{"id":34250,"date":"2015-12-06T17:30:54","date_gmt":"2015-12-06T22:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=34250"},"modified":"2015-12-06T17:30:59","modified_gmt":"2015-12-06T22:30:59","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-friday-december-4th-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=34250","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Friday, December 4th, 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>It&#8217;s Friday, December 4th, 2015&#8230;but before we commence to bloviating, a brief observation. \u00a0As we were just discussing with TLJ (who, incidentally, is lovelier than ever!), there is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>soooo<\/em><\/span> much going wrong with the country it&#8217;s hard to keep track of it all, let alone maintain one&#8217;s sanity in the midst of the madness.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>For example, has anyone had time to focus this week on <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/healthcare\/261617-unitedhealth-ceo-regrets-entering-obamacare-marketplace\" class=\"broken_link\">the impending meltdown of ObamaScare<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em>?!? \u00a0The WSJ&#8217;s <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/america-at-obamas-end-1449100772\">Dan Henninger<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span> correctly identifies the source of most of the nation&#8217;s, indeed the world&#8217;s problems&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/706-obama-laughing-512x248.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34045\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/706-obama-laughing-512x248.jpg\" alt=\"706-obama-laughing-512x248\" width=\"400\" height=\"194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/706-obama-laughing-512x248.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/706-obama-laughing-512x248-300x146.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;but as we detail below, there&#8217;s any number of our senior Military, both active and retired, fighting for second place, albeit a fur piece behind Barry. \u00a0And let&#8217;s not forget the &#8220;leadership&#8221;&#8230;if the word can even be applied&#8230;of The Gang That Still Can&#8217;t Shoot Straight, who, to borrow a line from Ghostbusters II&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_th4Xe6Dsm4?start=118\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;a sequel almost as disappointing as Mitt Romney following John McCain.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>So since we can&#8217;t cover it all&#8230;not to mention much of what transpires doesn&#8217;t <em>merit<\/em> exposure&#8230;we&#8217;ll present all the news we deem fit to print!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>So here&#8217;s The Gouge!<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>First up, courtesy of <em>NRO<\/em>, submitted for your perusal, Tom Elliott offers this&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Montage: The Ten Dumbest Things Said about the San Bernardino Attack<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UkNNCOElPj0\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">It\u2019s been less than 24 hours since multiple gunmen slaughtered 14 innocent people in San Bernardino, Calif., yet the major media have already compiled a lengthy list of embarrassing missteps. From rank speculation to premature politicization, the frequent departure from simply reporting factual information isn\u2019t going well.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Here are ten of the worst moments thus far:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>Senator Tim Kaine\u00a0saying\u00a0the atrocity proves America is addicted to guns.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><em>Former FBI assistant director,\u00a0Tom Fuentes\u00a0\u2013\u00a0later joined by CNN\u2019s Harry Houck\u00a0\u2013 speculating an anti-government \u201cright-wing group\u201d is behind the attack.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>MSNBC reporting (almost as soon as the shooting began) that the city of San Bernardino\u00a0houses a Planned Parenthood.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><em>A gun-control activist insisting\u00a0Congress could stop these tragedies, it simply chooses not to.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>George Stephanopoulos portraying\u00a0President Obama as another victim in the tragedy.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><em>President Obama arguing\u00a0the feds are powerless to stop suspected terrorists from buying guns. (Which is untrue.)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34183\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/guns-less-safe.jpg\" alt=\"guns less safe\" width=\"400\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/guns-less-safe.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/guns-less-safe-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>An\u00a0MSNBC guest arguing\u00a0armed self defense, including armed guards, provides no security benefit.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><em>Chris Matthews wondering\u00a0if the attack can be traced back to the American revolution.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">NBC\u2019s Kerry Saunders suggesting\u00a0the Christmas party that was attacked could have served as a \u201ctrigger\u201d for the gunmen.<\/span> <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><em>Senator\u00a0Tim Kaine arguing\u00a0that, much like terrorists themselves, critics of increased gun control are the \u201cvoice of evil.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>And it hasn\u2019t even been a full day<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>We&#8217;d suggest, before opening their pie holes, Progressive politicians and the sycophantic MSM&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Obama-voters.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34184\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Obama-voters.png\" alt=\"Obama voters\" width=\"391\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Obama-voters.png 391w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Obama-voters-300x160.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 391px) 100vw, 391px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>In a related item, as the incomparably well-informed John Lott advises us&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #333399;\"><a style=\"color: #333399; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/2015\/12\/03\/facts-shoot-holes-in-obamas-claim-that-us-is-only-host-to-mass-killings.html?intcmp=hpbt3\" class=\"broken_link\">The facts shoot holes in Obama&#8217;s claim that US is only host to mass killings<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Farooked-Again-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34190\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Farooked-Again-1.jpg\" alt=\"Farooked Again 1\" width=\"500\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Farooked-Again-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Farooked-Again-1-300x146.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;On Tuesday, President Obama stunned Americans and French alike with his false claims about gun violence in America. &#8220;I say this every time we\u2019ve got one of these mass shootings. <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>This just doesn\u2019t happen in other countries,\u201d claimed Obama. <span style=\"color: #800000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>It is a claim that he has continually repeated over the years<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Talk about being self-absorbed<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000;\">(Or, as we prefer to term it, lying through his teeth!)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>The French have witnessed <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>three<\/em><\/span> mass public shootings this year.<\/strong> <\/span>January saw two attacks, one on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and another on a Paris supermarket.\u00a0In the November attacks, 129 people were killed and 352 were injured. <span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In just 2015<\/span>, France suffered <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">more casualties<\/span> \u2013 killings and injuries \u2013 from mass public shootings than the U.S. has suffered during Obama\u2019s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">entire<\/span> presidency (508 to 424).<\/span> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">This number includes the San Bernardino massacre on Wednesday<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Obama also overlooks Norway, where Anders Behring Breivik used a gun to kill 67 people and wound 110 others. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">Still others were killed by bombs that Breivik detonated.<\/span><\/strong><\/span> \u00a0Of the four worst K-12 school shootings, three have occurred in Europe. Germany had two of these \u2014 one in 2002 at Erfut and another in 2009 at Winnenden, with a total death toll of 34.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Obama isn\u2019t correct even if he meant the frequency of fatalities or attacks<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> Many European countries actually have higher rates of death from public shootings that resulted in four or more murders. It\u2019s simply a matter of adjusting for America\u2019s much larger population&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>In other words&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/947361_384544551662329_1121835205_n-630x482.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34199\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/947361_384544551662329_1121835205_n-630x482.png\" alt=\"947361_384544551662329_1121835205_n-630x482\" width=\"400\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/947361_384544551662329_1121835205_n-630x482.png 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/947361_384544551662329_1121835205_n-630x482-300x230.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>But The Left will always meet any argument based on fact or logic with an utter non sequitur, the proverbial Progressive red herring:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Zk4Wc8o75zU\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>Meanwhile, the devastation The Dear Misleader continues to deal America&#8217;s domestic security doesn&#8217;t hold a candle to the havoc he&#8217;s wreaking upon our national defense:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"wsj-article-headline\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/defense-secretary-says-u-s-opening-all-military-combat-roles-to-women-1449165140?mod=djemalertNEWS\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Defense Secretary Says U.S. Opening All Military Combat Roles to Women<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"sub-head\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #808000;\"><a style=\"color: #808000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/defense-secretary-says-u-s-opening-all-military-combat-roles-to-women-1449165140?mod=djemalertNEWS\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">\u2018Mission Effectiveness Must Come First,\u2019 Ash Carter Says<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34191\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.jpeg\" alt=\"dt.common.streams.StreamServer\" width=\"400\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/dt.common.streams.StreamServer-300x199.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #808000;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8220;<\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The U.S. military will open combat positions to women, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>with no exceptions<\/em><\/span>, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Thursday in a decision that settles a decades-old debate surrounding the armed forces.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The positions in all service branches will be open to women in 30 days, Mr. Carter said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #808000;\"><strong>\u201cThis means that, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>as long as they qualify and meet the standards<\/em><\/span>, women will now be able to contribute to our mission in ways they could not before,\u201d Mr. Carter said<\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Aye, there&#8217;s the rub! \u00a0For as this next item, courtesy of Balls Cotton and\u00a0<em>US Defense Watch<\/em> informs us&#8230;<\/b><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"post-title entry-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #808000;\"><a style=\"color: #808000; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"http:\/\/usdefensewatch.com\/2015\/11\/something-is-rotten-at-fort-benning\/\">Something is rotten at Fort Benning<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/cropped-Rangers.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34192\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/cropped-Rangers.jpg\" alt=\"cropped-Rangers\" width=\"550\" height=\"156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/cropped-Rangers.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/cropped-Rangers-300x85.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">US Defense Watch and other media outlets have been covering the Ranger School records story since late September.\u00a0Here\u2019s a summary of the story until now:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Congressman Steve Russell (R, OK) contacted the Secretary of the Army on September 15, 2015, and requested the Ranger School records for the first two female graduates, Captain Kristen Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #808000;\"><strong>Russell, a Ranger School graduate, who served 21 years in the Army and earned a Bronze Star with Valor device, was elected to Congress in 2014. He led 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment during its deployment to Tikrit, Iraq.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #e38b10;\"><strong>The Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>stalled Russell for nine days and then asked for an extension to obtain documents readily available<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #808000;\">The Army waited <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">another<\/span><\/em> two weeks to tell Russell <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>the documents had been shredded<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #008000;\">(Starting to sound familiar?!?)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The Army <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>still<\/em><\/span> refuses to tell anyone <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>what the school\u2019s policy is for the storage and destruction of Ranger School records<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #808000;\">The Army <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>still<\/em><\/span> refuses to tell the media <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>why<\/em><\/span> they shredded Griest\u2019s and Haver\u2019s records.<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>The Army refuses to tell the media what they are doing with the third female graduate, Major Lisa Jaster\u2019s records<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #808000;\">The Army <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>now<\/em><\/span> refuses to send Congressman Russell the so-called \u201cGreen Cards\u201d for the female Rangers.<\/span> The Green Cards are basically a report card on how any Ranger School graduate performed, <em>in a practice dating back to 1952, the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade keeps a Ranger student\u2019s Green Card, which verifies their attempt or successful completion of the course<\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">McHugh, who stepped down as secretary Nov. 1, likened it to a university transcript, which does not include \u201cevery test or paper that a student completes within a course.\u201d\u00a0<span style=\"color: #e38b10;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #808000;\">McHugh also wrote that the Army cannot provide the Green Cards for the Ranger students \u201coutside of a formal request from an appropriate oversight committee, as the Privacy Act would require almost full redaction of all information on each document, rendering them effectively useless.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0Russell is working with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the House Armed Services Committee to take necessary steps and obtain the records, according to a source in the congressman\u2019s office.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/women-combat-women-nfl-combat-army-infantry-demotivational-posters-1359092325.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34193\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/women-combat-women-nfl-combat-army-infantry-demotivational-posters-1359092325.jpg\" alt=\"women-combat-women-nfl-combat-army-infantry-demotivational-posters-1359092325\" width=\"450\" height=\"385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/women-combat-women-nfl-combat-army-infantry-demotivational-posters-1359092325.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/women-combat-women-nfl-combat-army-infantry-demotivational-posters-1359092325-300x257.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8230;<span style=\"color: #e38b10;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #808000;\">So, we have records <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>shredded<\/em><\/span> and now the Army <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>refuses to send the Green Cards to Russell<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Instead, Russell was given some type of half-baked white paper showing that women were performing just like men at Ranger School<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #e38b10;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #808000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>You don\u2019t have to be Columbo or Sherlock Holmes to smell a rat<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> Something is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>rotten<\/em><\/span> down at Fort Benning and the trail of stench leads all the way to the Pentagon.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000;\">(And across the river to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!)\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span>It\u2019s more than obvious that the Army is clearly hiding something, in order to placate the White House and their social engineering agenda. Think this couldn\u2019t happen? Read the news today about the military doctoring intelligence reports to create the fiction that ISIS was on the run.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #808000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>The Pentagon is chock full of moral cowards and lackeys these days<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">The idea that the Army could be deliberately pushing women through Ranger School is not a popular topic among many currently serving military officers and even some veterans. I\u2019ve been asked, \u201cWhy am I covering this story?\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t you know it\u2019s 2015?\u201d Ah, 2015, as if female human beings have been given some altered DNA. Perhaps, Keanu Reeves met aliens that handed him some new technology to turn women into Xena Warrior Princesses. <span style=\"color: #e38b10;\"><strong>I\u2019ve also been told that \u201cI\u2019m old school and things are different now.\u201d <span style=\"color: #808000;\"><em>They sure <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">are<\/span>; <span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #ff0000;\">on a level that\u2019s disastrous for the nation<\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #808000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #e38b10;\">It\u2019s senior officers who are driving the feminist train wreck, because they are simply too worried about their jobs and their retirement packages to speak up.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The troops know better. They always do.<\/span> <strong>A sergeant in the Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning told me that the politically correct atmosphere in the Army was \u201c<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>suffocating<\/em><\/span>.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #e38b10;\"><strong>Any person who has knowledge of Ranger School, or current and former Ranger ops knows that what is happening at Ranger School <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>is a complete farce<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><strong><span style=\"color: #808000;\"> Yet, the Army expects us to believe that women are making it through one of the hardest military schools in the world.<\/span> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>They also expect us to believe that 37 year old mommies are blood and guts Ranger School graduates<\/em><\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">According to a friend whose judgement in matters military we value opined:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"s1\">&#8220;<span style=\"color: #808000;\"><strong><em>&#8230;from what I\u2019ve heard from all the services, women have to be detailed to these positions due to lack of qualified males.<\/em><\/strong><\/span>&#8220;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>Unfortunately, been there\/done that! \u00a0We lived out this bullsh*t at the Naval Academy with the first female Plebes; we <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>know<\/em><\/span> how it plays out, and it <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>ain&#8217;t<\/em><\/span> in the interest of either the nation <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>or<\/em><\/span> national security, which <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>should<\/em><\/span> be&#8230;\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i2nuPVTU4Z4\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>At least they <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>used<\/em><\/span> to be; <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>now<\/em><\/span> national security is sacrificed for a social experiment with rigged results.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>Then again, as this next item, c<\/strong><strong>ourtesy of Jeff Foutch and Bret Stephens writing at the <em>WSJ<\/em>\u00a0explains, what else can one truly expect from an group who either (a) refuses to recognize the face of the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>real<\/em><\/span> enemy, or (b) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>is on their side<\/em><\/span>?!?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"wsj-article-headline\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/liberalisms-imaginary-enemies-1448929043\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Liberalism\u2019s Imaginary Enemies<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"sub-head\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/liberalisms-imaginary-enemies-1448929043\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In Paris, it\u2019s easier to battle a climate crisis than confront jihadists on the streets<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/21f7297a9a62793f191a01ec7f7ca5ea.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34169\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/21f7297a9a62793f191a01ec7f7ca5ea.jpg\" alt=\"21f7297a9a62793f191a01ec7f7ca5ea\" width=\"257\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/21f7297a9a62793f191a01ec7f7ca5ea.jpg 257w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/21f7297a9a62793f191a01ec7f7ca5ea-220x300.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 257px) 100vw, 257px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Little children have imaginary friends. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Modern liberalism has imaginary enemies<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Hunger in America is an imaginary enemy<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span> Liberal advocacy groups routinely claim that one in seven Americans is hungry\u2014in a country where the poorest counties have the\u00a0highest rates of obesity. The statistic is a preposterous extrapolation from a dubious Agriculture Department measure of \u201cfood insecurity.\u201d <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">But the line gives those advocacy groups a reason to exist while feeding the liberal narrative of America as a savage society of haves and have nots.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>The campus-rape epidemic<\/em><\/span>\u2014in which one in five female college students is said to be the victim of sexual assault\u2014<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">is an imaginary enemy<\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> Never mind the debunked rape scandals at Duke and the University of Virginia, or the soon-to-be-debunked case at the heart of \u201cThe Hunting Ground,\u201d a documentary about an alleged sexual assault at Harvard Law School. The real question is: If modern campuses were really zones of mass predation\u2014Congo on the quad\u2014why would intelligent young women even think of attending a coeducational school? They do because there is no epidemic. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>But the campus-rape narrative sustains liberal fictions of a never-ending war on women.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\" media-object wrap \" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-layout=\"wrap \"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Institutionalized racism is an imaginary enemy<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> Somehow we\u2019re supposed to believe that the same college administrators who have made a religion of diversity are really the second coming of Strom Thurmond. Somehow we\u2019re supposed to believe that twice electing a black president is evidence of our racial incorrigibility. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>We\u2019re supposed to believe this anyway because the future of liberal racialism\u2014from affirmative action to diversity quotas to slavery reparations\u2014requires periodic sightings of the ghosts of a racist past.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">I mention these examples by way of preface to the climate-change summit that began this week in Paris. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>But first notice a pattern<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><em>Dramatic crises\u2014<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">for which evidence tends to be anecdotal, subjective, invisible, tendentious and sometimes fabricated<\/span>\u2014are trumpeted on the basis of incompetently designed studies, poorly understood statistics, or semantic legerdemain<\/em>.<\/strong> <\/span>Food insecurity is not remotely the same as hunger. An abusive cop does not equal a bigoted police department. An unwanted kiss or touch is not the same as sexual assault, at least if the word assault is to mean anything.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Yet bogus studies and statistics survive <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>because the cottage industries of compassion need them to be believed, and because mindless repetition has a way of making things nearly true, and because dramatic crises require drastic and all-encompassing solutions<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> Besides, the thinking goes, falsehood and exaggeration can serve a purpose if it induces virtuous behavior. The more afraid we are of the shadow of racism, the more conscious we might become of our own unsuspected biases.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">And so to Paris.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>I\u2019m not the first to notice the incongruity of this huge gathering of world leaders meeting to combat a notional enemy in the same place where a real enemy just inflicted so much mortal damage<\/strong><\/em><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>We&#8217;ll leave the last word on the subject to two of the most brilliant political cartoonists of our generation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/High-Marx-in-Science.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34200\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/High-Marx-in-Science.gif\" alt=\"High Marx in Science\" width=\"500\" height=\"242\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Tides-of-War-sm-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34201\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Tides-of-War-sm-1.jpg\" alt=\"Tides of War sm 1\" width=\"500\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Tides-of-War-sm-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Tides-of-War-sm-1-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/RAM800Fclr-120415-radical-I.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34202\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/RAM800Fclr-120415-radical-I.gif\" alt=\"RAM800Fclr-120415-radical-I\" width=\"450\" height=\"327\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Next up, the stench of the corruption in The Anointed One&#8217;s adopted home town has finally penetrated the hardened olfactory receptors of the MSM. \u00a0Hells bells, even <em>The Old Grey Nag<\/em> is finally calling for an investigation into the political cesspool that is Chicago, a city so offensive, as the late, great Jimmy Malone termed it in <em>The Untouchables<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><object class=\"hark_player\" width=\"300\" height=\"28\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/cdn.hark.com\/swfs\/player_fb.swf?pid=sqzfdknfrt\" \/><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\" \/><param name=\"allownetworking\" value=\"all\" \/><param name=\"wmode\" value=\"transparent\" \/><embed src=\"http:\/\/cdn.hark.com\/swfs\/player_fb.swf?pid=sqzfdknfrt\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allownetworking=\"all\" width=\"300\" height=\"28\" wmode=\"transparent\" \/><\/object><br \/>\n<a style=\"font-size: 9px; color: #ddd;\" title=\"Listen to This town stinks like a whore house at low tide on Hark.com\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hark.com\/clips\/sqzfdknfrt-this-town-stinks-like-a-whore-house-at-low-tide\">This town stinks like a whore house at low tide<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Exhibit &#8220;A&#8221;: <em>Commentary Magazine<\/em>&#8216;s Noah Rothmann describes it as&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commentarymagazine.com\/american-society\/rahm-emanuels-disaster-for-dems\/\" class=\"broken_link\">Rahm Emanuel\u2019s Disaster for Dems<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wrapper-sticky\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Rahm-Emanuel.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34167\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Rahm-Emanuel.jpg\" alt=\"Rahm-Emanuel\" width=\"350\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Rahm-Emanuel.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Rahm-Emanuel-300x213.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;Cook County, Illinois, an archetypical Democratic monolith, is at the epicenter of what may evolve into a political earthquake. For decades, Democratic politicians have taken advantage of the lockstep support they receive from African-American voters. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Despite this voting bloc\u2019s frustration with the status quo and it\u2019s politically active members\u2019 unconcealed exasperation with the politicians in whom they\u2019ve placed their trust, Democrats seemingly cannot fathom the circumstances in which this group of reliable Democratic voters might rethink their allegiance.<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> That circumstance might have materialized in Chicago<\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-lock-id=\"onpLock851019\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Progressivism.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34165\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Progressivism.png\" alt=\"Progressivism\" width=\"500\" height=\"343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Progressivism.png 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Progressivism-300x206.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Chicago, Ferguson, Baltimore, Maryland; all Democrat-led cities where Democratic politicians faced protests and disruptions to the peace following episodes of police violence&#8230;<\/span>This is the Democratic establishment, and their behavior demonstrates for all who are willing to see it that their careers have and always will come before the best interests of their African-American constituents<\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Exhibit &#8220;B&#8221;: another brilliant, must-read offering from <em>NRO<\/em>&#8216;s Kevin Williamson, who points out corruption like Rahmbo&#8217;s is SOP for Liberals across the country&#8230;and in fact across time:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/article\/427853\/rahm-emanuels-chicago?utm_source=jolt&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Jolt12022015&amp;utm_term=Jolt\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\">Chicago and Rahm Emanuel: Partners in Corruption<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/article\/427853\/rahm-emanuels-chicago?utm_source=jolt&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Jolt12022015&amp;utm_term=Jolt\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The city and the pol deserve each other<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/rahmbo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34164\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/rahmbo.png\" alt=\"rahmbo\" width=\"400\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/rahmbo.png 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/rahmbo-300x165.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Chicago&#8217;s latest version of the Dream Team: Rahmbo, his patsy and the infamous Father Pfleger<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;&#8230;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Chicago is corruption itself<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> If Bill de Blasio\u2019s Manhattan is Dorian Gray, Chicago is the picture: 2,700 shootings already this year, neighborhoods entirely lost, a public-school system that is so deep into piddling corruption that it doesn\u2019t even know what its dropout rate is. In a low blow for the ages, comedian Sherrod Small sneered about another city: \u201cPhiladelphia is nothing but Baltimore with electricity.\u201d Perhaps. <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">What is Chicago?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Port-au-Prince, eventually<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Faisal Khan \u2014 who was hired by the Chicago City Council to investigate municipal corruption and then was nearly chased out of office by the Chicago City Council for doing his job \u2014 was flabbergasted by what he saw:<\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 60px;\">\u201c<em>Thirty aldermen over 40 years have gone to jail,\u201d he said in an interview with Politico. \u201cWe are the third biggest metropolis in the country. I would describe to you that the oversight in Chicago is comparable to the Wild West \u2014 anything goes. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>I will be honest with you \u2014 I could never have envisioned a city like Chicago being so devoid of ethical morals and values when it came to our elected officials. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">I could not believe how backwards the city was when it came to ethics.<\/span> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">It needs to be blown up and started all over again<\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Faced with an indictment like that, the Chicago City Council did the only thing it could do when Khan\u2019s term came to a close: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>It declined to replace him<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Khan instead handed over his files to the FBI, which will be taking it from there \u2014 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>with all the rigor that one might expect of Barack Obama\u2019s Justice Department investigating the city run by Barack Obama\u2019s former chief of staff<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/e081abaac69d4eb8c18e51e253473bb9.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34180\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/e081abaac69d4eb8c18e51e253473bb9.jpg\" alt=\"e081abaac69d4eb8c18e51e253473bb9\" width=\"350\" height=\"291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/e081abaac69d4eb8c18e51e253473bb9.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/e081abaac69d4eb8c18e51e253473bb9-300x249.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8230;Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, Al Gore, and the rest of that sorry lot aren\u2019t trying to get rich \u2014 they\u2019re already rich, some of them wildly rich. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>They are building <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a patronage society<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> And building a patronage society costs a lot of money \u2014 more even than Goldman Sachs and Al Gore put together have at their disposal.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8230;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>But you cannot build a patronage society on patrons alone: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>You need clients<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>And that\u2019s where the ever-growing public sector comes in<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span> I have had many thoughts upon walking out of government offices (most of which are not printable here for reasons of good taste and possible criminal prosecution), but I never once have thought about the clerk with whom I was dealing: \u201cMan, I bet that guy took a big pay cut when he took this job.\u201d There is effectively no one working at your local DMV, public school, police station, or IRS office who could earn even 80 percent of his government compensation in a private-sector job. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">As I have argued at some length, the really nefarious dependency agenda <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>isn\u2019t<\/em><\/span> focused on the people who <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>cash<\/em><\/span> welfare checks, but on the people who <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>write<\/em><\/span> them, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>the vast bureaucracies of overpaid functionaries whose main purpose in life is to stand between citizens and their objectives with their hands out saying \u201cPay me!<\/em><\/span>\u201d<\/span> <em>Get enough of those <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">and you have effective control over the entire economy<\/span> \u2014 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Ch\u00e1vez-style socialism without the nasty business of formal expropriation<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Consider that the average front-office employee of the Baltimore (!) public schools earns $107,000 a year, with splendid health and retirement benefits on top of that. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>For <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>what<\/em><\/span>? <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>The excellence we all associate with Baltimore public schools<\/em><\/span>?<\/span><\/strong><\/span> They do a criminal disservice to their young, mainly poor, mainly black wards, but there are a lot of Clinton voters there, so Baltimore\u2019s schoolmarms must be kept fat and happy, the kids be damned. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">If \u201creform\u201d means that those $107K paydays would get linked to something like (horrible thought!) performance or outcomes, you can bet that the reformers will be dead in the water before they get started.<\/span> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>That\u2019s the power of the patron\u2013client model<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">In Chicago, Rahm Emanuel may very well end up losing his job. Ill-tempered, accustomed to getting his way, and arrogant as Pharaoh himself, he\u2019s not much of a patron to begin with. But the model of public life he stands for will survive him. It may even get worse.<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong> People in Chicago may be unhappy with their schools, their police, their public finances, their roads and sidewalks, and the 2,700-and-counting shootings in their streets, <em>but they are <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">not victims<\/span> of corruption at city hall<\/em>: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>They are partners in that corruption<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>And they\u2019re getting what\u2019s coming to them<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p class=\"title\"><b>Even as the whole corrupt Dimocratic crew goes laughing all the way to the bank! \u00a0It&#8217;s just as H.L. Mencken so eloquently observed:<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>&#8220;<i>No one in this world, so far as I know &#8211; and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me &#8211; has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.&#8221;<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>And here&#8217;s the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>kicker<\/em><\/span>!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">&#8220;<em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby<\/span>.&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>As Bill, Hillary, Barry, Harry and Rahmbo have proven repeatedly, the two are inextricably intertwined. \u00a0The rest of us exist only to foot their bills; any questions?!?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"title\"><strong>Finally, we&#8217;ll call it a week with a walk on the Lighter Side&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/81_17237020151202085257.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34173\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/81_17237020151202085257.jpg\" alt=\"81_17237020151202085257\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/81_17237020151202085257.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/81_17237020151202085257-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/sk120115dBP20151201124514.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34171\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/sk120115dBP20151201124514.jpg\" alt=\"sk120115dBP20151201124514\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/sk120115dBP20151201124514.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/sk120115dBP20151201124514-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/RAMclr-120215-infamy-IBD-CO.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34172\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/RAMclr-120215-infamy-IBD-CO.jpg\" alt=\"RAMclr-120215-infamy-IBD-CO\" width=\"462\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/RAMclr-120215-infamy-IBD-CO.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/RAMclr-120215-infamy-IBD-CO-300x218.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Foden20151201-Mammoth20151202030052.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34176\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Foden20151201-Mammoth20151202030052.jpg\" alt=\"Foden20151201-Mammoth20151202030052\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Foden20151201-Mammoth20151202030052.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Foden20151201-Mammoth20151202030052-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/gmc13715120151201102400.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34178\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/gmc13715120151201102400.jpg\" alt=\"gmc13715120151201102400\" width=\"462\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/gmc13715120151201102400.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/gmc13715120151201102400-300x215.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cb120115dAPR20151202124527.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34174\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cb120115dAPR20151202124527.jpg\" alt=\"cb120115dAPR20151202124527\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cb120115dAPR20151202124527.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cb120115dAPR20151202124527-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cTOON2_1203.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34175\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cTOON2_1203.jpg\" alt=\"cTOON2_1203\" width=\"462\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cTOON2_1203.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/cTOON2_1203-300x207.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/holb_c13715320151202120100.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34177\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/holb_c13715320151202120100.jpg\" alt=\"holb_c13715320151202120100\" width=\"462\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/holb_c13715320151202120100.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/holb_c13715320151202120100-300x207.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Hypocrisy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34194\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Hypocrisy.jpg\" alt=\"Hypocrisy\" width=\"462\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Hypocrisy.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Hypocrisy-300x238.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/whydemocratsareevil1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34195\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/whydemocratsareevil1.jpg\" alt=\"whydemocratsareevil1\" width=\"462\" height=\"560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/whydemocratsareevil1.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/whydemocratsareevil1-248x300.jpg 248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/download-123.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34196\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/download-123.jpeg\" alt=\"download (1)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/download-123.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/download-123-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/download44.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-34197\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/download44.jpeg\" alt=\"download\" width=\"500\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/download44.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/download44-295x300.jpeg 295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Magoo<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Friday, December 4th, 2015&#8230;but before we commence to bloviating, a brief observation. \u00a0As we were just discussing with TLJ (who, incidentally, is lovelier than ever!), there is soooo much going wrong with the country it&#8217;s hard to keep track of it all, let alone maintain one&#8217;s sanity in the midst of the madness. For [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1988,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1988"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34251,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34250\/revisions\/34251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}