So what does “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” have to do with our current president?

Everything. Because the form of statism that he wants to impose on this nation is the statism that is bankrupting Europe. No matter how many New York Times columnists declare that Europe is better than the U.S. financially, or that European nations beat us in this statistic or other, the fact remains that the world is teetering on the brink of economic collapse due to the socialist state model. And for the record, every time someone points out that the infant mortality rate of the U.S. is much higher than that of Europe, remember that premature births have a lot to do with that statistic. And many European nations do not report premature births as births, thus lowering their infant mortality rates.

If Barack Obama gets a second term, this nation may never recover. This is a president who excoriated executive signing statements as a senator and candidate, and then pushed them to unconstitutional limits as a president. He has constantly complained that he has to work with Congress, or that he needs to “get around” a Congress that won’t work with him, even as he heads to the golf course for the 91st round of golf since he became president. He has been consolidating power in the presidency like no other that I can think of, and bemoaning that he doesn’t have enough power to do whatever he wants. Because he’s smarter than us, you see, and knows what’s best for this nation of soft people.

So what happens if we continue on this course? Well, in Norway, child services took away a couple’s children for hand-feeding them and letting them sleep in the bed with Mommy and Daddy. The children are one and three. You think that’s far-fetched? Here in the U.S., protective services took a child away from his parents because the child is obese.

TANSTAAFL. Or, as my father used to say: You get what you pay for. As long as the Republican candidate is not Ron Paul, I will be voting Republican this fall. Every one of you who thinks a Republican president will be worse than Obama could not be more wrong.

And now some links.

Duchess of York charged with a crime in Turkey for secretly videotaping child abuse in an orphanage

This is why the Jewish population of America isn’t growing the way it should be (and what an unfunny attempt at humor)

Yeah, sure. Iran doesn’t want nukes like I don’t want to be a successful author.

Looks like I was right to take all my 401k money out of European stock funds. More downgrades are coming.

Obama is cutting jobs, not just the budget: Say, those huge defense cuts that Obama wants to implement? Besides cutting the manpower in the Army and Marines, don’t forget that army bases will close, cutting even more jobs. Somehow, that part of the story isn’t being written by anyone. I’m all for cutting waste, and even for getting the U.S. Army presence out of Europe. But I think it’s foolish beyond words to cut the Armed Forces manpower down to the levels Obama wants. Jimmy Carter did that, and look what happened on his watch.

Oh, look. Another suicide bombing in Syria: Reallly finding it hard to sympathize in any way, what with knowing how many people the Dorktator is responsible for blowing to pieces over the years. I doubt this will be the last suicide bombing in Syria.

Food for the Ronulan conspiracy nuts: The IDF and the U.S. European Command are gearing up for a major missile defense drill–in Israel. It is my fondest hope for my nephew the Marine that he gets to take part in next year’s exercise. (And if he does, you Israeli blogger friends of mine had best hide your daughters, because he is young, smart, handsome, and a United States Marine. The girls adore him.)

And yet, they’re still going to be used as civilian shields by Hamas: Gazans held a disaster preparedness drill. See title.

So bizarre I don’t know what to think: It isn’t enough that someone created a Lego concentration camp. A museum bought it and will display it. Sorry, but the ick factor is far too high for me. And oh, who bought it? A Polish museum. Shyeah, the Poles are totally over their Jew hatred. Really. Truly.

Sure, cutting the budget for soldiers always works out well: Obama wants to cut half a million troops over next ten years as part of his idea for modernizing the U.S. Armed Forces. While I agree that we do need to make our air and naval forces cutting edge, I think it’s utterly absurd to drop the number of standing troops. Boots on the ground is what did the job in Iraq. There’s no substitute for it.

Islamists who put country before themselves? I’m not sure what to think of this. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood leadership refused Iran’s offer to make a deal with the Dorktator and join in against their countryment to prop up Assad. Since the Brotherhood is all about helping itself, I suspect they refused to deal because they know a losing situation when they see it. It’s curtains for Assad, I tell you. Curtains.

Apparently, he was kidnapped: Why any American would want to set foot in Iran is beyond me, but Robert Levinson was apparently kidnapped, and now, of course, a ransom is required.

What to do, what to do? Hamas’ Syrian sponsors are all tied up with that “Overthrow the Dorktator” thing, so Hamas is looking for new digs. Several newspapers have reported it, and the JCPA analyizes the situation. Ah, Hamas struggling to survive as it is now. I’m loving it. (The JCPA does great work; contribute a few bucks if you can. I use the Daily Alert for many of my posts.)

Congress to Obama: No, we’re not going to ease off on Iran. So The One talks really big, but when it comes down to brass tacks, the administration wanted to back off from targeting Iran’s Central Bank. Congress is saying no. And the AP says it’s all election-year politics to make their Israel bonafides look good. Gee. It can’t possibly be to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, could it? One hundred senators all voted in favor of tougher sanctions. Ron Paul doesn’t give a damn about Israel. Media bias much?

First, Leon Panetta, Obama’s Defense Secretary:

“I understand the view that this is not the time to pursue peace, and that the Arab awakening further imperils the dream of a safe and secure, Jewish and democratic Israel. But I disagree with that view,” Panetta said.

How nice of him to disagree that Israel needs to be worried about Jew-hating Islamists that are taking over Egypt and other nations in the Middle East.

Once again, we get the tired old saw that Israel needs to “take risks” for peace.

He said Israel needed to take risks, including by breathing new life into moribund peace talks with Palestinians. When asked by a moderator what steps Israel needed to take to pursue peace, Panetta said: “Just get to the damn table.”

“The problem right now is we can’t get them to the damn table, to at least sit down and begin to discuss their differences,” Panetta said.

Not a word about the Palestinian refusal to sit down with Israel. Not a word about Mahmoud Abbas needing to take risks, or at least, responsibility, for not negotiating with Israel since, oh, Barack Obama took office.

Panetta said that while Israel is not solely responsible for its isolation, it could more actively attempt to reverse the trend: “For example, Israel can reach out and mend fences with those who share an interest in regional stability – countries like Turkey and Egypt, as well as Jordan,” he said.

Israel did reach out and try to mend fences. Turkey demanded an apology for the Mavi Marmara incident, the complete opening of the Gaza blockade–which would allow Hamas unlimited access to weapons–and financial compensation for the dead jihaidis. Israel was ready to say they were sorry the jihadis died (but not apologize), give the compensation, and not open the border. Turkey refused. It was all or nothing. So how, exactly, is Israel supposed to mend fences with a country that refuses to compromise? The same way, I suppose, that Israel can bring the Palestinians to the table–by surrendering. Not. Gonna. Happen.

Next up, the American ambassador to Brussels, an Obama appointee, told a Jewish conference that Arab anti-Semitism is not Jew hatred. No, it’s a reaction to Israeli policies.

A distinction should be made between traditional anti-Semitism, which should be condemned and Muslim hatred for Jews, which stems from the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Gutman said. He also argued that an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty will significantly diminish Muslim anti-Semitism.

Really? So, the Hamas charter, which contains references to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, is not traditional anti-Semitism, but an understandable reaction to the existence of Israel? Good to know.

Thankfully, the attendees had speakers with common sense immediately afterward.

The conference was attended by Jewish lawyers from across Europe. The legal experts at the event were visibly stunned by Gutman’s words, and the next speaker offered a scathing rebuttal to the envoy’s remarks.

“The modern Anti-Semite formally condemns Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust and expresses upmost sympathy with the Jewish people. He simply has created a new species, the “Anti-Zionist” or – even more sophisticated – the so-called ‘Israel critic,’” Germany attorney Nathan Gelbart said.

The ambassador, like Obama, lives in a world that does not really resemble ours.

Approached by Yedioth Ahronoth, the US envoy was asked whether Obama’s policy did not cause America to lose its influence in the region. Gutman responded by saying that the Arab world appreciates Obama following his speech in Cairo, referring to an address delivered by the president in 2009.

Yes, it totally appreciates Obama. It’s thanks to his policies that Islamists are running rampant in Egypt today, and dream of killing all the world’s Jews tomorrow. But that’s in reaction to Israel’s policies.

Speakers at the event delivered impassioned, hateful speeches against Israel, slamming the “Zionist occupiers” and the “treacherous Jews.” Upon leaving the rally, worshippers were given small flags, with Egypt’s flag on one side and the Palestinian flag on the other, as well as maps of Jerusalem’s Old City detailing where “Zionists are aiming to change Jerusalem’s Muslim character.”

Peter Wehner wondered recently if Obama’s claims about being the Most. Pro. Israel. President. EVAH! are delusional or deliberately lying. I’m going to go with delusional.

Update: And a timely essay on Muslim anti-Semitism and the reflexive blaming of Israel, by Richard Landes. H/T: Elder. (And check out this comment for the unadulterated anti-Semitism of a reader who sees no irony whatsoever in posting his bile on this article.)

News flash: Obama and Sarkozy don’t like Bibi. Seriously? No! Really? I had no idea. Actually, Allahpundit has the bigger story: Which American reporters were there, and signed a confidentiality agreement to cover up the slams by Obama after they were made, not before? It’s more proof that our media are totally in the tank for Obama, but since I have a theme going here: Shame on them.

So, no penalties for the Palestinians–again: The tax transfers are back. The $200 million from the U.S. is unfrozen. Okay, the UNESCO payment freeze is still on, but the Palestinians pay nothing for doing an end run around peace negotiations. Way to go, world. Shame.

This is why there will be no bombing of Iran: Oil is nearing $100/barrel again. And apparently, even putting really strong sanctions on Iran’s central bank will force the price of oil higher. Dear wily Jew who is going to develop the alternate energy source that will end the Middle East’s stranglehold on oil: Faster, please.

Turning the phrases around, copyright (C) the Palestinians: Mahmoud Abbas is now using the word “incitement”–which, as everyone knows is the constant call by Palestinians to murder Israelis, to kidnap Israelis, and to teach their children to hate Israelis–to mean “criticism.” Why? Because Avigdor Lieberman pointed out that Abbas isn’t really interested in peace.

“Avigdor Lieberman, who is the main coalition partner of Prime Minister Netanyahu, declared that President Abbas was the ‘greatest obstacle’ to peace. We unequivocally reject and object to such incitement, which we consider to be a clear threat against the life of President Mahmoud Abbas, whose commitment to peace is absolutely unquestionable.”

Of course, the wire services are running with the story. But he didn’t say anything all that bad, and really, nothing that wasn’t true.

“If there is one obstacle that should be removed immediately, it is [Abbas],” he said. “If he were to return the keys and resign, it would not be a threat, but a blessing.”

But take note of how, once again, the Palestinians have appropriated the wording that Israel uses to describe their actions, twisted it, warped it, and turned it around on Israel. Watch the news services continue to use it from now on.

Oh, please. Like he’d interrupt the money stream: Really, rumors of the PA’s dismantlement are pure bullshit. There’s no way Abbas would risk Western money flow being stopped. What? Work for a living? That’s like asking the Occupy Wall Streeters not to bang on drums.

And for kicks and giggles: Jon Stewart covers the Solyndra scandal. If you’ve lost Jon Stewart, you’ve lost the left. You want to laugh? Read the comments at the link.

No to acknowledging Israel as a Jewish state. No to resettling refugees within “Palestine.” No to land exchanges. No to everything except a return to the 1949 Armistice lines and the flooding of Israel with millions of the descendants of Palestinian refugees.

And the media call Netanyahu the intransigent one. This, in spite of Netanyahu’s repeated calls to talk with Abbas directly. And Abbas’ repeated insistence on preconditions for any talks.

When you read the reports of Abbas refusing all alternatives to unilaterally declaring a state, notice what is missing. The words that described Netanyahu, for instance. Where is “defiant”? Do a google search on the words netanyahu + defiant. Look what comes back:

Binyamin Netanyahu defiant ahead of meeting with Barack Obama …

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu defiant on 1967 borders

Defiant Netanyahu to Outline Peace Plan (they changed the headline to “Israeli Prime Minister” but the page title remains “Defiant”)

The double standard on Israel is particularly galling these days, as Mahmoud Abbas slams the Obama administration on a daily basis with no penalty, the PA says that Obama will be responsible if their bid to unilaterally declare a state explodes in their faces, and Hamas is giggling in the background, waiting for this all to blow up so they can try to move forward in the West Bank.

Another word missing: “Demand.” Abbas is making demands, and the media are not even labeling them as such. He is demanding a state without negotiated borders, without having had elections in years, without having control over the western portion of the would-be state of Palestine, and without having an economy in place that would be substituted for the economy of handouts that the Palestinians have lived on these past sixty-plus years. About the only place I’ve found “demand” linked with Abbas is on Fox News.

This is what the AP musters as description of Abbas’ intransigence. Note the headline, which is as evenhanded as possible:

Palestinians undeterred in UN statehood bid

Note the choice of word: “undeterred”. Not “defiant”. Not “intransigent”. Not “stubborn” or “stiff-necked”. No, those are all descriptions of the other side. The Palestinians? They’re just a bunch of reasonable guys trying to get their state off the ground, in spite of big bad Israel’s attempts to stop them.

Obama and Abbas met for more than 45 minutes Wednesday evening. The White House wouldn’t say whether Obama directly asked the Palestinian leader to abandon his plans to pursue full U.N. membership, saying only that he reiterated his opposition to the statehood bid and the U.S. intention to issue a veto.

Let us remember that Hillary Clinton harangued Benjamin Netanyahu for 45 minutes after a municipal official pushed through paperwork as usual for new housing in Jerusalem apartments. The details of that harangue were leaked to the media. Here, nothing is leaked, nothing is admitted, nothing is said.

So far there was no indication that Abbas was ready for compromise despite intense pressure, but his aides said they were not setting deadlines for the Security Council to consider the application. And they left the door open for a Plan-B request to the General Assembly for an upgrade of their current status as a permanent observer to a nonmember observer state.

What a reasonable guy! He left the door open. He’s not ignoring the president of the United States, the most powerful man in the world. He’s not refusing to help Obama on this issue. He’s leaving the door open! But wait, there’s more!

Saeb Erekat, another senior aide, echoed that sentiment, saying the pursuit of U.N. membership would not be slowed: “We will not allow any political maneuvering on this issue,” he said

That persistence has put the Palestinians on a collision course with the United States and Israel. A frustrated President Barack Obama told world leaders during his Wednesday U.N. speech that “there are no shortcuts” to peace.

They’re simply mocking Obama now. And why not? Obama has given them no reason to fear him. But remember this, the next time Obama or his people go after Israel. Of course, that won’t be until after the 2012 elections, because Obama has discovered that there are limits to how far he can bully the Jewish state before American Jews stop donating to the cause.

In the meantime, the press, the EU, and the Obama administration give the Palestinians a pass. Every so often, I think that if only Israel had better PR, if only Israel put forth its case in a better way, things would be different. And then events overshadow my thinking. Because Israel is, quite literally, the Jew of the world. And the world has never been a friendly place for the Jews.

That’s the other reason the Palestinian push for statehood has become inexorable. The few moments of guilt for the Holocaust passed a long time ago. The world has returned to its reflexive attitude toward Jews. The world does not like us. So of course, it takes the part of the Palestinians, because they’re not Jews. Even better, they hate the Jews, and are trying to destroy the Jewish state. It’s a win-win for the world’s Jew haters.

The thing is, we’re not going anywhere. Deal with it.

The Obama Muslim Outreach strikes again! Obama talked to Turkey’s prime minister Erdogan on Tuesday about the deteriorated relations between Turkey and Israel.

“The president underscored his interest in seeing a resolution of that issue between those two countries and encouraged continuing work toward that end,” White House adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall told reporters after the meeting, saying Obama also emphasized the need to calm tensions throughout the region.

So, how’s that working out for Israel?

Turkish PM calls Cyprus, Israel drilling “madness”
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan described offshore gas drilling by estranged ally Israel and Cyprus as “madness” on Wednesday, raising the stakes in a confrontation over potentially huge deposits in the eastern Mediterranean.

And the Obama touch in the world continues. It’s kind of like the Midas touch, only in reverse. There’s nothing like electing a senator with no foreign policy experience (but he gave a speech in Europe once!). You just can’t beat the way he gets the world to bide by the American lines. Sorta like how the Palestinians aren’t pushing unilaterally for a state this week. Oh. Wait.

Ransom paid: The American idiots who thought hiking in Iraq was a good thing to do, and accidentally went over (or were pulled over by the Iranians) the border to Iran, are being freed today. Several reason occur: The ransom was paid (half a million each), and Mad Mahmoud’s people got the photo op it wanted. Now Mad Mahmoud can go to the UN and tell the world what a kind, generous Jew-hater he is.