Conservative Wanderer

“A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and, above all, responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill.” — Ronald Wilson Reagan

Daily Archives: 11 July 2011

Iran Invades Iraq!

UPI:

ERBIL, Iraq, July 11 (UPI) — Iranian forces are stationed about a 1 1/2 miles inside the Iraq border as part of an operation targeting Kurdish militants, a border official said.

A source inside the border patrol in the northern Kurdish provinces of Iraq said Iranian forces crossed the border during the weekend in pursuit of members of the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan, or PJAK.

“The Iranian force is still stationed at the same positions it penetrated into on Sunday, following clashes between both sides,” the source told the Voices of Iraqi news agency.

Stationing troops inside another nation’s borders without permission is generally referred to as an “invasion.”

But did you hear about it on the evening news? If the websites are any indication, no, you didn’t.

CNN’s top stories in World (all of these are as of the time of this writing and may change):

Pakistani official downplays U.S. decision

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Pakistan’s U.S. ambassador discuss the latest rift in U.S.-Pakistani relations. FULL STORY

Top World Stories

MSNBC?

Reports: Ex-UK PM targeted in hack attack

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown had his personal information targeted by elements of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, reports say. Full story

World’s first double leg transplant done in Spain
Clinton: Syria’s Assad has lost legitimacy to rule
NYT: Suspect freed in Afghan mutilation case
High levels of radiation in Japanese beef
Egyptians demand justice for slain protesters
‘Metal coffin’: 128 dead as Russia boat sinks

Maybe ABC has something…

International News

Syrian Protesters Attack US, French Embassies

Assad loyalists attack US, French embassies in Syria after envoys visit opposition stronghold

Murdoch’s BSkyB Deal Stalls After Scandal

Rupert Murdoch’s empire is on shaky ground after the phone hacking scandal.

Death Toll at 67 in India Train Wreckage

More bodies have been pulled from wreckage of derailed train in northern India.

Russian Cruise Ship Sinks, 90 Missing

Hope is fading for about 90 still missing day after cruise boat sinks in Volga.

Porn Addicts Find Treatment at Online Website

HeLP Addiction treats porn addicts via the Internet.

Kate Speaks as Royal Couple Leaves for Home

Kate says she “really enjoyed” the as royal couple leaves U.S. for England.

Brit Bishop Loses Appeal for Denying Holocaust

Bishop Richard Williamson does not believe Jews were gassed in World War II.

Music Festival Lures Fans to Arctic Circle

Festival-goers must make a journey that includes airplanes, boats and walking.

7.3 Quake Rocks Northeastern Japan

No injuries or damages have been reported.

Panetta: Al Qaeda’s Defeat ‘Within Reach’

New Defense Secretary begins first tour of war region as head of Pentagon.

South Sudan Celebrates Becoming a Nation

This moment of freedom was a culmination of decades of war and struggle.

Foreign-Made Parts Threaten Cyber Security

Some parts are used to make companies, consumers vulnerable, official says.

Watch: U.S. Embassy Vandalized in Syria

Syrian government supporters attack the American and French embassies.

Okay, maybe CBS:

Top World News

Prince Albert, Charlene wed in MonacoSome 2,000 headliners gather to watch the religious ceremony capping two days of wedding events Read Blog

President Hints At Job-Killing New Taxes If Re-Elected

Here’s the money–literally–quote, emphasis added:

“So, when you hear folks saying ‘Well, the president shouldn’t want massive job killing tax increases when the economy is this weak.’ Nobody’s looking to raise taxes right now. We’re talking about potentially 2013 and the out years.”

Sounds like he’s channeling Walter Mondale, who famously said:

Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won’t tell you. I just did.

Admittedly, Obama stepped back from proclaiming that the GOP nominee–whoever he or she is–will raise taxes, but the rest of the statement rings pretty true.

How’d that tactic work for Mr. Mondale? Hmmm…

Small Businesses Not Planning On Hiring In The Obama Economy

That should be a no-brainer, but a study from the US Chamber of Commerce bears it out:

Almost two-thirds—64%—of small-business executives surveyed said they weren’t expecting to add to their payrolls in the next year and another 12% planned to cut jobs, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report to be released Monday. Just 19% said they would expand their work forces.

This comes after a Labor Department report Friday showed employers added few jobs in June, and unemployment rose to 9.2%. The bleak figures joined other data showing the recovery losing momentum in recent months, which has caused many analysts and policy makers to lower their forecasts for economic growth in the second half of the year.

The Small Business Administration says small businesses, defined as companies with fewer than 500 workers, employ about half of the workers in the private sector. In the Chamber’s survey of 1,409 executives, conducted by Harris Interactive, small businesses were defined as firms with revenue of $25 million or less.

More than half of the small-business executives in the June 27-30 survey cited economic uncertainty as the main reason for holding back on hiring. About a third blamed lack of sales, while just 7% pointed to problems getting credit.

If we take the 64% of small businesses that are not hiring and adding the 12% that are planning on cutting payroll–which would also mean they’re not hiring–that’s over 3/4 of those businesses not hiring… which adds up to a really good reason why the unemployment numbers are not improving.

Add to that the people who have a plan to start a small business but have decided not to because of the same economic uncertainty that was mentioned in the quoted article, and you get an even better picture of why Obamanomics is a miserable failure at job creation.

Sheila Jackson Lee Sued By Disabled Ex-Employee

The schadenfreude is so thick you can cut it with a knife… one of the leftiest of the lefties in Congress is being sued for insensitivity to disabled employees:

When Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee spoke at a House hearing last year, she made clear the federal government needed to do more to help disabled Americans and even talked of plans to introduce legislation named after singer Stevie Wonder to help disabled schoolchildren.

But a former top aide to the Texas Democrat, said the lawmaker’s public support for the disabled was nowhere to be found in her own congressional office when it came to the aide’s vision impairment. Mona Floyd, who served as the congresswoman’s legislative director, has monocular vision. She said she was told by Mrs. Jackson Lee in a private conversation within weeks of the hearing, “I don’t care anything about your disability.”

Another time, when Ms. Floyd, a lawyer, brought up her disability, she said another staffer told her the congresswoman had said, “I don’t give a damn about her disability.”

Now, I want to make it very clear: at the moment, we have only one side of the story, we do not have Rep. Jackson Lee’s own version of the story.

That said, however, if–and I stress the if–there really is a witness to the Rep saying “I don’t give a damn about her disability,” it would seem that there is at least a little bit of truth to this story, and that’s not going to look good going into the 2012 elections.

As a (technically) disabled person who nonetheless works a full-time job myself (that’s why I don’t usually post during the day, I’m busy earning a paycheck), I’ll be keeping an eye on this story.