By Bill Bonner
London, England
Edward Gibbon described the happiest age of mankind as the period of the “five good emperors” between AD98 and AD180, when Marcus Aurelius died.
What was America’s Golden Age?
It is much too soon to write the history of America’s decline and fall. Still, that doesn’t stop us from guessing.
We would name the period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of Lehman Bros – a period of only 19 years – as the peak of US power and wealth. Of course, Americans were dreaming during those years. The dreams were the usual imperial sort – that the US Empire was such a benefit to the rest of the world that the foreigners would support it indefinitely. Rome didn’t take any chances; it forced its conquered nations to render tribute…slaves…gold…and wheat. The American empire depended on trade…and the dollar. As long as the United States had a commercial advantage, the empire was profitable. But as the 20th century aged, so did the US economy. Its competitors – notably Germany and Japan – had a big advantage. They had been bombed out in the ’40s. They could build anew. America’s trade advantage slipped away…and then its trade balance went negative in the mid-’80s. It has been getting more negative almost every year.
The trade losses shrank after the fall of the House of Lehman. Americans cut back. But today we get news that the trade deficit has just grown more than in any month in the last 10 years. Have Americans suddenly become big spenders again? Probably not. But we’ll have to wait for another explanation; we don’t have one.
No account of America’s glory years – roughly the period between the reign of George Bush I and that of his son, George Bush II – would be complete without mention of the events that happened on this day eight years ago. A small group of terrorists pulled off an amazing coup – bringing down two of America’s iconic buildings, right in the heart of New York City…and on primetime TV! Historians might be tempted to use this event as a milestone, marking the end of the period of maximum happiness in the United States of America. We caution against it. It was only later that it became apparent that the US reaction to the terrorist incident was suicidal. The nation desperately needed to bring its ambitions back in line with its means. It needed to save and invest in new factories and new infrastructure. Instead, it wasted trillions fighting phantoms and nobodies. But as far as anyone knew, US influence, prestige and power remained near its zenith throughout the wars on terror and Iraq.
The fall of Lehman changed things. Then it was obvious that not only was America vulnerable, she was an enemy to herself. She had diddle-daddled during the glory years, dawdling with the lion cubs that would grow up and maul her. Now, in the period we are living through, she attempts to go back to sleep and rerun her balmy dreams. That is what “recovery” is all about – a return to the land of nod and nonsense…in which people think they can actually become wealthier by squandering money they don’t have on things they don’t need.
Fortunately, as near as we can tell, most private citizens are now awake. A report at the beginning of this week showed that they repaid debt at a rate four times faster than economists projected. Savings rates are rising. Spending is falling. People are doing what they should do – they’re cutting back.
But the feds continue their efforts to sabotage the correction and destroy the empire. They have already blown-up the budget – with $9 trillion in deficits expected over the next 10 years. Now, they’re working on the dollar.
Yesterday, the dollar fell to $1.45 per euro. Gold remained just below the $1,000 an ounce mark. And the Dow rose 80 points.
Stock market investors seem to be looking forward to another big bull market. But with the economy deteriorating, they are probably just dreaming, too. Median household income fell 3.6% over the last 12 months. Of course, that’s just what you’d expect in a correction. But it’s not what the feds were hoping for. So, they’re pulling out all the stops to try to turn it around. Most important, they’re pulling out the stop that keeps the dollar from rolling down the hill.
The empire sinks into the mud. Yes, this is the downhill period…the slide into corruption…the period in which Juvenal complained that Romans were only interested in ‘bread and circuses.’
When you are on the board of a decent corporation, for example, if you have a direct financial interest in a matter under consideration you’re expected to ‘declare an interest’ and absent yourself from the vote. But in a mature democracy, the most self-interested citizens are those most likely to vote. Currently, about 20 million people work for government. About 45 million receive Social Security benefits. About 34 million depend on food stamps.
(People who count on the government to feed them, warned Jefferson, “will soon want bread.” That doesn’t seem to worry many people. But at least the state of Maryland has an Orwellian sense of humor about it. People who depend on government for food are given “Independence” cards.)
That’s 99 million people who have a direct interest in expanding government outlays…with some overlap, of course. And it doesn’t mean that every person receiving a Social Security check is going to back the feds. But it doesn’t count all the millions more who get subsidies, bailouts, welfare payments (often masquerading as tax credits), government contracts, and so forth, either.
Well, how many people does it take to win a national election? Obama won with 63 million votes.
The dollar’s weakness hasn’t been missed by it biggest foreign holder – China.
Reported earlier this week in the Telegraph:
“‘We hope there will be a change in monetary policy as soon as they have positive growth again,’ said Cheng Siwei…talking about America.
“‘If they keep printing money to buy bonds it will lead to inflation, and after a year or two the dollar will fall hard. Most of our foreign reserves are in US bonds and this is very difficult to change, so we will diversify incremental reserves into euros, yen, and other currencies,’ he said.
“China’s reserves are more than – $2 trillion, the world’s largest.
“Mr. Siwei continued: ‘Gold is definitely an alternative, but when we buy, the price goes up. We have to do it carefully so as not to stimulate the markets,’ he added.”
Then, two days ago, in came a report that China is going to issue bonds of its own – in yuan.
This news is a shot across the bow of America’s imperial currency. It signals that China is moving into position to eventually challenge the greenback. Investors will have another alternative to the dollar…another bond issued by another government and backed by another economy…maybe one that is on the way up, rather than on the way down.
Meanwhile, Americans grow poorer. Bloomberg reports:
“‘The decline in incomes we’re seeing certainly has implications for consumer spending, particularly post-housing bubble when families can’t tap into home equity through loans,’ said Heather Boushey, a senior economist at the Center for American Progress, a research organization headed by John Podesta, a leader of the Obama administration transition team.
“The poverty rate is likely to keep rising through 2012, even after the recession ends, adding to pressure on the Obama administration to enact a second economic stimulus package, said Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, a policy research group.
“‘We will likely have not only a jobless recovery but also a poverty-ridden recovery,’ Sawhill said. ‘The stimulus money is going to go away long before the poverty rate peaks.’”
Since founding Agora Inc. in 1979, Bill Bonner has found success and garnered camaraderie in numerous communities and industries. A man of many talents, his entrepreneurial savvy, unique writings, philanthropic undertakings, and preservationist activities have all been recognized and awarded by some of America’s most respected authorities. Along with Addison Wiggin, his friend and colleague, Bill has written two New York Times best-selling books, Financial Reckoning Day and Empire of Debt. Both works have been critically acclaimed and internationally. With political journalist Lila Rajiva, he wrote his third New York Times best-selling book, Mobs, Messiahs and Markets, which offers concrete advice on how to avoid the public spectacle of modern finance. Since 1999, Bill has been a daily contributor and the driving force behind The Daily Reckoning .
Special Report:The Endless PAYCHECK PORTFOLIO: In three simple steps, unleash a steady flow of work-free income… starting with up to 75 automatic “paychecks” deposited directly into your account.
View articles by Bill Bonner
The articles and commentary featured on the Daily Reckoning are presented by Agora Financial. Additional market commentary is available through The 5Min Forecast and The Rude Awakening. Follow the Daily Reckoning on Twitter and Facebook .
Related Articles:
* June 29, 2009 -- Ruined by Good Luck
* April 1, 2009 -- A Talk With Tim Geithner
* September 8, 2009 -- The Boomers are Out of Time – And Out of Money
* September 7, 2009 -- This Recovery is an Imposter
* September 4, 2009 -- The Capitalists Have No Capital
Friday, September 11, 2009
Obama's regulatory chief; Cass Sunstein pushes new 'bill of rights'
Obama Watch Central
WND Exclusive CZAR WARS
Cass Sunstein part of effort to change interpretation of Constitution by 2020
By Aaron Klein
NEW YORK – A government that is constitutionally required to offer each citizen a "useful" job in the farms or industries of the nation.
A country whose leadership intercedes to ensure every farmer can sell his product for a good return.
A nation that has the power to act against "unfair competition" and monopolies in business.
This is not a description of Cuba, communist China or the old USSR. It's the vision of the future of the U.S, as mandated by a radical new "bill of rights" drawn up and pushed by President Obama's newly confirmed regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein. Until now, Sunstein's proposal has received little scrutiny.
In 2004, Sunstein penned a book, "The Second Bill of Rights: FDR'S Unfinished Revolution and Why We Need It More than Ever," in which he advanced the radical notion that welfare rights, including some controversial inceptions, be granted by the state. His inspiration for a new bill of rights came from President Roosevelt's 1944 proposal of a different, new set of bill of rights.
WND has learned that in April 2005, Sunstein opened up a conference at Yale Law School entitled "The Constitution in 2020," which sought to change the nature and interpretation of the Constitution by that year.
Get Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense' ... The case against an out-of-control government: Inspired by Thomas Paine
Sunstein has been a main participant in the movement, which openly seeks to create a "progressive" consensus as to what the U.S. Constitution should provide for by the year 2020. It also suggests strategy for how liberal lawyers and judges might bring such a constitutional regime into being.
Just before his appearance at the conference, Sunstein wrote a blog entry in which he explained he "will be urging that it is important to resist, on democratic grounds, the idea that the document should be interpreted to reflect the view of the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party."
In his book, Sunstein laid out what he wants to become the new bill of rights, which he calls the Second Bill of Rights:
Among his mandates are:
* The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
* The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
* The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
* The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
* The right of every family to a decent home;
* The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
* The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
* The right to a good education.
On one page in his book, Sunstein claims he is "not seriously arguing" his bill of rights be "encompassed by anything in the Constitution," but on the next page he states that "if the nation becomes committed to certain rights, they may migrate into the Constitution itself."
Later in the book, Sunstein argues that "at a minimum, the second bill should be seen as part and parcel of America's constitutive commitments."
WND Exclusive CZAR WARS
Cass Sunstein part of effort to change interpretation of Constitution by 2020
By Aaron Klein
NEW YORK – A government that is constitutionally required to offer each citizen a "useful" job in the farms or industries of the nation.
A country whose leadership intercedes to ensure every farmer can sell his product for a good return.
A nation that has the power to act against "unfair competition" and monopolies in business.
This is not a description of Cuba, communist China or the old USSR. It's the vision of the future of the U.S, as mandated by a radical new "bill of rights" drawn up and pushed by President Obama's newly confirmed regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein. Until now, Sunstein's proposal has received little scrutiny.
In 2004, Sunstein penned a book, "The Second Bill of Rights: FDR'S Unfinished Revolution and Why We Need It More than Ever," in which he advanced the radical notion that welfare rights, including some controversial inceptions, be granted by the state. His inspiration for a new bill of rights came from President Roosevelt's 1944 proposal of a different, new set of bill of rights.
WND has learned that in April 2005, Sunstein opened up a conference at Yale Law School entitled "The Constitution in 2020," which sought to change the nature and interpretation of the Constitution by that year.
Get Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense' ... The case against an out-of-control government: Inspired by Thomas Paine
Sunstein has been a main participant in the movement, which openly seeks to create a "progressive" consensus as to what the U.S. Constitution should provide for by the year 2020. It also suggests strategy for how liberal lawyers and judges might bring such a constitutional regime into being.
Just before his appearance at the conference, Sunstein wrote a blog entry in which he explained he "will be urging that it is important to resist, on democratic grounds, the idea that the document should be interpreted to reflect the view of the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party."
In his book, Sunstein laid out what he wants to become the new bill of rights, which he calls the Second Bill of Rights:
Among his mandates are:
* The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
* The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
* The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
* The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
* The right of every family to a decent home;
* The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
* The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
* The right to a good education.
On one page in his book, Sunstein claims he is "not seriously arguing" his bill of rights be "encompassed by anything in the Constitution," but on the next page he states that "if the nation becomes committed to certain rights, they may migrate into the Constitution itself."
Later in the book, Sunstein argues that "at a minimum, the second bill should be seen as part and parcel of America's constitutive commitments."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Patriots to storm Washington, target out-of-control spending
WND Exclusive A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA
Taxpayers swarm capitol, launch massive tea party
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Just one day after President Obama tries to recapture the initiative in the health-care debate with a speech to a joint session of Congress, thousands of taxpayers plan to storm Washington, D.C., in a three-day event to take their fight against excessive spending, bailouts, growth of big government and soaring deficits to the front door of the U.S. Capitol.
In a major movement unaffiliated with – but inspired by – Fox News' Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project, called the National Taxpayer Protest, thousands of Americans are answering the call and traveling to make their voices heard at Capitol Hill. Sept. 10 marks the kickoff of the three-day march on Washington.
Brendan Steinhauser of FreedomWorks, one of the groups organizing the Sept. 12 event, told WND, "We're expecting a huge gathering at the Washington, D.C., armory in the morning, and we'll talk about bailouts, cap and trade and health care. The feedback has been great. It's been phenomenal. Everybody wants to be a part of the event, and it's exciting."
The National Taxpayer Protest Facebook page hosts more than 2,200 members. Some comments include:
* I can't wait. It's time for Congress to listen instead of dictate
* I will be going and taking the whole family with me.
* Let's take back America and put it in the hands of those who truly care for the interests of this nation and its people!
* This is more than important – it is imperative. I am going to try to go! Hope to see y'all there!
* I'm spending hundreds of dollars to get there from Las Vegas, and it's worth every penny!
* This is a good start. We have to stand up and fight for our rights and our future!
Steinhauser said attendees will begin arriving today and hotels will quickly fill up. Excitement is building, he said, and some have indicated they will not wait to take their message to lawmakers and the president.
"I talked to some people from Arizona, Pennsylvania and North Carolina who are coming in today," he said. "There's been talk of a spontaneous protest while Obama is giving his address for people to stand on Pennsylvania Avenue tonight and sort of set it off. There's a lot of energy."
Get your copy of "Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream" now!
Steinhauser said lawmakers returning from the August recess may be breathing sighs of relief now that the town-hall protests have ended. But, he said, taxpayers are bringing the protests to them in the nation's capital.
"Congressmen came back to D.C. and said, 'Whew, that's over. I can relax.' But now everyone is chasing them back from their districts and coming after them even louder," he said. "We're really going to shock a lot of people with how many people actually come to the event."
The Tea Party Patriots' "Tea Party Express" national bus tour has been hosting a series of tea party rallies all across the nation. A caravan of buses, speakers and entertainers is set to arrive in Scranton, Pa., and Albany, N.Y. tomorrow. On Friday, it will make stops in Hartford and Bridgeport, Conn. It is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 12.
According to the Washington Times, the "Tea Party Express" tour was the fourth most popular topic searched on Yahoo last week. Joe Wierzbicki, national coordinator of the Tea Party Express, told the Times he is expecting a very large turnout.
"We were expecting 25,000 a few weeks ago, but now we are hoping for over 50,000," Mr. Wierzbicki said.
Several organizations have united to help organize the National Taxpayer Protest's descent on the Capitol, including: Freedom Works, Grassfire/ResistNet, Tea Party Patriots, National Taxpayers Union, Club for Growth, Americans for Tax Reform, Young Americans for Liberty, Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, Our Country Deserves Better, Campaign for Liberty, Leadership Institute, Free Republic, Young America's Foundation, the National Association of Rural Land Owners and Smart Girl Politics.
"Our mission is to present a unified voice of concern over the current administration's policies regarding taxation, our economy, foreign and domestic policy, as well as our individual constitutional rights as American citizens," said Grassfire national coordinator Darla Dawald in an open invitation to the public to join the Sept. 12 taxpayer march in Washington, D.C. "America is in trouble, the problems and issues are broad and complex and it will take a monumental effort to stop, change and reverse the destructive course that this administration and Congress has put us on. Together, We the People can effect that change!"
On Sept. 10 and 11, the groups will host grassroots training seminars and Sept. 11 "We'll Never Forget" memorial. At Freedom Plaza, there will be speakers and music while the crowd gathers at 9 a.m. The taxpayer march down Pennsylvania Avenue is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 12 and culminate with a rally at 1 p.m. at the west front of the Capitol. An event schedule is available at the National Taxpayer Protest website.
The website also offers detailed information on travel and hotel accommodations, including directions to the event. Nearly 200 buses will transport citizens to Washington, D.C., for the event.
"Obama managed to have 4 million show up at the Capitol grounds," Dawald told WND. "We need to do the same if not more. The financial situation is dire, but as one gentleman said, 'If I have to sell my belongings and crawl there, I will – because it's that important!"
Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots told WND the groups are focused on "protecting the values and principles that have made America the greatest nation for future generations."
Steinhauser told WND, "People want to do this. The people who have been protesting around the country want to come to Washington and do this in D.C. In a lot of ways, they are being ignored and the media is underrepresenting them and their numbers. They want to come together for one big event and send a very clear message."
Dick Armey, chairman of FreedomWorks, sent a memo reminding attendees of several Democrats who have called the movement "Astroturf," saying the crowds do not represent real grass-roots activism.
"They're saying that your voice doesn't count and that you will not be heard," he said. "At the 9-12 Taxpayer March on Washington we have an opportunity to show them just how wrong they are."
Taxpayers swarm capitol, launch massive tea party
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Just one day after President Obama tries to recapture the initiative in the health-care debate with a speech to a joint session of Congress, thousands of taxpayers plan to storm Washington, D.C., in a three-day event to take their fight against excessive spending, bailouts, growth of big government and soaring deficits to the front door of the U.S. Capitol.
In a major movement unaffiliated with – but inspired by – Fox News' Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project, called the National Taxpayer Protest, thousands of Americans are answering the call and traveling to make their voices heard at Capitol Hill. Sept. 10 marks the kickoff of the three-day march on Washington.
Brendan Steinhauser of FreedomWorks, one of the groups organizing the Sept. 12 event, told WND, "We're expecting a huge gathering at the Washington, D.C., armory in the morning, and we'll talk about bailouts, cap and trade and health care. The feedback has been great. It's been phenomenal. Everybody wants to be a part of the event, and it's exciting."
The National Taxpayer Protest Facebook page hosts more than 2,200 members. Some comments include:
* I can't wait. It's time for Congress to listen instead of dictate
* I will be going and taking the whole family with me.
* Let's take back America and put it in the hands of those who truly care for the interests of this nation and its people!
* This is more than important – it is imperative. I am going to try to go! Hope to see y'all there!
* I'm spending hundreds of dollars to get there from Las Vegas, and it's worth every penny!
* This is a good start. We have to stand up and fight for our rights and our future!
Steinhauser said attendees will begin arriving today and hotels will quickly fill up. Excitement is building, he said, and some have indicated they will not wait to take their message to lawmakers and the president.
"I talked to some people from Arizona, Pennsylvania and North Carolina who are coming in today," he said. "There's been talk of a spontaneous protest while Obama is giving his address for people to stand on Pennsylvania Avenue tonight and sort of set it off. There's a lot of energy."
Get your copy of "Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream" now!
Steinhauser said lawmakers returning from the August recess may be breathing sighs of relief now that the town-hall protests have ended. But, he said, taxpayers are bringing the protests to them in the nation's capital.
"Congressmen came back to D.C. and said, 'Whew, that's over. I can relax.' But now everyone is chasing them back from their districts and coming after them even louder," he said. "We're really going to shock a lot of people with how many people actually come to the event."
The Tea Party Patriots' "Tea Party Express" national bus tour has been hosting a series of tea party rallies all across the nation. A caravan of buses, speakers and entertainers is set to arrive in Scranton, Pa., and Albany, N.Y. tomorrow. On Friday, it will make stops in Hartford and Bridgeport, Conn. It is scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 12.
According to the Washington Times, the "Tea Party Express" tour was the fourth most popular topic searched on Yahoo last week. Joe Wierzbicki, national coordinator of the Tea Party Express, told the Times he is expecting a very large turnout.
"We were expecting 25,000 a few weeks ago, but now we are hoping for over 50,000," Mr. Wierzbicki said.
Several organizations have united to help organize the National Taxpayer Protest's descent on the Capitol, including: Freedom Works, Grassfire/ResistNet, Tea Party Patriots, National Taxpayers Union, Club for Growth, Americans for Tax Reform, Young Americans for Liberty, Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, Our Country Deserves Better, Campaign for Liberty, Leadership Institute, Free Republic, Young America's Foundation, the National Association of Rural Land Owners and Smart Girl Politics.
"Our mission is to present a unified voice of concern over the current administration's policies regarding taxation, our economy, foreign and domestic policy, as well as our individual constitutional rights as American citizens," said Grassfire national coordinator Darla Dawald in an open invitation to the public to join the Sept. 12 taxpayer march in Washington, D.C. "America is in trouble, the problems and issues are broad and complex and it will take a monumental effort to stop, change and reverse the destructive course that this administration and Congress has put us on. Together, We the People can effect that change!"
On Sept. 10 and 11, the groups will host grassroots training seminars and Sept. 11 "We'll Never Forget" memorial. At Freedom Plaza, there will be speakers and music while the crowd gathers at 9 a.m. The taxpayer march down Pennsylvania Avenue is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 12 and culminate with a rally at 1 p.m. at the west front of the Capitol. An event schedule is available at the National Taxpayer Protest website.
The website also offers detailed information on travel and hotel accommodations, including directions to the event. Nearly 200 buses will transport citizens to Washington, D.C., for the event.
"Obama managed to have 4 million show up at the Capitol grounds," Dawald told WND. "We need to do the same if not more. The financial situation is dire, but as one gentleman said, 'If I have to sell my belongings and crawl there, I will – because it's that important!"
Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots told WND the groups are focused on "protecting the values and principles that have made America the greatest nation for future generations."
Steinhauser told WND, "People want to do this. The people who have been protesting around the country want to come to Washington and do this in D.C. In a lot of ways, they are being ignored and the media is underrepresenting them and their numbers. They want to come together for one big event and send a very clear message."
Dick Armey, chairman of FreedomWorks, sent a memo reminding attendees of several Democrats who have called the movement "Astroturf," saying the crowds do not represent real grass-roots activism.
"They're saying that your voice doesn't count and that you will not be heard," he said. "At the 9-12 Taxpayer March on Washington we have an opportunity to show them just how wrong they are."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Grading the Big Speech: A 10-Point Citizens’ Checklist on Health Reform
by Newt Gingrich
President Obama has had a month to listen to the American people.
For a month, angry Americans have gone to town hall meetings in large numbers to oppose more spending, more government, and more Washington centered bureaucracy.
For a month, the polls have gotten worse and worse for big spending, big deficit, high taxes, and big government.
But on Labor Day, President Obama gave us a sign he hasn't been listening. He gave a campaign-style speech in which he accused his critics of spreading "lies" and failing to offer their own solutions for health care reform.
Tonight President Obama has another opportunity to show us if he's willing to listen to us, or to his party's leftwing.
Below is a ten-point checklist you can use to judge for yourself.
Facing a Far Left Revolt, the President Has a Choice to Make
In his speech to Congress this evening, President Obama has a choice to make.
He has to choose between listening to what the American people are telling him, and what the Left is telling him.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 13% of the American people want permanently expanded government.
In sharp contrast, the liberal base of the President's party views government run health care as nonnegotiable.
The Left is already threatening primary opposition to President Obama if he doesn't stick with them and seek to impose radical change on the American people.
As MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said last week "If it's necessary to find somebody else to run against him, I think liberals would do it, no matter how destructive that may seem".
Despite the Hard Line of the Left, Health Care Reform Is Still Possible
Despite the intransigence on the Left, bipartisan health reform supported by a huge majority of Americans is still possible.
The question is whether the President can reach out to the majority of us.
So to understand the President's speech tonight -- his most important speech since his Inaugural address -- do these three things:
Forget the details.
Forget the rhetoric.
And ask yourself this:
Is this a speech designed to bring together Americans to pass bipartisan health reform?
Or is this a speech designed to appease the Left?
Here's a ten-point checklist to help you decide for yourself. Print it out and use it to judge the President's speech tonight.
1. In his proposals for reform, does the President include litigation reform, which 84% of Americans believe will help reduce costs and which is the number one goal of doctors in any health reform?
2. Does he include a section onsaving money by stopping payments to crooks who are bilking the taxpayers for $70-120 billion each year in Medicare and Medicaid fraud? For 88 percent of Americans, this is the first place they would look to find savings in our health care system. Is President Obama willing to look there?
3. Does his speech reject higher taxes, which the vast majority of Americans believe will make the current economy even worse and increase unemployment even more?
4. Does it reject all government rationing of health services which the American people have vocally opposed at town hall meetings across the country?
5. Does it reject any government run, bureaucratic health plan?
6. Is President Obama open to four or five bipartisan bills which could pass with big bipartisan majorities? Or does he insist on a single omnibus bill of 1000-plus pages like the one that failed when Mrs. Clinton tried to pass it in 1993-1994?
7. Is he for sustaining the Senate rule of 60 votes to ensure a bill that has wide, bipartisan support? Or is he prepared to destroy long-standing Senate tradition and ram through a radical bill with 51 votes?
8. Does President Obama give any indication he is forincreasing the power, information and choice of the individual and their doctor or is he giving more power to the government?
9. Does he focus on health, wellness, prevention, early detection and health management to avoid or control the severity of chronic diseases? Or does he spend his time talking only about acute care?
10. Does his plan invest in science and technology in order to increase innovation and accelerate the discovery and adoption of new discoveries and breakthroughs in diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes?
Share Your Scores With Me At HealthTransformation.net
When the speech is over, look over your check list.
Each "yes" is worth 10 percent.
Each failure is worth zero.
Share your score with me at healthtransformation.net.
And ask yourself this:
How close did the President come to a plan the American people actually want?
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich
President Obama has had a month to listen to the American people.
For a month, angry Americans have gone to town hall meetings in large numbers to oppose more spending, more government, and more Washington centered bureaucracy.
For a month, the polls have gotten worse and worse for big spending, big deficit, high taxes, and big government.
But on Labor Day, President Obama gave us a sign he hasn't been listening. He gave a campaign-style speech in which he accused his critics of spreading "lies" and failing to offer their own solutions for health care reform.
Tonight President Obama has another opportunity to show us if he's willing to listen to us, or to his party's leftwing.
Below is a ten-point checklist you can use to judge for yourself.
Facing a Far Left Revolt, the President Has a Choice to Make
In his speech to Congress this evening, President Obama has a choice to make.
He has to choose between listening to what the American people are telling him, and what the Left is telling him.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 13% of the American people want permanently expanded government.
In sharp contrast, the liberal base of the President's party views government run health care as nonnegotiable.
The Left is already threatening primary opposition to President Obama if he doesn't stick with them and seek to impose radical change on the American people.
As MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said last week "If it's necessary to find somebody else to run against him, I think liberals would do it, no matter how destructive that may seem".
Despite the Hard Line of the Left, Health Care Reform Is Still Possible
Despite the intransigence on the Left, bipartisan health reform supported by a huge majority of Americans is still possible.
The question is whether the President can reach out to the majority of us.
So to understand the President's speech tonight -- his most important speech since his Inaugural address -- do these three things:
Forget the details.
Forget the rhetoric.
And ask yourself this:
Is this a speech designed to bring together Americans to pass bipartisan health reform?
Or is this a speech designed to appease the Left?
Here's a ten-point checklist to help you decide for yourself. Print it out and use it to judge the President's speech tonight.
1. In his proposals for reform, does the President include litigation reform, which 84% of Americans believe will help reduce costs and which is the number one goal of doctors in any health reform?
2. Does he include a section onsaving money by stopping payments to crooks who are bilking the taxpayers for $70-120 billion each year in Medicare and Medicaid fraud? For 88 percent of Americans, this is the first place they would look to find savings in our health care system. Is President Obama willing to look there?
3. Does his speech reject higher taxes, which the vast majority of Americans believe will make the current economy even worse and increase unemployment even more?
4. Does it reject all government rationing of health services which the American people have vocally opposed at town hall meetings across the country?
5. Does it reject any government run, bureaucratic health plan?
6. Is President Obama open to four or five bipartisan bills which could pass with big bipartisan majorities? Or does he insist on a single omnibus bill of 1000-plus pages like the one that failed when Mrs. Clinton tried to pass it in 1993-1994?
7. Is he for sustaining the Senate rule of 60 votes to ensure a bill that has wide, bipartisan support? Or is he prepared to destroy long-standing Senate tradition and ram through a radical bill with 51 votes?
8. Does President Obama give any indication he is forincreasing the power, information and choice of the individual and their doctor or is he giving more power to the government?
9. Does he focus on health, wellness, prevention, early detection and health management to avoid or control the severity of chronic diseases? Or does he spend his time talking only about acute care?
10. Does his plan invest in science and technology in order to increase innovation and accelerate the discovery and adoption of new discoveries and breakthroughs in diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes?
Share Your Scores With Me At HealthTransformation.net
When the speech is over, look over your check list.
Each "yes" is worth 10 percent.
Each failure is worth zero.
Share your score with me at healthtransformation.net.
And ask yourself this:
How close did the President come to a plan the American people actually want?
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich
The most dangerous Czar; Cass Sunstein (Regulatory Czar)
GLENN: Okay, now I have really good news. Do you remember when I said don't pay attention to what they want you to pay attention to because it's always what the other hand does. Remember that? What did they do last night after we got off the air? Last night when I went off the air, I said on the air, I believe Cass Sunstein is probably the most dangerous czar out there, but I had hope because we had three senators standing up against his confirmation because this guy is not actually a czar. They are calling him the regulatory czar but he has to be confirmed through the Senate. And there were three senators that ‑‑ what do they call this when they ‑‑
STU: Putting a hold on the nomination?
GLENN: Putting a hold on the nomination. We're checking now. I should have this information here in the next few minutes, but we're running some research on now on how many times have you had one senator put a hold on confirmation process and have it overturned. How many times in the history of our country have you had three senators stand up and say, no, no, no, hold.
STU: Probably every five weeks, just like the debt.
GLENN: It could be.
STU: It very well could be.
GLENN: Very good, thank you. Want to know how many times this has happened. Last night when we got off the air they announced that Harry Reid was going to push for cloture on Cass Sunstein so he would be confirmed today. Forget about healthcare. Rush Limbaugh, I saw a statement from him last night. He's absolutely right. It is a Trojan horse. You have no idea, neither do I, what they're building. But it ain't about health and it ain't about care. There is no compromise on anything. Engines at full stop. The republic is at stake, and there are too many people playing too many games. There are too many people playing ‑‑ they don't understand. They're willing to compromise because they're still playing the game as the game has always been played. The game was wrong in the first place, and the game is about to be over. Cass Sunstein is a guy who is against the Second Amendment who believes that the purpose of the Second Amendment is not an individual right but a federal right. He says almost all gun control legislation is constitutionally fine and if the Court is right, the fundamentalism does not justify the view. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms. He believes that the Second Amendment is the biggest ‑‑ I'm looking for the ‑‑ I'm looking for the exact quote ‑‑ is the biggest lie in American history. He also believes that we ought to ban hunting. He says willingness to subject animals to suffering will be seen as a form of barbarity, morally akin to slavery and the mass extermination of human beings. He believes that animals should have a right, should be able to bring suit because they are not property. You can't own a dog. They should be able to sue you. They would also have a right to property as well. So if you've got an animal that is roaming around, well, gee, we have to have their ‑‑ that's their property. That's where they live.
PAT: He would be fun to have on a hunting trip, hunting, fishing.
GLENN: Just crying himself to sleep.
PAT: Be great.
GLENN: On free speech Cass Sunstein says, quote, many discussion groups and websites less and often more extreme that can be found on the Internet. Discussion groups and websites of this kind have been around for a number of years. On the National Rifle Association's "Bullet N Board," a place where discussions of matters of mutual interest, someone calling himself Warmaster explained how to make bombs out of ordinary household will materials. Warmaster explained these simple, powerful bombs are not very well known even though all the materials can be easily obtained by anyone including minors. That is why he would like to control the Internet. A legislative effort to regulate broadcasting in the interest of Democratic principles. Wow, that's the words that Chavez always used. Should not be seen as an abridgement of the free speech guarantee. Regulate broadcast in the interest of Democratic principles is not an abridgement of the free speech guarantee. A system of limitless individual choices with respect to communications is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self‑government. On civil liberties courts should ordinarily require restrictions on civil liberties to be authorized by the legislature. On taxes Sunstein scolds readers like small‑minded selfish children for opposing the size, scope, expansion and skyrocketing expense of the government. Quote: In what sense in the money in our pockets and bank accounts are fully ours. Did we earn it by our autonomous efforts? Could we have inherited it without the assistance of probate courts? Do we save it without the sport of bank regulators? Could we spend it if there were no public officials to coordinate the efforts and pool the resources of the community in which we live. Without taxes there is no liberty. He also believes that we need a second Bill of Rights. In a nutshell, quoting, the New Deal helped vindicate a simple idea. No one really opposes government intervention. Even the people who most loudly denounce government interference depend on it every single day. For better or worse, the Constitution's framers gave no thought to including social and economic guarantees in the Bill of Rights. This will be a gigantic move in the direction of gigantic government because let me explain what he's going to do. He's the author of a book called Nudge. He doesn't believe that anybody should be told what to do through regulation, through laws, new laws. We're not going to ban meat. This is a guy who thinks that rats should be able to have attorneys. If you have rats in yo ur basement, you are not to poison rats. You can't make this stuff up.
Here's what his job is. He doesn't want to change the laws. All he wants to do is just tweak the regulations. So the laws are passed and then he tweaks the regulations. We've seen this ‑‑ this is what's happening right now in California with the farmers. The animals have to be saved. The smelt, a four‑inch fish, the smelt needs to be saved. Farmers can't use that much water. So they've reduced the water supply to farms by, what is it, 80 or 90%. Well, the farmers ‑‑ this is an area now that has 28 to 40% unemployment. The farmers cannot farm. They don't have enough water. All for the smelt. That is what a regulatory czar does: Well, let's just ‑‑ he can't have that much water. He turns the knobs, 5% here, 3% here, 8% here, 12% here. And before you know it, well, for instance, he doesn't want you to eat meat. He thinks it's wrong. We shouldn't have cattle slaughtered and sheep and lamb. That's wrong. So let's make sure that he oversees the fish and wildlife department regulations. Let's make sure that we tweak those regulations. Oh, there's a bucktooth beaver mouse that happens to go into the grazing lands. Well, that animal, they have a right to property, and, and they're endangered. So let's tweak that a bit. Let's make those grazing lands a little more difficult for people to control, a little more difficult for you to graze your cattle on. We just tweak that a little bit. I'm not saying that we're stopping cattle ranches. That's crazy talk. Let me just quick it, making it more difficult. Oh, and by the way, I'm going to regulate a little more on the feed and the grain that are federal to the cattle. And we need to get in with the FDA, we need to have a little stiffer regulations on the way our inspections are done and the butchering of the cattle and let's just tweak just a little bit on how it's transported. Before you know it, your $8 steak is now $25. Well, he hasn't done anything. He's just made it harder for farmers to make and grow cows to give you beef. This is the way it ends. Today they are going to vote for cloture. They are doing it while everybody's talking about healthcare. Harry Reid, this guy has three holds on him. They need 60 votes. They cannot get 60 votes with Ted Kennedy gone. But that means every single Republican must stand against Cass Sunstein, and most of these weasels in Washington haven't done their homework enough to know who this guy is. They haven't pieced this together because nobody for some reason will look at the whole picture. Well, I have to tell you, I have seen you educate those in congress. I have seen it happen. I've seen it with the Republican who said whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, there are no communists in the White House. And I've seen the town hall where people stand up, "Van Jones!" Who? What? And you educated him. I've seen it happen with my own eyes. You are on it. It is time to get everyone you know to call Capitol Hill. Call the Senate. Democrats, listen. Your hunting rights are at stake. Your gun rights are at stake. He's never going to change the laws and that's what they'll tell you. And it's true. He'll never change the laws. He's just going to make everything more difficult. For instance, they haven't banned guns in New York City. But try to get one! They haven't made it illegal. They've just made it impossible to be able to get past the regulation. That is what his expertise is. The most dangerous guy out there right now. I thought we had more time. We don't. You have ‑‑ I don't even know. They haven't announced when that vote is coming, but you better burn up the phone lines now. Democrats, you've got to call your Democratic ‑‑ there are, I believe there's one Democrat that has his name on the list that says a hold but doesn't want his name released. You've got to call your Democrats. Any, anybody who lives in a state where it is farming, anybody who lives in a state where they are sensitive to the Second Amendment, anybody who cares about free speech on the Internet! Let alone broadcast. Forget about broadcast. The Internet! It is the only lifeline that you'll have. You've got to call them today. You vote no on Cass Sunstein. No on Cass Sunstein. Call them now. They're trying to get this through today before you are real ly informed on who this guy is.
Stu, what is the Web address with all of the quotes of him?
STU: StopSunstein.com has a lot of them.
GLENN: Okay. Go there. We'll include it in the free e‑mail newsletter but we'll put a blast out hopefully this morning with this. You have to do this now and you have to wake everybody up, right now. Gigantic loss if he's confirmed. And they're going to do it today.
STU: Putting a hold on the nomination?
GLENN: Putting a hold on the nomination. We're checking now. I should have this information here in the next few minutes, but we're running some research on now on how many times have you had one senator put a hold on confirmation process and have it overturned. How many times in the history of our country have you had three senators stand up and say, no, no, no, hold.
STU: Probably every five weeks, just like the debt.
GLENN: It could be.
STU: It very well could be.
GLENN: Very good, thank you. Want to know how many times this has happened. Last night when we got off the air they announced that Harry Reid was going to push for cloture on Cass Sunstein so he would be confirmed today. Forget about healthcare. Rush Limbaugh, I saw a statement from him last night. He's absolutely right. It is a Trojan horse. You have no idea, neither do I, what they're building. But it ain't about health and it ain't about care. There is no compromise on anything. Engines at full stop. The republic is at stake, and there are too many people playing too many games. There are too many people playing ‑‑ they don't understand. They're willing to compromise because they're still playing the game as the game has always been played. The game was wrong in the first place, and the game is about to be over. Cass Sunstein is a guy who is against the Second Amendment who believes that the purpose of the Second Amendment is not an individual right but a federal right. He says almost all gun control legislation is constitutionally fine and if the Court is right, the fundamentalism does not justify the view. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms. He believes that the Second Amendment is the biggest ‑‑ I'm looking for the ‑‑ I'm looking for the exact quote ‑‑ is the biggest lie in American history. He also believes that we ought to ban hunting. He says willingness to subject animals to suffering will be seen as a form of barbarity, morally akin to slavery and the mass extermination of human beings. He believes that animals should have a right, should be able to bring suit because they are not property. You can't own a dog. They should be able to sue you. They would also have a right to property as well. So if you've got an animal that is roaming around, well, gee, we have to have their ‑‑ that's their property. That's where they live.
PAT: He would be fun to have on a hunting trip, hunting, fishing.
GLENN: Just crying himself to sleep.
PAT: Be great.
GLENN: On free speech Cass Sunstein says, quote, many discussion groups and websites less and often more extreme that can be found on the Internet. Discussion groups and websites of this kind have been around for a number of years. On the National Rifle Association's "Bullet N Board," a place where discussions of matters of mutual interest, someone calling himself Warmaster explained how to make bombs out of ordinary household will materials. Warmaster explained these simple, powerful bombs are not very well known even though all the materials can be easily obtained by anyone including minors. That is why he would like to control the Internet. A legislative effort to regulate broadcasting in the interest of Democratic principles. Wow, that's the words that Chavez always used. Should not be seen as an abridgement of the free speech guarantee. Regulate broadcast in the interest of Democratic principles is not an abridgement of the free speech guarantee. A system of limitless individual choices with respect to communications is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self‑government. On civil liberties courts should ordinarily require restrictions on civil liberties to be authorized by the legislature. On taxes Sunstein scolds readers like small‑minded selfish children for opposing the size, scope, expansion and skyrocketing expense of the government. Quote: In what sense in the money in our pockets and bank accounts are fully ours. Did we earn it by our autonomous efforts? Could we have inherited it without the assistance of probate courts? Do we save it without the sport of bank regulators? Could we spend it if there were no public officials to coordinate the efforts and pool the resources of the community in which we live. Without taxes there is no liberty. He also believes that we need a second Bill of Rights. In a nutshell, quoting, the New Deal helped vindicate a simple idea. No one really opposes government intervention. Even the people who most loudly denounce government interference depend on it every single day. For better or worse, the Constitution's framers gave no thought to including social and economic guarantees in the Bill of Rights. This will be a gigantic move in the direction of gigantic government because let me explain what he's going to do. He's the author of a book called Nudge. He doesn't believe that anybody should be told what to do through regulation, through laws, new laws. We're not going to ban meat. This is a guy who thinks that rats should be able to have attorneys. If you have rats in yo ur basement, you are not to poison rats. You can't make this stuff up.
Here's what his job is. He doesn't want to change the laws. All he wants to do is just tweak the regulations. So the laws are passed and then he tweaks the regulations. We've seen this ‑‑ this is what's happening right now in California with the farmers. The animals have to be saved. The smelt, a four‑inch fish, the smelt needs to be saved. Farmers can't use that much water. So they've reduced the water supply to farms by, what is it, 80 or 90%. Well, the farmers ‑‑ this is an area now that has 28 to 40% unemployment. The farmers cannot farm. They don't have enough water. All for the smelt. That is what a regulatory czar does: Well, let's just ‑‑ he can't have that much water. He turns the knobs, 5% here, 3% here, 8% here, 12% here. And before you know it, well, for instance, he doesn't want you to eat meat. He thinks it's wrong. We shouldn't have cattle slaughtered and sheep and lamb. That's wrong. So let's make sure that he oversees the fish and wildlife department regulations. Let's make sure that we tweak those regulations. Oh, there's a bucktooth beaver mouse that happens to go into the grazing lands. Well, that animal, they have a right to property, and, and they're endangered. So let's tweak that a bit. Let's make those grazing lands a little more difficult for people to control, a little more difficult for you to graze your cattle on. We just tweak that a little bit. I'm not saying that we're stopping cattle ranches. That's crazy talk. Let me just quick it, making it more difficult. Oh, and by the way, I'm going to regulate a little more on the feed and the grain that are federal to the cattle. And we need to get in with the FDA, we need to have a little stiffer regulations on the way our inspections are done and the butchering of the cattle and let's just tweak just a little bit on how it's transported. Before you know it, your $8 steak is now $25. Well, he hasn't done anything. He's just made it harder for farmers to make and grow cows to give you beef. This is the way it ends. Today they are going to vote for cloture. They are doing it while everybody's talking about healthcare. Harry Reid, this guy has three holds on him. They need 60 votes. They cannot get 60 votes with Ted Kennedy gone. But that means every single Republican must stand against Cass Sunstein, and most of these weasels in Washington haven't done their homework enough to know who this guy is. They haven't pieced this together because nobody for some reason will look at the whole picture. Well, I have to tell you, I have seen you educate those in congress. I have seen it happen. I've seen it with the Republican who said whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, there are no communists in the White House. And I've seen the town hall where people stand up, "Van Jones!" Who? What? And you educated him. I've seen it happen with my own eyes. You are on it. It is time to get everyone you know to call Capitol Hill. Call the Senate. Democrats, listen. Your hunting rights are at stake. Your gun rights are at stake. He's never going to change the laws and that's what they'll tell you. And it's true. He'll never change the laws. He's just going to make everything more difficult. For instance, they haven't banned guns in New York City. But try to get one! They haven't made it illegal. They've just made it impossible to be able to get past the regulation. That is what his expertise is. The most dangerous guy out there right now. I thought we had more time. We don't. You have ‑‑ I don't even know. They haven't announced when that vote is coming, but you better burn up the phone lines now. Democrats, you've got to call your Democratic ‑‑ there are, I believe there's one Democrat that has his name on the list that says a hold but doesn't want his name released. You've got to call your Democrats. Any, anybody who lives in a state where it is farming, anybody who lives in a state where they are sensitive to the Second Amendment, anybody who cares about free speech on the Internet! Let alone broadcast. Forget about broadcast. The Internet! It is the only lifeline that you'll have. You've got to call them today. You vote no on Cass Sunstein. No on Cass Sunstein. Call them now. They're trying to get this through today before you are real ly informed on who this guy is.
Stu, what is the Web address with all of the quotes of him?
STU: StopSunstein.com has a lot of them.
GLENN: Okay. Go there. We'll include it in the free e‑mail newsletter but we'll put a blast out hopefully this morning with this. You have to do this now and you have to wake everybody up, right now. Gigantic loss if he's confirmed. And they're going to do it today.
Watch chilling video on Islamic threat in U.S. – free!
WND Exclusive GLOBAL JIHAD
'We all know about terrorism; this is the war you don't know about'
To commemorate the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, the producers of the stunning new video documentary "The Third Jihad" are making the 72-minute-long exposé on radical Islam's infiltration and subversion of America viewable online, in its entirety, for free.
For one week only, from Sept. 9 through Sept. 15, the feature-length video will be streaming on the website, TheThirdJihad.com.
"It is important to remember the motivations behind the worst attacks on American soil since the Civil War," says Raphael Shore, the film's executive producer, "and to recognize that these same motivations remain eight years later.""The Third Jihad" is the sequel to the sensational and influential DVD documentary "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West."
"The Third Jihad," narrated by Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim American physician who has cared for U.S. Congressmen and Supreme Court justices, opens with the following statement: "This is not a film about Islam. It is about the threat of radical Islam. Only a small percentage of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims are radical. This film is about them."
Very special offer to WND readers: For a limited time, order your own DVD copy of "The Third Jihad" and you'll also get a FREE copy of "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West", featuring shocking undercover footage of the indoctrination of young children into hate and violence, secret jihad meetings and the initiations of suicide bombers!
"The Third Jihad" documents the ongoing, multifaceted efforts of radical Islamists, driven by a religiously motivated rejection of Western values, cultures and religion, to subvert and ultimately take over the Western world. In contrast to the use of "violent jihad" and terror to instill fear in non-believers, "The Third Jihad" introduces the concept of "cultural jihad" as a powerful means to infiltrate and undermine American society from within.
"Almost a decade after the 9/11 attacks, radicals continue their fight with persistent attacks on our freedoms and democracy," says Shore. "These attacks take place daily in our courtrooms, our press, our banks, our prisons and even in our children's schools.
"Tens of thousands of concerned citizens have already seen this important film," he adds. "Together we need to educate thousands more if we are to stand up and mobilize against the threat of radical Islam in the U.S."
The producers are also advertising that the free streaming video can be embedded onto websites, blogs, Facebook and other social media platforms. Furthermore, special screening kits are available at TheThirdJihad.com for those who wish to screen the film to family, friends and communities.
"The Third Jihad" includes interviews with New York City's mayor at the time of the 9/11 attacks, Rudy Giuliani, Imam Abdul Alim Musa, the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, and several others, including Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of "Infidel" and named by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
It also features an interview with Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who serves as the current chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
"It is definitely here," Lieberman says in the film, referring to a cultural jihad by Islamic radicals in the U.S. "I don't want to overstate the problem, but there is a danger of understating the problem of homegrown Islamist terrorism."
"We all know about terrorism," the film's trailer states. "This is the war you don't know about."
'We all know about terrorism; this is the war you don't know about'
To commemorate the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, the producers of the stunning new video documentary "The Third Jihad" are making the 72-minute-long exposé on radical Islam's infiltration and subversion of America viewable online, in its entirety, for free.
For one week only, from Sept. 9 through Sept. 15, the feature-length video will be streaming on the website, TheThirdJihad.com.
"It is important to remember the motivations behind the worst attacks on American soil since the Civil War," says Raphael Shore, the film's executive producer, "and to recognize that these same motivations remain eight years later.""The Third Jihad" is the sequel to the sensational and influential DVD documentary "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West."
"The Third Jihad," narrated by Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim American physician who has cared for U.S. Congressmen and Supreme Court justices, opens with the following statement: "This is not a film about Islam. It is about the threat of radical Islam. Only a small percentage of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims are radical. This film is about them."
Very special offer to WND readers: For a limited time, order your own DVD copy of "The Third Jihad" and you'll also get a FREE copy of "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West", featuring shocking undercover footage of the indoctrination of young children into hate and violence, secret jihad meetings and the initiations of suicide bombers!
"The Third Jihad" documents the ongoing, multifaceted efforts of radical Islamists, driven by a religiously motivated rejection of Western values, cultures and religion, to subvert and ultimately take over the Western world. In contrast to the use of "violent jihad" and terror to instill fear in non-believers, "The Third Jihad" introduces the concept of "cultural jihad" as a powerful means to infiltrate and undermine American society from within.
"Almost a decade after the 9/11 attacks, radicals continue their fight with persistent attacks on our freedoms and democracy," says Shore. "These attacks take place daily in our courtrooms, our press, our banks, our prisons and even in our children's schools.
"Tens of thousands of concerned citizens have already seen this important film," he adds. "Together we need to educate thousands more if we are to stand up and mobilize against the threat of radical Islam in the U.S."
The producers are also advertising that the free streaming video can be embedded onto websites, blogs, Facebook and other social media platforms. Furthermore, special screening kits are available at TheThirdJihad.com for those who wish to screen the film to family, friends and communities.
"The Third Jihad" includes interviews with New York City's mayor at the time of the 9/11 attacks, Rudy Giuliani, Imam Abdul Alim Musa, the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, and several others, including Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of "Infidel" and named by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
It also features an interview with Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who serves as the current chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
"It is definitely here," Lieberman says in the film, referring to a cultural jihad by Islamic radicals in the U.S. "I don't want to overstate the problem, but there is a danger of understating the problem of homegrown Islamist terrorism."
"We all know about terrorism," the film's trailer states. "This is the war you don't know about."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)