Arnold Ahlert

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.

The ‘Free Obama Phone Lady’ Video Goes Viral

Last week the video of the so-called "free phone lady" went viral. "Everybody in Cleveland know (sic) minority got Obama phone," the woman in the video contended. "Keep Obama in (sic) president, you know? He gave us a phone. He gonna do more." The concept of "going viral" refers to the idea that something people see or hear strikes them in such a visceral way, they feel almost compelled to share it with others. So what struck a national nerve here? Before proceeding, it should be noted that the comment section that usually accompanies YouTube videos has been disabled for this one.

The Lovers’ Quarrel Between CNN and the State Department

It's not often one gets the pleasure of seeing two detestable and duplicitous entities square off against each other. Thus it was more than enjoyable watching that nest of vipers known as the U.S. State Department square off their fellow vipers at CNN. It seems the network obtained the personal journal of slain Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, and used it to broadcast news reports based on it contents, despite requests by Stevens' family that they not do so. CNN's rationale? "CNN did not initially report on the existence of a journal out of respect for the family, but we felt there were issues raised in the journal which required full reporting, which we did," the network said in a statement.

What Does A Police State Look Like?

So, what does a police state look like? A police state is place where massive amounts of government corruption and/or incompetence are covered up by an equally corrupt and/or incompetent media. It is a place where a film-maker's first amendment rights are secondary to the sensibilities of murderous mobs "offended" by that film.

Democrats And Their Dictatorial Impulses

It's not often that I consider a topic so serious that it must be re-visited in a second column almost immediately following an initial one on the subject. But if there was a more defining moment of what the Democrat party has become than the "vote" to insert God and Jerusalem back into the party's platform, I cannot think of it.

Hurricane Hypocrisy

"No one can forget the iconic picture of President George Bush flying on Air Force one..looking down at New Orleans during Katrina," gushed NBC's Andrea Mitchell just before the beginning of the Republican convention. Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005. Bush flew over the city two days later. Hurricane Issac also hit Louisiana on August 29th. Thus a question for Andrea and her pals: Will you "remember" that the current president didn't even bother to fly over, much less visit Louisiana until September 3rd? And will you tell the American people he had no plans to do so until Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney visited the flood-ravaged areas of that state last Friday and forced his hand?

Israeli Military Absolved in the Death of Activist Rachel Corrie

On Tuesday, the Haifa District Court rejected the long-promoted allegations that the state of Israel was at fault for the crushing of pro-Palestinian "peace" activist Rachel Corrie. The civil verdict in this case mirrors the conclusion reached by an Israeli military investigation that had previously cleared the army of any wrong-doing in the matter. Judge Oded Garson characterized Corrie's death as a "regrettable accident," and deemed that the state was not responsible because it occurred during a wartime situation. "I reject the suit," said Garson. "There is no justification to demand the state pay any damages." The lawsuit had been filed by Corrie's parents, Craig and Cindy.

Releasing Taliban Commanders From Gitmo

As I have noted on more than one occasion, progressive ideology is bankrupt, primarily because it is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature as it exists, as opposed to how progressives would like it to be. That being said, if progressives were content to delude themselves and only themselves, I could leave them alone to stew in their own ideological juices.

PC Kills American troops: More than 100 unarmed already murdered by Muslim ‘friends’

As I said in a previous column, one could be forgiven for believing that political correctness is only one step removed from insanity. Unfortunately, as the latest report from Afghanistan reveals, it can also be deadly.

The PC Insanity Surrounding the Nidal Hasan Trial

One could be forgiven for thinking that political correctness is only one step away from complete insanity. Last Friday, a military appeals court halted the murder case against Maj. Nidal Hasan indefinitely. Why? Because Hasan refuses to shave a beard he grew beginning in June to express his allegiance to Islamo-fascism.

Dems Believe Nothing Beats Something

By now there is no doubt many Americans have experienced an all-too-familiar scenario at the checkout counter of innumerable businesses around the nation. In short, the last two generations of Americans "educated" in our public school system are utterly incapable of doing basic math equations in their collective heads.

Republicans Roll Over on Debate Moderators

Either Mitt Romney and the Republican party doesn't get it about the media, or they're just plain stupid. Yesterday, the moderators for the presidential debates were announced. PBS's Jim Lehrer gets the first presidential debate on October 3rd in Denver, CO. Next up is CNN's Candy Crowley in Hempstead, NY, on October 16th. Last and not least, CBS's Bob Schieffer moderates the final debate on October 22nd in Boca Raton, FL. ABC's Martha Raddatz moderates the one VP debate on October 11th in Danville, KY.

Harry the Weasel

To paraphrase an old saying, if you're going to accuse someone else of being a weasel, it's probably not a good idea if you're a major weasel yourself. Senator Harry Reid called attention to himself last week, accusing Mitt Romney of not having paid taxes for 10 years. The basis of his allegations? Depending on the day of the week, it was one person: "As I said before, I was told by an extremely credible source that Romney has not paid taxes for ten years...," or more than one: "I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination," Reid said in a telephone call with Nevada reporters. "I have had a number of people tell me that." Asked to elaborate, Reid declined. "No, that's the best you're going to get from me," he said.

Stupidity Sold As Common Sense

For me, there's nothing quite like an ideological argument whose final destination brings us to terminal stupidity sold as common sense. Two of my personal favorites are playing themselves out right now, one courtesy of the atrocity in Colorado, the other courtesy of the 2012 election.

Obama’s “You Didn’t Build That” Was No Gaffe

I'm beginning to wonder if the those who write about politics for a living have been worn down to the point where they can't see something, even if it's as blatantly obvious as the Hollywood sign perched high above L.A.

LIBOR: Another Symptom of the Same Disease

There's an old saying that has become more apropos than ever in these turbulent times: the greatest danger to capitalism is capitalists. Not genuine free-market capitalists. The crony capitalists, as in the cockroaches who have infested the system with a corrupt level of self-interest that is exacerbated by an ethics-free worldview.