Arnold Ahlert

China Weaponizes Cyberspace

A damning, 60-page report released by American computer security firm Mandiant reveals that a 12-story building on the outskirts of Shanghai is most likely the epicenter of ongoing cyber attacks perpetrated against a number of American corporations and government agencies, as well as entities such as power grids, gas lines and water works. The building, located in a run-down section of the city, is the headquarters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Unit 61398. A 2010 report by Mandiant questioned whether the Chinese government was directly involved in such hacking. No longer. "The details we have analyzed during hundreds of investigations convince us that the groups conducting these activities are based primarily in China and that the Chinese Government is aware of them," the report states.A damning, 60-page report released by American computer security firm Mandiant reveals that a 12-story building on the outskirts of Shanghai is most likely the epicenter of ongoing cyber attacks perpetrated against a number of American corporations and government agencies, as well as entities such as power grids, gas lines and water works. The building, located in a run-down section of the city, is the headquarters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Unit 61398. A 2010 report by Mandiant questioned whether the Chinese government was directly involved in such hacking. No longer. "The details we have analyzed during hundreds of investigations convince us that the groups conducting these activities are based primarily in China and that the Chinese Government is aware of them," the report states.

Sequester Hysteria

Obama administration and Democrat hysterics are once again out in force. Coordinating with their media propaganda pushers, they are attempting to convince the American public that "sequestration," as in the mandatory spending cuts engendered by the budget ceiling debacle of 2011, amount to nothing less than economic Armageddon.

Hagel Derailed —– For Now

Defying a furious White House and Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans successfully filibustered Chuck Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense. The tally was 58-40, with one “present” vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) switched his vote from “yes” to “no,” a procedural move that allows him to revisit Hagel’s nomination after the Senate recess. The move was historic, in that a Cabinet Secretary has never been successfully filibustered before. Republicans claimed they will allow an up-or-down vote on Hagel only after they get more information about the debacle in Benghazi. For the moment, Obama’s dangerous foreign policy agenda, personified by the Hagel nomination, has been slowed. But it will not be for long.

Obama Continues Radical Social Engineering of the Military

The progressive revamping of the military has gotten another boost. Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has offered an array of new benefits to the same-sex partners of service members, both active and retired, whether they are married or not. They include child care services, member-designated hospital visits, and the issuance of military ID cards to same-sex partners, granting them access to on-base commissaries, movie theaters and gyms.

Minority Students in Chicago: Hostages of the Democratic Party

In 2009, the Chicago Public School system (CPS) was rocked by a grade inflation scandal. A Chicago Sun-Times report revealed that one-fifth of the CPS teachers felt "pressured" to change grades. "There's definitely a sense of, 'We've gotta move these kids through.' Even though they're not even close to grade level," said English teacher Caitlin Ring at the time. Apparently no one learned their lesson. In 2010, led by Hyde Park Academy High, a number of schools in Chicago changed the grades of thousands of students once again. NBC Chicago speculated the moves were made to avoid another round of controversial closures of failing schools similar to those that occurred in 2010. Such failure is endemic to the CPS--and once again, it is black and Hispanic students who overwhelmingly suffer the consequences of another failing Democrat-run, major metropolitan school system.

Obama’s Middle East: Iranian Arms Flow to Syria Via Iraq

In early September, U.S. officials revealed they had been asking Iraq about the flights, with then-Senator John Kerry threatening a review of U.S. aid to Iraq if the flights were not stopped.

Obama Administration Offers Direct Talks with Iran

On Saturday, the Obama administration's efforts to maintain the fantasy that diplomatic efforts will get Iran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons was again on display for all the world to see, courtesy of Vice President Joe Biden. During a speech at the Munich Security Conference, Biden contended that the United States "would be prepared to meet bilaterally with the Iranian leadership." "There has to be an agenda that they are prepared to speak to," Biden added. "We are not just prepared to do it for the exercise." The Iranians, meanwhile, are hailing the new approach the Obama administration is taking with Tehran and are no doubt looking forward to the extra time it will afford them to continue on the trajectory of their nuclear weapons program.

Israel Threatened by Syria and Iran

The presumed Israeli airstrike within Syrian territory on Wednesday has elicited threats of retaliation from both Syria and Iran. Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, quoted at al-Ahd, a Hezbollah-run news website, contended that his nation could make “a surprise decision to respond to the aggression of the Israeli warplanes,” adding that ”Syria is engaged in defending its sovereignty and its land.” In Iran, a deputy foreign minister was quoted by English-language Press TV as saying the “strike on Syria will have serious consequences for Tel Aviv.” He did not elaborate.

Detroit Public Schools: Bankrupting Minority Students’ Futures

Editor's note: The following is the second in a series of FrontPage articles that will unmask the racial injustice of Democrat-controlled education by examining some of the nation's worst (and biggest spending) school districts. To read about the Washington, DC public school system, click here. In 2009, when the Detroit Public School (DPS) system was facing bankruptcy engendered by huge operating deficits and widespread corruption, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan characterized it as a "national disgrace." The disgrace, unfortunately, is much more than meets the eye: For all of the bankrupting spending, the school system's educational results for the 88 percent black student population remain abysmal. And yet the DPS is but a microcosm of the silent scandal haunting the Left, which controls the district and countless others across the nation in precisely the same circumstances. Throughout America, minority students find themselves conscripted into these institutions of misery, while the architects of their prisons remain accountable to no one.

Stonewalling Benghazi Into Irrelevancy

Last week, the dwindling number of Americans who believe this administration owes them an honest explanation regarding the murders of ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi were likely expecting that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton might be forced to shed some light on the issue. What they got instead was a well-rehearsed theatrical presentation, complete with tears, anger and self-righteous indignation.

The New Normal of Rampant Dim-Bulbism

So I'm reading the Peggy Noonan, George Will and other conservative writers pitching the idea that Obama and the rest of his Marxist/socialist bunch have overplayed their hands, and it's just a matter of time until conservatism comes roaring back. Snap out of it, guys. Exhibits A, B, and C, aka the three biggest news stories that have captured the attention of the American electorate over the past three weeks, reveals the truth.

The Center for Military Readiness reveals the destructive agenda behind putting women in combat

Center for Military Readiness (CMR) president Elaine Donnelly continues to challenge outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's elimination of the ban against women serving in combat.

Changing Demographics? More Like Enduring Ignorance

Ever since the election, introspective Republicans, gloating Democrats and a largely corrupt media have offered innumerable suggestions regarding how the GOP can "reconstitute," "re-brand" or "re-invent" itself to attract more Americans. The party must become more diverse, more inclusive, more compassionate and/or more modern. Some of these arguments might have merit, but in reality there is only one thing Republicans must fully embrace: genuine conservatism, for two simple reasons. One, anything less makes them Democrat-lite, and voters will invariably prefer the real thing; and two, embracing conservatism is critical for the nation's survival. That survival depends on conservatives first acknowledging, and then waging all-out war, on three critical fronts. Until that occurs, conservatives are doomed to irrelevancy.

The Israel/Hamas Endgame: An ‘Acceptable’ Number of Missile

There was a political cartoon published a few years ago that neatly summed up the expectations of the so-called International Community with respect to Islamic terror. It showed two prize fighters and a referee. One of the fighters represented the United States, and the other represented al-Qaeda.

Enduring Ignorance, Part 2

Last week I apparently hit a nerve when I suggested that Republicans simply vote "present" on every initiative Democrats undertake in Congress. The response to that column was both overwhelming — and overwhelmingly positive. Yet there was a bit of confusion expressed by some people that I'd like to clear up. I'd also like to give conservatives a far more upbeat assessment of where we go from here.

Changing Demographics? More Like Enduring Ignorance

By now, you've heard from most of the chattering classes as to why Democrats in general, and Barack Obama in particular, did so well on election night. You've heard about changing demographics, an opportune storm, media malfeasance, etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseam.

Benghazi Lies: A Free Nation Hangs in the Balance

I'm going to keep repeating the message until it reaches critical mass. This is the opening paragraph of a story released today by Yahoo News: "The Pentagon defended its decision not to deploy forces to Benghazi, Libya, as soon as the U.S. mission came under attack on September 11th, saying it would have been irresponsible to put forces in harm's way without better information."

A Drone over Benghazi

Over the weekend, another element of Benghazi fiasco was revealed to a public that has been forced to sift through several disparate narratives to get to the truth. The U.S. military had an unmanned Predator drone flying over the Benghazi consulate during the attack that claimed the life of ambassador Christopher Stevens, Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, and agent Sean Smith. That drone, as well as "other reconnaissance aircraft" seemingly observed what is now being characterized as the "final hours of the protracted battle." How protracted? It has now been revealed that the last two Americans weren't killed until more than six hours after the attack began.

Deadly Hubris Drives the Benghazi Narrative

While many things have been said about the Benghazi fiasco, it remains undeniable that above all else it is a testament to progressive hubris and the fundamental misunderstanding of human nature that such hubris produces. To be blunt, four Americans, including ambassador Christopher Stevens, were executed because the Obama administration is inhabited by people who continue to believe--against overwhelming evidence to the contrary--that 7th-century-minded brutes yearning to impose worldwide religious totalitarianism, are as amenable to reason and intellectual prodding as the people who populate faculty lounges on Ivy League campuses.

Shooting Down the 2nd Amendment, One Lawsuit At a Time

It was one of those little stories that most people miss, even more so when it is released during a heated presidential election. But it is one that is critically important because it represents an unprecedented power grab by the one profession that has arguably done more damage to America than any other. If Americans don't demand an end to this nonsense, we have no one to blame but ourselves. The details of the story are both simple and infuriating: a New York appeals court in has ruled that a former high school athlete shot in 2003 can sue--the companies that made and distributed the handgun used to shoot him.