What if it Were Happening in America?

What if it Were Happening in America?

There’s a big blogspat going on and as usual Charles Johnson is on the right side of the truth. He’s calling out the neo-nazi backgrounds, associations, and political partnerships between the Euro-Supremacist groups organizing the Pro-Koln anti-mosque movement.

The Paleosphere has risen in defense of Robert Spencer and Pamela at Atlas Shrugs who were billed by the Pro-Koln group as coming to attend or speak at the event, and now the usual obfuscations and cries of “guilt by association!”, it’s the “Soros attack machine!” and “Psyops!” are screeching across their close-knit bigotted group.

First of all here’s a hint for all conservative bloggers – before you chime in you best do some real research on the groups in Europe so you know what the heck you are talking about.

Secondly let’s put all of that Euro-Supremacist stuff aside for a moment.

Step back and look at the bigger picture. If someone were building a mosque in the US anywhere, would you support a group of Yo-Yo’s showing up to stop it?

Is it libertarian to tell someone how they may or may not use their property?

Is it constitutional in the US to stop a mosque from being built? (Think before you answer – what if it were a church, a temple, or a synagogue?)

It’s basically un-American and not a conservative value to oppose freedom of religion. Is that a politically viable stance for conservatives to support?

There you go; the big picture, please think on it.

Addendum:

Some backgrond on people partnering with Pro-Koln:

Petra Edelmannova

Vlaams Belang

and the organizer, Manfred Rouhs.

Morning Update; Gitmo, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and more

Normally I spend the morning surfing news and the web and posting newslinks at Little Green Footballs but Charles’ site is serving a blank once you get below the header ad this morning, so I’ll do my updates here. Here’s a picture to look at while I’m compiling.
UPDATE: It appears that Charles at LGF is going through the tribulations of installing new, beefier servers, give him time and things will be back faster than ever.

Obama’s Plan to Close Guantanamo Forces Decision About Inmates

Obama Picks Richardson (ermmm… how well will he get along with Hillary?)

Celebrities are fighting like mad to be part of “The In Crowd” on January 20th. (We got our own way of walkin… we got our own way of talkin…)

In Israel this is probably a case of the “relief” organization not letting the Israelis search the ship for weapons before entry, a precaution performed at every port in the world, but FWIW, Libya in High Dudgeon calls for Security Council Intervention.

Meanwhile the tense situation continues over the Mumbai terror attacks, but I do believe that both governments are calmer than the usual incendiary political talking heads on both sides of the issue would have you believe. From various reports I’ve seen that the nuclear readiness on either side has not increased, troops have not moved or been reinforced at borders, and talking between the governments proceeds. India has demanded that Pakistan hand over the terror masterminds and accomplices, Zardari in Pakistan is saying that the terrorists are “stateless” actors, and that in no way was the government of Pakistan involved. At this point I believe it, right now Pakistan is desperate for more trade with India.

UPDATE: Rice to Zardari: (in different and more words) ‘ If you don’t take care of those terror training camps we don’t care if India does…’

The Daily suicide bombing or Taliban attack has occurred in Pakistan, and it appears that they are stepping up raids in urban areas, rounding up the usual suspects. Here’s a list of India’s most wanted, if Pakistan could find some of these terrorists and turn them over it would ease tensions a great deal.

The Governor of Kandahar, General Raufi, whose watch the Taliban jail break occurred on is stepping down after a short four months in position.

On the domestic front the Millenium Bomber, who has been singing like a bird, is back in court.

Industrial Scale Wind Energy is not pure as the driven snow, and here’s some interesting graphics on various power sources. There’s also that small problem that Wind turbines have with icing.

In Thailand the Airports have re-opened with the demonstrators leaving after the court ouster of the PM.

The New Anglicans appear to be splitting from the pack, with a new conservative schism forming in the Episcopalian church in North America.

Hot Air discusses opposition to Anti-Gay Adoption laws, the conflict comes when you turn pro-children or pro-family into anti-gay. It’s mostly religious conservatives behind the laws, but as I’ve pointed out here gays do have children already. While it’s preferred to place children in male-female families, it is so preferred that some children get no parents at all?

Pizza Prisoner Bomber gets 45 Years

John McCain’s Jobs for America: Simpler, Lower Taxes

In this ongoing series I’m examining the McCain Economic plans. There are 8 parts to the Jobs for America plan so I”m looking at them one at a time. The previous article on energy can be found here.

John McCain’s plan calls for simpler taxes, and relief for small business, family farms, and entrepreneurs in the form of tax cuts. Entrepreneurs are the bedrock of american prosperity and in high tax environs they cannot continue to move America forward.

By allowing first year deductions to business on capital equipment and techology investments  Jobs for America allows American workers to have the newest equipment, and helps put us back into a building and growth mode across the country. This also opens up opportunities for manufacturers who make those tools, those products, and that equipment.

That’s exactly what the Democrats do not like, they don’t like a growing America – they’d rather America be cloistered and isolated in a no-growth philosophy of decay like Europe. Barack Obama’s “Green Jobs” plan is code for hiring activists, lobbyists, and community organizers to lobby for more controls on business, more of your tax dollars, and less growth through energy initiatives and lifestye tailoring through legislation. These “green jobs” will choke growth and innovation in proven energy sectors like Nuclear, and keep us in the energy stasis we’ve been in for 35 years. It’s just more of the same with a new name. Jobs don’t come in colors, and if you artificially pump up just one sector of the economy you cripple others and stifle true innovation.

Trickle down Taxation:

Barack Obama’s plan would tax those small businesses, decrease the jobs they can offer, and increase the prices you have to pay when you buy gas, milk, bread, or school clothes. Barack’s plan is to use business as a surrogate and to indirectly tax you through them. These are the Democrats favorite tools: trickle down taxes. Barack doesn’t think you are smart enough to figure out that when you “tax the rich” you tax family farms, small business, and most American’s retirement plans and 401-k’s as corporate stock prices accomodate the higher taxation. If you work for a business, or buy things from a store then Barack’s tax plans will impact you thousands of times throughout the year — each time you go to a store. Barack Obama’s plan hits the poor, people on fixed incomes, and the middle classes the hardest in the end.

By cutting corporate tax rates, John McCain insures a growth economy, contrasted to the Obama plan which would throttle the engines of american productivity, and your pension plan or 401K by raising corporate taxes. If you are in a union, if you are in a pension plan, if you have savings, if you have a retirement account, Obama’s plan will indirectly and negatively impact those.

John McCain will ban internet and new cell phone taxes, the benefit of that should be clear to all.

Jobs for America will encourage private investment in research and development, and challenge American industry. Instead of all research coming from government grants we need to take the binds off private research by allowing tax credit for Research and Development. It is technology that keeps us strong in the world economy, and we must challenge US business’s to do much more of that.

Below you can see the Jobs for America tax reduction plan from John McCain’s campaign site:

Keep Tax Rates Low: Entrepreneurs are at the heart of American innovation, growth and prosperity. Entrepreneurs create the ultimate job security – a new, better opportunity if your current job goes away. Entrepreneurs should not be taxed into submission. John McCain will keep the top tax rate at 35 percent, maintain the 15 percent rates on dividends and capital gains, and phase-out the Alternative Minimum Tax. Small businesses are the heart of job growth; raising taxes on them hurts every worker.
Innovation Tax Policy
Ban Internet Taxes: John McCain believes we must make a farsighted, robust, and fervent commitment to innovation and new technologies to sustain our global competitiveness, meet our national security challenges, achieve less costly and more effective health care, reduce dangerous dependence on foreign sources of oil, and raise the quality of education in the United States. John McCain has been a leader in keeping the Internet free of taxes. As President, he will seek a permanent ban on taxes that threaten this engine of economic growth and prosperity.

Ban New Cell Phone Taxes: John McCain understands that the same people that would tax e-mail will tax every text message – and even 911 calls. John McCain will prohibit new cellular telephone taxes.

Cut The Corporate Tax Rate From 35 To 25 Percent: A lower corporate tax rate is essential to keeping good jobs in the United States. America was once a low-tax business environment, but as our trade partners lowered their rates, America failed to keep pace. We now have the second highest corporate tax rate in the world, making America a less attractive place for companies to do business. American workers deserve the chance to make fine products here and sell them around the globe.

Allow First-Year Deduction, Or “Expensing”, Of Equipment And Technology Investments: American workers need the finest technologies to compete. Expensing of equipment and technology will provide an immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward investments in cutting-edge technologies.

Establish Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D: This reform will simplify the tax code, reward activity in the United States, and make us more competitive with other countries. A permanent credit will provide an incentive to innovate and remove uncertainty. At a time when our companies need to be more competitive, we need to provide a permanent incentive to innovate, and remove the uncertainty now hanging over businesses as they make R&D investment decisions.