The Evening Flap: January 2, 2012

These are my links for December 29th through January 2nd:

• How Gingrich Blew His Second Chance – Jonathan Martin looks at how Newt Gingrich “learned all the wrong lessons from his campaign’s collapse this summer and none of the right ones from his remarkable comeback.”

  “Instead of seizing the moment and making an aggressive case for why the contest was now a two-man race between a movement conservative and flip-flopping moderate — a unique opportunity afforded by the endorsement’s implicit-but-unmistakable critique of Mitt Romney in his firewall state — Gingrich fell back to his familiar habits, a routine marked by too much self-assurance and not enough discipline.”

  “Between that and some other key factors — among them, Romney’s super PAC blitzkrieg and his own weak fundraising — a campaign that seemed on the cusp of stealing the nomination barely a month ago now faces an ignominious fourth place finish or worse.”

• Ron Paul’s Secret Plan To Actually Win – Ron Paul — poised to finish strong in the Iowa caucuses – has begun to implement a quiet, complex plan to force a long battle with Mitt Romney for delegates to the Republican National Convention in August. His advantages: Experience, organization, and the legacy of the 2010 Tea Party revival, which convinced Republicans that anti-government figures like Paul just aren’t as weird as they’d thought.

  Paul is following the roadmap set by Barack Obama’s 2008 strategy: Start early, learn the rules, and use superior organization and devoted young supporters to dominate the arcane but crucial party procedures in states your rivals are ignoring — states where caucuses and conventions that elect the delegates who will ultimately choose the Republican candidate. The plan begins in places like Minnetonka, Minnesota, a Minneapolis suburb where Paul has based his state headquarters, and where staffers have already begun running “mock-auses” — practice runs for Minnesota’s February 7 caucuses.

  Paul’s rivals dismiss his chances. “Ron Paul’s not going to be our nominee,” Mitt Romney said flatly in December. But Paul’s organization is girding for the long haul, and while the 76-year old Texan is vanishingly unlikely to be the nominee — primaries in big states like New York and California could shut him out — observers in the caucus states say they expect Paul to win, and perhaps sweep, dozens of delegates from unexpected corners of the map. Those delegates, in turn, will give him at least a prominent position at the Republican National Convention, and a plausible shot at emerging as a kingmaker if a strong mainstream challenger to Romney emerges.

• @SteveKingIA: I just announced on Simon Conway’s program on WHO Radio that I will not endorse a candidate in the Iowa Caucus. – I just announced on Simon Conway’s program on WHO Radio that I will not endorse a candidate in the Iowa Caucus.
• Sarah Palin Praises Santorum and Trump, Open to VP, Demurs on Late Entry – In Monday afternoon Fox News interview, ex-Alaska Guv praises Santorum again and adds “Donald Trump has a lot to offer.”

  Palin: “I did praise Rick Santorum and I’ll praise him again…It’s no surprise that he has the support that he has.”

  Adds, “the field is what it is at this point,” and/but will not shut the door on a second VP bid.

• Occupy protest follows 123rd annual Rose Parade – The 2012 Tournament of Roses brought its flowery floats and strutting bands to a worldwide audience Monday under clear blue skies, and in its wake came a scruffier parade – thousands of anti-Wall Street protesters.

  The 123rd annual New Year’s Day event, with the theme “Just Imagine,” flowed along downtown Pasadena to the cheers of hundreds of thousands of sidewalk spectators.

  An estimated 40 million people viewed this year’s procession of 44 floats, 16 marching bands and 22 equestrian troupes on U.S. television.

  There were 10 arrests overnight, including four felonies, as thousands of spectators staked out viewing places along the route but that figure was down from the previous year, police said.

  “Everything went very, very well. We’re very pleased,” police Lt. Phlunte Riddle said.

• Sinaloa Cartel Shifting Meth Production to Guatemala – The Sinaloa Cartel, already thought to be the largest supplier of methamphetamine to the US, may be shifting production southwards to Guatemala. This forms part of a larger trend, in which Mexican groups appear to be shifting many of their operations into Central America.

  The Associated Press reports that the seizure of precursor chemicals to produce methamphetamine is spiking dramatically in Guatemala. In 2011, authorities seized about 1,600 tons of precursor chemicals, four times the amount seized in 2010. Much of the trade is thought to be controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel.

  InSight Analysis

  Such reports point to a key trend previously identified by InSight Crime: the shifting of drug production into Central American nations that are not prepared to confront the Mexican cartels. There have already been some signs that drug trafficking organizes have moved their cocaine-processing infrastructure into the region, with laboratories discovered in Honduras and Guatemala. Nicaragua saw its first ever meth lab dismantled in 2009. If Mexico’s meth production is moving southwards into the Northern Triangle, it is one more indication that the region is increasingly seen as a safer environment for the drug trade.

  The shift into Guatemala could also be a sign sign that law enforcement efforts in Mexico are working. Both US and Mexican authorities seized a record amount of meth along the US-Mexico border last year. Another deterrent was Mexico’s decision to ban imports of pseudophedrine and ephedine, key ingredients in meth production, in 2008.

  The AP report also supports the hypothesis that the Sinaloa Cartel is expanding its hold on the methamphetamine trade. This includes taking over the network once controlled by the Familia Michoacana. The Sinaloans are now thought to be the largest distributors of meth inside the US.

• Day By Day January 2, 2011 – Empire | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day January 2, 2011 – Empire
• @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-02 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-02
• Stock Investment Research & Education – Business & Financial News – IBD – Investors.com – Obama asleep at 3 AM – Indeed……Michael Ramirez Political Cartoons 12/29/2011 –
• Gregory Flap Cole – Google+ – Obama asleep at 3 AM – Indeed…… – Obama asleep at 3 AM – Indeed……Michael Ramirez Political Cartoons 12/29/2011 –
• Occupy Rose Parade Activist Leader Peter Thottam is a Convicted Thief, 9-11 Truther and Former California Democratic Party Candidate » Flap’s California Blog – Occupy Rose Parade Activist Leader Peter Thottam is a Convicted Thief, 9-11 Truther and Former California Democr…
• Gregory Flap Cole – Google+ – President 2012 GOP Iowa Poll Watch: Ron Paul is at 20%,… – President 2012 GOP Iowa Poll Watch: Ron Paul is at 20%, Mitt Romney at 19%, and Rick Santorum at 18%
• Gregory Flap Cole – Google+ – Occupy Rose Parade led by a convicted thief – Oh My! – Occupy Rose Parade led by a convicted thief – Oh My! Occupy Rose Parade Activist Leader Peter Thottam
• Happy New Year – 2012 » Flap’s California Blog – Happy New Year – 2012
• Day By Day January 1, 2012 – Major League | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day January 1, 2012 – Major League
• Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Happy New Year – 2012 – Happy New Year – 2012
• Happy New Year – 2012 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Happy New Year – 2012
• @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-01 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-01
• foursquare :: Gregory Flap @ Ronnie’s Diner – Lunch with Tara and Maria Elena after 17 miles of LA Marathon training (@ Ronnie’s Diner w/ 3 others)
• @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-12-31 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-12-31
• Nintendo, Sony back off of SOPA support | Electronista – About damn time | Nintendo, Sony back off of SOPA support
• Occupy’s Rose Parade float: 70-foot octopus of corporate greed – latimes.com – Who the frak cares? | Occupy’s Rose Parade float: 70-foot octopus of corporate greed
• Iowa kingmaker rips Ron Paul, hints at late endorsement in attempt to stop him – The Hill’s Ballot Box – Iowa kingmaker Rep. Steve King rips Ron Paul, hints at late endorsement in attempt to stop him #tcot
• Gingrich sees Sarah Palin as vice president, Cabinet secretary – The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room – Newt needs Sarah’s endorsement like tomorrow | Gingrich sees Sarah Palin as vice president, Cabinet secretary
• Why I Am Endorsing Newt Gingrich for President | Steve Deace – RT @fivethirtyeight: Newtmentum is back! / RT @allahpundit: Steve Deace: Why I Am Endorsing Newt Gingrich for President
• Paul Says He Would Have Trouble Backing GOP Rivals | Fox News – Ron Paul Says He Would Have Trouble Backing GOP Rivals
• California Cities and Redevelopment Agencies To Hope for 2012 Compromise After Supreme Court Decision » Flap’s California Blog – California Cities and Redevelopment Agencies To Hope for 2012 Compromise After Supreme Court Decision
• Occupy lone wolf stirs parade concerns – SGVTribune.com – Occupy Rose Parade: Occupy lone wolf stirs parade concerns #catcot
• Untitled (http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/29/4151646/why-most-californians-need-to.html) – 25 percent of California adults were obese last year, up from 15 percent in 1995 Another 37 percent are overweight
• Flap’s Dentistry Blog: California Dentist Arrested for Providing Drugs and Alcohol to Minors – California Dentist Arrested for Providing Drugs and Alcohol to Minors
• At CES, Expect More Gadgets Telling You to Get Off the Couch – Lauren Goode – News – AllThingsD – At CES, Expect More Gadgets Telling You to Get Off the Couch| So, get off!
• (404) http://t.co/1uQoLWq5%E2%80%9D – Why, of course they did &who was fired at Verizon?“@verge: Verizon drops $2 ‘convenience fee’ due to customer feedback
• Michele Bachmann’s hard fall – Maggie Haberman – POLITICO.com – Michele Bachmann’s hard fall – #tcot
• The PJ Tatler » America Deserves Answers on the Obama Administration’s Decision to Outsource the Next Generation of Light Attack Aircraft – America Deserves Answers on the Obama Decision to Outsource the Next Generation of Light Attack Aircraft
• Ron Paul Watch: AIDS Patients and Sexual Harassment – Oh My! | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Ron Paul Watch: AIDS Patients and Sexual Harassment – Oh My!
• Day By Day December 30, 2011 – Vercotti Virginia | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day December 30, 2011 – Vercotti Virginia
• Americans Who Have Health Insurance Have Better Health Habits | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Americans Who Have Health Insurance Have Better Health Habits
• Christie: “After Three Years Of Obama, We Are Hopeless And Changeless” | RealClearPolitics – Chris Christie: “After Three Years Of Obama, We Are Hopeless And Changeless” #tcot
• Latest Florida poll: Mitt Romney 27%, Newt Gingrich 26%; no one else in double digits | Saint Petersblog – Latest Florida poll: Mitt Romney 27%, Newt Gingrich 26%; no one else in double digits | Saint Petersblog – #tcot
• First Read – NBC poll: Mitt Romney, Ron Paul neck-and-neck in Iowa; Newt Gingrich in 5th – First Read – NBC poll: Mitt Romney, Ron Paul neck-and-neck in Iowa; Newt Gingrich in 5th –
• TRENDING: In early book, Rep. Ron Paul criticized AIDS patients, minority rights and sexual harassment victims – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs – OMG. Maybe Ron Paul didn’t write his own book either! via @cnn
• @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-12-30 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-12-30
• Ron Paul does interview with Iranian state TV, bashes Israel, defends Hamas
  – YouTube – RT @DanRiehl: Ron Paul does interview with Iranian state TV, bashes Israel, defends Hamas
• Ron Paul Watch: Don Black, David Duke, Stormfront.org 2012 Edition | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Ron Paul Watch: Don Black, David Duke, 2012 Edition
• Stormfront – White Nationalist Community – Ron Paul Watch: Don Black, David Duke, 2012 Edition
• President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Romney Now Leading Gingrich in National Poll | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Romney Now Leading Gingrich in National Poll
• Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Teeth and Gums: The Gateway to Your Body and Health – Teeth and Gums: The Gateway to Your Body and Health
• Obesity in Older Adults Linked to Risk of Falls? | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Obesity in Older Adults Linked to Risk of Falls?
• Gregory Flap Cole – Google+ – The web fight against SOPA has just barely started…. – The web fight against SOPA has just barely started…. #tcot #catcot
• No “Occupy Rose Parade” Say Tournament of Roses Parade Organizers » Flap’s California Blog – No “Occupy Rose Parade” Say Tournament of Roses Parade Organizers