Oops! MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Spews Hatred of American Exceptionalism: Racist Attack Blogger Walter James Casper III Caught Lying Again!

Newsbusters has the story, "Rachel Maddow Sniffs in Disdain at Belief in America as 'Shining' City on a Hill."

I've been avoiding the racist anti-Semitic hate-blogger Walter James Casper III, but he and his progressive attack posse continue to stalk this blog --- and the comments at the American Nihilist shithole are filled with deranged screeds demononizing yours truly. And since I've been carefully documenting Casper's racist, hate-Israel pro-Occupy agenda, it's worthwhile to further expose his classic anti-Americanism and bankrupt lies about America's founding culture of American exceptionalism.

Recall first that I posted on Callista Gingrich's paean to American exceptionalism last week. Walter James Casper's hate-addled commenters freaked out over that (see the top Google result here). These nihilist goons were especially pissed about my comparison to First Lady Michelle Obama, who in 2008 admitted that "for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country." That got Casper all lathered up like a mule, and he writes:

Like too many republicans, mrs newt #3 is trying to sell a meme about the left that is a lie. I agree with 99% of everything she says in that video. There is no "great debate" about what American exceptionalism" means except in a few folk's divisive, partisan, fevered imaginations.

Whether one believes man was endowed with inalienable rights by a Christian God or by human nature, the end result--the form of government that makes America exceptional--is the same. It is our American ideals that make us unique in the world, and it is our desire and ability to sell our ideals to others--both immigrants who come here to seek a better life and become a part of this country, and to a lesser extent, those foreign nations who have incorporated some of our American ideals into their governments--that make we Americans unique.

Too often, however, there IS a certain degree of arrogance when talking about American exceptionalism. There are too any who believe that America was a nation chosen by God from among all (or most) others, and that we Americans are a chosen people. They are often nativists who don't want to share and expand American exceptionalism. Immigrants and other groups are demonized and deemed unworthy. "All men are created equal." Except Muslims (American or otherwise.) Except gay folks. Except liberals. That kind of American exceptionalism isn't worth the breath with which it's spoken...

I believe in American exceptionalism... But unlike too many on the right I'm not particularly threatened if the citizens of some other country feel the same about their ideals and way of life (though I do think they're wrong.)

This is classic denialism and dishonesty from epic hate-blogger Walter James Casper III.

First, actually, there is a "great debate" about American exceptionalism, and it's perfectly encapsulated by the contrast between Callista Gingrich and Rachel Maddow. And as is true with any other example of the left's socialist program, Walter James Casper III is confronted with facts that are simply too difficult to acknowledge. So he lies about them. He's a pathological liar.

Here's Maddow at the video above:

Chris, I have to, I have to put it to you because you're the only person I know in the world to whom I can complain about this, but the city on the hill does not shine. The city upon a hill with the eyes of the world, with the, with the, right, the eyes of all people upon us, the city on the hill never shined. I don't understand why it always has to be shining.

One can't be more clear than that. Maddow's statement is a complete and total rejection of the historical vision of America as a light unto the nations. Progressives can't stand that, because they want to bring America down. Progressive ideology posits racist imperialism and implacable oppression as the hideous marks of an nation alleged founded upon genocidal conquest. Thus for Maddow, "the city on the hill never shined." And when progressives are called out for such anti-Americanism, they simply deny the essential goodness of America's founding, and they revise the historical narrative to fit their collectivist agenda. We see that with Walter James Casper's dismissal of American exceptionalism as not "worth the breath with which it's spoken."

Now, secondly, Walter James Casper idolizes Rachel Maddow --- he's a huge fan of her poorly-rated show and he tweets regularly that he's tuning in to the program. And now --- rubbing hands together with hilarious glee! --- we have Maddow's own words proving --- beyond a shadow of  doubt! --- that Walter James Casper's a despicable liar. It's pretty rich.

Some time back, President Obama dissed American exceptionalism, announcing that "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." Picking up on that and more, Victor Davis Hanson responded to left's attacks on America last Fourth of July, at the New York Post, "What makes America exceptional":

 ...there has never been any nation even remotely similar to America. Here's why. Most revolutions seek to destroy the existing class order and use all-powerful government to mandate an equality of result rather than of opportunity -- in the manner of the French Revolution's slogan of "liberty, equality and fraternity" or the Russian Revolution's "peace, land and bread."

In contrast, our revolutionaries shouted "Don't tread on me!" and "Give me liberty or give me death!" The Founders were convinced that constitutionally protected freedom would allow the individual to create wealth apart from government. Such enlightened self-interest would then enrich society at large far more effectively than could an all-powerful state....

Individual freedom in America manifests itself in ways most of the world can hardly fathom -- whether our unique tradition of the right to gun ownership, the near impossibility of proving libel in US courts, or the singular custom of multimillion-dollar philanthropic institutions, foundations and private endowments. Herding, silencing or enfeebling Americans is almost impossible -- and will remain so as long as well-protected citizens can say what they want and do as they please with their hard-earned money.

Race, tribe or religion often defines a nation's character, either through loose confederations of ethnic or religious blocs as in Rwanda, Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, or by equating a citizenry with a shared appearance as reflected in the German word "volk" or the Spanish "raza." While America was originally crafted largely by white males who improved upon Anglo-Saxon customs and the European Enlightenment, the Founders set in place an "all men are created equal" system that quite logically evolved into the racially blind society of today....

The Founders' notion of the rule of law, coupled with freedom of the individual, explains why America runs on merit, not tribal affinities or birth. Most elsewhere, being a first cousin of a government official, or having a prestigious name, ensures special treatment from the state. Yet in America, nepotism is never assured. End that notion of American merit and replace it with racial tribalism, cronyism or aristocratic privilege, and America itself would vanish as we know it...

And note something about "all men are created equal." The Declaration of Independence sets forth the ideal that all of those born, under God, are endowed with equality of opportunity and with basic natural rights, that among these, is the right to the pursuit of happiness. American equality is equality of birth, not equality of outcome --- not the forced equality of the socialist state. See Ralph Benko, at Forbes, "Gingrich vs. Obama: American Exceptionalism vs. The Reconquest of America By Europe":

America — rooted in Democratic Capitalism — defines itself by equality of opportunity. Europe — rooted in Social Democracy— defines itself by equality of results. One of [Newt] Gingrich’s three key tenets is American exceptionalism. The 2012 election likely will determine whether America remains exceptional or, finally, is, culturally, reconquered by Europe.

Exactly.

Simply put, progressives hate American exceptionalism, and when confronted by proud assertions by conservatives about America's goodness, they react with visceral hatred. Rachel Maddow can't stand the country as it is, so she promotes an entirely different model --- the unexpectional collectivist welfare state of the kind now dragging the European democracy into purgatory.

And Walter James Casper III hates America too. His classic play is to attack conservatives who stand up for fairness and moral right as bigots and racists. The truth, however, is that Walter James Casper's a vile racist and Israel-basher, and when called out on it he lies and distorts reality in a never-ending attempt to hide from the facts. But as we see with his creepy idolatry of Rachel Maddow, Walter James Casper can't stand America. He's a liar and a stump of a man. His ideology has driven him to destroy others, with attacks, harassment and threats against the safety of his enemies.

What a disgrace.

PREVIOUSLY:

* "Walter James 'Occupy' Casper Continues Campaign of Lies: Childishly Whines About 'McCarthyism' While Endorsing Anarchists and Anti-Semitic Communists."

* "Racist Walter James Casper III Doubles-Down on Endorsement of Revolutionary Anti-Semitic Occupy Wall Street."

* "Hate-Blogger Walter James Casper III and Progressive Evil: Denial of Israel-Hatred Enables Exterminationist Anti-Semitism."

* "Manifesto: Occupy for the Revolution."

Mitt Romney's 'Blood Money'

The new web ad from Winning Our Future, via Linkiest:

Also at Washington Post, "Pro-Gingrich group hits Romney on his venture firm’s ties to company fined for Medicare fraud."

'It's Not Worth Getting Angry About'

The Weekly Standard reports:

More than anyone else during any of the previous Republican presidential debates, Rick Santorum took dead aim tonight at the similarities between Romneycare and Obamacare. Arguing that those similarities could pose great problems for the Republican party and for the prospects for repeal if Mitt Romney were to win the nomination, Santorum implored GOP voters to remember, “We can’t give this issue away in this election.”

Continue reading.

And at Los Angeles Times, "Santorum: Romney, Obama healthcare mandates one and the same."

Vice President Joe Biden (Bigot-D) Fakes Indian Accent During Outsourcing Speech

But that's no problem. He's a Democrat. The progressive race baiters will give him a pass.

See that?

He caught himself halfway. He knew he f-ked up. See Fox News, "Biden halts apparent foreign accent mid-sentence in New Hampshire speech."

And at Instapundit, "THAT’S OKAY, HE’S NOT A REPUBLICAN: Biden Does Fake Indian Accent During Outsourcing Speech?"

Freakin' progressive asshat hypocrites.

PREVIOUSLY: "It's Come to This: Progressives Reduced to Racist Slurs Against American Power," and "The Pale Scot at American Nihilist."

BONUS: "Racist Walter James Casper III Doubles-Down on Endorsement of Revolutionary Anti-Semitic Occupy Wall Street," and "Hate-Blogger Walter James Casper III and Progressive Evil: Denial of Israel-Hatred Enables Exterminationist Anti-Semitism."

Arizona Candidate's English Under Challenge

At last night's debate, Newt Gingrich indicated that English should be the official language of government business.

Perhaps he had this article in mind, at New York Times, "Arizona Candidate Challenged Over English Skills":

SAN LUIS, Ariz. — When Alejandrina Cabrera speaks English, her face takes on an expression somewhere between deep discomfort and outright despair. Her tongue, which darts around her mouth in her native Spanish, slows to a crawl.

“I speak little English,” she said in a hesitant and heavily accented interview in her lawyer’s office. “But my English is fine for San Luis.”

Mrs. Cabrera may be able to get her point across in English, but whether she is proficient enough in the language to serve on the governing board of this bilingual border city has deeply divided the 25,000 residents.

What began as an effort by political opponents to block Mrs. Cabrera from the ballot for a seat on the City Council has mushroomed into an uncomfortable discussion of just how fluent Arizona officeholders need to be. Like many other states, Arizona has long required politicians at all levels to speak, read and write English, but the law fails to spell out just what that means. Is grade-school knowledge enough? Must one speak flawlessly? Who is to decide?

“I do feel this opening a box of Pandora, and we don’t know where it’s going to lead,” said Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla, who filed a legal challenge of Mrs. Cabrera’s English ability.

He acknowledged on local television that his own English was far from perfect. “I feel I don’t dominate 100 percent, but I can still get by,” said Mr. Escamilla, who graduated from the same Arizona high school as Mrs. Cabrera. “I can write, read and understand it very well.”

It was Guillermina Fuentes, a former San Luis mayor, who first raised Mrs. Cabrera’s English skills as an issue last month. Former friends, the two women had a political falling out.

“You’re hearing my broken English,” Ms. Fuentes said in a telephone interview. “I know people have a hard time understanding me at times, but I understand the language and I was the one always interpreting for Alejandrina Cabrera.”

Ultimately, the matter is to be decided in court. On Jan. 13, Judge John Nelson of the Yuma County Superior Court ordered a linguist to evaluate Mrs. Cabrera after she took the stand and failed to answer a straightforward question from her lawyer, John Minore, about where she went to high school. Mrs. Cabrera explained later that it was anxiety, not failure to understand the question, that had her tongue tied. She went to a hearing specialist in an effort to show that auditory problems were also an issue.

“I was in shock,” she said. “My brain, my mind was white. That was my first time in court.”

Continue reading.

I think this lady should forget about running for office and instead focus on learning the language. This is utterly ridiculous.

That said, the town's 90 percent Mexican-American and everybody speaks Spanish. At city council meetings an interpreter is on hand and participants can wear audio headphones to follow the discussions. This is where things are going in the U.S. Honestly, we're to the point where candidates for office feel as though English proficiency is irrelevant. And who can blame them? Who needs English anyway? This is exactly what Samuel Huntington warned about years ago, and he was widely attacked as "racist." It's going to take some political willpower among state officials to prevent the elimination of the language requirement for public office, which has been on the books since 1910. Clearly, many in the Hispanic population simply to not care. Reconquista anybody?

Jacksonville Debate: Romney Hammers Gingrich For 'Inexcusable and Inappropriate' Radio Ad

This gets pretty heated.

See Los Angeles Times, "With stakes high in Florida, Romney keeps Gingrich on defensive."

Reporting from Jacksonville, Fla. and Miami, Fla.—

Picking up where their last debate left off, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich resumed battling Thursday night over personal integrity and the tenor of their respective campaigns, each accusing the other of unfair character attacks.

Romney, clearly itching for a fight, turned an early discussion on immigration policy into an assault on Gingrich over a radio spot he ran earlier this week on Florida's Spanish-language airwaves. Gingrich pulled the ad, which described Romney as "anti-immigrant," after it was criticized by Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising national star in Latino politics who is staying neutral in the primary.

"That ad was inexcusable and inflammatory and inappropriate, Mr. Speaker," Romney said. "I'm not anti-immigrant. My father was born in Mexico. My wife's father was born in Wales....The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive."

Later, it was Gingrich who took umbrage, accusing Romney of making "personal attacks about personal activities about which you're factually wrong."

The debate, which also included former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, was the second this week in Florida, after Monday night's session in Tampa. There a pugnacious Romney faced a comparatively subdued Gingrich. This time, Gingrich gave as good as he got.

More at the link.

And at New York Times, "Debate Caps a Hard-Fought Day in Florida."

Michael Coren Interviews Lila Rose

Via Blazing Cat Fur:

Somalia Raid Shows Extent of U.S. Reach

A report at Los Angeles Times.

PREVIOUSLY: "U.S. Navy SEALs Rescue Hostages in Daring Overnight Raid in Somalia."

Dr. Gaither Loewenstein Appointed New Vice President of Academic Affairs at Long Beach City College

This is a controversial appointment.

The college's announcement is here: "LBCC Announces New VP of Academic Affairs."

But see the Long Beach Press-Telegram, "New Long Beach college official resigned from previous job over controversial songs":

LONG BEACH — Long Beach City College has hired a new vice president who resigned from his position as president of a Modesto junior college last year over controversial song lyrics that appeared on his personal website.

Gaither Loewenstein will assume duties as LBCC's vice president of academic affairs on March 1, according to a statement from LBCC President Eloy Oakley.

Loewenstein, who also is a singer-songwriter, resigned from his position as president of Modesto College in May after some of his provocative folk song lyrics became public knowledge, according to the Modesto Bee, which reported the story last year.

Loewenstein's music website, which has since been taken down, provided samples of more than 100 songs written during his 30 years as a musician. His stage name is Gaither Drake.

His lyrics range from traditional subjects, such as love and marriage, to more controversial topics including homosexuality, drug use, sexual infatuation and heavy drinking.

In a song entitled "Dear Amtrak," in which Loewenstein complains about a train trip to Portland, he writes, "Your railroad is the (expletive deleted) - they got better service on the way to Auschwitz." In another song entitled "Dysfunctional Family Christmas," he includes the line, "We'll go broke and snort some coke as the holiday grows near."

In the song entitled, "My Best Friends," Loewenstein sings about how all of his female friends are lesbians. He includes the verse, "Don't you know that my best friends are lesbians, it's true. And if I didn't have a (expletive deleted), than I'd probably be one too."
His self-published debut album was released in 2000. His music is available on Myspace.com and iTunes.

Loewenstein told the Modesto Bee last year that he understood why people would be offended by some of the lyrics and said the lyrics were inappropriate for someone in his position.

"I think that as long as you are flying below the radar in lower level administrative positions, you are free to pursue your private hobbies and endeavors," he said. "But once you are named president of a college, there is a responsibility not just to yourself but the college."

Loewenstein's getting hammered in the comments at the link.

For example, from Monica Blumenfield:

It's despicable our local community college hires an idiot who says Jews on the train to Auschwitz were given good service. Has he forgotten those trains sent millions of Jews to their deaths? Get rid of him, or does Supt. Oakley and the rest of LBCC Boards support Lowenstein's anti-Semitic views?

No, they don't support his views --- or at least there's no evidence of that.

The buzz among the faculty, however, is that Dr. Loewenstein was hired as a hatchet man for Eloy Oakley. Modesto cut whole departments under Dr. Loewenstein's leadership, including the journalism program. See: "Modesto College Cuts Journalism – 2011":

Modesto Junior College administration’s drastic cuts to several popular programs, including the elimination of the entire mass communications department, are at best driven by hopeless ignorance and at worst designed to silence student voices at the school.

In late February, MJC President Gaither Loewenstein proposed cutting the mass communications department, along with the faculty adviser to student government, as a solution to the college’s projected $8 million deficit for 2011-12 fiscal year.

Despite opposition from the entire college community and an offer from faculty to take pay cuts  to save their programs, Loewenstein and the school district’s board of trustees shirked shared governance and transparency laws and unilaterally approved the cuts.

“We feel that he’s deliberately handicapped any type of protest at the college,” MJC journalism instructor and newspaper advisor Laura Paull said.

So it's basically writing on the wall to me. The college overlooked a very controversial background to hire someone with experience in drastic downsizing (and it's more controversial than the Press-Telegram lets on --- Loewenstein's rapid employment turnover at his previous posts is simply astonishing, and normally there's good reason someone doesn't stay on a job for long, even administrative appointments).

More on this later, especially if the college announces layoffs!

Gingrich Surges to Dead Heat in Florida, CNN Poll Finds

Gingrich still has the momentum, although he's sounding pretty soft on immigration, so we'll see how that plays out in the Sunshine State.

See: "CNN/Time Poll: Dead heat in Florida ahead of debate" (via Memeorandum).

Republican Candidates Trade Barbs Over Immigration

The New York Times has the background, "Gingrich Ad Faulting Romney on Immigration Stirs Furor." (There's an audio clip at the link.)

And Michelle responds, "Gingrich channels open-borders SEIU; Rubio rebukes; Update: Newt retreats."

And now at The Hill, "Gingrich slams Romney immigration reform plan as 'Obama-level fantasy'":

The former House Speaker derided Mitt Romney's idea of "self-deportation" — articulated in Monday's GOP debate — as a "fantasy" while defending his own immigration plan, which would legalize the status of illegal immigrants with significant roots in the community and who had avoided arrest.

"I think you have to live in a world of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and automatic, you know, $20 million a year income with no work to have some fantasy this far from reality," Gingrich said. "Remember that I talked very specifically about people who have been here a long time, who are grandmothers and grandfathers, who have been paying their bills, they have been working, they are part of the community. Now, for Romney to believe that somebody's grandmother is going to be so cut off that she is going to self-deport, I mean this verges — this is an Obama-level fantasy."

He also defended an ad that referred to Romney as "anti-immigrant" even after his campaign pulled the spot, which was denounced by popular Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in an interview with the Miami Herald.

"Well, he certainly shows no concern for the humanity of people who are already here. I mean I just think the idea we're going to deport grandmothers and grandfathers is a sufficient level of inhumanity," Gingrich said.

More at the link.

And also at Los Angeles Times, "Romney and Gingrich battle for Florida's Latino vote."

Smokin' Luisana Lopilato Valentine's Day Lingerie Photo Shoot for UK's Ultimo

Well, regular Rule 5 readers will be impressed.

At London's Daily Mail, "Michael Bublé's model wife Luisana Lopilato stars in Ultimo's Valentine's day lingerie campaign."

Philippe's 9-Cent Coffee Soon to Be History

I've mentioned it before.

My dad took me to Philippe's when I was a kid. I took PJ Media editor David Swindle there last September.

Now here's the news at Los Angeles Times, "End of an era: Philippe's raising price on 9-cent cup of coffee":

Philippe’s is best known for its legendary French dip sandwiches. But for regulars, nothing speaks to the eatery's historic L.A. feel than the 9-cent coffee on the menu. And the one extra cent of tax.

Since 1977, the legion of longtime customers at the Alameda Street restaurant had grown accustomed to putting a dime on the counter and getting a hot cup of coffee in return.

But on Wednesday, management posted a sign on the door that came as a surprise: Starting Feb. 2, the price of an eight-ounce brew is going up 400% — to 45 cents.

They say the price of coffee is such that the restaurant no longer can keep the price so low.

“It’s been a tradition,” said Mark Massengill, whose family has run the restaurant for four generations. “We’ve always tried to provide a tremendous value in the food and coffee.”

And, he said, coffee will become included in the price of a breakfast and, even after the hike, two quarters for a coffee is still a bargain.

Patrons didn’t balk at the new price. Many said they were surprised it has stayed low for so long. It’s just that not much at Philippe’s has changed over the decades. And when things do, the customers notice.

Demi Moore Hospitalized After Drug-Induced Seizure

At People Magazine, "Inside Story: Demi Moore's Health Crisis."

And at London's Daily Mail, "Did Demi Moore collapse after getting high from inhaling laughing gas?"

An at Radar Online, "Demi Moore Had A Seizure Before Being Hospitalized; Being Treated For Anorexia."

Google Faces Backlash Over Privacy Changes

The report's at the Washington Post.

And see, "How to close your Google Account."

I'm not all that worried about it. I use Google products extensively, so there's a price to pay, it turns out.

See Google's explanation, in any case, "Updating our privacy policies and terms of service."

Obama's Making the Economy Worse

Via Conservative Manifesto:

RELATED: From James Pethokoukis, "Obama suppresses his inner Elizabeth Warren during SOTU speech."

IDF Weapons Instructors

Via Theo Spark:

Who Owns Big Oil?

I'm seeing this ad campaign pretty often, so I checked it out. Here's the homepage, Vote 4 Energy.

Federal Reserve Won't Raise Interest Rates Until 2014: Signals That Full Economic Recovery Still Years Away

Well, so much for all the optimism on the economy.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's not too bullish.

At New York Times, "Fed Signals That a Full Recovery Is Years Away":

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that it was likely to raise interest rates at the end of 2014, but not until then, adding another 18 months to the expected duration of its most basic and longest-running response to the financial crisis.

The announcement means that the Fed does not expect the economy to complete its recovery from the 2008 crisis over the next three years. By holding short-term rates near zero beyond mid-2013, its previous estimate, the Fed hopes to hasten that process somewhat by reducing the cost of borrowing.

The Fed said in a statement that the economy had expanded “moderately” in recent weeks, but that unemployment remained at a high level, the housing sector remained in a deep depression, and the possibility of a new financial crisis in Europe continued to threaten the domestic economy.

The statement, released after a two-day meeting of the Fed’s policy-making committee, said that the Fed intended to keep rates near zero until late 2014.

Continue reading.

The economy is expected to grow at a rate of 2.2 to 2.7 percent for this year, and unemployment is expected to remain at 8.2 percent, down from the current 8.5 percent but not at a level that would indicate robust job growth.

Maybe Republicans can make some political hay out of this. Seriously, the GOP will be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory if they lose.

U.S. Navy SEALs Rescue Hostages in Daring Overnight Raid in Somalia

This is rad.

At New York Times, "U.S. Forces Rescue Two Hostages From Somali Pirates":

KHARTOUM, Sudan — American Navy Seals swooped into Somalia early on Wednesday and rescued two aid workers, an American woman and a Danish man, after a shootout with Somali gunmen who had been holding them captive in a sweltering desert hideout for months.

Under a cloak of darkness, a couple of dozen Seals parachuted in, stormed the hideout, killed nine gunmen and then whisked the aid workers into waiting helicopters, Pentagon officials said. The Seals were from the same elite Navy commando unit — Seal Team Six — that secretly entered Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden in May, senior American officials said, though the rescue mission in Somalia was carried out by a different assault team within the unit.

President Obama was closely tracking the raid on Tuesday night, which was Wednesday morning in Somalia, and as he stepped into the House chamber to deliver his State of the Union address, he looked right at Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta standing in the crowd and said: “Leon, good job tonight, good job.”

The hostages were safe and soon flown to an American military base in neighboring Djibouti. No Seals were hurt during the operation, Pentagon officials said.

Mr. Obama seems to have taken a special interest in this case, presiding over several high-level meetings on it since the two aid workers were kidnapped in October by gunmen whom Somali elders said were part of a well-established pirate gang.

Pirates operate with total impunity in many parts of lawless Somalia, which has languished without a functioning government for more than 20 years. As naval efforts have intensified on the high seas, stymieing hijackings, Somali pirates seem to be increasingly snatching foreigners on land. Just last week, pirates grabbed another American hostage not far from where the Seal raid took place.

American officials said they were moved to strike in this case because they had received “actionable intelligence” that the health of Jessica Buchanan, the American aid worker, was rapidly deteriorating. The gunmen had just refused $1.5 million to let the two hostages go, Somali elders said, and ransom negotiations had ground to a halt.

Somali pirates have held hostages for months, often in punishing conditions with little food, water or shelter, and past ransoms have topped more than $10 million. One British couple sailing around the world on a little sailboat was kidnapped by pirates from this same patch of central Somalia and held in captivity for more than a year.

President Obama said that he had personally authorized the go-ahead for the operation on Monday. “As commander in chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people.”

Also at Telegraph UK, "US special forces team behind Osama bin Laden death rescue aid workers from Somali pirates."

Nancy Pelosi Threatens New Revelations Against Newt Gingrich

Actually, her comments are pretty vague, but considering she was out in December with alleged dirt on Speaker Gingrich from his House ethics investigation, it sure seems like a threat.

At The Blaze, "PELOSI: GINGRICH WILL ‘NEVER’ BE PRESIDENT, ‘THERE IS SOMETHING I KNOW’."

And at London's Daily Mail, "'Newt will never become President, there is something I know': Nancy Pelosi issues cryptic threat about Gingrich."

And see the commentary at Legal Insurrection, "Nancy Pelosi’s evil mind games."

Winning the Future Slams Romney in Huge New Florida Ad Buy

At the Miami Herald, "Pro-Gingrich SuperPac announces $6m FL ad buy tying Mitt Romney to ObamaCare." Also at Washington Post, "Super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich makes $6 million ad buy in Florida."

Romney Tax Returns Stoke Resentment in Florida

At Los Angeles Times, "Romney's tax returns sit uneasily with Florida voters."

Reporting from Tampa and Plant City, Fla.—

Even before Tuesday, Mitt Romney was struggling to connect to average voters, suffering from impromptu remarks — proffering a $10,000 wager in a debate, suggesting $375,000 in speaking fees was small change — that gave off a whiff of privilege.

Then came Romney's release of tax returns showing that in 2010 he claimed $21.6 million in income, with an effective tax rate of less than 14%, far less than many middle-class families pay. He also estimated $20.9 million in income for 2011, with a rate of just over 15%.

Jeanne Johnson, a political independent and owner of the Lake Alfred Barber Shop, said that when she heard the news of Romney's taxes on TV, "I thought I was going to throw up."

"It just ruined my day," said Johnson, 51, a single mother of two who has been cutting hair since she was 20. "Like, get a real job."

Others living in her politically crucial area of Florida, where Republican presidential candidates are rushing raucously toward a Jan. 31 primary, took offense not at the sums but at Romney's resistance to releasing his taxes until he was forced.

"He hid his taxes," said Helen Roise, 70, a tax preparer at H&R Block in Plant City, a central Florida hub that bills itself as the winter strawberry capital of the world. "He didn't want us people to know. That's what bothered me."

Even so, Roise planned to vote for Romney, mainly because she is from Michigan and remembers his father, George, as a good governor.

Also at Christian Science Monitor, "Mitt Romney tax return poses a challenge: how to talk about his wealth," and "Mitt Romney's disastrous week ends with collapse in national polls."

Sarah Palin: Chris Christie's 'Panties in a Wad'

At New York Times, "Palin Has a Few Choice Words for Christie."

Gabrielle Giffords Bittersweet Farewell at State of the Union

She's like an angel of hope.

At Los Angeles Times, "Gabrielle Giffords makes emotional return to House floor." And at Salt Lake Tribune, "Giffords a reality check in chamber of politics":

Washington - In a bittersweet farewell, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords accepted bags of chocolates and a big presidential hug as she claimed her seat one last time in the House of Representatives Tuesday night.

Giffords, who has regained much of her ability to speak and walk after a gunshot wound to the head Jan. 8, 2011, will leave Congress this week to focus on her recovery. But first, she wanted to attend the State of the Union she was forced to miss last year in the uncertain days after the shooting.

Just before President Barack Obama was to speak at 9 p.m. EST, Giffords quietly entered the chamber under her own power and made her way the few steps to a seat that had been reserved for her. Hug No. 1 came from friend Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Giffords’ colleagues stood and gently applauded her.

"Gabby! Gabby!" some of them chanted.

Limping a little, Giffords beamed around the chamber and raised her left hand to wave. Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, approached with two bags of chocolate, which Giffords took, grinning.

She looked to the gallery to wave at her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly. When First Lady Michelle Obama took her seat next to him, she waved, too.

The president himself swooped in with a big bear hug around Giffords’ tiny frame, grinning widely before climbing to the rostrum for the speech.

She has inspired gestures of bipartisanship. Last year in the tender days after the shooting, members of both parties sat together across the chamber, rather than Democrats to the president’s right and Republicans to his left. Many lawmakers did the same this year.

Throughout the speech, Republican Rep. Jeff Flake, sitting at Giffords’ side, repeatedly helped her stand as her fellow Democrats applauded Obama.

Giffords’ presence may be the only element about the event above politics.

Obama used the highest-profile pulpit in the land to reclaim the spotlight from Republicans battling for the right to face him in the general election. He was speaking to a Congress cranky after a year of the most bitter partisan fighting in recent memory and the public’s widespread disapproval.

He’s weaving a narrative about economic fairness and zeroed in on the richest Americans who pay a lower tax rate than those who bring home a regular paycheck. Obama didn’t say it, but Republican hopeful Mitt Romney, a multimillionaire who released his tax return for 2010 and an estimate for 2011, is one of the nation’s wealthiest in this category.

Billionaire Warren Buffett has said it’s unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. Emphasizing the point, Buffett’s secretary, Debbie Bosanek, attended the address in Michelle Obama’s box.

Gabrielle Giffords is a light unto the world of American politics. I hope she's able to return to politics and give the Democrats a lesson in civility when she comes back.

See also: "Obama SOTU Address 'Rejects' Class Warfare in Call for Millionaires to Pay Their Fair Share of Taxes."

Lea Michele 2012 Candies Photo Shoot

She's on Twitter here. 

And at Hollywood Reporter, "'The Glee Project': Lea Michele to Serve as a Guest Mentor."

Men Cope With Rape

At New York Times, "As Victims, Men Struggle for Rape Awareness" (via Instapundit):

Keith Smith was 14 when he was raped by a driver who picked him up after a hockey team meeting. He had hitchhiked home, which is why, for decades, he continued to blame himself for the assault.

When the driver barreled past Hartley’s Pork Pies on the outskirts of Providence, R.I., where Mr. Smith had asked to be dropped off, and then past a firehouse, he knew something was wrong.

“I tried to open the car door, but he had rigged the lock,” said Mr. Smith, of East Windsor, N.J., now 52. Still, he said, “I had no idea it was going to be a sexual assault.”

Even today, years after the disclosure of the still-unfolding child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and the arrest of a former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach accused of sexually abusing boys, rape is widely thought of as a crime against women.

Until just a few weeks ago, when the federal government expanded its definition of rape to include a wider range of sexual assaults, national crime statistics on rape included only assaults against women and girls committed by men under a narrow set of circumstances. Now they will also include male victims.

While most experts agree women are raped far more often than men, 1.4 percent of men in a recent national survey said they had been raped at some point. The study, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that when rape was defined as oral or anal penetration, one in 71 men said they had been raped or had been the target of attempted rape, usually by a man they knew. (The study did not include men in prison.)

And one in 21 said they had been forced to penetrate an acquaintance or a partner, usually a woman; had been the victim of an attempt to force penetration; or had been made to receive oral sex.

Other estimates have run even higher...

Continue reading.

One in 33 men report having been raped. The statistics are probably higher, because men are likely to under-report cases of unwanted sexual contact, for fear of being branded as effeminate and unable to stand up for themselves.

The Scientific Wonders of La Brea Tar Pits

An cool piece, at New York Times, "Preserved in Tar, Relics From Long Before Freeways":

LOS ANGELES — No one expects to stumble across a cache of Picasso’s works in the middle of a desert. So who would think that just off bustling Wilshire Boulevard, tucked between the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the national headquarters of the Screen Actors Guild, lie buried some of the most exquisitely preserved fossils in the world?

The fossils of the La Brea Tar Pits are just that. They were first discovered in Maj. Henry Hancock’s asphalt mine in the 1870s, when Los Angeles was but a village. Since the early 20th century, more than one million bones have been excavated from the pits; when reassembled, they provide an extraordinary time capsule of the creatures that roamed Southern California 10,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Interest in these animals today, however, is more than a matter of prehistoric curiosity. Many of the species found at La Brea disappeared altogether as the planet warmed at the end of the last ice age. The reasons for their demise are not yet fully understood, but may be especially pertinent to understanding the effects of climate change on animal populations today.

The tar pits have so many fossils precisely because of the tar, which one can still see bubbling to the surface in spots throughout Hancock Park. The gooey asphalt that trapped and entombed the animals turns out to be a great preservative. Thousands of perfect skulls and nearly complete skeletons representing more than 200 vertebrate species have been retrieved from the death trap.

Among them are many giant beasts, including mammoths, mastodons and the short-faced bear. (Only its snout was short; the bear stood more than 11 feet tall, much larger than today’s grizzly, polar and brown bears.) There are two species of bison — one of them with seven-foot horns — and some animals not typically associated with North America, including camels that stood taller than modern dromedaries.

Big cats, too, are well represented. Most famous is Smilodon fatalis, better known (but misleadingly so) as the saber-toothed tiger, a powerful predator named for its protruding seven-inch canines. More than 2,000 of them have been extracted from the tar pits.

And there was an even larger predator, the American lion, 25 percent bigger than the modern African lion. Imagine meeting one while jogging in Malibu.

These big animals and their relatively recent demise raise some big questions. How did they get here? What are their relationships to living species? And why did they all go extinct, and so close together in time?

Continue reading. (A bunch of shilling for action on climate change at the link.)

I need to take my little guy here. He loves this stuff, and I'd forgotten about it myself.