Archived Blog

American Thinker upgrades its publishing software today

2011-05-31T17:04:34Z

Beginning at noon EDT, American Thinker will be switching to an upgraded publishing platform. Although the look of our site will stay the same, behind the scenes, there will be considerable work going on. It is possible that readers will experience an outage of AT service for a reasonably short period of time, as the old software is uninstalled, and the new software activated.

Please bear with us during any service interruption you might experience. The new software will require a period of time to "propagate" throughout the internet worldwide, and depending upon your location, the interruption may be nonexistent, brief, or a bit longer.

In addition, our comments section software is being completely replaced, with a system that readers should find easier to use.

All of these changes reflect our growth, and our preparation for a better and bigger future. 2012 beckons.

We are grateful to all the readers who have donated money, or patronized our advertisers, or told their friends about AT. It is because of you that we are able to thrive and grow. Thank-you!

Thomas Lifson

editor and publisher

Honoring our military heroes by playing golf

2011-05-31T15:29:11Z

The American media have ignored the story, but President Obama, fresh off his gum-chewing appearance at the Joplin victims memorial service continued his pattern of treating solemn occasions lightly by playing his 70th round of presidential golf while the nation mourned is fallen military heroes. He did manage to visit Arlington National Cemetary, at least (corrected).

It took a Brit, the great Nile Gardiner of the Telegraph, to call out the disgrace:

Does it matter if the president chooses to play golf on Memorial Day, and for the second time in his presidency (he did so as well in 2009)? I think it does, and it displays extraordinarily bad judgment, not only by Obama himself but also by his advisers. His chief of staff for example should have firmly cautioned against it. President Obama is not just any American but Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces. The United States is currently engaged in a major war in Afghanistan with over 100,000 troops on the ground, and more than 1,500 have already laid down their lives for their country.

The least the president can do on Memorial Day is spend the whole daywith veterans and servicemen's families while acknowledging their sacrifice.

Is it any wonder that among the military community (those who have the greatest stake in the C in C) support for Obama is lower than among the rest of us?

Richard Kantro adds:

In a perfect world -- heck, in a lousy world just a little less imperfect than this one -- Barack Obama would long ago have been hounded out of office by the deafening roar of public outrage. No one would have needed to be so long concerned about his documentation, or his many legislative and regulatory outrages. And certainly no one would expect him to be reelectable, alas.

But his golfing jaunt on Memorial Day in that ridiculous getup, and with that hat and those sunglasses and that one white glove and that grin making him look like some wannabe-safari-going dilettante -- all that was missing was his thumb on his nose and his four bony fingers wiggling at the camera, so much was he acting out like a wicked little boy -- should push even the most indulgent, dedicated Democrat over the edge of decorum and straight into the market for a tub of tar and a sack of feathers. How many fathers, brothers, sons, did he diss with each drive, each stroke, each putt?

And what is there about the modern American left that it seems to welcome accompaniment by ever-more revolting displays of the devolution of what used to be called manners? By its putative leader, no less. Perhaps liberals themselves don't know the answer, swimming as they are in a sewer so befouled with their own crudities that their polluted little corner of the world seems, if not pristine, well, then, at least as clean as anywhere else.

But it would surely be a step in the right direction toward the salvation of the United States if, some day before November, 2012, some millions of those hitherto unnauseated denizens of this very unappetizing swamp would suddenly sniff the water, and smell the sewage, and then resolve with one little flick of the finger, or a single black mark on a ballot -- either one would take far less energy than yelling "fore" -- to consign this links Chanticleer to political pasture for ever and anon, amen.

Students suspended for wearing white T-shirts

2011-05-31T14:24:27Z

Is wearing a plain white T-shirt a sign of membership in a white supremacist group? Apparently so, at least according to a government school principal in Soquel, California (a suburb of PC Central Santa Cruz). A local television station covered the story (hat tip: the Blaze):

One of the alleged white supremacists calls himself an Asian.

Is this political correctness run amok? Recall that students in Morgan Hill, California, roughly 20 miles from Soquel, were sent home for wearing American flag T-shirts, allegedly offending their Mexican-American (and Mexican-Mexican) classmates on May 8 last year.

Would someone please remove the banana from the economy's tail pipe?

2011-05-31T14:20:36Z

Would someone please remove the banana from the economy's tail pipe?

Wall Street Journal:

After a disappointing first quarter, economists largely predicted the U.S. recovery would ramp back up as short-term disruptions such as higher gas prices, bad weather and supply problems in Japan subsided.
But there's little indication that's happening. Manufacturing is cooling, the housing market is struggling and consumers are keeping a close eye on spending, meaning the U.S. economy might be on a slower path to full health than expected.

"It's very hard to generate a rapid recovery when rapid recoveries are historically driven by housing and the consumer," said Nigel Gault, an economist at IHS Global Insight. He expects an annualized, inflation-adjusted growth rate of less than 3% in coming quarters-better than the first-quarter's 1.8% rate, but too slow to make a meaningful dent in unemployment.

A growing number of forecasters are downgrading their second-quarter growth predictions. JPMorgan Chase & Co. economists revised down their estimate to a 2.5% rate from 3%, while Bank of America Merrill Lynch economists cut theirs to 2% from 2.8%. Deutsche Bank cut its forecast to 3.2% from 3.7%.

There are some pockets of recovery - Texas, for example - that is seeing fairly strong growth and lower unemployment.

But the Midwest is still largely a basket case. Most of the three million manufacturing jobs lost during the recession are not coming back - ever. This is different from past recessions as layoffs would occur, only to have the worker get back on the job once the recovery was underway. That can't happen when the company doesn't exist anymore.

To make matters worse, we have an administration that punishes success and makes it unprofitable to take risks. Hence, new businesses are being formed at a slower rate than after past recessions, further depressing the job market.

The Obama administration is a banana in the tail pipe of the economy. Unfortunately, the damage done to the economy will be a long time mending.

Good news: Housing prices cosmically low

2011-05-31T14:05:17Z

Tomorrow, it is expected that a widely watched housing index will show that prices for homes are lower than they were at the bottom of the housing crash two years ago.

In other words, you ain't seen nothing yet. The New York Times:

Disenchantment with real estate is bound to swell further on Tuesday when the most widely watched housing index is all but guaranteed to show that prices of existing homes sank in March below the lows reached two years ago - until now the bottom of the housing crash. In February, the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 large cities slumped for the seventh month in a row.
Housing is locked in a downward spiral, industry analysts say, not only because so many people are blocked from the market - being unemployed, in foreclosure or trapped in homes that are worth less than the mortgage - but because even those who are solvent are opting out.
"The emotional scars left by the collapse are changing the American psyche," said Pete Flint, chief executive of the housing Web site Trulia. "There was a time when owning a home was a symbol you had made it. Now it's O.K. not to own."
Trulia, a real estate search engine for buyers and renters that is based here, is a hive of renters, including Mr. Flint. "I'm in no rush at all to buy," he said. He expects homeownership to decline further to about 63 percent, a level the country first achieved in the mid-1960s.

Too bad they can't bring back gas prices at a dime a gallon and cigs for 5 cents a pack. I guess we'll have to settle for home ownership rates for this nostalgia tour.

If the market had been allowed to bottom out two years ago with no interference from Obama's crazy quilt patchwork of home owner bailout programs - none of which have worked - I wonder if prices wouldn't be rebounding already?

News from Libya: No, really...

2011-05-31T13:45:08Z

Well, not necessarily "news" news. It's just another foreign leader announcing that Gaddafi has agreed to a cease fire - which he hasn't - and that the rebels have already rejected,making the leader - in this case, South African President Zuma - look faintly ridiculous.

But this story somehow made it closer to the front page than any Libyan story in a month. The fact is, NATO may soon be looking for a way out of this mess, and these occasional forays by peacemakers in the international community are probably a harbinger of how the alliance will exit the conflict.

Meanwhile, al-Jazeera has caught some western special forces on the ground directly aiding the rebels in combat. The Guardian:

A group of six westerners are clearly visible in a report by al-Jazeera from Dafniya, described as the westernmost point of the rebel lines west of the town of Misrata. Five of them were armed and wearing sand-coloured clothes, peaked caps, and cotton Arab scarves.
The sixth, apparently the most senior of the group, was carrying no visible weapon and wore a pink, short-sleeve shirt. He may be an intelligence officer. The group is seen talking to rebels and then quickly leaving on being spotted by the television crew.
The footage emerged as South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, arrived in Tripoli in an attempt to broker a ceasefire. He described reports that he would ask Muammar Gaddafi to step down as "misleading", and said he would instead focus on humanitarian measures and ways to implement a plan concocted by the African Union for Libya make a transition to democratic rule but not seek Gaddafi's exile.
[...]
The subject is sensitive as the UN security council resolution in March authorising the use of force in Libya specifically excludes "a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory".

What good is a rule if it's not made to be broken? Technically, special forces are not "occupation forces" and most of the UN will probably accept them with a wink and a nod. But the question of how much more damage NATO can do to Gaddafi's forces is starting to be relevant as the rebels are proving to be quite amateurish in making war. The insurgency can't survive without NATO air power and NATO can't be a decisive factor as long as they don't send in combat troops.

The resulting stalemate will continue to kill a lot of civilians and ruin the nation's infrastructure.

Weinergate: Distasteful, but now a public issue

2011-05-31T13:39:07Z

Many readers already know that late last week, a twitter account belonging to Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner sent out a picture of a man's underwear showing a tumescent male member, normally the type of distasteful story we would prefer to ignore. However, the changing story offered by the Congressman, known for his self-righteous criticism of political opponents, requires coverage. As the old saying goes, it's not the scandal, it's the cover-up that counts.

Here is the original post that appeared on Andrew Breitbart's Big Government site, noting the existence of the photo, and also the fact that it was deleted from the Congressman's yfrog (picture hosting) account, as well as the Congressman's later tweet claiming his account was "hacked." Subsequently, the Congressman also used the word "prank" to describe the incident, possibly a significant change, as hacking would be a federal crime.

The Congressman, putatively the victim here, has lawyered up. Meanwhile, calls have been heard from conservative websites to bring in the FBI, which has jurisdiction over cybercrime (which is what hacking the Congressman's twitter account would be). Ace of Spades helpfully advises the Congressman: "here's how to report a cyber crime."

But so far, Rep. Weiner has avoided law enforcement involvement, which is quite odd, conksidering he is claiming to be the victim of someone impersonating him online.

Alana Goodman of Commentary offers this sage advice.

Liberal bloggers should be the ones leading the campaign for an official investigation. Many of them have claimed that Andrew Breitbart, and other conservative activists, are responsible for hacking into Weiner's official congressional Twitter account. If that's the case, then let's make sure these right-wing hackers are forced to face the legal consequences of their actions.

This is a fairly customary process. After President Obama's official Twitter account was hacked, the FBI managed to track the hacker all the way to France, where he was tried and convicted. If Weiner's account was compromised, there's a good chance that law enforcement will find the person who did it.

But if it turns out that Weiner is unwilling to allow an official, transparent investigation, then he can't expect journalists to stop digging for the truth on their own. After all, the public has legitimate questions, and the media is only doing its job.

The person who originally broke the story, the anonymous Publius of Biggovernment.com, offers what seems the most plausible explanation for what might have happened, and of Rep. Weiner's strange subsequent behavior:

These statements, plus the fact that there is no indication yet that Weiner has reported the alleged hack to authorities, suggest a new possibility: the offensive tweet may not have been a "hack," but perhaps an inside job by someone with access to Weiner's social networking accounts.

It is fairly standard practice in congressional offices and on congressional campaigns for multiple staffers to have access to the politician's social networking accounts.

The story is now a major national scandal, with major newspapers and networks reporting it on air. CNN tracked down the Congressman and got him on air, characterizing the incident as both a "hack" and a "prank."

Meanwhile, homrists like Iowahawk, Mr. Pinko, and Big Fur Hat are on the case. Once people are laughing at you, the story cannot be contained. One can expect the late night television comedians to ahe a field day.

It is time for law enforcement to come in with their subpoena power and clear up the murk and the muck.

Update: Timelines of the scandal here and here.

Iranian cleric implies it's OK to kill Israeli children

2011-05-31T13:32:13Z

When is it permissible if you're a Muslim to kill children?

Any old time, says Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah -- just as long as the child is an Israeli child.

Ynet News:

Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah, considered one of the Islamic Republic's most radical clerics, issued a religious edict on his website whereby suicide attacks are not only legitimate but are a must for every Muslim, a special paper by the Middle East Media Research Institute shows.

[...]

The follower presented another question regarding Islam's position on harming Israelis, wondering whether Hamas and Jihad actions against Israeli civilians are forbidden. He also asked: "How about the Israeli children killed in such attacks?"

The Iranian Ayatollah did not see fit to forbid the killing of children, only noting that Israelis can be harmed unless they openly express their objection to their government's position. He added that even in such cases, harming civilians is permissible if "they are used as human shield and fighting the aggressors depends on attacking those civilians."
Beyond these insights, the cleric did not offer further instructions and failed to censure the killing of children.

By the way, Ynet reports that this slimeball is the "spiritual mentor" of President Ahmadinejad. Tell me you're surprised.

21st century warfare

2011-05-31T13:18:50Z

The Pentagon has concluded that an organized cyber attack on the United States might warrant a military response.

The conclusion is part of a strategy, parts of which will be unclassified next month, that deals with the question of hackers disrupting power or communications networks in the United States.

Wall Street Journal:

Recent attacks on the Pentagon's own systems-as well as the sabotaging of Iran's nuclear program via the Stuxnet computer worm-have given new urgency to U.S. efforts to develop a more formalized approach to cyber attacks. A key moment occurred in 2008, when at least one U.S. military computer system was penetrated. This weekend Lockheed Martin, a major military contractor, acknowledged that it had been the victim of an infiltration, while playing down its impact.
The report will also spark a debate over a range of sensitive issues the Pentagon left unaddressed, including whether the U.S. can ever be certain about an attack's origin, and how to define when computer sabotage is serious enough to constitute an act of war. These questions have already been a topic of dispute within the military.
One idea gaining momentum at the Pentagon is the notion of "equivalence." If a cyber attack produces the death, damage, destruction or high-level disruption that a traditional military attack would cause, then it would be a candidate for a "use of force" consideration, which could merit retaliation.

China has already been fingered as a possible culprit in some high profile hacks. But so has the Russian mob and Albanian organized crime families. It would be next to impossible to ferret out direct connections between the Russian government and mob. Besides, there may very well be a third party involved anyway.

This isn't so much a strategy as it is a warning. Those who would do us harm by hacking our networks could pay a steep price.

Obama's Symbolic Chevy Volt Folly

2011-05-31T04:10:21Z

Among 116 electric cars that the Obama administration intends to buy with taxpayer money, 101 will be Chevy Volts. The program will also include installing charging stations in San Francisco, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego and Washington, D.C.

According to USA Today, "The moves are mostly symbolic to show the government is doing its part in trying to reduce America's dependence on oil." The electric cars are projected to save taxpayers a total of $116,000 in fuel costs-presumably annually. USA Today did not specify.

With Volts currently priced at $41,000, what net "savings" will taxpayers realize? The General Services Administration did not reveal the actual price at which GM will sell the Volts to Obama. But we can make reasonable assumptions.

Most buyers of electric vehicles qualify for a federal tax credit of $7,500. Let's allow that Obama's people are persuasive enough to negotiate a unit purchase price of $41,000 - $7,500, or $33,500. And let's be charitable and assume that the five charging stations will be built for a mere ten times (probably conservative for a federal government cost multiplier) the average price currently quoted by a company specializing in the stations: 5 X 10 X $1,500, or $75,000, including any and all land purchase or site lease costs. So the total expenditures for this chapter of Mr. Obama's electric car fantasy will conservatively add up to: 101 X $33,500 plus $75,000, or $3.5 million. Bear in mind that this total does not include the administrative costs involved in making deals and managing the program.

The Volt purchase program reveals Obama's ideological zealotry in action. Barack Obama is a President who proposed a $3.7 trillion 2012 budget that would have resulted in a $1.6 trillion deficit-the highest in the history of planet Earth. With his budget, Obama also ignored the need to slash a $14.3 trillion national debt. Yet the man will happily spend 3.5 million taxpayer dollars to purchase the ability to tout a cost avoidance of $116K a year in operating expenses. At this "savings" rate, taxpayers' $3.5 million symbolic investment will require thirty years to pay back. Where is the symbolism?

Perhaps the symbolism lies in the 257 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions that 101 Volts will allegedly eliminate. Does the emissions avoidance take into account the fact that generating the electricity needed to charge the Volts will also generate emissions? The administration's analysis does not specify.

Barack Obama's symbolism boils down to something disgusting. Radical environmentalist ideology and crony capitalism are bad enough when engaged in separately. But when combined to waste taxpayer money during one of the worst economies in American history in order to symbolically reduce emissions of gases that imperceptibly affect "global warming," the effect is pure ugliness.

A writer, physicist, and former high tech executive, Chuck Rogér invites you to sign up to receive his "Clear Thinking" blog posts by email at www.chuckroger.com. Contact Chuck at swampcactus@chuckroger.com.

WaPo Denies GOP a Platform They Gave Obama

2011-05-31T04:05:46Z

After helping Barack Obama use the Iowa caucuses to propel his 2008 campaign, The Washington Post is now dissing Republicans' efforts to use the same caucuses to launch their attempt to unseat Obama in 2012.

The Post asked on Monday, "how relevant are the preferences of 200,000 or so caucus goers in a rural state that is overwhelmingly white and significantly older than average?"

It was a far different story for the same publication when their hero 'won' the 2008 Democrat caucuses with just 38% of the vote. Back then, the Post called the turnout of about the same number of Democrats, 239,000, "a huge turnout that temporarily swamped some precincts and reflected the energy and enthusiasm among Democratic voters determined to recapture the White House in November."

The WaPo report rationalizes its dismissal of the upcoming GOP Iowa caucuses this way:

"The uncomfortable fact for Iowa Republicans is that their cherished caucuses have rarely been much of a launching pad. Since the party held its first one to pick a president in 1976, there have been only two instances in which a winner who was not an incumbent has gone on to take the GOP nomination. And only one of those, George W. Bush in 2000, won the White House."

Never mind that when the WaPo published its glowing 2008 puff piece pimping Obama's 'victory', with about a third of the vote, the only non-incumbent Democrat to win the Iowa caucuses and go on to win the White House was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Even then, Carter technically wasn't the winner. He was edged out by "Uncommitted," by a 37%-28% margin.

And, of course, Obama's 2008 showing was tainted by allegations--from the Clinton camp--of voter fraud.

-William Tate is an award-winning journalist and author

Obama chews gum at Joplin memorial service (updated)

2011-05-31T03:16:53Z

Unbelievably, President Barack Obama sat in public chewing gum at the memorial service for victims of the Joplin tornado. Right there in the front row. Watch the video below and see.

Is it nicotine gum? That is the most plausible explanation for this gross violation of propriety. Obama had a bad week in Europe, blundering badly with his toast to the Queen of England, humiliated before the world by speaking the magic line that cued the orchestra to play Britain's National Anthem, "God save the Queen," and blithely continuing to speak over the host country's most sacred anthem. Lech Walesa, a genuine Nobel laureate and hero to his people, humiliated him by refusing to meet him in Poland.

No doubt, the criticism if his partying with thousand dollar bottles of wine while Joplin picked up the pieces grated on his sensibilities. They do cling to their guns and bibles in places like Joplin, and few worry about the price of arugula there. So perhaps a certain subconscious resentment built up in the jet lagging president. Or perhaps the nicotine monkey on his back was so intense he had to pop a wad of Nicorette in his mouth to cope with the tedium of pretending to care about a bunch of redneck hicks?

Hat tip: Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit

Update from David Paulin:

Apparently, Joplin wasn't the first time. You know, I can't recall the last time I've seen an adult chewing gum.

South Beach Miami Memorial Day War Zone

2011-05-31T00:07:44Z

An apartment dweller in South Beach Miami posted a shocking video online (video is now removed) just hours after violence erupted outside his window early Monday morning. The streets were filled with the annual Urban Beach Week partiers who have descended on the town since 2001.

The event, which draws hundreds of thousands of people including famous performers like Ludacris and Busta Rhymes, usually drives locals out of town for the weekend. Miami Beach Commissioner Ed Tobin told a Miami Herald reporter just two days ago:

I would not want anyone that I know, a friend or visitor, to be outside on South Beach after 11 p.m. on this weekend because it is dangerous despite what seemed like thousands of police officers at every corner.

The Memorial day shootouts left one man dead, and three police officers injured along with a few bystanders.

Herb Sosa, a gay activist and president of Unity Coalition, Miami's largest Hispanic gay rights group penned an open letter to the mayor, the commissioner and "concerned citizens." Mr. Sosa first urges the recipients to watch the early morning video now posted "for the world to see about Memorial/Urban Weekend in 2011 in Miami Beach."

When did perceived political or social correctness override the safety & well-being of a community? This is not a race, economic or ethnic issue, it is an issue of visitors who have a total lack of respect for our community, its property & citizens. I know hotel rooms are filled, but at what price and for how long? How many events, meetings, conventions & vacations have been CANCEELLED because of this nightmare we endure each Memorial Day?

Almost everyone who lives her that I know, get out of Miami Beach for Memorial Day - including many of you - because of this unruly & dangerous mob that we seem to invite back every year and turn a blind eye to the irreparable damage they leave behind.

If this was PRIDE weekend, The Boat Show, Fashion Week or Art Deco Weekend - would we allow this to go on each year? I am certain that if the real numbers of cost & crime are compared with like events we host throughout the year - Memorial/Urban Weekend is tenfold the headache, cost & damage of any of them. IS IT ALL WORTH IT FOR OUR CITY MANAGEMENT?

I am not willing to wait another year to see how many more people will be killed; how many more hotel rooms will be trashed; how many more cars & homes will be broken into;

how much more police, fire rescue, sanitation & additional security dollars need to be spent to try & keep our city safe & livable for all each Memorial Weekend? - a Hell of a way for Miami Beach to honor our soldiers.

The left's PC scare tactic is costing lives. Kudos to Mr. Sosa for speaking out.

Read more M. Catharine Evans at Potter Williams Report

Germany's impending energy suicide

2011-05-30T19:41:25Z

Germany, a nation known throughout its history as having a penchant for national suicide, is about to repeat the process. The coalition government of Andrea Merkel has decided to scrap all nuclear power generation by 2022. Additionally the country will switch off 17 plants this year and the other nine by 2022. This as a reaction to the Fukushima nuclear melt-down and re-election requirements.

They will instead rely on renewable energy for the shortfall of 35% of electricity that nuclear power plants now produce. Coal which generates 55% is also under heavy criticism and regulatory pressure to phase out this source of energy as well. Germany, which has very little natural gas, must rely on Russia and liquefied natural gas as a substitute for both nuclear and coal. A highly dubious and foolhardy measure in today's world.

There is simply not enough (nor will there ever be) wind, solar, or other so-called renewable sources to substitute for nuclear and coal. Therefore as Germany is hell-bent on destroying its economy and manufacturing base, which make it the foremost economy in Europe. China and the United States, if it gets its economy on track by removing a myriad of taxes and regulations, will benefit enormously as a major competitor decides to commit suicide.

A Quick Look at Media Reaction to 'Deconstructing Obama'

2011-05-30T19:30:21Z

In the three months since the release of my book, Deconstructing Obama, I have learned more about the media than in the thirty years before. In the video that follows producer Chris Kusnell does an excellent job of distilling my education into seven action packed minutes.

If there is a take-way message it is this: although the right has plenty of media outlets, as long as we merely react to the news that the left creates and shy from making news on our own, we lose the debate.