Posted on 02/01/2011 1:43:32 PM PST by WesternCulture
In case you consider yourself an expert of the economy of Sweden and issues of Economics in general, please skip the following introduction to the article.
Otherwise;
While goody, self-opinioned, PC Swedish officials are doing no one a favour trying to brand the "New" Swedish Model as a pre-packed, instant solution to each and every challenge any corner of the World might encounter, Liberals like Obama also need to listen more carefully to what Scandinavians actually are wishing to say.
American Liberals, Continental Europeans, the British and many others often appraise the Swedish societal concept without actually having much knowledge of it.
Unfortunately, for decades Swedish governments have played along with this game of illusion and self-delusion - instead of spreading the truth of what really has made Sweden successful: Capitalism, a culture of honesty and mutual trust, high class engineering, traditional work ethics, proper education, respect for the law and business skills.
Neither Calabria, Italy, Detroit or Soweto could ever become Stockholm, for various reasons (even though Detroit fared pretty well around 1920 - many would say it was the richest city on Earth at that time).
In many ways, Obama's "Scandinavian" solutions imitate the mistakes being made by the Nordic countries around 1970-1980 (or in the case of Sweden, sooner 1970-1990, we Swedes learned more slowly than Norway and Denmark) INSTEAD of trying to steer American economic policy away from outdated Keynesian economics.
No part of the World has ever been successful in trying to imitate another one instead of relying on its own capabilities and traditions. Japan came close, but today no one fears Japanese competition.
We could still learn from each other though and one of the most important lessons Scandinavia could teach the World probably is that of looking after one's own house instead of relying on "loans".
The article:
"Sweden's strong economy is in focus at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, giving the centre-right Alliance government a chance to spread a new image of Sweden, writes Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and three of his ministers.
Sweden is currently much talked of throughout the world. At international meetings, we are greeted increasingly often with positive comments and sometimes pats on the back. The reason is that our economy and social model stand out compared with those of other countries that are burdened by the crisis. Strong public finances, high growth figures and unemployment levels that are gradually on the decline make Sweden, in many ways, unique in international comparisons.
The way we are building society is also stirring curiosity. In Sweden, we do not have the deep divisions that cause social tension in other countries. Instead, there is a great deal of confidence between people here, which creates both a sense of security and the opportunity to develop. We have a well-developed welfare system that levels the playing field of life opportunities. We require equal accountability of both employers and employees, and at the same time, we are home to many successful and innovative export-oriented companies. Our public institutions are relatively efficient, we have minimal corruption and, unlike large parts of the rest of the world, we have growing confidence in politics and political representatives.
Sweden also has the major advantage of being a gender-equal society. Good childcare provision and pre-schools have enabled women and men to participate in the labour market on more equal terms. This creates not only greater personal freedom, but also a higher level of growth and development.
Over the next few days, representatives of politics, the business sector and community life will meet in the Swiss winter resort of Davos for talks and discussions. There are a number of topical issues and challenges on the agenda. One key item on the agenda is the Nordic model, where Sweden is one of the countries in focus. This is, of course, pleasing and gives us cause to feel proud.
In this flurry of encouragement, where our economy has been likened in strength to Pippi Longstocking, it is important to remember that our strong position builds on long-term reform efforts that have sometimes been very hard. Sweden has drawn important conclusions from previous crises that have affected us. In recent decades, governments of all colours have taken necessary measures to make Sweden stronger and better able to withstand both the challenges of globalisation and the fluctuations of crises, without abandoning the core of the Swedish social model.
In the wake of the crisis in the 1990s, a number of key foundation stones were laid to ensure that Sweden was on stable ground. An independent central bank, clear rules for fiscal policy and the pension reform were perhaps the most important elements. The importance of EU membership for the development of both legislation and regulatory frameworks, and ways of thinking, must not be underestimated. Add to this the numerous deregulations and privatisations that have opened up new opportunities for the Swedish economy. All of this has been important for Sweden’s development, but it is not enough to explain the strong position that Sweden has here and now.
During the crisis in the 1990s, total production (GDP) fell substantially three years in a row and employment dropped by 11 percent. At the same time, the budget deficit was around 10 percent of GDP for several years and the national debt rose from 45 percent to almost 80 percent of GDP. The crisis brought cuts, tax rises and social exclusion in its wake.
Such was not the case this time. We avoided locking up large sums in subsidies to industry and bank support. Instead, Sweden has shown its ability to take responsibility for its public finances and at the same time pursue an active labour market policy and make major additional contributions to core welfare activities. Today, the national debt is lower than in 2006, and we have 100,000 more people in work now than before the financial crisis.
Crisis-struck countries are now looking to Sweden, to learn from our example. However, it is not only the cornerstones of the economy that are arousing interest. There is also curiosity about the reform policy to get more people in work that has clearly contributed to the crisis having less of an impact than many expected. The image of a country with a world title in tax burdens on low and middle income earners, a rigid labour market and social insurance systems that pushed people into sick leave and early retirement is now changing.
In a short period, the Swedish tax burden, particularly on low and middle income earners, has decreased markedly. In total, the implemented stages of the in-work tax credit and our declared reform ambitions equate to around 2 percent of GDP in 2011. Sweden is therefore making excellent progress in its ambition to shape income taxes in a way that counters marginal effects and poverty traps and enduringly raises the employment level.
Labour market policy has also been reorganised to focus on activity and adjustment. Alongside clearer requirements and rules for transfers and benefit payments, this has discernibly lowered the thresholds into the labour market. In addition, reforms to the sickness insurance system, with improved support and more paths back into work, mean that in a short space of time Sweden has lifted itself off the bottom of the Western world’s sick leave league.
In a time when other countries have acted for more closed borders and increased protectionism, Sweden is a clear exception. We have a solid reputation in efforts to increase free trade and bring down border barriers. Moreover, Sweden has proved that even a small and trade-dependent economy can assert itself relatively well in the face of growing global competition. We are among the top countries in world rankings for factors such as competitiveness, technology and innovation climate. Sweden’s investment in research, at nearly 4 percent of GDP, is exceeded only by Israel in the OECD statistics.
The image of Sweden that is now emerging in the rest of the world corresponds to all of this. It is, to some extent, a new image of Sweden that challenges what other countries have come to see in Sweden and where it is heading. We are convinced that our country has valuable experiences to share with regard to the efforts that have got us where we are today. At the same time, we must dare to be frank: the strong position we occupy today has not developed of its own accord, nor will it endure without continued social reforms.
In our own recent history and immediate vicinity, we have seen clear examples of how rapidly success can turn into decline. We must not, therefore, allow praise to deceive us into thinking that we are the finished article. We cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Sweden is facing a number of key challenges.
We must ensure that we once again attain a surplus in our public finances, so that we are well equipped for the next crisis. We must also nurture the recovery and move Sweden even closer to full employment. Despite strong employment growth, unemployment levels are still far too high. The work-first principle and a properly functioning labour market will continue to be absolutely crucial in reducing exclusion.
Continued reforms will contribute to enduringly high employment, promote high productivity growth and strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness. In concrete terms, it is a matter of continuing efforts to create good conditions for education, research, entrepreneurship, innovation and running businesses. The importance of accountability and reforms cannot be overstated. In a world where the financial crisis continues to make itself felt, this will be Sweden’s most important message."
When the Muslims take over in about 2025 I wonder how well things will run.
“When the Muslims take over in about 2025 I wonder how well things will run.”
Fyi:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2328696/posts
Ah, but isn't it the Swedes that ENCOURAGE GUNS?
Heck,even CUBA is encouraging PRIVATE ENTERPRISE and entrepreneurship.
Meanwhile the U.S. is holding firm in going in the OPPOSITE direction!
Sweden’s population is only 9 million. Less than twice the size of the Houston Metro population.
AAU ball.....
Good piece. I wish I knew more about the keys to Sweden’s success. What I see is this: a small fairly homogeneous population in which education is prized as is technical excellence. You are lowering your debt.
You seem to have a government that is fairly enlightened with respect to the needs of trade and manufacturing. Still, it looks like a managed economy (at least from outside), so I wonder what are the structural barriers (or moral barriers) that prevent it from becoming Labor Britain.
You say that the country has a strong work ethic, and from outside it looks like it, but that seems like a contradiction in a country with a strong social safety net; the latter seems always to erode the former.
My twin prophets are John Locke and Von Mises so I am always suspicious of any managed economy, (and any strong welfare state) and yet yours seems to work. So, how do you account for that? Why are you not Greece? (Or Detroit?)
“Meanwhile the U.S. is holding firm in going in the OPPOSITE direction!”
- “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they’ve tried everything else”.
(Sir Winston Churchill)
America has even tried having a Muslim for president.
Hopefully, USA now will be immune for a long time..
Still, look to your euro neighbors and be forewarned. (As should we).
The true test of any economic model, in my opinion, is consistency over a long period. I remember when the Japanese model was touted as the wave of the future, but then the ‘90s came and washed it away.
Detroit was probably the wealthiest city in the world, or one of the two or three wealthiest) up to about the early 1960’s.
The author obviously doesn’t have a great grasp of the world outside of Sweden. Moreover, he doesn’t mention that Sweden didn’t suffer any destruction of its capital base in WWII because it effectively collaborated with the Nazi’s.
As for the “social” model, left fascism is destroying the country through low fertility rates, foolish immigration policy, and lack of courage in dealing with Mohammedans, which is a reflection of its feminized culture and the resulting weak men.
Here's what that mostard has been up to and by no means is thisa cimplete list. Obama is trying his best to Islamatize America. BTW, the MOSLEMS know what are in our Bills - heck, it is the STAFFERS that WRITE THEM!
Obama gets list of top Muslim Americans
Denver Post Wire Report
Posted: 03/27/2009 12:30:00 AM MDT
Updated: 03/27/2009 12:58:19 AM MDT
CHICAGO — In a bid to get more Muslim Americans working in the Obama administration, a book with resumes of 45 of the nation’s most qualified — Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and public servants, all carefully vetted — has been submitted to the White House.
The effort, driven by community leaders and others, including U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., was bumped up two weeks because White House officials heard about the venture, said J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, who sifted through more than 300 names.
“It was mostly under the radar,” Williams said. “We thought it would put (the president) in a precarious position. We didn’t know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community.”
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12006596
Obama seeks Muslims for White House posts 45 Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 execs,government officials submitted for look
Posted: March 28, 2009 11:55 pm Eastern
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama is conducting his own affirmative action program to get more Muslims in the White House.
The move began with Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn, who took his oath of office with a hand on the Quran, to solicit the resume of what he considered to be the nation’s most qualified adherents of Islam.
According to the Denver Post, when White House officials heard about the program, it was put on overdrive.
Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, sifted through more than 300 names as part of the search.
“It was mostly under the radar,” Williams said. “We thought it would put (the president) in a precarious position. We didn’t know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community.”
Ellison is serious about his faith. He made the pilgrimage to Mecca with the sponsorship of the Muslim American Society, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 1991, Mohamed Akram wrote a memo for the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood that explained its work in America as “a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.”
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93251
When was the last time ANYONE sought out someobe BASED ON THEIR RELIGION? Obama recruits MOSLEMS!
Shariah-Compliant Finance Advisor Picked by Obama as White House Fellow
by Zombie
Pajamas Media
June 25, 2010
On Tuesday, President Obama announced the appointment of this year’s “White House Fellows,” a prestigious program in which outstanding Americans are chosen to work in the White House and receive “first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government.” According to a White House Press release, one of this year’s Fellows is a young lawyer named Samar Ali:
Samar Ali is an Associate with the firm Hogan Lovells US LLP. She is responsible for counseling clients on mergers & acquisitions, cross-border transactions, Shari’a compliant transactions, project finance, and international business matters.
Left out of the press release is that she also previously worked as an intern and received training at the Islamic International Arab Bank; according to her staff bio at the Hogan Lovells law firm,
Samar’s experience includes advising a Middle Eastern university in the potential establishment of a Foreign Aid Conventional and Shari’ah Compliant Student Loan Program. … Before joining Hogan & Hartson, Samar worked as a summer associate for the firm and as a legal intern for the Islamic International Arab Bank.
Read the complete original version of this item...
http://www.islamist-watch.org/4300/shariah-compliant-finance-advisor-picked-by-obama
Imam Thanks Obama New York Daily News ^ | 8-23-10 | Richard Sisk
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf used his taxpayer-funded Mideast tour yesterday to praise President Obama’s qualified support for the mosque near Ground Zero.
“I am grateful to President Barack Obama and all those who expressed support for our project,” Abdul Rauf said at a dinner for student leaders in the Gulf state of Bahrain. the Gulf Daily News in Bahrain reported.
Obama fueled the debate over the mosque with a White House speech defending the right to build the project, but hedged by saying he wouldn’t comment on the “wisdom” of its location.
Abdul Rauf also wryly noted that “We are in the media a lot these days due to one of our initiatives,” a reference to the planned Islamic cultural center including a mosque on Park Place two blocks north of Ground Zero.
The 62-year old Abdul Rauf said the purpose of his $16,000 State Department-sponsored swing through Bahrain, Qatar and Abu Dhabi was to set an example of religious tolerance to the youth of the region.
“We are doing all this for the next generation because when you reach my age you think of what you are leaving behind,” Abdul Rauf said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2010/08/imam-thanks-obama.html
Elena Kagan’s Work to Make Constitutions More Shariah-Compliant
To expand Harvard’s capacity to sell Shariah law, Kagan hired Noah Feldman in 2007, and in 2008 Feldman published his valentine to Shariah: “The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State,” which argues for democratically elected “Islamist” (aka Muslim Brotherhood) parties to take control of Muslim states in order to govern under Shariah law. Kagan rewarded Feldman’s Shariah advocacy by giving him the endowed Bemis Chair in International Law on September 16, 2008. His speech accepting the Bemis chair advocated an “experimental Constitution” that “embraces international institutions.” The New Republic’s Leon Wieseltier devastating critique of Feldman’s shilling for Shariah included this insight:
In his discussion of Islamism, Feldman, who knows a lot more about Islam than I do, no longer rises to uphold the liberty of conscience. Instead he explains warmly that “to the Islamist politicians who advocate it or for the public that supports it, Shariah … is expected to function as something like a modern constitution.” He compares Islamic law to nothing less than “the American constitutional balance of powers.” Philadelphia! …. Feldman is weirdly at peace with the increasing popular support that Islamism enjoys in Egypt, Pakistan, and Jordan …. His offer of a shinier sharia is just another barter of rights for authenticity. This is not gradualism, it is pessimism. …. Feldman is shilling for a soft theocracy–for other people, naturally. This is, among other things, hypocritical.”
Kagan and Shariah Amendments to Constitutions
Two months after giving Feldman his Bemis chair, from November 12-14, 2008, Kagan spoke at and presided over a conference titled The Constitutional Judiciary in the Muslim World: Its Influence on the Interpretation of Constitutional and Legislative Texts 1970 to 2008 . To a large extent, the “Constitutional Judiciary” discussed in this conference was in fact the Shariah Judiciary, which was (and is, thanks in part to Feldman) being written into national constitutions in Muslim countries as a guiding principle. The Conference program is here including abstracts, with a summary report here.
Like Feldman’s book, this Conference was upbeat on the prospects of introducing Shariah law into Constitutions. Feldman was said to have been the advisor in Iraq who insisted on putting a clause in the Iraqi constitution requiring legislation comply with Shariah law. In the main, the conference participants appear to have treated the introduction of Shariah amendments into national constitutions as progress – a good thing. The Rise of the Islamic State…
That theme of Kagan’s conference was captured by Baber Johansen, acting Director of the Islamic Legal Studies Program, in his opening presentation on “The introduction of the ‘principles of the Islamic Shari’a’ as a source of the national legislation in the constitutions of major Muslim countries (1970-2008).” Johansen’s abstract states:
“The introduction of constitutional amendments in the 1970s and 1980 that made “the principles of the Islamic Shari’a” a major or even the major source of national legislation has, on the one hand, given a new Islamic dimension to constitutional law, it has, on the other, raised the question of the relation between this amendment and the other articles of the constitution.
Is the Islamizing amendment an article above or in the constitution? Do all other articles of the constitution have to be interpreted in its light or is the constitution one body in which the new amendment has to be interpreted in a way that guarantees the rights and freedoms protected by the constitution? In the last instance the question is how, if the Islamizing amendment is above the rest of the constitution, the constitution can guarantee its [ie the amendment's] status as being above the positive law and the constitution.”
No mention of the Shariah laws against civil liberties, the lack of rights for women and non-muslims and apostates and gays, the requirement for violent jihad and so on. Just a technical discussion of the mechanics of making Constitutions comply with Shariah law.
After Johansen’s presentation, Kagan spoke – but no record exists of what she said. She is listed on the program, and a photo of her at the conference was published in the June 2009 Islamic Legal Studies Program newsletter.
That same newsletter, on the last page (”Objectives and Principles”) states that Kagan’s Islamic Legal Studies Program seeks “to promote a deep appreciation of Islamic law as one of the world’s major legal systems.”
And that’s the problem. We know that Elena Kagan has a “deep appreciation” of Islamic law and international law. Americans are increasingly skeptical that she has a similarly deep appreciation for the US Constitution.
According to Gallup polls, 44% of Americans support her nomination, 34% oppose her, and 22% don’t know. The only other nominees whose public support was less than 50% at this time were never confirmed: Harriet Miers and Robert Bork. Bork had 1% more of the public opposing him than Kagan; Miers had 2% less of the public supporting her than Kagan. It’s that close.
Americans can still raise their voices on this, if they’ll raise them loud. The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Kagan’s nomination this week, with the full Senate voting later this summer.
http://bigpeace.com/cbrim/2010/07/19/elena-kagans-work-to-make-constitutions-more-shariah-compliant/#more-7606
Obama endorse Moslem Comic Book Cartoons
...
However, no matter how edifying the comic books may be for Moslem families, it is bizarre to see the President of the United States, endorsing such religiously-inspired products. The POTUS should normally be upholding the Establishment Clause of the Bill of Rights, and not be promoting a particular faith, but this president seems to think his desire to create good feelings in Moslems over-rides his need to abide by the First Amendment. The endorsement of Naif Al-Mutawa and The Ninety-Nine can be watched below:
President Obama Gives Naif Al-Mutawa and THE 99 A Shout Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xULeq3JrAEk&feature=player_embedded ...
The new media outlet, called The Hub, will officially start airing on October 11, with veteran broadcaster Margaret Loesch running the schedule. And on the schedule of The Hub network will be an animated series called “The 99”, which will bring to life the Islamic cartoon superheroes. This is the first time that I am aware of where a religious cartoon series has been broadcast and aimed at the general viewing public.
...
In Kuwait, the Ninety-Nine has been seen as educational and instructional, and has not been criticised. But it does seem strange that Islam – dressed up in the form of cartoon superhero characters – should be presented on the screen.
Are we going to see ass-kicking Christian superhero nuns, called Faith, Hope and Charity, whooping sinner’s butts and sending Satan into Hell? It is doubtful.
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.7470/pub_detail.asp
Even Jay Jay the Jet Plane had to have ALL Christian overtones and verses REMOVED.
Obama is IMPORTING MOSLEM IMMIGRANTS into our country under a redfined "refugee" status 80,000 of them! Europe is trying to get rid of them as we usher them in.
OBAMA AUTHORIZES 80,000 “REFUGEES” TO ENTER COUNTRY
Mr. Obama says that the increase in Muslim immigrants “is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.”
The following “goals” for new immigrants has been set as follows:
Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000
East Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,000
Europe and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . 2,000
Latin America/Caribbean. . . . . . . . . . . 5,500
Near East/South Asia. . . . . . . . . . . 35,500
Unallocated Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,000
(LOOK at the MOSLEM countries that we are recruiting from.)
Refugee Resettlement Watch and other organizations have expressed grave concern that Mr. Obama is allowing so many immigrants into the country while so many Americans remain out of work and living in poverty.
(BTW, Moslems don't believe in abortion and reproduce like rabbits.)
According to the US Department of Labor, 14.8 million Americans remain unemployed. 6.1 million have been out of work for 27 weeks or over.
...
The U. S. Census Bureau shows that the median household income for Americans has fallen to $49,777 – - a decline of 0.7% in the past year.
One in seven Americans no longer can feed themselves.
According to The Wall Street Journal, 14.3% of the American people live in abject poverty.
...
However, the definition of refugee is ‘fudged’ in several cases. “Refugees” who have not left their country due to persecution, according to Mr. Obama’s determination letter, can still be called “refugees” if they are from Iraq, one of the Islamic countries of the former Soviet Union, or Cuba.
According to Section 413 (a) of the Immigration and Nationalities Act, the Office of Refugee Resettlement is required to submit an annual report to Congress on the activities of the refugees.
The report is supposed to include the number who are on public welfare programs.
But no report has forthcoming from the Office of Refugee Resettlement since 2007.
...
http://thelastcrusade.org/2010/10/22/obama-authorizes-80000-“refugees”-to-enter-country/
LOOK AT WHAT IS COMING!
They are ALL Moslems!
Obama is determined to wipe out the WHITE MAN, Christianity and any CIVILIZED INFLUENCES and make us a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY.
Obama HATES WHITE people. Obama HATES capitalism. Obama WANTS the BLACK people to have the WHITE people as their “whipping boys”. Obama also wants them to shore up the VOTE for him.
Please, I can’t do it, POST what these people look like. A picture is worth a thousand words.
http://thelastcrusade.org/2010/10/22/obama-authorizes-80000-“refugees”-to-enter-country/
These people are uncivilized and will forever alter our civilization HERE. They probably reproduce like rabbits.
Meanwhile Moslems SLAUGHTER Christians and they get NO "refugee" standing. NONE. We cater to pure EVIL. Nothing good will come of this as we import EVIL and literally pay for evil. NOtice how the main stream media says NOTHING about this.
Why Do People Say Muslim Now Instead of Moslem? By Yii-Ann Christine Chen
Ms. Chen is a student at the University of Washington and an intern at HNN.
Is it Muslim or Moslem?
When Baby Boomers were children it was Moslem. The American Heritage Dictionary (1992) noted, "Moslem is the form predominantly preferred in journalism and popular usage. Muslim is preferred by scholars and by English-speaking adherents of Islam." No more. Now, almost everybody uses Muslim.
According to the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, "Moslem and Muslim are basically two different spellings for the same word." But the seemingly arbitrary choice of spellings is a sensitive subject for many followers of Islam. Whereas for most English speakers, the two words are synonymous in meaning, the Arabic roots of the two words are very different. A Muslim in Arabic means "one who gives himself to God," and is by definition, someone who adheres to Islam. By contrast, a Moslem in Arabic means "one who is evil and unjust" when the word is pronounced, as it is in English, Mozlem with a z.
...
Journalists switched to Muslim from Moslem in recent years under pressure from Islamic groups. But the use of the word Moslem has not entirely ceased. Established institutions which used the older form of the name have been reluctant to change. The American Moslem Foundation is still the American Moslem Foundation (much as the NAACP is still the NAACP--the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). The journal The Moslem World--published by the Hartford Seminary in Connecticut--is still The Moslem World.
http://hnn.us/articles/524.html
Call them what they are - MOSLEMS!
"A Muslim in Arabic means "one who gives himself to God," and is by definition, someone who adheres to Islam. By contrast, a Moslem in Arabic means "one who is evil and unjust" when the word is pronounced, as it is in English, Mozlem with a z. "
They are SCUM!
Obama Pronounces Islam A Great Religion From his fellow defenders of the faith at the Associated Press:
Obama hosts dinner for Islamic holy month By ANN SANNER (AP)
September 1, 2009
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Tuesday praised American Muslims for enriching the nation’s culture at a dinner to celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
"The contribution of Muslims to the United States are too long to catalog because Muslims are so interwoven into the fabric of our communities and our country," Obama said at the iftar, the dinner that breaks the holiday’s daily fast.
The president joined Cabinet secretaries, members of the diplomatic corps and lawmakers to pay tribute to what he called "a great religion and its commitment to justice and progress."
Attendees included Congress’ two Muslim members — Reps. Keith Ellison and Andre Carson as well as ambassadors from Islamic nations and Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren…
Obama has made a special effort since taking office to repair U.S. relations with the world’s Muslims, including visits to Turkey and Cairo. In a June speech at the Egyptian capital, as well as in one to another important Muslim audience, in Turkey, Obama said: "America is not — and never will be — at war with Islam."
... http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-calls-islam-a-great-religion
The United States is not, and never will be, at war with Islam. Barack Huessen Obama
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/barack_obama_3.html
How come the lying Moslem doesn't say Christianity or Judiasm is a "great religion" ?
No. 1 Nation in Sexy Web Searches? Call it Pornistan By Kelli Morgan
Published July 13, 2010
| FoxNews.com
They may call it the "Land of the Pure," but Pakistan turns out to be anything but.
The Muslim country, which has banned content on at least 17 websites to block offensive and blasphemous material, is the world's leader in online searches for pornographic material, FoxNews.com has learned.
...
So here's the irony: Google ranks Pakistan No. 1 in the world in searches for pornographic terms, outranking every other country in the world in searches per person for certain sex-related content.
Pakistan is top dog in searches per-person for
"horse sex" since 2004,
"donkey sex" since 2007,
"rape pictures" between 2004 and 2009,
"rape sex" since 2004,
"child sex" between 2004 and 2007 and since 2009,
"animal sex" since 2004 and
"dog sex" since 2005,
according to Google Trends and Google Insights, features of Google that generate data based on popular search terms. The country also is tops -- or has been No. 1 -- in searches for "sex," "camel sex," "rape video," "child sex video" and some other searches that can't be printed here.
...
In addition to banning content on 17 websites, including islamexposed.blogspot.com, Pakistan is monitoring seven other sites -- Google, Yahoo, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, MSN and Hotmail -- for anti-Islamic content, the Associated Press reported in June.
...
Pakistan temporarily banned Facebook in May when Muslim groups protested the “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” page, where users were encouraged to upload pictures of the Prophet Muhammad. The page remained on Facebook, but Pakistani users were unable to view it, said Andrew Noyes, manager of Facebook’s Public Policy Communication.
The country’s punishment for those charged with blasphemy is execution, ...
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/12/data-shows-pakistan-googling-pornographic-material/ Heard of ANY MALES EXECUTED for THIS, yet? I haven't.
I can only hope and pray PEOPLE GET IT!
We are living on the edge.
Unfortunately, for decades Swedish governments have played along with this game of illusion and self-delusion - instead of spreading the truth of what really has made Sweden successful:
Capitalism, a culture of honesty and mutual trust, high class engineering, traditional work ethics, proper education, respect for the law and business skills.
Maybe this answers my question in post #7.
I found this interesting but as I read the article my mind kept returning to a video I saw last year. I tracked down the video to see if I rememembered it correctly.
Malmo
- Yet considerably more than twice the size of one ninth of the most populous state in America.
Stockholm manages to compete pretty well with the Bay Area as well as companies like Texas Instruments.
But, admittedly, a lot of the IT development taking place in the Swedish capital of today is due to the presence of American companies like IBM, Microsoft, Intel etc.
In fact, IBM has been contributing immensely to the business life of Sweden since 1932 and already in the seventies, it was one the largest employers in Stockholm.
Today?
As the digital habits of Mankind tend to develop towards increased mobility, extreme miniaturization and above all the wish of carrying along entertainment, information, communication, pieces of creation etc as you (physically) SHIFT from one place/occupation to another one, Nordic companies like Ericsson and Nokia will continue to gain ground on behalf of, for instance, Korean companies who waste much of their profits on trying to convince the World that brand names like LG and Samsung are “cool” (- why not try and face-lift the Goldstar trade mark as well).
“Malmo”
- Do you, by any chance, happen to know of any neighborhood/city close to where you live that is reminiscent of Malmö? I bet you do.
Didn't Johnson sell the immigration reform of 1965 with 'this won't transform the demographics of this country'? That was back when the demographics were about 89% European origin, mostly British Isles and Northern Europe and 11% African origin.
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