Cacophony of Crickets from White House on Gay Marriage

COMMENTARY |Long ago, when I “followed” Richard Grenell on Twittter, I didn’t know he was a “somebody” and I didn’t know he was gay. I found out soon enough when Grenell’s resignation from a campaign position in the Romney campaign ignited controversy within the Republican Party. The Keen News Service quoted Log Cabin Republican head R. Clarke Cooper saying that Grenell resigned because he “was essentially hounded by the far right and far left.” Grenell’s editorial in today’s Wall Street Journal justifies my previous high opinion of the man. Grenell applauded President Obama for his public statement in support of gay marriage, but continued to criticize the administration’s foreign policy failures. I applaud Grenell for not hanging his hat on single issues of identity politics. This differentiates him from people who tend to vote based on single issues like skin color, sexual orientation, or religion. Grenell is not an anomaly among gay policy activists who vote Republican. A 2010 Keen News Service article cited data reflecting that the 2012 gay vote was moving in a Republican direction. In his editorial, Grenell points to the “conservative ideal of limiting government involvement in our lives…” Ironically, I justify my opposition to gay marriage by the same logic. Government should leave marriage to the clergy. Civil unions can effectively address practical and legal issues in a more direct manner than by a broad stroke of the federal brush. The courageous Grenell recognized he would be stoned by both left-wing and right-wing mullahs for not anchoring his political identity within a single issue. And he is. But if it’s hypocrisy regarding gay issues you’re looking for, you have to look no farther than President Obama, for it, against it, and for it again. Obama’s support for gay marriage was not well received by black clergy, according to Politico, so there is now a cacophony of crickets at the White House. The crickets chirped even louder when it was announced that Obama was not invited to the wedding of Barney Frank to partner Jim Ready. It is ridiculous for Frank to offer the press narrative that Obama was not invited to his wedding out of concern that the Secret Service would put a damper on wedding spirits. Obama simply wants to avoid the political downside of gay marriage wedding photos with the Dodd-Frank architect. .

Richard Grenell: Marriage, Gay Republicans and the Election - WSJ.com

Richard Grenell: Marriage, Gay Republicans and the Election - WSJ.com

For those people looking for hypocrisy in gay issues, you have only to look at President Obama, who was forced by Joe Biden to come out with his remarks in support of gay marriage. Sinice that position did not poll well in the black community, you will not hear more of it and Axelrold has made the "issue" disappear. Obama , not having the courage of his convictions, stopped at the water's edge, in any case. Richard Grenell is courageous, by contrast, knowing that he will be stoned by liberal-left mullahs for not basing his entire identity on disagreement with a single issue. Smaller people cannot do that and vote based on single issues like skin color, sexual orientation, or religion.




While we're on the subject, who believes Barney Frank when he says Obama was not invited to his wedding because Barney was afraid the Secret Service would put a damper on the proceedings? That is a statement of political cover for Obama. Obama's refusal to atttend the wedding of Barney Frank to Jim Ready is a matter of pure political optics. Since the gay vote isn't as important to Obama as that of the broad hetero constituency, Obama cannot afford the political fallout of a wedding photo with the Dodd-Frank architect. Let me be clear (to use one of Obama's murky expressions) : Obama doesn't have the courage of his convictions, any of them.

Goodbye Euro, Hello Drachma - Yahoo! News

Goodbye Euro, Hello Drachma - Yahoo! News

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Greek debt drags on the survival chances of the European Union, especially if the larger economies of Spain and Italy follow Greece. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she's fighting to keep Greece in the EU. The Germans have also said the EU could take the hit and go on if Greece defaults. Somewhere there is a contingency plan for a Greek exit from the EU, and according to the New York Times, Europe is getting used to the idea.





What would be the currency impact if Greece is kicked out?





Greece would go back its original currency, the drachma. That is easier said than done since there is no exchange rate. The value of the drachma could drop as low as 40 percent of a euro. Everything bought and sold in Greece would become more expensive. The flip side is Greece would become cheaper for tourists with stronger currencies.



So now would be a good time to visit Greece?   Click the headline--read the rest.

Facebook IPO: Will You Still Love it Tomorrow? - Yahoo! News

Facebook IPO: Will You Still Love it Tomorrow? - Yahoo! News COMMENTARY | The last and final stage of Facebook nirvana is to be Mark Zuckerberg on the day of the multi-billion dollar Facebook IPO. I've reached the penultimate stage of Facebook nirvana. I deactivated my account two years ago and deleted it one year ago. There is a lot of sniping at Zuckerberg, some of it perhaps deserved. Appearing in a hoodie last week in New York, Zuckerberg flouted an understandable resistance to the seductive burden of wealth and the less attractive burden of maturity. Zuckerberg paid off the "Winkelvii" and another Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin with cash or shares. The kind of infighting that characterized the Harvard "Mashbook" days turned cunning techno-schemer Zuckerberg into the martial refusenik who rejected billion dollar offers for the company from Yahoo and Microsoft. BusinessWeek tells the story in lustrous detail. That's one tough nerd-- with vision, yet.

Ford and GM Sparring in Facebook Ads - Yahoo! News

Ford and GM Sparring in Facebook Ads - Yahoo! News

Dharun Ravi is a Victim of New Jersey’s Bias Crime Statute - Yahoo! News

Dharun Ravi is a Victim of New Jersey’s Bias Crime Statute - Yahoo! News COMMENTARY | The Indian Asian News Service reports hundreds people in New Jersey's Indian-American community marched on Trenton to protest Dharun Ravi's his bias-crime convictions. The protestors have a point. The largely quiet and conservative Indian community appears to be a target of discrimination by a law intended to curtail discrimination. Ravi was convicted of spying on his gay roommate with a webcam. New Jersey prosecutor Julia McClure thinks Ravi's conviction is an important milestone in the annals of crime. She wants to see him rot in state prison. That doesn't square with Star-Ledger reports that Ravi was offered two pleas.

Beached ‘London Whale’ Loses $2 Billion at J.P. Morgan Bank - Yahoo! News

Beached ‘London Whale’ Loses $2 Billion at J.P. Morgan Bank - Yahoo! News ..... J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon yesterday admitted to costly mistakes in its Chief Investment Office in New York. In an AP story, the loss was termed a "surprise" that will affect stock market trading today. The $2 billion loss didn't sink America's largest bank, which still earned about $4 billion for the quarter. But the gigantic loss adds fuel to the fight in Congress as to how much regulation of the banking industry is necessary and how much of it is political frosting on a cake that's already been eaten. What's not surprising is that many Americans have questions about J.P Morgan and the way America's banks do business.

Can France’s New Socialist President Cure Its Financial Woes? - Yahoo! News

Can France’s New Socialist President Cure Its Financial Woes? - Yahoo! News

instrument of the public will "to put an end to austerity," reuters reports. the election was a - Google Search

  France's New Socialist President sees himself as the instrument of the public will "to put an end to austerity," reuters reports. the election was a - Google Search

Foreign Policy Reduced to Bumper Sticker Wars - Yahoo! News

Foreign Policy Reduced to Bumper Sticker Wars - Yahoo! News COMMENTARY | The Associated Press quotes President Barack Obama hailing his Afghanistan policy as "the light of a new day." Will that fit on a bumper sticker? Without a doubt, the Obama administration wants to shift the focus of the national elections from the economy to foreign policy. Though the speech had a practical side, the selection of date and location is part of Obama's election strategy. (Click on the headline to read more)

Details Emerge in Brooklyn Gun Battle - WSJ.com

Once upon a time there were some New York thugs with guns.   The thugs came on shooting at people they were trying to rob in an auto repair shop.  One of the victims was a cop.  The cop exchanged fire, got shot in the shoulder, dropped his Glock.

Also present was a school safety guard who picked up the cop’s dropped weapon and chased the thugs away.  Two of the thugs were shot. Now the school safety guard is being prosecuted.

In Mayor Bloomberg’s town, the honest people are criminalized.  The thugs are granted easy pickings, certain that they can wreak havoc without interference.

Details Emerge in Brooklyn Gun Battle – WSJ.com

Bronx Van Tragedy Claims Seven

The word "accident" is a misnomer applied to the tragedy that occurred on the Bronx River Parkway a few days ago. Seven people were killed when a minivan left the highway, hurdled over a barrier, dropped through the air, and landed within an area of the Bronx Zoo. Pray for the victims, pray for the family and friends of the victims. But the usual ambulance chasers have descended like pidgeons upon the scene to convince us all that the "accident" could have been prevented by anyone other than the driver of the van. According to police, the van was speeding along at 70 mph on a road that many consider difficult at safe speed. Safe speeds are the ones that are posted on the signs along the roadside, but who reads them? There is no way to bring those lovely children back but, as usual, city officials, lawyers, assembled pidgeons and herds of sheep, will have to pretend they are doing something. The harsh reality of New York highways is that everyone is afraid to slow down. Driving at speed limits would lead to immense traffic jams, just like the immense traffic jams that occur when people drive at breakneck speeds. My point here is that no one addressed the real problems that resulted in these tragic deaths. No one says "slow down." Would the van have catapulted into space if it had been driving at 50 instead of 70? Probably not, but another point to consider is that the driver would have been able to maintain control of the vehicle. Okay, I'm not a traffic cop but it pisses me off to hear the lamentations, the denials, the excuses, the lawsuits, the b.s. coming from people who do not have the courage to tell the truth. America's highways are a war zone,and New York City is a popular battleground. Stop b.s. ing us in the hopes of a fat lawsuit. You can't bring those children back. Putting the blame where it belongs may help someone else.

White House Placated China in Neil Heywood Affair - Yahoo! News

White House Placated China in Neil Heywood Affair - Yahoo! News:

'via Blog this'

COMMENTARY |Reuters reports that China holds $1.18 Trillion in U.S. debt. The Obamaadministration would like Chinese support at the P-5 plus 1 talks with Iran. The Chinese are also expected to curb the reckless impulses of the North Korean leadership.

The political scandal stemming from a mysterious British businessman's suspicious death in China is the last thing President Obama needs right now. The New York Times says the incident has left "the Obama administration in a scandal it wants nothing to do with."

Republicans are now questioning why the U.S. State Department in February refused to shelter Wang Lijun, a would-be Chinese defector considered to be of significant intelligence value.

I'll give you the cable television political thriller version:

Last November, British citizen Neil Heywood was found dead on the floor of his hotel in the burgeoning city of Chongquing.

(hint: click on the headline link 4 the rest of the story)

Q&A: New Twist in 33-Year-Old Etan Patz Case Stuns New York - Yahoo! News

Q&A: New Twist in 33-Year-Old Etan Patz Case Stuns New York - Yahoo! News After 33 years, a police cadaver dog picked up human scent beneath a slab of concrete in the basement of a Lower Manhattan apartment. At that Prince Street location lived Etan Patz, a 6-year-old child who vanished while walking to his school bus stop alone for the first time. The resurfacing of the Etan Patz case, after 33 years, has generated shock but also new hope that there will be closure for the parents of the child. What police find now will either point to a building handyman or leave even more questions unanswered. Here are the pertinent questions and answers in the now-revived case: (tricked you--you have to click on the headline)

Are Oil Speculators to Blame for High Gas Prices? - Yahoo! News

Are Oil Speculators to Blame for High Gas Prices? - Yahoo! News President Barack Obama's targeting of oil speculators coincided with a Los Angeles Times report of a national average gasoline price of $3.92 per gallon. The president accused oil speculators of irresponsibility for the gasoline price increases that threaten the recovery. While there are several factors affecting the price of gas, oil speculators are an easy target. Public anger makes people more willing to blame them for the price increases. What is oil speculation?

I’m Taking Pennsylvania’s New Voter ID Law for a Test Run - Yahoo! News

I’m Taking Pennsylvania’s New Voter ID Law for a Test Run - Yahoo! News


COMMENTARY | Having volunteered to work the polls for Pennsylvania's April 24 primary, I was required to attend a process briefing. The elections supervisor for our district reviewed the state's newly enacted voter I.D. regulation stemming from House Bill 934.

The elections supervisor told the assembled mixed party crowd of election workers that voter identification was not a rigid requirement to vote in the primaries. She said we were to ask the voter for photo identification, but not to prevent anyone from voting if they didn't have identification acceptable under Pennsylvania's voter ID law.

Trayvon Martin Shooting: Illegal Homicide, Not Hate Crime - Yahoo! News

Trayvon Martin Shooting: Illegal Homicide, Not Hate Crime - Yahoo! News

Angela Corey Should Bargain Zimmerman Case Down to Manslaughter - Yahoo! News

Angela Corey Should Bargain Zimmerman Case Down to Manslaughter - Yahoo! News

COMMENTARY

If you were in the court docket as a defendant, would you want top officials of the United States commenting on your criminal case?



According to "The Washington Examiner," Eric Holder appeared at Al Sharpton's National Action Network Convention to rally this week support for the 17-year-old shooting victim whose case has become a rallying cry for racial injustice.



Of course, the "potential federal criminal civil rights crime" he alluded to is not part of the charges levied against George Zimmerman, the man who admits killing Trayvon Martin in self-defense.



My own first thought after the tragic death of Trayvon Martin was that George Zimmerman was guilty of manslaughter.



But special prosecutor Angela Corey perhaps missed an opportunity for "justice and peace" by charging Zimmerman with murder in the second degree. Since that charge requires that a guilty defendant must also have acted with "depraved mind," there's a good chance Corey may fail to prove the charge.

Visit Your Favorite Presidential Candidate… - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

Visit Your Favorite Presidential Candidate… - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com:

'via Blog this'


I haven't seen President Obama in person, but I'd love to test my theory of retail politics against him.

Popular media invariably presents President Obama as a media deity - in images majestic, warm, wise, or pensive.

By contrast, the media often snaps Mitt Romney either from a distance, or from a bad angle. There is often suitably disparaging text to follow, as in this ABC OTUS article.

Compare the Starpulse gallery on Romney with the Starpulse gallery of President Obama.

Evidence to the contrary, the media has invented a mythical president who cries, holds our collective hand, and has compassion for the "poor," a statistical category President Obama has helped to enlarge.

Gasoline Prices are ‘The Daily Beast,’ Tina Brown

COMMENTARY | In an appearance last week on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program, Daily Beast and Newsweek editor-in-chief Tina Brown defended the Obama administration’s decision to block the XL Pipeline.

It’s hardly surprising that ABC’s Laura Effron reports that neither publication is making money, given the credibility gap resulting from defending the pipeline decision.

The problem is that President Obama’s XL Pipeline decision has rankled Senate Democrats, too. Asked to respond to Mitt Romney’s criticism of President Obama for high gasoline prices, Brown went on the attack.

“When you mention about the gas pumps, that was the most intellectually dishonest thing that Romney said.... It’s world markets that dictate the price of oil,” said Brown.

True. But inasmuch as the XL Pipeline would increase supply on world markets, Brown seems to have missed a fundamental point of supply and demand. An expansion of world supply by Canadian XL Pipeline oil would help to meet demand.

There are other products that flow from hydro-carbons.
One can expect that Tina Brown never had to grease her bearings but surely she uses fingernail polish.

Grease and fingernail polish are just two of about 6,000 items requiring petroleum to manufacture, according to Ranken Energy. Oil from the Canadian fields would be siphoned off for the manufacture of these products, holding production and consumer costs down.

The company that re-paves your asphalt driveway can tell you how much the cost of hydro-carbon based materials have increased. Even if you could pave your driveway with green algae, it’s doubtful that asphalt could be replaced any time soon in the construction of vital airports and roads.

Environmentalism is important, especially in the recycling of asphalt materials. Bit Obama’s energy plans are unrealistic, resembling a Stalin-era Five Year Plan to create an eco-industrial collective.

President Obama has hinted at another release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to combat the perception of short supply. Why then shouldn’t a sustained supply moving down the XL Pipeline from Canada do the same?

Reuters today reports that shale oil from North Dakota’s Bakken Range could save east coast refineries from closing this year. Imported oil costs from $20 to $35 dollars more than that produced by Bakken Crude, says Reuters.

A steady supply of U.S. or Canadian oil through the XL Pipeline could immediately create new jobs, keep jobs open at east coast refineries, and hold oil prices down.