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Another example of what the media does not consider newsworthy:

JINSA Again Honors America’s Military Heroes

Roger Aronoff  —   December 7, 2012

Accuracy in Media

This week I attended an annual event put on by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), which honored six young military heroes. The six represented each of the five branches of the U.S. military and the U.S. Special Operations Command. They were honored “for having distinguished themselves through superior conduct in the War on Terrorism,” and each received a Grateful Nation Award from JINSA. JINSA is a Washington-based think tank that focuses on issues of the U.S. and Israel in national security.

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Below are the stories of the six military heroes as written in the program for the evening’s event:

~United States Army

Sergeant First Class James Osaer

~United States Marine Corps

Sergeant Brian M. Riddle

~United States Navy

Petty Officer Second Class Eric J. Strauss

~United States Air Force

Technical Sergeant Clint T. Campbell

~United States Coast Guard

Petty Officer First Class Jonathan Tatroe

~United States Special Operations Command

Master Sergeant Paul L. Wiseman, USA

Read about them here.

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Pearl Harbor History

Pearl Harbor History: Why Did Japan Attack? Eyewitness Accounts, Casualty List, Background

What Happened?  What led up to that Day in Infamy?  War itself generally makes little sense, but the attack on Pearl Harbor has always sparked the imagination.

3,500 Americans were killed or wounded in the attack on December 7, 1941.

Before The Attack

September 1940. The U.S. placed an embargo on Japan by prohibiting exports of steel, scrap iron, and aviation fuel to Japan, due to Japan’s takeover of northern French Indochina.

April 1941. The Japanese signed a neutrality treaty with the Soviet Union to help prevent an attack from that direction if they were to go to war with Britain or the U.S. while taking a bigger bite out of Southeast Asia.

June 1941 through the end of July 1941. Japan occupied southern Indochina. Two days later, the U.S., Britain, and the Netherlands froze Japanese assets. This prevented Japan from buying oil, which would, in time, cripple its army and make its navy and air force completely useless.

Toward the end of 1941. With the Soviets seemingly on the verge of defeat by the Axis powers, Japan seized the opportunity to try to take the oil resources of Southeast Asia. The U.S. wanted to stop Japanese expansion but the American people were not willing to go to war to stop it.  The U.S. demanded that Japan withdraw from China and Indochina, but would have settled for a token withdrawal and a promise not to take more territory.

Prior to December 1941, Japan pursued two simultaneous courses: try to get the oil embargo lifted on terms that would still let them take the territory they wanted, and … to prepare for war.

After becoming Japan’s premier in mid-October, General Tojo Hideki  secretly set November 29 as the last day on which Japan would accept a settlement without war. See Books about Tojo

The Japanese military was asked to devise a war plan. They proposed to sweep into Burma, Malaya, the East Indies, and the Philippines, in addition to establishing a defensive perimeter in the central and southwest Pacific. They expected the U.S. to declare war but not to be willing to fight long or hard enough to win. Their greatest concern was that the U.S. Pacific Fleet, based in Pearl Harbor could foil their plans. As insurance, the Japanese navy undertook to cripple the Pacific Fleet by a surprise air attack.  See Books about Japanese Plans

The Warnings

The U.S. had broken the Japanese diplomatic code and knew an attack was imminent. A warning had been sent from Washington, but it arrived too late.

Early warning radar was new technology.  Japanese planes were spotted by radar before the attack, but they were assumed to be a flight of American B-17s due in from the West Coast. Read the eyewitness account

The Attack

On December 7th 1941, on an otherwise peaceful Sunday morning on a beautiful Hawaiian island, the first wave of Japanese airplanes left 6 aircraft carriers and struck Pearl Harbor a few minutes before 8 AM local time. See Map of Pearl Harbor

In two waves of terror lasting two long hours, they killed or wounded over 3,500 Americans and sank or badly damaged 18 ships - including all 8 battleships of the Pacific Fleet - and over 350 destroyed or damaged aircraft.  At least 1,177 lives were lost when the Battleship U.S.S. Arizona exploded and subsequently sank. More about the Arizona

Eyewitness Accounts Read books by Survivors

Read accounts from the people who were there.

However, they did not sink any of our Pacific aircraft carriers and they left most of the fuel that was needed to win the war in the Pacific.

In one stroke, the Japanese navy scored a brilliant success—and assured their ultimate defeat.

The Japanese attack brought the U.S. into the war on December 8—and brought it in the war determined to fight to the finish.

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FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT’S

Speech to the U.S. Congress on December 8th, 1941 (as delivered)

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, of the House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The People of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the People when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our People - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941 a state of War has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

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Thankyou To All Our Armed Forces - Not At Home

Stay safe and come home soon!

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God save our Military…

Senate Passes $631B Defense Bill

WASHINGTON — The Senate overwhelmingly approved a sweeping, $631 billion defense bill Tuesday that sends a clear signal to President Barack Obama to move quickly to get U.S. combat troops out of Afghanistan, tightens sanctions on Iran and limits the president’s authority in handling terror suspects.

Ignoring a veto threat, the Senate voted 98-0 for the legislation that authorizes money for weapons, aircraft and ships and provides a 1.7 percent pay raise for military personnel. After a decade of increasing Pentagon budgets, the vote came against the backdrop of significant reductions in projected military spending and the threat of deeper cuts from the looming “fiscal cliff” of automatic spending cuts and tax increases.

The bill provides:

…the Pentagon to report to Congress on the ability of the U.S. military to impose a no-fly zone over Syria.

“If military action has to be taken to prevent sarin gas to be used, Congress has to be involved,” McCain said.

…The administration has threatened to veto the Senate bill, strongly objecting to a provision restricting the president’s authority to transfer terror suspects from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to foreign countries. The provision is in current law.

… the government may not detain a U.S. citizen or legal resident indefinitely without charge or trial even if there is a declaration of war or the authorization to use military force.

…stringent new sanctions on Iran’s energy and shipping sectors in a fresh attempt to hobble the Islamic Republic’s economy and hamper its nuclear ambitions.

…close a major loophole — the ability of Iran to circumvent sanctions and barter oil for precious metals. Turkey has been bartering gold for oil.

Read more…

So now, the House and Senate have to reconcile their respective defense bills and then Dear Leader will veto it and do what he damn well pleases anyway.  He’s determined to bring America to her knees and that doesn’t allow for a strong Military or economy.  Plus, there’s that “kill list” thingie…

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Well, Webb did one good thing before his term ends:

Stolen Valor Law 2.0 Passes in Senate

A law designed to punish those who boast battlefield medals for heroics they never performed passed the Senate on Monday, marking the second bid by Congress to outlaw lying about war records.

The first so-called Stolen Valor Law was declared unconstitutional in June by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that lying about military service was protected speech.

This time around lawmakers have anchored the law on lying about awards and decorations for “tangible benefit or personal gain,” not strictly lying for the sake of lying. The bill was filed by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., a Vietnam combat veteran, shortly after the high court knocked down the original 2006 law.

Continue…

Hopefully, this will pass with no interference from the courts this time.  Freedom of speech, my a$$.  This is not what the First Amendment addresses.

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But…but…I thought Obama said Al Qaida is decimated…

Pentagon plans for multinational operation in Mali

US military planners have begun to help organize a multinational proxy force to intervene next year in Mali, the famine-stricken, coup-wracked African country that has become a magnet for Islamist extremists, US officials said Wednesday.

The international force would be led on the ground by several thousand Malian and West African troops but would receive extensive support from the Pentagon and the State Department, which would help train, equip and transport the troops, Obama administration officials said.

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Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Africa, called northern Mali “the largest territory controlled by Islamic extremists in the world.”

Other U.S. officials said al-Qaida’s North African affiliate, which for years attracted limited global attention, poses an increasing threat. The group has become well-stocked with weapons smuggled out of Libya after the NATO-led war there last year. It finances its operations by smuggling rackets and by kidnapping foreigners for ransom.

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Amanda Dory, the Pentagon’s deputy assistant secretary for Africa, said the U.S. military has been able to gather intelligence to help shape the international force to fight Islamist extremists in northern Mali.

“There’s plenty of other forms of information and intelligence that are circulating that give us enough insight for planning purposes,” she said in an interview Wednesday after testifying before the subcommittee. “You never have as much information as you want, but it’s been sufficient for planning purposes.”

Read more…

Well, that’s encouraging, isn’t it?  with all the talk about getting our Troops out of Afghanistan as early as possible ~ why not send what units will be left after all the cuts to another Hell Hole.  Libya and Egypt have worked out oh, so well…

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Head/Desk

Gates warns Assad: Don’t ‘underestimate’ Obama

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates cautioned Bashar Assad that President Obama would follow through on threats to punish the Syrian leader if he uses chemical weapons.

“One of the things about President Obama, he is very tough-minded,” said Gates, in an interview aired Wednesday on “CBS This Morning.”  “I think it would be a mistake, particularly on Bashar Assad’s part, to underestimate him.”

Tough-minded?  Only against Americans who believe in governing according to the Constitution.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also said using chemical weapons would be a clear “red line” inviting U.S. action.

Oh yeah, those red lines ~ for everyone but Israel.

But then, there’s this:

“When the president of the United States cocks the pistol, he better be ready to fire it,” said Gates.

Sounds more like a warning from Gates, which sort of dispels that “tough-minded” thing.  Benghazi, anyone?

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As do I…

Families want to know what happened in Benghazi

Obama administration not telling whole story, they say

The father of a former Navy SEAL killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, says he learned the details of his son’s bravery not from the Obama administration, but in an email from an American whose life was saved by his son.

Tyrone Woods, 41, was found “slumped over his machine gun, which was caked with blood,” Charles Woods, the former SEAL’s father, said during a telephone interview from his home in Hawaii.

“He had continued to fire until he had no blood left and was unable to fire anymore,” Mr. Woods said.

Read more…

This is a travesty.  But then, so is this administration.  I shudder to think of what can transpire over the next four years with this ego maniacal anti-American malefactor at the helm.

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Oh my…what’s a dictator to do?

Protesters reach palace; Morsi flees

CAIRO — Egypt’s Islamist president fled his palace by the back door Tuesday as riot police used clubs and tear gas to battle thousands of demonstrators protesting his seizure of broad powers that enabled him to push through a draft constitution.

Protesters proclaimed the march on the presidential residence in Cairo a “last warning” to President Mohammed Morsi. They shouted, “We want the downfall of the regime” and “leave, leave,” echoing chants used against authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in February 2011.

Observers feared for the stability of Egypt after more than 10 days of demonstrations by opponents and supporters of Mr. Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood government.

Read more…

There are some lessons to be learned here ~ hopefully we Americans will be paying attention.

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7 Reasons Socialism Will Make You Poorer Than Capitalism

Given what we know in 2012, saying that capitalism will make a society richer than socialism should be about as controversial as saying the earth is round, not flat. Yet, a recent Gallup poll shows that more liberals have a positive view of socialism than capitalism. This is only possible because there are so many perverse incentives that drive the promotion of socialism. If you’re a politician, socialism puts power in your hands while capitalism takes it away. If you want to use the government to control people’s lives, socialism is a wonderful vehicle to do just that while capitalism robs you of that opportunity. If you would rather live off the dole than to work or alternately, prefer to make money off “who you know” instead of “how good a service you provide,” again socialism works better for you. Now take into account the fact that there are no pure socialist or capitalist economies left and it becomes very easy to muddy the water and keep people from realizing the obvious economic superiority of capitalism.

1) Socialism benefits the few at the expense of the many:

Read it all.

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HOLDER’S CHIEF OF STAFF TO RESIGN AFTER CRITICAL FAST AND FURIOUS REPORT

Attorney General Eric Holder’s chief of staff, Gary Grindler, plans to resign his post at the Department of Justice on Wednesday. Grindler was directly involved in the Operation Fast and Furious scandal.

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At that time, Grindler was Holder’s Deputy Attorney General – the second-highest ranking Justice Department official. On Jan. 3, 2011 – after Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was killed, but before Fast and Furious was known to the public – Holder moved Grindler from the DAG spot over to become his chief of staff. Throughout the Fast and Furious scandal’s development up until this point, Grindler has remained in that spot.

Read the rest here.  It won’t make you feel much better ~ looks like Holder will slip through this one too.

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If you support Israel and want to know facts instead of the BS anti-Israel news reports, go to:

The Wall Of Truth/myths

Here you will find the facts that destroy the crap coming from the pro-Palestinian camp, giving you better ammo to fight the anti-semitic thugs out there.

Links and Videos

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Maybe, just maybe, if the Republican Party Leaders actually had studied our Constitution, they would be able to fight for our rights against the Socialists in the White House and Capitol.  But the reality is very few up there on the Hill give a damn what our Constitution says and the Republican Party leaders just held a great purge of conservatives from prominent committees.

Heritage.org New Common Sense

What the President Can’t Do With the Debt

As the federal government once again approaches the debt ceiling, partisans are pulling out the heavy artillery: Don’t bother negotiating with Republicans on taxes and spending, they tell the President, just declare the debt ceiling in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and ignore it.

As a matter of law, that gambit is just as wrongheaded as it was when this came up last year. As Heritage explained at the time:

Section four of the Fourteenth Amendment provides, “The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.”

This clause simply means that Congress and the President cannot question the validity of debt that is already incurred, but it in no way requires the nation to incur more debt. Even if it precludes temporary default—which is far from clear—it could not authorize the President to incur additional debt.

At most, this clause might require the federal government to prioritize debt payments on existing debt, but no one doubts there is enough tax revenue to cover service on existing debt—without incurring more debt. Besides, the President’s unilateral action to add new debt in violation of a debt limit would not be “authorized by law” and so would be the opposite of what the clause requires.

In addition, unilateral action by the President to take on additional debt would be a clear violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers. After all, the Constitution vests in Congress—and withholds from the Executive—the power to commit to spending, to raise revenue by enacting taxes, and to incur public debt. The Fourteenth Amendment did not alter this. Congressional control of borrowing, through the debt limit, and section four of the amendment are in unison, not tension.

The law here isn’t complicated, and, aside from a few rabid partisans, there’s not even much disagreement on this point. Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, a reliable liberal on most matters, concedes, “there is no plausible way to read this provision [Section 4 of the Fourteenth Amendment] as providing the president the ability to increase the debt ceiling without congressional action.”

Professor Larry Tribe, the constitutional litigator and treatise author who has regularly advised President Obama on matters of constitutional law, agrees, writing, “Nothing in the Fourteenth Amendment or in any other constitutional provision suggests that the president may usurp legislative power to prevent a violation of the Constitution,” including a default.

Add to that list of doubters our Constitutional-Law-Professor-in-Chief: Obama says the Fourteenth Amendment is not “a winning argument.” And the President’s spokesman admits, “There are no tricks, there is no citing of the Constitution that suddenly allow us to borrow.” (Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, too.)

More than bad law, disregarding the debt policy would be terrible policy. Perhaps the most risible preemptive justification comes from the Jamelle Bouie in The Washington Post, who cites “potential…damage to the economy” from another debt standoff as reason for the President to shrug off the debt limit. But any risk to the economy from a late-in-the-day debt deal would be counterbalanced, and then some, by the massive political, legal, and financial upheaval that would follow exercise of this nuclear option. Even among those who believe the debt-limit mechanism to be sometimes dysfunctional, does anyone really think that smashing it with a sledgehammer is somehow more responsible than just reaching a deal with Congress?

Tossing the text of the Constitution and centuries of constitutional practice by the wayside isn’t something to be done lightly, and surely not for something so ephemeral as strengthening the President’s “negotiating position” with Congress—which Bouie identifies as his chief object. And judging by their rhetoric—Members of Congress who seek to cut spending are “hostage takers” and worse—others in the smasher camp seem to share his focus on short-term political dividends, while paying little mind to the consequences.

For the sake of our Constitution and our finances, may cooler heads prevail.

As the old saying goes, ‘Knowledge is Power” but too few of our elected officials seem to have any knowledge.  They just do what they damn well please to hold onto power.

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Please go to the link below and share with everyone:

Some Peace On Earth

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG:

“Some Peace On Earth” was inspired by Jim Varhegyi’s photos of the “Wreaths In the Snow” at Arlington National Cemetery that went viral on the internet in 2007. Music publisher, Justin Wilde was so moved by the photos, he believed there should be an accompanying song, so he asked two of his best writers to come up with one. It took nine months, but it was worth the wait. Phillip Keveren’s lush melody and Steve Hostetler poignant lyric blended perfectly to create this patriotic holiday anthem which pays tribute to the United States military, and especially for those who died serving our country. Marshall Hall was asked to record the vocal. The end result was so moving and inspirational, Justin subsequently decided to produce and direct this video which chronicles the heroic sacrifices made by the men and woman of our armed forces over the last century.

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Wreaths Across America

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(h/t IOTW)

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Been called worse in my day.  Hell, apparently I’ve been a “racist” for the past 4 years.  I’m sure I’ve said “Chicago“, “apartment“, “anger” or “incompetent”  at least a few times during that time.

Anyway, let’s get back to “Islamophobia”.

Ha Ha Islamophobia ~ Pat Condell

(h/t Winds Of Jihad ~ which prompted this post)

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Hamas Minister Fathi Hammad Vows to “Liberate” Cities in Israel

Published on Jun 25, 2012 by MEMRITVVideos

Did you hear anything about this on our illustrious State propaganda machine?

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A bit long but definitely worth the time as a former lib tells of his discovering the truth about “islamophobia”.

Eric Allen Bell - “#Islamophobia or Islamo-Reality?”

Published on Oct 1, 2012 by Eric Allen Bell

Eric Allen Bell discusses his conversion from Liberal documentary filmmaker, out to “expose Islamophobia” to committed Counter Jihadist, fighting Political Islam. Find out what happened, why the media doesn’t get it and how to talk about the threat of Political Islam with others. Go to: http://www.EricAllenBell.com

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The “Mosque Confidential” Project

An estimated 80% of mosques in America are receiving some kind of support from foreign sources which are hostile to America.  That can include the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hezbollah or worse.

Also, since 9/11, the amount of new mosque construction has nearly doubled.  The Muslim populaiton has not doubled - in fact nowhere even close.  So why is this?  The history of 1,4000 years of Islamic conquest tells us the answer.  These are victory mosques.  We were attacked on 9/11 by Political Islam and now this brutal totalitarian political ideology is claiming victory.  And they are doing so without the mainstream media holding them accountable.

So I created Mosque Confidential.  Check it out here:  www.MosqueConfidential.com

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American Infidel - by Eric Allen Bell - Originally published by Front Page Magazine, Here I offer some new ideas on how to use media to convey our message more effectively.  ”The free world is still being infiltrated slowly, stealthily – death by a thousand cuts.  Under the guise of being “offended” and taking on the “victim” narrative, Islam inserts itself into every opening, every crack in our armor – the UN, European Sharia courts, American schools.  Like a thief in the night it slips in, slowly changing the character of America to suit its long-range objectives – to impose its designs on a civilization of distracted infidels.  And it’s working”.  The following link takes you to the blog on my Counter Jihad mulit-media site, Global Infidel TV, published on 10/26/2012

http://www.globalinfidel.tv/profiles/blogs/american-infidel-by-eric-allen-bell

See more articles by Eric Allen Bell here.

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And because I can.  Well, at least for now…:

My allah is better than yours!

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Bill Whittle is one of my favorites.  He explains reality in a totally concise and understandable way every time.

This talk is from last year but it’s worth watching again:

Bill Whittle Explains our Progressive Nightmare - Part 1

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Bill Whittle Explains the Conservative Solution - Part 2

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Bill Whittle Sticks Around for an Awesome Q & A - Part 3

For some reason the embed feature is disabled on the 2nd and 3rd videos, so just click on the links above.

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