County sheriff’s deputies and rally organizers.

I’m not good at crowd estimates, but that looked like hundreds, not “thousands”.

The convoy moved through quickly and without incident, and most of the protesters began to follow a circuitous route on public pathways to a spot behind the restaurant where they continued the protest within earshot of the Republican Party faithful inside.

***

Mark Goodrich, a building contractor in Ashland, stood at the corner where protesters passed between Stage North and the entrance to the Steak Pit with a large sign bearing the words, “God Bless Gov. Walker.”

Goodrich said he had heard a few taunts from protesters.

“I know some of the people,” he said. “I have friends on both sides.”

But he added: “Collective bargaining is not a right. It’s never been a right.”

He’s right of course, but don’t tell that to the unhinged crybabies banging their pots and pans, honking horns, shaking their tambourines, and cowbells, and blowing their infernal whistles. They think the squeaky wheels get the grease. I guess we’ll see about that.

MORE:

The Ashland Daily Press reports the number of protesters in the hundreds:

The Lincoln Day Dinner drew in roughly 275 republican party members from the surrounding area, including Congressman Sean Duffy, as several hundred  protested the recent elimination of collective bargaining rights for public employees.

***

Do these people have any coherent arguments? No. They got nuthin: Koch hoo-ha, over-the-top scare mongering (“he’s taken away education”, “he’s taken away health care”??), the usual class warfare stuff – “he’s only for the rich?” …because all Republicans are rich, dontcha know. And Dem Socialists are for “the little guy”….

…protesters railed against Gov. Walker, carrying signs that read “Recall Adolph Walker,”  “Our governor owned and operated by Koch” and “Shame.”

Prior to greeting republicans, Democrats fired up protesters, including State Rep. Nick Milroy (D-South Range). Milroy, who garnered national attention in recent weeks after being tackled by police at the Capitol, said the governor has flushed the rights of public employees down the toilet.

“We’re not going to put up with it,” Milroy yelled to the crowd. “This fight is a battle and a battle that’s going to rage on for a long time.”

Milroy took shots at Gov. Walker over comments said during a prank call with a man who claimed to be billionaire David Koch.

“Scott Walker travels around this state when he was first elected, saying Wisconsin’s open for business. Now, he’s running around the state saying we’re broke,” Milroy said. “Well, I tell you what, David Koch ain’t broke. We are going to take this fight every step of the way and it starts with you in Washburn. Let’s go give them a piece of our minds!”

Red Cliff tribal elder Tony DePerry also spoke before the enthusiastic crowd.

“That’s my tax dollars. That’s our tax dollars. He’s taken away education. He’s taken away healthcare. He’s taken away employment. Guess what? If that keeps on going, you know what he’s going to take away? He’s going to take away all of us, and we don’t need that,” DePerry said. “We need to show him that we’re human beings just like him.”

***
“I just think what Gov. Walker is doing is destroying the middle class,” he said.

Non-union member Tim Hanson of Washburn and union member Nick Jarecki of Ashland agreed that the new law amounted to class warfare.

“He’s only for the rich,” Hanson said.

Cross-Posted at Left-Wing Institute For Civil Discourse.

More at Gateway Pundit.

Video: Death Threats Against Wis. Republicans (Content Warning)

Thanks to sECULARsTUPIDEST for creating this eye-opening video montage of  death threats against the Wisconsin Republicans:

Cross-posted at Left-Wing Institute For Civil Discourse.

Your Sunday Hymn: Attende Domine

A traditional Lenten hymn, sung by two sopranos with just incredible, crystal clear voices:

This is the cry of the sinner who calls unto God to receive his mercy. A monument of the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Originally from the Mozarabic liturgy.

Rush Was Right!

One of the points Rush made as he analyzed Obama’s presser on his Friday show,  was the odd fact neither Obama nor the reporters brought up the union battle in Wisconsin , which meant that polling was favoring the Republicans.

RUSH:  All right.  It’s official.  There were no questions on Wisconsin asked of the regime at the press conference today.  Now, come on, folks, please.  It’s only been the rallying cry of the Democrat Party.  We’ve only had Obama joining the debate saying we shouldn’t vilify or denigrate public sector union people, they’re our neighbors and so forth.  He got involved.  It’s his website, Organizing for America, that organized all of the spittle-flecked protesters that were out there.  Not one question.  Not one statement made by Obama.  Again, let me tell you what this means.  I’ll explain it by doing it the opposite way.  Had there been questions and had there been answers, had Obama made a statement, it would have meant that the polling data was clearly on his side, that the Republicans were really taking it in the shorts in the polls, and that it was a golden opportunity to hammer this whole business of destroying collective bargaining rights for unions.

If they had polling data that suggests that the Democrats won big in this thing that would have been 90% of the content of this presser.  And it didn’t even come up.  This is Waterloo.  This is Obama’s army defeated at Waterloo.  Napoleon didn’t have a press conference either after Waterloo.  They must be quaking in their boots over the polling data out of Wisconsin, not just in Wisconsin but around the country on this.  Don’t doubt me.  Snerdley, do not doubt me on this.  If it were otherwise, they would have been beating their chests like Tarzan.  Obama would have been out there trying to Jane and Cheetah and they’d be having a party swinging vine to vine to vine, but no, they can’t even bring it up.

“Do not doubt me!”, he bellowed.

Well,  I doubted… the polls I had been seeing looked bleak for Republicans.

Late Friday night, a new poll was released, thank you Gateway Pundit, (the man never sleeps):

66%, or two of every three, swing voters support Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) in the latest national poll conducted by the Free Enterprise Nation.
PR Newswire reported, via Free Republic:

The Free Enterprise Nation (FEN) today released the results of a national poll that shows strong support for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker among Independent voters. The poll of voters outside of Wisconsin, taken from March 3rd to March 9th, included 500 Democrat, 500 Republican and 500 Independent voters.

FEN spokesman, Jim MacDougald stated that “This poll contradicts some of the other polls we’ve seen. According to our poll, 95% of Republicans agree with the Governor, and 92% of Democrats agree with the union. There is not much of a surprise there. But 66% of Independent voters agree with the Governor, and this group is what swings most elections.”

Nonetheless….

After Wisconsin defeat, unions plan massive counterattack on GOP in 2012

Said the president of the AFL-CIO: “I guess I ought to say thank you particularly to Scott Walker. We should have invited him here today to receive the Mobilizer of the Year award from us!”

Speaking for Tea Partiers everywhere, I say: YOUR WELCOME.

Gotta love his spunk.

As several states seek to follow Wisconsin’s lead, newly invigorated public unions are looking ahead to the next election. Democrats are pressing to recall Republican opponents of organized labor and turn the debate into a focal point of next year’s campaign.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...good luck with that.

The problem for them is,  the more Americans see of the public sector union goons and their commie allies, the more they are not impressed.

I really don’t want to give these morons any advice, (not that they would listen to me, anyway.) But maybe the pro- union demonstrators would appear more sympathetic to the public if they left the bongs, bongos, cow-bells, shame chants, socialist/communist worker signs, and bullying thug tactics at home next time?

Linked by zillaoftheresistance, and Conservative Hideout, and adeliemanchot, thanks!

Obama Told Some Whoppers During His Press Conference, Friday (No, That’s Not News)

What more – No one in the press corpse  challenged the lies (also not news). I’m not even going to post the video because it was painful and boring the first time around.

“We’re adapting. We’re producing more oil, and we’re importing less”.

“Now, the hard truth is, is that as long as our economy depends on foreign oil, we’ll always be subject to price spikes.”

“Our oil production reached its highest level in seven years. Oil production from federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico reached an all-time high,” adding that “for the first time in more than a decade, imports accounted for less than half of what we consumed.”

I turned to my husband and said, OMG, he’s lying, AGAIN.

Then I heard Rush say:

So they’re out there lying through their teeth telling us that oil production is up despite their moratoriums.  It isn’t.  Oil production is down.  It’s from the US House Committee on Natural Resources.  That’s the source.

Then I checked in on Ace, who said:

Fact Check: Virtually Everything Obama Just Said About Oil and Gas Production in the US is a Lie, Except for His Insight That “Gas Prices Are Important”,

Ace linked to Jazz Shaw in The Greenroom, who said:

That’s an interesting claim, particularly given Hot Air’s coverage of the subject just prior to the press event. But record setting production would certainly be good news, wouldn’t it? Sadly, it seems that the President was basing his claims on some recent comments by Ken Salazar. While they sound great on paper, Ken was talking about the total number of oil rigs in the gulf, not the total amount of oil being produced. Jack Gerard of the American Petroleum Institute attempts to straighten out the math for the Oil Analyst in Chief.

Salazar’s numbers distort the true number of working rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Baker Hughes:

• Four days before the Deepwater Horizon accident there were 55 rotary rigs actually drilling offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
• On May 28, 2010, when the administration announced the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling, there were 46 rotary rigs operating in the Gulf.
• Last week, 25 rotary rigs were operating in the Gulf of Mexico.

So the fact that there is an “all-time high” number of rigs in the Gulf ignores the fact that most of those rigs are not working. Claiming an increase in idle rigs in the Gulf as a success story is like claiming the job market is great because a lot of people are unemployed and available to work.

Steve Everley over at American Solutions, debunks a few more claims from Obama.

President Obama held a press conference today to discuss rising gasoline and oil prices. Gasoline at the pump now costs an average of $3.50 per gallon nationwide, and experts project prices to eclipse $4 per gallon this year, possibly by the beginning of the summer driving season.

But instead of providing a solution that most of America wants — more domestic drilling — President Obama used his presser to recite misleading talking points to justify his anti-energy policies, arguments that have all been thoroughly debunked.

See also:

The American Spectator: Conservative Leaders: Obama’s Energy Non-Policy Is Hurting America

RE: With the Administration showing little indication it will allow drilling to resume in the Gulf of Mexico at any point in the near future, its lack of political will to drill is undermining our efforts for energy independence, which compromises our national security and jeopardizes our economic recovery.

Issue-in-Brief: Continued instability in the Middle East, combined with unprecedented foreign demand for oil and an uncertain economic recovery at home, has left the United States at the mercy of foreign dictators and markets – issues that would be alleviated if the Administration lifted its self-imposed energy freeze and let domestic producers get back to work, particularly in the Gulf. There is an obvious lack of leadership from the Obama Administration.

Demand for Oil is Skyrocketing

· Since President Obama assumed office gas prices have risen 87%!

(From $1.83 to $3.43 and even higher in some states!)

· Global demand for oil is rising, and the competition for foreign resources has intensified. By 2035, the United States, Japan, OECD Europe, China, and India are projected to need 25 percent more imported oil than in 2005, with China and India accounting for the major portion of that increase.

· Instead of reaping the economic and social benefits of developing our domestic resources, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), even despite the recent permit granted by the Department of Interior (DOI), remains closed for business. According to the Energy Information Agency, domestic offshore oil production will fall 13 percent in 2011, a loss of about 220,000 barrels/day, mainly due to the continued lack of permits for the GOM.

Energy Security and Economic Security are Related

· Oil at a hundred dollars a barrel and rising could throw the U.S. economy into reverse at a time when it has just started moving forward. Any gains made by business or working families will soon be reversed.

· Petroleum is used in virtually every sector of our economy, from computers to crayons and heart valves to hand lotion. Rising fuel prices hit Americans right in the wallet at a time when incomes are stretched and unemployment remains agonizingly high.

Read the whole thing at The Spectator.

In summation, Obama is a liar, and he’s destroying the economy.

Have a nice weekend.

Hat tip: Charles B for some the links.

Klavan On The Culture: Your Public Sector Unions At Work

This video, unlike the last one…is not a feel-good story. It’s more like a bad dream – that we’re all living through together.

Hat tip: Brian B.

Your Feel Good Story Of The Day: CA Boy Wrongfully Expelled “To Make An Example Of Him”, Is Re-admitted To High School

The NRA and the CRPA Foundation joined forces to provide legal assistance for high school student Gary Tudesko in his fight to be readmitted to Willows High School in Glenn County, California. Here is his story:

That Principal should definitely lose his job over this.

Hat tip: Retired Geezer