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We spend a lot of time on these pages criticizing the folks in power - from Hanes snapping Congressmen to  diaper checking TSA agents - it does seem at times that we are truly at "the mercy of idiots."  Take a step back for a second and the picture is disturbing: we the people put the idiots in power.  Either through our ignorance, our complacency or our sheer lack of interest, we are being ruled by a level of incompetence that is truly frightening.  Thomas Sowell in a piece in the Investors Business Daily makes the case in "Careless Voters Cast Doubts On The Future Of The U.S."   I am always sobered by the realization that a completely untested and unknown individual named "Barrack Hussein Obama" became our Commander in Chief.  The lightest scratching on the surface sniff test would have revealed to the sentient being that this guy was trouble.  As Sowell observes:

In our own times, however, voting has been seen as just one of the many "rights" to which everyone is supposed to be entitled. The emphasis has been on the voter, rather than on the momentous consequences of elections for the nation today and for generations yet unborn.

What all of this tells us, is that it it up to us - do I dare call us a "remnant," to fix the solution.  We have to be visionaries and educators in our communities that sound the alarm and encourage a more active and engaged populace.  The American people aren't stupid - they can obviously be lazy.

OK, enough self loathing...on to the matters at hand.  What is the function of a State Department?  Yes, you in the back row with your hand up..."to represent our nation abroad, to negotiate trade and defense agreements, to ensure smooth immigration and travel..."  Excellent answer!  But you are apparently wrong.  Just as we learned that the mission of NASA was to enlighten Muslims around the world about their contributions to space travel, turns our the mission of our State Department is to help Lady Gaga get a gig in Rome:  "Hillary: State Dept Instrumental In Sealing The Deal"    Proudly stated at the "Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs ...oh, Agency, or GLIFAA Conference.  Glad to know our nation's finest - sent overseas to lie for their country are doing such admirable work!

In the "so they got it from us" category - an excellent essay on the "Divided State of Europe,"  from our friends over at STRATFOR.  With the daily images of Greece in flames or Angela Merkel chewing her nails over another bail-out for her Mediterranean buddies, this is a thoughtful read.   The model to consider in both it's weaknesses and attributes is our Articles of Confederation:

The best analogy for the contemporary European Union is found not in European history but in American history. This is the period between the successful Revolutionary War in 1783 and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788.

Well, we all know how that turned out - hint, hint...history does repeat itself.  The only question will be if they will go the route we chose of a "Republic, Madam if you can keep it!" or break back into member states with autonomous governments.  Good thing our State Department is on the job!

Well, if the are borrowing bad ideas from us, we are apparently doing the same from them:  "Obamacare's Unsavory East German Links."  When I was active duty Navy, we used to brag that one of the things that set us apart from the Soviets was that we didn't have "Zampolit's" or "Political Officers" on our ships.  The zampolit structure was an integral part of the KGB and Stasi world to ensure ideological purity and total obedience to the party and the state.  So now, our tax dollars get to hire "secret shoppers" to check in on Doctors to see if they can catch them in a flub up.  "Practicing" medicine is hard enough without having to deal with ideology.  If you want to know where this leads - you need to watch the movie "The Lives of Others."  Here's the trailer:



So, now that Obama and the boys took over GM, Chrysler et al, I'm going to bet you think those cars are "all American now," right?  Wrong!  The winner for top American-made car based on the percentage of parts made domestically are the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord.  Thanks for saving all those jobs BHO.

Yoni Netanyahu

Finally, I wanted to close today with a little tribute to Operation Entebbe.  On June 27, 1976, an Air France plane heading from Athens to Paris was hijacked and forced to land at Entebbe Airport in Uganda (home of the always hungry Idi Amin).  The hijackers, Palestinians err "Muslim Extremists" had a set of demands and the Israelis told them to go pound sand.  Then, on July 4th,  they snuck a commando force under the command of Jonathan (Yonatan) Netanyahu, the older brother of the current PM of Israel, into Entebbe and rescued the hostages.  Yonatan was the only casualty of the IDF that night.

He died leading his men from the front.  A true hero.

That's it for today.

Rumble on!