A lot of folks on the Right are chattering about the pending "fall" of the Obama Administration over the Benghazi cover-up affair. Former Presidential candidate, radio and TV host, Mike Huckabee has stated that the Benghazi cover up will do to Obama what Watergate did to Nixon and the Monica Affair almost did to then President Bill Clinton. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has been stumbling all over himself; backtracking and spinning like a top to misdirect, redirect and distance the White House from the whole disaster. Carney has done more tapdancing than Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Donald O'Connor combined. But, the cold hard reality is that nothing will become of this American tragedy.
On Wednesday, May 8th, three State Department officers were finally allow to testify before Congress as to exactly what went down on September 11 2012 in Benghazi Libya which resulted in the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others. The testimony came amid delays, accusations of harassment, threats, and attempted bribes. The result was a far cry from the official White House line and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on January 23rd. The individuals on the ground in Libya had communicated their mounting concerns over increased Al Qaeda activity; the need for improved security and an evacuation plan. Later, with what would be an 8 hour assault on the compound, requests for assistance were repeated denied. US and allied assets in the region, which clearly could have affected the outcome, were repeatedly told to stand down (this also led to the removal of the two senior commanding officers, General Carter Ham and Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette, for refusing to abandon embassy personnel).
We also learned that the official "talking points", which were to be spoon fed to the public, were rewritten 12 times! And that comes after the public was told by the White House that only one word---"embassy"--was replaced. Deleted were references to the type and origin of the assault as well as prior warnings and recommendations (the public was told it was a "spontaneous" riot over an irrelevant movie not even known about in the region, let alone in Benghazi. What we were left with was a cover up to protect an incumbent president running for reelection, a complaisant media, and four dead Americans, including a US Ambassador.
However, will this lead to the fall of the Obama Presidency? The answer is no. Just like Obama declared certain Wall Street companies were "too big to fail" despite gross mismanagement, incompetence, and greed, so too is the Obama Administration too big to fail. The Republicans are often protrayed as the party of big business. But the fact is, the Democrats are just as eaten up by corporate money as the Right. Both political parties are bought and paid for. Americans are given merely the illusion of choice. Right now, the big money needs the Obama Administration in power. Why? Frankly I don't know, and I don't pretend to know the mind of those trying to control and manipulate governments and the world economy. I can guess that whatever it is, it's to their benefit. Perhaps it's a payback for the bailouts. Perhaps its Obama's support of illegal immigration which will help drive down wages and benefits and increase job scarcity.
Still, there's the question of why the Obama Administration wanted all references to Al Qaeda and terrorist activity removed. Perhaps it's because it contradicts White House claims that Al Qaeda is a spent force, or that worldwide terrorism is in decline (which would affect financial markets), or was it because of our "Johnny-come-lately" support for the anti-Kaddafi pro-democratic forces while Moslem extremists were on the spot and successful in hijacking the pro-Democracy moment, just as they did in Egypt and are doing in Syria and will likely do in Iraq, Lebanon, and Gaza. Then again, maybe Obama has another reason not to upset or "offend" Moslem extremist. Perhaps by downplaying their role, we were telescoping our acceptance of the attack as a justifiable (in their eyes) response to the killing of Osama bin Laden and that we would not retaliate. This could also be seen as acknowledging their defacto sphere of influence in the region. Signs of a tiring Empire?
We do know that members of the Obama Administration have met with key media executives (as an aside, David Rhodes, president of CBS, it the brother of Obama's National Security Director, Ben Rhodes, who was instrumental in the talking point rewrites Do you think they talked about Benghazi? Yeah, me too). Again, surmising how the Benghazi cover up would be handled, most of the media outlets continue to treat the subject almost as a nonstory; a political ploy; and bury as deeply as they can. Given the media's power to influence public discussion, the support of the financial powerbrokers, the weakness of the GOP, there's little danger the Obama Administration will fall any time soon. What, in fact, may come out of this is a more refined means to manage the media and control how stories are presented to the public. Maybe former Secretary of State Clinton's word to Congress, "What difference does it make how they died" will ring true yet.
Liberal Media Spin Benghazi Scandal to Protect Team Obama
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/05/09/liberal-media-spin-benghazi-scandal-to-protect-team-obama/
Mike Huckabee predicts President Obama will resign
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/foreign-policy/war-terror/mike-huckabee-predicts-president-obama-will-resign-over
Exclusive: Benghazi Talking Points Underwent 12 Revisions Scrubbed of Terrorist References
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/exclusive-benghazi-talking-points-underwent-12-revisions-scrubbed-of-terror-references/
CBS New President Brother of Obama National Security Official
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/05/11/Brother-top-Obama-Offical-Oust-Sharyl-Attkisson
The Christian Exodus
I came across an interesting story, which surprised me, not because of the content, but because of its implications and the fact the story has received virtually no mainstream coverage. The story relates how Christians in predominately Moslem nations are not just being actively harassed, but brutalized and even murdered with, at the very least, the knowledge of their governments.
Why is that? We all know the history of animosity between certain Moslem groups and Jews, especially those Jews who support the existence of Israel (the so-called "Zionists"). A few may know about the equally vindictive hatred between these same extremist Moslem groups and Hindus and Buddhists, not to mention the native religions in various other places, such as Africa and Southeast Asia, where Islam is spreading.
But this is something new. For centuries Christians (mainly Eastern Orthodox), have lived a relatively peaceful existence in places like Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, and Libya (which, by the way, continue to receive billions in US and Western aid). Now, Christians of all stripe have become the targets of an emerging hatred which has resulted in beatings, rapes, arson, gang violence, bombing of churches, and more recently, mass murder, including beheadings of ministers. Any action---a single word or perceived expression---can incite riots. To be seen reading a bible in public is to invite beatings. To hold a private bible study in one's own home can result in the home being burned down, sometimes with the occupants still inside. It recently came to light that Moslems extremists were kidnapping young pre or early teenage Christian girls and forcefully converting them to Islam, then shipping them off to other parts of the country or overseas into forced servitude, prostitution, marriages, which are often to men many times older and abusive. It was recently revealed that a terrorist ring plotting the assassination the head of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Bartholomew, was broken up in Turkey, a secular but increasing theocratic nation.
Many have been forced from their homes. In Egypt alone, over 100,000 Coptic Christians, have been forced to leave. In Mali, 200,000 have fled. In European nation of Bosnia, over 200,000 have fled. But nothing is being done. There is little to no international outcry, although not for lack of effort. No action from the United Nations (where countries like Iran have a seat on Human Rights Council) is expected. Their voices are ignored in the name of "multiculturalism", and appeasement.
In Europe, where churches are closing because of a decades of decline in attendance, in part from a "pew tax", the request for permits to build new mosques, or convert former churches, are on the rise. While there has been some clashes, where the Christian community and various EU governments have been overwhelmingly accepting, none have come anywhere close to level violence Christians are experiencing. One would expect similar treatment from a faith which calls itself a "religion of peace".
Mass Exodus of Christians from Muslim World
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/05/07/mass-exodus-christians-from-muslim-world/
Turkey uncovers alleged plot to kill Orthodox Patriarch
http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2013/05/turkey-uncovers-alleged-plot-to-kill-orthodox-patriarch/
Islam the Religion of Europe
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/1536/islam-religion-of-europe
No comments:
Post a Comment