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If you're in a foreign country and someone asks you where you're from, what do you answer?

Benghazi in a nutshell

Democrats continue to try to muddy the waters about the Benghazi attack. They say it was "only" four deaths, or that embassies were attacked under Bush, or it was so long ago, etc. In his latest column, "The 6 Lamest Excuses for Failure from the Obama Administration," John Hawkins concisely explains why the Benghazi attack should matter to us.

"Our embassy in Libya was woefully under-protected despite the fact that Ambassador Chris Stevens had requested more security on multiple occasions and had been turned down. After Al-Qaeda attacked the embassy, no rescue attempt was made. Afterwards, during a presidential election year when Obama was under pressure to show that Al-Qaeda was behind the attack, members of the administration including the President deliberately misled Americans to make them think that a video was responsible for the attack when they knew from day one that terrorists were responsible. Since then, the Obama Administration has delayed and stonewalled the congressional investigation at every opportunity."

Others Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XLIX

"Here's the eternal question: Is the Obama administration as stupid and incompetent as they appear, or are they acting stupid on purpose? 

The fact that we even ask ourselves this question is the worst indictment of Obama possible."

-- John Ransom

("Obama Covers His Eyes and Hopes We Can't See Him," May 23, 2014)

Conservative Self Destruction

John Ransom had a great recent column in which he listed several ways grassroots Conservatives (think "Tea Partiers" if you want) shoot themselves in the foot. It's a realistic, practical view on strategic and tactical blunders that prevent the Tea Party from having greater success. He expands on these points, so it's well worth reading his column.



1. We're not reaching out to people who disagree with us.
2. We've gotten lazy about making people's lives better.
3. We need to focus more on entertaining than informing.
4. We get too impressed by the "more conservative than you" game.
5. We refuse to challenge liberal control of cultural institutions.

Read Ransom's "5 Aggravating Ways Grassroots Conservatives Screw Themselves"

Well. There may be some hope after all.

Trey Gowdy, head of the select committee to investigate Benghazi.

Obama the Illicit Drug Expert

"A Note From the Commissioner"

Last Friday's release of April's employment data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics contained a couple of details that indicate how much the economy has suffered under Barack Obama, regardless of whatever problems he "inherited." It's true that the official unemployment rate dropped to 6.3%. However, as I've pointed out dozens of times, that number has been kept artificially low by the decrease in the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR). 

Essentially, a million more unemployed people were not officially counted as unemployed. That government-bureaucrat loophole has been the only thing keeping the unemployment rate under 10% the last several years. The LFPR in April was a modern-era worst, the lowest since 1978.

The argument has been made that the decline in the number of people in the workforce is due to Baby Boomers retiring. That's a valid argument, although incorrect. The storyline these days is that people are choosing (or being forced) to work until a later age because of financial difficulties and/or better senior health. But we have something a little more solid to go on than just common sense.

April's report showed that the number of people in the labor forced dropped by 806,000 from March to April, despite an increase in the population of 181,000. Erica Groshen, Commissioner of the BLS, said in her statement: "the April labor force decline was due mostly to fewer people entering the labor force than usual, rather than to more people exiting the labor force." 

So much for the "baby boomers retiring" excuse.

Just to keep everyone reminded, here's the graphic proof of Obama's (and Congressional Democrats') handling of employment since he took office:

LFPR since Obama took office in January 2009