Thomas Sowell on Obama and Ebola

Although I haven't been as hysterical as some about Ebola, Obama's casual response has been no surprise. He doesn't see himself as the leader of the United States, but of the whole world, and therefore our needs come last. It's the same mentality that makes him reach out to the mosque in Oklahoma where Nolan worshipped, but not to Christians being slaughtered in Moslem countries in huge numbers, and to make pronouncements about immigrants that caused poor people to rush our borders and to be spread around the country.

“Whatever the reason, or combination of reasons, that led to President Obama's foreign policy disasters around the world -- with the crowning disaster of all, a nuclear Iran, looming on the horizon -- it cannot be a simple lack of knowledge or experience. Various former members of the Obama administration are telling the same story, of information and advice from knowledgeable and experienced officials being ignored by this vain and headstrong man. . .

No one knows at this point how big the Ebola danger may turn out to be. But what we do know is that official reassurances about this and other dangers have become worthless.

The erosion of Constitutional government over the years has become, under the Obama administration, a deluge of arbitrary edicts and defiant lawlessness protected by a grossly politicized Department of Justice.”  Thomas Sowell

The World without and American Leaders, pt. 2, by Roland Lane (from Facebook)

ISIS continues to hammer towns in Syria. Perhaps when the President announced that under no circumstances would we place boots on the ground he really believed that Europe and the Arabs would respond by putting their boots on the ground; another indication that the street organizer from Chicago has little grasp of the geopolitical world or its history. Perhaps Obama now is beginning to comprehend the vacuum that exists has been created by his philosophy of world leadership. Or....maybe not. Most Americans at one time believed they knew something of what was in the heart of Obama--buckets of PC thought combined with the drive of the True-Believing Crusader righting the wrongs of the United States. Okay, nothing different here. Every garden variety Leftist walks in the clouds of the Marxist Mist. This was expected but the Great Narcissist has taken too many bows for crises which have barely been addressed. For most individuals who occasionally sort through the news, the threat of a collapsing Middle East and the implications for the world in the immediate future is real and is in focus. But other than the next fundraiser, what is the focus of Obama?

Traditionally most leaders develop their approach to national leadership from a knowledge of history, precedent, national self-interest, historical models,the nature of power and at the least a reasonable guess of the potential evil in the hearts of humankind. How many of these basics did Obama learn from his Kenya heritage, his nine years of tutelage from the Chicago Marxist Frank Marshall Davis, or the ever Leftward march of Occidental College? The problem with thought process of the Left is that everything it does revolves around a one-note song. If one's world view believes that the United States IS the root of evil, what is the incentive to grasp or study the half-dozen items suggested in the first sentence of this paragraph?

What actions does Obama now consider? In the entire list of preceding U.S. Presidents; the good, and the bad, the successful and unsuccessful, there is no precedent in America history for a President who dislikes his country and its history. Obama stated that he wanted to fundamentally change America but he believes that the American footprint has been too large. Obama believes that America has interfered too often in the affairs of nations. Obama does not believe in American exceptionalism. Now the nation is facing multiple crises and Obama is imprisoned by his own philosophy.

What does Obama do when ISIS threatens Israel? What does he do when Iran gets the bomb? What does he do when, God forbid, the loosy goosey, non-Ebola policy sprouts hot spots in the U.S.military or in major cities in the U.S.? When the public finally realizes that ISIS is now targeting U.S. soldiers and their families here on U.S. soil, it is not outside the range of possibilities that the Democratic Party, to save itself from extinction, will pressure the President via one pretext or another to leave office.

(Except for the last sentence, this is a great article.  Democrats will never ask him to step down, not even to protect their own skins.)

Cat humor

Let’s blame homeschooling!

"Adam Lanza attended Sandy Hook Elementary School for a brief time Afterward, he attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Newtown and then Newtown High School, where he was an honors student. He was taken out of high school at the age of sixteen, and began attending Western Connecticut State University shortly thereafter. Subsequent to his removal from high school, Lanza was home-schooled by his mother and father, and earned a GED. Lanza's aunt said his mother removed him from the Newtown public school system because she was unhappy with the school district's plans for her son. He attended Western Connecticut State University in 2008 and 2009." [Wikipedia]

So what are they trying to blame for the Sandy Hook murders?  His homeschooling! 

http://time.com/18965/a-different-ending-to-my-adam-lanza-story/

http://patch.com/connecticut/avon/avon-state-sen-witkos-bashes-sandy-hook-advisory-commission-homeschooling-inferen-0#.VDXPjmd0wmg

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2014/09/progressive-gun-control-advocates-blame-homeschooling-for-public-school-shooting.html

Democrat billionaires seek a one party country

It worked well for Nazi Germany—the government controlled the country’s wealth.  Now Democrats want a similar arrangement, but want to control the government.

I remember watching on TV the moaning and groaning of the Democrats after they lost the 2004 election. They decided they needed to be more values oriented and touch the hearts and souls of the voter (with lies, apparently). Here's one of the outcomes of that soul searching--a powerful leftist organization of millionaires--Democracy Alliance. What better way to make more money than to take over the government?

"The political landscape in America is much different than it was ...in 2005 when the nine-year-old Democracy Alliance was founded. The secretive club for radical millionaires and billionaires who want to turn America into Greece was founded soon after John Kerry’s unexpected defeat in the 2004 presidential election. The outlook for the Left was bleak at that time but no longer. The Left has regained its footing and is on the march, determined to dismantle the First Amendment and reorder society through Obamacare, a wealth redistribution scheme disguised as health care policy. The Democracy Alliance, once determined to remain separate from the Democratic Party, is more partisan than it has ever been as its seeks to expand left-wing political infrastructure across the country."

http://capitalresearch.org/2014/10/the-vast-left-wing-conspiracy-george-soross-democracy-alliance-remains-a-potent-force-in-the-2014-elections/

“The new breed of rich and frustrated leftists” saw themselves as oppressed both by “a Republican conspiracy” and “by their own party and its insipid Washington establishment,” wrote journalist Matt Bai.

Organizing for Action (formerly known as Organizing for America), the 501(c)(4) nonprofit group into which the last Obama campaign transformed itself, is intricately enmeshed in the Democracy Alliance network. In other words, Obama and the Democracy Alliance are sharing the same blood line.

Speaking of the rich . .

"As the recession lifted, poor and middle class Americans dug deeper into their wallets to give to charity, even though they were earning less. At the same time, according to a new Chronicle analysis of tax data, wealthy Americans earned more, but the portion of the income they gave to charity declined. . .Residents of Utah remain by far the nation’s most generous... Memphis, Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta, and Nashville are the most generous cities, and . . . The 17 most generous states, as measured by share of income donated to charity, voted for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the 2012 election." (Chronicle of Philanthropy)

President Obama complains about the income gap and the fat cats. Does his staff understand "optics?" (perception not physics) Last night he had a fund raiser in Connecticut, talked about wealth inequality at a lavish mansion in a gated estate, the home of Richie Richman. The economy is stagnant, the rich are getting richer, and he whines at the home of a rich man named Richman (real estate developer who's made his wealth in "affordable housing"). Federal tax credits and subsidies for “affordable housing” are very complex, but the recession of 2008-09 really had Richman’s business booming since other investors had to back off.

Halloween smiles

We’re looking at a 30 year war—Panetta

"I think we're looking at kind of a 30-year war. It's going to take a long time to be able to go after these elements. It can't be [that] we're going to go in one day and pull back the next day." That's according to Leon Panetta, former defense secretary for Barack Obama. Panetta also criticized Obama for taking off the table the option of boots on the ground. "If we don't, at least in my view -- if they establish a base of operations in that part of the world, it's only a matter of time before they will then use it as a basis on which to attack this country," Panetta added. He also argued in his new book that it was a mistake to leave Iraq in the first place. He should send the commander in chief an autographed copy of that book.

From Patriot Post Daily Digest, Oct. 7

In his book “Worthy Fights” he writes, the White House was “so eager to rid itself of Iraq that it was willing to withdraw rather than lock in arrangements that would preserve our influence and interests.” And finally, “To this day, I believe that a small U.S. troop presence in Iraq could have effectively advised the Iraqi military on how to deal with al-Qaeda’s resurgence and the sectarian violence that has engulfed the country.” His account directly contradicts Barack Obama’s latest story – that total U.S. withdrawal “wasn’t a decision made by me.” Actually, yes, it was, and it was a terrible and costly one.

Allen West sums it up:

“Yeehaw, we finally have reports that our air strikes have killed 29 ISIS fighters -- and how much does one Tomahawk cruise missile cost? ISIS closing in on another major city, Kobani -- and the Kurds admitting they have not received any arms support. We have a growing issue with Ebola in the United States and referred to as a top national security concern. We have our children afflicted with a mysterious respiratory illness and virus that is causing paralysis and just took the life of a young New Jersey pre-schooler. And let's be honest folks, there are nearly 103 million Americans out of work. But have no fear, Obama has it all under control -- I heard him say so last night at a fundraiser. And he will say so again today at several more fundraisers. What a guy!” Facebook post, Oct. 7

Democrats pathologize women and it works at the polls

Women seem to gravitate to the party that sees them as victims, needing a lot of help from the government. They don't walk the talk of, "I am woman hear me roar," and are sleeping with Uncle Sam who has promised to take care of them. "Among unmarried women, Democrats now lead Republicans by 22 points, 58-36 — up from an 11 point lead in July." Washington Post today.

Make the best use of time

It’s the ideology—that won’t change

In 2014 and 2016 many Democrats running for office claim they are not Obama. They will be running from the sluggish economy, from Obamacare increases coming in January, from the executive order that will come on immigration right after the election, from the IRS scandal, from snooping on journalists, from worsening relations with Israel, from the expanded wars in the middle east, from the rollout of Obamacare and the sign up mess, from the sloppy Secret Service mess, from the questions about Ebola. But Obama isn't a person as much as he's an ideology, one that many Democrats subscribe to. They too believe in a government too big to fail.

Our president is a hypocrite

An Obama administration official traveled to Oklahoma City Saturday to offer words of praise to congregants at the mosque attended by Alton Nolen. I wonder if he then stopped by to talk to the traumatized employees of the food processing facility, or if he made a sympathy call on the murdered woman's family, or visited the other woman stabbed multiple times. If Nolan had been a member of a Christian church, would Obama have sent someone to praise them for their good works in other areas?

Monday Memories—missionaries to Nigeria

When I was a youngster, the Church of the Brethren in Mt. Morris, IL would host our Nigerian missionaries. Later my high school principal Evan Kinsley and his wife Lucile went to Nigeria as teacher missionaries in the mid-1960s.  The Church of the Brethren was very successful in Nigeria and had begun work with women and girls establishing a school. The kidnapped girls in the news recently were from a school in Chibok in northeastern Nigeria. Boko Haram the group terrorizing that area  is an extremist Islamic sect in northern Nigeria violently seeking a “pure” Islamic state. The girls are probably great grand daughters of those early converts. Most of the affected families are part of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN--Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria). EYN, the CoB mission, now has about a million members and is much larger than its shrinking grandmother in the U.S.

My mother’s cousin, Marianne Michael (on the George side), served in Nigeria. From 1948 to 1961, the Michaels carried out missionary work for the Church of the Brethren, including the organization of the Garkida Girls’ Life Brigade and the establishment of an adult literacy program for women. Michael published extensively in the Gospel Messenger about her missionary work. Her archives are at the University of Iowa Libraries. We usually correspond at Christmas, but now that she’s in a nursing home and in her late 90s, I don’t hear from her.

http://www.one.org/us/2014/10/01/brave-nigerian-schoolgirl-shares-her-escape-from-boko-haram/

http://blog.brethren.org/2014/bringbackourgirls-zooming-out-but-staying-focused/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/nigeria-4-churches-burned-down-scores-killed-in-deadly-boko-haram-attack-on-christians-122439/

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/colinfreeman/100271043/chibok-school-abductions-a-story-of-ancient-islam-and-20th-century-missionaries/

The least recommended college majors

Here are the top 12 majors not recommended by people in the field:

8-12 (Tie): Liberal Arts

• 25% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $36,600

8-12 (Tie): Political Science

• 25% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $41,700

8-12 (Tie): Art History

• 25% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $36,900

8-12 (Tie): Sociology

• 25% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $37,400

8-12 (Tie): Psychology

• 25% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $36,300

6-7 (Tie): Art

• 26% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $36,100

6-7 (Tie): English Language

• 26% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $38,700

5. Journalism

• 27% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $38,100

4. Social Science

• 28% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $37,300

3. Visual Communications

• 29% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $37,300

2. History

• 33% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $39,700

1. Anthropology

• 35% wouldn’t recommend this major
• Starting pay: $36,200

I don’t see anything remarkable; except for journalism, I assumed the same about these majors when I was in college. But obviously, if only 25-35% are unhappy in the job, they are finding other satisfaction besides salary.

Survey was by PayScale and reported in Higher Ed Morning.

I wonder if this was used with gender if it would explain some gender gap in wages.

“In both 1978 and 2005, engineering, physics and mathematics lagged behind many of the humanities departments in attracting women, who tend to flock to fields ranging from art history to English, as well as the “softer” sciences, such as biology and environmental studies.” (2006, The gender gap in majors at Yale)

Then the Harvard Crimson did an article on the differences of majors by genders.  And yes, anthropology was the most female of all the majors, but most of these were listed.

Georgetown University did a study in 2011 of differences in gender and race in selecting a major. The study found that white men are concentrated in the highest-earning majors, including engineering and pharmaceutical sciences, while women gravitate toward the lowest-earning majors like education, art and social work. https://georgetown.app.box.com/s/omooxnult5yvuctf0ftl

October 5, a perfect day, a reposting from 2003

The sky is an October color--a blue you see in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio this time of year, bordered in my side and lower vision with brilliant hues and just enough green left over from the wet summer to make a lump in my throat. But the lump is already there. Today is his birthday and I'm probably the only person who remembers.

As we drive past small towns and corn fields on a familiar route, I say to my husband, "Stanley would be 42 today." It takes a few seconds for him to pull up a memory of that plump, blonde toddler and reconstruct him as an adult old enough to be a grandfather.

"I wonder what he would look like," he says. I can't see his eyes behind his sun glasses.

"Probably just like you. Your baby pictures look so similar, except your hair was more red."

"Maybe he'd be bald by now--mine really started going after 45," he recalled.

I have little memory of what he actually looked like. I've browsed the photo album so many times that all I see when I try to recall his face are black and white and fading color snapshots and a color portrait taken at the department store in Champaign, Illinois. I do remember the way he looked when they placed him on my abdomen in the delivery room with that "what's happening" expression and the way he looked in that little casket in a new blue suit. No photos at the beginning and the end to blur history.

"We wouldn't have the kids now," he says, mentioning they'd be stopping by later to see the DVD of our trip west.

We are quiet. The harvest ready fields roll by and I think again of my favorite Old Testament verse, "Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten. . ." Joel 2:25

Go and make disciples

• After the resurrection the women who discovered it were told to go to the disciples and tell them. God used the tell-a-woman method that has worked well over the centuries because they followed his instructions. Then the 11 disciples met Jesus who was about to give them a new command (make disciples). The Bible reports, some worshipped him and some doubted. So if 11 guys who'd spent 3 years with him, watched him feed 5,000 and heal cripples and turn water into wine didn't always get it right, why expect people 2,000 years later to be smarter and more obedient than they were? I find that there are licensed drivers who disobey traffic laws; teachers with 2 degrees who don't apply even common sense let alone education principles; dog owners who don't pick up their pet's poop; and presidents who lie about health coverage after innumerable speeches of promises. And he is a Christian. So apparently Christians are forgiven, but not perfect.

Bombing Humvees

"During the past six weeks U.S. combat jets have bombed and eliminated 41 Humvees originally given to the Iraqi military, but afterwards captured by ISIS forces. CNNMoney cited a statement from Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, that the bombs that U.S. jets are dropping on the Humvees cost $30,000 each, while the armored vehicles themselves originally cost about $250,000 each, depending how each was equipped." (New American via CNN) 

If you Google that story, you'll find other news items and opinion pieces about ISIS capturing U.S. equipment as early as June. So why does Obama claim he didn't know they were a problem, or is this when he called them the JV team?

Some of the left over equipment has been given to cities and colleges so they can repress riots and unruly Tea Party members.

Pumpkin pie angel food cake

 

http://realhousemoms.com/pumpkin-pie-angel-food-cake/

We need to import workers for those we’ve killed

For forty years America has legally been aborting its future; now our birth rate is below replacement.  Immigration of hard working brown people who don't speak English and aren't wanted in their own country seems the solution. But is it?

A fired up President Barack Obama had a message to immigration activists at a dinner [Oct. 2] in Washington, D.C.: "No force on earth can stop us."
 
"The clearest path to change is to change [the voter turnout] number," said Obama, "Si se puede, si votamos! Yes, we can, if we vote!"