This is just so sad to me.

First, the back story: when bin Laden was killed, the Democrats and the Obama Administration took to the airways to brag about it. Our loose-lipped VP, Joe Biden, publicly announced the identities of the men who killed Osama Bin Laden, declaring to the world that it was Navy Seal Team VI, and in doing so, he placed a big target on the backs of Seal Team VI.

On Aug. 6, 2011, a helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan killing all on board, including 17 members of the elite Navy Seals.

And now for the sad, sad part: at the memorial service for the fallen, military brass and the Obama Administration prohibited mention of a Judeo-Christian God. Instead, they invited a Muslim cleric to lead the prayers. In his prayers, this cleric desecrated the fallen, damning them as infidels to Allah.

hat tip: Gateway Pundit

We have a number of British visitors here in the United States this week. And the yare very welcome indeed.

Prince Harry is making the rounds of various sites (avoiding strip billiards this time I trust).

Prime Minster David Cameron is meeting with President Obama to discuss the various issues of the day (why can’t they both turn to ATW for advice?).

I also understand that the English Football team is in New York City and visited the Manhattan Orphanage. “It is good to put a smile on the faces of people with no hope, constantly struggling and facing the impossible,” said Timothy Jones, age 6.

Considerable; but as long as you keep trying….

 

 

I note that the IRS is under fire for targeting (surprise!) political opponents who sought tax-exempt status, especially ones with ‘Tea Party’, with rigorous challenges and requests for donor lists (illegal). Also under scrutiny were groups who chose to educate Americans about their Constitution.

Reminds me of a previous era, under a slightly different political colour and President. One hopes that the present attempt to subvert any opposition to the words of the Great One will come to the same sticky end!

It’s a scandal really when you reflect on it;

Twenty thousand migrants a year are being let into Britain under a loophole that could be exploited by sham-marriage racketeers, a report warns today. Under European law, EU nationals living in this country are allowed to bring in spouses or partners and their families from anywhere in the world with no checks or qualifications. But British citizens who want to bring in a wife, husband or partner and family from abroad must first show they have an income of £18,600 or more to guarantee their dependants will not become a burden on the taxpayer.

Quite stunning and further evidence of the need to detach this Nation from European law.

I have stayed at the venue chosen for the G8 conference, the Lough Erne hotel resort, several times. It is a lovely spot, charming views, sitting in the breathtaking wilderness of County Fermanagh. The Hotel went into receivership some time ago and is currently for sale if you have a spare £10m. As the date of the G8 conference approaches, I note the media hype increases;

The G8 summit in Northern Ireland is expected to bring in about £40m of benefits, according to a survey. The research by Barclays Bank found almost 85% of businesses believe holding the summit in County Fermanagh will be good for the region. It said there was also longer-term potential to boost tourism, exports and foreign investment. The leaders of the eight wealthiest nations are to meet at the Lough Erne resort in Enniskillen in June.

I think this is insane exaggeration. The £40m is one of those ever so convenient figures that are trotted out here in Northern Ireland with such unfounded aplomb. I do understand that the arrival of the political elite and their entourages will generate some money, although to whom is not quite so clear but the notion that this will herald a massive tourist boom is just fantasy. The Northern Ireland government continues to hype the “tourism is our economic future” line with almost total disregard for reality. Fermanagh is wild and lovely – and isolated. The venue for the G8 struggled to cope with that reality and when the political shills have all departed, that isolation will remain I am afraid.

The long slow death of the EU continues with the news that  Eurozone finance ministers are due to meet in Brussels later to agree bailout payments for Cyprus and Greece.

Cyprus is expected to get approval for the first 3bn euros (£2.5bn; $3.9bn) of its bailout package, which was agreed earlier this year. Ministers are also expected to sign off the latest instalment of Greece’s bailout, as it continues to struggle to reform its economy. The meeting will also take place amid continued concerns for Slovenia. Slovenia is seen as potentially likely to follow Greece and Cyprus in seeking help from European authorities.

It’s a deck of cards, and it will fall. However the thing that will make it fall is NOT the woes of these countries but rather the strange case of Germany, the elephant in the room. You see despite the fact that Germany is running a huge trade surplus with the rest of the world, the fact is that it has rising unemployment as a GDP/Debt ratio 0f 83%. it’s banks carry vast exposures and german households have the lowest wealth in the EU – half that of Greece!!! Germany caNnot bail out the Euro contrary  to all the media nonsense spewed forth on the topic, and if Germany can’t, who can?

Headline for the Romney cover is: “The Wimp Factor.” Headline for the Obama cover is: “Why are Obama’s Critics So Dumb.”

Graphic from Gateway Pundit

Fascinating article here.

A remarkable insight into the view of Ireland as a destination for foreign criminals was discovered by gardai in Dublin last year after they had arrested three Nigerian nationals, members of an organised mobile phone theft and drug smuggling organisation. The gardai checked the phones of the three arrested and on one, they found a text that had been sent to an associate back in Nigeria. It read: “Come to Ireland. It is a virgin country. There is plenty of money to be made.”

ATW reader Paul brought this interview with Basil McCrea and John McCallister to my attention and I wanted to provide my own analysis of this wannabe political party. I will start off by saying that there is much to like about Basil and John. I have known Basil McCrea for a LONG time and he is a likeable character. I don’t know John but he speaks with an honesty and I am sure he is sincere.

Heres is what Basil says when asked to define himself;

I’ll take it on. I’m Northern Irish. I am Irish. I am British. I am myself. I want to build a democracy where people can vote without fear. I want people to vote for something and not against something. I want people to have hope, vision, belief in themselves and number one, I want to build a future for our children.

OK, that is a reasonable view. I just happen to totally disagree with it insofar as once cannot be all things to all men from a nationality point of view. I am British, end of.  The electorate here does not see itself as Irish and British. With the best liberal will in the world – and Basil and John are dripping wet liberals – i fear that there is a political chasm they will fall into with this confused view of things.

Basil goes on…

The second thing we see ourselves as being different: we are unashamedly pro-United Kingdom. We are saying to people, as we see it hear and now, Northern Ireland’s future is best served within a devolved administration within the United Kingdom … There’s only one real strategic issue for Northern Ireland which is how you maintain stability. If we go back to the tribalism and the sectarian trench warfare, you destroy everything …

I think Basil will find the UUP, the DUP and the TUV also think that. This is not a point of difference for unionist voters.

When you drill into it, what JASIL are saying is that they want to be the Alliance Party with a slightly move red white and blue hue. But only slightly. I’m not sure who this will appeal to politically.  Alliance have cornered the mildly unionist voters. TUV have cornered the tougher minded. The DUP and UUP fight over the great unwashed middle ground. So where will JASIL appeal?

In my view, this experiment will flounder and fail. They will not get elected, I think, and a lot of disenfranchised Ulster Unionist voters will have their revenge come the next Assembly election in 2016. There is a lot of talk from them and they appeal to the liberal media who think that somehow, someway, unionism will be Irish and British. It won’t.

I wish John and Basil every success in their post political careers, of course.