Bullshit Artists

Will Grigg: What Holder Really Said

"Like all statements from people who presume to rule others, this brief message from Holder – – who is Nickolai Krylenko to Obama’s Josef Stalin – should be read in terms of the supposed authority claimed thereby. What Holder is saying, in substantive terms, is that the President does have the supposed authority to use a drone to kill an American who is engaged in 'combat,' whether here or abroad. Under the rules of engagement used by the Obama Regime in Pakistan, Yemen, and Afghanistan, any 'military-age' male found within a targeted 'kill zone' is likewise designated a 'combatant,' albeit usually after the fact." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill Grigg: What Holder Really Said

Obama promised to close Guantánamo. Instead, he’s made it worse.

"The 44-year-old British resident and father of four has spent over 11 years incarcerated at Guantánamo despite being cleared for release as early as 2007. To this day never charged with a crime, Aamer is just one of hundreds of detainees who remain imprisoned in Guantánamo. Despite running on an explicit campaign promise to shut down the island prison which has become a symbol of the abuses of the 'war on terror', President Obama has continued to preside over its operation. And by recent accounts, under his tenure, the conditions for prisoners there – from both a physical and legal standpoint – have become markedly worse." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama promised to close Guantánamo. Instead, he’s made it worse.

Peter Schiff: The Fed’s Tightening Pipe Dream

"The Fed Chairman has been talking about tightening for some time. In 2010, he said, 'As the expansion matures, the Federal Reserve will need to begin to tighten monetary conditions to prevent the development of inflationary pressures.' Back then, the same mainstream analysts were predicting recovery and a reversal of quantitative easing (QE). Instead, we have subsequently seen QE2, Operation Twist, and now QE3 to eternity. While these mainstream commentators are at best guessing as to why or when the Fed might reverse course, I understand that it is extremely unlikely to do so for the foreseeable future. In fact, I've bet my net worth on it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPeter Schiff: The Fed’s Tightening Pipe Dream

Thomas Sowell Exposes Dishonest Budgetary Scare Tactics, Cartoonists Mock Obama’s Hysteria

"Back in my teaching days, many years ago, one of the things I liked to ask the class to consider was this: Imagine a government agency with only two tasks: (1) building statues of Benedict Arnold and (2) providing life-saving medications to children. If this agency’s budget were cut, what would it do? The answer, of course, is that it would cut back on the medications for children. Why? Because that would be what was most likely to get the budget cuts restored." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThomas Sowell Exposes Dishonest Budgetary Scare Tactics, Cartoonists Mock Obama’s Hysteria

The Housing Bubble and the Limits of Human Knowledge

"Senior government officials previously denied that the government was on the hook for Fannie and Freddie (presumably thinking that their denial would never be tested by events — a bad theory). What financial shape were Fannie and Freddie in as the crisis proceeded? How bad would the effects of the shriveling bubble be? How much can you trust the word of government officials? How much about the financial future can central bankers or anybody know? Consider the lessons of the following 10 quotations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Housing Bubble and the Limits of Human Knowledge

NYPD lied under oath to prosecute Occupy activist

"An Occupy Wall Street activist was acquitted Thursday after jurors were presented with video evidence that directly contradicted the NYPD’s story. Prosecutors working on behalf of the NYPD have insisted that Premo tackled an NYPD officer and broke a bone during a protest. This week, Premo’s attorney presented a video that showed officers charging into the defendant unprovoked. The video shows a NYPD officer was filming the arrest as well, but prosecutors told Premo’s attorney that no such footage existed. The Manhattan District Attorney's office had presented Premo with a deal that would have let him off the hook by pleading guilty to lesser charges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYPD lied under oath to prosecute Occupy activist

Bernanke says Fed stimulus benefits clear, budget cuts a risk

"Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke strongly defended the U.S. central bank's bond-buying stimulus before Congress on Tuesday, easing worries monetary policymakers might be getting cold feet. The Fed chairman also urged lawmakers to avoid sharp spending cuts, which he warned could [..] create a 'significant headwind' for the economic recovery. Bernanke said Fed policymakers are cognizant of potential risks from their extraordinary support for the economy, including the possibility the public loses confidence in the central bank's ability to unwind its stimulus smoothly or the potentially destabilizing effect of low rates on key markets." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBernanke says Fed stimulus benefits clear, budget cuts a risk

‘Scary Stories’ About Iran’s Magnets Are (Again) Neo-Con Lies

"The Bulletin analysis is worth a read in its entirety as it calmly debunks Warrick's Albright-fueled scary story. It also makes the important point that of all the scores of possible uses for these magnets, Warrick's report chose only the most alarming and remote possibility. Further, as the always excellent MoA blog points out, according to David Albright's own paper on the issue of the Iranian magnets, these in question would not fit Iran's centrifuges anyway! Did Albright know when he passed the story to Warrick that it was bogus? The same propagandists who paved the way to war on Iraq are as busy as ever when it comes to Iran." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Scary Stories’ About Iran’s Magnets Are (Again) Neo-Con Lies

The Pentagon Throws a Fit and Sticks Out its Tongue

"Even if the so-called sequestration takes place, the Pentagon will still get more money than they did in 2012! In other words, Panetta is playing sore loser because rather than getting X more dollars than last year, he is getting Y more dollars. To drive home my point, he is threatening a furlough even though he has more money in his budget in 2013 than the immediate previous year. What a loon. To the Pentagon’s melodramatic protests, I say this: '800,000 people furloughed? Awesome. That is a great first step. Just fire them. Bring all the troops home. End the wars. Follow the Constitution.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Pentagon Throws a Fit and Sticks Out its Tongue

Bernanke Said to Minimize Asset-Bubble Concern at Meeting

"The Fed chairman brushed off the risks of asset bubbles in response to a presentation on the subject from the group, one person said. Among the concerns raised, according to this person, were rising farmland prices and the growth of mortgage real estate investment trusts. Falling yields on speculative- grade bonds also were mentioned as a potential concern, two people said. The 'first line of defense' if bubbles emerge 'needs to be regulatory and supervisory' actions rather than changes in monetary policy, according to Bernanke." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBernanke Said to Minimize Asset-Bubble Concern at Meeting