Presidents Day

I mentioned on Lincoln's birthday that the Washington Mall was "my favorite place to be in the whole United States." And I was excited to walk the mall and visit Lincoln's Memorial on the eve of his birthday. Tomorrow is Washington's birthday, and while today is the federal holiday, technically the country today celebrates our first president, and not all 44 of them. Popular culture conflated the day to include both Washington and Lincoln and political correctness rejected presidential greatness all together for historical relativism. See, Jennifer Braceras, at Boston Herald, "Presidents Day Watered Down: Not All Deserving of Such a High Honor":

In our universities, deconstructionists have taught two generations of students to reject American exceptionalism in favor of a view of America as oppressor. Rather than teach our country’s story as one of progress, these academics teach our history as a series of unfortunate events. In their view, people act only out of self-interest; heroism is a myth.

Over time, these pernicious ideas have infected the American consciousness:

Today, our leaders apologize to dictators for America’s alleged sins (see, for example, President Obama’s speech in Cairo in 2009); our historians study the past with a prurient interest in private scandal rather than public work; and our elementary schools refuse to teach students about our Founding Fathers.

Indeed, although some Massachusetts school children learn about colonial life and society, very few study Massachusetts patriots John Adams or Paul Revere or attempt to understand how these men changed the course of history.

Even fewer learn to honor Washington or Lincoln. Sadly, students today are more likely to lament that Washington owned slaves than to admire him for his humility in rejecting monarchy or a lifetime presidency. Likewise, they are more likely to describe Lincoln as a racist manic-depressive than as the “Great Emancipator” who saved our country from disintegration.

Readers will recall that I walked the Mall from Congress to the Lincoln Memorial. I stopped at the Washington Monument to reflect. This next photo is extra special. My son and I sat on this side of the monument in 2007. One can see the White House when backed up to the wall. Congress is to the east in the distance. I love it up there:

One more photo before heading back over to catch a cab back to the hotel:

Malpractice in Madison: Doctor Debacle Showcases Pathologies of the Progressive Left

That's Bill Hemmer's interview with Josiah Cantrall, who did some nice hidden-camera work with the derelict doctors in Wisconsin:

And from Doctor Zero, a guy you can trust (and I don't think he's a real doctor), "The Madison Doctor Debacle: The Pathologies of the Left Converge":

The case of the fake doctor notes is a convergence of everything that is sick and dysfunctional in liberal culture. Medical ethics went out the window in the name of politics, which corrupt everything they touch. The Left has been telling us health care and medical insurance are topics so complex that government must handle them on behalf of a hapless population… but introduce the demands of political expedience, and all that “complexity” dissolves in an instant. Trial lawyers have made millions by suing doctors, driving up health care costs and corrupting the very practice of medicine itself, by requiring “defensive medicine” that has nothing to do with science… but as soon as unions and the Democrat Party decided a show of force was needed in Madison, you had physicians marching around with hand-lettered signs that said “I’M A DOCTOR – NEED A NOTE?”

RTWT.

VIDEO HAT TIP: Gateway Pundit.

RELATED: At Althouse, "'Medical school ethics courses are...increasingly emphasizing 'social justice' over traditional notions of ethics — or the individual patient’s welfare'."

"But 'social justice' is frequently just a euphemism for a socialist political agenda of leftist politics, redistribution of wealth, and heavy state controls over the marketplace."

Says Paul Hsieh (via Instapundit) in the context of explaining those Wisconsin doctors writing excuses for protesters — and tweaking our anxieties about Obamacare.

The Wisconsin protests have shown how some doctors are seemingly willing to subvert their professional integrity to serve the political ends of government special interest groups. Under ObamaCare, when similarly trained doctors have to choose between practicing in their patient’s medical interests or in the political interests of their government paymasters, which side will they choose? And will you want this new breed of doctor taking care of you when you’re sick?

Interesting questions, but to be fair, the doctors handing out the notes were helping individuals, not burdening the individuals for the sake of the greater good.

Right. ObamaCare is burdensome, but fake work passes in Madison are helpful.

Excellent post, in any case.

See also, by Richard Pollock, "Why Obama and the Dems Blundered in Wisconsin" (via Memeorandum).

International Anarchists, Socialists and Marxists Taking Over Wisconsin

Well, no response yet from REPSAC = CASPER. Maybe the guy's actually got a job, and not with the public-sector thugs! Fact is, government employees are off today in honor of Presidents Day. It's hard out there in the government gravy-train hood. But it's even harder for hate-addled smear-merchant stalkers. As the protests continue, the full scope of the anarcho-progressive-socialist axis is emerging. For example, here's Noam Chomsky on communist Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! What's especially interesting is the question from Ryan Adserias, a grad student at the University of Wisconsin. He mentions that teaching assistants walked out, and that "undergraduates are walking out of class to show solidarity." The socialist giveaway is the guy's Arafat keffiyeh, which is now the universal fashion item for the neo-communist left's struggle against Israel and the United States:

See also, the Blaze, "Beginning of a Democracy Uprising in the U.S: Noam Chomsky Hopes Wisconsin Protest Will Be Just Like Egypt."

And while RepRascist3 remains in eternal denial, the Blaze nevertheless has more on the anarchists and progressive revolutionaries in Madison: "Blaze Exclusive: International Anarchists, Socialists and Marxists (Not Average Union Workers) Have a Substance-Fueled Rave While Taking Over Wisconsin State Capitol."

RELATED: From Ann Althouse, "Highlights of the last 8 days of following the Wisconsin protests here on the Althouse blog," and Gateway Pundit, "Republican Turncoats May Sabotage Governor Walker’s Budget Cut Plans …Updated With Contact Info …Update: WI GOP Senators to Stand With Walker." (Via Memeorandum.)

Muammar Gaddafi Flees Tripoli — Regime's Grip on Power Crumbles Amid Mounting Pressure

At London's Daily Mail, "On the run: Gaddafi flees Tripoli as protesters set the Libyan parliament building alight."

And at New York Times, "Qaddafi’s Grip on Power Seems to Ebb as Forces Retreat":

The 40-year-rule of Libyan strongman Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi appeared to teeter Monday as his security forces retreated to a few buildings in the Libyan capital of Tripoli where fires burned unchecked, senior government officials and diplomats announced defections, and the country’s second-largest city remained under the control of rebels.

Security forces loyal to Mr. Qaddafi defended a handful of strategic locations, including the state television headquarters and the presidential palace, witnesses reported from Tripoli. Fires from the previous night’s rioting burned at many intersections, most stores were shuttered, and long lines were forming for a chance to buy bread or gas.

In a sign of growing cracks within the government, several senior officials — including members of the the Libyan mission to the United Nations — announced their resignations. And protesters in Benghazi, the city where the revolt began, issued a list of demands calling for a secular interim government led by the army in cooperation with a council of Libyan tribes.

Security forces loyal to Mr. Qaddafi waved green flags as they rallied in Tripoli’s central Green Square Monday under the protection of a handful of police, these witnesses said. But they constituted one of the few visible signs of government authority around the capital.

Tripoli descended into chaos in less than 24 hours as a six day old revolt suddenly spread from Benghazi across the country and into the capital on Sunday. The revolt shaking Libya is the latest and most violent turn in the rebellion across the Arab world that seemed unthinkable just two months ago.

In a rambling, disjointed address delivered about 1 a.m. on Monday, Mr. Qaddafi’s son, Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, played down the uprising sweeping the country, which witnesses and rights activists say has left more than 220 people dead and hundreds wounded from gunfire by security forces. He repeated several times that “Libya is not Tunisia or Egypt” — the neighbors to the east and west that both overthrew their veteran autocrats in the space of the last six weeks.

The United States condemned the Qaddafi government’s lethal use of force.

Also at BBC, "Libya protests: Col Gaddafi under mounting pressure," and Hot Air, "Protestors holding Libya’s second-largest city?" (via Memeorandum).

REPSAC = CASPER: Deranged Stalking Asshat Denies Revolutionary Communists in Madison

I was rolling at CPAC last week with Skye at Midnight Blue. She told me the story of how James Casper, a.k.a. Repsac3, used to stalk her all over the Internet, tracing her online locations from comments at YouTube videos and so forth. That is beyond creepy, no doubt. But I was totally busting up when she said "That guy Casper spells his name backwards to make Repsac." And I'm laughing right now, because for all these years commenters here and about have widely suspected Repsac's moniker to represent perfectly the slithering snake slime that is James Casper. To deal with this freak is to develop cringe-inducing paroxysms simply at the thought of this radical reptile spawning more of his hate sacs of ovoviviparous* evil.

I haven't had a chance to share the story, but it turns out that Repsac3 (also known as RepRacist3 for his white supremacist eliminationism) has been trolling around the blog, and claims to have caught some big lie about the Trotskyite revolutionaries in Madison: "Donald Wets Himself In Fear of 'Cooooomunists!!!'"

As so often happens, Donald Douglas is lying, and hoping his readership is too stupid to notice...

And what was the lie? Well, the lady at the video is from the Trotskyite International Socialist Organization, and she says "I'm a public employee and so are a lot of our members." If Repsac's gonna call me out as a liar that'd be nice if he'd provide a transcript of the video. I said earlier that all of her "members" were up every morning organizing for the dictatorship of the proletariat, because, well, that's what Marxist-Leninists and Trotyskyites do. And that's called inference. Hello. But asshat RepRacist3 doesn't stop there. He goes on to deny that there were any communists in Madison beyond this "pair" of revolutionaries. Okay, well, sure. Progressives are postmodern deniers of truth and reason, but even this display of willful ignorance is quite something. The MacIver Institute made a number of Madison videos with communist activists from around the country. I thought posting one was enough, but since I have occasion, this one's worth it as well:

In some ways this one's even better. Indeed, Robert Stacy McCain wrote it up, "VIDEO: Chicago Commies in Wisconsin":

Bob Avakian’s RCP is the leading Maoist group in the U.S. RCP spinoffs include Refuse & Resist and Not in Our Name, which were important presences in the Bush-era anti-war protests.

One of my pet peeves about mainstream media coverage of those protests was how they blithely ignored the involvement of Marxist organizations, including International A.N.S.W.E.R., a front for the Workers World Party, a bizarre Trotskyite splinter group.

Every time there was a major left-wing protest in D.C., these commie groups would be out in force, and the media never reported it, whereas any time there’s a Tea Party event nowadays, the media squawk ”Koch money! Koch money!” like a fucking parrot.

Word. I think I'll sign up McCain for David Horowitz's NewsReal Blog! And if that ain't enough, perhaps the slithering slime CASPER = REPSAC might check out Trevor Loudon's report, "Communists Converge on Madison":

Every communist and socialist group in the U.S. Midwest is sending cadre to beautiful Madison, Wisconsin, in protest at Governor Walker's Budget Repair Bill.

Well, yeah.

In addition to the International Socialist Organization and the Chicago Maoist contingents, the neo-Stalinist ANSWER cadres were out in force, "Eyewitness report from Wisconsin." And also in solidarity is none other than the Communist Party of the USA, "The fightback fire is being lit down below." And from the International Committee of the Fourth International, another Trotskyite offshoot, "The struggle of Wisconsin workers enters a new stage." There's even an statement from some obscure local cell, the Socialist Party of Wisconsin, "Statement on Walker’s Attack on Workers." There's more, but no need to keep linking. Lots of commies are down with the Wisconsin Dems. Seriously. The woman in the video at top says she found the events in Egypt "inspirational" --- that is, inspirational for a new American revolution. Indeed, even Jesse Jackson made similar statements!

And with that, let's go back to RepRacist3:

Let's be clear. There are communists here in America. And yes, there are some Socialists, like the pair in the propaganda video. There are probably a few Stalinists, even. Their numbers are pretty small -- (The video shows only two socialists. Given the number of folks protesting in Madison, that ought to tell you something right off the bat. If there really were "Socialist Public Employees Call[ing] for Revolution in Wisconsin," you can be sure that Donald and his fellow union-busters would've showed you as many as possible, being as vehement as possible. They came up with two twenty-somethings handing out flyers and newspapers and talking about the rights of workers.) -- and for the most part, they're discussing ideas, not committing (or even contemplating) violent "Stalin-like" acts of any kind.

I'm being indulgent, since it's frankly not going to make much difference to someone who refuses to acknowledge objective reality. I guess there's some epic comedy value in this, at any rate. RepRacist3 made the exact same argument after last year's "One Nation" rally, which saw dozens of individual socialist organizations participating: "Progressives March on Washington for 'One Nation Working Together' — Thousands Rally in Support of Socialist Agenda." And from Looking at the Left, "Democrats, Union Workers, and Communists Rally Together in Washington":

The lines between the Democratic Party, labor unions, socialist and communist organizations, were blurred at the One Nation Working Together rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday. Organized by One Nation Working Together, which is headed by the cream of the Democratic National Committee, the rally was a sort of coming out moment for the radical leftist base of the Democratic Party.

Exactly.

I've been blogging about the Democrat Party's progressive-socialist base for years. I had a series on this back in 2008, six months before Barack Obama was elected, which has been substantiated by events: "No Enemies on the Left? Progressives for Barack Obama." And checking the links you'll see REPSAC = CASPER flailing away in denial that long ago. It's pretty sad. At least a half-dozen books have been written since Obama took office, outlining the hardline socialist contingents that have propelled this regime to power. Gallup did a poll of ideology last year and found a majority of Democrats evincing a positive view socialism. And a Pew survey at the same time found 43 percent of Americans under 30 supporting socialism, which was equal to those with a favorable view of capitalism. These young folks identifying with socialism are among the same youth cohorts that activated the college-level OFA groups that wedged the Democrats into office in 2008.

So, let's be clear: Today's Democrat Party base includes a large segment of communists and socialist-progressives. There were roughly 80 socialists serving as Democrats in the 111th Congress. The State of Wisconsin is one of most progressive states in American history, and thus it's no surprise that militant factions positioned Madison for a showdown against capital. So, again, I'm not going quibble with REPSAC = CASPER, who was widely ridiculed on bloggers' row at CPAC. He's crazy, frankly, and dangerous. And he's distorting what I said about the International Socialist Organization and he's lying about the absence of communists in America. They're all around. And if it weren't for bloggers like myself and others willing to expose these domestic enemies for what they are, the forces of leftist totalitarianism would be making even greater inroads. Conservatives will continue to have their work cut out for them, and I'll keep fighting these demons, despite the repeated attempts of idiots like RepRacist3 et al. to shut down this blog.

* I had the wrong reptilian terminology there. In Repsac's world that me makes me a congenital liar, so this addendeum sets the record straight.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi Raises Danger of Islamist Regime in Egypt

I saw this the other day at New York Times, "After Long Exile, Sunni Cleric Takes Role in Egypt." Folks will want to read it all, although this passage is telling:

An intellectual inspiration to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, Sheik Qaradawi was jailed in Egypt three times for his ties to the group and spent most of his life abroad.

Otherwise, the Times paints al-Qaradawi as largely moderate, with his extremism toward Israel and the U.S. painted as legitimate resistance. But William Jacobson's having none of it, "NY Times Whitewashes Return of Anti-Semitic Egyptian Cleric." And linked there is MEMRI's coverage of al-Qaradawi's speech Friday:

In a special mention of the Palestinian issue, Al-Qaradhawi asked the Egyptian army to open wide the Rafah crossing and to pray for the re-conquest of Jerusalem by the Muslims, so that he and the Muslims could pray in security at Al-Aqsa Mosque. This part of his sermon was cheered and applauded by the crowd.

This is exactly what the Israeli government feared, and possible developments like this were discounted by the most euphoric advocates of regime change. William has more on that, "The Yuppie Revolution In Egypt Is Over, The Islamist Revolution Has Begun" (via Memeorandum). Check the discussion there. What's especially interesting is how Google's executive Wael Ghonim, who was widely feted by the press during the protests, was shuffled to the sidelines Friday by al-Qaradawi's security.

Blazing Cat Fur has this video, which is chilling:

And events seem to be proving Barry Rubin prophetic. See, "Egypt Gets its Khomeini":

Up until now, the Egyptian revolution generally, and the Brotherhood in particular, has lacked a charismatic thinker, someone who could really mobilize the masses. Qaradawi is that man.

Friday, February 18 may be a turning point in Egyptian history. On that day Yusuf al-Qaradawi spoke to a giant cheering crowd in Tahrir Square.

He praised the army – to ward off it’s repression and to encourage it to support a transformation of the country.

He preached caution and patience, working with the army.

And he also lavished praise on the pro-Islamist chairman of the committee to write the new constitution, which may not be a good sign at all.

There is one easily missed word in his speech that is the most significant. That word is “hypocrites.” In the Islamist lexicon, hypocrites means Muslims who do not practice “true” Islam according to the radicals. To take Egypt out of the hands of “hypocrites” is to put it onto the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood – or at least similarly minded people – which, contrary to the best and the brightest policy makers, intelligence analysts, experts and journalists, is not a moderate organization.

History may show that while president Jimmy Carter may have “lost” Iran, one of his successors may have helped give away Egypt. Is that alarmist? I hope so.

Watch and see.

As so often happens, Israel will be left to pay the bill ...

Yep. Chilling.

More at the link.

RELATED: At Power Line, "Bad Vibrations From Cairo."

'Have You or Anyone Close to You Belonged to a Union?'

That's Ezra Klein's "Weekend question":

Almost forgot! Have you or anyone close to you belonged to a union? How did that change your impressions of organized labor in general?

Well, I'll tell ya, Ezra, not only do I belong to a union, but my local faculty association is affiliated with the NEA, which has been flooding my college inbox with crap like this: "Workers are Under Attack: Stand with Educators Fighting for Their Rights!"

Workers across the nation are under attack as governors and state legislatures seek to decimate collective bargaining rights and slash pensions and health care benefits. Wisconsin Governor Walker wants to silence educator voices. He has refused to negotiate with educators, who have repeatedly, publicly stated their willingness to sacrifice for the good of the state and the future of their students. For educators, this fight is not about pay and benefits – it is about the right to be heard.

At the statehouse and online, public school supporters are sending a message that cannot be ignored. As tens of thousands march in solidarity in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Idaho, countless others prepare to fight in other states.

Well, where to begin, Ezra?

Let's start with how does this "change my impressions" of organized labor? That's easy: I'm embarrassed. "Workers" aren't under attack. Perhaps teachers are, to be specific, and that's only if one accepts the NEA's martial language; but as many commentators have pointed out, teachers --- as part of the larger public-sector unionized labor force --- are extremely well-compensated relative to those in the private sector. See, "Wisconsin and the crisis of public sector pay":

Public employees earn more than their private-sector counterparts. This is true from Washington on down. Federal employees earn an average of $120,000 in pay and benefits, double the private sector average. The disparity is less at the state level, but in Wisconsin the average full-time state employee earns over $70,000 in pay and benefits, about $15,000 more than the average private-sector employee.

More at the link (especially the discussion of public-sector retirement systems).

But staying with Ezra's query, not only are public-sector unions an embarrassment, they're a moral cancer on our society. Just look at the lies evident at that NEA newsletter above. Gov. Walker is not "refusing to negotiate" with educators. In fact, repeatedly over the past few days he's been demanding that labor's Democrat representatives in the state legislature return to the Capitol to perform their duty to the people. Indeed, we're to the point that it's the Democrat-progressives who are risking the livelihoods of state workers. See, "In Wisconsin Budget Protest, Demonstrators Vow to Stay in Capitol While Democrats Refuse to Return." And of course, some officials --- like fleebagger Wisconsin State Senator Jon Erpenbach --- are in bed with organized labor, especially the Wisconsin Education Association Council and the state's AFL-CIO affiliates. This is thug politics in Madison. The voters sent a message to the state government and the Democrat-Labor axis has repudiated it. Not only that, as we've seen over and over, Wisconsin teachers couldn't care less about students. They've abandoned them and many have wrongfully obtained fraudulent doctor's notes so that they don't lose their pay. It's like a Third World kleptocracy, and all backed by the Democratic National Committee and the Obama SEIU-OFA jackboots:

And these creeps are now planning a nationwide shakedown tour. Oh joy. The SEIU will be in Sacramento this week to badger the governor and the state legislature. And while Wisconsin's in the news today, what happens in California will also have dramatic national implications. The Wall Street Journal has a report, "Public-Pension Fight Surfaces in California." The state needs to close a $26.6 billion budget deficit, and yet another governor has proposed sending an initiative to the voters to approve tax increases. These folks just don't get it. Schwarzenegger tried the same thing repeatedly, only to fall flat on his face. The state lays out $6 billion in annual pension expenditures, but organized labor says that pensions shouldn't be on the table:

Several big unions argue that the time isn't right for a pension overhaul, including some that helped block efforts along those lines by former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. They worry that union members would have to pay significantly higher costs to fund their pensions, among other things.

Governor Brown wants to increase public employees' contributions and extend retirement age eligibility. Will big labor's street thugs be protesting in Sacramento with Governor Brown-as-Hitler paraphernalia? I'm not holding my breath, given that Gov. Walker's a Republican. Besides, my money's on Gov. Brown caving to the Democrats' neo-communist "solidarity" constituency.

And that brings me back to Ezra Klein. My local faculty union just finished contract negotiations. I work with a number of wonderful people, but among the union as a whole, the degree of pampered privilege and selfishness was stunning. Professors Velvet Pearson, Janét Hund, and Mike Zugates published a letter to the editor at the Long Beach Press-Telegram in December, "LBCC Shortcomings":

Student success was once an LBCC priority, but the new priority is to fund huge increases in bureaucratic bloat. Students have been turned away because course offerings have been reduced by 12 percent. Part-time teachers have been laid off and full-time teachers have been furloughed, which amounts to a pay cut.

Folks can read the whole thing. The college administration does indeed often behave like royalty, but the faculty union could make little headway, since while resisting administration's efforts to increase employee benefit contributions, workers in the larger Long Beach community were facing double-digit unemployment and teachers at Long Beach Unified were sustaining mass layoffs. After some of my union members Photoshopped College President Eloy Oakley with an ugly caricature (he was lampooned as a liar with reference to former Bill Clinton's Lewinsky scandal), I e-mailed my colleagues a copy of The New Yorker's, "State of the Unions," with this quotation highlighted:

The hostility to labor is most obvious in the attacks on public-sector workers as what Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota’s former governor, calls “exploiters”—cosseted, overpaid bureaucrats whose gold-plated pension and health plans are busting state budgets

It goes without saying that I'm persona non grata at union organizing meetings. I embody the exact ideological opposite of many of the top union activists who fancy themselves at the barricades of the '60s-era social transformations.

In any case, Matthew Yglesias responded to Ezra Klein, and he admits he hasn't got the foggiest idea of what it's like to be a union member on the front lines of the budgetary battles:

I’m generally speaking an out-of-touch pointy headed elite, but as it happens throughout my life my father has been a union member.

Isn't that swell. His dad was in the writers' guild no less, part of the AFL-CIO it seems. Labor battles are a vicarious experience for the left's dumbest blogger, quite unlike Ann Althouse, who's been on the ground in Madison, and who has indicated that she's liable to lose $10,000 in annual income should Gov. Walker's budget be approved:

It really is odd that Wisconsin became ground zero, because we didn’t have the budget disaster that was going on conspicuously in some of the other states. I’m really trying to understand this. Why Wisconsin? A distinctive thing about us is how good our public employees’ benefits are. The cut we — I’m one of them — are being asked to take is severe. (I’m looking at a loss of more than $10,000 a year, myself.) But it’s hard to complain and appear sympathetic, because we’re only being asked to go from paying 0.2 percent of our salary into our pension fund to 5.8 percent, which probably looks astoundingly low to outsiders. We’re being asked to pay more for our health insurance, but the coverage is extremely good, and the annual hit will be about $2,500 ...

"Only being asked ..."

Exactly. These are moderate reforms, which would restore more fiscal accountabilty to the teacher sector in Wisconsin.

So, Ezra, I'd say unions pretty much blow chunks. They're mostly sleazy neo-commies who couldn't give a Flying V for the public good, and in the case of Wisconsin teachers, the children they've been hired to serve.

RELATED: Poor Freddie de Boer, he wants us to feel sorry for him: "What's Before Us."

Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Maschek, Iraq War Hero, Heckled at Columbia Over ROTC

I got the heads up on this first from Dana at CSPT, "The students at Columbia University have an absolute right to express their opinions ... and so do I: some of them are worth less than the remnants of dinner I flushed down the toilet this morning."

Dana's reporting on this from New York Post, "Hero's unwelcome: Wounded Iraq vet jeered at Columbia

Columbia University students heckled a war hero during a town-hall meeting on whether ROTC should be allowed back on campus.

"Racist!" some students yelled at Anthony Maschek, a Columbia freshman and former Army staff sergeant awarded the Purple Heart after being shot 11 times in a firefight in northern Iraq in February 2008. Others hissed and booed the veteran.

Maschek, 28, had bravely stepped up to the mike Tuesday at the meeting to issue an impassioned challenge to fellow students on their perceptions of the military.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about the war. It doesn't matter how you feel about fighting," said Maschek. "There are bad men out there plotting to kill you."

I'm speechless, really. I don't know --- and I can't identify with --- some of my fellow Americans anymore.

See the additional commentary at Black Five, "Columbia University brings shame and dishonor to the Ivy League." And at JammieWearingFool, "Classy: Columbia Douchebags Heckle Wheelchair-Bound Purple Heart Iraq War Vet." (Via Memeorandum.)

'Walker Pneumonia'

RightKlik offers a hilarious take on Wisconsin, at Left Coast Rebel, "ObamaQuacks for America." It's a great story. More at Founding Bloggers, "BREAKING: Andrew Breitbart Contracts “Walker Pneumonia” In Madison, Wisconsin!" (via Memeorandum):

Plus, Dana Loesch hammers Karoli at Crooks and Liars (who yesterday I suggested was in the running for the left's dumbest blogger): "Crooks and Liars Blogger Concocts Another Whopper."

Also, at Pundit & Pundette, "'The Left is reacting with all the grace of an alcoholic denied the bottle'." And following the links, Old Linkmaster Smith is in the game: "Troglo for Senate."

RELATED: Robert Costa at National Review, "Walker: ‘We are willing to take this as long as it takes’."

Wisconsin Protests: 'A Massive Onslaught Against Democracy'

There's a lot of things I hope to blog about today, but Wisconsin's so compelling it's hard to resist. My good friend Dave Mangan has "Thoughts on the Wisconsin Protests," where he notes:

This is a massive onslaught against democracy by a self-absorbed and decaying collection of elites in the coastal states who want to halt GOP gains illegally and by violent means, if necessary.

And don't miss Ed Morrissey's epic roundup, "Pictorial: Protest Saturday in Wisconsin." In the dozens of tea parties I've attended, I can't recall seeing such repulsive signs:

Of course the payoff will be the Democrats' utter destruction from the fallout. The Hill has this, for example, "DNC chairman: Wisconsin governor waging war on public workers" (via Memeorandum):

RICHMOND, Va. -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine laid into Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) Saturday night, telling a crowd of Democratic activists that what's happening in that state amounts to a declaration of war on public workers.

Speaking at the Virginia Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner, Kaine said the ongoing budget battle and wide scale protests in Wisconsin reveal the true priorities of GOP governors across the country.

"Governors and others in state houses across this country on the Republican side have decided what they want to do is wage a war against their own employees," Kaine said Saturday night. "Against public employees who are teaching our kids, who are caring for our parents in nursing homes, who are patrolling our neighborhoods."

Through Organizing for America, the DNC's campaign arm, the national committee has been helping support some of the ongoing protests in Wisconsin, offering transportation to rallies and promoting the efforts through phone banking and other outreach.

For the life of me, I'm trying to figure out the upside on this.

Michelle reports that the SEIU has a national thuggery tour planned for next week: "Get ready: SEIU’s Purple Army nationwide protest schedule; teachers’ unions pressure members to show “solidarity”." Showing solidarity? As in Trotskyite international solidarity, no doubt. Thankfully, bloggers are providing on-the-ground reporting that's bypassing Democrat-Media-Industrial-Complex coverage. Althouse, of course, has more incredible blogging, and definitely click through for the picture here: "'Walker — can I 'modestly' kick you in the nuts'." TrogloPundit has great coverage as well: "Madison, Wisconsin, duelling protests: the picture dump." Plus, Little Miss Attila has the roundup of bloggers on hand: "More News from the Front Lines in Madison."

I'll have more later. Meanwhile, check POWIP for some analysis, "Some Recent Historical Context for Wisconsin-Union Dispute." And The Other McCain, "The Real Deal in Madison" and Pejman Yousefzadeh, "Everyone Should Have Seen This Coming."

UPDATES at MEMEORANDUM as well.

Added: At Gateway Pundit, "NY Times Shows Photo of MASSIVE RALLY in Wisconsin… It Was a Tea Party Shot."

Washington Budget Battle Raises Specter of Government Shutdown

The Wall Street Journal reports otherwise, "Ryan Says Not Looking for Government Shutdown." But previously at Investor's Business Daily, "Will D.C. Budget Standoff Repeat 1995? GOP Hopes Not":

2011 is starting to look eerily like 1995. GOP lawmakers and a Democratic president are far apart on the budget, raising the specter of a government shutdown. Republicans are readying Medicare and Social Security reform plans, easy fodder for Democrats.

Republicans hope the parallels end there. Voters blamed the GOP for the 1995 shutdown.

"It's possible that we are seeing" a repeat, said Matt Bennett, vice president for public affairs at the centrist Third Way. "In 1995, the Gingrich revolutionaries demanded tough budget cuts and took it to a government shutdown. It appears Speaker Boehner is responding to the more strident people in his caucus."

More at the link, and also at the Louisville Courier-Journal, "Washington heading for a possible shutdown."

Frankly, I think the 1995 comparison is just too nifty for the media to pass up. Ace of Spades had a piece the other day which showed some Republicans with little ideological principle when it comes to reining-in government. See, "Um: Half of Republican Caucus, Especially Leadership and Old Guard, Votes With Democrats To Block Additional $22 Billion in Cuts."

Okay, I give up. I wanted to give this two party system a try. Forget it. It's time for a third party, the Tea Party.

The GOP is dead to me. Hal Rodgers and posturing lying phony Eric Cantor need to be replaced.

The Republican Party

If you like your ruinous behemoth tax-parasite government, you can keep your ruinous behemoth tax-parasite government.

And that is is promise we will definitely keep. Because, in the end, that's the one thing that matters to us.

I'm going to be keeping an eye on this over the next few days. The GOP needs to be on the right side of history. Hundreds of billions can be cut just for starters, as many have pointed out, and Ace is going to have my vote if the GOP leadership caves to Democrat-progressive spendapalooza politics. So until later, check out NYT's morning report, "As House Votes to Cut $60 Billion, Standoff Looms."

IMAGE CREDIT: The People's Cube.

Christine Teigen Bikini Beauty

Time to take a break from Wisconsin blogging. Enjoy the lovely Christine Teigen:

And please visit American Perspective, "Sophia Vergara," Maggie's Notebook, "Ivanka Trump," and TCOTS, "Rule 5 Saturday."

Bonus: I'm not seeing any babes at Daley Gator, but considering the theme of the day around here: "VIDEO: This Dude Knows What The Leftist Public Unions Are All About."

Tea Party Crashes Madison!

At ABC News, "Tea Party Descends on Madison Protests" (via Memeorandum). And a reader sent along the link to Ray Cunningham's Flickr set:

More at Gateway Pundit, "Amazing!… Tea Party Movement Brings in 15,000 Protesters to Madison With 24 Hour Notice Embarrassing Left."

And TrogloPundit was on the scene: "Let’s rebut some Lefty protest signs!" (c/o Midnight Blue).

RELATED: From The Right Sphere, "Wisconsin Union Protests Expose the Real Left."

Madison Police Detain Union Thug After Attempt to Disable Tea Party Sound System

At Daily Caller, "Union operative attempts to destroy Tea Party rally’s speaker system."

The weird thing is, I was just commenting on the hopeless dishonesty of the progressive left: "Watching the videos, at Althouse and the MacIver Institute, confirms one more time just how low progressives will go. Nothing's above board these days. It's all corruption and thuggery."

More reporting from the Daily Caller: "Tea Partiers strike back in Madison."

And speaking of dishonesty, Glenn's got a roundup on the doctors in Wisconsin handing out bogus sick notes, with a quote from a physician:

“Is it really his position that he is conducting medical examinations in the midst of thousands of people while attaining a right to privacy? One of the most important things in a genuine patient/physician interaction is honesty and this dude is dishonest! . . . He has abrogated his professional responsibility for political expediency.”

Andrew Breitbart Rocks Madison!

As promised, here's Breitbart's speech at the Wisconsin Capitol earlier today:

And speaking of Breitbart, his name's a verb now? "Wisconsin Protesters Breitbarted Over Bogus Teachers' Excuses" (at Memeorandum). That's Karoli at Crooks and Liars, by the way. She's angling for the left's dumbest blogger award, but Matthew Yglesias still holds the crown. Seriously. Even the commenters there are pushing back, supplying all kinds of links showing the massive fraud taking place. If protests were part of the contract teachers wouldn't need fake sick notes to get back to work. Watching the videos, at Althouse and the MacIver Institute, confirms one more time just how low progressives will go. Nothing's above board these days. It's all corruption and thuggery. In any case, NYT as a report, FWIW, "Dueling Protests in a Capital as Nothing Much Gets Done."

Ann Althouse Covers Budget Protest at Wisconsin Capitol

Here's Ann's headline for the doctors writing fake sick notes for fleebagging teachers:

"So you're really providing real doctor's notes for people that miss work?"

"I thought this was a little street theater..."

She's got lots more at the blog (and follow the links to additional videos). Wonderful coverage all around.

And at Fox News, "'Fake' Sick Notes Given to Wis. Protesters as Sides Face Off Over Anti-Union Bill":

As thousands of protesters on both sides of an epic budget standoff in Wisconsin faced off Saturday at the Capitol, alleged doctors were handing out 'fake' sick notes to protesters -- allowing them to call in sick while the budget impasse continues.

FOX News' Mike Tobin reports that according to protesters, both on the pro-Governor and anti-union sides, they obtained the notes from alleged doctors standing on street corners handing them out to whomever asked.

They added that doctors did not examine or inquire about their current health condition before passing the notes away.

RTWT, and also at Memeorandum.

Rachel Maddow Caught Lying About Wisconsin's Budget Crisis

At NewsBusters, "Rachel Maddow Exposed for Lying About Wisconsin Having Budget Surplus."

The full exposé is here: "Rachel Maddow says Wisconsin is on track to have a budget surplus this year." (At Memeorandum.)

Teaching Hatred and Profanity in Wisconsin

At Michelle's, "Photo gallery: What Big Labor protesters are teaching kids (language warning)."

And this one below from Gateway Pundit, "Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho, This Is What Thugocracy Looks Like – More Leftist Hate at Madison Rally":

Andrew Breitbart Speaks in Madison

At Instapundit, "ANDREW BREITBART AT THE MADISON TEA PARTY RALLY TODAY":

I'll be updating with Breitbart's speech, and more ...

Doctors Writing 'Doctor's Notes' for Wisconsin Protesters Who Missed Work

Ann Althouse will be updating:

I went down to the demonstration, to get today's share of abuse, and I've got lots of new photos and video from today's demonstration/counter-demonstration, including video of the Tea Party group, audio of Andrew Breitbart speaking, my encounter with the Dane County police who strictly narrowed the entrance to the Tea Party section, and a group of doctors who offering to write doctor's notes for people who'd missed work.

And Michelle's got killer coverage, "Badger State Battle: Unions vs. Tea Party in Wisconsin; Runaway Dems could be AWOL “for weeks;” recall campaigns launched; nine anti-Walker protesters arrested; fake doctors’ notes for fake sick teachers (VIDEO)":

Majority of Americans Against Public Employee Unions

Here's this from CBS News, "Lawmaker: Gov's plan has torn Wisconsin apart" (via Memeorandum). State Senator Jon Erpenbach is cited there, and he's at this AP clip:

Gov. Scott Walker is destroying neither the unions nor the state of Wisconsin. We're in tough economic times, but there's more to the union backlash. It's also the thuggery and authoritarianism that's central to the progressives' political agenda. Gov. Walker nailed it yesterday when he said that by fleeing the state, Democrat state senators had broken their vows to the people and the public good. From President Obama on down, progressives have excoriated Gov. Walker, often using the exact same Hitler comparison the leftist media exploited to marginalize the tea parties.

This is unconscionable, as Rep. Michele Bachmann warned. We're at the tipping point in American politics, and the backlash is growing. A new survey has the numbers: "Clarus Research Group: Clarus Poll: 64% of voters oppose government employee unions":

WASHINGTON -- As President Obama has joined the political battle in Wisconsin that pits Republican Gov. Scott Walker against public employee unions, a nationwide Clarus Poll finds that a substantial majority of Americans believe government employees should not be able to belong to labor unions. In the Clarus Poll, sixty-four percent of voters polled said government employees should not be represented by unions. Twenty-nine percent of voters said government employees should be represented by labor unions that bargain for higher pay, benefits and pensions.

The full pdf is here: "CLARUS POLL: 64% OF VOTERS OPPOSE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE UNIONS WISCONSIN FIGHT SPOTLIGHTS ISSUE."

It's interesting that even MFM outlets are getting the message. At Los Angeles Times, "Unions Losing Their Grip in Stronghold":

The bill proposed in Wisconsin to remove collective bargaining rights from government workers is similar to measures advancing in other Rust Belt states. Such battles are part of a nationwide backlash.

The pampered nature of public employees is obviously not helping their cause. See Astute Bloggers, "TEACHERS IN WISCONSIN MAKE MORE THAN TWICE THE PER CAPITA INCOME OF THEIR FELLOW WISCONSINITES." And Jennifer Rubin responds to the left's attacks on Gov. Walker, "Who's been overreaching?":

Walker's proposal to limit collective bargaining rights of public employees is bold but hardly original. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels did the same thing. A similar effort is underway in Tennessee.

I would suggest it is not Walker who has gone too far, but public employee unions who for years have ruled the roost in many blue states. The voters sent a signal last November not only to Washington, but to Madison, Lansing, Columbus and elsewhere. We're going to see whether their will, or the ambitions of union leaders, prevails.

See also, Phil Boehmke, "Wisconsin Madness as Seen by the ‘Little People’."

Okay, a little roundup of today's developments:

Ann Althouse warns against outside activist seizing the spotlight in Wisconsin: "There's a Tea Party rally in Wisconsin today — pro-Scott Walker — and I'm a bit wary," and "'Keep our protest CIVIL/Don't become Incited/THE NATION IS WATCHING/And so are our children!'."

Well, let's hope she's not too prescient: "Bloggers For Peace Flotilla Arrived In Madison…SITUATION TENSE…UPDATE: Thousands of Walker’s Supporters Are Here!"

And from Glenn Reynolds: "READER BOB WIRKA SENDS THIS PICTURE from the Madison Tea Party rally in support of Gov. Walker."

RELATED: At Big Government, "'Winning the Future' Means Winning in Madison."

Expect updates ...

What's at Stake in Wisconsin's Budget Battle

From John Fund, at WSJ, "Who's in charge of our political system—voters or unions?":

This week President Obama was roundly criticized, even by many of his allies, for submitting a federal budget that actually increases our already crushing deficit. But that didn't stop him Thursday from jumping into Wisconsin's titanic budget battle. He accused the new Republican governor, Scott Walker, of launching an "assault" on unions with his emergency legislation aimed at cutting the state budget.

The real assault this week was led by Organizing for America, the successor to President's Obama's 2008 campaign organization. It helped fill buses of protesters who flooded the state capital of Madison and ran 15 phone banks urging people to call state legislators ....

The labor laws that Wisconsin unions are so bitterly defending were popular during an era of industrialization and centralization. But the labor organizations they protect have become much less popular, as the declining membership of many private-sector unions attests. Moreover, it's become abundantly clear that too many government workers enjoy wages, benefits and pensions that are out of line with the rest of the economy.

Mr. Walker's argument—that public workers shouldn't be living high off the hog at the expense of taxpayers—is being made in other states facing budget crises. But the left observed the impact of the tea party last year and seems determined to unleash a more aggressive version of its own by teaming up with union allies. Organizing for America is already coordinating protests against proposed reforms in Ohio, Michigan and Missouri.

It's thuggery.

Be sure to read Michelle's essay, "Apocalypse Now: Wisconsin vs. Big Labor."

And the best coverage overall is at Althouse. She's literally all over it.

A Watershed Moment for Public-Sector Unions

At New York Times:

In the half century since Wisconsin became the first state to give its public workers the right to bargain collectively, government employee unions have mushroomed in size and power — so much so that they now account for more than half of the nation’s union members.

But the legislative push by Wisconsin’s new governor, Scott Walker, a Republican, to slash the collective bargaining rights of his state’s public employees could prove a watershed for public-sector unions, perhaps signaling the beginning of a decline in their power — both at the bargaining table and in politics.

Three-fourths of the states allow collective bargaining by some or all of state or local government employees. And labor’s friends and foes alike agree that if the Wisconsin legislation passes, it will create momentum for similar bills in Ohio, Indiana and other states.

“These kinds of high-profile public-employee battles have enormous stakes,” said Benjamin Sachs, a professor of labor law at Harvard. “We’re still feeling the consequences of President Reagan confronting the union in the air controllers’ strike. For anyone interested in union rights, the fight in Wisconsin couldn’t be more important.”

From Florida to California, many political leaders are seeking to cut the wages and benefits of public-sector workers to help balance strained budgets.

But Mr. Walker is going far beyond that, seeking to definitively curb the power of government unions in his state. He sees public-employee unions as a bane to the taxpayer because they demand — and often win — generous health and pension plans that help push up taxes and drive budget deficits higher.

To end that cycle, he wants to restrict the unions to bargaining over just one topic, base wages, while eliminating their ability to deal over health care, working hours and vacations. Moreover, he wants to require unions to win an employee election every year to continue representing workers.

RTWT.

Clearly, organized labor understands the stakes, and progressives have met the challenge with some of the most despicable thuggery in generations. And at the clip above, Gov. Walker's press conference is followed by a segment from MSNBC's Ed Schultz show. Folks obviously know the MSNBC line, but notice how they're rooting for the AWOL Democrat state senators to "hold out" as long as they can to prevent legislative passage. It's almost like something from Egyptian state-run media.

Ronald Reagan Greatest President, New Gallup Poll Finds

Amazing: "Americans Say Reagan Is the Greatest U.S. President" (via Memeorandum).

'They Should Spellcheck the Hell Out of Their Signs'

That was Althouse yesterday, "Is anybody going to apologize for laughing at "Teabonics" — the misspellings on Tea Party signs? I mean, this is a demonstration for unionized teachers. They should spellcheck the hell out of their signs."

I think the sheer stupidity of the protesters magnified Ann's radar. At the photo below, from today's protests, the man's holding an anti-Scott Walker sign likening the Wisconsin governor to Joseph Stalin, but he spells SCOTT STALIN with the runic SS insignia of the Nazi Schutzstaffel. Ann's got video as well. The guy justifies this by arguing that he's throwing all of history's dictators into a "melting pot." And no doubt Governor Walker's right up there:

And here, Ann notes, "I asked the woman if by "Dread Scott" — evoking the Dred Scott case — she meant to suggest a connection between Scott Walker and the era of slavery. She said "Of course."

And lots more from Grant Jones, "Obama/Democrat's 'New Civility'" and Instapundit.

Plus, at Marooned in Marin, "Obama Astroturfers Behind Uncivil Protests In Wisconsin; Counter Protest Planned for Saturday," and Gateway Pundit, "Join Andrew Breitbart, Herman Cain & Jim Hoft at Wisconsin Freedom Rally to Support Scott Walker Saturday."

Michele Bachmann: 'This is Outrageous, Beyond Conscionable'

Jeff Poor has the full report at Daily Caller.

Rep. Bachmann hammers both the derelict Wisconsin public unions and the Obama-Democrat-OFA thugs now raping the democracy:

“They have the support of the White House, but I don’t believe they have the support of the people of Wisconsin,” Bachmann said. “Remember what we’re talking about. These are public servants. They serve the people of Wisconsin. In Greece, for instance, we saw beneficiaries of government checks who took to the streets because the retirement age was going to be raised from 61 to 63. In this instance, [Fox Business Network host] Eric Bolling was on earlier, showing this is simply a contribution being asked to pay for part of their health insurance, not even the full part that the private sector counterparts pay for, and part of their pension. This is something that happens every day in the private sector. So now we are at the tipping point. This debate needed to come. It’s good that it came. What’s shocking is that the White House is weighing in, taking sides, and bringing in a campaign apparatus to set this up.

Plus, at Hot Air, "Video: Union activist demands Walker “come to the table” on CNN, but …"

PREVIOUSLY: "Socialist Public Employees Call for Revolution in Wisconsin."

Socialist Public Employees Call for Revolution in Wisconsin

These folks are from International Socialist Organization, revolutionary Trotskyites committed to global anti-capitalist struggle. What's fascinating is how the lady speaks about how "all of our members" are up every morning organizing for the dictatorship of the proletariat. That's amazing, since I thought we only had imaginary communists in America:

So with that, here's a roundup of reports that you won't be seeing in the Democrat-Media-Industrial-Complex.

First, check Ed Morrissey, "WSJ: Unions about power, not democracy." There's good commentary and a link to "Athens in Mad Town, at the Wall Street Journal:

For Americans who don't think the welfare state riots of France or Greece can happen here, we recommend a look at the union and Democratic Party spectacle now unfolding in Wisconsin ...

The battle of Mad Town is a seminal showdown over whether government union power can be tamed, and overall government reined in. The alternative is higher taxes until the middle class is picked clean and the U.S. economy is no longer competitive. Voters said in November that they want reform, and Mr. Walker is trying to deliver. We hope Republicans hold firm, and that the people of Wisconsin understand that this battle is ultimately about their right to self-government.

There's also a wonderful background report from Stephen Hayes, at Weekly Standard, "Scott Walker vs. Public Sector Unions." The proposed reforms are moderate and Wisconsin public employee benefit contributions would be smaller than the national average. But get this:

... beyond the thousands of protesters in Madison, several hundred protesters even showed up at Walker’s personal home in Wauwatosa to register their displeasure with his leadership (and, perhaps, intimidate his family).

It's thuggery. Michelle has more, "Apocalypse Now: Wisconsin vs. Big Labor; Plus: More out-of-state union recruiting & another teacher speaks up for Walker; police order for AWOL Dems." The entire essay's a gem, and that's not even mentioning the fabulous updates. More on those later. Plus, John Hawkins reports that Speaker John Boehner's house is also being targeted by progressive terrorists: "Call The Civility Police: Liberal Threats and Violence Surge."

Now let's go to Ann Althouse, "I went down to the demonstration this morning... just now..." She'll be uploading, so check back over there. And check the succinctly awesome William Jacobson's essay, "Gadsden Flag Bad, Egypt Flag Good." And I couldn't agree more, "Obama Acted Stupidly In Picking Sides Against The Taxpayers."

I'll have updates this afternoon. Michele Bachmann is speaking with Megyn Kelly as this post goes live. She says: "This is outrageous... now we are at the tipping point."

RELATED: From Doug Ross, "Top 15 Photos From the Wisconsin Hate Rallies You'll Never See in Legacy Media."

Conservatives Don't Need to Cheat or Break the Law to Win the War of Ideas.

This is from the Heritage Foundation, discussing David Rivkin, lead attorney in the multi-state lawsuit challenging Obamacare, "Lead Lawyer Challenging Obamacare Under Cyber Attack." Rivkin's come under a vicious denial-of-service attack from hacktivists in the WikiLeaks mold. As we've seen around here, communists and progressives (and faux-conservative pedophiles) can't win in the realm of ideas, so they resort to thuggery and intimidation.

More on this later ...

Julie Henderson: 'The Strangest Thing You Have to Do Is Bodypainting'

Oh boy!

Readers will no doubt be anxiously awaiting the full-length clips:

CNN Refuses to Cave to Media Matters' Ongoing Crusade to Blacklist the Right

Great piece from John Nolte, at Big Journalism:

Something strange happened today. Something, in fact, I never thought was possible. I not only gained some respect for a cable news network not named FOX, but I have, of all organizations, the George Soros-funded, 501(c)(3) Media Matters to thank for it. In Media Matters never-ending crusade to purify the news into their unholy Leftist vision, we here at the Bigs all knew that once our very own Dana Loesch was hired by CNN as a political contributor, that Soros’ minions would then set out to do what they always do, and that’s find a way to convince CNN to drop her. We didn’t know how they would go about it, we just knew that they would. Because attempting to blacklist conservatives off the air is their specialty.

RTWT.