Rachel Maddow is Definitely Not an 'Autocutie' a Cutie

She's a lying progressive lesbian dirtbag, at London's Guardian, "Rachel Maddow: 'I'm definitely not an autocutie' (via Memeorandum). (A really crappy piece of pseudo-journalism. See Jammie, "Newsflash: Rachel Maddow 'The Top US News Anchor', MSNBC Has 'No Political Agenda'".)

Gay Marriage Advocates Threaten Rule of Law

This is not new, actually.

I wrote at length about the extreme progressive thuggery in California upon the passage of Proposition 8 in 2008. And Michelle Malkin had outstanding coverage of the legal challenges to the initiative in federal court, for example: "The anti-Prop. 8 mob strikes again." (And breaking, as I write this: "California Judge's Partner Cited in Push to Uphold Same-Sex Marriage Ban.")

So what's interesting today about the latest gay marriage news is how progressive thuggery is once again driving developments in this controversial area of civil rights. The left can't win on the merits, so we get extremist cries of bigotry enforced by intimidation in order to carry the day.

The main story's at New York Times, "Law Firm Won’t Defend Marriage Act."

It turns out that Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding caved to leftist intimidation and withdrew from representation. And in a very interesting development, former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement (pictured) resigned from the firm to protest its craven political correctness. Commentary at Althouse, Legal Insurrection, National Review, and Wall Street Journal.

Clement's letter is here.

And at Weekly Standard, "Gay Rights Group Contacted Law Firm's Clients in Campaign to Intimidate DOMA's Defenders":

King and Spalding's vague reason for dropping the case is that its vetting process was "inadequate," but Republicans are accusing the firm of putting "politics and profit" first. Indeed, the Human Rights Campaign, the country's leading gay rights activist group, took credit for applying the "pressure points" needed to "make it happen."

In addition to its public efforts, the Human Rights Campaign "contacted many of the firm's clients" as part of its campaign against King and Spalding, according to the email sent on behalf of HRC vice president Fred Sainz. The email doesn't provide details about what HRC officials said to King and Spalding's clients, and a spokesman for HRC could not be reached for comment ...

Check the link for the full intimidation e-mail from Human Rights Campaign.

Also, at Power Line, "THE LEFT POLITICIZES THE PRACTICE OF LAW" (via Memeorandum):

When a major law firm like King & Spalding puts politics above its duty of loyalty to its client, it is a sad day for our profession and for our country.

Word.

Video Blogger Rebel Pundit Threatened With 'Negative Repercussions'

At Rebel Pundit, "Citizen Journalist’s Rights THREATENED Over “Imbalanced Protester” Video":

Concerning one of your videos

You have a video of a gentleman at the tea party rally in Chicago this past tax day (Monday). I am requesting that you please remove it from Youtube as well as your website “rebelpundit.com“. If nothing is to be done on your side to remove this material from the internet, actions will be taken to make sure this video is removed and negative repercussions may follow. It is quite evident that you were harassing this man, and there is no evidence of a video/photo release statement. If this video is not taken down in a timely manner, please be aware that you will be contacted again quite soon. If you have any questions or concerns, please send them to my email account: (We have unpublished the email address from this post upon polite request from the author of the letter.).‬

None of this is surprising at all.

Of course I can already hear the refrain from the progressive chorus: "These people don't represent the Democrats or the progressive movement," blah blah ...

Wrong.

This is the progressive movement encapsulated.

P.S. The threatener's e-mail is still available at Big Journalism, "Citizen Journalist Threatened Over Youtube Videos." Rebel Pundit is too kind.

More From Las Vegas!

I took my youngest son to "Shark Reef" at Mandalay Bay. I love that place. And my son's still a few months short of his 10th birthday, so he's still endlessly fascinated by animals and nature. We had a great time. The photos are okay, but what the heck? They're worth sharing.

The jellyfish exhibit:

My kid really liked the Komodo dragon. We got all the way to the end the facility, to the "ship wreck" shark tank, and he wanted to go back up to see the Komodo! And he made sure to justify it, since we somehow missed the python exhibit, which we then noticed was right next to the dragon. Hanging with my kid's a riot:

He liked the piranhas too. Big suckers:

Everybody loves sharks:

But the sawfish was another one of my son's favorites. This shot's blurry because the sawfish swims up over the top of the glass after skimming along the bottom. He surprises you, unlike the sharks, who just kinda hover around:

Walking back out to find my wife, who hit the casino and then the Red, White and Blue restaurant, here's the "beach" at Mandalay Bay, which features a wave pool:

There's a tram that takes you back to the Excalibur Hotel, and then a skywalk leads back over to New York New York, and then MGM Grande. A view of the interesection:

We always have fun, but this was our first time staying at MGM and I'm completely sold. An excellent experience all around. I'll have another update on this later ...

Excavating Pure Evil — Failed New York Actor Carl Salonen Revealed as 'Tintin' at Sadly No!??

Take a few minutes to listen to this PJTV segment. Dr. Helen Smith interviews Barbara Oakley and Amy Alkon. The former has a new book out called Cold-Blooded Kindness: Neuroquirks of a Codependent Killer, or Just Give Me a Shot at Loving You, Dear, and Other Reflections on Helping That Hurts. And she's also the editor of Pathological Altruism, the thesis of which forms the basis for much of the discussion. Also interviewed is Amy Alkon. She's an author and a blogger at The Advice Goddess.

Especially interesting is the discussion, about a third of the way through, of Sadly No!'s attack on Alkon, which included a campaign of fake book reviews at her Amazon book page, as well as earlier allegations that she's a transsexual (Tintin at Sadly No! slurs her as Amy Arnold Alkon). This apparently became quite involved, and included a defacement of Alkon's Wikipedia entry (obviously by the "Sadly Nauts" but denied by Tintin). At the clip, the PJTV techs display a picture from Sadly No!'s post, "The “Lady” Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks." It's interesting that Alkon herself claims to be an independent, and thinks that "both sides do this." But there are key differences, as she notes in a blog post:

These are leftists, all these losers, and while I'm neither left nor right (I'm fiscally conservative and socially libertarian), it's my experience that people on the right will tell me they think I'm an idiot right to my face or openly, on a blog (because I was against the Iraq war, for example), while the left has resorted to denigrating me by trying to hurt my livelihood. And they do it anonymously.

And then, there's the manner in which they do it, by using transsexuality in hopes of derogating me. Who has a harder time in this world than somebody who's born one sex and feels very strongly they're another? They're using this to put me down? Ugly. And they're the left?

Alkon identifies Tintin as a "a 52-year-old unsuccessful actor in New York City named Carl Salonen ..." (And she slams the folks at Sadly No! as a bunch of "sick fuck adult losers.")

Interestingly, notice how Barbara Oakley doesn't hesitate to place these fuckers in the historic pantheon of history's most diabolical killers.

In any case, I'm glad I took the time to watch this clip, because boy was this like a treasure trove of information on the true lies of the progressive left, and especially the progressive thugs at Sadly No!

I'm not done with this. Because some claim that Sadly No! is a European blog --- no doubt to avoid lawsuits --- it's possible that Tintin's entire enterprise is based on lies and deceit. But I need more information. (And maybe I'm slow on the uptake here, but there's no way a Belgian blogger would have that degree of U.S. knowledge and American parochialism, so again, this PJTV clip has been quite a revelation.)

Lady Gaga 'Judas' No Shows in Easter Debut

I've been keeping my eyes open for this, given the major press for the video, with claims about an Easter release. At NME, "Lady Gaga to release 'Judas' video over Easter?" And Gigwise, "Lady Gaga 'Judas' Video to Debut Over Easter." Perhaps not, since no sign yet, and no clue at Gaga's Twitter feed.

Anyway, there's an interesting background report from Steve Pond, "Lady Gaga's Easter Marketing Plan for 'Judas': Tweets, Leaks, Sacrilege." Also, at In This Week, "Lady Gaga is In Love with 'Judas' and the Catholic Church is Pissed: What Would Madonna Do?"

RELATED: At Hollywood Life, "Catholic League On Gaga’s ‘Judas’: ‘If She Had More Talent, We’d Be More Offended’."

Lyrics here.

Road Trip Roundup

We're on the road from Vegas back to the O.C.

Should see regular posting pick up late tonight or in the morning. I have more photos to post. And some stories to tell.

Until then, check Bob Belvedere's, "Rule 5 Saturday." Also, William Teach, "Sorta Blogless Pinup Sunday."

And The Other McCain's 10 year-old son got one hella haircut.

BONUS: Theo Spark's "Bedtime Bunny."

President Reagan's 1983 Easter and Passover Address

Via Marathon Pundit:

British Monarchy Tottering

Says John Burns, at New York Times, "A Royal Wedding, a Tarnished Crown":

For years, polls have been showing support for the monarchy running at levels that have made republicanism more than the marginal phenomenon it has been for most of modern times. While many Britons retain a bulletproof affection for the 85-year-old Elizabeth, their support beyond her seems conditional. This is especially so in the case of Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; they stand first in line to the throne on Elizabeth’s death, but far behind Prince William and Miss Middleton in public preference. A clear majority in the polls favors the younger couple’s jumping past Charles and Camilla and acceding directly to the throne.

RTWT at the link above.

It's no big mystery that if Britons want the monarchy to continue and thrive, William should become king, and right away, not long after the wedding. The couple are perfectly modern, and they can help modernize the institution. Kate's as beautiful as Diana was, and perhaps she might come to be even more popular than Diana in the public's eye. At stake is the Britain the world knows as the preeminent democratic system, with a constitutional monarchy that's the symbol of political continuity. Things just wouldn't be the same should republicanism prevail. Political correctness and multiculturalism have already challenged the basic survival of the British state as it's long been known. Get rid of the monarchy and you can call it a day.

RELATED: At CBS News, "Poll: Brits, Americans think Prince William should be king."

Spring Spheres

Read this essay from Matt Gurney at the National Post, on yet another effort by progressives to destroy the culture. Hint: They're not Easter eggs. They're "spring spheres."

UPDATE: An anonymous leftist commenter slams this as a fake story. So, for the record, here's the other side: "Can KIRO Prove Its "Spring Spheres" Easter Egg Story?"

Naturally progressives would go on the offensive against this, given how much they hate all American holidays, especially Christian holidays. And I'm especially delighted that progressives are coming over here to fact check, anonymously or not. Freakin' progressive asshats.

The End of Family Practice

Or, at least the end of the neighborhood family practitioner who knows everyone's name, some of the same folks he spends time with out on the lake.

This is one more of those reports on the decline of traditional America, at New York Times, "Family Physician Can’t Give Away Solo Practice." It's Dr. Ronald Sroka in Maryland, who's been in practice for 32 years. He was looking to sell the practice, but no buyers. Sheesh, he couldn't give it away:

He tried to sell his once highly profitable practice. No luck. He tried giving it away. No luck.

Dr. Sroka’s fate is emblematic of a transformation in American medicine. He once provided for nearly all of his patients’ medical needs — stitching up the injured, directing care for the hospitalized and keeping vigil for the dying. But doctors like him are increasingly being replaced by teams of rotating doctors and nurses who do not know their patients nearly as well. A centuries-old intimacy between doctor and patient is being lost, and patients who visit the doctor are often kept guessing about who will appear in the white coat.

The share of solo practices among members of the American Academy of Family Physicians fell to 18 percent by 2008 from 44 percent in 1986. And census figures show that in 2007, just 28 percent of doctors described themselves as self-employed, compared with 58 percent in 1970. Many of the provisions of the new health care law are likely to accelerate these trends.

“There’s not going to be any of us left,” Dr. Sroka said.

RTWT at the link. And there's a video as well, at NYT's homepage.

When my wife and I moved to Orange County, in 2000, to get resettled for my new job at LBCC, we ended up looking through a big fat book of doctors who were part of our Blue Cross HMO. We picked a doctor just by the sound of his name, and we've been happy ever since. It's been just like the family doctor we had as kids. The doctor gets to know you. He's friendly and even offers his own personal counseling if necessary. It feels like the old days.

Yet it's been quite different with the pediatricians. Our oldest son was 5 when we moved down here from Fresno, and the first doctor we found --- also looking in the HMO physicians catalog --- was a prick. When my son was referred to a specialist for breathing problems, we ended up going with the new doctor, who had a large practice in Newport Beach, with about a half-a-dozen doctors. We're still visiting that office. Our youngest son is 9 and he's had a couple of different doctors from that medical group, but for a while it was just one women who was a specialist on learning disabilities. She helped us with some attention issues my son was having, and it worked out really well. But it's definitely a crap shoot if you don't have good references. You're picking names out of a book and ending up with these fancy, modern multi-physician practices where you'll be lucking if the doctors remember your kids' names. It's a nightmare, frankly, especially with a baby. So I can relate to this story about Dr. Sroka in Maryland. It's just him at the office. Unless he has some other local doctors to fill in for him on call he's screwed. That's why no one wanted to buy his practice. Here's the quote from NYT:

Indeed, younger doctors — half of whom are now women — are refusing to take over these small practices. They want better lifestyles, shorter work days, and weekends free of the beepers, cellphones and patient emergencies that have long defined doctors’ lives. Weighed down with debt, they want regular paychecks instead of shopkeeper risks. And even if they wanted such practices, banks — attuned to the growing uncertainties — are far less likely to lend the money needed.

That's interesting. It shows again how social changes --- especially affluence and the pursuit of leisure --- have influenced the way coming generations view traditional occupations.

In any case, what can you do I guess?

More later ...

Communists Coming to UCLA!

Once again, these folks must be "imaginary communists" --- or at least check it out with Tintin, the blogging asshat at Sadly No! Maybe he'll set the record straight, or not:

Because we do in fact hate commies, at least real commies, not the imaginary commies that community college Assistant Associate Professor Douglas sees lurking behind every potted plant."

More lurkers will be speaking at UCLA on April 29th. See, "A Dialog Between Cornell West and Carl Dix":

Live From the MGM Grand Las Vegas!

We're on the 18th floor. This is the view from my suite, looking north from the MGM Grand. A blogging room with a view:

A look inside:

Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton out in the foyer, near the elevators:

And the view south from the elevator landing. Excalibur Hotel is kitty corner across the from the MGM. And that's Mandalay Bay at center and Tropicana at left:

Guests gather around the lion exhibit:

Now coming back around under the glass canopy, some close-ups of one of the lions:

The view from the skywalk over to Tropicana Hotel, here's New York New York. That replica Statue of Liberty recently made it onto a U.S. Postal Service stamp by mistake:

Looking from the Tropicana across to the MGM:

David Copperfield is a big draw for the hotel, although my wife is taking me and my oldest son to see KÀ| Cirque du Soleil, which is supposed to the most popular among the many Cirque du Soleil productions in Las Vegas.

I'll have more blogging either very late tonight or in the morning. I'm looking forward to meeting up with The Vegas Guy tomorrow as well.

In any case, I'll be back ...

Henry Farrell, Political Scientist at George Washington University, Calls (Vaguely) for Easter Egg Bombing of Charles Krauthammer

In a blog post at Crooked Timber (at Memeorandum), George Washington University Political Scientist Henry Farrell suggests that columnist Charles Krauthammer celebrate "Charles Krauthammer Day" with exploding Easter Eggs:

And so the year rolls around yet again to Krauthammer Day, the day on which we all celebrate Charles Krauthammer’s confident assertion eight years ago that:

Hans Blix had five months to find weapons. He found nothing. We’ve had five weeks. Come back to me in five months. If we haven’t found any, we will have a credibility problem.

Or nearly all of us celebrate it anyway. Charles Krauthammer himself seems to prefer to mark the occasion with an entirely unrelated Run, Paul Ryan Run! column ... It would be nice to see him (and others) mark the occasion more formally ...

The post continues, in deliberately vague fashion, and notice how Professor Farrell would like it that Charles Krauthammer and "others" be blown to bits in a "Krauthammer Day" celebration featuring Easter egg bombs, and even that might not in fact be "dangerous enough to really mark the occasion properly." A little screencap to remember this occasion.

Added: Linked at Instapundit, "THE “NEW CIVILITY” FACES another grim milestone." Also, Newsbusters links, "Liberal Suggests an 'Exploding Easter Egg Hunt' for Charles Krauthammer."

Inside Job: More Than Half of Democrats Believed George W. Bush Was Complicit in September 11 Attacks

It's the mother of all conspiracy theories. As Ben Smith reports, in 2006 a majority of Democrats believed President Bush had a hand in the September 11th attacks, "More than half of Democrats believed Bush knew" (via Memeorandum).

Pure evil. There's no other word for it.

But Democrats are evil, so no surprise there (or at least the Obama-Pelosi-Reid Democrats are evil, and their base, folks who are working their hardest to destroy America).

$5.00 a Gallon Gas Prices

Here's the photo from last night, after getting gas at the California-Nevada state line. That's a first for me: $5.00 a gallon fuel prices. So I can tell you, it's not the "prospect" of $5.00 gas prices the president will face. He should be facing them right now, freakin' presidential asshat.

At USA Today, "Obama: We will end 'manipulation' of gas prices" (via Memeorandum):

Faced with the prospect of $5-a-gallon gas this summer, President Obama said today his Justice Department is creating a team to "root out any cases of fraud or manipulation in the oil markets that might affect gas prices."

"That includes the role of traders and speculators," Obama said at a town hall-style meeting in Reno, Nev. "We are going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of American consumers for their own short-term gain."

"This gas issue is serious," Obama said, adding that the best solution is developing alternative energy sources.

Yeah, better hurry up with that. The White House itself is doing its best to deplete existing reserves. See Paul Bedard, "Earth Day Ends Obama's 53,300 Gallon Trip" (via Mememorandum and Doug Powers).

Earth Day Founder Murdered and Composted Helen 'Holly' Maddux

Because of all the tea party action last weekend, I missed the chance to cover CSU Fullerton's 7th Annual Social Justice Summit. The keynote speaker was Captain Paul Watson, who is extolled in a quote at the announcement as "the world's most aggressive, most determined, most active and most effective defender of wildlife." What's not indicated to students attending is that Captain Watson's also known as one of the world's most notorious eco-terrorists. See, "The Greens' Favorite Terrorist." It's an affront to decency and the public trust that a violent activist like this was given a platform at the state-sponsored university to spit hate and vitriol against the system with calls for anti-capitalist revolution.

But no one should be surprised. It's all part of the left's Big Lie of progressive goodness, compassion, and benevolence.

The truth is, people like this are murderers and tyrants.

Case in point today is the surprising story at MSNBC on Ira Einhorn, said to be a co-founder of Earth Day, which is today, and who also murdered his girlfriend and kept her remains in a box in his apartment for 18 months. Facing trial for murder, Einhorn jumped bail and fled to Europe. As MSNBC reports:

After 23 years, he was finally extradited to the United States from France and put on trial. Taking the stand in his own defense, Einhorn claimed that his ex-girlfriend had been killed by CIA agents who framed him for the crime because he knew too much about the agency's paranormal military research. He was convicted of murdering Maddux and is currently serving a life sentence.

Unsurprisingly, no one is writing about this currently at Memeorandum. Doesn't fit the narrrative.

Five Guys Takes On In-N-Out

LAT had a write-up a couple of weeks ago: "Will Five Guys Overtake In-N-Out?"

It's a great restaurant. A couple of weeks ago I ate at Five Guys with my wife and the boys. And yesterday on the way to Las Vegas we stopped in Corona, where a brand-new Five Guys just opened off the I-15:

The place was packed. You can help yourself to some peanuts (on the counter) while you're waiting:

I had the single-patty cheeseburger "all the way" (with everything), which includes lettuce, mushrooms, onions, pickles, and tomatoes.

The food's more like home-made compared to In-and-Out, and so far the quality has been excellent. The french-fries are cooked in peanut oil, which gives them a different look and flavor. I could eat Five Guys regularly. The only problem is the price. A small, single-patty cheeseburger, small fries and a coke runs almost $9.50. That's about $4 more than In-and-Out. Both are good, but the restaurants are pretty different actually. Five Guys has no drive-through service, which is a disadvantage IMHO. And while Five Guys is delicious, In-and-Out remains the industry standard for service, speed, and quality. And unlike Five Guys, In-and-Out doesn't come on like it's got a lot to prove (restaurant reviews aren't splattered across the walls at In-and-Out). The rivalry could become a Coke-Pepsi, Hertz-Avis kind of thing. And it all might boil down to location. And personal preference, too, which for a lot of people will mean affordability.

Check it out, by all means!

I'll have some blogging from Vegas later.

Bright Light City Gonna Set My Soul ... Gonna Set My Soul On Fire...

I'm on the way to Las Vegas.

I'll be blogging from the strip at the MGM Grand. Check back late tonight or in the morning for more of the great stuff!

Until then ...

Marxism in the Classroom

At Washington Times, "NYC school teacher: Here's how you promote socialism in the classroom":

I'll have more on this later. Progressive asshats keep claiming there are few (if any) "real" communists in America, but they're actually coming out of the woodworks like a mass infestation. Must be "imaginary" communists, messin' with my head. Freakin' cobags.