I am no fan of Hot Air. I like many of the commentators over there, like our own Dorian Grey or AZFederalist and others but the people who run the blog are just tranzi progressive propagandists. When the Arab Spring began Hot Air was supporting it knowing full well it was a Muslim Brotherhood led movement. When Qaddafi began to crack down on Al-Qaeda, Hot Air advocated war to remove him. Then when Obama went to war for the Islamists, they complained he did not do enough. When the blowback from Libya destabilized Mali, Hot Air hypocritically attacked Obama for getting rid of Qaddafi.
Now Hot Air launches an attack on Russia’s “human rights” record.
The title says a “Rights” group. Here is the the article which they link to and notice the name of the organization.
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Authoritarianism increased last year in Russia to levels unseen since the Soviet era with a raft of harsh laws curbing political freedoms and harassment of opposition activists and critics, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.
Hot Air which is allegedly a Conservative blog is supporting the viewpoint of a Tranzi Progressive NGO! If people do not know who Human Rights Watch are, well here is what the The Volokh Conspiracy has to say on Human Right Watch’s connections.
Human Rights Watch, bleeding donors because of the various scandals surrounding its reporting on the Middle East [I have a lengthy series of blog posts on HRW and Israel, most of which can be found here, with some more recent ones here], and apparently finding Saudi elites either unavailable or no longer palatable, has found a sugar daddy: George Soros, who is donating $100 million to the organization.
This certainly takes care of HRW’s intermediate funding needs, but also makes HRW’s position as a leading organization of the anti-Israel international left even clearer. Even J Street and Soros parted ways long ago, before J Street even officially launched, because Soros is so toxic to
anyonemost people sympathetic to Israel, and J Street seeks to represent the left/liberal wing of the pro-Israel community. Gerald Steinberg of NGO Monitor has more.
This is a George Soros supported anti-Capitalist organization. They are also very anti-Israel and have criticized nations such as Colombia, India, the Philippines and various American Corporations. Now as to who Putin is cracking down on, they are Russian Leftist Occupy Wall Street types who want a Marxist state. The Russia of today is not the Soviet Union. They are a Rightwing Nationalist Capitalist nation with a better tax code than the US and a private Social Security system . Who Putin cracks down on is an internal matter for Russia and as an American it’s none of my concern.
I hope Conservatives realize how Hot Air is pulling a fast one on them. The fact they are linking to Human Right Watch proves they are not a Conservative blog. They are a Tranzi Progressive blog with a Globalist agenda. There is nothing Conservative about a blog that supports a George Soros linked group.
Conservatives need to realize the con job Hot Air is pulling on them.
Tags: George Soros, Hot Air, Human Rights Watch, Vladimir Putin
looks like hot air published what the national gop talking points are.
so much for free thought.
what really pisses me off (and yes i swore on line before 5pm) is the uproar over pussy riot. they broke into the central cathedral in moscow and desecrated the altar. hello…breaking and entering, private property rights? if that happened here they would get the same treatment, arrested and prosecuted. (that church is private property)
some on the right had a spasm over the prosecution. i guess its ok if their property is protected by the police but not ok if it belongs to someone else. imagine if someone did this at national cathedral…i would say that jail time would be the same.
I am still suspicious of Russia. Any country who Obama seems to view as supportive of his policy of accruing and centralizing power and reducing freedom and liberty makes me wary.
Maybe I am reading too much in the “I’ll have more flexibility” statement.
And it seems odd that the press would have any issue with Russia supressing some group like “P*ssy Riot” when the press seems to be rooting for the Obama administration to supress the NRA and the GOP.
It has the feel of kubuki theater.
@ unclassifiable:
not suspicious of russia at all. they are doing exactly what they are supposed to do. look after their own interests first and foremost. it is how rational nations act.
@ coldwarrior:
Well and fine as long as we recognize that their interest aren’t ours and may in fact be trying to thwart our interest.
Of course with the Obama administration I am not even sure they support “our” interest.
unclassifiable wrote:
And there’s the rub. Russia is a global competitor, if no longer an active enemy. Their interests are not our interests, and we should recognize that fact. Personally, I am more worried about what Obama intends to do with his new “flexibility” now that he no longer has to worry about re-election than I am anything that Russia is doing, internally or ecxternally. I m very concerned that the Obama Administration is going to draw down far too much on our strategic nuclera weapons. That could have catastrophic consequences, even worse that the already bad draw-down on our Navy.
tripe from the article. if putin and his policies weren’t so popular, he would not get elected. putin won overwhelmingly.
we either treat russia properly or we make them an adversary. given the rise of china, i think it would behoove us to make friends quickly with india and russia. that is if the block heads in our own party can still see the world in a long term geopolitical way.
unclassifiable wrote:
the history of the world since day one
did anyone over at hot air bother to ask the blog why they used human rights watch?
until people in america understand russian history they will never understand russia and make mistakes when dealing with her.
*Breaking* Former New York Mayor Ed Koch died this morning at 2am. May he rest in peace.
@ coldwarrior:
Well first of all we have to recognize that our current respective foreign policies probably chronologically trail the actual situation on the ground and are still firmly rooted in the Cold War mentality and the relationships that developed in that struggle.
We are still fairly strong allies with Israel, GB, and Western Europe. Russia still has strong ties to Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, and Iran.
This puts us at odds from the get go.
Now India is another story altogether because they have done a fairly excellent job being non-aligned. They have closer ties with Russia than with the U.S. but that may be more a symptom of their ongoing issues with China more than anything else. Clearly the U.S. has a fairly large Indian immigrant community. I am not sure about Russia.
Now perhaps there is one thing the U.S., Russia, and even China could come to a solid agreement on – the battle against world-wide Islamic Fascism.
@ unclassifiable:
Add India to that list of countries battling Islamic Fascism.
@ coldwarrior:
That is suspicious. I’ll use Lefty sites when it suits me, but that is mostly when I want to expose the Lefty viewpoint or when that viewpoint (usually inadvertantly) supports my point. There is nothing like gettin gyour enemies to support your thesis. I have to surmise that that is the reason that the writer used Human Rights Watch. They wanted to show that opposition to Russia was a “bi-partisan” thing. Personally, I am more concerned with what the Caliphate is doing or is trying to do than I am with what Russia is doing. As long as we keep in mind that Russia is a competitor and not a friend, we should be OK. Of course, that would require us to have a competant national security team in place, which the Obama Adminstration deliberately does not.
@ unclassifiable:
us-india-russia
v
china
economically
Iron Fist wrote:
true, and UK was an enemy then a competitor then a great friend.
@ Iron Fist:
human rights watch is a fairly nasty organization.
@ Iron Fist:
Exactly! There are areas we can cooperate and areas we will disagree. Russia is looking out for its own interest. Putin is a Czarist not a Communist and that is what we need to grasp when dealing with him.
Good morning.
More street shootings in Chicago has caused Mayor Emanuel & his police
chief to change their strategy, They will now flood gang areas with cops
like a “surge”.
Bet that this will not divert them from their war on home protection weapons.
Obama is blocking us from developing our own energy resources — and selling us out to the Chinese. In 2005, the Bush administration blocked China on grounds of national security from buying California-based Unocal Corp. for $18.4 billion.
That was then, this is now! The policy is reversed.
U.S. For Sale: Obama Lets China Gobble Up U.S. Energy
coldwarrior wrote:
It sure ought to be.
BTW…imagine the politically-correct uproar if I went to a mosque on Friday and mooned the crowd! Been tempted but never did it.
as a note, the ‘opposition’ in russia is old hard line communists (stalinists) and anarchists (OWS types)
Rodan wrote:
Russia could have been our friend, but for the way we have treated them following the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. Attacking the Serbs was the last straw.
coldwarrior wrote:
FTFY.
I did a thread for Ed Koch.
@ Fritz Katz:
Good link.
I think China will capsize regardless of the debt situation with them.
While their generals and designated industry apparatchiks are counting their money there is growing discontentment with the rank and file.
There is a severe inequality of opportunity there (as opposed to inequality of outcome which is the typical wedge issue for totalitarians).
We only delay that process when the U.S. Administration and Congress gives the current regime aid and comfort via debt leverage and asymmetric trade and currency relationships.
The U.S. debt situation is a national security issue now.
@ 1389AD:
What really turned Russia against us was the US backing a Soros’ meddling in the Ukrainian election of 2004. From that point Russia stop trusting us.
Isn’t it funny seeing “Conservatives” allied with Marxist organizations?
@ Fritz Katz:
That is what is going on in Zimbabwe. That nation is on the verge of being a Chinese vassal state.
@ coldwarrior:
Plus Neo-Nazis as well. But according to Hot Air, they are Democracy activists!@ RIX:
They should have done that long ago.
@ Rodan:
Mayor Emanuel took office & he opposed flooding
gang areas with cops.
He has now flipped.
RIX wrote:
That is what Rudy did in 94 when he took over.
@ RIX:
But he’s still consistent on disarming the law-abiding citizens in contravention of the Second Amendment. As far as I’m conscerned that puts him in the same league as Bull Connor (also a Democrat).
Rudy got it right. Emanuel is no Rudy.
I thought that the Hagel nomination was in trouble, needing 2/3 of the Senators.
Senator Blount was just on FNC saying that they would probably use the simple
majority standard.
There are 53 Dem Senators, Hagel will make it. I was wrong.
Iron Fist wrote:
It’s no coincidence that most of those law abiding citizens at the mercy of gangs are Blacks. As you have stated, this is a Civil Rights issue.
I really wish the Pro-Gun Rights side would use the race angle against the Left.
RIX wrote:
Just a thought on my part, since I see the advocates of these newer gun grabbing laws always talk about defence in the home. It seems to me implied that I am not so much entitled to self-defence outside of the home.
@ RIX:
@ Rodan:
Oh Law Enforcement is so passe.
Community Organization is the way to go now.
That’s what is so nutty. The out of control crime is from criminal gangs, yet they go
after people exercising their 2nd Amendment rights for protection.
The Constitution says nothing about hunting.
@ RIX:
Yeah, Hagel will make it, and, as his performance yesterday indicates he will be one of the worst Secretaries of Defense we’ve ever had. Just as John Kerry will be one of the worst Secretaries of State we’ve ever had. Obama is assembling an all-”star” team to dismantle the United States as a world power.
That’s their message.
@ Iron Fist:
Obama is who he is , so these nominations are not surprising.
Hagel is a deadly combination, nasty & stupid.
@ citizen_q:
There are a couple of cases headed to the Supreme Court to decide if your right to carry a gun extends outside the home. Right now, I expect the Court to find that it does. They are moving slowly on the Second Amendment, but they are moving. It may take the rest of our lifetimes to get it truly protected by the Courts, and, honestly, I don’t think the United States has that much time left. Obama is going to succeed at destroying us. It may just take some time for the magnitude of that destruction to sink in.
@ Iron Fist:
I have no deep insight into the Senators motivations but I know I would be far more concerned about our defensive and domestic policies than I would our foreign policy. Maybe that’s why they went after Hagel much harder (and it is good).
If we don’t get our own house in order our foreign relations won’t matter much.
coldwarrior wrote:
Didn’t they have some guy with a Nazi fetish (and a Nazi ancestor) reporting on Israel for them a few years ago?
@ unclassifiable:
War is part of foreign relations, though. War is simply politics by other means (Clauswitz). Good foreign policy needs to be backed up by might, but bad foreign policy is what leads to wars in the first place. I read this morning that we are positioning Patriot missile batteries in urky near the Syrian border. That does not bode well. I can see Obama getting us involved in Syria, and that path leads to a confrontation with Russia. It is an unnecessary confrontation. If we had wanted to do something about Baby Assad because of his support for al Qaeda in Iraq, I’d have been for it, but now that conflict is over, and al Qaeda in Iraq has become al Qaeda in Syria. I don’t see that there is a good side to come in on here. Both sides are equally bad, but we can’t go in there, slaughter everyone, and start from scratch. Well, we might could do that, but Obama won’t do that, and I don’t see us getting into another fight on the same side as al Qaeda. That is stupid foreign policy, and will just lead to more American deaths.
@ Iron Fist:
Due to recent cases being won by 2nd Amendment advocates, even MD was showing cracks in it’s opposition to CCW by us peasants.
The Newtown tragedy has given the gun grabbers cover to throw all those hard won advances out the window, and attempt to compete with NY in it’s restrictions.
RIX wrote:
It is likely that the gangs in Chicago contributed to Emanuel’s campaign financially and also got out the vote. There have been articles even in Chicago about how the gangs have been moving into “legitimate” politics—and the two gang coalitions in Chicago each have tentacles/affiliates all over the city.
In short, Emanuel probably promised the gangs protection, or at least a hands-off, in exchange for their support—but the gangs have been so unable to behave in the absence of police pressure that he’s going to have to reluctantly break his word to them.
That’s all true. and they hire “Ex” gang members to act as liasions between the gangs & the cops.
No scam there./
@ Iron Fist:
The Iraq nation building exercise has turned off many on the Right like myself to foreign adventures. I do not trust either the Democrats nor Republicans to do the right thing with our military.
That is why I know oppose any intervention unless it is an economic threat or a direct threat. Until our leaders stop with this nation building garbage, I am anti-interventionist.
Either fight ruthlessly or do not fight at all.
As for Syria Hizballah vs. AL Qaeda, who can not love this!
@ unclassifiable:
The sad part is both parties view our military and foreign policy as some Leftist wealth redistribution scheme.
Wonder if the victims feel better that nasty guns were not used in the violence perpetrated against them? /
Victoria’s Secret worker scarred for life when niqab-wearing attacker threw acid in her face as she walked home from shop
Man in his 20s stabbed by gang of masked youths in court entrance in front of security guards
This Senator is very deliberative & is waiting for all of the information
before deciding./
RIX wrote:
The gangs in Chicago picked up a surface scum of leftwing rhetoric back in the late ’60s, from the Panthers, from communists like Valerie Jarrett’s father-in-law Vernon Jarrett, etc., etc. That was when the Blackstone Rangers became, first, the Black P. Stone Nation (“P” was for “People”); then the Rangers went through several other names. There are two gang coalitions in Chicago, the “People” and the “Folks,” which are each headed by the descendants of the Blackstone Rangers and their hereditary enemies the Devil’s Disciples.
But they learned, long ago, how to sound all leftwing and people-oriented and community-organizey.
RIX wrote:
I’d bet dullards to do-naughts that Hagel is confirmed, his abysmal performance at the hearings notwithstanding.
@ Rodan:
So, you are supporting Chuck Hagel.
@ buzzsawmonkey:
All ofvthese Lefty coalitions strtedb under Richie Daley.
He saw thegangs as footb soldiers & alsobuddied up with then
radical outsiders Emanuelm & Axlerod.
To to it off , be gave Bill Ayers a citizenshipaward.
theoutsider wrote:
Nope, I oppose him. He is supported by Iran and that says it all.
Why do you support Hagel when he’s a Hardcore Social Conservative? Yous aid you do not like Socons.
@ buzzsawmonkey:
Hagel will be confirmed. They are going for a simple majority &
there are 53 Dem Senators.
RIX wrote:
The Senators were just as shocked by the substance of Hagel’s dismal performance as Captain Renault was to learn about the gambling at Rick’s. They knew him as a colleague.
What’s really bothering them is how they can make their pro-confirmation votes in slavish obedience to Obama look good when Hagel practically drooled on himself. Hagel was supposed to bravely stand up to the questioning to show his independence and command of the issues, so that the confirmation could sail through—and, to put kindly, he fumbled the ball.
They’ll confirm him anyway, probably; the combined votes of the Cowardice Caucus and the Slavish Obedience Coalition should be sufficient.
RIX wrote:
That’s all confirmations ever require. They’d need 60 votes to end a fillibuster over the nomination, but I doubt that anyone is planning one.
@ Rodan:
I don’t give a crap about his social views. He’s auditioning for Secretary of Defense, and I agree with his anti-neoconservative views. If John Walnuts McCain and Miss Lindsay Graham are his biggest opponents, I’m a supporter.
theoutsider wrote:
Well, that meets my quota of stupid reading for the day.
Even for the members who Hagel, his performance still had to be a shock.
He actually came across as semi-literate.
Yet., they’ll find a way to vote for him, with all Dems & some Republicans.
@ RIX:
“know” Hagel.
The US Senate that includes both Republicans and Democrat are now on record of supporting Islamic Militants. They killed Rand Paul’s bill to stop the sale of F-16s to Egypt 79-19.
Here are the 19 who voted with Rand Paul:
NAYs —19
Boozman (R-AR)
Coats (R-IN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Fischer (R-NE)
Grassley (R-IA)
Heller (R-NV)
Lee (R-UT)
Moran (R-KS)
Paul (R-KY)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Good on Rubio and these Republicans for standing with Rand Paul!
theoutsider wrote:
Why not be honest and admit that you agree with his unilateral disarament views?
Not that his views on anything will actually matter. He let slip yesterday that he doesn’t see it as a policymaking position. He’ll happily sign the orders to implement whatever disasterous schemes his boss dreams up.
@ theoutsider:
He disagrees with the Neocons for different reasons that I do. Just because I oppose the Neocon agenda of doing the bidding of the Islamic world and Nation Building does not mean I am in the same camp with people like Hagel.
If a Republican had nominated Hagel would you have supported him? Or would his social views then matter?
@ lobo91:
Funny how now all of a sudden, a person’s social views do not matter with progressives?
@ lobo91:
Hagel’s job is to be a patsy—as a white guy, as a Republican, as a veteran. He was nominated to be a fall guy and to put the Republicans on the spot.
@ theoutsider:
So you support Hagel’s comments on the “Jewish Lobby”? Interesting.
Rodan wrote:
Personally, I don’t particularly care about the social views of the Secretary of Defense, either.
I do think it should be someone with at least a room-temperature IQ, though. That appears to be a test Hagel can’t meet.
buzzsawmonkey wrote:
Of course.
@ Rodan:
If Romney had nominated him for Sec of Defense, I would have supported him. Who should’ve Obama nominated? Michelle Fluronoy? The inside the Beltway choice.
theoutsider wrote:
Somebody who is literate, articulate, and has a good history of supporting a strong military establishment.
Of course, he’d never do that in a million years.
@ lobo91:
I get you, but my point was that they use people’s social views against them when it suits their purposes. Then when it’s convenient, they overlook it.
@ theoutsider:
No you not have. His social views would have been a big concern to you and you would have opposed him.
@ theoutsider:
Of course, Romney wouldn’t have made such abysmal choice, so it doesn’t matter.
@ lobo91:
I’m thinking of getting on OFA’s emails and post the daily talking points. That we we will know what the outsider will say!
@ buzzsawmonkey:
Lincoln appointed a cabinet of people many of whom had opposed him. This awas a goo dthing, as it helped prevent groupthink at the top. Obama wants a cabinet of yes-men. He craves groupthink. Deviations from the party line will not be tolerated.
@ Rodan:
You weren’t actually expecting honesty from the troll, were you?
@ lobo91:
The outsider is full of it. He would be railing about Hagel’s social views and how it could impact gays and women in the military.
lobo91 wrote:
He did appear to be a bit thick, didn’t he?
lobo91 wrote:
Honesty from a Progressive is like getting love from a pet Tiger! No way!
Rodan wrote:
I’ve wondered about that myself, but I am sure Hagel has had a Conversion on those issues. Obama wouldn’t have appointed him if he didn’t agree to do everything exactly as Obama wants it done.
@ Rodan:
Day one of the great Texas Democrat Takeover…
…still solidly voting for sanity.
Iron Fist wrote:
That’s pretty much standard procedure for an incompetent leader. You can always count on them to hire people even less competent than they are, because they don’t want to be challenged.
@ lobo91:
His appearance at that hearing was quite literally the most imbecilic performance I have ever seen. He says he told Obama he was not qualified to be Secretary of Defense. I hope he’s not waiting for an argument.
Iron Fist wrote:
Well, of course; he won, you know. All must bow before Obamanezzar, or be cast into the Fiery Fairness.
The contrast between Lincoln and Obama, and Obama’s ongoing behavior, only prove the truth of the adage, “First-rate people hire first-rate people; second-rate people hire third-rate people.”
New Thread.
Obama should have nominated Colin Powell.
At least he appears to have enough snap to organize a cloosterfook.
@ Iron Fist:
Hagel already said that he sees the job as a rubber stamp.
Carolina Girl wrote:
Tha’s exactly why Obama picked him. He doesn’t want a qualified Secretary of Defense. He wants someone to preside over the dissmantling of American power. For that job Hagel, an isolationist at best, is well suited.
@ Iron Fist:
Oh yeah! I am just laughing at the hypocrisy of the Left. You best bet had a Republican nominated someone with the same social views as Hagel, all of a sudden that would be a big deal. They are hypocrites.
@ Rodan:
I am going to be curious to see if even one Republican votes to confirm this idiot. There’s a recording of him appearing on al-Jazeera, saying he agrees with a caller from Georgia (U.S., not Soviet) that says America is the world’s bully. When confronted with it, he said “oh, I didn’t hear that part of it.” Oh bull crap. It was integral to the question asked by the moderator at the Jihad Network.
Like I said yesterday -- Zippy the Pinhead is more qualified.
@ Carolina Girl:
One Senator from Mississippi is supporting him.
@ Carolina Girl:
Leia is definitely more qualified.
She knows defense. She understands that when there’s a threat, rolling over and whining is a bad strategy.
Carolina Girl wrote:
I’d take odds on either McCain or Graham doing so, as a way of buying back their “bipartisan” cred after hitting Hagel with rough questions.
Troll this “troll”,
http://www.wattsupwiththat.com
Thread on January 31, 2013 ” EU Carbon Trading ‘death spiral continues’
See: post at 5:20 Jan. 31, 2013 by mfo
Facts on the carbon trading scam and how close the truth is to coming home to roost.
Soon carbon prices will crash due to EU leaders getting tired of having to turn off the street lights at night when they have to drive home in danger from the scam themselves.
The good news is that buyers of carbon dioxide emission allowances at their true value,, 0 aka zero.
Also,
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/print-friendly/9629
“Obama’s involvement in Chicago Climate Exchange — the rest of the story”
Read and weep.
lier putz
@ taxfreekiller:
He will run away now that you appeared. he never answered your questions.
@ Rodan:
He never answers anyone’s questions.
We’ve been waiting for months to hear how much debt is too much.
@ lobo91:
he sis till waiting on OFA’s response.
coldwarrior wrote:
That and one of the women in that group who shoplifted a chicken. I’ll let you find the video for the means and method used. Let’s just say that after that chicken was where it had been, you really wouldn’t want to eat it.
citizen_q wrote:
From that story:
Really? A niquab wearing attacker against a Victoria’s Secret employee, in Londinastan and the police are just flummoxed over what a possible motive might be. But they are willing to keep an
emptyopen mind as to possible motives. After all, it would be really inconvenient to have to deduce that this just might be sharia connected. That just wouldn’t do.