MORE EVIDENCE MILITARY BRASS IN DENIAL

Last year, three days after the Fort Hood massacre, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army George Casey was more concerned about protecting the military's 'diversity' than he was identifying the true threat - Islamic Jihad. Denying the truth about what was responsible for the murder of 14 at Fort Hood disrespects those who died. Now, a little over one year later, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is making statements that indicate he either doesn't understand the real threat or is refusing to acknowledge it.

Inexplicably, Adm. Mike Mullen is actually pointing to poverty as a source for Islamic terrorism, despite poverty having nothing to do with the motives of Osama bin Laden, the Christmas Day bomber, Nidal Malik Hasan, the Times Square bomber and a countless slew of other Islamic terrorists who simply hate infidels and want them dead. Via The Hill:

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that new ways of deterrence that address those factors that make individuals vulnerable to coercion were essential in tackling the threats of the 21st century.

Adm. Mike Mullen, in a speech at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, said Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban and al-Qaida can be deterred by the threat of retaliation, but efforts to attack the basis of extremism were essential through support of education and development.

“Attacking the humiliation, the hopelessness, the illiteracy and abject poverty which lie at the core of the attraction to extremist thought will do more to turn the tide against terrorism than anything else,” the chairman said. “We can continue to hunt and kill their leaders, and we will. But when a person learns to read, he enters a gateway toward independent education and thought. He becomes more capable, more employable, and enjoys a sense of purpose in his life.

“He will understand the Quran for what it is and not merely what his mullah tells him it is, who is equally uneducated,” Mullen continued. “He can raise his children to a higher standard of living than the one he knew, an aspiration shared by parents around the world. And his wife will help him prevent the despair that might lead a child of theirs into the arms of al-Qaida or the Taliban.”

The irony is that Mullen's attempt at political correctness may have backfired because those 'uneducated mullahs' don't like being called 'uneducated.'

Here is Casey last year:



h/t Weasel Zippers

VIDEOS: A DOUBLE DOSE OF NJ GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie just keeps on impressing audiences and viewers with his message - his inexplicable support for Mike Castle notwithstanding. Here are two videos of him that will not disappoint. First up, he identifies by name, a man he sees as the perfect example of the greedy mindset of high ranking government union officials. The man's name is LeRoy Seitz, Superintendent of the Parsippany public school district in New Jersey.

Christie's reason for singling out Seitz? Salary caps for Superintendents are set to go into place beginning in February of next year. Seitz's current contract ends in July. Christie's charge is that Seitz saw the writing on the wall and didn't want to accept the cut in pay so he pushed for a school board vote to give him a five-year contract extension that will pay more than $220,000 / year, which is well over the coming cap.

Shortly after this speech, that vote took place and Seitz got that extension. He also got himself a Public Relations nightmare courtesy of his Governor. Awesome stuff:



Now for video number 2. Here, Christie explains why he is governing the way he is and assures people he will not back down.

True leadership on display.



h/t to Hot Air for both videos.

PELOSI STAYING ON AS MINORITY LEADER

In the months preceding the November 2nd elections, a conservative mantra became a rallying cry for the Tea Party movement - 'FIRE PELOSI.' After the election, the mantra flipped when the talk of her staying on as minority leader would not subside. The new mantra for conservatives? 'HIRE PELOSI.' Even Democrats seemed to agree with the notion that keeping Pelosi on as the Democrats' House leader would be a very bad idea because it would keep the trio of Obama, Reid, and Pelosi in place as the three-headed monster responsible for the 2010 electoral tsunami.

It looks like Republicans got their wish - Pelosi will remain on as the leader of the Democrats. Via Fox News:

WASHINGTON -- House Democrats averted a messy leadership struggle, clearing the way for Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer to become second in command of their new minority without a challenge from South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn.

Under an arrangement worked out in private, officials said late Friday that Clyburn would instead receive a new position, title unknown and duties undescribed, explicitly labeled the third-ranking post in leadership.

The odd man out is obviously Clyburn and this should be newfound evidence for the 90% of blacks who consistently side with the Democrat party that it is indeed the Democrats who are racist. When the Democrats were the majority party, Pelosi was Speaker, Steny Hoyer was majority leader and Clyburn held the position of majority Whip. Now what?

Pelosi will take Hoyer's old role, Hoyer will take Clyburn's old role, and Clyburn is on the outside looking in while receiving assurance that he will be given a significant role while holding a position that doesn't even exist.

Another interesting theme that is developing is how Pelosi is holding onto her power. Despite multiple Democrats publicly saying they would prefer someone else lead the party in the House, Pelosi is running unopposed and Democrats are coming across like the soldiers in the Wizard of Oz afraid to confront the witch.

h/t HapBlog