Blog Heap of Links for the day 7 July 2011

If yields on our T-bills hit 9% (which they might; junk bonds, yo!), then our indebtedness explodes as trillions more are added to our growing debt just due to increased interest-service (and as we have no way of paying that, we just add that new debt to the old debt and take out even newer debt to pay for that). A scenario that looks pretty likely is our debt:GDP ratio hitting 250% by 2030. But don't worry; that won't happen. The system will explode before ever permitting such a ludicrous ratio.

The United States and JUSTICE BREYER complain of the grave international consequences that will follow from Leal's execution. Congress evidently did not find these consequences sufficiently grave to prompt its enactment of implementing legislation, and we will follow the law as written by Congress. We have no authority to stay an execution in light of an "appeal of the President," presenting free-ranging assertions of foreign policy consequences, when those assertions come unaccompanied by a persuasive legal claim.

America needs to know that ACORN is restructuring in time to help re-elect President Obama in 2012. Obama used to work for ACORN and represented the group in court as its lawyer. These radical leftists who use the brutal, in-your-face, pressure tactics of Saul Alinsky want to destroy America as we know it and will use any means to do it.

The presidency of Barack Hussein Obama might very well have begun its sharp and steep descent towards its nadir last week with his ill-advised press conference which alienated his normally steadfast allies in the liberal media.

Something unexpected happened along the president's breezy cruise to re-election. "No drama" Obama is suddenly looking about as calm as Jerry Lewis in a French film, about as brave as Ted Kennedy after an evening drive through Chappaquiddick. Witness Team Obama's recent panicky behavior.

In a sane America, it would be called out for the treason that it is. The Obama administration is partnering with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Taliban, hardcore islamic supremacist movements, self declared enemies of the United States, whose sole purpose for existence is jihad against non-muslims (or those deemed 'not muslim enough').

"This president is looking to usurp congressional oversight to find a way to get it done without us. My position is that is an impeachable act from my perspective. There are a lot of things people say, 'Are you going to impeach the president over that?' — No. But this? This is catastrophic. This jeopardizes the credibility of our nation if one man can usurp the entire system set up by our founding fathers over something this significant," Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC)

Melson's revelations raise even more serious issues not only about the operation itself, but about apparent attempts by the Justice Department to mislead Congress on the details of the operation.

Getting rid of Melson is a start — but this one move alone ain't gonna cure ATF's problems. It's going to take a bigger bus. Corruptocrat AG Eric Holder knew about the program much earlier than he testified to, Rep. Issa says, and he has been an obstruction to the Gunrunner probe since day one. And then there's the man waiting in the wings to replace Melson — either as acting director or as permanent director. He's Chicago anti-gun radical Andrew Traver and he's scheduled to meet with Holder and DOJ today.

She can leak state secrets. She is closely associated with her Muslim Brotherhood family and even joined Clinton at an event with her mother, Saleha Abedin, at Dar El-Hekma College in Saudi Arabia. Also present was a close associate of Saleha Abedin—Suheir Qureshi. Qureshi's name later appeared in several prominent Arab newspapers when it was revealed that she belonged to a list of 63 members of the secret arm of the Muslim Brotherhood called The Sisterhood. The full list was later revealed—Huma Abedin's mother is on it. Huma's brother—Hassan Abedin—also collaborates with Omar Naseef and Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, two of the most influential terror supporters in the world.

Kevin Dunn, who has starred as Shia LaBeouf's father in all three Transformers films, had trouble watching his hometown take its lumps. "You know you're watching a popcorn movie, but it kind of hurts to see those buildings go," he says. "It was shocking. The Wrigley Building takes a hit. The Jewelers Building gets totally destroyed. Wow, those Decepticons didn't leave any brick unturned." … Says Dunn with a laugh: "I hope it doesn't hurt the Chicago psyche to know that we are becoming the go-to place for movie destruction."

Contrary to the Justice Department's denials, according to Melson, ATF agents specifically witnessed transfers of weapons from straw purchasers to third parties without taking any further action. Melson claimed that it was not until the public disclosure of the operation that he personally reviewed the "hundreds of documents" related to the case. He said he became "sick to his stomach" when he learned the full story. Very interesting is the letter to Holder written by Grassley and Issa, accusing the DoJ of obstruction.

The Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly Fort Hood rampage in Texas will be court-martialed and face the death penalty.... Maj. Nidal Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the November 2009 shooting spree at the Texas Army post. [And the murdered unborn child who should be #14 just amounts to nothing? Buried in the last paragraph:] ... an American-born Muslim....

Two years later, Miss Dugard is living in northern California with her mother, her half-sister and her two daughters. The two girls are now at school full-time. She writes of her pride at how well her eldest daughter interacted with the other students at her orientation day, and how for the first time she realised they were all going to be OK. Most of all, she writes, she and her daughters are happy to be free - for the first time in 18 years. 'Now I can walk in the next room and see my mom,' she says in the interview. 'Wow. I can decide to jump in the car and go to the beach with the girls. Wow, it's unbelievable, truly.'

The primate went to investigate the equipment before becoming fascinated with his own reflection in the lens. And it wasn't long before the crested black macaque hijacked the camera and started snapping away sending award-winning photographer David Slater bananas. ... "The sound got his attention and he kept pressing it. At first it scared the rest of them away but they soon came back - it was amazing to watch. "He must have taken hundreds of pictures by the time I got my camera back, but not very many were in focus. He obviously hadn't worked that out yet.

pot advocates some of the most annoying f'ing people on the planet. [Almost as annoying as this article]

though he will never admit it, Obama would not be tweeting or having Twitter townhalls if it weren't for the way former Alaska Gov. and potential presidential candidate Sarah Palin became Twitter's trailblazer. In fact, I have said Palin should be properly referred to as "The Great CommuniTweeter."

The Far Left wrongly suggests that constitutional conservatism is retrospective. Instead it recognizes that in less than two centuries constitutional conservatism made the United States the most powerful, prosperous, successful, and free nation in world history. This was no accident. Constitutional conservatism is what allows us to achieve such heights, and will reinvigorate America and brighten our future to the extent that we return to those principles. Constitutional conservatism is a unified governmental philosophy. Despite attempts to fracture conservatism into economic, social, and national security factions, constitutional conservatism shows how each of these three builds on the other two in the context of limited government. Flourishing businesses and safe homes are vital to strong families. A vibrant economy and virtuous citizens are essential to fuel national security. And stable families and secure communities are necessary for long-term economic prosperity.

in many respects, we Jews found our promised land when we first stepped foot on American soil (Boston, 1649, Solomon Franco), and later when we came in larger numbers during the 1800s (250,000 Jews by 1880). For the first time, Jews had a home country devoid of a history of Jewish expulsion or systematic Jewish bloodshed. For the first time in history, Jews had a country that — from the beginning — gave de jure acknowledgement to the right to practice to Judaism and the right to be an equal citizen as a Jew. One Jew — Haym Solomon — quickly recognized the opportunities that the liberal values of the American Revolutionaries might afford future Jews. Solomon put his money where his thoughts were and gave $20,000 to George Washington's army, making him the largest financier of the American Revolution.