How a Naked Female Scientist Tries to Tame Belugas in the Freezing Arctic

Awesome report at London's Daily Mail, via Instapudit, who notes:

Photos tasteful, but possibly NSFW given the Taliban-like sensibilities of many corporate HR departments ...

"Taliban-like sensibilities." Sounds like Scott Eric Kaufman. He's a liar too.

Hillary Clinton's Intern

That's all I can mention. I'm loathe to indicate more lest Taliban Scott Eric Kaufman react with extreme malice in some way. Just check Robert Stacy McCain for the details and also Memeorandum and TMZ.

Courtney Alexis Stodden, 16, Marries 'Green Mile' Actor Doug Anthony Hutchison, 51

It's weird.

She's a worldly 16, that's for sure.

At New York Post, "'Lost' actor Doug Hutchison, 51, marries 16-year-old in Vegas." Stodden's parents would have had to okay the marriage, since Nevada law requires an 18 year-old minimum age. And so, hey, if everybody's cool with it. To each his own. Otherwise we'd end up like Taliban Scott Eric Kaufman, butting into everyone's personal lives and destroying families.

See also London's Daily Mail, "Green Mile actor Doug Anthony Hutchison, 51, marries aspiring country music singer, 16, in Las Vegas."

Americans Join Flotilla to Break Gaza Blockade

At Sacramento Bee.

And at Jerusalem Post, "US flotilla ship: We intend to break Gaza blockade":

NEW YORK – Passengers on a US-flagged vessel, The Audacity of Hope, spoke at a press conference on Monday to discuss their plans and reasons for joining the “International Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human,” a flotilla intended to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

It is estimated that people from more than 20 countries will participate in the eight to 10-ship flotilla, which will set sail in the last week of June, in part from Greece. One quarter of the participants on the US vessel, which will have 36 passengers, are to be American Jews.

According to a letter that The Audacity of Hope group sent to President Barack Obama, in addition to the 36 passengers, 4 crew members, and 10 members of the press, the ship “will carry thousands of letters of support and friendship from people throughout the US to the women, children and men of Gaza. There will be no weapons of any sort on board.

“We will carry no goods of any kind for delivery in Gaza,” the group’s letter read. “Our mission is from American civil society to the civil society of Gaza. We do not serve the agenda of any political leadership, government or group. We are engaged solely in nonviolent action in support of the Palestinian people and their human rights.”

Passenger Ann Wright said: “Citizen activists are coming to the Mediterranean from all over the world to confront the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza and US government protection of Israeli criminal acts.

It's not about human rights for Gaza. It's about the delegitimation and destruction of Israel. And I don't believe all of these people are peaceful.

Jerry Brown's Budget Soap Opera

At Wall Street Journal, "As Sacramento Turns":

'All My Children" may be off the air, but the soap opera is still running in Sacramento. In the latest installment, Governor Jerry Brown divorced his fellow Democrats by vetoing their budget. Democrats and unions are furious and plotting revenge, while both sides blame the evil Republicans for refusing to sanction a referendum that would give voters a chance to endorse a tax increase.

Where's Susan Lucci when you need her?

Mr. Brown deserves credit for vetoing the Democratic budget that reverted to Sacramento form to close a $9.6 billion deficit, deferring several billion dollars of bills into the future, borrowing from special funds, and raising the state's sales tax and vehicle registration fee without the constitutionally required supermajority vote. Even the Democratic treasurer warned that the state couldn't finance its short-term debt with such a risky plan, and Mr. Brown cashiered it.

Democrats are now blasting him for suggesting that an "all cuts" budget is the only alternative if Republicans won't agree to allow a vote on a five-year extension of what was supposed to be a temporary income tax surcharge, among other tax hikes. Democrats are frustrated because they expected Republicans to cave months ago. But Republicans have shown laudable discipline, and they know that their relevance in state politics hinges on extracting concessions from employee unions that will reduce the future cost of government.

Mr. Brown needs at least two GOP votes in each chamber to put the tax increases on the ballot. And Republican lawmakers have said for months that they're willing to do so in return for modest pension and regulatory reforms and a hard spending cap.

More at the link.

Unions are basically killing any deal, even one that includes GOP concessions to Jerry Brown tax increases.

RELATED: At Instapundit, "SHOCKER: Companies Leaving California In Record Numbers."

Alleged Denial of Service Attack Against Turn Right USA PAC

Sounds about right. Because, you know, this is just what progressives do.

See "Do Hahn’s Homeboyz include Hackers?"

And at The Rhetorican, "Leftie Hacker Gets Fingered By Conservative PAC?":

Sounds like another instance of ‘Freedom of Speech for me but not for thee’, all too common among the oh-so-tolerant Left.

Exactly.

Wouldn't be surprised if RACIST REPSAC was involved, and his progressive anti-free speech thugs? They're known to engage in similarly aggressive campaigns of intimidation.

Also, at Film Ladd, "Did The Hahn Campaign Hire A Hacker?"

'Why is David Epstein Still a Columbia University Professor After Incest Plea?'

Good question.

A Columbia Professor of POLITICAL SCIENCE?

See The Other McCain for the reply.

Epstein's homepage is here.

Professor Charli Carpenter Quits Lawyers, Guns and Money! — UPDATE!! Repsac = Racist = ASFL = Lying Asshat!!!

And I'm claiming credit for forcing her to abandon that demonic progressive stinkhole.

I noticed that Charli's name had been removed from the blog's masthead, and then new LGM blogger Erik Loomis introduced himself a few weeks ago, noting, "... how intimidating it is to be replacing someone as superb as Charli Carpenter. Those are some big shoes to fill. I know I’ll miss reading her posts."

Charli quit immediately following the publication of my essay, "Dr. Charli Carpenter and the Laws of War." I had long suggested to her that blogging at LGM was harmful to her academic reputation, and of course Charli's ambitious within the field of political science. She dismissed my advice and admonished me not to involve her in flame wars. But I offered legitimate criticism at "Dr. Charli Carpenter and the Laws of War," and she nevertheless ignored the post and then fled the scene of battle. Maybe it was the Serr8d Photoshop of Charli in a bikini, sporting what looks like to be a terrorist's bombing set-up. Feminists hate that stuff. (The bikinis, that is. The pro-Palestinian terrorism? Not so much.) And note how plugging "Charli Carpenter and International Law" or "Dr. Charli Carpenter" into Google pulls up my post at the #1 and #2 ranking. That's gotta hurt.

And that tells you something. Charli was listing Lawyers, Guns and Money at her biographical information on her Foreign Affairs articles, and she's still blogging at The Duck of Minerva, more than ever it seems. Charli likes blogging and wouldn't have quit LGM on a whim.

Frankly, it must have been damaging to be associated with a hate dump like Robert Farley's Lawyers, Guns and Money. And especially so now that LGM has emerged as a big outlet for progressive anti-Semitism in recent months, led by the idiot juvenile Scott Lemieux and his ill-considered blogging on Israel-bashing playwright Tony Kushner.

It's telling all around. Not only had blogging at LGM become a liability for Charli, but it goes to show that when challenged, progressives are cowardly when forced outside of their demonic cocoons.

I'm going to have lots more on the bloggers at Lawyers, Guns and Money. They've been attacking me and this blog for years, and recently those attacks took a very personal turn, which required me to retain an attorney. I'm still holding off on reporting on that, but it's going to be blockbuster when it comes out. One of the bloggers over there is going to be outed as evil once and for all. He'll be even more discredited than he already is, and while this has been costly, it's nothing that I initiated. Cheap kicks while it lasted it, but not anymore. Basically, don't fuck with me, assholes. You reap what you sow and it's very ugly. And you deserve the ignominy that's coming your way.

Stay tuned.

*****

UPDATE (2:25pm PST): I've been out taking my kid skateboarding, so a little late getting back to the blog. Not only that, I'm trying desperately to pull myself up after ROTFLMFAO, because REPSAC = RACIST = ASFL has responded to this post, and writes hilariously that Charli Carpenter is "paying little if any attention to Donald Douglas." Perhaps not, but stalker REPSAC = RACIST = ASFL sure the hell is!!

See: "Professor Donald Douglas is Envious of Professor Charli Carpenter."

And more lulz. Note how Charli Carpenter quit blogging precisely while coming under withering fire at this blog. Yep, perfect timing. The so-called "Grad Director" gig is a convenient out for pulling her name off the masthead at LGM, and totally transparent. God, that's pathetic, but expected, since she no doubt found she could no longer blog at a premier progressive anti-Semitic hate dump. It's pretty self-explanatory. And she's meanwhile blogging up a storm at Duck of Minerva. Yep, that "Grad Director" gig sure is taking up a lot of time, yuk yuk!!

And wrong, not envious in the least, RACIST REPSAC3 ASFL. I'm a tenured professor at a college without a grad program, so "Grad Director" is not something I'd be doing. And I have no need to publish, since community colleges are teaching institutions. But WE KNOW progressives like you hate teaching and denigrate those who do, cuz ur a typical asshat. And I'm raising two kids myself, not to be demonic left-wing terrorist wannabes, of course. Unlike you, freaking stalker.

Plus, I'm not "outing" anyone's identity, you idiot. I plan to report and document the moral degeneracy and evil of one of the bloggers at Lawyers, Guns and Murder. Still waiting for the go-ahead from the attorney, but you've got skills in this area, so it'll be interesting to demonstrate a past pattern of collaboration on your part. See: "DEFAMATION - DONALD STYLE --- Another year, another UPDATE: 2/17/2011." At the update, that's where hate sponsor RACIST = REPSAC = ASFL denies that he had anything to do with the campaign of workplace intimidation directed against me at my college, which of course is a lie, because RACIST = REPSAC = ASFL personally administers the blog and he personally recruited the progressives who published all of my workplace contact information, with the exhortation:

We know these behaviors all too well, and why some of you bother with this pinhead is beyond me. The Coward is not welcome at The Swash Zone; we delete his comments immediately. More disturbing are the comments and e-mails left by his followers: Profane, racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic … worthy of report to the FBI. What to do?

If the Coward or any of his followers harass you online you, contact President **** ****** at (562) ***-**** or Executive VP of Academic Affairs ****** **** at (562) ***-**** and describe the harassment. For serious online abuse or defamation, there is always this option (case file in progress).

This was published at REPSAC = RACIST = ASFL's blog, American Nihilist, Feb 12, 2009. (See here.) And REPSAC = RACIST = ASFL is fully implicated in this initial campaign of workplace intimidation, and he's now even doubled-down about how he thinks I should be fired for practicing my First Amendment rights to freedom of the expression, the right to be free in my private personal affairs. It's pretty bad, but this is what progressives do. And when I'm able to report fully on recent legal developments with my blog, REPSAC = RACIST = ASFL may well be implicated in the moral deviance, evil, and libelous activities that have been recently launched to destroy the moral clarity of myself and American Power.

Americans Involved in Too Many Foreign Conflicts, New Poll Finds

At The Hill, "The Hill Poll: Majority says military involved in too many places." (At Memeorandum.)

And pluralities don't think U.S. intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq has made us safer. Check the link. For the general public, it's war-weariness that explains this. But on the ideological fringes, the findings will give support to isolationist voices who deplore the forward exercise of American power.

What's interesting about about the survey is there's no mention of President Obama's deployment to Libya. Yesterday's Los Angeles Times had an outstanding piece on outgoing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He's been on record of late saying that the U.S. is a little tired of war, and that the military needs a break. And from the Times' piece:

Gates' concern for the troops is a key part of his legacy as he leaves office.

He has pushed the lumbering Pentagon bureaucracy to turn out new armored vehicles and other equipment to keep soldiers safer in combat and to get them treatment faster when they are wounded.

And he has become a voice of caution and even outright opposition to committing American forces to new wars. Gates publicly questioned the need to join the NATO air war in Libya, arguing that the military already was overstretched in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since then, he has sought to limit the U.S. role.

Gates emphasizes that he would not hesitate to support sending troops to another conflict if national security were threatened, and he favors only "modest" reductions in troop levels in Afghanistan in coming months. That puts him at odds with some in the Obama administration who want to bring U.S. troops out sooner.

But the longer he is in office, Gates said, the "heavier" the burden he bears when he is asked to make decisions that inevitably involve sending more American troops to their deaths.

"I've got a military that's exhausted," he said. "Let's just finish the wars we're in and keep focused on that instead of signing up for other wars of choice."

I think that's a fair statement, and it's especially noteworthy considering President Obama's amateurish and hypocritical rationale for military intervention.

Wal-Mart Wins Supreme Court Sex Discrimination Case

This is huge.

At New York Times, "Justices Rule for Wal-Mart in Bias Case."

And at Althouse, "'The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a massive sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart on behalf of women who work there'":

I hope the GOP candidates for President are smart and articulate enough to use this case in their argument against electing the Democratic President to a second term.

Word.

As Crystal Cathedral Fights to Survive Bankruptcy, Spanish-Language Ministry Comes of Age

I've been meaning to visit Crystal Cathedral all year. The famous mega-church is going through bankruptcy, and I wanted to take some pictures for a photo-essay. I drove over there yesterday, after reading the Sunday newspaper. See Los Angeles Times, "Crystal Cathedral's Tale of Two Ministries."

The two lines begin forming outside the Crystal Cathedral before 9 on Sunday mornings. It is a mostly immigrant crowd — Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, among others — and they stand patiently, unfurling umbrellas against the sun.

When the doors open for the 9:30 English-language service, the lines don't budge. It isn't for a lack of seats inside — so few people are there that cameramen have trouble finding crowd shots for the "Hour of Power" television program, which has been broadcast from the Garden Grove megachurch since 1970.

At 11, a second English service starts, also sparsely attended. The lines outside grow longer.

By the time that service ends, each line stretches the equivalent of a city block — people of all ages dressed in their Sunday best. Just before 1, the doors reopen and, row by row, the cathedral is filled.

As the Crystal Cathedral fights to survive its descent into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, this is its untold success story: a Spanish-language service led by a dynamic Argentine pastor, Dante Gebel, who inspires comparisons to the church's founder, Robert H. Schuller.

Since Gebel arrived two years ago, the cathedral's Hispanic Ministry has grown from no more than 300 people to 3,000, far outstripping the traditional ministry led by Schuller's daughter, Sheila Schuller Coleman. The brash, shaggy-haired Gebel is seen on television in some 70 countries; his Facebook page is "liked" by more than 800,000 people.

Yet even this may not be enough to save the architectural and religious landmark, long known for its lavish spending and now caught short by plummeting revenues. Crystal Cathedral Ministries recently filed a reorganization plan that calls for selling its 40-acre campus to a real estate developer and leasing back its core for $212,000 a month. In October, the church said it owed creditors more than $50 million.

The hard reality is that Gebel's popularity is unlikely to generate the money needed to rescue the Schuller empire. And Gebel — an independent contractor, not a church staff member — is quick to say that he has no great attachment to the Garden Grove church and could leave at any time.

"I haven't been called to save the Crystal Cathedral, so that isn't my goal," he said in an interview in his office on the cathedral grounds. He thinks about just one thing, he said: "Preaching to the Hispanic people."

He likens the cathedral, with its soaring, light-filled vault, to a borrowed tuxedo. "I would say the same thing here as in Bolivia or Argentina," he said, "but here, I have a better suit."

It is hard to imagine a contrast more striking than the one between the English and Spanish services at Crystal Cathedral.

More at the link above.

And some pictures:

A man prays in the prayer room at the base of the spires. His daughter peeked around playfully while I took a picture:

A young woman posed for pictures near the base of the tower:

I looked in the main church, and an organist was playing, perhaps tuning the organ:

The young woman poses next to the painted models of the Holy Family:

And the plaque at the base had this from Matthew 2:19-23:

... an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

And below this statute of Jesus with the lamb, Luke 15:4-6:

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!

Highlights of F-35 Flight Testing

At NAS Patuxent River, Md., NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, and Edwards AFB, Ca.

Via Theo Spark:

More Lovely Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Video Blogging

I skipped a big Rule 5 roundup earlier, so I'm playing catch-up.

See The Other McCain, "Rule 5 Sunday: Do It Again." And Pirate's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup – Father’s Day Edition," and Proof Positive, "Saturday Linkaround."

And a fabulous post at Bob Belvedere's, "Rule 5 Saturday: E V A W Y R W A L."

Plus, Theo Spark, "Bedtime Totty..."

Also: Astute Bloggers, Blazing Cat Fur, Bob Belvedere, CSPT, Dan Collins, Doug Ross, Gator Doug, Irish Cicero, Left Coast Rebel, Mind-Numbed Robot, Legal Insurrection, Lonely Conservative, PA Pundits International, PACNW Righty, Pirate's Cove, Proof Positive, Saberpoint, Snooper, WyBlog, The Western Experience, and Zion's Trumpet.

Plus, don't forget American Perspective, Maggie's Notebook and Zilla of the Resistance.

And my friends Marathon Pundit and Marooned in Marin.

Let me know if I missed your blog!

BONUS: From Randy's Roundtable, "Thursday Nite Tart: Karrisa Shannon."

Amy Winehouse Booed Off Stage in Serbia, Cancels Part of European Tour

I spent three years in L.A. going to concerts, nearly every weekend, and the only performer I can recall on stage this drunk was Darby Crash of The Germs. He could sing, no matter how wasted, but he died from a drug overdose in 1980, just a couple days after the last time I saw the band play. I've never seen Amy Winehouse, but this is just sad. It's all sad, the drugs, the lost promise, the death. At the Independent UK, "They know that she's no good... Amy Winehouse booed off stage in Serbia," and Los Angeles Times, "Amy Winehouse cancels part of European tour":

High-Tech Lynching: Progressives Attack Clarence Thomas Alleged Ethics Breach Because He's a Black Conservative

It's one of the greatest apostasies from progressivism. To be black and conservative is to reject everything about the politics of racial grievance and victimology. And for 20 years we've seen Clarence Thomas bear the brunt of the left's attack on black conservatism at the Supreme Court. I mentioned it today, the story at New York Times, "Friendship of Justice and Magnate Puts Focus on Ethics." And I linked Althouse, but folks need to go over there again, because she hammers the progressive hypocrisy: "The NYT goes after Clarence Thomas over 'an unusual, and ethically sensitive, friendship'."

And here comes the Soros-funded Think Progresss, "Justices Have Been Forced To Resign For Doing What Clarence Thomas Has Done":

Justice Clarence Thomas is an ethics problem in a black robe.

And he's being subjected to a high-tech attack in a white robe.

Despicable, but it's the progressive left we're talking about, so there you go. Just terrible people.

Via Memeorandum.

Kate Upton Esquire Woman of Summer 2011

And there's an interview with the Sports Illustrated model.

She's lovely.

"Kate Upton is the Woman of Summer 2011."

The Latest Evolution of the New York Times' 'Week in Review'

I'm moved to write about this, since it's Father's Day.

My dad was a New Yorker by way of St. Louis. He went to NYU for his BA and MA, taught in New York Public Schools, and married my mom in New York City in 1959. My dad took a job in Europe as a civilian officer in the U.S. Army, but we moved to California when I was 4 years-old. I remember, when I was old enough to notice, that my dad received the Sunday New York Times in the mail each week. He'd spread the newspaper out on his bed and read each section carefully, from the front page down to the style and social sections. If he didn't finish a newspaper, he'd leave it at the side of the bed to finish, before moving on to the next week's paper. That was his tradition, so the New York Times always had a special place in our house, and in my memory.

When I was in college and graduate school, the New York Times was always the most prestigious source for writing term papers. I also like the Los Angeles Times, which is why readers will note that most of my news reporting from mainstream sources cites those two papers. As much media bias as there is, and both papers are very left-wing in their editorial writing, I still rely on them for the bulk of my news. I don't expect that to stop anytime soon, and frankly I only wish the best for the newspapers as far as their financial health. We need a mainstream press. We need that press as we've always needed independent journalism in the democracy. The difference today, of course, is the Internet and the spread of citizens' journalism. But bloggers and videographers aren't going to replace the big newspapers. What's happening is that the big papers are becoming more Internet-friendly, more like bloggers, not the least from the need to simply survive.

So, well, I'm both critical of the New York Times, like today's hit piece against Clarence Thomas (discussed at Althouse), and also thankful for it. I continue to admire the newspaper's styling and its website is the best newspaper website online. I also assign it to my students so they'll learn how to read a newspaper, which in itself is a disappearing skill.

Anyway, one of the things I enjoyed in the old days, when I used to buy the Sunday Times before it was $6.00 a pop, was the "Week in Review" section. Sometimes I'd pull out "Week in Review" first off. It seemed so cool and sophisticated. I loved reading all the background analysis. Now it seeems dated. I rarely read it anymore, and I don't buy the Sunday paper anymore just to go find it, which I once did. So, things have changed. I guess Bill Keller knows this, he knows how the cachet of the "Week in Review" has collapsed in the hyper-news era of today. So he's moved to spiff it up. See, "Coming Next Sunday: The Latest Evolution of the Review." There's going to be a name-shortening, and more:

Next Sunday, the Week in Review will make another evolutionary leap. The name will be shortened yet again to Sunday Review, the last vestiges of a weekly summing up replaced by a more general timeliness, and that dividing wall breached, so that argument (which will be labeled Opinion) can appear alongside explanation (which will be labeled News Analysis.)

It is not the end of the world as we know it, or even, really, the most dramatic turn in the long history of the section. In the 1990s the Review was very nearly killed off, on the ground that it no longer did anything the rest of the paper wasn’t doing.

Check the rest of it. Interesting development.

Pew Research Center: Fathers and the Modern American Family

See: "A Tale of Two Fathers: More Are Active, but More Are Absent."

If readers can remember back to 2008, one of things I'd hoped about Barack Obama, if he were elected, is that he'd help restore stable family values to the black community. He has not. While President Obama is a model family man, he's rarely spoken out in any direct, sustained way that would bring his moral authority to bear on the cultural pathologies of the race. He needs to be out speaking like this, often, and sincerely, like Father's Day comes more than once a year.

According to Pew, "... more than one-in-four fathers with children 18 or younger now live apart from their children ..."

And especially:

Fathers’ living arrangements are strongly correlated with race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status as measured by educational attainment. Black fathers are more than twice as likely as white fathers to live apart from their children (44% vs. 21%), while Hispanic fathers fall in the middle (35%). Among fathers who never completed high school, 40% live apart from their children. This compares with only 7% of fathers who graduated from college.

This is not to dismiss other ethnic groupings, for example, the Hispanic population, but I once taught Black Politics, and I continue to see the poorest academic and social performance of young black men than any other other demographic. I used to be sympathetic, if not a little sad about it. Now I just get mad, and if I can, I'll get in your face if you're not performing up to standards. Of course, I'm only a professor, so my role is limited, but if I can model some achievement or direction, that will count for a bit. It's not just a problem on television or in the movies. I see it up close. I personally grieve. Perhaps I can do more later, when I have some changes in my own family. Time. Time to give back.

Now, closer to home, I'm not teaching this summer, and so I'll have the next two months to spend with my family, for some quality time and recreation. No big trips are planned. My youngest son will be the challenge while school's out, though. He needs to be active and needs a lot of direction. Just last week I was taking him skateboarding two times a day, but we'll need to read and study as well. My older son is going on 10th grade and he's very independent. He's got a young lady friend (kinda girlfriend) who he spends most of his time with, and he doesn't like me tagging along too much. But I need to get on him to do more chores around the house, and hopefully I can get him to do some reading instead of downloading music all the time.

At the Pew study it notes that 63 percent of dad's today say that being a father is harder now than it was a generation ago. And, "Only about one-in-four adults say fathers today are doing a better job as parents than their own fathers did." Yeah. Okay. But what's the measurement? If it's economically, things have been pretty spotty these last few years, and we'd have to go back two or three generations to find a time when there was less economic dynamism (and dislocation). But culturally, the dads of today are way more hands-on than when I was a kid, and that's good. My dad was perhaps more involved than some other fathers in my neighborhood growing up, but he was just as emotionally distant as any I can think of. I never wanted to be a father like that, and thank goodness. Sure, there's more we can do, as men and fathers, and no one measures up perfectly to their own expectations and those of their children. But keeping it all together is the primary responsibility, and giving equal support to the spouse so everyone can grow and be happy. In that way men have a greater responsibility as parents than in earlier generations. I think when we have a booming economy again, some of the load will ease, and successful fatherhood might increase (increased togetherness, less family breakdown).

Anyway, at top, I'm taking a break from cleaning house yesterday morning. We have a realtor. He showed the house at 10:00am and my wife and I were both up detailing everything. My youngest boy slept until about 9:00am, and my oldest is out of town until later today. I might shave. I've just been chillin' since school got out at the end of May.

More later.

Have a good Father's Day everyone.

Saudi Women Defy Ban on Driving

At Los Angeles Times, "Saudi women get in the driver's seat to defy ban."

It's gender apartheid, but of course, the global progressive left seeks Israel's delegitimization and destruction. The world is upside down.

Also at The Lede, "Saudi Women Defy Driving Ban." And Sydney Morning Herald, "At the wheel of progress."

Markos Moulitsas: No Comment on Breitbart Attack at Netroots Nation

At Founding Bloggers, " Kos Refuses to Comment On Breitbart Appearance at Netroots Nation 2011":

We tried to ask him about what went down when Breitbart crashed Kos’s convention. Kos didn’t feel like commenting ...

Breitbart was accused of being a coward for not answering the Kos crowd’s questions to their satisfaction. We do not think Kos is a coward for doing the same.

I don't know.

The dude's a prick. Sometimes the polite response just seems inadequate, for a brat like that.

Wall Street Journal Weekend Interview: David McCullough, 'Don't Know Much About History'

I think the culture's changed so much. I'm not sure the same measures of education should be applied to today's younger generations. Yeah, I wish kids read more, and took interest in engagement. Especially kids of diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds. Overall though, it is indeed blank stares in the classroom when checking for just basic historical knowledge. It can be real drag sometimes.

Check it out, at the link:

Boston

'We're raising young people who are, by and large, historically illiterate," David McCullough tells me on a recent afternoon in a quiet meeting room at the Boston Public Library. Having lectured at more than 100 colleges and universities over the past 25 years, he says, "I know how much these young people—even at the most esteemed institutions of higher learning—don't know." Slowly, he shakes his head in dismay. "It's shocking."

He's right. This week, the Department of Education released the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress, which found that only 12% of high-school seniors have a firm grasp of our nation's history. And consider: Just 2% of those students understand the significance of Brown v. Board of Education.

Mr. McCullough began worrying about the history gap some 20 years ago, when a college sophomore approached him after an appearance at "a very good university in the Midwest." She thanked him for coming and admitted, "Until I heard your talk this morning, I never realized the original 13 colonies were all on the East Coast." Remembering the incident, Mr. McCullough's snow-white eyebrows curl in pain. "I thought, 'What have we been doing so wrong that this obviously bright young woman could get this far and not know that?'"

Answer: We've been teaching history poorly. And Mr. McCullough wants us to amend our ways ...

RTWT.

Islamic Mob Swarms Free Speech Protesters in Dearborn

At Zilla of the Resistance, with all kinds of links: "Standing Up Against Islamonazism."

And at Pamela's, "CHRISTIAN GROUPS PHYSICALLY ATTACKED IN DEARBORN, MICHIGAN."

Plus, at Detroit Free Press, "Pastor Terry Jones thwarted in Dearborn."

The guy's a freak, if I recall. But let him march, sheesh.

Back to Teaching at California State Universities

From Naomi Schaefer Riley, at Los Angeles Times, "Cal State system: It's time to get back to teaching."

There's no quick quote to capture the essence here. Full-time faculty don't do much teaching, it turns out, or at least not "the bulk" of it. Mostly adjuncts nowadays. It's weird, though, because I had the best professors at Fresno State. I think I had one grad student TA, in math. And the professor referred all questions to him, and while the TA was a good guy, proficient, etc., that's probably not the best example of cutting-edge teaching. The Political Science Department was great though. So much better than the University of California, in terms of access to the professors. I mentioned previously that the more hands on attention professors provide, the more they'll help their students. That's what happening in my classes, and I still can't do enough to overcome the skills deficits kids bring to college. So yeah, focus on teaching at Cal State. (And check that link: Schaefer Riley notes that Cal State's at risk of closing ten campuses and turning away 100,000 students --- seems unreal.)

Tommy Christopher's F-Bomb Attack on Lee Stranahan

On Twitter. During the height of the Weiner controversy online. Tommy Christopher's an idiot, but what's killer is folks were calling him out at the time. See Lee Stranahan at Patterico's, "About Mediaite’s Explanation of Their Fiasco." Also, "About Mediaite’s Explanation Of Their Fiasco."

Full story at New York Times, "Fake Identities Were Used on Twitter in Effort to Get Information on Weiner." (At Memeorandum.)

RELATED: At Riehl World View, "Tommy Christopher's Ignorance In Online Reporting."

Job-Killing ATM Machines

This is good.

From Dan Joseph, at the Media Research Center, "Petition to Ban Job Killing ATM Machines":

Also at Weasel Zippers.

Karen Alloy Bacon Lover

She's funny.

I decided to go with this online dating clip instead of "Boner Killer!", which was a little over the top (unless you're Scott Eric Kaufman, then it's f**king great):

More Parents Buying Apartments for Their Children

This is an amazing story, a testament to Americans' financial resilience amid the Obama Depression.

At New York Times, "The Gift Apartment From Mom and Dad":

FOR some parents, an engraved pen set just won’t cut it as a graduation present. It seems so insubstantial, so unoriginal. Anyway, the kid will just lose it. So how about a New York apartment?

Real estate brokers say that in the last year, they have seen more parents shopping for apartments for their grown children, hoping to take advantage of low mortgage rates and apartment prices that are still about 20 percent down from the market’s peak.

“I got a digital watch for graduation,” said Barry Silverman, an executive vice president of Halstead Property, “but I’ve worked with families where the children are getting an apartment.”

These congratulatory apartments are often studios or small one-bedrooms, but on occasion they are bigger-ticket items, he said, because “the parents see it as a long-term investment and a good place to park their money.”

In many cases, brokers say, the parents do not live in the New York area and view the apartment as a potential pied-à-terre for themselves when the child decides to move on. Some buy it as a straight-out gift, a gesture of profound affection sweetened by the current generous tax exclusion. Others buy it as an investment and retain ownership, and still others acquire it through a family trust for joint ownership.

These purchases raise a number of financial and estate planning questions, and lawyers and building managers advise parents to structure the arrangement carefully.

That's for sure. Check that link at top for the rest.

Jessica Gomes Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011

Some weekend Rule 5.

I'm foregoing a big roundup this weekend, but if anyone wants their link added just drop it in the comments:

Congratulations to William Jacobson and the New Legal Insurrection!

If you've kept up with Legal Insurrection in recent months, William has mentioned periodically that he was shifting to the Wordpress platform. There's been a rollout this week at the old blog. And the new one went live sometime earlier today. It's one of the nicest switch-overs I've seen.

William's got his regular Saturday Night Card Game up, as well as an audio clip of Rush Limbaugh reading his recent post smacking down progressive lies about how the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher "dissed" Sarah Palin: "Rush reads LI post about Sarah Palin and Margaret Thatcher."

That's a pretty nice timing for the new blog. Congratulations:

EXTRA: And did you know Ann Althouse will also have a new blog soon? She's even got a Swedish domain: "Althou.se."

The big question: Will it be sweeter than the new Legal Insurrection? Inquiring minds want to know.

Mavi Marmara Will Not Sail in Second Gaza Flotilla

At Haaretz, "Gaza flotilla organizers disappointed by Turkish group's decision to cancel ship" (via Blazing Cat Fur).

Organizers of the flotilla that is set to sail for the Gaza Strip later this month expressed disappointment over the weekend that the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) will not take an active role in the convoy.

The IHH announced on Friday that the Mavi Marmara ship, on which nine Turkish activists were killed last May when it was intercepted by Israeli commandos on its way to Gaza, will not take part in the upcoming convoy.

RELATED: At Jerusalem Post, "US man seeks to seize flotilla ships using anti-piracy law":

Dr. Alan Bauer, an American- Israeli victim of a Palestinian terrorist attack, on Thursday filed a first of its kind lawsuit in an effort to seize ships to be used by Islamic and anti-Israel organizations to try to breach the blockade of the Gaza Strip later this month.

The suit, Bauer v. The Mavi Marmara, was filed in Manhattan federal court, seeking to confiscate 14 ships, which are scheduled to participate in the upcoming flotilla and which were outfitted with funds Bauer says were unlawfully raised in the United States by anti-Israel groups, including The Free Gaza Movement. Over the weekend, however, the Turkish IHH organization said the Mavi Marmara was still too damaged to sail for Gaza.

The plaintiff, a biologist from the Chicago area, and his son Jonathan, then aged seven, were seriously wounded when Palestinian suicide bomber detonated a bomb, packed with metal spikes and nails, in the center of a crowd of shoppers on King George Street in Jerusalem on March 21, 2002.

Three people were killed and 85 other people were also wounded.

Bauer alleges that The Free Gaza Movement and other American-based anti-Israel organizations have raised funds in the United States to outfit the Gaza flotilla ships. The lawsuit contends that furnishing and outfitting the ships, which are being used for hostilities against a US ally, violates American law.

The plaintiff rests his claim upon the rarely used 18th-century “informant” statute (18 USC Section 962) that allows a plaintiff (called an “informer”) to privately seize ships outfitted in the United States for use against a US ally.

The stature states: “Whoever, within the United States, furnishes, fits out, arms, or attempts to furnish, fit out or arm, any vessel, with intent that such vessel shall be employed in the service of any foreign prince, or state, or of any colony, district, or people, to cruise, or commit hostilities against the subjects, citizens, or property of any foreign prince or state, or of any colony, district, or people with whom the United States is at peace; or Whoever issues or delivers a commission within the United State for any vessel, to the intent that she may be so employed – Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

“Every such vessel, her tackle, apparel, and furniture, together with all materials, arms, ammunition, and stores which may have been procured for the building and equipment thereof, shall be forfeited, one half to the use of the informer and the other half to the use of the United States.”

Still more at the link above.

Rick Perry Energizes Conservatives in New Orleans

I just don't that much about him, so we'll see.

There's video at RealClearPolitics, and he sounds great. Love the accent.

And at CNN, "Perry wows at Republican conference amid 2012 buzz" (via Memeorandum).

As speculation mounts about his presidential ambitions, Texas Gov. Rick Perry delivered a rousing and unapologetic defense of conservative principles on Saturday at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

Perry repeatedly brought an audience of hundreds of Republican activists to their feet with a small government message reminiscent of the one that helped him win an unprecedented third term as governor last November.

Perry said there is "too much spending, too much interfering and too much apologizing" in Washington.

"Stand up!," Perry thundered. "Let's speak with pride about our morals and our values and redouble our effort to elect more conservative Republicans. Let's stop this American downward spiral!"

See also New Orleans Times-Picayune, "Rick Perry sounds every bit a candidate at Republican Leadership Conference." (More at Memeorandum.)

Michele Bachmann Glittered at Right Online

I found the clip at Instapundit, " Failed glitter attack on Michele Bachmann."

But see also, Gay Patriot, "Throwing glitter rather than debating gay marriage":

Yeah, well, throwing stuff is a lot easier than acknowledging your adversary’s points and countering them with well-thought out arguments.

But check the whole thing. Lots more links.

But the thing I notice at the video, is how easily the protester is able to get to Michele Bachmann. When I first saw Bachmann speak at Knott's Berry Farm in January 2010, she had a staff aide or body guard keeping people away, and she left quickly after making her speech. At this year's Horowitz retreat, however, she was meeting and greeting all the guests and taking pictures, etc. I imagine the ambience was like that at Right Online, being around a bunch of fellow partisans, but there are no metal detectors at these big conferences, and it's scary to think what could very well happen unless she's better protected by security.

VIDEO: Actor Reggie Brown, Obama Impersonator, Pulled From Stage at Republican Leadership Conference

I've never been comfortable with this kind of humor. A couple of jokes might be funny, but a whole routine is extreme. And whoever thought it was a good idea hiring this guy for a GOP presidential straw poll should ... well, I'll let readers finish the sentiment. Just plain stupid. Man.

At Washington Post, "Obama impersonator pulled offstage after making racial, gay jokes at GOP gathering" (via Memeorandum):

Additional video here, via Balloon Juice.

Again, the political stupidity boggles the mind.

Leon Panetta, U.S. Defense Secretary Nominee, Linked to Communist, Anti-Semitic Women's International League for Peace

A really interesting piece, from Aaron Klein, at World Net Daily, "Panetta Keynoted Pro-Soviet Group's Conference".

It turns out that Panetta honored Lucy Haessler, a founder of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

The WILPF homepage is here. WILPF is a longtime communist front group, with ties to various terror-financing operations: "Not In Our Name and the World Wide Terrorism Web." It's also an anti-Semitic organization: "WILPF Supports Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions for Israel." And "Blood Libel: NIF-Linked Group Blames Israel for Leukemia in Gaza."

See also New Zeal, "Panetta Report 1: Leon Panetta Paid Tribute to Two Longtime Communists," and "Panetta Report 2: Leon Panetta Paid Tribute to Pro-Communist Peace Activist."

Plus, at Anti-Liberal Zone, "LEON PANETTA LEFTIST STOOGE IN THE PENTAGON."

David Protess of the Innocence Project Now Defends Himself

Read this piece, at New York Times, "A Watchdog Professor, Now Defending Himself." (At Memeorandum.)

A key passage:

It is often said that academic politics are so vicious because the stakes are so low, but in the matter of Mr. Protess and the wrongly convicted men he helped to free, the stakes could not have been higher.

I know something about academic politics and high stakes. A few days back I mentioned that I'd have a report on some of the bloggers at Lawyers, Guns and Money, and not Dave Brockington (about which, here). I'm still waiting, because attorneys are involved, but this is going to be blockbuster when I can write about it.

Anyway, I don't know anything about David Protess, but I can see that he developed some powerful enemies in his work, people who want to destroy him. Again, I know the feeling, although I haven't gotten anyone released from death row. But some people have been extremely threatened by the things that I write here, and allegations and high-level threats have been made. I'm not kidding when I say high level. Seriously. Readers are going to be blown away when this comes out.

Stay tuned.

Presidential War Powers

Harry Reid's a blithering idiot. I have no idea how he was ever elected to public office. It's not so much his position on the War Powers Resolution, but that it's at odds with his claim that the public wants the troops home from Afghanistan. Frankly, Americans are weary of overseas commitments altogether, but at least the Afghan deployment enjoyed broad bipartisan support to begin with, back in the day. With Libya, the administration took the easiest route to do something --- anything --- in North Africa and the Middle East amid the wave of revolutions taking place in the "Arab Spring." And there's been little public consensus on major U.S. role in Libya.

This guy sucks:

Unfortunately, a Ron Paul wing in the GOP is joining with the Dennis Kucinich Demo-nuts to push for action on the Resolution. A lot of folks in the right blogosphere have made something out of this as well, and it goes to the lack of vital national interests at stake, and that's understandable. That said, John Yoo's got a new piece up on the Commander-in-Chief's authority on the use of force, "The GOP Plays Politics With the War Powers Resolution," and Yoo's the man:

Congressional Republicans should not try to outdo Mr. Obama in a game of unprincipled one-upmanship. But that's precisely what key GOP leaders have done. Earlier this week, House Speaker John Boehner sent a letter to the White House accusing Mr. Obama of violating the War Powers Resolution. "The Constitution requires the president to 'take care that the laws be faithfully executed,'" he wrote, quoting the president's responsibilities under Article II of the Constitution. "And one of those laws is the War Powers Resolution, which requires an approving action by Congress or withdrawal within 90 days from the notification of a military operation."

Mr. Boehner's claim ignores the Constitution's fundamental nature as supreme law. As Chief Justice John Marshall declared in the foundational case of Marbury v. Madison (1803), the Constitution is "a superior paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means," and any act of Congress "contrary to the constitution is not law." If the Constitution gives the president the executive authority to use force abroad, Congress cannot take it away. Surely Mr. Boehner agreed with this proposition before the current president took office. He, for instance, never claimed that President George W. Bush's exercise of broad executive powers in the war on terror violated the Constitution. Nor does he appear to have thought that legislative authorization of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars was constitutionally necessary in 2001 and 2002.

Not to be outdone, House Republicans Roscoe Bartlett, Dan Burton, Howard Coble, John Duncan, Tim Johnson, Walter Jones and Ron Paul joined with Dennis Kucinich and other Democrats this week and filed suit in a D.C. federal court seeking to halt U.S. military operations in Libya. They may see themselves as purists, but they are not demonstrating fidelity to the Constitution by launching a legal effort that they know to be utterly futile ....

RTWT.

Added: See Allahpundit's write up on the New York Times' story, "NYT: Obama overruled top Pentagon, DOJ lawyers on Libya war powers" (via Memeorandum). And check JustOneMinute, "Obama Goes Shopping For Legal Advice." It's the hypocrisy that's stunning.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner Interview with James Poulos at PJTV

Background at Jerusalem Post, "Lawyers, not IDF, at forefront of battle against flotilla."

Bush White House Sought CIA Probe for 'Damaging Personal Information' on Leftist Professor Juan Cole?

Wow.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Honestly, though, arrest him if there's evidence of aiding and abetting terrorism. But don't just smear the guy using the CIA. Sounds like something from the Nixon years.

At New York Times, "Ex-Spy Alleges Bush White House Sought to Discredit Critic":

WASHINGTON — A former senior C.I.A. official says that officials in the Bush White House sought damaging personal information on a prominent American critic of the Iraq war in order to discredit him.

Glenn L. Carle, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer who was a top counterterrorism official during the administration of President George W. Bush, said the White House at least twice asked intelligence officials to gather sensitive information on Juan Cole, a University of Michigan professor who writes an influential blog that criticized the war.

In an interview, Mr. Carle said his supervisor at the National Intelligence Council told him in 2005 that White House officials wanted “to get” Professor Cole, and made clear that he wanted Mr. Carle to collect information about him, an effort Mr. Carle rebuffed. Months later, Mr. Carle said, he confronted a C.I.A. official after learning of another attempt to collect information about Professor Cole. Mr. Carle said he contended at the time that such actions would have been unlawful.

It is not clear whether the White House received any damaging material about Professor Cole or whether the C.I.A. or other intelligence agencies ever provided any information or spied on him. Mr. Carle said that a memorandum written by his supervisor included derogatory details about Professor Cole, but that it may have been deleted before reaching the White House. Mr. Carle also said he did not know the origins of that information or who at the White House had requested it.

Intelligence officials disputed Mr. Carle’s account, saying that White House officials did ask about Professor Cole in 2006, but only to find out why he had been invited to C.I.A.-sponsored conferences on the Middle East. The officials said that the White House did not ask for sensitive personal information, and that the agency did not provide it.

“We’ve thoroughly researched our records, and any allegation that the C.I.A. provided private or derogatory information on Professor Cole to anyone is simply wrong,” said George Little, an agency spokesman.

More at that link at top.

And what the heck? Check over at Juan Cole's, the freak: "Ret’d. CIA Official Alleges Bush White House Used Agency to “Get” Cole," and "Cole on Goodman & CIA Surveillance."

And, "Repeal the PATRIOT Act is the Lesson of Bush White House Spying."

Nope, not going that far. Patriot Act does not authorize CIA spying domestically. It simply allows coordination of intelligence gathering activities. Longstanding bureaucratic norms would still drive domestic surveillance operations, and frankly, the legacy of the 1960s and 1970s still contributes to a culture of legal safeguards that obviously make cases of spying --- like that alleged against Professor Juan Cole --- beyond the pale. Bust him if he's a treasonous dirtbag. Otherwise, let him spew his bilious hatred. No doubt he's earned some enemies on that basis alone.

Cloud Computing Vulnerable to Hackers

I love this idea of cloud computing, but it's not particularly safe.

Interesting piece at Los Angeles Times, "Hacker attacks show vulnerability of cloud computing":

As hackers continue their rampage against the world's largest banks, defense contractors and technology companies, executives and government officials are confronting a sobering truth: The bad guys are winning.

The seemingly unending string of high-profile attacks, most recently against Citigroup Inc. and Sony Corp., have shown that nearly every organization is vulnerable to a growing contingent of well-trained and agile attackers who are finding security holes faster than they can be plugged.

"It's gotten very dangerous out there," said Stan Stahl, a security consultant and president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Information Systems Security Assn. "There's an epidemic of this stuff going on right now."

The increase in high-profile attacks comes as companies are looking to move more of their business operations online, including to the "cloud," in which computing tasks are outsourced to firms that maintain huge data centers around the world.

Despite the cloud's potential for cost savings and reducing the hassles of running in-house computer servers, security analysts say it may not yet be as safe as advertised — a warning that many companies are taking seriously.

Alex Bermudez, the security manager for Beachbody, a Los Angeles company that makes the popular P90X workout videos, said that although his company is beefing up security as it expands overseas, he's held off on shifting operations into the cloud.

"There are a lot of good technology companies doing the cloud well," he said, but having his company's data stored remotely, alongside data from many other firms, "is a little scary."

More at the link.

NewsBusted: 'Bin Laden 'bounce is gone'

Via Theo Spark:

Ashton Kutcher Shares 'Victoria's Secret' Catwalk with Alessandra Ambrosio

In the news, at London's Daily Mail, "Considering a new career Ashton? Now Kutcher takes to the catwalk."

And E! Online, "Who's the Lucky Bastard Getting Touchy-Feely With a Topless Victoria's Secret Model?"

RELATED: At Just Jared, "Alessandra Ambrosio: Colcci Beach Shoot!"

New Ethical Standards in the House?

At National Journal, "Weiner's Fall Indicative of New Ethical Standards in House."

Read it all at the link. There's some interesting commentary suggesting House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was meeting some new ethical standard on sexual indiscretion established by House Speaker John Boehner. Perhaps. While I so far trust Boehner's integrity across the board, Nancy Pelosi? Not so much. See, "Capitol Hill’s Other Dirty Laundry":

The same congressional panel that launched a preliminary inquiry into Weiner-gate this week has been diddling around with several other Democratic ethics scandals for years. These aren’t foxes guarding the henhouse. They’re sloths guarding the foxhole.

The House Ethics Committee is now reportedly probing into Twitter-holic Democratic New York Rep. Anthony Weiner’s possible abuse of government resources while sending pervy messages and photos to young women across the country. The latest batch of Weiner’s leaked social-media self-portraits — more cheesecake than beefcake — showed him in various states of undress at the congressional gym. From what other public buildings has Ick-arus tweeted his junk? And how much time on the public’s dime did his government staff spend coaching Weiner girls to assist with damage control?

Don’t expect an answer from the House ethics watchdogs until after Weiner’s first child enters kindergarten. The wheels of justice grind more slowly there than a dial-up modem.

More at the link.

That's When We Fall in Line...

The Go-Go's are touring. My wife and I tried to get tickets for their Pechanga show (August 20th), but it sold out fast. The band played on the Dancing With the Stars finale, although this is an earlier clip:

'Mumbai-Style' Attacks Likely in U.S.?

Discussing today's arrest near the Pentagon, Walid Phares on possible Al Qaeda attacks similar to the 2008 Mumbai massacre:

Brooklyn Decker Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011

Lovely:

And at Blazing Cat Fur, "Because it's Friday...and it's 'Penny' from 'Lost in Space'."

Also, at Bob Belvedere, "A Little Hump Day Rule 5: Marianne Gaba."

Sarah Palin to Announce Candidacy Next Week?

There's a lot of speculation, stemming from Robert Stacy McCain's entry at American Spectator, "Palin Decision Expected Next Week."

The New York Times picked that up as a news item: "Is Sarah Palin Running for President?" And there's a huge buzz at Memeorandum. And I like the headline at Wizbang, "Rumor-Mongering: Sarah Palin Makes Her Presidential Decision Next Week?"

And of course McCain's milking it: "Thanks, Rush!:

One of the difficult things about reporting on Sarah Palin is that only Sarah Palin can speak for Sarah Palin, and she only talks to Fox News. So if you’re a reporter who doesn’t work for Fox News, you have to get what you can get where you can get it. Before I filed that brief report at the Spectator this morning, I made a call to try to confirm it with Palin’s people. But I guess if you don’t work for Fox News, they don’t take your call.

So damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Andrew Breitbart Swarmed by Progressive Mob at Netroots Nation

I don't know. Personally, I don't feel safe around progressives. I kept a low profile at the Noam Chomsky event at UCLA last month, because Students for Justice in Palestine, the event's sponsor, is a Hamas-styled organization. And it's not much different at Netroots Nation. Everybody does video-blogging nowadays, but this Kerry Picket viddy captures the mob's violent rage as Breitbart tried to make an exit:

Also at Gateway Pundit, "Andrew Breitbart GANG-RUSHED By Raging Leftist Mob at Nutroots 2011." And Journo-Lister Dave Weigel, "Netroots Nation: Your Convention Ticket Comes With A Free Andrew Breitbart Ambush."

And at Politico, "Breitbart crashes Netroots Nation":

As Breitbart struck up a conversation with Slate blogger Dave Weigel, Ryan Clayton, who works for US Uncut and blogs on 100ProofPolitics, accosted Breitbart and began screaming questions at him: “Have you kicked your cocaine habit?”

“I have no cocaine habit,” Breitbart told him.

“Have you ever slept with a prostitute?” Clayton asked, almost physically trembling as he worked himself up.

“You prove my point,” Breitbart told him, evidently satisfied that he was again the center of attention in hostile territory.

Another person asked Breitbart if he was credentialed to be there. He admitted that he was not. He tried to walk into the exhibition hall and was turned away by conference organizers.

As he walked back toward the escalator to leave, a middle-aged African-American woman walked toward him and began yelling: “You are racist! … It’s gonna come to light who you really are!”

Breitbart has a crew with him, but most other hot-button conservatives I've met --- David Horowitz, Michelle Malkin, for example --- travel with bodyguards.

Chomsky didn't need one at UCLA, of course. The place was filled with communists, hippies, and jihadis.

Added: Blazing Cat Fur links, and there's a thread now at Memeorandum and Wall Street Journal, "Breitbart Sparks a War of Words at Netroots Nation."

California Economic Recovery Stumbles, New Jobs Report Shows

Atlas is still shrugging.

At Los Angeles Times, "California employers drop 29,200 jobs in May."

California's employers halted hiring in May, shedding 29,200 jobs from payrolls in yet another worrying sign that the nation's economic recovery is foundering.

The state's unemployment rate fell to 11.7%, from 11.8% the month before, according to the state Employment Development Department, but the job losses are the most significant since September of last year. The unemployment rate can fall when the state loses jobs because people drop out of the labor force, either because they're frustrated or are leaving the state.

California has the second-highest jobless rate in the nation, after Nevada.

The jobs data comes among worrying signs in California and the nation. Home sales in California dropped 13.3% in May from a year ago, and prices dropped 10.4%. Stocks teetered this week amid renewed fears that Greece will not be able to service its significant debt burden. And debates in Congress led some economists to worry that the U.S. will default on its debt payments, which would create further financial problems.

Still, economists said the ups and downs in the job market are to be expected in a tepid recovery.

"This is completely consistent with what we expected in California — the recovery is going to be slow," said Bill Watkins, director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at California Lutheran University.

Right.

To be expected, since this is the Obama Depression. They just don't call it that.

California Coastal Commission Rejects U2 Guitarist's Plan for Five-House Compound Near Malibu

Apparently not a "Beautiful Day" for U2's The Edge.

At Los Angeles Times, "Coastal Commission rejects U2 guitarist's Malibu development plan":

The California Coastal Commission on Thursday rejected a controversial proposal by U2 guitarist the Edge to build five mansions on a rugged ridgeline above Malibu that is home to mountain lions and native chaparral.

The 8-4 vote was the culmination of what has become a closely watched property rights battle between the musician, whose real name is David Evans, and the agency that regulates development along the California coastline.

"In 38 years of this commission's existence, this is one of the three worst projects that I've seen in terms of environmental devastation," Peter Douglas, the agency's executive director, said in an interview after the vote. "It's a contradiction in terms — you can't be serious about being an environmentalist and pick this location" given the effects on habitat, land formation, scenic views and water quality.

Douglas said he expected the matter to end up in court.

More at that link above.

And from Steve Lopez, "The Edge is a bully, not an environmentalist."

'Tax, Tax, Tax the Rich, Walker You F**king Son of a Bitch'

More progressive civility.

Via Althouse:

And progressive extremism: "Photos: Protesters lock selves to Senate railing."

McCourts Reach Settlement in Divorce Case

At Los Angeles Times, "Frank and Jamie McCourt announce settlement in Dodgers divorce case."

Attendance has dropped dramatically at Dodger Stadium. Hopefully things start working out and the community can once again rally around a world class organization.

'Pam's House Blend' Joins Jane Hamsher's 'Firedoglake'

Well, she couldn't have joined a more reviled progressive stinkhole.

"Hammering" Jane Hamsher has the announcement, "Pam’s House Blend to Join Firedoglake Family."

Pam Spaulding's announcement is here (via Memeorandum).

Both of these women are a couple of ASFLs, especially Pam Spauling, who was whining endlessly after settling with Righthaven:

After a few rounds of negotiations with Righthaven's vampires, I settled a couple of weeks ago, effectively bankrupting PHB. The lawsuit was dropped by RH last week, and while I cannot disclose the amount, it wiped out any ad revenue -- and then some -- that would have helped offset travel expenses I saved up to send PHB baristas to conferences - no Netroots Nation, no Southern Comfort, etc., - nada is left to do jacksh*t. It's all out of our pockets (and I'm still personally twisting in the wind because I still have to pay the attorneys). Talk about in the personal hole.

I've set up an LLC for the Blend, but that's cold comfort after this. So you probably can guess why it's an attractive idea to shut PHB down and return to relative anonymity.

What a loser. Doubly so for getting bailed out by one of the netroots' biggest progressive racists.

Conservative Law Professor Denied Emeritus Status at University of Montana

It's hard out there for the good ones.

At TaxProf Blog, "Conservative Law Prof Decries Faculty's 'Petty' Decision to Deny Emeritus Status." ( via Volokh).

More at the Missoulian, "Former UM law professor Natelson denied emeritus status by faculty."

Former University of Montana law professor and outspoken conservative Rob Natelson has been denied his request for professor emeritus status, a decision he called "petty" and "inexplicable."

Natelson, who retired in May 2010 after serving 23 years as a professor in the law school to take a job as a senior fellow with the Independence Institute, was informed upon his return to Montana in June that the law school faculty had voted against granting the constitutional scholar emeritus status.

Emeritus status is granted to a retiring professor whose colleagues feel he or she is worthy of the academic recognition and prestige based on the faculty member's research, service and instruction during his teaching tenure.

"Emeritus status for retirees is pretty routine and almost always given," Natelson said. "I find the whole thing very peculiar. Even though there's a history here, this thing seems so petty, so small."

Natelson was apparently one the most published professors on the faculty. Denial of emeritus status was clearly driven by ideological hatred. Progressives suck.

Suspected Al Qaeda Bomb Package at Pentagon

The threat as been regarded as serious, with some non-explosive materials found.

See John Hayward, "The Pentagon Package Threat." Also, at Gateway Pundit, "Muslim Carrying Bomb Detained Near Pentagon."

Also, at ABC News, "Man With Suspicious Materials Detained Near Pentagon." (At Memeorandum.)

More at CBS News, "Pentagon scare suspect ID'd as Marine reservist."

Right Online Blogging

It's not me doing the blogging, but Robert Stacy McCain, who brings us a brief Breitbart interview:

RELATED: At The Hill, "A weekend of conservative courtship."

Added: The Blog Prof is reporting: "From the Right Online Conference This Weekend in Minneapolis."