Politico: You Know, You Silly Benghazi Believers….

By William Teach May 12, 2014 – 8:15 am

There’s been quite a few complaints that the news media, which is mostly left leaning and Democrat voters, have refused to do their jobs on Benghazi. There have been a few intrepid and dogged reporters, yet, for the most part, it has been more about defending Team Obama and attacking citizens who just want answers. Here comes another that perfectly encapsulates the problems, as written by Politico’s Lauren French

The world of Benghazi believers

Hillary Clinton passed on the Sunday shows after the Benghazi attacks to preserve her White House aspirations.

The White House is covering up for political reasons why President Barack Obama wasn’t in the Situation Room as the attacks were unfolding.

And there are reasons CNN can track down the masterminds behind the 2012 ambush but the U.S. government can’t.

These are just a sampling of the doggedly held views of a die-hard cadre of Republican lawmakers about the controversial events that led to the death 20 months ago of four Americans in Benghazi — a word that is now synonymous for conservatives with cover-up and conspiracy.

Call them the Benghazi believers.

These Republicans — and there are dozens — are deeply convinced that the truth has yet to be fully aired about the attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

The blog post essentially attempts to say that tons of details have already come out and Republicans are nuts for continuing to dwell on the issue. And, it is a blog post. Lauren French is, like so many others in the major media who write on the subject, a reporter. Her bio shows she is a Congress reporter for Politico, and has worked as a reporter in several areas since she graduated from George Washington University in 2012 with a degree in journalism. Yet, there is no reporting in the article. It is a rehash of Benghazi, lite on details, long on subtly attacking Republicans and Conservatives who just want to know the truth. Flip it around: had this happened under a Republican president, Lauren and her compadres would be asking questions, digging, looking for The Truth.

I’ve seen lots and lots of theories regarding Benghazi. Some seem pretty far out there. Doug Ross posted one the other day, that, as he says, turns out to be less and less insane every day. Where does The Truth lie? When the 9/11 Truthers started their conspiracy theories, people came and knocked them down with facts. Reporters, scientists, military members, engineers, etc, got out there and investigated. Here, liberal reporters and news outlets have abrogated their responsibility to investigate, instead, they’ve taken the Democrat line, and turned into bloggers with a political view. Did Ms. French do any investigation on her own, or simply go “hey, let’s attack Republicans and Conservatives, make them look crazy”? All we want is the truth.

I suspect that, at the end of the day, this was all about incompetence and political spin. When it comes to Team Obama, don’t assign anything nefarious or complicated to what has been the norm for Team Obama: incompetence, a weak work ethic, shiny object policies, making everything hyper-political, obfuscation, a lack of transparency, spin after failure, old fashioned cover-ups.

If the president’s name were Bush or Reagan, we would long ago have had a minute-by-minute accounting of his every move. And if the incident involved some faraway American warrior’s slaying of a jihadist emir, we would long ago have had a Situation Room photo depicting Obama as maestro . . . with an accompanying soundtrack of classified leaks portraying his courage while others were under fire. Andrew C. McCarthy

Few, if any, left-leaning reporters care about the answer to the question. There is little interest to all the questions surrounding Benghazi. Why was security denied multiple times? Why was Ambassador Stevens there on 9/11? Why was no military help sent? Why was there no extra security on that day, despite multiple credible threats? Why the “it was a video” spin? Western Journalism has 50 questions. One of them is “Why have no suspects been arrested for the attack?” A real news organization would be looking for answers.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Politico: You Know, You Silly Benghazi Believers…. »

Posted in Barry Obama, Democrats, Journalistic Malpractice | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Michael Sam Taken 249th, Complains Not Taken High Enough

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 6:58 pm

A bit of a follow up to yesterday’s post on Michael Sam

(CBS Sportsline) Former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam became the first openly gay player in NFL history to be drafted when the Rams took him with the 249th pick on Saturday, but Sam almost didn’t make history because he almost fell out of the draft.

Sam was taken with the eighth-to-last pick, meaning he almost wasn’t drafted at all, something he found rather shocking. The NFL’s first openly gay player said he should’ve been picked higher.

“From last season alone, I should’ve been in the first three rounds — SEC Defensive player of the year, All-American,” Sam said, listing off his 2013 accomplishments, via the Rams official website.

There were a few teams who expressed interest in signing him if not drafted, but, one has to wonder about the comment. Is this just standard whining, or is he complaining that he wasn’t picked higher because he’s gay? Scrolling through the comments, most are seeing this as an entitlement mentality, a problem waiting to happen (in terms of if he gets cut, doesn’t play enough, and the media circus, among others, which will be blamed on anti-gay bigotry), and that he should be happy he was drafted. Here’s a perfect one

This is a big warning flag about Michael Sam.  There is no reason he should have that sense of entitlement.  He should be glad to be drafted and go out there and earn his money, not bitching already about how low he was drafted.  Had he waited to come out until after the draft, he probably would have gone a bit higher but a lot of teams don’t want the media circus that comes with Sam.  Couple that with a less than inspiring combine and he should count himself lucky to be drafted at all.

Jazz Shaw calls Sam an albatross wrapped around the Rams’ neck, especially since players drafted in the 7th round have an 8% chance of starting or having a durable position. Sam was an outstanding college level player. But, what for the NFL? Most are less than enthused about his skills, size, speed, and agility. He has the mental makeup. But, then, Tebow had the strength, durability, leadership, agility, size. What he didn’t have was the decision making and accuracy to be an NFL caliber QB. And the media circus did not help. He would have made a great tight end. Perhaps Sam would be better at Safety. Tebow refused to adapt. Will Sam?

Read: Michael Sam Taken 249th, Complains Not Taken High Enough »

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HuffPo: Marco Rubio Has Climate Denial, And Florida Is Dooooooomed From Sea Rise

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 3:31 pm

Like, totally doomed!

Rubio:

Meanwhile, a National Climate Assessment has named Miami as the city most vulnerable to damage from rising sea levels. While a Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact paper warned that water in the area could rise by as much as two feet by the year 2060.

On Sunday, one of the state’s U.S. senators, Marco Rubio (R), was pressed about the general subject of climate change, and despite the warnings outlined above, he argued that there was nothing lawmakers could or should do to reverse the climate trends (whose origins he also questioned).

“I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,” Rubio said, according to excerpts released by ABC “This Week,” “and I do not believe that the laws that they propose we pass will do anything about it, except it will destroy our economy.”

“The fact is that these events that we’re talking about are impacting us, because we built very expensive structures in Florida and other parts of the country near areas that are prone to hurricanes. We’ve had hurricanes in Florida forever. And the question is, what do we do about the fact that we have built expensive structures, real estate and population centers near those vulnerable areas?” he asked. “I have no problem with taking mitigation activity.”

The sea rise threatening Florida leads to a NY Times article

Sea levels have risen eight inches since 1870, according to the new report, which projects a further rise of one to four feet by the end of the century. Waters around southeast Florida could surge up to two feet by 2060, according to a report by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact. A study by the Florida Department of Transportation concluded that over the next 35 years, rising sea levels will increasingly flood and damage smaller local roads in the Miami area.

We don’t really need more, because you surely understand it is all about Doom! Let’s talk about Miami. I’d like to know exactly how they can predict, when NOAA has had no measurements since 1981. The 50 year trend till 1981 was a whopping .78 feet in 100 years. Does someone else have actual data?

Let’s look at other Florida data. Here are the three longest term data sets from NOAA

Read More »

Read: HuffPo: Marco Rubio Has Climate Denial, And Florida Is Dooooooomed From Sea Rise »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Collapsing Science, Global Warming | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is evil CO2 infused beer, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Jawa Report, with a post on White Guilt.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 10:16 am

Happy Sunday! And happy Mother’s Day! It’s also a big weekend for graduations. Though, I don’t remember my graduation being like that. Granted, mine was in December, since a broken leg put me a semester behind. Anyhow, this pinup is by Gil Elvgren, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Mark Steyn (it’s his blog) discusses #BringOurBallsBack
  2. Public Secrets explains why California is doomed
  3. Proof Positive wonders if Obama has ever made a gutsy call
  4. Right Wing News (Ashley Herzog) explains that 5 year olds could be charged with bullying
  5. Scared Monkeys notes that 4 in 10 kids are addicted to the Internets
  6. Sister Toldjah covers Kay Hagan’s embrace of Ocare
  7. The Other McCain discusses Boko Haram and jihad
  8. This ain’t Hell… notes that aliens hate the Taliban
  9. Political Clown Parade has Obama at WalMart
  10. Patterico has an ironic Mother’s Day card
  11. Noisy Room notes how far the country has shifted to the left in the last 50 years
  12. Moonbattery explains what liberals controlling higher education means
  13. Lady Liberty 1885 notes who the Southern Poverty Law Center calls “extremists”
  14. Jammie Wearing Fools highlights Boko Haram not being scared by #HastagDiplomacy (kidnapped more kids and killed villagers)
  15. And last, but not least, Fire Andrea Mitchell features Sir Putts Alot

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page. While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets” calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. (BTW, since someone asked, the reason I leave links for the previous week up (or you might see a *) is because they are place holders for later in the day or for next weeks. Easier than rewriting all the time. Also, the listing order has to do with how they are added over time, not how good a post is. I just copy and paste from the previous week, then edit. If you see one of the *’s, go ahead and check out the blog anyhow, see if there is an update. I cannot update with my Android during the day.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

Posted in Patriotic Pinup | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

Rise Of Boko Haram, Kidnappings, Blames On “Climate Change”

By William Teach May 11, 2014 – 8:55 am

Aaaaaaand, we finally have a winner. Whenever something happens, one can expect some Warmist to blame “climate change” as the cause, or at least one of the causes, of the happening. Here’s the UK Guardian’s Dr. Nafeez Ahmed

Behind the rise of Boko Haram – ecological disaster, oil crisis, spy games

Islamist militancy in Nigeria is being strengthened by western and regional fossil fuel interests

The kidnapping of over 200 Nigerian school girls, and the massacre of as many as 300 civilians in the town of Gamboru Ngala, by the militant al-Qaeda affiliated group, Boko Haram, has shocked the world.

But while condemnations have rightly been forthcoming from a whole range of senior figures from celebrities to government officials, less attention has been paid to the roots of the crisis.

Instability in Nigeria, however, has been growing steadily over the last decade – and one reason is climate change. In 2009, a UK Department for International Development (Dfid) study warned that climate change could contribute to increasing resource shortages in the country due to land scarcity from desertification, water shortages, and mounting crop failures.

A more recent study by the Congressionally-funded US Institute for Peace confirmed a “basic causal mechanism” that “links climate change with violence in Nigeria.” The report concludes:

“…poor responses to climatic shifts create shortages of resources such as land and water. Shortages are followed by negative secondary impacts, such as more sickness, hunger, and joblessness. Poor responses to these, in turn, open the door to conflict.”

Unfortunately, a business-as-usual scenario sees Nigeria’s climate undergoing “growing shifts in temperature, rainfall, storms, and sea levels throughout the twenty-first century. Poor adaptive responses to these shifts could help fuel violent conflict in some areas of the country.”

Obviously, Nigeria was a hotbed of peace, love, and kumbaya prior to fossil fuels. There were never droughts or changes in the climate. People never suffered. It’s all Mankind’s fault.

In proof of fact, climate has always been a part of instability, because climate, short term and long term, always changes. But, really, one has to look more towards the rise of Islamic extremism, another long term issue, which has become even more hardcore since the 1970’s.

If this analysis is correct, then the hundreds of innocent girls kidnapped in Nigeria are not just victims of Islamist fanaticism; they are also victims of failed foreign, economic and security policies tied to our infernal addiction to black gold.

Almost had it. Islamic extremists will rise regardless, because of the background of radical Islam. Substituting climate change, oil, etc, avoids the major issues, and will surely become a theme amongst the Islamic apologists.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Rise Of Boko Haram, Kidnappings, Blames On “Climate Change” »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming, RoP | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 10, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is a child and dog causing the seas to rise and the earth to boil, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Daley Gator, with a post on fascism and schools.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

If Michael Sam Isn’t Drafted, Obviously It’s Because He’s Gay

By William Teach May 10, 2014 – 12:37 pm

The narrative was started months ago, and has coalesced perfectly

(HuffPo) Michael Sam is ready to make his NFL dream a reality. But is the NFL ready to embrace the reality of Michael Sam?

The former Missouri defensive lineman, named a first-team All-American after the 2013 college football season, is on the verge of becoming the first openly gay player in NFL history. For Sam to make history, he will need one of 32 NFL teams to give him a chance. (snip)

Through the first three rounds of the 2014 NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Thursday and Friday, no team selected the 2013 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year who announced that he was gay in February. The draft resumes on Saturday at noon with rounds four through seven. Since 2004, only one player to be named SEC Defensive Player of the Year was not selected in the first 33 selections of the draft. Louisiana State’s Chad Lavalais earned the honor in the 2003 season and was the 142nd overall selection in the 2004 NFL draft.

“For them not to select him would be very problematic,” Cyd Zeigler, the founder of OutSports.com, told NBC News ahead of the draft. “If he isn’t selected, it’s a public black eye on the league.”

See? It can’t be that most teams might find his abilities for the NFL to be lacking. Nope, it’s cause he came out. And if he isn’t drafted, I’ll make a prediction: the LBGT community and liberals will assault the NFL over this. Yeah, easy prediction.

Read: If Michael Sam Isn’t Drafted, Obviously It’s Because He’s Gay »

Posted in Liberal World, Sports | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Preconceived Science: Looking For Clues In 2,000 Year Old Ice

By William Teach May 10, 2014 – 10:59 am

This is how “science” occurs in the “climate change” bubble

(Reuters) Polar scientists who retrieved ice samples from the Antarctic say they are on the verge of unlocking 2,000 years of climate records offering clues to how global warming will affect our future.

An international team traveled to Antarctica’s Aurora Basin in a five-week project that began last December, to drill for ice samples needed to bridge a gap in knowledge of temperature changes over the last 20 centuries.

Using the latest technology to probe the secrets of the past, the scientists hope to gain information to improve climate models and give a sense of normal frequency and patterns now seen in extreme events such as droughts, cyclones and floods.

Taking a look at some ice cores to see how the climate has changed is not a bad idea. It might open some Warmist’s eyes….lol, made myself laugh. However, can you already see that the answers are already written? Let’s jump back to that in a moment

“This kind of thing is really big science,” Gales added. “It requires a lot of collaboration to get a whole lot of people and a whole lot of equipment hundreds of kilometers inland on the Antarctic continent.”

Um, doesn’t that require fossil fuels? Anyhow

The long time-series data from the ice cores, combined with other information, will improve understanding of extreme events, Gales said, by revealing how humans have influenced climate change through the burning of fossil fuels.

That’s Nick Gales, chief scientist of the Australian Antarctic Division in Tasmania, involved with this project. The answer is already preconceived. You know, science. Fossil fuels bad, and lots of fossil fuels used to get to the research site. I wonder how they will spin the results, which will show numerous changes in the climate prior to fossil fuels.

Read: Preconceived Science: Looking For Clues In 2,000 Year Old Ice »

Posted in Global Warming, New Climate Deniers | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Five Reasons Voters Call BS On Obama’s “Climate Change” Push

By William Teach May 10, 2014 – 8:45 am

Hmm, it’s like the Washington Post’s Ed Rogers has been reading my stuff, at least in regards to numbers 2 and 3, in offering “five reasons voters don’t believe what the White House says on climate change:”

1. Overreach – The White House doesn’t just want it both ways, it wants it every way.

4. A lack of faith in foreign cooperation. (that’s no surprise: as I’ve mentioned several times, Obama hasn’t really spent time creating political friends, friendships, acquaintanceships, etc, with the leaders of foreign nations. Heck, he’s barely created anything amongst lawmakers in his own party)

5. This administration lacks credibility. (this about the failure of Team O to really get things done properly, such as the horrible rollout of the Ocare websites.)

Let’s move on to the two biggies

2. Hypocrisy. Voters notice that the founding father of the global warming movement, Al Gore, has become fabulously wealthy by selling out to Middle Eastern oil and gas interests. Voters notice the mansions, private planes and the super-wealthy lifestyle.  And Gore is not the only global warming hypocrite. I would guess that after he leaves office, President Obama will never again fly on a commercial airline – and he will probably be traveling by Global Expresses, Gulfstreams and the occasional large Falcon, not even on the more modest, smaller private jets. Voters are on to the fact that the global warming crusaders want us to pay more and live with less — but, of course, the rules don’t apply to the politicians who want everybody else to sacrifice. Not to mention, the people who insult and belittle anyone who has a question about the “science” of manmade global warming are often the same people who categorically dismiss the scientific proof of the viability, safety and reliability of nuclear energy. I have a little test for the global warming crusaders: If you’re not for nuclear energy and against ice cream, your commitment to the cause is questionable.

How long have I been flogging the climahypocrisy meme?

3. The global warming cause fits too nicely with the president’s left-wing political agenda. The prescriptions for dealing with climate change are the same policy objectives the left has promoted for other reasons for at least the past 25 years. That is, redistribution of wealth, higher taxes, anti-growth, anti-development regulations, etc. Because they don’t have much support from voters, the left has to advance its cause through surreptitious maneuvering rather than forthright advocacy of its specific global warming policies. The left never answers the questions of who pays, how much and for what result.

How long have I been noting that “climate change” fits in perfectly with the hardcore Progressive agenda? As I’ve noted many times, my focus is on the politics of “climate change”, with a smattering of science. Also, the insanity of the Warmists. I’ll leave the deep science to others, like Anthony Watts, The Hockey Schtick, and No Tricks Zone, among others. But, most Skeptics see the politics. Because that’s what the issue is, politics.

I ran across a few other articles on Yahoo News noting similar themes. Unfortunately, I did not save them. Regardless, it’s great that people are starting to notice that this is a politic issue, and that the folks who push it the hardest are hypocrites.

Read: Five Reasons Voters Call BS On Obama’s “Climate Change” Push »

Posted in Climahypocrites, Collapsing Science, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL
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