House Dems Seek Tax Hikes on Wealthy to Pay for Health Reform

From the New York Times, "House Democrats Plan to Tax the Wealthy to Pay for Health Care Reform":

To pay for a sweeping overhaul of the health care system, House Democrats will propose a surtax on individuals earning $280,000 and up and couples earning more than $350,000, the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee said on Friday.

In all, the proposal is projected to generate roughly $550 billion over 10 years, which would cover about half of the estimated cost of the $1-trillion-plus health care legislation. The balance of the cost is expected to be covered by lower government spending on Medicare and other savings in the health care system.

But it remains unclear if the Senate would approve such an across-the-board income tax on the wealthy. Although some Democrats said they would gladly vote to tax the rich to pay for an improved health care system, most if not all Republicans and some centrist Democrats seem to be opposed.

Plus, see The Hill, "House to Target Wealthy to Pay for Healthcare,"and "Band of House Centrists Offers Support for ‘Robust’ Public Health Insurance Plan" (via Memeorandum).

Also, from ABC News, "While the President's Away, Health Care will Stray?"

The big liberal blogs are all over this story (see Firedoglake, TPMDC). The only conservative is Karl at Hot Air, "Obamacare Faces a Backlash from the Center-Left."

Interesting exit question: Why are Democrats proposing TAX INCREASES during a recession? (And don't forget the hypocrisy; Barack Obama hammered John McCain during the campaign for his plan's proposal to tax employee health benefits, "Taxing Employee Benefits to Pay for Obama Health Care Plan Still an Option.")

More at Memeorandum.

Public Consistently Opposes Same-Sex Marriage

Pew Research has published a new report, "The Gay Marriage Debate: Where It Stands":

Most supporters of same-sex marriage contend that gay and lesbian couples should be treated no differently than their heterosexual counterparts and that they should be able to marry like anyone else. Beyond wanting to uphold the legal principles of nondiscrimination and equal treatment, supporters say there are very practical reasons behind the fight for marriage equity. They point out, for instance, that homosexual couples who have been together for years often find themselves without the basic rights and privileges that are currently enjoyed by heterosexual couples who legally marry -- from the sharing of health and pension benefits to hospital visitation rights.

Most social conservatives and others who oppose same-sex marriage argue that marriage between a man and a woman is the bedrock of a healthy society because it leads to stable families and, ultimately, to children who grow up to be productive adults. Allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed, they contend, will radically redefine marriage and further weaken it at a time when the institution is already in serious trouble as a result of high divorce rates and a significant number of out-of-wedlock births. Moreover, many predict that giving gay couples the right to marry will ultimately lead to granting people in polygamous and other nontraditional relationships the right to marry as well.

See also Pew's primary report, "Public Opinion on Gay Marriage: Opponents Consistently Outnumber Supporters."

I'm struck by that tailing uptick of opposition to same-same marriage in the chart above. It's not large, but the 5 point increase of those opposed coincides with the extreme left-wing demonization and outing campaign following the passage of Proposition 8 last November. Diana West argued that the brutalization inflicted on supporters of the initiative was as "soul-grinding as something out of Soviet show trial history." And if we recall what's happened in the last 8 months, no state has voted by popular majority to define marriage as including two men or two women. It's just not how it's done. Meanwhile, the survey data show that Americans favor some kind of civil unions for same-sex partners. Gay marriage is not a civil right. Further as we can see, there is some bedrock of marriage traditionalism that transcends partisanship, race, and gender. And the reality is that the radical left has been intent to virtually crucify those not kowtowing to the nihilist agenda.

Interestingly, today's New York Times features the latest example of an enduring traditionalism that rises above the stereotypical categories of radical identity politics. It turns out that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is looking to remove the Rev. Eric P. Lee, its Los Angeles chapter president. Rev. Lee is a gay marriage activist and thus out of step with not just the SCLC, but with the 70 percent of black voters in California who voted to preserve the historic conception of marriage last year. Responding to this, Darren Lenard Hutchinson, the black radical law professor at the American University, attacked the SCLC as a bigoted organization that has betrayed its "rich history of progressive advocacy."

Actually, the old-line civil rights groups have become key constituencies in the fight for the preservation of moral values in society today. Black folks know that it's a slap in the face to equate same-sex marriage rights to the horrors blacks faced through the battles of the freedom struggle. It's kind of sad to see a black professor, Darren Lenard Hutchinson, so deeply ignorant of that element of the civil rights legacy. For more on this, see Eugene Rivers and Kenneth Johnson, "Same-Sex Marriage: Hijacking the Civil Rights Legacy."

More commentary at Memeorandum.

Graphic Credit: Pew Research.

The Hurt Locker is Cinematic Tour De Force

From the Washington Post, "'Locker' Serves as Iraq Tour De Force":

"War is a drug," writes Christopher Hedges in the epigraph that precedes "The Hurt Locker." Someone else described war as "interminable boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror." Director Kathryn Bigelow comprehends both those observations and conveys them in this captivating, completely immersive action thriller. "The Hurt Locker" just happens to be set in Iraq in 2004, but, like the best films, transcends time and place, and in the process attains something universal and enduring. "The Hurt Locker" is about Iraq in the same way that "Paths of Glory" was about World War I or "Full Metal Jacket" was about Vietnam -- which is to say, utterly and not at all. "The Hurt Locker" is a great movie, period.

Read the whole review, here. The official movie homepage is here.

Ed Morrissey reviewed the film a couple of weeks ago, "Film Review: The Hurt Locker." He notes a key point:

Unlike all of the other films about Iraq, The Hurt Locker does not take a position on the politics of the war; instead, it focuses on high-tension situations for an occupying force and the populace, and the dangers of fighting an insurgency. It almost gives a sense of suffocating paranoia, especially in the early sequences of the movie. In that sense, the audience can appreciate The Hurt Locker without the rancor of the war debate influencing it.

Go see it!

Obama, G-8 Make Little Headway on Global Warming

From the Los Angeles Times, "Despite Obama's Pledge, G-8 Makes Little Headway on Global Warming":

Addressing leaders of the world's most important economies early Thursday, President Obama wasted no time in proclaiming a new day for U.S. policy on climate change.

"I know that in the past, the United States has sometimes fallen short of meeting our responsibilities," he said. "So let me be clear: Those days are over."

But by the end of the day, when the Group of 8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, wrapped up its deliberations on climate, Obama found himself stymied by many of the same roadblocks that plagued previous efforts to tackle global warming.

Leaders of the most developed nations again declined to commit themselves to any specific actions now or in the immediate future to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming -- actions that would require increasing energy prices, raising taxes or imposing other unpopular economic measures on their people.

Instead, they embraced the high-sounding goal of reducing their own emissions by 80% and worldwide emissions by 50% by 2050 -- without pledging to take any specific steps to get there. China, India and other major developing countries, which pressed for action in the next decade by the G-8 countries, reacted by rejecting the package.

See also, "G-8 Climate-Change Agreement Falls Short." And, "Hysteria Is the Real threat, Not Global Warming."

Related: "Al Gore Sued by 30,000 Scientists for Fraud for Global Warming Scam."

Cartoon Credit: Americans for Limited Government and William Warren.

Left's Derangement Continues as Palin Attacked as 'Jewish-American Princess'

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is still dominating the news today. Matthew Continetti's getting some pushback for singing Palin's praises at the Weekly Standard.

But actuallly, the more the anti-Palin media circus rolls along, the more it looks like Governor Palin made the right decision to step down. Case in point is this post from TBogg at Firedoglake. He sure hasn't lost his genuine demon style, "Sarah Palin Is Now a Jewish-American Princess and We’re All Gonna Die."

It turns out he's picking up on "The Esther Syndrome" slur that's been making its way around the left's netroots, and the mainstream press. Apparently a Palin cross-bearer is the harbinger of end times. I guess there's a market for this stuff. Or you tell me, after reading TBogg:

So you should probably start doing all of those things that you've been putting off doing like going to Paris, finishing the libretto for Reservoir Dogs: The Musical, putting the laundry away, solving the Riemann hypothesis, and having sex with Jennifer Aniston because there isn't much time left.

I'd move that Aniston one up to maybe number two. The laundry can wait.

Pool Club Pres. Sorry for Jim Crow Policies; Meanwhile, Left Stays Mum on Duesler Bigotry, Hammers GOP's Audra Shay as 'Endorsing Racism'!

Democrat John Duesler, the President of North Philadelphia's Valley Swim Club, has apologized for his pool club's racist policies. According to the Philadelphia Enquirer:

The president of a suburban swim club at the center of a racial discrimination controversy said today safety factors - not racism - prompted the pool to rescind a contract with a Northeast Philadelphia day camp.

John Duesler also said he chose his words poorly in an earlier statement explaining why the the Valley Club was ending its arrangement with the predominantly black and Hispanic camp.

In that statement to NBC10, he said, "There is a lot of concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion ... the atmosphere of the club."

"This is a terrible misinterpretation of what I stand for. This is just wrong," Duesler said while standing with his wife Bernice at the pool's gate. "That was a terrible choice of words, I admit."

He said that what he meant to convey was the number of campers in the pool compared to the number of available lifeguards had created an unsafe environment.

Recall that John Duesler is a huge Obama backer. See, "Philly Pool Kids Booter Is Obama Fan." And Duesler's Obama blood-drive at BarackObama.com, "O Positive Blood Drive." See also, Moe Lane, "Yes, the President of the Valley Swim Club is a John G Duesler, Jr."

No word yet from yesterday's outraged leftists (see, pandagon.net, Jack & Jill Politics, Gawker, Unreported, and Alas, a blog). No doubt, the netroots racial investigators went mum once they found out Duesler was a Democrat!

Meanwhile, these folks continue to excoriate Republicans as bigots. See The Daily Beast, "The GOP's Young Hatemonger: Audra Shay, Accused of Endorsing Racism on Facebook, Is Favored to Become the Head of the Young Republicans Tomorrow."

Now that's a classic case study in the double-standards of the Democratic-left!

See also, Nice Deb, "More On The PA Swim Club Racial Incident."

Video Hat Tip: CBS News, "Pool to Minority Kids: You Can't Swim Here." Also reporting, NBC Philadelphia, "Swim Club Members: 'Nothing to Do With Race'."

What is a Paleoconservative?

The Classical Liberal is running a series on conservative ideology. Here's his latest installment, "Conservative: What is a Paleoconservative?"

Anyone who studies the history of the conservative movement, will quickly learn it's not a movement of ideological purity. Conservatives have always come in a variety of different flavors, and each flavor has had much at odds with each other from the start. In other words, the infighting that beltway-types claim to be a problem, has perhaps, been the movement's greatest strength!

Be sure the check out the whole post (it's fairly academic). The Classical Liberal names names, including the "prominent paleoconservative," Patrick Buchanan. Not mentioned is America-basher Daniel Larison. E.D. Kain seems to be taking up the paleocon banner as well. And don't miss the boys at Conservative Heritage Times.

These are the least pro-American of conservatives, folks often in bed with the fringes of both the radical left and reactionary right (see, "The Old Right/New Left/Neo-Nazi Alliance"). For my related commentary on this, see "Noxious Anti-Americanism and New Secessionist Theories." Also, "Patrick J. Buchanan and the Jews,," and "Ron Paul’s Real Politics: The Case of Daniel Larison."

Democrats Push to Brand Partisan Opponents as 'Hate Groups'

From the Washington Examiner, "Political Opposition Is Not a Hate Crime":

What's wrong with this picture? The federal government spends billions on homeland security, but apparently can't stop foreigners from illegally crossing the border or overstaying their visas. The Obama administration wants to bring violent terrorists captured overseas to the mainland and close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Yet in the latest bizarre twist, legislation quietly making its way through Congress would give the White House power to categorize political opponents as hate groups and even send Americans to detention centers on abandoned military bases.

Rep. Alcee Hastings - the impeached Florida judge Nancy Pelosi tried to install as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee until her own party members rebelled - introduced an amendment to the defense authorization bill that gives Attorney General Eric Holder sole discretion to label groups that oppose government policy on guns, abortion, immigration, states' rights, or a host of other issues. In a June 25 speech on the House floor, Rep. Trent Franks, R-AZ, blasted the idea: "This sounds an alarm for many of us because of the recent shocking and offensive report released by the Department of Homeland Security which labeled, arguably, a majority of Americans as 'extremists.'"

Whoa. I guess the discredited DHS “right-wing extremism” report wasn't enough for the Obamaniacs.

More from the Examiner: It turns out that Representative Hastings is also sponsoring additional legislation that proposes to "legally declare someone a 'domestic terrorist' and send them to a government-run camp." You know what? That buzz on the "FEMA concentration camps" doesn't quite sound so "baseless."

Hat Tip: Glenn Reynolds.

Added: Ed Morrissey, "The Lock-Up-Your-Opponents Bills of 2009?" Also, Cold Fury, "Farewell, America; It Was Nice While It Lasted" (via Memeorandum).

Man Gored to Death in Pamplona's Running of the Bulls (VIDEO)

It's the fist time since 1995. See CNN, "Man Killed in Pamplona's Running of the Bulls."

Video Hat Tip: The New York Times, "Man Killed by Bull in Pamplona."

See also, Bloomberg, "Pamplona Bull Runner Gored to Death, 11 More Injured":

A 27-year-old Spanish man died after a fighting bull gored him in the neck at the Pamplona bull- running festival that was made famous by Ernest Hemingway and attracts thousands of foreigners each year.

The victim, Daniel Jimeno Romero from Alcala de Henares, a town near Madrid, was wounded in the neck and chest, the regional government of Navarra said in a statement on its Web site. Five of 11 people injured were released from the hospital. The others include a 61-year-old American man in intensive care, a 63-year-old American with less serious injuries, a 20-year-old Londoner with a thigh wound and a 24-year-old Argentine.

Obama's Stimulus Failure: 'There's Nothing We Would Have Done Differently...'

Here's an update to my previous post, "Obama's Stimulus Failure":

Hat Tip: All-American Blogger.

See also, Edward Lazear, "Do We Need a Second Stimulus? A More Troubling Question Is Why So Little Is Being Spent Fom the First."

If Sarah Palin Were President...

From William Jacobson, "If Palin Were President Now":

Sarah Palin's announcement that she will resign as Governor of Alaska has kicked off a new round of attacks on Palin's intelligence and integrity from pundits on both sides of the political spectrum. For most of the commentators, the resignation signals an end to Palin's chances at becoming President.

Few of the critics supported Palin before the resignation, so the resignation is not so much a revelation to them, as an opportunity to say "I told you so" and to take more cheap shots at Palin and her family. Among the non-political classes who form the base of Palin's support, I'm not sure the resignation makes much difference.

Despite the criticism of Palin and assertions that she is unfit for the presidency, it is hard to imagine that Palin could do any worse as President than Barack Obama is doing right now. For all Obama's smarts and syntax, he is driving this country off a cliff, with the pedal down to the floor while he reads the drivers' manual on how the brakes work.

If Palin were President, we would not have ...

Read the rest of the analysis here.

See also, Riehl World View, "Sarah Palin's Record of Accomplishment In Office."

And Villainous Company, "The Best and the Brightest: Obama, Palin, and the American Dream."

Plus, more award-winning journalism on Palin. At Anchorage Daily News, "Johnston Says Palin Had Eye On the Money":

Levi Johnston, the former fiance of Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, on Thursday joined the crowd offering up potential reasons for Palin's decision to step down.

And, The Politico, "Levi Johnston: Sarah Palin Did It For the Money."

Somebody's doing it for the money, that's for sure.

Also, Mark Morford at the San Francisco Chronicle, "Don't Go, Sarah Palin! A Nation Turns its Lonely Eyes To Your Ditzy Insufferable Ramblings."

More at Memeorandum.

Obama's Stimulus Failure

Carol at No Sheeples Here! offers an analysis of the Obama administration's economic stimulus, "America Ensnared by the “Stimulus Trap”."

Carol hammers Paul Krugman's recent piece, "The Stimulus Trap," and adds this:

So far, on this president’s watch, we have witnessed the doubling of the national debt, the nationalization of the U.S. auto industry and a bailout in the billions to insurance giant AIG without any pre-conditions, a hell-bent fixation to nationalize the health care industry and the proposal of a cap and trade bill that would be the largest tax in the history of our nation. Dare I say the world?

More at the link.

Also, check out Rich Lowry, "The Stimulus — The Anatomy of a Failure."

And from the Wall Street Journal, "Few Economists Favor More Stimulus":

Most economists believe the U.S. doesn't need another round of stimulus now despite expectations of continued severe job losses.

Just eight of 51 economists in The Wall Street Journal's latest forecasting survey said more stimulus is necessary, suggesting an average of about $600 billion in additional spending. On average, the economists forecast an unemployment rate of at least 10% through next June, with a decline to 9.5% by December 2010.

See also, Michelle Malkin, "Spawn of the Spendulus."

More commentary at Memeorandum.

On Iran Protests, Leftist Academics Get Back to Business as Usual

From Cinnamon Stillwell, "Ahmadinejad's Academics":

What a difference a popular uprising makes.

It seems like just yesterday that the Middle East studies establishment was busy defending Iran’s theocratic regime and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from the alleged predations of U.S. and Israeli foreign policy. Yet in the wake of the unrest in response to the stolen election, suddenly American academics have succumbed to intellectual honesty and moral clarity. Despite the best efforts of the Iranian regime to drum up conspiracy theories blaming the West for the uprising, the Iranians themselves have taken center stage.

Read the whole thing, here. The professors are already returning to the default anti-American mode ...

Unmanned Fighter Aircraft (And the Left)

Robert Farley and Matthew Yglesias are thrilled with the idea of eliminating manned warplanes from the next generation of technological warfare.

The shift away from manned-fighter technology is serious business. In an essay today, Lawrence Korb and Krisila Benson argue that should the Pentagon eventually terminate the F-22 Raptor, the loss of production will not degrade the U.S. strategic-industrial base, since "the Obama administration's fiscal 2010 budget includes 28 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters - planes better suited for air-to-ground combat."

And, regarding doctrinal shifts in technology and warfighting, Eliot Cohen argued some time back in his now classic article on the RMA:

The platform has become less important, while the quality of what it carries - sensors, munitions, and electronics of all kinds - has become critical ....

Furthermore, the nature of preemption itself may change. To the extent that information warfare, including the sabotage of computer systems, emerges as a new type of combat, the first blow may be covert, a precursor to more open and conventional hostilities. Such attacks--to which an information-dependent society like the United States is particularly vulnerable--could have many purposes: blinding, intimidating, diverting, or simply confusing an opponent. They could carry as well the threat of bringing war to a country's homeland and people, and thus even up the balance for countries that do not possess the conventional tools of long-range attack, such as missiles and bombers.

Given this kind of discussion of the military, technological, and political realities in the shift away from manned fighter aircraft you'd think that Robert Farley - who is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce - would have something highly significant to say on the emergent nature of threat assessment and advanced airfighting capabilities. Instead we get this:

I don't think there's a next "next generation" of fighter aircraft. And in any case, it appears that the A-10 will remain the platform of choice for fighting the giant robots that undoubtedly will afflict us in the future...

If you click the link there, Farley directs us to the Toys-R-Us page for "Terminator Salvation Vehicle with Action Figure - A-10 Warthog." Here's the photo:

It's not like professional manufacturer images of the Warthog aren't availble. Check the A-10's product page at the Global Aircraft Organization, for example.

No, with Farley there's just no seriousness to diplomacy and military affairs (nor scholarship, for that matter; recall my earlier piece, "The Moral Abomination of Robert Farley").

Given that, it's no surprise that Matthew Yglesias runs with the Farley piece, approvingly, at his own blog. Just today Yglesias published a mind-boggling essay at the American Prospect, "Small Steps Toward a Nuke-Free World."

Mind you, this is not a joke.

Despite the widely understood interpretation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as designed practically exclusively to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, Yglesias argues that President Obama's preliminary U.S.-Russian nuclear agreement advances the cause of nuclear abolition:

... according to the "joint understanding" released Monday, the U.S. and Russia will commit to reducing nuclear arsenals from the current ceiling of 2,200 warheads to a range of 1,500 to 1,675 ....

The agreement serves Russia's interests well because, simply put, maintaining a large nuclear arsenal is expensive. For the United States, with our $13 trillion gross domestic product, the current nuclear posture is wasteful ....

At the same time, Obama gets to make real headway on his earlier promise to recommit the United States to the long-term goal of total nuclear disarmament. The objective, if met, would strongly advance America's interests ...

A policy of American nuclear disarmament will advance nothing of the kind. I argued against President Obama's disastrous nuclear diplomacy in two recent posts (here and here). The president's nuclear weapons policies are idealistic, if not unserious, and hold horrendous implications for American national security. In that respect, they have much in common with the policy analysis of Robert Farley and Matthew Yglesias.

The GOP and the 2010 Midterms

Track-a-'Crat gets the video hat tip, but check out Frank Donatelli, "2010 Will Be a GOP Year":

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the party not in control of the White House has gained seats in every off-year election after a president's first election except for two times (1934 and 2002). Off-year dynamics are different and by the time they roll around many of the themes dominant in the presidential election have faded. Most importantly, new presidents and their administrations almost always overreach. And Barack Obama and his Democratic Party are overreaching in a big way.

A great essay, at the link.

Related: Chris Cillizza, "The Most Important Number in Politics Today." ("45 - That's the percentage of voters who believe that President Obama lacks a 'clear plan for solving this country's problems' in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.")

Charles Johnson Becomes a Terrorist Tool

Some developments tonight in the jihad against the anti-jihad bloggers ...

From Robert Spencer, "Hamas-linked CAIR defames me again, tries to block my ALA appearance, takes material from libelblogger Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs":

I wrote the other day about how some alleged believers in free speech among American academia are trying to block my speaking at the American Library Association convention this Sunday. Now the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), true to form, has gotten into the act, sending the ALA a fresh steaming pile of defamation, lies, and distortions (drawing once again on material from its favorite useful idiot, the discredited, thoroughly dishonest Charles Johnson of that cesspool of lies and hate, Little Green Footballs), asking that I be dropped from the ALA panel.

Whatever the ALA does, I am not going to let CAIR's libels go unanswered.

Read the whole thing, here.

See also, Pamela Geller, "Robert Spencer Answers CAIR's Libel, Defamation and Lies," and Yid With Lid, "Little Green Footballs Becomes a Terrorist Tool."

Patriots Counterprotest MoveOn and ACORN

Via Michelle Malkin and This Ain't Hell (and Memeorandum), check out Gathering of Eagles - NY, "AAR – MoveOn and Acorn Meet Patriots":

Patriots from the Conservative Society for Action, Gathering of Eagles, Active and the 912 Group rallied in front of the offices of Senator Charles Schumer to counter the staged pro-nationalized healthcare rally planned by MoveOn.org and ACORN.

The first moonbats arrived and almost immediately called the police because they hate free speech and any opposition to their agenda. One of their old biddies called me a racist for opposing health care for illegal immigrants. Unfortunately for them the first amendment is still enforced in this country and the police would not interfere with our counter protest.

Things went downhill for the Soros stooges from there ....

Michelle notes of the growing conservative protest movement:

You won’t see these on the front page of the New York Times. But it’s happening more often than you think — and it’s all the more remarkable and newsworthy given that most Tea Party folks, unlike the Soros-funded astroturf protest mobsters, have full-time jobs and families ...

Check Gathering of Eagles for more pictures.

WaPo's Sally Quinn Blames Sarah Palin For Sexist Letterman Attacks

I just found this story at Gateway Pundit, "WaPo Writer Blames Sarah Palin For Letterman's Attacks On Her Children."

While searching for video I found this classic screen-cap at Free Republic. The full piece is from last September, by Jeffrey Lord, "Who Is Sally Quinn?" The highlighted part is killer:

The Sally Quinns of the world were given cachet because liberals like Ben Bradlee got to do whatever the hell they pleased with their power in the media and there wasn't a damn thing the rest of the country could do as one conservative after another from Barry Goldwater to Ronald Reagan to Robert Bork to Clarence Thomas, Dan Quayle, Miguel Estrada, and on and on right up to today's Sarah Palin were trashed. And I do mean trashed. They were painted as idiots, warmongers, bigots, boobs, religious fanatics, wild-eyed zealots, racists, sexual harassers, and God only knows what else. This kind of garbage was bannered and blared unchallenged from every one of the three major networks, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Newsweek and the rest of the liberal acolyte media organs. For decades. Until the advent of everything from conservative magazines such as the one you are reading to talk radio to the Internet to Fox collectively shattered the media monopoly.

An old but great essay!

The whole thing is here!

Recall that Sally Quinn stirred controversy over Sarah Palin during last year's campaign, "On CNN, WaPo's Quinn Questions Palin's Ability to 'Put Country First'."

She tried to walk it back later. See, "Sally Quinn Apologizes For Sarah Palin Remarks … Sort of Maybe Not-So-Much."

Controversy Over Pro-Life T-Shirt at McSwain Elementary School

I just caught word of this story on O'Reilly Factor. Megyn Kelly argued that the school had previously allowed the student to wear pro-life clothing. But the pictures of the growing fetus were probably too much, considering that small children would be attending the school. What do you think? It was "National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day." Jill Stanek "can't believe Fox called these images graphic'."

The background is here, "Seventh Grader Sues School Over Right to Wear Pro-Life T-Shirt":

A California mom says her public school administrators violated her daughter's First Amendment rights when they ordered the seventh-grader to take off her pro-life T-shirt.

Anna Amador has gone to court on behalf of her daughter, who she says was ordered by her principal to change her shirt on "National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day." The shirt the girl was wearing displays two graphic pictures of a fetus growing in the womb.

The incident occurred in April 2008 at McSwain Elementary School, a K-8 school in Merced, Calif. Amador alleges in her legal complaint that school Principal Terrie Rohrer, Assistant Principal C.W. Smith and office clerk Martha Hernandez mistreated her daughter and denied the girl her First Amendment rights when they ordered her to leave the cafeteria and change her shirt.

"Before Plaintiff could eat [breakfast] she was ordered by a school staff member to throw her food out and report immediately to Defendant Smith's office, located in the main office of McSwain Elementary School," the complaint reads.

"Upon arriving at the main office, Defendant Hernandez, intentionally and without Plaintiff's consent, grabbed Plaintiff's arm and forcibly escorted her toward Smith's office, at all times maintaining a vice-like grip on Plaintiff's arm. Hernandez only released Plaintiff's arm after physically locating her in front of Smith and Defendant Rohrer ...

"Smith and Rohrer ordered Plaintiff to remove her pro-life T-shirt and instructed Plaintiff to never wear her pro-life T-shirt at McSwain Elementary School ever again ...

Here's this commentary from the Gadsden Times:

The case of free speech in schools goes back to the Vietnam War era, when students wore black armbands, at that time in violation of many schools’ policies. Later, the Supreme Court ruled students could engage in protest as long as it "did not materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school."

The same seems to be true in the case of the girl’s T-shirt. Each day, there are worse, and more distracting, items of clothing worn to school by boys and girls. Sometimes, the distraction comes from a lack of clothing.

But a girl exhibiting her right to free speech, by supporting a cause she believes in — that a large portion of the entire country backs and believes in — should not lead to the girl being forced to change her shirt.

Breaking Update: July 9th Protesters Gassed and Beaten; Khamenei Seizes Revo Guard, Sarkozy at G8 Rejects Israeli Strike on Iran!

Pamela Geller has a full report, "Iran Revolution Day 26: Thousands Return To The Streets In Iran, Shootings Reported."

And from Mere Rhetoric, "Khamenei Seizes Control Of Iranian Republican Guard Militias, Installs Son As Head Thug." (Related Reference: "Mojtaba Khamenei, Revolutionary Guard, Key to Power in Iran.")

Plus, from ABC's Lara Setrakian in Iran:

tear gas & beatings, people chant "don't be afraid, we're in this together" & "ya Hussein, Mir Hussein." Cars honk in support. #iranelection

Here's video from Tehran, "Intersection of Taleghani and Valiasr. Anti riot forces attacking with teargas (6:23PM July 9th)":

Protesters are overcome by tear gas:

Second from bottom, via Rotten Gods, "we are children of war (They mean Iran-Iraq war), if you fight we'll fight back!" At bottom, people running, shouting, "death to dictator!"

Also, CNN, "Protesters in Iran Met With Tear Gas, Batons," and "In Iran, New Demonstrations Bring New Violence."

Gateway Pundit, "CRACKDOWN IN IRAN- Police Clash With Protesters On 18th of Tir Anniversary (Video)."

Plus, Reuters, "Sarkozy Urges Israel Not to Attack Iran," and Jerusalem Post, "Sarkozy: Unilateral Israeli Attack on Iran Would Be 'Catastrophe'."

See my earlier entry, "Iran Warns of 'Crushing Response' to July 9 Protests." And Michael Ledeen has more, "Today Is a Crucial Day For Iran."

Stay tuned ... rolling updates through the evening ...

Democrats' Partisan Porkulus - And, Americans Rejecting Obamanomics!

From USA Today, "Billions in Aid Go to Areas That Backed Obama in '08":

Billions of dollars in federal aid delivered directly to the local level to help revive the economy have gone overwhelmingly to places that supported President Obama in last year's presidential election.

That aid — about $17 billion — is the first piece of the administration's massive stimulus package that can be tracked locally. Much of it has followed a well-worn path to places that regularly collect a bigger share of federal grants and contracts, guided by formulas that have been in place for decades and leave little room for manipulation.

The story is at pains to indicate that no "political considerations could be at work." But that hardly matters. If race, rights, and spending are seen as driving Democratic policy (as is always the case), then we'll see a backlash. (For more, see Gateway Pundit, "Shocker!... BILLIONS In Stimulus Aid Went to Obama Supporting Counties")

Check out Ben Smith, "Independents Begin to Edge Away From President Obama":

In a potentially alarming trend for the White House, independent voters are deserting President Barack Obama nationally and especially in key swing states, recent polls suggest.

Obama’s job approval rating hit a — still healthy — low of 56 percent in the Gallup Poll on Wednesday. And pollsters are debating whether Obama’s expansive and expensive policy proposals or the ground-level realities of a still-faltering economy are driving the falling numbers.

But a source of the shift appears to be independent voters, who seem to be responding to Republican complaints of excessive spending and government control.

“This is a huge sea change that is playing itself out in American politics,” said Democratic pollster Doug Schoen. “Independents who had become effectively operational Democrats in 2006 and 2008 are now up for grabs and are trending Republican.

“They’re saying, ‘Costing too much, no results, see the downside, not sure of the upside,’” he said.

The White House denies there’s been any real shift.

And remember from earlier this week, "New Gallup Poll Indicates that Americans are becoming more Conservative."

And the week before that, "More Americans See Democratic Party as “Too Liberal”." And related, from Pew Research, "Independents Take Center Stage in the Obama Era."

Plus, see Ed Morrissey, "Confidence in Obama, Economy Still Dropping," and Foon Rhee, "Obama's Poll Numbers Drop" (via Memeorandum).

The icing on the cake: Michael Barone, "Getting Cold Feet Over Big Government."

Related: Michelle Malkin, "Culture of Corruption Watch: “Put Nothing in Writing ... Ever”."

More at Memeorandum.

Allegations of Racism in Philadelphia Swim Club Controversy

Well, at least James Joyner's consistent. He's got a post up on the controversy in Philiadelphia over allegations of racism, "Swim Club Racism in Philly?" Joyner's introduction is worth quoting at length:

A rather thinly sourced piece in the Philadelphia News alleging racism at a private swim club is getting quite a bit of attention.

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

“I heard this lady, she was like, ‘Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?’ She’s like, ‘I’m scared they might do something to my child,’” said camper Dymire Baylor.

So, a kid claims “some lady” was wondering about the presence of black kids at a private club that, one gathers, tended to not normally have large numbers of black kids?

“When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool,” Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. “The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately.”

So, the white kids reflexively exited the pool en masse? Because they’ve never seen black kids before? In Philly?

And pool attendants — in 2009 Philadelphia — not only carried out a policy of excluding blacks from the club but had the incredibly poor judgment to tell the blacks that that’s what they were doing?!

Well . . . maybe:

“There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club,” John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.

Now, frankly, if I’m paying for membership in a private club so that I can take my kids swimming in peace, I don’t want said club to sell season passes to large groups of non-members. Not only does that make the pool more crowded but it rather diminishes the “club” aspect of the experience. Typically, members are vetted and recommended by other members; having a busload of kids coming in from outside the community makes it, in essence, a public pool.

Yet Joyner's views are consistent, as noted. In June, he hammered critics of Sonia Sotomayor, who had attacked the judge for her membership in an all-women's social club, "Sotomayor Quits Women’s Club." (See also, the Wall Street Journal, "Court Nominee Sotomayor Quits Women-Only Group").

The question for Joyner is how identity politics creates its own vicious loop of discrimination and recrimination. There should be no place for any of this in a colorblind society.

Interestingly, today's lead editorial at the Los Angeles Times' attacks conservatives for their alleged indifference to the "continuing realities" of discrimination in the country today. "In the Struggle Against Racism, We Haven't Overcome Yet":

As many conservatives see it, we're living in a chastened, post-racial America in which discrimination has been largely dismantled, Jim Crow is dead and gaps are being narrowed. With a growing black and Latino middle class -- not to mention a "beiging" of America thanks to intermarriage -- it's time to end our obsession with righting the wrongs of the past. More specifically, we should do away with morally troublesome policies such as affirmative action, minority set-asides and "pre-clearance" that aid minority groups at the expense of the majority, and revert, instead, to the sounder principle of colorblind justice for all.

Well, yes ... absolutely. Unfortunately, the Times' board goes on to decry (phantom) "de facto" segregation and then concludes with lame arguments for race conscious equal protection, saying "it's not so clear that the battle is over."

So what to say about the Philly case? Sorry to Mr. Joyner, but this is inexcusable bigotry. Folks can't be quoted on the record with worries about "changing the complexion" of the neighborhood pool. Public, private ... it doesn't matter. This smacks of racial insensitivity, at least, and I'm not one to tag along on the racial victimology bandwagon. The question for me is why did the club sell access to the pool for non-member families? The offer of summer swimming to outside groups must have been made with the consent of the club's membership. They can't come along later and say, "Hey, these kids are all black. We can't have them here. We have an image to keep, you know? ... 'complexion' matters."

As Nice Deb puts its, "Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!":

What the heck?! This story reads like something out of Birmingham Alabama circa 1958:

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

I heard this lady, she was like, ‘Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?’ She’s like, ‘I’m scared they might do something to my child,’” said camper Dymire Baylor.

Well, if that kid’s telling the truth, I’d say, yeah, duh! Race was the reason.

Nice Deb is one of the most stalwart conservatives I know. I have to agree. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. There are times for discerning motives and nuance, but this isn't one of them.

What's a bummer, of course, is how an isolated case of racial insensitivity like this gives ammunition to the racial grievance masters who see Jim Crow hiding behing every corner (see, for example, pandagon.net, Jack & Jill Politics, Gawker, Unreported and Alas, a blog).

The administration and members of the Valley Swim Club need to get on the same page, and they need to get in step with the rest of the country. This is pure idiocy. This should NOT be taken for a larger statement on the contemporary (phantom) endurance of some long-ago repudiated pattern of entrenched racial hierarchy.

Conservatives are right to condemn both the swim club's stupidity, as well as the racial grievance lobby's opportunistic reaction to it.

The full video is at the link, "Pool Boots Kids Who Might 'Change the Complexion'." More at Memeorandum.

**********

UPDATE: Skye from Midnight Blue e-mails:

I read this report yesterday, Donald.

Something does not feel right with this story. Too many statements from the alleged victims seemed to be boilerplate racial statements. My intitial gut feeling on this is that there is more to this story than what has been reported. Let me be clear - I will be the first to condem this action if it is indeed true - but I need more evidence that what has been reported.

And to reiterate Nice Deb, "Well, if that kid’s telling the truth ..."

**********

UPDATE II: John Duesler, the president of the Valley Swim Club, is a Barack Obama supporter!

See Moe Lane, "Yes, the President of the Valley Swim Club is a John G Duesler, Jr."

See also, Sweetness and Light, "Philly Pool Kids Booter Is Obama Fan."

Remember, racism's always cool and hip on the Democratic side!

As they say at Alas, a Blog, "A whole lot of folks in “post-racial” America are still spouting the same old bigotry."

Well, those "whole lot of folks" would be Democrats!

See, "Mainstream Bigotry and Racism on the Democratic-Left."

Added: Dan Riehl, "Uh Oh! Duesler Founder Of The Chocolate Squad?"

Iran Warns of 'Crushing Response' to July 9 Protests

From the New York Times, "Iran Warns Foes of ‘Crushing Response’ to Protests."

Also, at Pajamas Media, "Iran Launches Preemptive War Against July 9 Protests."

Plus, Michael Ledeen, "Today Is a Crucial Day For Iran":

Maybe it’ll be a turning point. Maybe not. It’s the anniversary of the massacre of students in Iran ten years ago, when they defied their tyrants and called for freedom. There are certainly a lot of people around the world who will turn out to show their contempt for the Tehran regime. I can’t keep track of them all, but there should be significant turnouts in the Hague, Vienna, Rome, Paris, Washington, New York, Irvine and Santa Monica, Seattle and Hamburg…and more and more. In Iran itself, the regime’s opponents have called for “the biggest turnout yet,” totally silent, no posters or banners, just silence.

The silence of the demonstrations would be a counterpoint to the nightly chants from the rooftops and prisons of the nation. Chants of “Allah is great,” along with “Death to the Dictator.” If you believe the folks on Twitter, those chants have been louder with each passing night, despite the violence of the Basij and Revolutionary Guards, which ranges from snipers shooting from one rooftop to another, armed thugs breaking into homes to seize computers, cell phones and other communications devices, and arrest one or more family members. Meanwhile, horribly maimed bodies have been showing up all over the country. Some of the gouging of the bodies seems to have been done to remove all evidence of bullet holes, but whatever the “explanation,” the bloody savagery is well documented.

If you want some detail about the horrors inside Iranian hospitals, have a look at Le Figaro’s account.

Over the objections of medical staff, bodies from the demonstrations were quickly moved elsewhere. “We believe they were transferred to the Baqiatollah military hospital or some other undisclosed location”, notes the doctor. Then, under the pretext of “organ donation”, all traces of bullets were removed from the bodies. “The parents were force to accept this if they wanted to retrieve the body for burial”.

And yet, the protest goes on. For the past three days, a general strike has been in effect, with significant results. Indeed, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei preemptively admitted defeat when government offices and factories were shut down in the name of a religious observance. But the strikers only expanded the range of their actions, notably by shutting down electrical grids in several cities, including parts of Tehran. Great swathes of the nation were plunged into darkness. This sort of thing is likely to continue, whatever happens on the 9th.

Most of the protesters fear the worst, warning of snipers preparing to shoot into the crowds, and a massive buildup of security forces in Tehran. There are rumors about possible countermeasures from the demonstrators, but, like the stories about massive repression, these remain to be confirmed.

More at the link.

Also, Gateway Pundit, "CRACKDOWN IN IRAN- Police Clash With Protesters On 18th of Tir Anniversary."

ADDED: Atlas Shrugs, "Iran Revolution Day 26: Thousands Return To The Streets In Iran, Shootings Reported."