The Real Groundhogs of New York City

This is a funny story, at NYT, "In Burrows Across the City, It’s Groundhog Day Year Round":

Staten Island Chuck lives the pampered life one would expect of a celebrity groundhog, lounging in a heated nursery at the Staten Island Zoo and noshing on sweet potatoes as the world outside shivers.

But as Chuck gears up to make a weather prediction Saturday alongside heavily gloved handlers and politicians, his wild counterparts occupy the proverbial other side of the tracks.

Meet the Real Groundhogs of New York City, a population of perhaps a few dozen scattered throughout city parks, botanical gardens and cemeteries, some so isolated from any other groundhog community that naturalists do not know for sure how they got there.

Right now, of course, they are sound asleep, as groundhogs are meant to be in midwinter (the greenhouse conditions in Chuck’s lair throw his hibernation software out of whack). When the weather warms, though, they emerge from burrows all over: Astoria Park in Queens, Conference House Park at the bottom of Staten Island and Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx.

Continue reading.

PROOF! Barack Obama Skeet Shooting at Camp David

That's it! Barack Hussein's a real American!

From Daniel Halper, at the Weekly Standard, "W.H. Releases Photo of Obama Shooting a Gun," and the New York Times, "President Claims Shooting as a Hobby, and the White House Offers Evidence."

Now if we could just see those academic transcripts! (Via Memeorandum.)

PHOTO: At the White House Flickr page.

Egyptians Protest Because They Have Nothing Else

At the Los Angeles Times, "Protesting in Egypt because they have nothing else."

And there's video of the mob storming Cairo's presidential palace, here.

So Much for Senate Decorum...

It's interesting, but one of the key takeaways I had from the Hagel hearings was the tenacity of freshman Senator Ted Cruz in grilling the Defense Secretary nominee. It was like watching the changing of the guard, from the establishment old to the tea party new. And the establishment old came out looking worse for the wear. It was a decorum issue, to some extent, although since Cruz was nowhere near the Senate when Hagel was serving his two terms, I guess the traditional demands of collegiality and deference don't matter worth a sh-t.

At the New York Times, "Decorum Becomes Less Traditional in a Hidebound Senate":

WASHINGTON — If Senator John McCain had an inkling of curiosity how his old buddy Chuck Hagel felt as the senator raked him over the confirmation coals on Thursday, Mr. McCain would get a slight taste an hour later during his own rendezvous with rudeness.

That is when Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky took to the Senate floor to deride Mr. McCain’s opposition to his measure that would punish Egypt as “spurious and really, frankly, absurd,” not the first time Mr. Paul has wielded verbal scythes toward his colleagues.

The willingness of Republicans to skewer one of their own became increasingly apparent on Friday as more and more members of the party peeled away from Mr. Hagel, President Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense, saying they would not vote to confirm him after Mr. Hagel melted like chocolate on a dashboard under combative questioning from Republicans.

Still, Republican senators and aides said that despite a halting performance, Mr. Hagel would probably be confirmed with Democratic votes. A filibuster of his nomination is still possible, a likely first for a cabinet nominee. Aides to Senators John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican, and Ted Cruz, a Texas newcomer, said Friday that they had not ruled out procedural roadblocks to stop Mr. Hagel’s nomination.

But Republican Senate aides say Democrats would probably be able to muster 60 votes to move to a final, up-or-down tally.

“For a cabinet office, I think 51 votes is generally considered the right standard for the Senate to set, and at that level, I think he makes it,” Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of the Republican leadership, said Friday on Fox News, even as he announced his opposition to Mr. Hagel.

The White House shared that view.

“I would be stunned if, in the end, Republican senators chose to try to block the nomination of a decorated war veteran who was once among their colleagues in the Senate as a Republican,” said Jay Carney, the White House press secretary.

Privately, White House officials agreed that Mr. Hagel came across poorly. “No one would argue that he had a good performance,” said one official, who declined to be named to be more candid.

Mr. Hagel has long been on the outs with some party mates because of policy disagreements with them over the years, which sometimes made him seem more like a Democrat. But stemming from their Senate ranks as he did, the intensity of their grilling was striking and illustrative of how the old ways of the Senate are disappearing.

With the current era of hyperpartisanship in Washington, the intra-Senate discord has reached new levels in the usually approbatory chamber in recent months, a place where a certain level of respect for fellow and retired members of the same party is generally more or less a given.

Melissa Frost's Battle for Her House

Here's a story to make you angry and frustrated, with similarities to the right's ongoing Brett Kimberlin saga.

See Instapundit, "NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED: True Story: Woman Invites Hurricane Sandy Refugee to Stay With Her, He Gets Violent And Refuses to Leave."

The woman, Ms. Frost, has a Tumblr set up for her defense fund, "MJF'S BATTLE FOR HER OWN DAMN HOUSE."

There be some valuable lessons for would-be humanitarians.

For the Love of Mercy, STOP WITH THE SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS!!

I'm serious.

This is puke-busting sick --- especially because it's so true. At The Other McCain, "Typical Democrat Voters™."

Have your doubts? Well, Larry Brinkin should refresh your memory on the typical Democrats, the godless depraved freaks.

PREVIOUSLY: "No Sweeping Generalizations!"

Apple's Falling Stock Causing Headaches for Investors

I haven't paid attention to Apple's share price, but apparently if you're an investor, it's not the best of times.

At the Wall Street Journal, "Coping With the Pain of Souring Apple Shares: Some Investors See a Cheap Stock, but Others Have Sold Everything; 'Headache, Not a Cancer'":

As the U.S. stock market flirts with record highs, investors who hold big stakes in Apple Inc. AAPL -0.41% are taking a beating.

Since peaking at $705.07 during the day on Sept. 21, Apple shares have fallen 36% to close at $453.62, erasing more than $236 billion in market value—a figure equal to about 35 times the current value of BlackBerry RIM.T +0.70% maker Research In Motion Ltd.

The pain has been widespread. About 60% of actively managed U.S. stock mutual funds that invest in big companies owned at least some Apple shares at the end of the year, according to investment-research firm Morningstar Inc. MORN +0.53% Ninety funds had 10% or more of their portfolios in the stock.

But Apple's plunge is affecting investors in different ways. While some are getting out for good, others are staying put or even buying more. And some are glad they avoided the stock altogether.

Most mutual funds disclose their holdings quarterly, but the 145 actively managed U.S. stock funds that hold Apple and reported monthly results sold a net 223,402 shares, or 3% of their Apple holdings, in December, according to Morningstar, a time when the stock was between 16% and 28% off its peak. Sixty-one funds sold shares, while 45 funds bought.

That doesn't mean all of them took losses. Even with the setback, Apple has generated a total return, including dividends, of about 28% annually over the past five years, versus 4% for the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. In four of the past 10 years, Apple's stock price has more than doubled, and its only full-year loss over the past decade occurred in 2008.

Here are some examples of how professional money managers and small investors have reacted...

Continue reading.

Now, in related news, it turns out that my wife's iPad has a pretty serious browser glitch. It crashes a lot when I'm going heavy on the YouTube blogging. I love videos. And I thought Apple was going to be an improvement over the others, like Chrome. And it seemed like it for awhile, although it's been crashing pretty regularly, and not just this last few days. I found an article on this, at OS X Daily, "Fix Safari Crashing on iPad and iOS 5." I'm not going to worry about the fix, since it's not my device and my wife hasn't complained. We bought the extended warranty, in any case, so I'll bring it up with the Apple folks next time we're down at the Irvine Spectrum retail store. Still, folks should read this comment at the OS X Daily piece, from Martin Bloom":

In early Janurary I went onto the Apple Community discussion board because of my iPad 1 continually crashing after updating to IOS 5.  Specifically Safari would crash on sites rich with images and/or imbedded videos (techcrunch, techradar, etc).  Also iTunes wouldn’t stay open. And using the back arrow on sites like CNN and other news sites would bring up an old front page rather than the newer page.

At first I was just a viewer until some people, who were rudely dismissive of people’s crash problems, said that only signed in complaints were indicators of the breadth of the problem and the number of  ”views” didn’t count. So i signed in to: Re Safari crashes on iPad after ios 5 update.

I related that I had the same problems since ios 5, that I tried every fix written about to no lasting improvement, and that I sent a letter with a printout from the discussion thread to Tim Cook.  Next day I recieved a phone call and email from Apple’s Corporate Executive Relations Office. They were very empathetic and committed to work with me.  They listened to my background in the industry and my list of issues that were also expressed by others on the Apple Community under several separate discussion threads. The main issue being that Apple, apparently didn’t read the threads or was ignoring them.  I expressed that the single most helpful thing they could do would be some type of communication to the groups that they understand, they cared, and are doing everything to find a set of solutions.

They (Corp Exec Relations) assured me that they do look at the discussions, have replicated the problems in tech support and engineering. They also acknowledged a culture of keeping all work close to the vest and this could be hurting them by creating a perception of not caring about the user experience in a “post Jobs era”. They hooked me up with high level tech support and offered to work with me step by step to a resolution.  I said that working with me as an “one off” would deflect resources from solving the overall problems, since they have been documented and replicated.  I told them I would relate this conference with Apple to the discussion threads. These talks and emails with the Corp Office was over several days with much discussion about the impacts of the problems. This included losing the confidence in the reliability of Apple products since many of the iPad purchases and complaints were from PC platform crossovers who moved to Apple’s “because it just worked”. These new users, including corporations who bought hundreds for employees who were saying “never again”.

I then posted my discussions with Apple on the Community thread and was accused by a long time member of my post being a false, and self serving rant. He said he and other long timers took pride in reporting my abuse of the Community rules and had my post removed and my account banned.  I wrote back to the Corp Exec Relations office on the “irony of it all” since this had been a “keep the hope…..they do care” post. The Corp Office got me back on, removing the ban.  But now, no matter what I write, the discussion thread’s monitor removes it saying it is “off topic”.

I have not gotten back to Apple’s Corp Exec Relations regarding my posts being removed and am just waiting for the yet to come, update release with prayers of a fix for all affected users, and for Apple.  Yes, I am still a first in line fanboy.

Marty Bloom, Walnut Creek CA

Sent from my iPad

EXTRA: Here's more tech fun for you, from Twitter, "Keeping our users secure" (at Memeorandum). Twitter was hacked and 250,000 users had their data compromised. It's hard out there for a tweep!

Suicide Bombing at U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Hillary Clinton's Last Day at State Department

At the Guardian UK, "US embassy bombing in Turkey called 'act of terror' by Obama administration":

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says early information links Ankara bomber to a domestic militant group.

The Obama administration has declared a suicide bomb at the US embassy in Turkey, in which the attacker and a local guard died, as an "act of terror".

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said preliminary information obtained by police indicated that the bomber was likely connected to a domestic left-wing militant group.

A Turkish television journalist was also seriously wounded in the blast, which happened at around 1.15pm local time in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Two other guards sustained lighter injuries. The ambassador, Francis Ricciardione, was unhurt.

According to Turkish daily Radikal, the suicide bomber was Ecevit Sanli, a leftwing activist and member of leftwing organisation Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, or DHKP-C. He was arrested in 1997 for an attack on a military dorm in Istanbul, and released in 2002, following an illness sustained by a period of hunger strike in prison.

Friday's explosion occurred inside the security checkpoint at the side entrance to the embassy, which is used by staff. A guard standing outside the checkpoint was killed while the two guards who were wounded "were standing in a more protected area", said the interior minister, Muammer Guler.

The embassy building in Ankara is heavily protected and located near several other embassies, including those of Germany and France.

Turkish police closed off the street to all traffic for fear of a second bomb attack, and embassy staff were moved to secure rooms inside the building.

In a statement, the embassy thanked "the Turkish government, the media, and members of the public for their expressions of solidarity and outrage over the incident".

In Washington, Victoria Nuland, the state department spokeswoman, said: "We are working closely with the Turkish national police to make a full assessment of the damage and the casualties, and to begin an investigation."

At the White House briefing, Jay Carney said: "A suicide bombing in the perimeter of an embassy is by definition an act of terror, a terrorist attack." But he also said: "We do not know at this point who is responsible or the motivations."

And here's the Washington Post, "Suicide bombing at U.S. Embassy in Turkey kills Turkish guard." This bit is intriguing:

Turkey, a key NATO ally, blamed the assault on a left-wing militant group with roots in the Marxist movements of the 1970s and a history of attacks on Turkish and American security targets.

There was no immediate indication of a link either to al-Qaeda or to militants in neighboring Syria. But analysts said the group identified by Turkish officials, the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front, or DHKP/C, has received protection and help from within Syria.

Right.

No "immediate link." I'm sure we'll know for sure sometime after Hillary's secured the 2016 Democrat nomination. The freaks.

'History of the Eagles'

As regular readers will recall, my wife and I saw the Eagles at the Honda Center in Anaheim a fews years back, and also Don Henley at Harrah's Rincon in 2011. They are  ---- without any doubt ---- one of the greatest American rock bands. Showtime's broadcasting the new Eagles documentary on February 15 and 16th, and here's the teaser trailer:

There's a longer trailer here, and at the Hollywood Reporter, "History of the Eagles Part 1: Sundance Review." And at Rock Cellar Magazine, "The ‘History of the Eagles’ Documentaries to Premiere on Showtime in February (Video)."

More at Rolling Stone, "Q&A: Don Henley Opens Up About 'The History of the Eagles' at Sundance."

Federal Spending Set to Climb Nearly 2 Percent This Year

At IBD, "Austerity? Federal Spending Set to Climb 2% This Year":

In the wake of Wednesday's news that the economy contracted slightly in the last three months of 2012, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid laid the blame on budget cuts.

"The economy was rejecting the austerity and brinksmanship," he said.

That theme — that spending cuts are putting economic growth at risk — has been gaining traction these days, particularly among those on the left.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said the GDP drop showed that pushing "big austerity measures now will hurt the recovery."

Former Obama economic adviser Jared Bernstein asserted U.S. policy has been based on "austerity at (a) time when we need a fiscal push."

And the liberal Center for American Progress complained that "fiscal austerity threatens the U.S. economy."

On the surface, it might look that way.

In its GDP report, for example, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said government spending dropped 6.6% in Q4. And unless Congress acts, more than $1 trillion in automatic spending cuts will start to kick in as part of the so-called sequester.

But dig a little deeper, and there's little to back up all this austerity talk.

Spending: Up

According to monthly spending data from the Treasury Dept., total federal spending — which includes transfer payments and other federal outlays not counted by the BEA — increased by $98 billion in Q4 compared with Q3. And spending was up $31 billion when compared with Q4 2011.

For the entire year, spending in 2012 was virtually unchanged from 2011, and was up $86 billion over 2010, a year when the government was still spending stimulus money in earnest.

Plus, the "fiscal cliff" deal worked out between President Obama and the Republicans actually added almost $50 billion to planned spending in 2013, and a total of $332 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Almost half of the 2013 increase will go to pay extended unemployment benefits, which Democrats have long argued are highly stimulative.

Reid himself has said that unemployment benefits "help our economy because recipients spend the cash they receive on the things they need right away."

In addition, even if the "sequester" should go through, federal spending will continue to climb.

No Real 'Cuts'

In fact, if nothing else changes, spending in 2013 will be $3.6 trillion, an increase of nearly 2% over 2012, according to data from the CBO. That's because the sequester's "cuts" are actually just reductions in planned spending hikes.

More at that top link.

And see Holly Robichaud, at the Boston Herald, "Need to face reality":

This week Senator Mary Landrieu claimed that our nation doesn't have spending problem. This U.S. Senator is denying that we face $16 trillion in debt. That equals $146,000 per taxpayer. I don't have an extra $146,000 to give to the federal government. Do you? This announcement of Landrieu comes on the heals of the President telling Speaker Boehner there is no debt problem.

I know that liberals want to tax the rich. Even if we tax the rich 100%, that won't make a dent in our debt. This money is going to be paid by the middle class and future generations unless we rein in spending.

It is time for some honesty from the Democrats!

Well, don't hold your breath. The left lives on lies. Pure lies. All the time. From Obama down to the most disgusting trolls of the progressive fever swamps.

NRA President David Keene Family Getting Death Threats

He jokes about it a little, but he's right about the incivility, the left's "civility bullshit," that is.

Israeli Warplanes Reportedly Fly Over Lebanon

My good friend Norm Gersman sent me the video below, of Israeli jets flying over Syria.

But here's this as well, at the Times of Israel:

BEIRUT — A Lebanese security official said Friday Israeli warplanes have flown over southern Lebanon.

The official said the flights were seen heading from southern Lebanon toward the eastern Bekaa Valley that borders Syria. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Israel Radio Friday cited a Lebanese media report that claimed Israeli jets were conducting imaging missions over several sites in the south.

Israel had no comment.

Friday’s reported flights come two days after officials said Israel launched a rare airstrike inside Syria, targeting a convoy carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese terror group allied with Syria and Iran.

The Syrian military denied there was a weapons convoy.

Also at CSM, "Israeli strike indicates Syria, Hezbollah may have crossed its 'red line'."

Bar Refaeli Makes Out With Nerdy Dude in Go Daddy Super Bowl Ad!

OMG!

At AdWeek, "Bar Refaeli Swaps Spit With Jesse Heiman in Go Daddy Super Bowl Ad":

The couple did 45 takes of the kiss, Go Daddy claimed, adding that [Jesse] Heiman afterward said he felt like he won the "championship of men."

Likewise, this is Refaeli's first Super Bowl commercial. She probably had never kissed a homely character actor before, either.

More at that link.

Yeah, that Heiman dude's a lucky man. One really lucky dude.

The Who Play 'Quadrophenia' at Staples Center

I caught Billy Idol mentioning The Who last night. Lucky me. He doesn't tweet that often:

Off out to see the Who & Quodrophrenia this evening at the Staples Center.....
— Billy Idol (@BillyIdol) January 31, 2013

A good pm/eve hanging with Roger Daltrey...seeing a movie & having dinner...tales of Tommy & Listomania..(also wth Rangi & Bill Curbishley)
— Billy Idol (@BillyIdol) February 1, 2013

In any case, now here's this, at the Los Angeles Times, "The Who performs 'Quadrophenia' and more at Staples Center." Sounds awesome.

Chuck Hagel's Credibility in Shreds

Boy is it ever.

It's painful to watch this dolt's testimony. Worse though is what says about President Obama. For shame.

From Jonathan Tobin, at Commentary, "Hagel’s Credibility Left in Shreds":

It’s not clear if administration sources that leaked the story that Chuck Hagel had three practice sessions before a mock committee before his actual Senate confirmation hearing were trying to help or hurt the former senator. Hagel’s performance was so shaky that even some of his liberal supporters like Peter Beinart were lamenting on Twitter about his stumbling and bumbling answers to tough questions. That he flopped so badly after being rehearsed speaks volumes about how bad he was. Indeed, he had so many misstatements that it will be hard for news organizations to choose which of them to broadcast in their highlights of the hearings. But as much as his inability to speak coherently and present a plausible defense of his record while under pressure was exposed today, in what was probably the worst showing by a presidential nominee in a confirmation hearing in memory, it was his credibility that took the biggest hit.

Keep reading. (Plus more on Hagel at Commentary.)

Video c/o Robert Stacy McCain, who posts this quote from Ed Morrissey:

The beauty of this clip isn’t just the spectacle of Graham making Hagel eat his own shinola. It’s the fact that 90 percent of the reason the left has gone along with this nomination is to see Hagel push back on questions exactly like this one. He was the guy who was going to speak truth to power by standing up to the neocon warmongers and their “Zionist” puppet-masters — and here he is, rolling over. You could almost hear liberals screaming at their TV sets when Graham asked him to name a dumb move taken by the U.S. at the behest of the Israel lobby, “Say ‘Iraq’, Chuck! Say ‘Iraq!’” But Hagel can’t make that move.

More at the link.

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch Dead at 88

He was the quintessential New Yorker, and the New York Times does him justice in this obituary, "Edward Koch, Former Mayor of New York, Dies at 88."

And at Twitchy, "Photo: Ed Koch’s headstone quotes Daniel Pearl’s final words; Update: Koch and Pearl both died Feb. 1."

Lots more at Memeorandum.

I admired him a lot. A good Democrat and patriotic American. RIP.

Kelly Brook Breaks Up With Boyfriend Thom Evans

Lots of news this morning to report, but first an update from the Rule 5 department, at London's Daily Mail, "'It was a mutual decision': Kelly Brook confirms split from Thom Evans... but says it has nothing to do with ex Danny Cipriani."

Peter Thiel Speech to the National Review Institute Summit

This is quite an amazing talk, perhaps more eloquently advertised by Kathy Shaidle, "Holy f*cking sh*t: Don’t miss Peter Thiel’s speech at the NRI Summit (video)."

Also at this link.

The website is here.

And R.S. McCain was on hand, apparently the life of the party as usual.

Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney Removed From Duties

I've been reading about Mahoney's cover-up at the Los Angeles Times, and now here's this, "Cardinal Mahony removed from public church duties":

Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez on Thursday announced dramatic actions in response to the priest abuse scandal, saying that Cardinal Roger Mahony would no longer perform public duties in the church and that Santa Barbara Bishop Thomas J. Curry has stepped down.

Gomez said in a statement that Mahony -- who led the L.A. archdiocese from 1985 to 2011 -- "will no longer have any administrative or public duties."

Gomez also announced the church has released a trove of confidential church files detailing how the Los Angeles archdiocese dealt with priests accused of molestation.

Gomez wrote in a letter to parishioners that the files would be disturbing to read.

"I find these files to be brutal and painful reading. The behavior described in these files is terribly sad and evil. There is no excuse, no explaining away what happened to these children. The priests involved had the duty to be their spiritual fathers and they failed," he wrote. "We need to acknowledge that terrible failure today."

Gomez's statement came a week after the release of internal Catholic church records. The records showed 15 years before the clergy sex abuse scandal came to light, Mahony and Curry discussed ways to conceal the molestation of children from law enforcement. Those records represent just a fraction of the files the church released Thursday. The Times is now reviewing those files.

More, "Church abuse: Action against Cardinal Mahony 'extraordinary'."

RELATED: "Mishandling of abuse cases threatens Mahony's legacy with Latinos."

California Republicans Propose Armed Guards for Schools

My youngest son's school is completely vulnerable to gunmen just storming in there and opening fire. There's no security at the front door. It's not locked. The classrooms are all inside with open, walk-in entries (you couldn't even hide behind a door --- there are no doors to the classrooms, with the exception of a few portables outside). But the bill has no chance, being that the once-Golden State has an all-Democrat government nowadays.

See the Los Angeles Times, "GOP legislators propose California school districts arm teachers."

Alabama Bunker Hostage Standoff

At CNN, "Questions swirl as man holds boy in Ala. underground bunker."

U.K. Donor Dads Win Right to See Their Kids

Seems to me that if a donor wanted children he'd just go start a family, but society's FUBAR these days, so nothing seems as it should.

At London's Daily Mail, "Donor dads win right to see their children and play a part in their lives: Landmark ruling could affect thousands."

David Byrne and St. Vincent

On Letterman's show this week:

From the album, "Love This Giant."

Clinton Reviews Tenure, Focusing on Syria and Iran

She's been indefatigable although relatively undistinguished, notwithstanding the praise from her cult worshipers.

At the New York Times

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that both Iran and Russia continued to provide military support to the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad and that there were indications that Iranian assistance was increasing.

The airstrike that Israel carried out on Wednesday in Syria on an arms convoy that was believed to be en route to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, and Iran’s subsequent warnings that the Israeli attack would lead to “grave consequences,” have raised concerns that the conflict is becoming a regional one.

Mrs. Clinton, who will leave her State Department post on Friday, declined to discuss the Israeli operation.

But she noted that Iran appeared to have stepped up its aid to the Assad government, including the number of military advisers it was sending to Syria and the quality of military equipment it was providing.

“The Iranians have made it clear for some time that keeping Assad in power is one of their highest priorities,” she said in her final meeting with reporters at the State Department. “There is a lot of concern that they are increasing the quality of the weapons because Assad is using up his weaponry. So it is numbers and it’s matériel.”

Russia’s backing for Mr. Assad, she added, remains a worry as well.

“The Russians are not passive bystanders in their support for Assad,” Mrs. Clinton said. “We have reasons to believe that the Russians continue to supply financial and military assistance in the form of equipment to Assad.” Mrs. Clinton outlined her vision of diplomacy in a speech on Thursday afternoon at the Council on Foreign Relations here, repeating her themes that economic development and the use of social media were important complements to military force and the other more traditional levers of power.

“We face challenges, from financial contagion to climate change to human and wildlife trafficking, that spill across borders and defy unilateral solutions,” she said. “The geometry of global power has become more distributed and diffuse as the challenges we face have become more complex and crosscutting.”

But the immediate problems her successor, John Kerry, the former Massachusetts senator, will face after he is sworn in on Friday involve bitter military conflicts and looming confrontations, including the deteriorating situation in Syria, the diplomatic standoff with Iran over its nuclear program, the turmoil in Egypt and the emergence of affiliates of Al Qaeda in North Africa.

Iran and major powers have yet to settle on a site and date for resuming talks on the Iranian nuclear program.

“I don’t think the window can remain open for too much longer,” Mrs. Clinton said. “I am not going to put days, weeks or months on it.”

More at that top link.

And see the Wall Street Journal, "Clinton's Exit: Either Epilogue or Prelude: Secretary Leaves Office With High Popularity and a Loyal Donor Network but Remains Diplomatic About Presidential Plans."

Michelle Malkin Does Double Facepalm at Ridiculous Department of Homeland Security 'Active Shooter' Video

Yes, it's truly unreal.

Michelle isn't rendered speechless very often, so this is something, with Eric Bolling. Scroll ahead to just after 2:00 minutes:

And see Jammie Wearing Fools, "Shear Madness: Department of Homeland Security Says You Should Use Scissors to Fight Off Gun Attacks." And the New York Post, "Homeland Security has advice for confronting mass murders: scissors."

Anti-Gun Advocates Heckle Woman Wanting to Defend Her Children During Gun Violence Hearing

From Katie Pavlich, at Townhall:

CAPITOL HILL -- During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill about how to prevent gun violence, Senior Fellow of the Independent Women’s Forum Gayle Trotter was loudly heckled by anti-gun advocates in the crowd after she suggested women need firearms to protect young children in their homes.

"An assault weapon in the hands of a young woman defending her babies at her home becomes a defense weapon,” Trotter said as jeers erupted. “Guns are the great equalizer during a violent confrontation.”...

Continue reading.

Bill Whittle's Afterburner: 'What Difference Does It Make?'

Via Theo Spark:

Gracie Carvalho Bikini Pics

Very nice.

At Popaholic, "Drool-Inducing Gracie Carvalho Candid Bikini Overload, Woohoo!" (Via Linkiest.)

The lady's on Twitter as well.

Obama's Shill Media Flood the Public With Disinformation

At IBD, "The 'Obamedia' Ignore Major Events, Fabricate Others":

Establishment media outlets disregard major story after major story, meanwhile a phony story gets made up. A constant diet of disinformation and outright lies does not a free, informed America make.

Have we become "AmeriKa"? Viewers of B-grade 1980s TV miniseries fare might remember that as the title of a more than 14-hour-long dramatization of life in the Land of the Free under Soviet control.

Would Communist Russia's TASS news agency or Pravda newspaper have been any more subservient to the party in power, the chief executive who leads it, or the ideology at their foundation than America's major media outlets are being to Barack Obama, the Democratic Party and their socialist-style liberalism?

How else to explain a virtual media blackout on allegations that a just-re-elected U.S. senator repeatedly patronized underage prostitutes on foreign visits?

If New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez were a conservative Republican, there would be a daily drumbeat of stories updating the latest revelations — the FBI confirming that four hookers admit attending a sex party with Menendez; the shamed senator reimbursing a big campaign donor for nearly $60,000; the thousands of dollars in contributions from that donor, Miami ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, to Al Gore, New York Sen. Charles Schumer, Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other Democrats; plus a prostitute's e-mail stating that Menendez "likes the youngest and newest girls."

If Menendez were a Republican, the media hurricane would dwarf what drove Rep. Mark Foley from office — whose crime was sending smutty computer messages to underage congressional pages. As then, the media would insist the GOP was tainted.

It's only thanks to web-based sources like Breitbart, Daily Caller and Gateway Pundit that this story has stayed on the screen.

Name checks. Cool.

More at that top link.

Here's That Video of Chuck Hagel Folding Under Withering Questioning by Sen. Ted Cruz

A follow up to my earlier report, as promised, "Chuck Hagel's Bumbling, Stumbling Testimony at Senate Confirmation Hearings":

More at Lonely Con, "Chuck Hagel’s Very Bad Day – Updated."

Casey Wian Reports on America's Unsecured Southern Border

A great report.

Wian used to be Lou Dobbs' main hard-hitting immigration reporter. Glad he's still telling like it is, on CNN amazingly.

Chuck Hagel's Bumbling, Stumbling Testimony at Senate Confirmation Hearings

Hagel's getting ripped on Twitter, and for good reason. God, he's looks like a blithering idiot:

And lots more at Twitchy, "Snort: Senators reportedly in ‘shock’ over Hagel’s ineptitude, bumbling," and "‘Cruzed’! Senator Cruz crushes Hagel; Chuck Todd, other lapdogs try to save Hagel, slam Cruz."

I'll update later when I find a video of Senator Cruz questioning Hagel.

Roast Beef With Nigella Lawson!

I rarely mark the calendar to watch a television show, but I'm thoroughly enjoying ABC's "The Taste." All the hosts are great, but I get a kick out of Ms. Lawson. She's on Twitter, naturally, and this is just my kind of meal:

Family feast: roast beef, buttery mash, red wine gravy, peas and broccoli; contentment a casa twitter.com/Nigella_Lawson…
— Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) January 31, 2013

RELATED: London's Daily Mail finds an excuse to post this woman's photo: "Why Nigella Lawson could offer the perfect shoulder to cry on: Women in their 50s have have the most empathy, study claims."

EXTRA: On Tuesday's show, the vegan chefs all got the boot, and rightly so. Their food looked atrocious and their politics disgusting. Check the comments at the vegan post for more on that, "Vegan Chef Featured on ABC’s New Show The Taste."

Patty Andrews, Last Surviving Member of the Andrews Sisters, Dead at 94

A fascinating obituary.

At LAT, "Patty Andrews dies at 94; Andrews Sisters' last surviving member":

They were the swinging, sassy voice of the homefront for U.S. service personnel overseas during World War II, singing catchy hit tunes such as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Rum and Coca Cola" that delighted Americans and catapulted the Andrews Sisters to the very top of the pop charts.

One of the most successful female recording groups in pop history, the sisters — LaVerne, Maxene and Patty Andrews — became a beloved American institution, lifting the nation's spirits during a conflict whose outcome seemed often in doubt.

When the war ended in 1945, it was even the Andrews Sisters who announced it, to 5,000 GI's during a USO concert in Italy as the men were heading for duty in the Pacific. The troops' commanding officer had interrupted the show, handing the women a note that was read aloud by the youngest, Patty Andrews.

"At first there was dead silence," her sister Maxene told The Times years later. "Then Patty repeated the message. 'This is really true,' she told them, and then she started to cry. Suddenly there was a roar. They knew they would be going home, and they did."

Patty Andrews, the group's lead singer and its last surviving member, died Wednesday of natural causes at her longtime home in Northridge, according to her attorney, Richard Rosenthal. She was 94. Maxene, the middle Andrews sister, died in 1995 and LaVerne, the eldest, in 1967.

The Andrews Sisters began singing professionally in 1932, when Patty was just 14, and scored their first major success in 1938 with an English version of the Yiddish song "Bei Mir Bist du Schoen" (or "To me, you're grand," as the sisters put it.) The song zoomed to No. 1 and made them overnight stars.

Continue reading.

More video here.

The Left's Assault on the Boy Scouts

Folks have no doubt heard the news, posted the other day at the Los Angeles Times, for example, "Boy Scouts considers lifting ban on gays."

The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the First Amendment protects the Boy Scouts' freedom of association, and as a religious-based organization, to allow homosexual scout members would violate its fundamental charter. The organization founding creed, if not the organization itself, will be destroyed. Of course this is exactly what the left wants, to destroy any and all private associations that don't toe the homo-collectivist agenda. We're moving toward a society bereft of freedom of conscience. Put aside the scandals that have rocked the Boy Scouts. These are reprehensible of themselves and should open up the group to scrutiny, reform, and criminal prosecution. But that should be it. But at a time when the group is facing outside review in any case is just when progressives swoop in for the kill.

See Art Moore, at WND, "Why Scouts are rethinking 'gay' policy. Activists shamed corporate donors that tout diversity, tolerance":

The Boy Scouts of America’s apparent decision to reverse a century-old policy to bar homosexuals from its ranks coincides with a sudden drop in major corporate funding that began last summer after a gay-rights blogger for the Huffington Post published a collaborative report that named the donors and chastised them for violating their own policy of not discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

At the same time, two prominent board members – including an adviser to the Obama White House – were carrying out a vow to change the policy from within.

Published in collaboration with The American Independent, the report called out Intel, United Parcel Service, United Way, Merck and others for contributing to an organization with a stated policy of banning homosexuals from membership.

The report came less than two months after the BSA affirmed its policy at the conclusion of a two-year examination of the issue by a committee of volunteers convened by national BSA leaders.

The Boy Scouts’ national headquarters in Texas said it is not granting interviews at the moment but invited questions submitted by email. Questions posed by WND were not answered, however.

At the time of the September report, shipping giant UPS insisted the Scouts’ policy would not impact its donations, which totaled close to $167,000 in 2010, the most recent year for which data was available for most companies.

However, bolstered by a petition drive by the homosexual-rights group Scouts for Equality, Intel – which led the way in 2010 corporate giving with $700,000 – announced that month it would stop funding Scout troops that adhere to the ban.

UPS followed Intel’s lead and also cut off its funding.

In December, Merck issued a statement saying it could not “continue to provide support to an organization with a policy that is contrary to one of our core beliefs.”

“We remain ready and willing to re-consider our funding position in the event that the BSA were to revise its policy,” the statement said.

At the moment, the Verizon Foundation, which donated more than $300,000 in 2010 is facing heat as more than 70,000 people have signed a petition asking the corporation to stop funding the Scouts.

The American Interest report said 23 of the top 50 corporate foundations, ranked by the Foundation Center in terms of total charitable giving, gave at least $10,000 each to the Boy Scouts in 2010.

Combined, they donated about $3.6 million.

Reversal

The Boy Scouts, with more than 2.7 million youth members and more than 1 million adult members, reaffirmed its policy on homosexuals July 17 upon the recommendation of an 11-member committee that had been meeting since 2010.

The policy states: “While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA.”

But last week, the national office signaled a reversal ahead of its national board meeting next week.

Speaking for the BSA National Council, Director of Public Relations Deron Smith explained the organization is discussing allowing, the local, chartered organizations that oversee Scouting to establish their own requirements.

BSA members and parents “would be able to choose a local unit which best meets the needs of their families,” Smith said.

He said BSA leadership “has always been in an ongoing dialogue with the Scouting family to determine what is in the best interest of the organization and the young people we serve.”

Continue reading.

And from Robert Knight, at USA Today, "Boy Scouts shouldn't abandon morality." And more at LAT, "Boy Scouts gay ban generating emotional debate on both sides."

IMAGE CREDIT: Now the End Begins.

Dan Marino's Secret Love Child

Man, this is juicy.

At the New York Post, "EXCLUSIVE: NFL legend Dan Marino had a love child with CBS employee in 2005." The baby mama, Donna Savattere, started "living large" after the multi-million dollar settlement:

Marino agreed to pay Savattere millions to care for Chloe, sources say, and she moved to Texas as part of the deal.

It’s not clear exactly how much Marino paid. But after getting the dough, Savattere apparently started living large.

She soon returned to New York from the Lone Star State, splitting her time between the Upper West Side and the Hamptons, where she became a fixture on the social scene.

She was even snapped by society photographers such as Patrick McMullan and New York Social Diary.

More at WeSmirch.

Israel Bombs Suspected Shipment of Anti-Aircraft Missiles Inside Syria

At the Wall Street Journal, "Israeli Jets Blast Arms Shipment Inside Syria":

Israel bombed a suspected shipment of antiaircraft missiles in Syria on Wednesday, according to regional and U.S. officials, in its most ambitious strike inside its neighbor's territory in nearly two chaotic years of civil war there.

The early-morning strike in a border area west of Damascus targeted a convoy of trucks carrying Russian-made SA-17 missiles to Hezbollah, the anti-Israel Shiite militant and political group in Lebanon, according to a Western official briefed on the raid.

Israeli officials declined to comment on the report, and to a Syrian allegation that Israel had bombed a Syrian military facility.

A strike draws Israel further into Syria's conflict—a civil war that has already deepened the region's divides as its powers have taken sides with arms and funding. It also marked a challenge to Iran, which has backed and financed Hezbollah.

"An attack of any kind is a major escalation," said Timor Goksel, an expert on Hezbollah and a professor at American University in Beirut. "Why would Israel do this out of the blue?"

The answer, according to several Western officials and security analysts, is that Israel took a calculated risk that Syria's government, strained by its own internal war, would choose not to retaliate. Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Iran—both facing coming elections and financial challenges—would also be unlikely to strike back at Israel now.

In addition to taking out weapons that could be used by Hezbollah against Israeli warplanes in a future conflict, Israel sent what amounted to a message of warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran against attempting to transfer any chemical or biological weapons to Hezbollah, U.S. and Western officials said. The use of such weapons has been singled out by President Barack Obama as a "red line" that could trigger a U.S. intervention.

Syria maintained that the accounts of a strike on an arms convoy near the country's border with Lebanon were wrong. Instead, Syria's military said, Israeli jets had attacked a military facility near Damascus.

"Israeli warplanes violated our airspace at dawn today and directly struck one of the scientific research centers responsible for elevating resistance and self-defense capabilities in the area of Jamraya in the Damascus countryside," Syria's military said in a statement carried by the official Sana news agency. The attack killed two workers and injured five others, it said, and "caused significant material damage and the destruction of the complex" and an adjacent parking lot.

Continue reading.

Report: IRA Assassins Plotting Terrorist Attack on G8 Summit in Northern Ireland

This whole world is descending into chaos.

This is like a headline from the 1970s.

At Sun UK, "IRA G8 bomb plot fear as world leaders gather for summit in Northern Ireland":

A rebel group, calling itself the New IRA, knows a bomb spectacular would hijack global headlines.

PM David Cameron, US President Barack Obama and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will be among those meeting in Enniskillen in June.

A Whitehall source said: “We can’t rule out some cowardly attack.”

The renegade terror group plotting to wreck the summit has 700 members, security chiefs warn.

Five militant groups opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process have joined forces to form the New IRA.

The summit, at the five-star loch-side Lough Erne hotel in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, will also be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Canadian PM Stephen Harper, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and Italian PM Mario Monti, if he is re-elected next month.

A senior Whitehall source said: “We are very confident that the G8 venue is completely secure.

“But we can’t rule out the possibility of some kind of cowardly attack in another part of the Province.”

It's like a Robert Ludlum novel, or something. A throwback, in any case.

Still more at that top link.

ObamaCare's Insurance Exchanges Are Already Turning Into a Disaster

At IBD:

Devoted users of Internet radio apps like Pandora may soon hear unexpected sound bites on their favorite music channels — ads touting ObamaCare.

That's right. In an attempt to drum up support for the law's health insurance exchanges, some states are planning advertising campaigns that could include everything from pro-ObamaCare coffee-cup sleeves to spots on popular music-streaming sites.

But no amount of advertising spin can obscure the fact that ObamaCare's insurance exchanges are shaping up to be disasters — saddling some consumers with higher premiums and state taxpayers with significant new spending obligations.

ObamaCare calls for the creation of state-administered health insurance exchanges, where Americans without employer-provided coverage can shop for government-approved policies. Enrollment is scheduled to begin Oct. 1, and coverage will take effect in 2014.

Those with incomes between 133% and 400% of the federal poverty level — up to $92,200 for a family of four as of 2012 — will qualify for federal subsidies.

States were given the choice of setting up their own exchanges, partnering with the federal government, or letting the feds handle things entirely.

Nineteen have opted for the first choice, and seven have signed on for a partnership.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is among the 25 governors who have refused to set up a state-based exchange. As Walker noted, "No matter which option is chosen, Wisconsin taxpayers will not have meaningful control over the health care policies and services sold to Wisconsin residents."

Walker is right. The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) dictates that all policies sold on the exchanges must meet one of four classifications: platinum, gold, silver or bronze. These categories indicate the percentage of health costs a plan covers for the average person: 90% for a platinum policy, 80% for gold, and so on.

Deductibles for all plans will be capped at $5,950 for individuals and $11,900 for families, with the limits adjusted over time for inflation. Such mandates prevent insurers from offering low-cost products that may best fit a family's budget.

ObamaCare doesn't just set the rules — it also tasks states with enforcing them.

The whole thing's a disaster, but continue reading.

Ignore Lena Dunham's 'Girls' at Your Own Peril, Conservatives

Well, I watched if for myself, despite R.S. McCain's warnings.

But see Kurt Schlichter, at Big Hollywood:

There’s plenty about Girls to annoy conservatives, yet this often creepy, usually skeevy, critically-acclaimed HBO series is also a test for conservatives.

Will we finally heed Andrew Breitbart's warnings about the importance of taking pop culture seriously or just keep fiddling as the culture burns?

If conservatives are going to be in the popular culture – and act to change it – they can’t simply ignore shows like Girls that capture the zeitgeist, even if the zeitgeist makes their skin crawl. Season two is well under way, and conservatives need to participate in the discussion.

Continue reading.

Late Cartoons

I meant to post cartoons on Sunday but never did get around to it, via William Warren:

More at Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."

Also at Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's Sunday Funnies," and Theo Spark, "Cartoon Roundup."

Still more at Jill Stanek's, "Stanek Sunday funnies, “40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade” edition."

Suspect Shot and Killed in Attempted Home Invasion in Fairborn, Ohio

Well, shouldn't this be flooding the news channels, considering everything else?

At Instapundit, "WAIT, I THOUGHT THIS KIND OF THING NEVER HAPPENED: Home Invasion Suspect Dies of Gunshot Wound."

More at WDTN-TV 2 Dayton, "Dayton man fatally shot in Victoria Ave. home former Ponitz grad."

Garrett McNamara Surfs 'World Record 100-Foot Wave' at Nazaré in Portugal

This is cool:

Gun Control Debate Intensifies in Senate Hearing

At the Los Angeles Times:

WASHINGTON -- There was little common ground between gun-control advocates and opponents at the first congressional hearing on guns since the massacre of children and teachers at Newtown, Conn.

“This is such a hard debate because people have such fixed positions,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said, underscoring the entrenchment on display during the hearing put together to prevent future gun violence.

Headlined by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and her husband, Mark Kelly, and National Rifle Assn. Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre, the Senate hearing focused on gun ownership, law enforcement and mental health issues brought to the forefront by the spree of mass shootings last year.

Kelly echoed his wife's emotional opening to the proceedings, strongly calling for universal background checks that he said would at least delay and impede criminals or mentally troubled individuals from obtaining firearms through legal means.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the committee, engaged in a heated exchange with LaPierre, pressing the NRA leader on his opposition to background checks at gun shows, which currently are subjected to minimal federal regulations.

“Please, Mr. LaPierre, I'm not trying to play games here,” Leahy said curtly following an answer he regarded as insufficient, prompting LaPierre to clearly state his opposition to the background checks.

“It does not make sense to extend the law to hobbyists and private sellers,” LaPierre said, claiming that “the law right now is a failure,” and any background check extensions will be ineffectual due to improper enforcement by federal prosecutors.

A full video of LaPierre's testimony is here.

And see the commentary at Memeorandum.

Added: At the Right Scoop, "Dishonest Dick Durbin smears NRA at hearing, uses dishonest tactics with panelists."

Hadiya Pendleton, Honors Student Who Performed at Inaugural Events, Shot to Death in Chicago, Blocks From Obama's Home

Here's your national gun crisis, or it should be if American politics wasn't FUBAR.

At the Chicago Tribune, "January homicide count worst since 2002" (via Memeorandum).

And, "Girl who performed at Obama inaugural events slain on South Side," and Teen shooting victim was 'slaughtered,' says brother, 10," and "

Also at London's Daily Mail, "Honors student, 15, who performed in school band at Obama inauguration falls victim days later to Chicago murder epidemic - just a few blocks from the President's home."

Photo Credit: J A Y Dubb on Twitter.

Christina Milian Hot Bikini Collection

This ought to perk up the late risers this morning:

And see London's Daily Mail, "Christina Milian struggles to contain her curves as she hits Miami Beach in a plunging swimsuit."

CNN Drops Soledad O'Brien's 'Starting Point' — Show's Ratings Trailed Behind Robin Meade's Headline News 'Morning Express'

Well, old Soledad couldn't even beat out Robin Meade for the morning doctor's office demographic. CNN's resident Obama attack dog is on the way out, at least for now.

See The Other McCain, "CNN’s ‘Poorly Rated’ @Soledad_OBrien Will Lose Her Show Nobody Watched."

Unexpectedly! U.S. Economy Contracts in Fourth Quarter of 2012

The economy's shrinking and the Democrats are doing everything else besides working to fix it. That's not what we were promised during the campaign, but you already knew that. And that's Rick Santelli at the clip below, ranting away like only he knows how, apparently. As noted, I feel that populist insurrection rising, and it's not just over the libelous gun control narrative. The permanent political class is systemically worsening economic conditions to further cement its grip on power. Think about it.

At the Wall Street Journal, "U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Contracts in Fourth Quarter":

U.S. economic momentum screeched to a halt in the final months of 2012, as lawmakers' struggle to reach a deal on tax increases and budget cuts likely led businesses to pare inventories and the government to cut spending.

The nation's gross domestic product shrank for the first time in 3 1/2 years during the fourth quarter, declining at an annual rate of 0.1% between October and December, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

It was the first time the broad measure of all goods and services produced by the economy contracted since the recovery from the financial crisis began. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected 1.0% annualized growth.

The decline reflects worries about the so-called fiscal cliff. The economy reversed from a 3.1% pace of growth in the third quarter largely because federal government spending fell by 15% and private business, likely fearing slack in demand, let inventories dwindle.

"Think of it as a giant hand holding down the economy," said Tim Hopper, chief economist at TIAA-CREF. "The underlying fundamentals are quite strong."

With the worst effects of the pending budget cuts and tax increases averted after Congress and the White House reached an agreement this month, Mr. Hopper said he expects the economy to return to moderate growth this year.

However, tax increases and possible federal budget cuts could weigh on advances in the first half of the year, said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group PNC +0.03% . Exports are still a concern because of the recession in Europe.

"The economy has less momentum going into 2013 than initially thought, making it vulnerable to external shocks," Mr. Hoffman said in a research note. "A turnaround in the housing market will be a key support to the economy this year."

For all of 2012, gross domestic product expanded 2.2%, an improvement compared with 1.8% growth in 2011.

The decline in federal spending last quarter was the largest drop since 1973. Spending at all levels of government fell 6.6% in the period.

And see all the buzz at Memeorandum. The idiot leftist are blaming it on the decline in defense spending, losers.

Why Hillary Clinton Will Run in 2016

Look, Hillary Clinton will run. She's been spinning her machinations since before her philandering presidential husband left office. At this point it's just a matter of predicting when she'll make the announcement of her candidacy.

See Dorothy Rabinowitz, "Hillary's Future":

It was impossible to miss the foreshadowings of the future as Hillary Clinton's week of public appearances wound down to its ending. This, was, of course, the arranged love fest on "60 Minutes," a program that was once the pride of CBS, an unequalled model of investigative journalism. Whatever the object of this piece of investigation was would have been hard to say—but its results, like Mrs. Clinton's appearance before the Congress earlier in the week, left us with a powerful sense of the candidacy to come in 2016. A candidacy not only very much like the one that culminated in the victory of Barack Obama—but one modeled on all its claims, its assumptions.

Mr. Obama had won office despite an astounding lack of experience and a negligible record. His indisputable political skills, his race and all symbolic values attached thereto—not to mention the promise, now apparently abandoned, of a new and unified America that transcended race—had swept him into office. No one can miss the parallel track the outgoing secretary of state is set to pursue.

What is already clear—what should stand out blazing in neon—are the extraordinary claims now being made for Mrs. Clinton's achievements as secretary of state. One of the greatest secretaries of state America has known, according to the president—and his is one of the more modest assessments. It's not the sort of view, to be sure, for which she can be held responsible, but it is an indicator of the passions that would drive her candidacy for the White House: the first woman president.

No one would dispute Mrs. Clinton's hard work, her travels across the globe, her famous capacity to show up armed with encyclopedic detail on every issue, every side of every question. She has been the most dutiful of secretaries of state, has obligingly and diligently carried forth Mr. Obama's designs for shrinking the American presence in the world. She leaves office having left behind no imprint of a vision, no evidence of concerns other than the dictates of diligent obedience.

The Magic of Jerusalem

Via Israel Matzav:

Gabrielle Giffords Testimony Before Senate Gun Control Hearing

I hate to say this, but it's time for Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords to limit their political exposure. It's painful to watch Giffords testify and as Althouse reported earlier, she's vulnerable to political exploitation by the gun-grabbing left.

At London's Daily Mail, "'Too many children are dying, the time to act is now': Gabrielle Giffords makes emotional plea to Senate on gun violence."

Neil Heslin Wasn't Heckled

I took an interest in this story initially because I've posted a couple of times on Neil Heslin. Just seeing the headline, I thought, "You know, they should just let that guy say his piece." But I moved on to other topics and by yesterday afternoon the story had been brutally debunked on Twitchy, "Outrageous: How the left-wing media lied about Newtown ‘hecklers’." The radical left really went to town on this, eyeing a decisive takedown of conservative gun rights supporters:

Father of Newtown victim heckled by gun advocates at legislative hearing goo.gl/yIVT5
— The Raw Story (@RawStory) January 29, 2013

Pro-gun activists heckled the father of a 6-year-old Newtown victim. gaw.kr/DAT8wWf
— Gawker (@Gawker) January 29, 2013

Father of 6-year-old killed in Newtown heckled by pro-gun activists huff.to/1177Vt0
— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) January 29, 2013

Father of #SandyHook victim is heckled during gun control testimony. Really. : on.msnbc.com/Wz8NVt
— msnbc (@msnbc) January 29, 2013

Mediate ran a piece last night reluctantly confirming that Twitchy debunked the left's malicious meme, "Did The Media Blatantly Mischaracterize Video Of Newtown Father Being 'Heckled' By 'Gun Nuts'? (VIDEO)."

And now MSNBC, which salaciously ran the false edited video clip of the alleged "heckling," is doing a review of its libelous reporting, "MSNBC ‘reviewing’ Newtown ‘heckled’ video" (at Memeorandum).

Check over at Twitchy for more, for example, "Ace of Spades shreds media for perpetuating Newtown heckling hoax."

Ruth Wisse on the Future of Conservatism

See, "What Is the Future of Conservatism?":

I take this presidential election as a call for university reform as well as tax reform. For a start, I suggest citizens challenge the use of “diversity” for racial and gender profiling and argue for reinvestment in teaching the foundational texts of Western thought. To conserve our liberal democracy, conservatives and other concerned citizens will have to work harder.

RTWT.

Mission Creep in Mali? Britain's Growing Military Commitment

At Independent UK, "Gamble for Africa: Mali mission sucks in 350 British troops":

Britain’s growing military commitment to Mali and West Africa is likely to pass 400 within a matter of weeks, sparking fears of “mission creep” and cross-party criticism that UK forces are being sucked into a Vietnam-style conflict without a defined exit strategy.

A fortnight ago David Cameron promised that Britain would only send “tens, not hundreds” of troops to help the French-led operation. That prediction from the Prime Minister has been shredded as UK assistance to the French-led operation has significantly increased.

The growing importance of the unrest in West Africa was highlighted last night when Downing Street announced the PM would be flying to Algeria tomorrow for urgent talks with Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal.

Mr Cameron was already scheduled to attend a development conference in Monrovia, Liberia, but added the Algerian meeting following the recent hostage crisis at the Amenas gas plant which left six Britons and 47 others dead.

Number 10 said the discussions were likely to include the military campaign in Mali, a neighbour-state to Algeria.

The Defence Secretary Phil Hammond was forced to make a statement to the Commons today admitting that troop numbers in the region would substantially rise with new support for an EU training mission in Mali and up to 200 additional personnel who will assist a United Nations-backed training programme for forces from neighbouring West African states.

UK military advisers are already in place helping the UN’s Africa-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). Ground and technical support teams for a Sentinel surveillance aircraft plus two C-17 transport planes protected by combat-ready troops from the RAF Regiment, have also been deployed.

Around 20 British personnel are in the Malian capital, Bamako, liaising with French forces that have already passed the 3500 mark. Further British military assistance in the form of a specialist ferry to help land French armoured vehicles at ports in Senegal or The Gambia, alongside the offer of expert personnel to help staff a joint UK-French logistics headquarters in Mali , is also being considered.

Britain’s national security adviser, Sir Kim Darroch, has been in Paris this week holding talks with his French counterparts. The talks – focused on France’s short-term military shopping list for Mali – suggest the UK’s role could grow...

Well, Britannia's not ruling the waves these days, that's for sure. You'd think the country which once boasted the world's most powerful empire could handled deploying a few hundred commandos to Central Africa. Sheesh.

New York Times Publishes Anti-Israel Screed by Radical Law Professor George Bisharat

Professor Bisharat has a long history of bashing Israel, it turns out. See, "George Bisharat uses NYT to publish out-of-context accusations":

Meet George Bisharat, currently a professor at the UC Hastings College of Law. Bisharat was born in 1954 in Kansas, to a Palestinian family from Jerusalem, eventually earning BA in Berkeley and MA in Georgetown. Later, Bisharat studied in Harvard, and assumed position of professor of law at University of California. Bisharat is an author of ‘Palestinian Lawyers and Israeli Rule: Law and Disorder in the West Bank’, worked with Palestinian Legislative Council and on editorial board of Journal of Palestine Studies.

I believe the above gives us clear understanding of Bisharat’s allegiance; however, it is also clear he is a smart man. Bisharat criticized Israel’s conduct in 2006 Second Lebanon War, pushes for the boycott of Israel, alleges Israel’s conduct in 2008 Gaza campaign constitutes war crimes and an avid supporter of a one-state solution (read: Israel ceases being a Jewish state).

Well, that's pretty much a perfect criticism of Bisharat's hit job at today's New York Times, "Why Palestine Should Take Israel to Court in the Hague." Virtually every one of Bisharat's attacks on Israel are decontextualized, and this one's a blatant falsehood:

No doubt, Israel is most worried about the possibility of criminal prosecutions for its settlements policy. Israeli bluster notwithstanding, there is no doubt that Jewish settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are illegal. Israeli officials have known this since 1967, when Theodor Meron, then legal counsel to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and later president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, wrote to one of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol’s aides: “My conclusion is that civilian settlement in the administered territories contravenes the explicit provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

Under the founding statute of the I.C.C., grave violations of the Geneva Conventions, including civilian settlements in occupied territories, are considered war crimes.

Bull. See Danny Ayalon, "Israel Palestinian Conflict: The Truth About the West Bank." And especially Professor Michael Curtis, "Israeli Settlements an Obstacle to Peace?":

International law gives no clear answer on the issue of Israeli settlements. The Fourth Geneva Convention does forbid government deportation or "individual or mass forcible transfers" of population into territory it occupies. This Convention was formulated because of the activities during World War II of the Nazi regime, and by inference the Soviet Union, in transferring population into occupied territory for political or racial reasons, or for colonization. As a result of those activities, millions were subjected to forced migration, expulsion, slave labor, and extermination. On this issue two factors are pertinent. One is that Israeli governments have not aimed at any displacement of the population in any of the disputed areas. The other is that neither the Geneva Convention nor any other law prevents the establishment of voluntary settlements on an individual basis, nor on their location, if the underlying purpose is security, public order, or safety, and as long as the settlements do not involve taking private property. It is absurd to suggest that the state of Israel "deported" or "transferred" its own citizens to the territories.

This conclusion was buttressed by a report, in July 2012, of the independent Israeli three-member committee, headed by former Supreme Court Justice Edmund Levy, which held that the classic laws of "occupation" do not apply to "the unique and sui generis historic and legal circumstances of Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria spanning over decades." The committee held that consequently Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria, and that the establishment of settlements is not illegal.

Bisharat's not an honest commentator on Israel. And it turns out he's a contibutor at the anti-Semitic hate site Mondoweiss. (Last summer Armin Rosen posted a devastating take down of Mondoweiss, at the Atlantic, "A Reminder That Anti-Semitism Has No Place in Debates Over Israel.") And while I enjoy reading the New York Times, as readers can tell, the editors should be ashamed at publishing such a shitty little piece of anti-Israel propaganda.

Beth Humphreys for Front Magazine February 2013

At Egotastic!, "Beth Humphreys Topless Teasy Tasty Hot for Front Magazine (Prepare to Fall in Lust)."

Matt Lauer Interview With Epic Hypocrite Al 'Jazeera' Gore

It's really hard to find a bigger hypocrite than Al Gore. He just keeps putting out.

Lauer: "Isn't there a bit of hypocrisy in this" sale to Al Jazeera? Gore: "Well, I get the criticism. I just disagree with it, because this network has established itself. It's objective. It's won major awards in countries around the world. And its climate coverage, as I said a minute ago, has been outstanding and extensive..."

That's it? As long as Al Jazeera has "extensive" climate coverage no hypocrisy here. Check. Asshole.

And at Washington Free Beacon, "Gore Defends Current Sale to Oil-Backed Al Jazeera." And at Accuracy in Media, "Al Gore Says He Isn’t A Hypocrite for Selling Current TV to Al Jazeera [Video]."

Bloody Bodies Line River in Allepo, Syria

At the New York Times, "Fifty Corpses Line a River in Aleppo."

Also at Telegraph UK, "Aleppo executions: 79 bodies pulled from Syria river":

At least 79 Syrian men and teenage boys, each with a single bullet hole to the head, have been found dead in a river in Aleppo in the biggest mass execution of the country’s two-year civil war.

Some of the bodies had been so recently killed that blood still flowed from their wounds. Others had clearly lain stagnant in the water for days, their bodies bloated and the skin disintegrating and grey.

The hands of each had been roughly tied with string or wire. Each had circular wound in their forehead or eye. The large exit wounds at the backs of their heads suggested they had been shot at close range.

Family members arrived in their hundreds to identify missing sons, saying many had disappeared after crossing from rebel-held territory in Aleppo into regime areas on the other side of the river.

It was impossible to be certain who was responsible for their deaths. But those identified, at least half the total by nightfall, were from rebel-held districts, and locals blamed government checkpoints on the other side of the river.

Day of Resistance

John Hawkins talking about the national Day of Resistance:

I love the rallies. The tea parties tapered off but now we may be having Second Amendment parties. More at DayofResistance.com and Right Wing News.

'Crazy Crackers'

OMG this is hilarious:

MSNBC's @finneyk rails against the "hateful language" of the "Crazy Crackers on the Right". #newtone #racism youtube.com/watch?v=bU-4aq…
— Lefty Bollocks (@LeftyBollocks) January 29, 2013

Via Mediaite and Memeorandum.