Dreams Into Lightning 2

Morning Report: 2013-01-03

USA: Illinois state senate moves toward gun ban. Breitbart: 'On Wednesday, the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee, led by anti-gun, Senate President John Cullerton and backed by Governor Patrick Quinn, passed House Bills 1263 and 815. These measures, if passed would ban nearly all common firearms and magazines, and institute new shooting range restrictions. ...'

Israel: Bayit Yehudi surges in polls. Tablet's Adam Chandler has trouble believing it, but the Jewish Home Party looks set to tie Labor for second place after Likud-Beiteinu in the upcoming Israeli elections.

USA: Hillary Clinton said heading for 'full recovery'. CNN reports that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was discharged from New York Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday after spending three days being treated for a blood clot, and doctors expect her to make a full recovery.

China: Housing market heading for a fall? Walter Russell Mead:

The Chinese government, worried that property prices were climbing too high, first started taking steps to hold down prices. In some places, they fell by as much as ten percent. Then, fearful of the disastrous economic effects of a bursting housing bubble, authorities relaxed these policies. Now they’ve started to artificially create land scarcity to drive prices up again by reducing the number of competitive auctions. Critics worry that the skyrocketing land prices will once again increase the chances that the housing bubble will burst.

Our reaction at Via Meadia to this news is mixed. ...

Read the rest at the link.

Morning Report: 2012-11-25

Mexico: The other United States. Mexico's lame-duck president Felipe Calderon announced he will attempt to formally change the country’s name by taking “United States” out of it.

Egypt: Morsi's decree triggers new protests. Egypt's first democratically elected president asserted nearly unlimited powers, as rival crowds of demonstrators poured into the streets of Cairo. Egyptian opposition activists have vowed to stage a sit-in in Cairo in a protest against the president's move to grant himself extensive new powers.

UK: Girl, 11, victim in brutal sex assault. An 11-year-old schoolgirl was subjected to a "brutal" sex attack in a north London park after getting off her bus.

Israel / Hamas: UK officer says terrorists on the run. Israel achieved the goals it set for itself in Gaza, causing Hamas leaders to “run for their lives”, Britain's Colonel Richard Kemp told Arutz Sheva this week.

USA: Distributed costs, concentrated benefits favor Democrats nationally - analysis. John Hinderaker at Power Line:

At the national level, however, you can’t bring about good governance anyway, so you might as well elect Democrats who will bring home the bacon. Such thinking explains why the solidly-red Dakotas, among other states, have contributed a depressing number of Democrats to the Senate and, to a lesser degree, the House.

This is not to deny that the liberal media have a huge influence on national elections; of course they do. And it is also true, as Glenn says, that state and local issues don’t tend to be demagogued as relentlessly as national ones. But I think that what is mainly going on is that many voters are more concerned about fiscal responsibility at the state and local level than the national level, for the simple reason that the states can’t print money, and rely on sales and property taxes, along with, in most cases, relatively flat income taxes. Therefore, voters know that if they vote for more state spending, they will have to pay for it.

At the national level, we have seen an increasing disconnect between spending and payment. This is partly because most people pay either no, or very modest, federal income taxes, and partly because 40% of all federal spending is borrowed, so that our children will have to pay for it. To the average voter, federal money must seem to appear almost magically. ...

Morning Report: 2012-11-08

Sudan: Rebels say they've shot down government bomber. 'Rebels in Sudan say they have shot down a government military aircraft after it had bombed rebel targets. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) says the Antonov bomber crashed on Wednesday in the Jau area, South Kordofan state,' the BBC reports.

Iran: Government bans some imports. Reuters: 'Iran has temporarily banned the import of some "luxury goods" including foreign-made cars and mobile phones, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday, to save billions of dollars for essential products in the face of worsening sanctions.'

India: Women banned from Hajj Ali shrine. Telegraph: 'A 15th century mausoleum in the heart of Mumbai has attracted controversy after women were banned from visiting an iconic shrine inside. The move by the Haji Ali mausoleum, less than half a mile from the shoreline of the Arabian sea, has caused outrage on Twitter with men and women condemning the move. ...'

Libya: Benghazi suspects include Egyptians. Catherine Herridge at Fox:

The list of suspects in the Libya terror attack now extends to a handful of suspected militants aligned with an Egyptian group known as the Jamal Network, Fox News has learned.

A U.S. official said the Jamal Network is committed to violence to attain its political ambitions, adding they are "hard-core, violent extremists in Egypt who are trying to develop a relationship with Al Qaeda."

Fox News is told that there are between two- and three-dozen suspects actively being investigated at any one time in connection with the Benghazi attack. The suspect list is fluid, drawn from intelligence ranging from intercepts to witness accounts, with new names being added and dropped on a regular basis. ...'

Jennifer Rubin: What Republicans can do. Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post:

What do Republicans do about this? Well, seriously, nothing is more important than educational reform to teach each generation of Americans some basic U.S. history, simple economics and even ethics. The long-term solution to the problem of a clueless electorate rests with clergy, teachers and parents. (Let’s not kid ourselves that the mainstream media will enlighten the public.)

Now since educating future generations is a long-term undertaking, what do conservatives do in the short run?

First, they must find candidates who are both intellectually sound conservatives and culturally adept. I don’t mean they can play the sax on TV or listen to rap music but rather that they are seen as in tune with modern America, not an idealized America from our childhood or our parents’ childhood. It is more than likability; it is a matter of relatability. If voters, especially in the presidential election year, can’t relate, they’re not going to listen.

Second, therefore, is the need to explain policies in everyday terms rather than in abstract, intellectual terms ...

Read the rest at the link.

Morning Report: 2012-11-07

USA: Obama wins second term. According to CNN, the electoral vote count now stands at Obama 303 - 206 Romney. The President also holds a popular majority of 50 pct to 48 pct at last count. The Democrats have retained the Senate while the Republican Party keeps control of the House.

Egypt: Islamists in control. Reuters:

Four months since Egypt elected veteran Muslim Brotherhood politician Mohamed Mursi as president, human rights activists say hardliners are trying to impose Islamist ways on society.

Although reliable data on social trends is hard to find in Egypt, many people believe that cases of religious intimidation have increased. ...

Full article at the link.

NYT: Efraim Halevy on Republicans, Democrats, and Israel

Former Mossad director Efraim Halevy has an op-ed in the New York Times on American politics and Israel. I'm not going to try to discuss the article in depth, but I do want to make a few observations.

First, it is profoundly unsurprising that there are a plurality of opinions in the Israeli government, as there are in Washington. Undoubtedly there are factions in Jerusalem with sympathies toward one American party or the other. It's my impression that Shimon Peres does not get along well with Netanyahu, for example, and that Peres inclines more toward America's Democrats.

What's striking about this article, though, is its exclusive focus on the past. Virtually all of the leaders named - both Bushes, Baker, Shamir, Sharon, and of course Halevy himself - have left office, died, or become incapacitated. Notice too that the article is absolutely silent on Romney's policies, mentioning his name only once, and that in order to defend Obama from his accusations. In short, the article's main focus is on history, and in particular the history of the respective political parties.

I will not vote for James Baker for President. But he's not running. To me, this article reads like much of the New York Times and the mainstream media in general: Hey, you remember when the bad Republicans did this and that?

What some of us have figured out is that we are facing today's issues, not yesterday's, and our choices are the candidates and parties of today, not of twenty years ago.

And it's all very impressive that this was written by a former Head! Of! The! Mossad!, but I do not think this makes his opinion infallible. Again, there are going to be multiple opinions within any government or security organization, and you can find people with equally impressive credentials on different sides of many issues. (Witness the nuclear Iran issue today.) You know, Bush Sr. used to be the head of the CIA - does that mean that Bush was never wrong?

Morning Report: 2012-10-10

USA / Libya: State denies mob protests before Benghazi attack. It's been difficult to get clear, reliable (or even consistent) information on just exactly what happened on September 11 of this year in Benghazi; all we know for sure is that a US Consulate was destroyed, and Ambassador Stevens and three other diplomatic personnel are dead. Up until now, the official story (to the extent that there is one) has been that it was a spontaneous, mob demonstration that got out of hand. This would be exculpatory for the Administration (because it implies something unpredictable) and for the attackers (because it implies they were acting in the heat of the moment). Well, now there's a different story: that the calculated, premeditated attack was in fact a calculated, premeditated attack. Go to the link to marvel at the ABC folks' ability to act surprised. Here's Tim Cavanaugh at Reason:

The Obama administration's unraveling story of the deadly September 11 attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya has not finished unraveling. A State Department official yesterday confirmed that there was no mob outside the Benhazi compound prior to the Al Qaeda attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others. And a former security officer at the embassy told Congress that officials on the ground had spent months prior to the attack requesting more protection for the site. ...

Go read it all.

USA: Obama thought he won debate - report. Mail (UK):

When President Barack Obama stepped off the stage in Denver last week the 60 million Americans watching the debate against Mitt Romney already knew it had been a disaster for him.

But what nobody knew, until now, was that Obama believed he had actually won.

In an extraordinary insight into the events leading up to the 90 minute showdown which changed the face of the election, a Democrat close to the Obama campaign today reveals that the President also did not take his debate preparation seriously, ignored the advice of senior aides and ignored one-liners that had been prepared to wound Romney. ...

Fernandez, recalling the ill-fated mission of Colonel Kiyono Ichiki, observes with understatement that "It is important not to underestimate the opponent." Go to the links for the rest.

China / Burma: Dammed if you don't. Via Meadia covers the aborted Myitsone Dam project in northern Burma (or Myanmar, if you prefer). Moral of the story: "When you meddle in affairs beyond your borders, you must take local politics and sensitivities into account; you can’t just make deals with dictators and hope for the best."

China: By land and by sea. Robert Kaplan at Stratfor (registration) writes that China's well-publicized accession to the ranks of the world's sea powers is secondary to - and dependent upon - its ability to keep stability in its own interior. Kaplan argues that "China is, albeit to a much smaller extent than the former Soviet Union, a prison of nations waiting to express themselves once central authority weakens." Register or subscribe to read the article.

Morning Report: 2012-08-26

USA: Romney - Democrats use Akin to discredit GOP. Well, no kidding. I'm glad he's calling this nonsense for what it is: 'The leaders of our party have pretty much unanimously said, "Mr. Akin, get out of the race."'

USA / Space: Neil Armstrong dies at 82. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden:

"On behalf of the entire NASA family, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Carol and the rest of the Armstrong family on the passing of Neil Armstrong. As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own.

"Besides being one of America's greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with a grace and humility that was an example to us all. When President Kennedy challenged the nation to send a human to the moon, Neil Armstrong accepted without reservation.

"As we enter this next era of space exploration, we do so standing on the shoulders of Neil Armstrong. We mourn the passing of a friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero."

Italy / USA: Unicredit Bank in Iran sanctions investigation. BBC reports that Unicredit is cooperating with a US investigation over a possible breach of Iran-related sanctions.

Afghanistan: Haqqani figure confirmed killed. Fox reports that Badruddin Haqqani, the son of the founder of the powerful Haqqani militant network has been killed in an airstrike in Pakistan, citing Afghan intelligence sources.

Morning Report: 2012-07-30

Russia: Scientific mission to arctic region. Russia is increasing its arctic presence by sending a scientific expedition to the arctid Franz Joseph Land archipelago.

Syria: Regime steps up assault on Aleppo. 'Syrian government forces have been continuing their assault with artillery, ground forces and helicopter gunships on rebel-held areas of the second city, Aleppo. Officials said one area, Salah al-Din, had been recaptured, but rebels said the battle there was still going on. ...'

Kazakhstan: Shoot-out in Almaty. 'Kazakh police on Monday killed six members of a criminal gang in a shoot-out in an apartment block in the commercial capital Almaty, prosecutors said, in a fresh sign of surging crime in the oil-rich Central Asian nation. The shoot-out with the armed criminals, who had barricaded themselves in an apartment, broke out in broad daylight in one of Almaty's residential areas after the gunmen refused to lay down their arms ...' No casualties were reported among civilians or security personnel.

USA - New York: Big gulp. New York's mayor continues with his fixation on who drinks how much of what: 'The nanny state is going after moms. Mayor Bloomberg is pushing hospitals to hide their baby formula behind locked doors so more new mothers will breast-feed. Starting Sept. 3, the city will keep tabs on the number of bottles that participating hospitals stock and use — the most restrictive pro-breast-milk program in the nation. ...'

Andres McCarthy: Huma Abedin and Muslim Brotherhood

Andrew McCarthy at Ordered Liberty:

Huma Abedin was affiliated with the IMMA’s journal for a dozen years, from 1996 through 2008. She overlapped with its founder, Naseef, for at least seven years — it could be more, but I am assuming for argument’s sake that Naseef had no further involvement in his institute once his name was removed from the masthead.

The case against Ms. Abedin’s suitability for a high-level position with access to the nation’s secrets gets much worse if you add in her family ties.

To summarize what I’ve already outlined here at Ordered Liberty: her parents were recruited by Naseef to head up the IMMA; her mother is an active member of Muslim Brotherhood organizations — including the Muslim Sisterhood and two entities that are part of Sheikh Qaradawi’s Union of Good, another designated terrorist organization; there is persuasive evidence that her father was a member of the Brotherhood — e.g., the intimate tie to Naseef and his widow’s membership in the Muslim Sisterhood (which is substantially comprised of wives and female relatives of prominent Muslim Brothers); her mother is a tireless advocate of sharia law as preached by Qaradawi and the Brotherhood; and her brother, who is also affiliated with the IMMA’s journal, was a fellow at an Islamist institute (the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies) on whose board sat both Naseef and Qaradawi.

Nevertheless, the family ties to the Brotherhood only further elucidate what is already patent: Huma Abedin’s connection to Abdullah Omar Naseef, by itself, would have been more than enough justification to deny her a security clearance. That would have made it inconceivable that she could serve as deputy chief of staff to the secretary of state.

Full article at the link.

Caroline Glick: Muslim Brotherhood's American Defenders

Glick at JPost:

The obliviousness of Brennan and Clapper to the essential nature of Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood are symptoms of the overarching ignorance informing the Obama administration’s approach to Middle Eastern realities. ...

Read it all at the link.