Friday, July 1, 2011

It's Official - The World Has Gone To Hell In A Handbasket

You know, I really should stop being astonished at the news, the sheer upside-down-ness of the world in which we live. But, no - I suppose I still expect a modicum of sanity to prevail. Sadly, that expectation fell far short when I saw some of the following news stories.

For instance, WHO would have ever thought that North Korea - NORTH KOREA - would head the UN Disarmament Council? No one, because it is insane. Yet, that is the reality:
Nuclear-armed North Korea has assumed the presidency of a key United Nations disarmament body — despite facing UN Security Council sanctions over its weapons programs.

The development comes in the same week the UN defended its decision to support Iran's holding of an international "anti-terrorism" conference — which saw participants declaring that Western powers were the international terrorists.

UN officials point out that North Korean ambassador So Se Pyong takes on the presidency of the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament under rules that say the chair will rotate among all 65 member states in alphabetical order.

But critics said Wednesday the rules should be changed when they allow the body — whose mandate is in part to push for world nuclear disarmament — to be led by a country that the West considers to be an international nuclear renegade.

"No system should tolerate such a fundamental conflict of interests," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based UN Watch, which also led protests against the UN's input at the Iranian "anti-terrorism" conference. [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Who could really be surprised, though? This is the same "august" body that put Iran on the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Does it surprise anyone that IRAN is happy about this? Yeah, I didn't think so.Yet another institution for which I have lost all respect.

Meanwhile, the US, in its infinite wisdom in Insanity Land now recognizes the Muslim Brotherhood:
The U.S. has decided to formally resume contact with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood group - which does not recognize Israel – in a move that could further alienate some Jewish voters already skeptical of President Barack Obama, it was reported.

One senior U.S. official said the Brotherhood’s rise in political prominence after the forced departure of former President Hosni Mubarak earlier this year makes the American contact necessary.

“The political landscape in Egypt has changed, and is changing… It is in our interests to engage with all of the parties that are competing for parliament or the presidency,” said the official, who confirmed the news to Reuters on condition of anonymity. [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

Do I really need to remind everyone of who and what the Muslim Brotherhood is? You know, "The Quran is our law; Jihad is our way," including against the United States, Hamas-spawning, and Israel hating formerly outlawed in Egypt organization? Yeah, that one. The same one Obama invited leaders from to hear him babble on in Cairo while they were still outlawed. Yeah, we saw this one coming.

And as if this is not bad enough, the United States, in its infinite insanity, has designated Israel - ISRAEL - as a country that produces terrorists (h/t Gina). Just to be clear - we are engaging with the Muslim Brotherhood, a TERRORIST organization, and calling one of, hell, our ONLY, Middle East ally, a terrorist sponsoring organization:
In an implicit admission that Israel is so threatened by terrorism that it is not only surrounded by countries and territories that produce terrorists but also unwillingly harbors terrorists within its own territory in a way that most other nations in the world do not, the Obama administration is currently listing Israel among 36 “specially designated countries” it believes “have shown a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members.” {snip} (Click here to read the rest.)

Seriously, are these people out of their freaking mind? And how in the HELL can the Hillary Clinton, as head of State, support this? Don't even get me started.

But really, what can one expect from someone like Obama, who not only plays fast and loose with the facts, but is a huge bully while doing so. I cannot go through them all, but let's just look at Obama's big comparison between corporate jet taxes, and student loans:
[snip] In a bit of class jujitsu, the president six times mentioned eliminating a tax loophole for corporate jets, frequently pitting it against student loans or food safety. It’s a potent image, but in the context of a $4 trillion goal, it is essentially meaningless. The item is so small the White House could not even provide an estimate of the revenue that would be raised, but other estimates suggest it would amount to $3 billion over 10 years.

Meanwhile, student financial assistance, just for 2011, is about $42 billion. So the corporate jet loophole — which involves the fact that such assets can be depreciated over five years, rather than the seven for commercial jets — just is not going to raise a lot of money. It certainly wouldn’t save many student loans. [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

You know it's bad when even the Washington Post is calling Obama a liar. But hey, if the shoe fits, as they say, and it surely does with Obama.

Blech. I wish this was all, but this is all I can handle without my head exploding.

Thank heavens, though, at least there is one bright spot in the world - it is Canada Day! The newest royal couple, William and Kate, are in Canada for the big day, delighting the Canadians with their charm:
[snip] Friday also would have been the 50th birthday of William’s mother, Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 Paris car crash. In London, her admirers gathered to leave gifts outside Kensington Palace, which was her official residence.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as William and Kate are formally known, arrived Thursday to cheering crowds of thousands. Poised and confident, they thrilled crowds with warm, unscripted gestures, wading into throngs of well-wishers to shake hands and accept flowers and other gifts.

To cheers of delight, William addressed his hosts in both English and French, then cracked a joke about his language skills. “It will improve as we go on,” the prince quipped, then noted how much he and Kate were “truly looking forward to this adventure.” [snip] (Click here to read the rest.)

And this is for our neighbors to the North:



I hope the Royal Newlyweds continue to enjoy their trip, and that Canada has an excellent day of celebration.

Personally, I thank Canada for diffusing the explosion in my head from the other news of the day. How about you - what news stories hit you today? Copyright © 2011 by Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

2 comments:

Mary Ellen said...

I know what you mean, and the really scary part of all this half-assed backward political/foreign policy stuff is that the media largely ignores it. What are the chances we would have heard about Israel being put on terrorist list or North Korea heading the UN Disarmament Council if not for the Internet and right leaning blogs?

I'm ready to move to Canada, really. I also like the French version of O Canada...

http://youtu.be/l0Y3L0s1m2o

O Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.

If I don't get a chance to "talk" to you more this weekend, have a great 4th of July. I'm not doing anything in particular, just trying to catch up with yard work and cleaning the garage and stuff. I need to find the whip first to get hubby and son to help me. Lazy bums. :-)

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Exactly right, Mary Ellen. There was an article in my paper on the very back page of the first section abt Sec. Clinton making nice with the MB. Can you believe that? An org. that treats women like complete and utter shit, and she is saying we need to work with them?? I have lost so much respect for her. I used to think it was good she was in the Cabinet to be an adult in the room, but now, I think she is just propping up Obama's horrible policies, and propping up the man who was so abusive to her. Makes me sick.

I LOVE Canada - what a great country. If only it weren't so cold (though you may be more used to that than I am!).

Thanks - same to you. We will be around this weekend, too, but have a ton of stuff to do. Now that our addition is formally done, we are rearranging/moving things, and stuff like that. Anyway - I hope you have a great weekend if I don't *hear* from you again.