Jay's Summer Reading List

Since we're past mid-summer now, I thought I'd share my summer reading list and some recommendations of books.

With the important 2010 election coming up, my focus has been on current events, as it often is.  Right now, I am reading Andrew McCarthy's "The Grand Jihad."  It is a highly important book which explains the goals, desires, and methodologies of Islamists, and the American Left's (un)witting alliance with them.  MUST reading for anyone who doubts the reality of the Global Jihad.

I completed Dick Morris's "2010: Take Back America: A Battle Plan."  Ok, Dick Morris is the most shamelessly self-promoting pundit, author, political hack out there.  Still proud of his work with Bill Clinton, Morris has come back to his roots pushing conservative causes, and his book is full of facts, figures, and debating points.  If you care about what happens in this election, this would be a useful resource.

Also recently completed, Zev Chavets' biography of Rush Limbaugh, "Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One."  It's a very fair (to a conservative) portrait of Limbaugh, and Chavets clearly "gets" Limbaugh, which most members of the media do not.  If you're a Limbaugh fan, you'll find it interesting.  If you are willing to to really learn what makes Limbaugh tick and effective, you'll likewise find it interesting.  If you're just a left-wing mouthpiece and fan of Keith Olbermann, well, save your money, and go back to watching those infomercials that run after Maddow and Olbermann and Matthews have regaled you and your 5 other pals on MSNBC.

On CD, I am reading "Twelve Ordinary Men" by John MacArthur.  It's a walk through the seeming ordinariness of Jesus's 12 closest disciples, and how they were really just ordinary men, who later accomplished extraordinary things.  Not just a great walk through the New Testament, but also a treatise on leadership.

So, that's what I have completed this summer.  Since we're talking books, what have these taken me from - well, my life goal is to complete the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.  Great books and two wonderful characters crafted by O'Brian.

I admit, I haven't read or seen "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis, but, I have read "Liar's Poker" and "Moneyball."  If you haven't read those seminal works by Lewis, you should.

Finally, for this post, I have a trio of what I consider classic must reads for your consideration, JD Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" should be read by every male, preferably in the 16-20 year age group.  An American classic.  And, who wants to say they grew up and didn't read it.

An eclectic offering would be "A Confederacy Of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole.  This is a college age book, and again, one most college-age American males should make themselves familiar with.

While I am no Objectivist, Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" is just as relevant now as it was when it was an anti-Communist manifesto.  Read it.  And then, re-read it.

I write like - Arthur Clarke...

Check out this web site to analyze your writing style.  I'm proud to say I enjoyed Arthur Clarke as a kid.

I write like
Arthur Clarke

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Of course, I posted another blog post into this tool, and it came out David Foster Wallace.  Who?

Submarine News! Comms at Speed and Depth Project Proceeding Apace

In the ongoing effort to make communications with submarines easer - and to provide two way, submerged comms with subs, the Comms at Speed and Depth project passed a Critical Design Review milestone this week.

The Holy Grail of submarine operations gets ever closer...

Rivers of blood promised by Islamist cleric

Via Weasel Zippers comes this promise from British Islamist cleric Anjem Choudary, in response to Britain's Top Gear host, Jeremy Clarkson joking that Muslim women wear "g-strings" and "stockings" under their burkhas.

Of more interest to those of you who don't think Islamists are willing to force sharia law on the world is Choudary's statement that he "believes that one day Britain, and indeed every part of the world, will be governed by and under the authority of the Muslims implementing Islamic Law. And it will happen. It may come peacefully. But it may come through a holy war that will see rivers of blood on the streets."

Finally, in the kind of statement that doesn't draw any comment from the hate-speech-hating Left, Choudary further opined, “I would urge Clarkson to make a full and public apology to those he has mistakenly offended. Otherwise his safety could be at risk.”

Religion of peace, baby.

Immigration Law Blocked

Excerpts from this week's Patriot Post Digest on the Arizona decision:

Clinton-appointed District Court Judge Susan Bolton blocked most of Arizona's immigration law this week, ruling that it would "impermissibly burden federal resources." In other words, enforcing federal law is a violation of federal law. The next step for Arizona is an appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

Bolton blocked the primary provisions of the law -- including those requiring state law enforcement officials to check immigration status when other legitimate contact occurs, as well as the requirement that foreigners carry their papers at all times (federal law already requires this). On the other hand, 12 provisions, including some on human smuggling and transporting illegals, were left intact. All told, though, her ruling went even further than the DoJ had hoped.

 

The Department of Homeland Security is bound by federal law to "respond to an inquiry by a federal, state, or local government agency, seeking to verify or ascertain the citizenship or immigration status ... for any purpose authorized by law, by providing the requested verification or status information." Yet Bolton wrote, "An increase in the number of requests for determinations of immigration ... will divert resources from the federal government's other responsibilities and priorities." Or as National Review put it, "she accepts Justice's implicit argument that it's not the letter of the federal law that matters, but what parts of the law the executive decides to enforce."

 

NR concludes:

The bottom line is that Arizona wants to enforce the law against illegal aliens. It wants them to be cognizant of the fact that the state is serious about the law, and therefore to conclude that it's best to leave or not come in the first place. Arizona did not deem these people illegal aliens. The federal government did, in laws passed by Congress and signed by the president of the United States. Arizona thinks those laws mean something. If the Justice Department's suit -- and Judge Bolton's line of argument -- prevails, then we'll know that they don't. The real law of the land will be our current, de facto amnesty, imposed by executive whim.

White House admits: Criminals need their unemployment checks, too!

I love this administration.

I mean seriously LOVE them.  They are completely incompetent.

On the same day they were sacking Shirley Sherrod, Bam Bam was pushing the need to extend unemployment benefits and using this criminal, Leslie Macko, who was probably sacked due to her prescription drug abuse and theft charges as the poster girl for extending these benefits.

Does Bam know that Al Qaeda is not making any effort to whack him?  They do no vetting of the party crashers, and now they have a convicted criminal front and center on extending unemployment benefits.I mean, come on, has there been a job not saved over in the White House vetting office???

I guess it's fitting that the figure the Left trots out as an example of why we need to extend unemployment benefits yet again is a convicted pill-poppin' mama.

From D.C. Suburbia to Al-Shabab

Just another kid trying to find his way. Finding it as an Islamist.

From D.C. Suburbia to Al-Shabab

Islamists: We Must Resist Them

Recently, I have been reading Andrew McCarthy's excellent book, The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America.

If you're looking for a primer on how the Islamists intend to spread the global caliphate, and how the Left (unwittingly or wittingly) abets them, pick this highly important work up and read it.  Now.

I'll be posting more and more on this subject, as I think it is the single most important thing the West faces.  I'll put it to your bluntly, the Islamists want nothing short than the implementation of their Sharia law across the globe.

Period.  If you think that's ok, you don't know what you're asking for.

I have a colleague who studies Islam and the quest for Jihad.  I'll be using his recommendations liberally.

For now, start with McCarthy's book, and this short video:

Actual Sub News! Memphis to decom, DESI Sub in Norfolk, Ice Pack Study

So, I don't often post too much sub news these days, being pretty much all politics, but, I decided to break the pattern this week.  To wit,

• The Bulgarian navy is shuttering its submarine force.  This picture tells you why.

• The Navy released its list of inactivations for the next year.  On it is the USS Memphis (SSN-691).  Another sub bites the dust in March. A handful of FF's get inactivated and the fate of the USS Nassau is also to be determined. In good news, the USS Missouri (SSN 780) arrived this week in New London for her commissioning next week.She'll be Virginia class number 7.
• The Peruvian sub BAP Angamos (SS31) arrived at Norfolk this week.  She's part of the Diesel-Electric Submarine Initiative (DESI) which provides diesel submarines in support of fleet exercises.  In this case, she'll be playing bad guy in the Kearsarge's COMPTUEX.  Some lucky U.S. submarine officer will get to ride her and see how they do it.  Video below:

• In an "ugh" moment for me, the submarine force continues playing its part in the Navy's sell-out to environmentalists by resuming the SCICEX program which was put on ice in 2005.
• In case you missed it, the Russians latest SSBN, the Yuri Dolgoruky, returned home from sea trials.  According to the Russians, in addition to missiles that don't work (the Bulava, remember that one?), "There are issues that need to be worked out" before she goes on her next set of trials.

Shirley Sherrod, from hero to hypocrite in 24 hours

Stuck, as I was, in the Atlanta airport for a few hours yesterday, I got to watch Shirley Sherrod, over and over (on CNN) start the racial healing by claiming that Anthony Brietbart wants to take us back to slave times.

Breitbart is guilty certainly of sloppiness, but, instead of standing above this and taking a higher ground, Ms. Sherrod has decided to show her decidely Liberal colors and while she's forgiven Brack Obama and Tom Vilsack (the ones who really screwed her), she has forgiven them, but in a fine act of (un)Christian charity, she has decided Breitbart deserves no apology (maybe it's because he's Jewish? Perhaps, while not racist, Ms. Sherrod is an anti-Semite??).

Anyway, Powerline, has their take: Shirley Sherrod, behaving badly:

"The conventional wisdom on the Shirley Sherrod story is, I think, that everyone (Brietbart, the NAACP, and the Obama administration) behaved badly. I think it's more accurate to say that these players acted less carefully than they should have.

Who actually behaved badly? I think the NAACP members who got such a kick out of Ms. Sherrod's account of discriminating (initially at least) against a white farmer behaved badly.

And now, Sherrod herself is behaving badly. In the clip below, she claims that Andrew Breitbart wants 'to get us ['all black people'] stuck back in the times of slavery.'

Sherrod claims to have transcended racism. Maybe so. Her attack on Breitbart is not necessary motivated by his race. But by making unfounded and absurd charges of racism against Breitbart, Sherrod show she has not transcended racial irresponsibility."

Iranian Minisub Production Ramps Up

The Iranians are set to launch a new class of submarines, the Ghadir class. It's really just more of the minisubs the Iranians are building domestically (pics).  Similar to North Korea's minisubs.

Scared yet?

Misleading headlines and the end of Newport News Shipbuilding?

Newspapers just can't  be trusted.

Even such an innocuous thing as the potential sale by Northrop-Grumman of their shipbuilding arm is subject to sensational headline writing.  In the New London Day, the headline is "EB's partner for submarine construction may leave shipbuilding business."

The reality is that NG is either going to sell or spin-off NGNN.  Not quite the same, and it certainly does not mean the end of the NGNN-EB partnership.

Palin endorses Karen Handel in GA GOP primary for governor

Via her Facebook page, Sarah Palin endorsed former Fulton County Commission Chair and current Secretary of State, Karen Handel for the GOP nomination for governor. Handel has already secured the endorsement of Arizona governor Jan Brewer, and their stance on immigration is the same (I'd expect a Handel admin to pass a law similar to Arizona's here).

Handel's a movement conservative, but, while she's likely to get into the expected run-off, she faces a challenger (Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine) who has more money and name recognition, and who is making repeal of the state income tax an issue - to compete with Tennessee and Florida - neighbors without them.  On most other issues, the two are indistinguishable, but, I bet a Handel administration would provide more interesting quotes than the bland Oxendine.  Plus, she regularly appears on The Regular Guys radio show, so, she's got a sense of humour.

Andrew Napolitano: Indict Bush and Cheney

I must admit that I was taken aback by Judge Andrew Napolitano's assertion  in this interview and in his book, "Lies the Government Told You" that "They [George W Bush and Dick Cheney] should have been indicted. They absolutely should have been indicted for torturing, for spying, for arresting without warrants."  By the way, Napolitano asserts these same things are going on today in the Bam admin.  So, all the blood's not just on Bush/Cheney's hands.

Now, Judge Napolitano is a lawyer, and his opinions are sort of what I would expect from a lawyer, but, more so, from someone concerned about civil liberties and a powerful government determined to take them away from you.

As conservatives, we should not whitewash potential crimes committed by the Bush administration just because they were committed in the exercise of the Global War on Terror.  Just as an all powerful government running GM, the health care industry and banks should scare us, so should a government willing to deny some Americans civil liberties, even in a time of war.  In this case, the liberals and Judge Napolitano are right.  At least Judge Napolitano comes by his reasoning honestly (as opposed to politically in the libs case).

I believe his larger point is one we should all consider carefully, how comfortable are you with a government that ask you to "Trust us" to do the right thing?

Video of segment below. Entire C-SPAN interview here.

Bam admin today. Why it's ALL political at the Obama White House

Today, the Obama White House demonstrated why it is driven by nothing but crass partisan politics.

To wit:

1. Bibi's visit to the White House.  Despite this administration being openly anti-semitic, and clearly anti-Israel, Obama today attempted to shore up the traditionally Democrat Jewish vote by cozying up to Israel and Netanyahu.  I can't wait until Bibi's out of power and writes a book about his impressions of American leader, since his career has spanned several.  Let's find out just how stupid American Jews are (or, how it's just the right-wing nuts who care about Israel) and whether they return to the fold and vote Dem in November, stay away, or turn to Republicans, who are actually concerned with the future of Israel and the sole functioning (functioning!) democracy in the Middle East.
2. The attack on Arizona and filing suit against SB1070.  The administration and Obama himself have done nothing but attack this bill on civil rights grounds for weeks.  Today, they issued a schizophrenic lawsuit that simultaneously claims the bill makes it both more difficult and easier for the Feds to enforce immigration laws, therefore, it's unconstitutional.  Prognosis of victory for Feds:  Poor.  Interestingly, no civil rights arguments being made.  Theory there is the Feds are waiting for some dumb Arizona cop to actually violate someone's civil rights so they can have a plaintiff.  Of course, this is all about Hispanic votes.  Pure and simple.
3. NASA outreach to Muslims. For every thinking American male of my age, NASA and space exploration had a special place in our hearts.  With the end of manned space flight nearing, NASA is now reduced to hopping rides with the Russians and making Muslims feel good about themselves.  Look, this agency ceased being well managed in December 1972.  Maybe we should just close the whole damn thing down, with our NASA Administrator forced to kiss a bunch of asses to get anything done.  Or, perhaps this is a massive, well-coordinated PR effort to distract attention from the 1000's of lay-offs announced today due to Bam admin space policy.

As Charles Krauthammer said about this today, "You can't make this up."

Left loves radical Islam, but hates fat. What will they do????

How will the left rationalize their love of Radical Islam with their hatred of high-fat, high-cholesterol, and tasty foods, when they find out that the burka may be making Muslim women fatter by discouraging exercise????

H/T to Weasel Zippers.

Write an anti-Obama protest song, get death threats. The tolerance of the Left.

From Gateway Pundit, we learn a little bit about beauty Ash Soular, who recorded “Obamanation” in 2008 as a protest song. She warned Americans about slick media sensation Barack Obama.

The upside was that she got over 4,000,000 hits on the song she posted on YouTube. The downside was that she was harassed and received death threats for posting the song on YouTube.

Ash told her story recently in Las Cruces, New Mexico.



This is what Ash Soular wrote about her YouTube hit “Obamanation”:

I wanted to express how I felt about this past election, but I’m not very good at writing political blogs or particularly fond of debating. So I figured, how better to express my opinion than to write a song.
** To elaborate: This song is about how we’ve forgotten the importance of our leaders’ character. The expression, “Obamanation”, (a play on words, yes) is also meant to symbolize a reality where people vote for politicians based upon charisma, instead of the content of their character.
It’s describing a situation where we are blinded by those whose main goal is to spend more of our tax money while ignoring our values.
It reminds us that the change THEY want may not be the change that YOU want. Let them know whose change matters. **

If you’ve never heard Obamanation Ash jams on the electric guitar halfway during the song.

The lyrics written in 2008 are prophetic:



“I don’t want your change.”