6 Ideas for the Ash Heap of History

From Tyler Cowen, at the new special issue of Foreign Policy, "100 Top Global Thinkers 2011":

4. The eurozone is for pretty much everyone in Europe. By now, it should be obvious that a 17-nation eurozone was a bad idea. The only questions left are how many countries do not belong and how painful will it be to push out those that shouldn't be there. Whether or not you think the current patchwork bailouts will work (probably not, see No. 5 below), just what, precisely, are those bailouts fighting to defend? No one knows anymore. The peripheral countries, like Greece and Portugal, used to think that if they suffered through a bit of deflation from eurozone membership, they still could benefit from the lower borrowing rates enjoyed by stronger economies like Germany. Now they're getting the deflationary pressures, stronger than ever before, but without the low borrowing rates. So what's in it for them to remain? What's in it for Germany and Finland and the Netherlands? It's hard to see.

Police Clear Occupy Los Angeles

At San Francisco Chronicle, "Nearly 300 arrested in raid on Occupy Los Angeles," and KCAL 9 Los Angeles, "292 Protesters Arrested, ‘Occupy LA’ Ends Peacefully."

Maybe not so peaceful, actually. See Los Angeles Times, "LAPD too violent, some Occupy L.A. protesters allege."

Also, "Occupy LA: LAPD clears nation’s largest remaining Occupy camp."

Keystone State Remains Vital to Obama

I think he'll lose it.

At Washington Post, "Pennsylvania becomes major battleground for Obama in 2012":

Every Democratic nominee in the past two decades has won Pennsylvania — and Obama did so by a comfortable margin in 2008 — but the state has grown less hospitable to Obama in the past three years. Republicans swept the 2010 midterms, winning the governor’s seat, a Senate seat and five congressional districts, including the 11th District, where Obama will appear on Wednesday.

Yet unlike other similarly challenging states — Ohio and Florida — where Democrats think they can lose and still win overall, Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral college votes are still key to almost any path to 270 electoral college votes. “It’s hard to figure out a scenario for a Democrat to win the presidency without carrying Pennsylvania,” former Democratic governor Ed Rendell, a prominent Obama supporter, said. “It’s not impossible, but it’s very, very hard.”

Unemployment was 8.1 percent in October, and higher in some parts of the state, like Scranton, with a 9.7 percent jobless rate. The state's gonna need a jobs miracle for Obama to have a prayer. See New York Times, "Obama Is Facing a Replay of ’08 Hurdles in ‘Hillary Country,’ Pa."

American Airlines Bankruptcy

At Chicago Tribune, "American Airlines files for bankruptcy":

And at Washington Post, "American Airlines travelers: Some see great service, some see cattle cars."

I almost always fly American. I haven't had a problem.

Kids at Occupy L.A. Sparked Eviction Order

At LAT, "Villaraigosa: Children living at Occupy L.A. sparked eviction order":

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he decided it was time to evict Occupy L.A. protesters from the City Hall lawn after learning that there were children staying there.

Given the smattering of assaults and other incidents reported at the camp, “the chaos out there could produce something awful,” he said in an interview with The Times.

The mayor, a former union organizer and president of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck jointly made the decision to allow overnight camping on the lawn in hopes of charting a “different path” with protesters. That was, he said, in part because he respects many of their views.

More at the link.

Amazing that someone thought it inappropriate for kids to be at the camp. I mean, teachers felt perfectly fine having students tour the site with marijuana wafting through the air. No big deal, right? It's all live and let live for the progs, you know.

Iranian Students Storm British Embassy in Tehran

The Lede followed the story all day, with lots of video, "Storming of British Embassy in Tehran Broadcast Live on State Television." Also at New York Times, "Protesters Storm British Embassy in Tehran."

And Telegraph UK reports on the obvious and troubling comparison to the United States, "Iran: British embassy attack brings to mind US siege":

Iranians stormed two British Embassy compounds in Tehran, bringing to mind the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran by Iranian students on Nov 4 1979.

Here are details of that siege.

* Students helped spearhead the overthrow of the US-backed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in the 1979 Islamic revolution. The Shah, who was already gravely ill, sought refuge overseas.

* Exiled cleric Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran in triumph to seal victory for a revolution whose mantra was "Death to America".

* Student activists in co-ordination with radical clerics stormed the U.S. embassy, taking 90 hostages. Fifty-two were held captive for 444 days with the students demanding the extradition of the deposed Shah from the United States.

* The siege prompted then U.S. President Jimmy Carter to freeze Iranian assets and sever all diplomatic ties with Tehran.

* On April 25, 1980, a US commando mission to rescue the hostages was abandoned in the desert with the loss of eight American lives when a helicopter collided with a tanker aircraft, politically damaging President Carter.

More at the link.

Also, "British relations with Iran sink to lowest in decades as Tehran embassies are stormed."

Victoria's Secret Angels, 'Moves Like Jagger' — And Don't Forget, Fashion Show Tonight!

The wait is over!

Tonight on CBS.

Booming Cyber Monday!

At USA Today, "Buyers click away as Cyber Monday sales jump 18%."

The shopping season's biggest online holiday was more popular than ever yesterday as consumers rushed to the Web for exclusive Cyber Monday deals.

Online traffic was up 43% from last year, says content delivery network Akamai, and online sales were up 18% over Cyber Monday 2010 as of 9 p.m. ET, says IBM Smarter Commerce, a Web performance analytics firm for 500 of the largest retail websites.

Matt Shay, CEO of the National Retail Federation, says sales on Cyber Monday and over the long weekend show retail is "providing a needed shot in the arm to our nascent recovery."

RELATED: At New York Times, "A Shopping Day Invented for the Web Comes of Age."

The Rolling Stones at 50

At LAT, "The Rolling Stones' Ageless Rock":

Chief Charlie Beck: Time On LAPD's Side at Occupy L.A.

At Los Angeles Times, "In clearing Occupy site, time is on LAPD's side, chief says":

After a flurry of eviction threats, street protests and court maneuvering, Occupy L.A. remained standing on the City Hall lawn Monday evening — prompting debate about the caution displayed by city leaders seeking to avoid violent clashes seen in other cities.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Monday he remains committed to the restrained approach, noting that the encampment has shrunk by about 150 tents in recent days and that police have so far managed to avoid aggressive confrontations with protesters.

Officers will clear the camp when they can "do it effectively and efficiently and with minimal force," he said. Time is on the department's side, Beck added.

Matador Juan José Padilla Vows Return to Bullring

See London's Daily Mail, "Some people never learn: Blinded and battered bullfighter vows to return to ring in first public appearance since horrific goring."

Michelle Malkin: Thanksgiving White House Visitor Log Document Dump

And Rachel Maddow's visited the White House five times?

Geez, all the MSNBC neo-commie "lean forward" crap pays off.

Rick Neuheisel Fired as UCLA Football Coach

I posted on this earlier. This time there's no question mark.

At LAT, "UCLA to close book on Rick Neuheisel era, after one last chapter":

UCLA's Rick Neuheisel Era, ushered in with great fanfare four years ago, will end Friday night, adding another twist to an already unusual Pac-12 Conference football championship game.

Neuheisel was fired Monday morning, but he will be allowed to coach in the title game. If the Bruins beat eight-ranked Oregon in Eugene, they are off to the Rose Bowl — without their coach of the last four seasons.

"We're certainly going to be playing for him," UCLA linebacker Sean Westgate said.

Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson will be the interim coach after Friday.

More at the link.

The Myth of Income Inequalty

From Jim Pethokoukis, at The American, "Income inequality myths: No, the rich didn’t steal all the money."

And at Doug Ross, "More media myths shattered: #OWS 'income inequality' scam exposed."

PREVIOUSLY: "Occupy is 99 Percent Lies," and "Record-High Levels of Inequality?"

Camp of the Saints Gets 1 Million Hits!

Congratulations to Bob Belvedere!

See: "Crossing The Threshold: One Million Hits."

And this calls for a little celebration. I recently passed 3 million hits myself and haven't had a chance to raise a toast to the occasion. Kelly Brook and friends are here to help:

I'm getting about a million hits a year, and that's with the help of Robert Stacy McCain: "Blogger Gets 2 Million Hits Because of His Insightful Commentary and Lucy Pinder’s Enormous Breasts, But Mainly..."

And a huge thanks to Glenn Reynolds as well. Those Instalanches really do the trick!

Regime Change Syria

From Max Boot, at Weekly Standard, "Assad Must Go":

The West could just sit back and watch this slow-motion catastrophe unfold. But doing so runs the risk of deepening fissures, in particular between Alawites (a Shiite offshoot) and the majority Sunnis, that could take decades to heal. We also run the risk that regional players will become more deeply embroiled in backing competing sides in what is fast becoming a Syrian civil war. If parts of Syria slip outside anyone’s control (as occurred in Iraq from 2003 to 2007), they could become havens for Sunni extremists such as al Qaeda.

On the other hand, if Assad goes, it will be a historic opportunity for a strategic realignment that takes Syria out of the Iranian camp and denies Hezbollah its main source of supply. It is almost certain that any Sunni regime that succeeds Assad will not be as close to Tehran as he has been. And, if we help bring about Assad’s downfall, we will have leverage with his successors that we would otherwise lack.

In some ways the current moment recalls the Balkans of the early 1990s—another situation where the West (and in particular the United States) tried to ignore a human-rights catastrophe but eventually intervened. That intervention stopped the killing and produced a delicate but durable peace accord. Might outside intervention be equally successful in Syria? It very well could be, which is why, despite the understandable reluctance in Washington to mount another Libya-style operation, it is time to start thinking seriously about what can be done to hasten Assad’s downfall. Obama has done a good job so far of isolating and sanctioning Syria, but more action is necessary.

In Fog of War, Rift Widens Between U.S. and Pakistan

At New York Times":

WASHINGTON — The NATO air attack that killed at least two dozen Pakistani soldiers over the weekend reflected a fundamental truth about American-Pakistani relations when it comes to securing the unruly border with Afghanistan: the tactics of war can easily undercut the broader strategy that leaders of both countries say they share.

The murky details complicated matters even more, with Pakistani officials saying the attack on two Pakistani border posts was unprovoked and Afghan officials asserting that Afghan and American commandos called in airstrikes after coming under fire from Pakistani territory. NATO has promised an investigation.

The reaction inside Pakistan nonetheless followed a now-familiar pattern of anger and tit-for-tat retaliation. So did the American response of regret laced with frustration and suspicion. Each side’s actions reflected a deepening distrust that gets harder to repair with each clash.

The question now, as one senior American official put it on Sunday, is “what kind of resilience is left” in a relationship that has sunk to new lows time after time this year — with the arrest in January of a C.I.A. officer, Raymond Davis, the killing of Osama bin Laden in May and the deaths of so many Pakistani soldiers.

Sarah Palin: A Personal Thanksgiving Reflection

At IBD (via Glenn Reynolds).

Herman Cain Accused of Having 13-year Affair

At Pundette's, "Oh dear. A new allegation against Herman Cain." And Legal Insurrection, "Obligatory Cain Affair Allegations."

Also, the accuser's video at Los Angeles Times, "Herman Cain accuser Ginger White: 'I'm not proud' of alleged affair." More at Memorandum.

Tim Tebow Powers Broncos to 16-13 OT Win Over Chargers: Hardest Hit — TBogg, Racist Anti-Christian Bigot at Firedoglake

I rarely check out racist TBogg's progressive stinkhole, but the mofo's ramping up the bigoted bashing on Christians, not to mention racist attacks on black conservatives.

Turns out Tim Tebow, the Broncos' evangelical quarterback, is working miracles at the starting spot, as noted by Bill Dwyre, at Los Angeles Times, "Broncos have a prayer with Tim Tebow":

From San Diego -- The premise that a higher being doesn't really care about football games continued to be challenged Sunday.

Tim Tebow won another one. He led the Denver Broncos to a tie in regulation and a win in overtime. We aren't sure whether he is magical or mystical. We don't know when, or if, he will start multiplying loaves and fishes. Right now, we just know he wins.

This time, at the end of five quarters of National Football League action — well, that's too strong a word, but more on that later — it was the San Diego Chargers who had to genuflect before him.

These days, when Tebow takes a knee, it isn't a football term.

After the 16-13 win, completed when Tebow led his team from its 43-yard line with 2 minutes 31 seconds left in overtime, to the San Diego 19, from where kicker Matt Prater could end the game from 37 yards, Tebowmania was even more alive and well. Picture a snowball rolling downhill.

There is an aura of the surreal to this. Is he real or is he Memorex?

Tebow has won five of his six starts, and the Broncos are now 6-5. Sunday's success meant that Tebow has led Denver on scoring drives in either the fourth quarter or overtime 11 times in the Broncos' last seven games. The most frightening sight for NFL opponents now is Tebow with the ball, the score in reach and the clock ticking down.

Also, from Kate Shellnutt, at Houston Chronicle, "Tebow popularity fueled by football fanatics, evangelical faithful."

Yeah, that evangelicalism bugs the shit out of progressive dirtbag racist Tom Boggioni of Jane Hamsher's communist Firedoglake. See: "There Will Be Teblood – The Chargering":

Now that Kyle Orton has been cast from DenverEden, God will be particularly protective of Timmy because, Notre Dame or no Notre Dame, nobody wants to see Brady Quinn placing his hands near another man’s manparts. Not even Touchdown Jesus.

Oh, hilarious, right? Well not as "funny" as racist TBogg's racist black sexual stereotype slam on Herman Cain as a "jungle boogie black stud" who has "Sexed Up Every Woman In America Including Your Mom." Racist TBogg spices up the post with some white go-go boot betties looking to go down on a big bad black Cadillac-drivin' Shaft-style mofo. And of course the URL there is "Herman Cain's Business Card."

And remember, TBogg was the first to blame Sarah Palin for Gabrielle Giffords' shooting last January: "Fuck it, I'm going there."

Progressive racists and anti-Christian bigots. All too ready to smear the tea parties as racist gun-totin' rednecks, when folks like racist TBogg are the most vile scum this side of the Ku Klux Klan.

UPDATE: Linked at Instapundit! Thanks!

Cowboys Cheerleader Melissa Kellerman Twitter Controversy

There's an NFL video here, in case this YouTube gets pulled: "Cowboys cheerleader knocked over by Witten forced off Twitter."

And full details at The Blaze, "TACKLED DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADER FORCED OFF TWITTER?"

Great News! David Frum Threatens to Bolt the GOP!

God, good riddance to that guy! He's bailing the party if Mitt or Huntsman don't get the nomination. Hunstman? What's up with that anyway? And Newt's too conservative for Frum? Newt "Dede Scozzafava" Gingrich? Talk about a puerile punditry. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, loser.

See Legal Insurrection, "Jump, David, Jump."

And check out Victor Davis Hanson for the palette cleanser:

Attack Ads Take Aim at Obama

At New York Times, "TV Attack Ads Aim at Obama Early and Often."

Kelly Brook Holiday Weekend Rule 5

I'm off my Rule 5 game!

But I'll tell you, if anyone can get me back on track it's Kelly Brook! (Click image for awesome enlargement!)

See London's Daily Mail, "Beauty and the beast! Kelly Brook caught in bed with Leigh Francis... but don't worry, it's just for the cameras." (And make sure you click that link because Brook snapped a shot of herself with just her lovely hair providing cover.)

And now, over to American Perspective, "Catch a swimsuit model in a net - Rule 5." And Maggie's Notebook, "Bill Maher Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Maher on The View – Women, Football and Egypt."

And you'll get Lucy Pinder ads at Lonely Conservative, "How Does the Left Indoctrinate Our Children?"

Plus, your weekend football hotties are at Randy's Roundtable, "Winners And Losers," and "Thursday Nite Tart: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders." And at Proof Positive, a lovely hottie featured at "Bye Week for 9-2 Niners..."

Eye of Polyphemus can't go wrong with "Mila Kunis." And Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World's got a lovely "Friday Pinup."

Speaking of pinups, don't miss Pirates's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup." Plus Gator Doug with "DaleyGator DaleyBabe Vanessa Mae." And a nice rear view at Guns and Bikinis.

Last but not least is Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 Saturday: Juliana Paes."

BONUS LINKS: Blazing Cat Fur and Zilla of the Resistance.

Drop me a link in the comments to have your Rule 5 entry added.

Rick Neuheisel to Be Fired After Playoffs?

I had on the Stanford/Notre Dame game and tuned into USC/UCLA for the second half. At 50-0, perhaps folks should be hammering the Trojans for running up the score. Either way, USC will get another boost in the rankings and will no doubt contend for the national championship next season.

But see Los Angeles Times, "Rick Neuheisel expected to be fired after playoff game."

New Hampshire Union Leader Endorses Newt Gingrich for President

See, "For President, Newt Gingrich":

This newspaper endorses Newt Gingrich in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary.

America is at a crucial crossroads. It is not going to be enough to merely replace Barack Obama next year. We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing.

He did so with the Contract with America. He did it in bringing in the first Republican House in 40 years and by forging balanced budgets and even a surplus despite the political challenge of dealing with a Democratic President. A lot of candidates say they're going to improve Washington. Newt Gingrich has actually done that, and in this race he offers the best shot of doing it again.

Continue reading.

We're gonna have a RINO as the GOP nominee. We know all about Newt's accomplishments. And he is the smartest candidate in the race. I'm still going to have a hard time pulling the lever if he's the nominee next November. Yeah, anybody but Obama, I guess. But Gingrich is the quintessential establishment insider. He threw the tea party under the bus. His personal skills are this side of the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. I'd prefer Mitt Romney, and again he's not anywhere near my ideal candidate. Sarah Palin backers are pushing a "reconsider" ad in Iowa next week, so die-hards can still dream, in any case.

Via Memorandum and Doug Powers (at Michelle's).

James Joyner's Wife Has Died

I met James at CPAC 2011, but I know him best from our conversations on Twitter. He's a mellow operator with an exceptionally even temperament. I think we'd all be grateful to have such qualities in very difficult times like these. James' wife leaves behind two beautiful young daughters. Please join me in a prayer for James Joyner and his family.

See: "Kimberly Webb Joyner, 1970 to 2011."

Occupy is 99 Percent Lies

At IBD, "An Occupy Movement Based On 99% Lies":

As cities rousted Occupiers, liberals claimed the movement has already succeeded by calling attention to income inequality. But all it's really done is give the left an excuse to recycle bogus class-warfare claims.

Soon after Mayor Bloomberg cleared the Occupiers out of New York's Zuccotti Park, Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein reassured his fellow liberals. "The movement has already scored some big wins," he wrote, because it has "changed the national conversation." The evidence? The press has written lots of stories about income inequality lately.

Of course, counting news stories proves nothing. The liberal media love the Occupy crowd and what it stands for, and so it generously flooded the zone with adoring coverage, while carefully covering up the movement's violence, depravity and anti-American radicalism.

But then again, almost nothing that's been written or said about the Occupy movement and its main issue has been true.

Continue reading.

Man Dies After Black Friday Shopping at South Charleston Target

See London's Daily Mail, "Not a single Good Samaritan: Frenzied bargain hunters unfazed as they step around and even OVER collapsed man at Target who later died."

Occupy L.A. to Resist Eviction

At Los Angeles Times, "Leading activists hope most people will stay and practice nonviolent resistance; getting arrested is a clear goal for some in the camp. The opposite is the case for others."

Bunch of losers.

Arrest them. Try them. Convict them. Jail them.

Sharia Revolution in Egypt

At Atlas Shrugs, "SHARIA REVOLUTION: JOURNALISTS RAPED BY 'FREEDOM PROTESTERS' IN EGYPT."

Occupy Cincinnati Disrupts Black Friday Shopping at Macy's

This is going on all around the country. Here's Occupy Cincinnati's hompage.

Also at HotAir Pundit, "Occupy San Diego Enter Walmart on Black Friday (Video)," and Occupy Dallas splattered blood to protest animal fur products, "Downtown Neimans Now a Little Less Festive After Protestors Throw Fake Blood on Windows."

Video Infographs: The Greek Crisis

Via Blazing Cat Fur:

Los Vazquez Sounds

The conservative blogosphere is erupting over this video, featuring singer Angie, 10, of Los Vazquez Sounds. Via The Other McCain, "Incredible 10-Year-Old Mexican Singer Rocks the World With Music Video," and "Vasquez Sounds: El Talento Musical de Mexicali Lanzó a la Fama por el Video."

Also at Pop Crush, "WATCH 10-YEAR-OLD ANGIE VAZQUEZ COVER ADELE’S ‘ROLLING IN THE DEEP’."

German Police Clash With Protesters as Nuclear Waste Shipment Heads North

A report at Washington Post.

Former Righthaven Defendant Brian Hill Slams Copyright Troll in New Video

My attorney David Kerr represented defendant Brian Hill.

See: "Brian Hill explains how Righthaven LLC works and how they operate as a proxy to avoid liability."

PREVIOUSLY: "Beating Righthaven," and "Poor Babies! Righthaven Whines About 'Scorched-Earth, Anti-Righthaven Litigation Tactics'."

Schools Use Marijuana-Filled Occupy L.A. as Civics Lesson for Students

Great lesson in the Cannabis camp-out.

They might have better used the tea parties to educated students. Kids have little knowledge of the nation's founding, and there's a genuine historical tie between the tea party and American government. The radical left-wing anti-capitalist Jew-hating fests? Not so much. Or, well, not unless you're a communist organizer.

At Los Angeles Times, "Occupy L.A. offers a hands-on civics lesson for students, teachers":

Who says history has to be about dead men and a dreary assortment of dates and names?

For countless students and teachers, the Occupy L.A. encampment at City Hall has become a living classroom, a place to put a contemporary twist on topics such as the causes of the Great Depression and the limits of the 1st Amendment.

On a recent afternoon, students from at least three schools joined the colorful milieu of protesters — playing ball, posing with pet roosters and sounding off about corporate greed — to interview them about their aims.

Cleveland High School student Ryan Janowski, for instance, asked hard questions about whether the movement's leaderless structure would impede its progress.

Classmate Christopher Berry sniffed the aroma of marijuana and wondered whether a few "dignified leaders" might help protesters gain wider public acceptance.

The students are part of Cleveland's humanities magnet program, which is exploring class differences in America and comparing the Occupy movement with 19th century transcendentalism.

"It fits in with everything we're doing," said Rebecca Williams, an English literature teacher at the Reseda school. "It's a real-life movement — history in the making."

Right.

It all fits in. It's a real-life tune-in, turn-on, and burn-out movement. Freakin' commie loser dirtbags. I wouldn't send mine on the field trip. I'd take 'em myself and show them why America's schools are failing kids.

British Foreign Office Warns of Euro Rioting Upon Collapse of Single Currency

No doubt.

A Euro collapse is going to make the rioting of recent years look like a vacation.

At Telegraph UK, "Prepare for riots in euro collapse, Foreign Office warns":

British embassies in the eurozone have been told to draw up plans to help British expats through the collapse of the single currency, amid new fears for Italy and Spain.

As the Italian government struggled to borrow and Spain considered seeking an international bail-out, British ministers privately warned that the break-up of the euro, once almost unthinkable, is now increasingly plausible.

Diplomats are preparing to help Britons abroad through a banking collapse and even riots arising from the debt crisis.

The Treasury confirmed earlier this month that contingency planning for a collapse is now under way.

A senior minister has now revealed the extent of the Government’s concern, saying that Britain is now planning on the basis that a euro collapse is now just a matter of time.

“It’s in our interests that they keep playing for time because that gives us more time to prepare,” the minister told the Daily Telegraph.

Black Friday Sales Surge 7 Percent Over 2010

At San Francisco Chronicle, "Black Friday sales up 7 pct; retailers look ahead." And USA Today, "Black Friday sales up 7% over 2010."

'Tolerant' Progressives Ramp Up Death Threats Against Conservatives

At Zilla of the Resistance, "New Death Threats from Islamic Supremacists and their Islamoblow Enablers Show How Much They CAIR."

And following the links there to Atlas Shrugs, "SUPPORT PAMELA GELLER, GET DEATH THREATS," and Teresamerica, "An Islamofascist Threatened Me - I Continue To Support Pamela Geller in the Face of Threats."

I wouldn't be surprised if these freaks are tied to Walter James Casper III's band of neo-fascist progressive totalitarians. RACIST REPSAC3 put the hit out on Pamela last summer, in a blog post calling to "Investigate Pamela Geller!" And now RACIST REPSAC's holiday comment threads are making sexualized references to my wife. As noted previously, this is why I don't publish my wife's information, since these fuckers would hunt her down. They would rape her given the chance. I don't doubt it for a minute. Zilla calls out Walter James Casper:

Update: Last month I posted in support of my friend Donald Douglas who runs the American Power blog, who has, for years, been under relentless attack by hateful leftists who have even gone so far as to try to get him fired from his job - simply because they disagree with his political opinions. Donald has a new post up today describing the fact that the blog dedicated in its entirety to attacking him, could not even leave him alone on Thanksgiving Day. The comments section there includes some snide remarks about his marriage. How very sad that some people apparently have nothing better to do, on a day dedicated to reflecting on all of the things for which one should be thankful, than to pick at a man over every single thing he ever writes on his blog, and then bitch about it when that man discusses the relentless attacks. But then again, Thanksgiving is an American holiday, and gratitude is something expressed by people who actually have functioning souls, so I suppose this should not be surprising.

Let's set the record straight: RACIST REPSAC3 is a stalking hate blogger. RACIST REPSAC3 is lying. No one "attacked" him. I don't even link him. He stalks my blog like a troll. And the coward blows a fuse when his hatred and harassment are called out. The fascisitic vampire is kicked to the curb by my high standard of moral right. It's like a crucifix to evil. Recall the context to Zilla's update: I mentioned why I don't publish my wife's name at the blog. I indicated that Walter James Casper III and his horde of fascistic henchmen would threaten her, given the chance. These are the same people who published my workplace information, launched campaigns of workplace intimidation, alleged that I was a child pedophile --- the allegations going all the way to the California Attorney General's Office --- harassed me personally at my blog and by email, and now they're making sexualized references about my wife. Obviously, nothing good would come of them getting a hold of my wife's phone number (which they indicated they'd like to do) or her work information. They'd kill her if they could. That's what I believe, given the unreal campaign of hate and intimidation that's been sponsored already by RACIST REPSAC WALTER JAMES CASPER III and his fascistic band of progressive totalitarians.

NASA Launches New Mars Rover

At Wired, "NASA’s New Mars Rover Launches Successfully":

Occupy Toronto Library Dismantled — Hopes for Progressive Utopia Come Crashing Down

Hey, can we get a "goodbye cruel world" over there?

Via Blazing Cat Fur:

Also at The Other McCain, "Hippie Weeps for #OccupyToronto: ‘We Just Want to Try and Build a New World’," and The Daley Gator, "Leftism summed up in 30 seconds or less."

Also brutalized by the inhumanity: Racist Repsac Walter James Casper III.

Airstrike Over Pakistan Inflames Regional Tensions

At Washington Post, "Dozens of Pakistani troops die in NATO attack," and New York Times, "NATO Strikes Kill Pakistani Forces, Raising Tensions."

And at Fox News, "Pakistan Tells U.S. to 'Vacate' Air Base as Border Strike Inflames Tensions."

Norway School Segregates Students by Race and Ethnicity, Sparking Outrage Over 'Apartheid'

Oops!

A little problem with that multicultural diversity thing, eh?

At London's Daily Mail, "Apartheid row at Oslo school as teachers segregate ethnic students so white children don't feel 'in a minority'." And Telegraph UK, "Apartheid row at Norwegian school after it segregates ethnic pupils":

Bjerke Upper Secondary School in Oslo filled one of the three general studies sets solely with pupils with immigrant parents, after many white Norwegians from last year's intake changed schools.

The controversy over the decision has highlighted the unease in Norway over how to integrate the 420,000 "non-Nordic" citizens who immigrated between 1990 and 2009, and who make up 28 per cent of Oslo's population.

"This is the first time I've heard about this, and it is totally unacceptable," Torge Ødegaard, Oslo education commissioner, said on Friday, before pressuring the school to inform parents that the three classes would now be reorganised. The letter to parents read: "Such a division of the students is not in accordance with the requirements of the Education Act. The school regrets this error."

But Robert Wright, a Christian Democrat politician and former head of the city's schools board, struck back, arguing that the authorities had been wrong to block the move. He also said that other Oslo schools should start to segregate classes to prevent a situation of "white flight" developing.

"I think we have to try this to see how it's functioning," he told The Daily Telegraph. "Bjerke School has come up with a radical solution to a real problem, but the politicians have just said 'no'."

Islamists Claim Victory in Morocco

And what's all this about a "moderate" Islamist party?

Morocco's Party for Justice and Development is a Muslim Brotherhood front-group.

But you wouldn't know it at New York Times, "Moderate Islamist Party Winning Morocco Election":

RABAT, Morocco — A moderate Islamist party appeared Saturday to have won the first election under Morocco’s new Constitution, according to partial election returns announced by the government.

The Justice and Development Party won a plurality of the vote, requiring the king to choose a prime minister from the party and giving it the right to lead a coalition government.

The new Constitution, drafted by King Mohammed VI in response to pro-democracy protests last spring, still reserves important powers for the king, including over military and religious matters, and remains a far cry from the constitutional monarchy demanded by the protesters. But the government will be Morocco’s first popularly elected one, with the power to appoint ministers and dissolve Parliament.

The vote on Friday also made Morocco the second North African country after the Arab Spring to choose a moderate Islamist government. Tunisians gave a plurality to a similarly inclined party last month.

Right. What a scam.

See Pamela, "'MODERATE' MOROCCO GOES ISLAMIC: ELECTION WIN FOR SHARIA PARTY."

Only Days Away: Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2011

Did you forget?

Well, here's a refresher: "Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra Retrospective."

RELATED: At London's Daily Mail, "Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel pares down the glitz for topless photoshoot."

Hot Penélope Cruz Steps Out at 29th Torino Film Festival in Italy

I haven't blogged Ms. Penélope in a while.

At London's Daily Mail, "Bellissimo! Penelope Cruz shows off her stunning curves in a ladylike black dress and reveals new shorter hairdo."

South Carolina Man Arrested After Facebook Threat to Governor Nikki Haley

At Pamela's "OBAMA ENDORSED #OWS OCCUPY ACTIVIST THREATENS TO MURDER REPUBLICAN NIKKI HALEY."

Murder threats by #OWS-ers and the media does not report the story. Instead they will make up, out of whole cloth, Jared Loughner's motives or point to my colleagues and me when jihadists do what they have been commanded to do. Pure fiction. But pure fact repels the media elites and cultural rapists like the silver cross to Dracula.

Again and again the media aids and abets the criminal, subversive anti-American destroyers - so vested are they in the take down of this great nation. The daily reports of violence, sexual attacks, disease in the #OWS movement are rampant and still they promote this pox on humanity.

Exactly.

Which explains why this pox on humanity is endorsed by hate-blogging criminal stalker Walter James Caspser III.

Also a video at Right Scoop, "OWS loon arrested for death threat against Gov. Haley." And KLTV, "Man arrested for Facebook comment threatening Gov. Haley's life."

Islamists Expected to Win Big in Monday's Egypt Elections

At Los Angeles Times, "Political Islam at a crossroads in Egypt":

The call to prayer quiets in the minaret as Mohammad Abbas, a street protester turned candidate for parliament, steps out of a decrepit elevator and hurries to his office. He's still learning the art of politics but he can spin a sound bite better than most of his elders. Ask away:

Facebook activists?

"They sit in air-conditioned rooms but don't touch real Egyptians."

Young Islamists?

"Not yet strong enough to influence change."

The Muslim Brotherhood?

His eyes narrow, the banter hushes.

Abbas joined the Brotherhood, the Arab world's largest Islamic movement, when he was in college. But the group that brought the 27-year-old closer to God and honed his social conscience booted Abbas out in July when he made clear that his ambitions for a new Egypt were much different from those of his mentors.

The Brotherhood's moderate Freedom and Justice Party and its more conservative Islamic allies are likely to win big in parliamentary elections Monday; no other organizations are as disciplined or as connected to the masses. But the Brotherhood's unity, which buttressed it for decades against bans and repression by Hosni Mubarak's police state, is splintering as both young and established voices break away.

With about 6,000 candidates running for 498 seats, the elections are a crucial test for the Arab world's most populous nation. The outcome, along with a presidential election scheduled for next year, will reveal whether Egypt emerges as a democratic inspiration in a region clamoring for change or slips back into a military-dominated autocracy where only the faces and illicit bank accounts have changed.

Continue reading.

Added: At Legal Insurrection, "Egyptian Imam The NY Times called “moderate” holds “kill all the Jews” mass rally."

British Press Inquiry Turns the Tables on Tabloids

At New York Times, "Inquiry Into Press Tactics Turns the Tables on Tabloids."

LONDON — It is a story made to order for the sensation-hungry tabloid newspapers that have millions of avid readers in Britain: a roll call of A-list celebrities and crime victims pouring out — day by day, live on the Internet — the personal miseries they say they have endured in seeking to protect the everyday normality of their private lives.

But this time, for the tabloids, it is a story with a bitter twist. For what is happening in a courtroom at the Royal Courts of Justice has amounted to a turning of the tables, through the medium of a government-appointed inquiry into the “culture, ethics and practices” of British newspapers, that has turned into a legal soap opera in which the villains have emerged as the tabloids themselves.

The high court judge leading the inquiry, Sir Brian Leveson, has called the sessions that began this week, relayed live on the inquiry’s Web site, a “right of reply” for victims of tabloid excesses. He has refused requests by the newspapers’ lawyers for the right to cross-examine the witnesses, and issued a formal warning to the mass-circulation papers not to strike back against those testifying with new articles that invade their privacy or damage their reputations.

One of those taking advantage of the platform was Sienna Miller, 29, a New York-born actress who lives much of the year in London and found herself a target of intense tabloid scrutiny when she was dating the actor Jude Law. One of the inquiry’s most arresting moments came on Thursday when she described her experiences with London’s “relentless” paparazzi, and described being spat at, verbally abused and subjected to dangerous car chases while trying to elude them.

“I felt like I was living in some sort of video game,” Ms. Miller said. “For a number of years, I was relentlessly pursued by 10 to 15 men, almost daily.”

“I would often find myself — I was 21 — at midnight running down a dark street, alone, with 10 big men chasing me, and the fact that they had cameras in their hands meant that was legal,” she added. “But if you take away the cameras, what have you got? You’ve got a pack of men chasing a woman, and obviously that’s very intimidating.”

Reports: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Causing Seizures Among Moviegoers

At New York Times, "Did You Need Us to Tell You That ‘Twilight’ Could Cause Seizures?":

Setting foot into a screening of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” the latest installment in the hit film series about the romance between a mortal girl and a sparkly vampire boy, may induced an unexpected kind of overstimulation: a few viewers say they have experienced epileptic seizures that, The Guardian reports, could be a result of rapidly changing colors in the film’s climactic childbirth scene.

Brandon Gephart of Roseville, Calif., who attended a showing of “Breaking Dawn” with his girlfriend, Kelly Bauman, was taken to a hospital following the scene in which the newlywed Bella (played by Kristen Stewart) delivers the daughter of her vampire husband, Edward (Robert Pattinson), as red, white and black strobes flash on the screen. “He was convulsing, snorting, trying to breathe,” Ms. Bauman told the Sacramento affiliate of CBS News.

Dr. Michael G. Chez, a pediatric neurologist, said the incident might have been a result of a genetic predisposition to photosensitive epilepsy. “It’s like a light switch going off, because it hits your brain all at once,” he told CBS. “The trouble with theaters, it’s dark, the lights flashing in there is more like a strobe light.”

Occupy Los Angeles to Be Evicted From City Hall Park

The drug-addled anarcho-commie losers --- they're done.

At New York Times, "Occupy L.A. to Be Evicted on Monday" (Via Memeorandum.) Also at Los Angeles Times, "Villaraigosa, Beck start countdown to Occupy L.A. closure."

Why Newsweek's Circling the Drain

I mentioned a couple of weeks back how I rarely read Newsweek these days, and here's another example of why.

See, "My Life as a White Supremacist."

No one can forget how Timothy McVeigh set off a bomb in front of a federal building in Oklahoma City in April 19, 1995, killing 168 people including 19 children under the age of 6. FBI efforts to avert another outrage have taken on increased importance in recent years, as fears of Islamic terrorism, a sour economy, expanded federal powers under the Patriot Act, and the nation’s first black president have swelled the ranks of extremist groups. Since President Obama’s election, the number of right-wing extremist groups—a term that covers a broad array of dissidents ranging from white supremacists to antigovernment militias—has mushroomed from 149 to 824, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Alabama-based civil-rights group.

“What we’re seeing today is a resurgence,” says Daryl Johnson, the former senior domestic terrorism analyst for the Department of Homeland Security. In 2009, the department issued a report warning that “right-wing extremism is likely to grow in strength.” And because today’s extremists, unlike their predecessors, have at their disposal online information—bomb-making instructions and terrorist tactics—as well as social-networking tools, the report said, “the consequences of their violence [could be] more severe.”

The report, which was quickly withdrawn after an outcry from conservatives, seemed prescient months later when an 88-year-old gunman opened fire on visitors at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Last year, nine members of the Hutaree, a Christian militia, were arrested in a plot to kill police officers in Michigan. In January, Jared Lee Loughner, an Army reject, was charged with going on a shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., killing a federal judge, among others, and severely wounding Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Earlier this month, the FBI arrested four men of pensionable age in Georgia for allegedly plotting to attack federal buildings and release biological toxins on government employees.

See what I'm saying?

James von Brunn, the suspect in the Holocaust Memorial shooting, was ordered to undergo psychiatric testing while in custody. He hated Jews and neocons. See, Kathy Shaidle, "Holocaust Museum shooter von Brunn a 9/11 'truther' who hated 'neo-cons', Bush, McCain." And the case against the Hutaree Militia unraveled as soon as prosecutors filed charges. And of course, the completely debunked notion that Tuscon killer Jared Loughner was "right wing" long ago devolved into urban legend territory. Even Diane Sawyer resurrected the meme in her recent interview with Representative Giffords.

Pretty bad, eh?

See Reason as well, "Newsweek Cannot Help But Follow Media Tradition of Panic Over Right Wing Extremists."

Deranged Stalker Walter James Casper III Fires Up the Criminal Hate-Blogging for the Holidays

Walter James Casper III, a.k.a Comrade Racist Repsac3, Commissar of State Security, People's Commissariat for Internet Affairs, decided this weekend to fire up his criminal fascist attack-machine over at the progressive hate-hole American Nihilist. I'm not linking. Folks can Google it. Check Racist Walter James Casper's Thanksgiving posts. What is especially demented are the pathetic, lewd and sexually-charged attacks on my wife. These people would rape my wife! This is what Walter James Casper's all about. The criminal adult sick fuck loser proves once again why a large number of my readers choose to contact me by email rather than publish their real names at the comments. Still, some readers refuse to be intimidated. My friend Rusty Walker, for example, sent this note a week or so back:

Just a quick note of praise to you: I know many on here share with me, a personal thanks for your continued great posts in Americanpower; your vigilance against the far-Left university professors that sow misguided and misrepresented seeds of dissent in the vulnerable minds of our youth. As a conservative professor you are unique in California, essential. You are an important element in sanity vs. Utopianism, capitalism against socialism; and a reminder of the importance of democratic and family values; and every now and again we must thank you for what at times is a thankless job. Like you always say, "It's tough out here!"

And for the record, deranged stalker Walter James Casper III put on the snake charm in Zilla's comments. "Stand Against Evil - Never Let it Win." I've spoken to Zilla about it and she's not fooled. She knows James Casper is all about evil and the Devil's program is built on stealth, lies and deceit. Those are words that describe the unbridled hatred of ultra-ASFL Walter James Casper III. See: "Justina Jensen and Walter James Casper III," and "Continuing Lies by Cowardly Hate-Blogger W. James Casper in Left's Demonic Workplace Intimidation Campaign."

Defeat in Iraq

From Caroline Glick, "Calling things by their proper names" (via Blazing Cat Fur):

Since Obama came into office, he has followed the Left's ideological guidelines of ending the fight against and seeking to appease America's worst enemies. This is why he has supported the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. This is why he turned a blind eye to the Islamists who dominated the opposition to Gaddafi. This is why he has sought to appease Iran and Syria. This is why he supports the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Syrian opposition. This is why he supports Turkey's Islamist government. And this is why he is hostile to Israel.

Both RTWT.

Glick saves some harsh criticism for President George W. Bush, who she says caved to the left's morally bankrupt terror appeasement program.

Shoppers Scour Stores for Black Friday Bargains

At Chicago Tribune, "Shoppers hit the deck running on Thanksgiving night."

And check this monstrous post at London's Daily Mail, "Black Friday madness: Grandfather body-slammed by cops, man tasered, two shot, Wal-Mart in bomb scare and woman pepper-sprays rival shoppers on day of chaos."

London's Daily Mail: Climategate Scientists Collude with Government to Hide Research Debunking Global Warming Hysteria

Awesome.

See: "Climategate scientists DID collude with government officials to hide research that didn't fit their apocalyptic global warming."

The emails paint a clear picture of scientists selectively using data, and colluding with politicians to misuse scientific information.

No kidding?

And more at Pirate's Cove, "ClimateGate 2.0 – Protecting The Cause And Hiding The Information."

Black Friday Novices

More on Black Friday.

At New York Times, "For Black Friday First-Timers, Not a Night of Conversion."

And my first-hand report from yesterday: "Wal-Mart Black Friday."

British Shopkeeper Fights Off Knife-Wielding Attacker With Broom

At Mirror UK, "Hero shopkeeper fights off knife robber with broom." And at London's Daily Mail, "Shocking moment robber takes shop assistant hostage with a knife to her throat... before brave boss fights him off with a BROOM."

Black Friday Sales Pay Off for Retailers

At Los Angeles Times, "Early Black Friday sales appear to pay off for retailers."

An early kickoff to the holiday shopping season appeared to pay off for retailers, who bet correctly that extended late-night hours would draw even more bargain hunters to the annual Black Friday extravaganza.

The shopping frenzy, although marred by a pepper spray incident at a San Fernando Valley Wal-Mart, bodes well for increased consumer spending as the year draws to a close. It would be the latest in a series of modest improvements to an economy still trying to shake free from the lingering effects of the devastating recession of 2007-09.

"People have had so many years of recession that they want to spend money and feel good about themselves," said Ron Friedman, a retail expert at advisory and accounting firm Marcum in Los Angeles. "And many people have set money aside and are paying off their credit cards more, so people can spend a little bit more than last year."

This is a make-or-break season for retailers, and they pulled out the stops. Wal-Mart rolled out some of its sale items to shoppers at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Other major chains including Target, Best Buy, Macy's and Kohl's all opened at midnight for the first time.

RELATED: From Reuters, "Midnight Black Friday start likely to become norm."

Wal-Mart Black Friday

At Los Angeles Times, "Wal-Mart's unhappy holiday tradition: Black Friday violence." A customer was shot during an attempted parking lot robbery at Wal-Mart in San Leandro, Calfornia. In Kissimmee, Florida, a man was arrested after a scuffle at the Wal-Mart jewelry counter. And in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a couple was attacked as they were were leaving a Wal-Mart around 1am. And, in a separate Los Angeles Times report, "In Porter Ranch, a woman pepper sprayed customers at a Wal-Mart in what authorities say was a deliberate attempt to get more 'door buster' merchandise."

I knew we'd be hearing stories like this. My wife and I took a trip with our boys over to the Wal-Mart at Foothill Ranch. I was going to pick up a Compaq laptop for $199.00, or an HP for $248.00, but they were sold out by the time we got in the store, at about 12:40am. My wife picked up some toys for my youngest and we were out of there by 2:00am. There were probably 1,000 people lined up out front. It was a pretty orderly affair. No surges. No violence. No drama. Just early morning Black Friday shopping. It's a phenomenon nowadays, a weird one:

Community of Holocaust Survivors Dwindles in Queens

At New York Times, "A Community of Survivors Dwindles":

ONE thing about life in New York: wherever you are, the neighborhood is always changing. An Italian enclave becomes Senegalese; a historically African-American corridor becomes a magnet for white professionals. The accents and rhythms shift; the aromas become spicy or vegetal. The transition is sometimes smooth, sometimes bumpy. But there is a sense of loss among the people left behind, wondering what happened to the neighborhood they once thought of as their own.

For Sophia Goldberg, change has meant the end of a way of life.

On a recent morning Ms. Goldberg sat in her tidy seventh-floor living room, surrounded by needlepoint portraits stitched by her own hands, and sighed over the changes immediately around her.

Ms. Goldberg, 98, lives in a 19-story apartment house in Flushing, Queens, one of two neighboring buildings that were erected for survivors of the Holocaust. When she moved there in 1978, she said, her neighbors formed a tight community of predominantly Jewish refugees like her who had fled to the United States from Austria or Germany.

“We had parties,” Ms. Goldberg said, her voice barely above a whisper. “We had card games. It was our people. We had Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur in our apartment.”

Now, she said, “It’s completely changed — I have no neighbors here.”

For Ms. Goldberg, the transformation has been steady and overwhelming. Of the 326 residents in her building, now only 31 are Holocaust survivors, and only 7 of them are German or Austrian.

The new neighbors are friendly enough. But she said: “We do not talk. We say hello, goodbye. But that’s it. They don’t speak German. They don’t speak English. They speak Russian and Chinese. Sometimes they just shake their heads.”

Continue Reading.

The article links to Selfhelp Community Services, established in 1936 to help German émigrés flee Nazi persecution and settle in the United States. That generation is getting very old. No wonder Ms. Goldberg hasn't many friends around these days.

Black Friday Sales Show Divide Between Shoppers

At New York Times, "Opening Day for Shoppers Shows Divide":

As the busiest retail weekend of the year begins late Thursday night, the differences between how affluent and more ordinary Americans shop in the uncertain economy will be on unusually vivid display.

Budget-minded shoppers will be racing for bargains at ever-earlier hours while the rich mostly will not be bothering to leave home.

Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy and Target will start their Black Friday sales earlier than ever — at 9 and 10 p.m. in some instances — with dirt-cheap offers intended to secure their customers’ limited dollars. A half a day later, on Friday morning, higher-end stores like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom will open with only a sprinkling of special sales.

The low-end and midrange retailers are risking low margins as they cut prices to attract shoppers, while executives at luxury stores say that they are actually able to sell more at full price than in recent boom years.

“We’re now into a less promotional environment than we were before the recession,“ said Stephen I. Sadove, chairman and chief executive of Saks. In the third quarter, for instance, Saks reduced the length of an annual sale to three days from four, and excluded the high-margin category of cosmetics from another regular sale.

Retail analysts are expecting a decent holiday season, with many estimating that sales will increase about 3 percent over last year, with contributions from shoppers across income levels. Yet the Friday after Thanksgiving, the kickoff to the highest-revenue weeks for stores, is expected to lay bare the increasingly parallel universes of retailing in America, the analysts said.

“Those in a more modest income situation are the people who are going to the Wal-Marts and the Best Buys and the Targets at 8, 9, 10, 11 p.m. with little kids in tow because they can’t afford a baby sitter,” said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consultant firm. “It’s a very unpleasant shopping experience, frankly, for a lot of people.”

Right. Kids are unpleasant. Can't afford a babysitter. Give me a break.

Now back to the real world.

This parallel universe is mostly bullshit. Whatever divide we have in the holiday shopping experience isn't just now emerging. I worked valet parking at South Coast Plaza back in the 1980s. And I'll tell you, that's some high-powered shopping over there. Not too many discount stores. Wealthy people were everywhere. Folks with less didn't shop there. I didn't much shop there, except maybe at Broadway or some of the bookstores open back then. The rest was designer boutiques and high-end department stores, like Saks, cited at the Times piece. Perhaps such journalism provides sympathy for the oppressed 99 percent. But smart readers can see through the crap. They enjoy the time with their families over the holidays and they get back to work the week after Black Friday.

After Assad

From James H. Anderson, at World Affairs, "After the Fall: What’s Next for Assad":

In a spectacular case of bad timing and even worse judgment, Vogue magazine published a glam profile of President Bashar al-Assad’s wife last March, just around the time her husband’s regime started brutalizing unarmed regime protestors. Deeming Asma al-Assad “the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies,” the puff piece glossed over the dictatorial essence of the Assad dynasty and missed altogether the fact that it was about to experience the heavy weather of the Arab Spring.

Assad has cast himself as the only thing standing between order and a sectarian bloodbath, denouncing the unarmed protestors as “saboteurs” and “terrorists” while unleashing snipers, tanks, artillery, and even naval gunfire against unarmed civilians, killing, according to the UN’s very conservative estimates, more than three thousand and imprisoning ten thousand more since March 2011.

The apple does not fall far from the dictatorial tree. In February 1982, Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad, killed an estimated twenty thousand civilians in putting down a rebellion in Hama (now, understandably, a hot spot in today’s insurgency). The massacre gave rise to the phrase “Hama Rules,” which became shorthand for extreme brutality. But Assad the younger faces a much broader and more determined opposition than his father ever did, and the trajectory of his slow-motion downfall is becoming increasingly clear. So much so that the question in Syria today is not only how to get rid of the tyrant, but what the nation will look like when he’s gone.

Also, at Telegraph UK, "The UN intensifies pressure on Syria as Turkey compares Bashar al-Assad to Hitler."

'Push'

Well, since I'm on the music, here's Rob Thomas and friends. Thomas' solo outfit played at Harrah's Rincon earlier this year. Looking for an encore in 2012 and I'll check 'em out:

'Round Here'

Amazing how time flies. I saw these dudes in Santa Barbara in the 1990s, when they hit the big time:

Avoiding Europe's Downward Spiral

Via Chicks on the Right:

Is Stephen Walt Responsible for Inspiring Terror Suspect Jose Pimentel?

He's not, but he should be held to the same standards by which he attacks his ideological enemies.

See Omri Ceren, at Commentary:

ABC News disclosed last night that arrested New York City terror suspect Jose Pimentel “spent much of his time on the Internet… and maintained a radical website called TrueIslam1.” TrueIslam1 has a number of sections, most of them handed over to Islam and jihad. There are two only sections that deal straightforwardly with politics: one labeled “Politics” and one labeled “The U.S.A.”

Both sections have different articles and both of course still contain plenty of Islamic theology – ergo the concept of political Islam – but they have one thing in common. They both have links to free downloads of Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer’s book The Israel Lobby. Other than those links there doesn’t appear to be any overlapping content between the two sections. Apparently, Pimentel thought Walt and Mearsheimer’s feverish opus was something that needed to be read and distributed...

Continue reading.

And here's this at Atlas Shrugs:

Walt’s paranoid worldview and its concomitant conspiratorial images are the stuff of ancient anti-Jewish bigotry. They seem to resonate deeply with online and offline jihadists, who give them priority of place next to tracts calling for genocidal warfare. And unlike Geller and Spencer, Walt has an entire media industry helping him make anti-Semitism respectable. On that last point, see Lee Smith’s Tablet Magazine expose from last year.

U.S. Troops Celebrate Last Thanksgiving in Iraq

At Fox News:

American troops marked their last Thanksgiving in Iraq Thursday with turkey, stuffing and a rocket fire alarm.

Fewer than 20,000 American troops remain in Iraq at eight bases across the country. All of the forces must be out of Iraq by the end of this year, and American soldiers have been busily packing up their equipment and heading south.

Many of the bases no longer have civilian contractors making meals for them, so the troops have been eating prepackaged meals.

These folks deserve our everlasting thanks.

Also: "Video: Thanksgiving Feast: Last Real Meal in Iraq."

Occupy Movements Nationwide Celebrate Holiday

A break from the mayhem.

At USA Today:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Most Americans spent Thanksgiving snug inside homes with families and football. Others used the holiday to give thanks alongside strangers at outdoor Occupy encampments, serving turkey or donating their time in solidarity with the anti-Wall Street movement that has gripped a nation consumed by economic despair.

In San Francisco, hundreds of campers at Justin Herman Plaza in the heart of the financial district prepared turkey dinners that were handed out by volunteers, church charities and supporters of the movement against social and economic inequality.
Across the bay in Oakland, where protesters and police previously clashed when an Occupy encampment was broken up, occupiers enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast outside City Hall with music and activist speakers, including Clyde Bellecourt, co-founder of the Minnesota-based American Indian Movement.

And in New York, Occupy organizers distributed Thanksgiving meals at Zuccotti Park, where the protest movement began on Sept. 17 before spreading nationwide. Protesters were evicted from the park on Nov. 15.

"So many people have given up so much to come and be a part of the movement because there is really that much dire need for community," said Megan Hayes, a chef and organizer with the Occupy Wall Street Kitchen in New York. "We decided to take this holiday opportunity to provide just that — community."

Oh, please.

These people need to take a bath and start pounding the pavement for jobs.

Losers.

Ndamukong Suh Ejected as Lions Lose to Packers

Thanksgiving football.

At New York Times, "Lions Lose Their Cool and Game Against Packers."

Egyptian Generals Apologize for Bloodshed but Reject Calls to Leave Power

At New York Times, "Egypt Military and Protesters Dig In for a Long Standoff."

Also, at Business Week, "Egyptian Army Says Holding Power Is a 'Curse' It Can't Escape."

GOP Voters Skeptical of Mitt Romney

At Los Angeles Times, "Mitt Romney still faces a trust deficit with GOP voters."

As other Republican candidates have stumbled their way toward the presidential primaries, Mitt Romney has put together what would seem to be all the elements of a winning campaign: an effective staff, a robust treasury and smooth, knowledgeable performances both in debates and on the trail.

But for months, the threshold of support for the former Massachusetts governor hasn't inched above a quarter of Republican voters in national polls. For many GOP voters in early primary states, hesitation about Romney comes back to one thing: their perception that he has routinely molded his views to suit the political mood, with ambition his overriding principle.

"He's not a person we could trust to lead our country," said Angela Cesar, a 41-year-old Republican from Ypsilanti, Mich., who said Romney had changed his position on too many issues. "He's going to be listening to voices outside. I want someone who can hear his own voice — a clear voice."

Steve Holroyd, a 54-year-old chef from Rye, N.H., was initially attracted to Romney's candidacy, but now describes him as evasive: "The more I listen to him, the more he just kind of flip-flops and doesn't know where he stands on anything."

Romney's advisors say the argument that their candidate is a political contortionist will not resonate because voters are concerned about the economy — and little else. But in his failed 2008 bid, when the issue was raised — as now — by opponents, it hit its mark not because of the issues involved but because of what Romney's flip-flops suggested about his character.

The campaign demonstrated sensitivity to the problem in this race: Romney has strongly defended the health insurance mandate that he instituted in Massachusetts, even though it is reviled by GOP voters, rather than reverse himself on it. Romney's aides have also leveled charges of flip-flopping at GOP rival Rick Perry and at President Obama, who Romney strategist Stuart Stevens said has "a new slogan and a new mission every day."

Asked about the criticism during a recent Michigan debate, Romney said: "I think people understand that I'm a man of steadiness and constancy."

Steadiness and constancy.

Right.

Video: Via Right Klik.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Serves Thanksgiving Meal to Troops at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson

At Boston Globe, "Giffords serves Thanksgiving meal at Ariz. base."

Early Thanksgiving Dinner

This wasn't as bountiful a spread as we usually lay out. My wife had to be at work at 2:00pm. She's an assistant store manager at a major national arts and crafts retailer. I'd mention the name, but it's not worth having my wife's life threatened by the likes of Walter James Casper III and his demonic progressive totalitarians.

She cooked turkey breast with mashed potatoes and gravy, green-bean casserole, stuffing and hot rolls. And there's cranberry on the side, of course. It was lovely.

And don't miss the Thanksgiving blogging at Maggie's Farm, "Why is American Thanksgiving about food?", and "Very Fitting For Thanksgiving."

Obama Neglects to Thank God in Thanksgiving Address

At Los Angeles Times, "Obama criticized on Twitter for Thanksgiving remarks omitting God." And see Todd Starnes, at Fox News, "Obama Leaves God Out of Thanksgiving Address."

Progressive Heads Explode Over Islamic Butterball Turkeys!

I saw this on Twitter earlier, from the Israel-hating pro-terror progressive blog Mondoweiss, "Pamela Geller’s Islamophobia hits new low with Thanksgiving Day smear of dietary laws."

Right. "Islamophobia." It's not Islamophobia when they're really trying to kill you. Come to think of it, it's not like authorities are overreacting, or anything.

And Pamela has a huge roundup on the exploding progressive hatred, "CLEAN UP, MEAT AISLE: TALKING HEADS EXPLODING OVER HALAL BUTTERBALLS."

Great News! Molotov Occupy Protester Released from Jail, Returns to Zuccotti Park

At New York Daily News, "Molotov madman who said on YouTube he would bomb Macy's is out of jail and back at Zuccotti Park: Nkrumah Tinsley is bailed out by Occupy Wall Street movement and has rejoined protest."

And check Pamela's, "WEAPONS CACHE FOUND DURING CLEANUP OF OBAMA-ENDORSED #OCCUPY WALL STREET."