Kerry Snubbed = Another Obama Flub!

Kerry urges Egypt to take difficult economic steps; opposition figures skip meetings - The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kerry-urges-unpopular-reforms-in-egypt/2013/03/02/269d0c52-8353-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_print.html

This Picture Says It All......

The solicitor

> A farmer named Paddy had a car accident. He was hit by a truck owned by
the Eversweet Company.
> In court, the Eversweet Company's hot-shot solicitor was questioning
Paddy.
>
> 'Didn't you say to the police at the scene of the accident, 'I'm
fine?'asked the solicitor.
> Paddy responded: 'Well, I'll tell you what happened. I'd just loaded my
fav'rit cow, Bessie, into da... '
>
> 'I didn't ask for any details', the solicitor interrupted. 'Just answer
the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?'
>
> Paddy said, 'Well, I'd just got Bessie into da trailer and I was drivin'
down da road.... '
>
> The solicitor interrupted again and said,'Your Honour, I am trying to
establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the
police on the scene that he was fine. Now several weeks after the accident,
he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to
simply answer the question. '
>
> By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Paddy's answer and said
to the solicitor: 'I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favourite
cow, Bessie'.
> Paddy thanked the Judge and proceeded.'Well as I was saying, I had just
loaded Bessie, my fav'rit cow, into de trailer and was drivin' her down de
road when this huge Eversweet truck and trailer came tundering tru a stop
sign and hit me trailer right in da side. I was trown into one ditch and
Bessie was trown into da udder. By Jaysus I was hurt, very bad like, and
didn't want to move. However, I could hear old Bessie moanin' and groanin'.
I knew she was in terrible pain just by her groans.
>
> Shortly after da accident, a policeman on a motorbike turned up. He could
hear Bessie moanin' and groanin' too, so he went over to her. After he
looked at her, and saw her condition, he took out his gun and shot her
between the eyes.
>
> Den da policeman came across de road, gun still in hand, looked at me, and
said, 'How are you feelin'?'
>
> 'Now wot da fock would you say?'
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Obama is bent on destroying the U.S. and re-distributing its wealth around the globe in the name of "fairness." This is just one more step in the process.

The U.S. (Obama) to dismantle the U.S. Merchant Marines

Please Read!

http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Administration-to-Dismantle-US-Merchant-Marine/

United Ticket Agent During Storm!....

An award should go to the United
Airlines gate Agent in New York for being smart and funny, while
making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably
deserved to fly as cargo. For all of us out there who have had to
deal with an irate customer, this one is for you.

A crowded United Airlines flight was canceled. A
single agent was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.

Suddenly, an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket
� on the counter and said, "I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS."

The agent replied, "I'm sorry, sir. I'll be happy to try
to help you, but I've got to help these folks first; and then I'm
sure we'll be able to work something out."

The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that
the passengers behind him could hear, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?"

Without hesitating, the Agent smiled and grabbed her
public address microphone. "May I have your attention, please?",
� she began, her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal.
� "We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS.
� If anyone can help him with his identity, please come to Gate 14".

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically,
the man glared at the United Airlines agent,
� gritted his teeth, and said, "F*** You!"

Without flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry sir,
you'll have to get in line for that, too."

How true !

George Bush, Queen Elizabeth, and Vladimir Putin all die and go to hell.
While there, they spy a red phone and ask what the phone is for. The devil tells them it is for calling back to Earth.

Putin asks to call Russia and talks for 5 minutes. When he is finished the devil informs him that the cost is a million dollars, so Putin writes him a check.

Next Queen Elizabeth calls England and talks for 30 minutes. When she is finished the devil informs her that the cost is 6 million dollars, so she writes him a check.

>Finally George Bush gets his turn and talks for 4 hours. When he is finished the devil informs him that the cost is $5.00. When Putin hears this he goes ballistic and asks the devil why Bush got to call the USA so cheaply.

The devil smiles and replies,"Since Obama took over, the country has gone to hell, so it's a local call."

Dear President Obama
I'm planning to move my family and extended family into Mexico for my
health, and I would like to ask you to assist me.

We're planning to simply walk across the border from the U.S. Into
Mexico , and we'll need your help to make a few arrangements.

We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration
quotas and laws.

I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here. So, would
you mind telling your buddy, President Neito, that I'm on my way over?

Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:

1. Free medical care for my entire family.

2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might
need, whether I use them or not.

3. Please print all Mexican government forms in English.

4. I want my grandkids to be taught Spanish by English-speaking
(bi-lingual) teachers.

5. Tell their schools they need to include classes on American culture
and history.

6. I want my grandkids to see the American flag on one of the flag poles
at their school.

7. Please plan to feed my grandkids at school for both breakfast and
lunch.

8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access
to government services.

9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico , but, I don't plan to
purchase car insurance, and I probably won't make any special effort to
learn local traffic laws.

10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo
from their president to leave me alone, please be sure that every patrol
car has at least one English-speaking officer.

11. I plan to fly the U.S. Flag from my house top, put U S. Flag decals
on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want
any complaints or negative comments from the locals.

12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or
have any labor or tax laws enforced on any business I may start.

13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be
extremely nice and never say critical things about me or my family, or
about the strain we might place on their economy.

14. I want to receive free food stamps.

15. Naturally, I'll expect free rent subsidies.

16. I'll need Income tax credits so although I don't pay Mexican Taxes,
I'll receive money from the government.

17. Please arrange it so that the Mexican Gov't pays $4,500 to help me
buy a new car.

18. Oh yes, I almost forgot, please enroll me free into the Mexican
Social Security program so that I'll get a monthly income in retirement.

I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things
for all his people who walk over to the U.S. From Mexico . I am sure
that President Neito won't mind returning the favor if you ask him
nicely.

Thank you so much for your kind help. You're the man!!!

Interesting Commentary...

DECLARATIONS
Updated March 1, 2013, 7:26 p.m. ET
Noonan: Obama Is Playing a New Game

There is a strange nihilism in the president's approach.

By PEGGY NOONAN

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323978104578332722402476656.html?KEYWORDS=Obama+is+playing+a+new+game

Have you been solicited for donations every year by the Paralyzed Veterans of America?

We are solicited for donations every year by the Paralyzed Veterans of America. This year, I finally got around to checking them out on Charity Navigator. Below, I've briefed-down the info I found, but the bottom line is -- no more contributions from me. Fully two-thirds of their income goes for fundraising and administration. While I believe some veterans may have derived benefits from PVA's work, many, many charitable organizations out there run a much more efficient, effective operation.
(Starting up a non-profit like this one is a great way to guarantee a cushy job and good income for life.)

I looked up Paralyzed Veterans of America on Charity Navigator. They scored a miserable NO Stars = EXCEPTIONALLY POOR rating ("Performs far below industry standards and below nearly all charities in its Cause.") After going through the analysis, I decided to send PVA a thank-you note for the free address labels.....period.
Here are a few measurements I picked out of the lengthy report.

Paralyzed Veterans of America
Maximizing the quality of life for veterans and all people with spinal cord injury or disease (So they say!)

Score (out of 70) Rating
Overall 20.45
Financial 0.00
Accountability & Transparency 67.00
Financial Performance Metrics
Program Expenses 33.1%
Administrative Expenses 6.8%
Fundraising Expenses 59.9%
Fundraising Efficiency $0.66
Primary Revenue Growth 0.5%
Program Expenses Growth 0.6%
Working Capital Ratio (years) 0.26

Compensation of Leaders (FYE 09/2011)

Compensation % of Expenses Paid to Title
$189,983 0.16% Homer Townsend Executive Director
Other Salaries of Note
$205,713 0.17% William Mailander General Counsel
$202,463 0.17% John Ring Chief Financial Officer
$190,440 0.16% Mark Dowis Director of Development

Charles Krauthammer: Hail Armageddon - The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-hail-armageddon/2013/02/28/ca8a32a6-81da-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_print.html

Guns Save Lives

13 Year Old Girl is 3 Gun Competition Phenom – Amazing Video
[Video] Texas Resident Shoots Two Car Burglars Using Shotgun – Both Captured
Colion Noir Is Now An NRA Contributor (You’ve Seen His Videos) – HECK YEAH
[Video] Armed Robber Killed by Store Manager; Robber’s Family Speaks Out; Police Say to Comply
Maryland Resident Shoots Intruder Who Forced Their Way Into Home
13 Year Old Girl is 3 Gun Competition Phenom – Amazing Video
Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:49 PM PST
Three gun competitions are shooting contests in which participants use a rifle, shotgun and handgun on the same course. Reloads of all weapons are usually required and both close range and long range shots are to be expected. Enter 13 year old Katie Francis. This young woman is simply amazing. She handles one of the [...]
[Video] Texas Resident Shoots Two Car Burglars Using Shotgun – Both Captured
Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:38 AM PST
A Texas resident went outside to investigate some noises outside of his apartment. He found two men tearing his vehicle apart and stealing parts and items from it. The resident, armed with a shotgun, shot both suspects, who were then captured by police. Both suspects are expected to survive. The shooting was justified under Texas [...]
Colion Noir Is Now An NRA Contributor (You’ve Seen His Videos) – HECK YEAH
Posted: 01 Mar 2013 08:34 AM PST
The NRA has announced that Colion Noir is going to be their newest contributor to NRA News. If you’re part of the Youtube gun community at all you’ve certainly seen some of Noir’s videos where he breaks down gun arguments into easy to understand terms and cut through stereotypes. Noir has over 82,000 subscribers on [...]
[Video] Armed Robber Killed by Store Manager; Robber’s Family Speaks Out; Police Say to Comply
Posted: 01 Mar 2013 08:23 AM PST
A man entered a Dollar General Store in Knoxville, TN and demanded money. The suspect did get some money from the store. The store manager followed the robber outside, an altercation ensued and the robber was shot by the store manager. The suspect fled about a block before collapsing. When he was found he was [...]
Maryland Resident Shoots Intruder Who Forced Their Way Into Home
Posted: 01 Mar 2013 08:14 AM PST
A Maryland resident heard loud banging on their apartment door Thursday night. The resident armed themselves with a handgun and went to investigate. When they cracked the door to see what was going on, a man forced his way into the home. The homeowner shot the intruder once in the torso. The intruder fled and [...]

The BIG LIE of BIG GOVERNMENT is about to be exposed --

From the Desk of:
Steve Elliott

The BIG LIE of BIG GOVERNMENT is about to be exposed -- IF members of Congress will stand strong and NOT be bullied by Obama. We must understand precisely what's happening. Please see below. --

Yesterday, we warned you that an effort was under way to give Obama unconstitutional authority to raise taxes. This shocking news was confirmed by various news reports.

The good news ... many grassroots citizens responded, and we dodged that bullet!

Now ... today ... as the doomsdayers in D.C. are counting down to the Sequester-mageddon. President Obama just held a press conference DEMANDING NEW TAXES and blaming conservatives for the coming alleged catastrophe of sequester.

And our Radical-in-Chief is getting ready to unleash his unprecedented grassroots army to PRESSURE your Florida members of Congress to RAISE YOUR TAXES!

+ + Krauthammer Exposes OBAMA'S BIG LIE

Let's be clear -- the entire sequester "crisis" is a fabrication of Obama himself -- the idea originated in the White House. And it's designed to force us to accept even higher taxes and even more government spending.

Obama thought conservatives would have caved in long ago. Now, as Charles Krauthammer explains in his column today, the BIG LIE of the Left is about to be exposed.

What is that BIG LIE?

Simply this:

The LEFT'S BIG LIE is that any cutbacks to BIG GOVERNMENT will cause severe economic hardship to be unleashed on our nation. But it's a lie!

As Krauthammer explains, if the sky doesn't fall with a modest cutback in government spending, "people might get the idea that we can shrink government and live on."

Do you see what's happening?

If the sky DOESN'T fall with a 2% cut in government spending, then the BIG LIE of BIG GOVERNMENT will be exposed!

That's why Obama's far-left "Organizing For Action" activist group sent this message out to their tens of millions of followers yesterday:

"On the chopping block are 10,000 teaching jobs, more than 70,000 kids' spots in Head Start, $35 million for local fire departments, $43 million to make sure seniors don't go hungry, and access to nutrition assistance for 600,000 women and their families."

Obama and the Left WANT sequester! They want the threat of school teachers and firemen and air traffic controllers losing their jobs because it creates an underlying fear of any cutbacks in government.

+ + TAKE ACTION: EXPOSE THE BIG LIE!

As I write, Obama has unleashed his ORGANIZING FOR ACTION activist group to bombard Congress.

You and I have two choices.

We can sit by silently and let Obama's fear tactics take the day.

Or ...

We can take action and help EXPOSE THE BIG LIE of BIG GOVERNMENT leftists!

If you want to take action, here's what you can do:

#1 -- Call Your Members Of Congress

Tell your two Florida Senators and your Representative what you think about Obama's plan to grow government and raise taxes. Let them know that you see through the BIG LIE of BIG GOVERNMENT. Phone numbers:

Sen. Nelson: 202-224-5274
Sen. Rubio: 202-224-3041
Rep. Radel: 202-225-2536

#2 -- Sign Grassfire's "No New Taxes" Petition.

If you oppose the BIG GOVERNMENT plan to raise taxes, join with nearly 100,000 other citizens in signing Grassfire's "No New Taxes" petition. We will be delivering petitions to leaders in Congress as soon as next week. Go here now:

www.grassfire.com/322/petition.asp

Remember, just two months ago Congress and Obama raised YOUR TAXES by two percent -- and exactly 60 days later, they're back for more! Sign the petition.

#3 -- Tell BIG GOVERNMENT Politicians: "We Paid Our 2%! Why Can't You?"

Grassfire has set up a FaxFire to let you tell Congress, "We Paid Our 2%! Why Can't You?" After all, they just imposed a two-percent tax on us. That means we were FORCED to cut back our family budgets by two percent. Government can do the same!

As Krauthammer writes:

"...millions of American workers have had to tighten their belts by precisely two percent. They found a way. Washington, spending $3.8 trillion, cannot? If so, we might as well declare bankruptcy now and save the attorneys’ fees."

Go here now to fax your two Florida Senators, your Representative and key leaders on Capitol Hill:

www.grassfire.com/5322/offer.asp

Again ... Obama and the Left are very nervous today. WHAT IF THE SKY DOESN'T FALL?

Then their Big Lie is exposed.

Thanks for the stand you're taking.

Steve Elliott

P.S. Liberty News' Norvell Rose just posted an exclusive that further exposes the sequester madness called "The Sequester Is Falling!" Also, I have posted this update on my Liberty News blog. Go here to comment and share.

ACTIONS:
1. Call your members of Congress.
Sen. Nelson: 202-224-5274
Sen. Rubio: 202-224-3041
Rep. Radel: 202-225-2536

2. Sign our "No New Taxes" petition.

3. Fax Congress.

4.Read Krauthammer's column.

U.S.: What the Sequester Will Do to the Military

March 1, 2013 | 1116 GMT

Summary

Sequestration, the automatic spending reductions scheduled to take effect March 1, will affect the U.S. military's ability to project force around the world. The current continuing resolution that Congress is using to fund the entire government until March 27 has already affected U.S. forces. The longer these funding cuts continue, the more degradation the U.S. military will incur, with longer-lasting effects.

Analysis

Although Stratfor typically does not examine domestic U.S. issues, this one is geopolitically significant. The U.S. military, and particularly the Navy, is the most powerful force projection instrument in the world. When the sequester takes effect, it will immediately reduce military spending by 8 percent, with more than $500 billion in cuts to defense spending over 10 years divided equally among the military branches. The continuing resolution is already affecting the military since it has locked the military budget into 2011 spending levels and prevented spending increases or reallocations among various budgets. On March 27, Congress will have to have a new budget in place, extend the continuing resolution or force a government shutdown; the most likely decision will be to maintain the continuing resolution.

It is not the overall amount of the reductions that is damaging, necessarily; it is the way in which the cuts will be implemented. The across-the-board cuts required by the sequestration coupled with the limits set by the continuing resolution are constraining budget planners' options in how to absorb the spending reductions and thus are damaging all the military branches, programs, training, deployments and procurement.

Funding Cuts and Force Readiness

Just the threat of continued budget reductions has had an immediate effect on the military's readiness. The Navy decided not to deploy a second carrier to the Persian Gulf, backing down from its standard of two carriers in the region. Instead, the second carrier will serve in a surge capacity for the immediate future. The other branches have extended the deployments of units already in theaters and delayed others from rotating in as replacements since it is relatively less expensive to have units stay in place than move them and their equipment intercontinentally.

Maintenance budgets across the forces have been reduced or suspended in anticipation of cuts. Training of all non-deploying forces who are not critical to the national strategic forces is also being heavily curtailed. These options were chosen because they are immediate cost-saving measures that can be reversed quickly as opposed to the big-budget procurement programs, in which changes can cause delays for years. In many cases, the Department of Defense would have to pay massive fines for withdrawing from binding contracts, and renegotiations are often very costly. The Defense Department hopes that the cuts will be short-lived, but the longer the spending constraints continue, the more the military's platforms and personnel units degrade in readiness.

The medium- to long-term effects can be even more serious. Any given military platform, from a Stryker armored vehicle to an aircraft carrier, requires a lot of money in order to be ready for use at any time at its intended level of performance. These platforms require consistent use to maintain a certain readiness level because machines cannot sit idle for months to years and then operate effectively, if at all, especially if called on for immediate action. Moreover, the people that operate this equipment need to maintain their working knowledge and operational skill through continued use. This use causes wear and tear on the platform and requires consistent maintenance. All of this is necessary just to maintain the status quo. In the end, there must be a balance between a platform's readiness level and the amount of funding required for operations and maintenance, but if the money is no longer available there is no choice but to reduce readiness.

Also, upgrades are needed so platforms can stay up to date and useable within the system the military is using to move, shoot and communicate. This is a constant cycle that, when interrupted, has very long-lasting consequences. For example, the Navy has said it is considering suspending operations of four of its nine carrier air wings while shutting down four of its carriers in various stages of the operations and maintenance process. This would essentially give the United States one carrier deployed with one on call for years. This will be sufficient if the world remains relatively quiet, but one large emergency or multiple small ones would leave the United States able to project limited force compared to previous levels.

In the longer term, procurement programs for new equipment will either be delayed or cut altogether. This will put more pressure on existing platforms, requiring them to operate past their intended life spans, and will preclude or delay the introduction of better abilities into the military. Procurement cycles are very slow and take decades to implement; for instance, the Navy that the United States wants to have in 20 years is being planned now. An extreme example of the damage that a military force can incur because of a lack of procurement, operations, maintenance and upgrades is the current state of the Russian military. Russian forces still feel the effects of the Soviet Union's collapse and the subsequent decade of neglect.

A Smaller Presence Around the World

The U.S. military has a global presence, and sequestration would have appreciable effects on this in certain areas. Potentially, the hardest hit region will be the Pacific, which has been the focus of the United States' new strategy. If the United States wants to continue pivoting its focus toward the Pacific, the military would have to draw more resources than originally planned. No specific mention has been made of changing the U.S. military footprint in Japan, other than possibly curtailing combat air patrols, and U.S. forces are already consolidating their presence in South Korea to fewer bases south of Seoul and diminishing their role in relation to the South Korean military. The Navy's reduction in ship deployments to the region will just reinforce the current trend.

The U.S. military's footprint is being reduced in a few other areas. The combat zone in Afghanistan has 66,000 troops, with 34,000 scheduled to come home by the end of the year. All but around 8,000 will return home by the end of 2014. The 5th Fleet headquartered in Bahrain is being affected by the Navy's decision to have only one carrier in the Persian Gulf. Europe is seeing a reduction from four brigade combat teams to two, which was already planned and is another reinforced trend. The U.S. ground presence in Africa and South America should be relatively unchanged, since these predominantly involve special operations forces -- the kind of deployment that is already being emphasized over larger conventional forces.

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The single biggest capability gap that will develop will be the U.S. military's surge capacity. If the Syria-Iraq-Lebanon corridor were to become more unstable, the United States will not be able to respond with the same force structure it had in the past. The U.S. military can still shift its assets to different regions to attain its strategic goals, but those assets will come from a smaller resource pool, and shifting them will lessen the presence in some other region. The military's ability to use one of its softer political tools -- joint military exercises -- will also be at risk.

Reduced Relative Dominance

This is not to say that the U.S. military will be wrecked immediately or that its condition is anywhere near that of the Russian military in the 1990s. A military's effectiveness is measured against its potential opponents, and the United States has enjoyed a large gap for decades. However, if a military is not growing in capabilities and other militaries or groups are, then its relative power is decreasing. This means that after sequestration is implemented or the continuing resolution is maintained, the U.S. military will remain dominant for years to come, but not as dominant as it has been relative to other forces.

There are many ways the effects of funding cuts can be mitigated. Congress can continue to delay addressing budget issues and the military's concerns indefinitely, or it can make some changes, such as allowing the Department of Defense more discretion in how it implements these cuts. However, the budget cuts are already having preliminary effects, and the longer the cuts continue, the greater the potential for degradation of the U.S. military's force projection capabilities. Funding cuts are not necessarily abnormal for the United States while winding down into a postwar stance. Historically, the pattern has been a reduction in spending and retrenchment of a large volume of forces from abroad. However, Pentagon planners typically go into a postwar period with the stated goal of not damaging the force through these cuts and reductions.