New Mitt Romney Video: 'Raising the Flag'

Celebrating Flag Day, "Our Flag."

Six Senate Republicans Oppose Obama's Iraq Ambassador Nominee Brett McGurk

Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have issued a letter to the White House.

At the Christian Science Monitor, "Senate fight brews over Obama's Iraq ambassador pick":

Brett McGurk is drawing the ire of Senate Republicans, who point to an inappropriate relationship with his now-wife when she was a journalist.

PREVIOUSLY: "WSJ's Gina Chon Resigns Over Racy E-Mails: Reporter, Now Married to Iraq Ambassador-Nominee Brett McGurk, Violated Dow Jones Code of Conduct."

Who Is Elizabeth Warren? Sean Hannity Covers Massachusetts Senate Race

Let me recommend folks go over to the full Fox New video here.

Michelle Fields is easier to look at than the screen image of Elizabeth Warren at Fox's upload, ha!

And compare Hannity's segment to competition's: "MSNBC's Chris Matthews Interviews Elizabeth Warren: Completely Ignores 'Fauxcahontas' Scandal, Offers to Help 'Minority' Candidate Instead."

Michelle Malkin Slams GOP Support for ObamaCare's 'Slacker Mandate'

Michelle hammers GOP Senator Roy Blunt at the clip.

And here's her column from yesterday, "Republican Surrenderists for Obamacare":

During the summer of 2009, conservative activists turned up the heat on Democratic politicians to protest the innovation-destroying, liberty-usurping Obamacare mandate. In the summer of 2012, it’s squishy Republican politicians who deserve the grassroots flames.
In case you hadn’t heard, even if the Supreme Court overturns the progressives’ federal health care juggernaut, prominent GOP leaders vow to preserve its most “popular” provisions. These big-government Republicans show appalling indifference to the dire market disruptions and culture of dependency that Obamacare schemes have wrought.

GOP Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, vice chair of the Senate GOP Conference, told a St. Louis radio station two weeks ago that he supports keeping at least three Obamacare regulatory pillars: federally imposed coverage of “children” up to age 26 on their parents’ health insurance policies (the infamous, unfunded “slacker mandate”), federally mandated coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions (“guaranteed issue,” which turns the very concept of insurance on its head and leads to an adverse-selection death spiral) and closure of the coverage gap in the massive Bush-backed Medicare drug entitlement (the “donut hole fix” that will obliterate the program’s cost-controls).

Some Republicans are even trying to out-Obama Obamacare. GOP Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio is pushing a proposal to increase the mandatory coverage age for dependents to age 31. And once a fire-breathing dragon for repeal, GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee hem-hawed when asked by the liberal Talking Points Memo website whether Republicans would be introducing specific bills to preserve the guaranteed issue and slacker mandate provisions.

“Well, I think we need to be prepared,” Alexander told TPM. “And we will be prepared.”

RTWT.

Progressives Blame President Bush for 'Fast and Furious' Scandal

This is a literally unbelievable piece-of-junk report, at the Soros-backed Think Progress, "Five Things to Know About the Republican Witchhunt Against Attorney General Holder":

In 2006, during the presidency of George W. Bush, the Justice Department launched the first of a series of misguided “gunrunning” schemes that eventually led to the death of federal Agent Brian Terry. Rather than look to ways to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, however, House Oversight Chair Darrell Issa’s (R-CA) spent his tenure as a committee chair trying unsuccessfully to embarrass Attorney General Eric Holder.

Hardly. But read the whole thing for the rest of the lies.

Yesterday, Sandra Miller had this, at The Examiner, "The Fast and Furious Scandal":

Eric Holder in his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, has been evasive and has had several memory lapses. He states that he knew nothing of the gunrunning program, that he was not aware that guns were walking into Mexico during Fast Furious, that is until the reports became public in early 2011. Holder claims he knew nothing of the operation until almost three months after a Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry was killed by one of the 2,000 firearms that traveled across the Mexican border into the hands of drug cartels. He continues to insist that Fast and Furious was being handled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) employees with little to no direction by the Department of Justice.

One of the most compelling parts of Eric Holder's testimony was the inclusion of an exchange with Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) regarding an e-mail written by the Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein to James Trusty, chief of the Department of Justice's Organized Crime and Gang Section. In this testimony and in this e-mail the words “Fast and Furious” were used. Chaffetz says the e-mail says Fast and Furious, Mr. Holder says it does not. Mr. Chaffetz says I have it in black and white. Eric Holder insisted the term was referring to the Bush Administration operations and later said, “I have superior knowledge.”

Eric Holder has tried to implicate the Bush Administration in this scandal all along. This is what Holder said to the committee:

“Although these law enforcement operations, which include Wide Receiver, Medrano, Hernandez, Fast and Furious, and others, were focused on the goal of dismantling illegal gun trafficking networks, they were flawed in both concept and execution. I share your concerns about how these operations were developed and implemented. That's why, just as congressional leaders have called for answers, I have asked the Department's Inspector General to conduct a comprehensive investigation as well”.

However, there are two differences between the Bush and Obama administration and their operations. At least three of four operations conducted under the Bush Administration, Wide Receiver, Medrano and Hernandez, were conducted by co-operating with Mexican law enforcement authorities. There was no effort by the Obama administration to co-ordinate with Mexico on Fast and Furious.

The next difference is the most important. There were no casualties as a result of any Bush administration efforts. As the result of Fast and Furious, one US Border Patrol agent Brian Terry and possibly Jaime Zapata have been killed, along with hundreds of Mexican citizens. Eric Holder seems indifferent to this fact. The Department of Justice is also apparently attempting to stonewall an investigation into the people that are responsible for these operations that have lead to the murder of government officials. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) says the Department of Justice is “out of excuses.” Contempt is the only tool Congress has to enforce the subpoena, says Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

And from late last year, see Andrew McCarthy, at National Review, "Fast & Furious Was . . . Bush’s Fault."

And that's Katie Pavlich at the clip above. She literally wrote the book on Fast and Furious, and she calls out top Justice Department officials as liars.

And see Pavlich's essay from last night, "Issa to Holder: You Said You Want to Talk, Let's Talk." And she's interviewed by the National Rifle Association here.

What Do Libertarians Think About Gay Marriage?

Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie perfectly illustrate why I'm not libertarian on social issues. This is literally a knee-jerk discussion, and I doubt a longer libertarian treatment, perhaps in their new book, would be much better --- I haven't read it though, so this is all I've got. Still, this is pretty familiar terrain, and completely divorced from decency or moral consideration, IMHO:

For a recent argument against gay marriage, see "Conservatives Block Homosexual Marriage Law in Washington State."

This Time, Europe Really Is on the Brink

An essay from Niall Ferguson and Nouriel Roubini, at Der Spiegel, "The Perils of Ignoring History":

The European Union was created to avoid repeating the disasters of the 1930s, but Germany, of all countries, has failed to learn from history. As the euro crisis escalates, Berlin should remember how the banking crisis of 1931 contributed to the breakdown of democracy across Europe. Action is urgently needed to stop history from repeating itself.

Is it one minute to midnight in Europe?

The failure of German public opinion to grasp the dire state of affairs in Europe today is inviting a repeat of precisely the crisis of the mid 20th century that European integration was designed to avoid.
With every increase in the probability of a disorderly Greek exit from the monetary union, the pressure on the Spanish banks increases and with it the danger of a Mediterranean-wide bank run so big that it would overwhelm the European Central Bank. Already there has been a substantial re-nationalization of the European financial system. This centrifugal process could easily continue to the point of complete disintegration.

We find it extraordinary that it should be Germany, of all countries, that is failing to learn from history. Fixated on the non-threat of inflation, today's Germans appear to attach more importance to the year 1923 (the year of hyperinflation) than to the year 1933 (the year democracy died). They would do well to remember how a European banking crisis two years before 1933 contributed directly to the breakdown of democracy not just in their own country but right across the European continent.

Astonishingly few Europeans (including bankers) seem to remember what happened in May 1931 when Creditanstalt, the biggest Austrian bank, had to be bailed out by a government that was itself on the brink of insolvency. The ensuing European bank crisis, which saw the failure of two of Germany's biggest banks, ushered in the second half of the Great Depression. If the first half had been dominated by the American stock market crash, the second was all about European banks going bust.

Continue reading.

Niall Ferguson made the same basic argument at The Daily Beast the other day, and he extended it include fallout for President Obama's reelection chances.

That said, while Ferguson and Roubini are a little over the top, recall the the latter predicted the U.S. housing bust, so I don't discount these arguments too quickly.

Expect updates...

World Opinion of Barack Obama Declines, Drone Strikes Faulted

Glenn Reynolds frequently jokes as follows, "They told me if I voted for John McCain world public opinion would turn against the United States, and they were right!"

And so they were.

At Pew Research, "Global Opinion of Obama Slips, International Policies Faulted":

Global approval of President Barack Obama’s policies has declined significantly since he first took office, while overall confidence in him and attitudes toward the U.S. have slipped modestly as a consequence.

Europeans and Japanese remain largely confident in Obama, albeit somewhat less so than in 2009, while Muslim publics remain largely critical. A similar pattern characterizes overall ratings for the U.S. – in the EU and Japan, views are still positive, but the U.S. remains unpopular in nations such as Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, support for Obama has waned significantly in China. Since 2009, confidence in the American president has declined by 24 percentage points and approval of his policies has fallen 30 points. Mexicans have also soured on his policies, and many fewer express confidence in him today.

The Obama era has coincided with major changes in international perceptions of American power – especially U.S. economic power. The global financial crisis and the steady rise of China have led many to declare China the world’s economic leader, and this trend is especially strong among some of America’s major European allies. Today, solid majorities in Germany (62%), Britain (58%), France (57%) and Spain (57%) name China as the world’s top economic power.

Even though many think American economic clout is in relative decline, publics around the world continue to worry about how the U.S. uses its power – in particular its military power – in international affairs.

There remains a widespread perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally and does not consider the interests of other countries. In predominantly Muslim nations, American anti-terrorism efforts are still widely unpopular. And in nearly all countries, there is considerable opposition to a major component of the Obama administration’s anti-terrorism policy: drone strikes. In 17 of 20 countries, more than half disapprove of U.S. drone attacks targeting extremist leaders and groups in nations such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

RTWT.

#JustaBlogger

What a show tonight on Sean Hannity's. Michelle Malkin was slapping Juan Williams so hard that he threw up his hand and tried to diss Michelle as "just a blogger."

Jammie Wearing Fools reports, "Epic: Michelle Malkin Destroys Juan Williams After He Snidely Calls Her ‘Just a Blogger’."

And at Twitchy, "‘Real journalist’ Juan Williams pwned by ‘just a blogger’ Michelle Malkin."

Michelle's tweeting up a firestorm, and she links to her post from 2009: "Who says conservative bloggers don’t do reporting?"

No Memeorandum thread yet, but it's still early.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews Interviews Elizabeth Warren: Completely Ignores 'Fauxcahontas' Scandal, Offers to Help 'Minority' Candidate Instead

It's not like Matthews is in the tank, or anything.

This is the full interview, but at 3:45 minutes Matthews exclaims, "Let me help you on this. I, as a journalist, can help you...":

RELATED: From Anne Sorock at Legal Insurrection, "Should Elizabeth Warren be in “cultural appropriation” exhibit at Brown Univ. museum?" And here's William at LI, "Were charges of “scientific misconduct” against Elizabeth Warren ever fully vetted?", and "Native American Harvard alumna and lifelong Dem accuses Elizabeth Warren of “ethnic fraud”."

BONUS: At Big Government, "The Academic Scandal Elizabeth Warren and Harvard Don't Want You to Know About."

Chris Matthews doesn't want us to know about it either --- he doesn't want folks to know anything about Elizabeth Warren. Man, what a waste of cable air time. That is definitely not journalism. I'm shaking my head in disgust as I write this.

Linked by An Ex-Con's View. Thanks!

Reuters/Ipsos Poll: Obama Approval Numbers Drop to Lowest Since January, Biggest Dip Among Independent Voters

Here's the report, at Reuters, "Obama's ratings sink on economic doubts."

At the clip, Krauthammer debunks the president's earlier comments, at RCP, "Obama: Republicans Left Me With the Check For a Steak Dinner."

Nigel Farage: 'By Any Objective Criteria the Euro Has Failed'

The Euro Titanic has hit the iceberg.

Via Theo Spark:

RELATED: At Zero Hedge, "Biderman & Santschi On 'Why Germany Should Leave the Euro."

PREVIOUSLY: "Borrowing Costs Surge for Italy and Spain, Deepening Europe's Financial Crisis."

'You're Not Special' — David McCullough Jr. Defends Graduation Speech

The Los Angeles Times actually agrees with David McCullough, Jr., and slams the "self esteem movement." See: "David McCullough Jr.'s speech takes on the self-esteem movement."

And see London's Daily Mail, "Teacher who told students they WEREN'T special in graduation speech defends himself as he says he 'wanted to tell them something useful'."

The full video is here.

Borrowing Costs Surge for Italy and Spain, Deepening Europe's Financial Crisis

There's lots of news on this.

At the New York Times, "Prime Ministers of Spain and Italy Call on European Leaders for Help."

And see Der Spiegel, "Euro Crisis Deepens: Italy Struggles to Break Out of Downward Spiral":

After Spain, the focus of the euro crisis has now shifted to Italy, which is struggling with a shrinking economy and rising bond yields. Prime Minister Mario Monti has denied that his country will ask for an EU bailout, but optimism about Italy's future is in short supply.

Claudio Pesaro actually had big plans for this year. The 35-year-old Italian, who still lives at home, wanted to buy his own place, marry his girlfriend and have children. But even though he has saved more than a third of the purchase price for a property, he can't find a bank that is willing to lend him the rest. His job is also at risk, as his company is making losses. As a result, he will have to put his plans on ice for now.

Marco Michelli wanted to go into business for himself, starting a microbrewery complete with pub. Beer is popular in Italy, especially among the young. But the municipal authorities hampered him with conditions and fees, and the bank withdrew its commitment to fund his business. That was the end of his project.
These are just two typical stories from Italy, which is currently in the fourth year of its crisis. The mood in the country is depressed. The number of people committing suicide for economic reasons is increasing. The enthusiasm with which Italy greeted the introduction of the euro has long vanished. Now, around 65 percent of the population are skeptical of the common currency.

Hence, Italians were relatively tranquil in their reactions to the latest "Black Monday" on the stock markets, when stocks fell sharply following the announcement that the Italian economy had contracted by 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2012. They have come to expect such plunges. The focus of the euro crisis is, after Spain, shifting again to Italy. Italian share prices have plummeted, and yields on Italian government bonds jumped back over the dangerously high 6 percent mark. Stock markets insiders report that hedge funds are investing large sums of money in bets against the country, on the assumption that yields will continue to rise -- and are thereby fueling the downward spiral.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has denied that his country will ask for an EU-led bailout. He told the German broadcaster Deutschlandradio Kultur on Wednesday that he realized Italy had a reputation as a "cheerful and undisciplined" country, but that it was "more disciplined" than many other European countries -- adding that it was "also not so cheerful."

RTWT.

More at Business Week, "After Spain, Is Italy the Next Domino to Fall?"

Check back for updates.

New Erin Andrews Bikini Pics!

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted on Erin Andrews.

So with that, you're welcome.

At London's Daily Mail, "Red hot! Erin Andrews' ample cleavage defies gravity in a strapless bikini during beach outing."

Also at Bleacher Report, "Erin Andrews Bikini Pics Start Rumor Mill at TMZ."

New Research: Children DO NOT Do Better in Same-Sex Parent Families

It turns out that the most authoritative previous study, widely cited by the left, used unrepresentative samples, and was thus unscientific.

See the Heritage Foundation, "New Research on Children of Same-Sex Parents Suggests Differences Matter":

Two peer-reviewed articles published Sunday in a scholarly journal cast doubt on a core assumption used to advance same-sex marriage.
A number of studies and articles have suggested that research shows no difference in outcomes between children whose parents have same-sex relationships and their peers raised by heterosexual parents. For example, the American Psychological Association (APA) stated in 2005 that “Not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.”

Yesterday the academic journal Social Science Research published a detailed methodological review of the research on which the APA bases its conclusion—a study that questions the validity of the “no difference” assertion. Conducted by a Louisiana State University family scholar, the article concludes:

[N]ot one of the 59 studies referenced in the 2005 APA Brief compares a large, random, representative sample of lesbian or gay parents and their children with a large, random, representative sample of married parents and their children. The available data, which are drawn primarily from small convenience samples, are insufficient to support a strong generalizable claim either way. Such a statement would not be grounded in science. To make a generalizable claim, representative, large-sample studies are needed—many of them.

Continue reading.

Ezra Levant on Abolishing Canada's Section 13 Human Rights Commission

A follow up to my previous entry: "Tories Set to Repeal Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act."

This is amazing:

Also at Maclean's, "The Internet hates Section 13."

Victory for Pamela Geller! California's Alameda County Yanks 'Palestinian Cultural Day' Proclamation, Heads Explode at 'Mondoweiss'

Mondoweiss is truly one of the most repulsive progressive blogs on the web --- and that's saying a lot considering the left's deep bench of hatred and racism.

See Atlas Shrugs, "Jewicidal Heads Explode Over 'Palestinian' Proclamation Day Cancellation":

Mondoweiss is a leftist "anti-Zionist" blog founded by Jewicidal kapo Philip Weiss of the self-loathing tribe. Two of its "principal aims" are to "foster the movement for greater fairness and justice for Palestinians in American foreign policy" and "to offer alternatives to pro-Zionist ideology as a basis for American Jewish identity" -- in other words, to conspire with the Left and the "Palestinian" jihadis to destroy Israel. And so it is a badge of honor to be demonized by these Useful Idiots, who are enraged over the recent AFDI/SIOA victory for freedom over "Palestinian" Propaganda Proclamation Day. They are now calling it (sough cough) Palestinian Cultural day (talk about your oxymorons.)

These liberal Jews would rather chew off their own leg than see our people stand on their own two legs.

How the Euro Will End

From Gerald O'Driscoll, at the Wall Street Journal:

The euro is the world's first currency invented out of whole cloth. It is a currency without a country. The European Union is not a federal state, like the United States, but an agglomeration of sovereign states. European countries are plagued by rigidities, including those in labor markets—where language differences and the protection of trades and professions in many countries impede labor mobility. That makes it difficult for their economies to adjust to cyclical and structural economic shifts.

For such reasons, when the euro was created in 1999, Milton Friedman famously predicted its demise within a decade. He was wrong about the timing, but he may yet be proven right about the fact.

Greece is the epicenter of a currency and fiscal crisis in the euro zone. Markets fear a "Grexit," or Greek exit from the euro. That exit is almost a foregone conclusion. The endgame for the euro will be played out in Spain.

Read it all at the link.

Actually, Germany, and the rest of the Eurozone countries too, will work overtime to make sure the Euro survives. The fate of the European project depends on it. I'm personally skeptical about the long-term prospects of the single European currency as long as economic dislocation continues, and I think that it will. And ultimately, I doubt Germany will have the domestic political support to continue propping up the entire union. Time will tell. I expect Spain could get another bailout or two before long. And don't forget that eyes have turned to Italy as the hot spot on the horizon.

Expect updates. This is one of the most significant developments in international politics since the end of the Cold War.

Buena Park Police Hit and Run Video

We're seeing more of these brazen hit-and-run attacks.

See the Los Angeles Times, "Hit-and-run caught on tape; Buena Park police looking for driver":

PREVIOUSLY: "Police Release Astonishing Hit-and-Run Videotape — Teenager Survives After Being Thrown Through the Air, Flipping Head-Over-Heels."

TX2K12 Bikini Contest at Frank 'N Steins Grill

I missed this earlier, but this is some beautiful bikini action!

The background is here: "TX2K12 Night Meet & Bikini Contest Hosted by HPD! Friday March 16th, 2012."

Conservatives on Twitter: A Beautiful Thing to Watch

This is an awesome essay, from John Nolte at Big Journalism, "Why Conservatives Must Join the Battle for America On Twitter."

RELATED: William Jacobson is a huge champion of Twitter, and he's got a must-see post up on #TwitterGulag: "Emergency Broadcast System activated – #FreeSGLawrence."

Sign up for Twitter here. If you're already a member, get tweeting!

'Escape From Alcatraz'

A great piece, at the Los Angeles Times, "50 years later, Alcatraz escapees' tale still captivates":

SAN FRANCISCO — There was the leather pouch, crafted in prison, that according to family lore may have contained a message about the escapees' hide-out.

There were the flowers, which arrived reliably on special occasions at their childhood home — with no card attached.

And when Clarence and John Anglin's mother died in 1978, two men masquerading as women were said to have attended her Florida funeral, despite a swarm of FBI agents nearby.

Fifty years after the Anglins joined Frank Lee Morris and slipped away from Alcatraz — the wind-battered federal penitentiary in San Francisco Bay — on a raft made of raincoats, tantalizing new morsels trickled out Monday to deepen the enduring mystery of their escape.

Many historians and law enforcement officials assume the men drowned in the bay's frigid waters. But since no bodies were found, the U.S. Marshals Service still searches for the fugitives, who today would be 81, 82 and 85.

The 1962 escape has become one of the best known unsolved crimes in American history. And in a decrepit upper hall of the island prison-turned-tourist attraction, an unlikely mix of characters gathered Monday to share what they know — and speculate about what they don't.

Among them was supervising U.S. Deputy Marshal Michael Dyke, who has worked the case since 2003 and still gets a tip every couple of months. A towering man with the deadpan expression of a seasoned investigator, Dyke said it was entirely possible that one or more of the escapees survived.

He has vowed to keep looking until the men "are apprehended, proven to be dead or self-surrender." (If none of those scenarios plays out by the time of each escapee's 99th birthday, the outstanding warrants will be retired.)

The FBI worked the case until 1978, when the Marshals Service took over. These days, Dyke said, he pursues it more "as a hobby" than a full-time endeavor. His supervisory role gives him plenty of other things to do. Still, his goal is arrest — although he admitted he would season their apprehension with a touch of flattery.

"I would just say, 'Excellent job,'" Dyke said during a panel discussion held to discuss the caper memorialized by Clint Eastwood in "Escape from Alcatraz."

"It was very meticulous what they did."

Joining Dyke were two of the Anglins' sisters and two nephews, who traveled all the way from Florida and Georgia in an attempt to humanize the brothers they called "good ol' boys" who "never hurt anybody."

Now 76 and 74, the sisters on Monday donned matching black turtlenecks under white blouses that were decorated to commemorate the escape — and the artistry of the fake heads the men used as decoys to fool guards doing bed-checks.

They brought with them the letters Clarence and John had sent from behind bars, as well as photos of the intricate paintings the brothers crafted of their girlfriends while serving their time on "The Rock."

"We've always rooted for 'em," Marie Anglin Widner said, in courteous defiance of Dyke.

Added her son, David Widner: "We don't condone anything that they did, but they were still human.... They wanted a different life than what they had, and that got 'em in a lot of trouble.

RTWT.

Wikipedia's page is here.

And at the New York Times, "Tale of 3 Inmates Who Vanished From Alcatraz Maintains Intrigue 50 Years Later."

Is Bar Refaeli, 'Maxim's Hottest', Dating Skate and Snowboard Champion Shaun White?

London's Daily Mail want to know, "Is Bar Refaeli dating Shaun White? Maxim's Hottest Woman In The World spotted 'kissing' Olympic Gold Medalist."

But here's this, at New York Post, "Shaun White raises the Bar":

Bar Refaeli had complained she “doesn’t get hit on by guys,” but Olympic gold medalist Shaun White gave it a shot over Memorial Day weekend.

The snowboarding champ was spotted with Maxim’s newly crowned “hottest woman in the world” at SoHo lounge Sway “dancing, hugging and kissing” into the wee hours of Monday morning, spies tell Page Six.

White was first seen entering the Spring Street club with five pals after midnight Monday, but sources say he was mostly concerned with monitoring his cellphone.

“He was distracted,” a witness said. “He was pacing, going outside and checking his cell.”

It soon became clear why, when stunning model Refaeli arrived to meet White at about 1:30 a.m.

The half-pipe hero and the Israeli ex of Leonardo DiCaprio promptly hit the dance floor, where they were going for the gold in the canoodle-a-thon. “They were all over each other,” our spy said. “They were dancing, hugging, kissing — you name it.”

Refaeli was seen leaving Sway at “around 3 a.m.,” and White gallantly walked her out and let her take his car home.

Actually, skaters always do well with the chicks, so I'm not surprised.

Recall I took my boys to X-Games last summer, and Shaun White won the vertical contest: "Home From X-Games — VIDEO ADDED!"

U.S. Accuses Russia of Sending Attack Helicopters to Syria

At the New York Times, "Influx of Heavy Arms Pushes Syria Toward Civil War":

WASHINGTON — With evidence that powerful new weapons are flowing to both the Syrian government and opposition fighters, the bloody uprising in Syria has thrust the Obama administration into an increasingly difficult position as the conflict shows signs of mutating into a full-fledged civil war.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Tuesday that the United States believed that Russia was shipping attack helicopters to Syria that President Bashar al-Assad could use to escalate his government’s deadly crackdown on civilians and the militias battling his rule. Her comments reflected rising frustration with Russia, which has continued to supply weapons to its major Middle Eastern ally despite an international outcry over the government’s brutal crackdown.

“We have confronted the Russians about stopping their continued arms shipments to Syria,” Mrs. Clinton said at an appearance with President Shimon Peres of Israel. “They have, from time to time, said that we shouldn’t worry; everything they’re shipping is unrelated to their actions internally. That’s patently untrue.”

Russia insists that it provides Damascus only with weapons that can be used in self-defense.

As fighting intensified across Syria, there were reports that government forces were using helicopters to fire on a rebel-held enclave in the northwestern part of the country. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, reported that more than 60 people had been killed in the fighting, one-third of them government soldiers, while the United Nations released a report saying that Syrians as young as 8 had been deployed by government soldiers and pro-government militia members as human shields.

The fierce government assaults from the air are partly a response to improved tactics and weaponry among the opposition forces, which have recently received more powerful antitank missiles from Turkey, with the financial support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to members of the Syrian National Council, the main opposition group in exile, and other activists.

The United States, these activists said, was consulted about these weapons transfers. Officials in Washington said the United States did not take part in arms shipments to the rebels, though they recognized that Syria’s neighbors would do so, and that it was important to ensure that weapons did not end up in the hands of Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups.

The question now is what are we going to do about it? We shouldn't discount the arms transfers if the administration considers Syria a key national interest. I think it's a humanitarian interest and I'd authorized the use of force on that basis alone. Keeping Russian influence out would be an added benefit of U.S.-backed regime change in Damascus.

See also Telegraph UK, "Syria: US accuses Russia of sending attack helicopters."

BONUS: From Max Boot at Commentary, "Striking a Blow Against Syria."

GOP Sen. John Cornyn Calls for Attorney General Eric Holder's Resignation

At Fox News, "Senator calls for Holder's resignation amid challenges over leak probe, Fast and Furious" (via Memeorandum).

Watch it:

And see Ericka Johnson at Hot Air, "Cornyn to Holder: “It is my sincere hope President Obama replaces you”."

WSJ's Gina Chon Resigns Over Racy E-Mails: Reporter, Now Married to Iraq Ambassador-Nominee Brett McGurk, Violated Dow Jones Code of Conduct

Man, these are pretty racy.

Turns out Ms. Chon and Mr. McGurk, in one exchange, joked about having "blue balls" the previous night.

See Howard Kurtz, at The Daily Beast, "Journal Reporter Resigns Over Affair":

Wall Street Journal reporter Gina Chon resigned on Tuesday over her relationship with a U.S. official who is now President Obama’s nominee to be ambassador to Iraq.

The Journal said in a statement that Chon had acknowledged that “she violated the Dow Jones code of conduct by sharing certain unpublished articles” with Brett McGurk, then a member of the National Security Council based in Iraq. The two are now married.

In 2008, the paper said, “Ms. Chon entered into a personal relationship with Mr. McGurk, which she failed to disclose to her editor. At this time the Journal has found no evidence that her coverage was tainted by her relationship with Mr. McGurk.”

Chon asked for and received a leave of absence, which was made public last week. A series of romantic e-mails had surfaced from that time period, which included not just flirting but discussions of McGurk’s negotiations with the Iraqis.

Also at London's Daily Mail, "Wall Street Journal reporter resigns after racy emails revealed 'affair' with Obama's Iraq ambassador nominee (but he's still hanging on to his job)."

I'm not sure if there'll be any White House fallout, but I don't think that, given the emails themselves, McGurk should be confirmed.

Hip Hip Hooray for John Hawkins! — '7 Ways Conservative Activists Are Being Harassed By the Left'

In one of those all-too-common episodes, yesterday I saw purported conservative Scott Jacobs, a.k.a AblativMeatShld on Twitter, join up with progressives in a lame attempt to slap down my argument that the Kimberlin case is an epic partisan battle over free speech. Check the comments at Popehat, where one can see how the proprietor there deleted all the ad hominem, off-topic comments hijacking the thread. No worries, though. You can see some of Jacobs' related tweets here, here, and here. I'm thinking anger management might help. The dude blocked me with this tweet, and then wished he could choke me to death with the very next one:

People like that pile of shit are why God denies me the power to choke people via TCP/IP...
— AblativMeatshld (@AblativMeatshld) June 12, 2012

Unfortunately, a lot of people involved in the Kimberlin affair still don't understand how progressives work. For example, Racist Repsac3 works by infiltrating the other side, attempting to undermine those with the most powerful moral clarity --- and hence those most dangerous to the leftist agenda. Then idiots like "AblativMeatsld" get suckered into a false alliance of convenience, which is shown soon enough to be a suicide pact with the devil.

C'est la vie.

So, I'm pleased to see John Hawkins out with a great new piece at Townhall, "7 Ways Conservative Activists Are Being Harassed By the Left" (via Right Wing News):

The harassment that seems to follow people who get caught in the crosshairs of Speedway bomber Brett Kimberlin has started to put a spotlight on the staggering level of abuse that many activists, columnists, and bloggers on the Right have to endure just to exercise their First Amendment rights. If liberals had to deal with 1/10 of the same amount of harassment that conservatives do, it would be a front page story in every major paper in America and Barack Obama would be giving speeches about it. Unfortunately for those of us in the new media on the Right, we're considered important enough on the Left to try to destroy us, but we’re not important enough to the Right to draw the funding we need to get appropriate legal protection, to properly investigate stories, and to insure that an independent blogosphere still exists five years from now (Sorry, pet peeve). Since many people are unaware of what goes on behind the scenes, it seems like a good time to catalogue just some of the tactics liberals are using to try to stifle free speech on the Right.

Read it all at the link.

I'm still shaking my head at all of the examples John uses to illustrate his argument.

In any case, despite the death-wish tweets I'm getting, I can only reiterate my point that it's all about "how 'free speech' is defined and who's speech will be protected." There will be some fair and respectful people on the left who recoil from Kimberlin's tactics. But mostly, these same people will rationalize it as foreign to progressive ideology when it's in fact central to it. The left can't win the debate. It can only destroy its opponents. The sooner folks figure that out the better.

Now, in other developments, see Robert Stacy McCain, "‘Team Kimberlin’ Meltdown Continues." And following the links takes us to Dan Collins at The Conservatory, "Neal Rauhauser's About to Have a Very Bad Day."

Also, at Patterico, "More Evidence Emerges of Brett Kimberlin’s Involvement in Nadia Naffe Litigation Against Me."

BONUS: From Bob Belvedere, "The #BrettKimberlin Report [D+17] Part IV: Why’s Everybody Always Pickin’ On Me?"

Los Angeles Kings Win Stanley Cup

This is banner headline material over at the Los Angles Times.

See, "Los Angeles beats N.J. Devils, 6-1, in Game 6," and "L.A.'s new royalty, Kings turn tumult into Stanley Cup triumph."

And at the New York Times, "Devils’ Hopes Disappear in a Flurry of Penalties":

LOS ANGELES — If the Stanley Cup playoffs test anything, they measure players’ ability to maintain discipline in the midst of fatigue, pressure and frustration.

By losing that discipline early, the Devils lost any chance they had to win their fourth Stanley Cup. Steve Bernier’s boarding penalty on the Los Angeles Kings’ Rob Scuderi in the first period proved to be the turning point in the Kings’ 6-1 victory in Game 6 on Monday night.

The Kings scored three power-play goals as the result of that penalty.

“I wish I could take that play back,” Bernier said.

The Devils’ captain, Zach Parise, refused to blame Bernier for the defeat.

“We feel for him,” Parise said. “In that situation, you’re going to feel like it’s your fault. But it’s not his fault.”

Moments before Bernier’s hit, Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll skated across the ice to check the Devils’ Stephen Gionta into the boards at the red line. Devils Coach Peter DeBoer yelled at the officials for failing to call a penalty.

As Scuderi chased after the puck behind the net, Bernier led with his left shoulder and left elbow in pinning Scuderi, who fell to the ice, bleeding from his nose and upper lip. Bernier received a game misconduct at 10 minutes 10 seconds of the first period, as well as a five-minute penalty that forced the Devils to play short-handed for the latter infraction’s duration.

“As the first guy, you need to finish your hit,” said Bernier, who added that he did not see Stoll’s hit on Gionta and did not believe he deserved a penalty.

Here's that hit:

And more from the New York Times, "Kings 6, Devils 1: Kings Capture the Cup With an Early Outburst."

Citizens United and the Wisconsin Vote

I blogged on the left's money excuse earlier, but Michael McConnell is a professor of law at Stanford who previously sat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

McConnell's essay is at the Wall Street Journal (via Althouse and Google):

In the wake of Wisconsin's recall election, the Washington Post's Greg Sargent, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell and other commentators disappointed with the result are not blaming the electorate or the apparent success and popularity of Gov. Scott Walker's reforms. Instead, they are singling out the Supreme Court's 2010 campaign-finance decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, as the reason for Mr. Walker's 7-1 spending advantage.

Citizens United held that associations of Americans, including corporations and labor unions, have a First Amendment right to make independent expenditures in support or opposition to candidates for public office.

In a sense, Citizens United did have an important effect on the Wisconsin election. But the effect was almost exactly the opposite of what many pundits imply.

Labor unions poured money into the state to recall Mr. Walker. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the NEA (National Education Association), the nation's largest teachers union, spent at least $1 million. Its smaller union rival, the AFT (American Federation of Teachers), spent an additional $350,000. Two other unions, the SEIU (Service Employees International Union, which has more than one million government workers) and Afscme (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), spent another $2 million. Little or none of these independent expenditures endorsing a candidate would have been legal under federal law before Citizens United.

By contrast, the large spenders on behalf of Mr. Walker were mostly individuals. According to the Center for Public Integrity, these included Diane Hendricks, Wisconsin's wealthiest businesswoman, who spent over half a million dollars on his behalf; Bob J. Perry, a Texas home builder, who spent almost half a million; and well-known political contributors such as casino operator Sheldon Adelson and former Amway CEO Dick DeVos, who kicked in a quarter-million dollars each. Businessman David Koch gave $1 million to the Republic Governors Association, which spent $4 million on the Wisconsin race.

These donations have nothing to do with Citizens United. Individuals have been free to make unlimited independent expenditures in support of candidates since the Supreme Court case of Buckley v. Valeo (1976).

I have seen no published reports of any corporate expenditures on behalf of Mr. Walker, though presumably the $500,000 Chamber of Commerce contribution to the Republican Governors Association fund came largely from corporate sources. Several groups also ran issue ads that presumably benefited Mr. Walker; these groups are not required to disclose their donors and may have received corporate contributions. Corporations and unions could run issue ads before Citizens United, as long as they did not clearly refer to a candidate.

For the most part, though, Mr. Walker's direct, big-ticket support came from sources that have been lawful for decades.

His opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, got his support primarily from labor unions, whose participation was legitimized by Citizens United. Without that decision so demonized by the political left, Mr. Barrett would have been at even more of a financial disadvantage.

Speaking generally, Citizens United is likely to benefit Democrats more than Republicans...

RTWT at those top links.

Neal Rauhauser Fingers 'Beandogs' in Mike Stack 'SWAT-ting' Case

Robert Stacy McCain has the story, "HUGE! Neal Rauhauser’s Vicious Lies Exposed by Yet Another Leaked E-Mail."

Stack is the guy whose involvement in exposing the Anthony Weiner sex scandal resulted in him being “SWATted” and, subsequently, harassed by Rauhauser, who became obsessed with a paranoid conspiracy theory of WeinerGate.

And see Brooks Bayne at The Trenches, "BREAKING: Neal Rauhauser Believes SWATter is One of His Own."

And following the links takes us to this background report from 2010: "Desperate Dems Hire E-Thugs."

Worries in Euro Zone Shift to Italy From Spain

Well, I'm not surprised at all.

At the New York Times, "Worry for Italy Quickly Replaces Relief for Spain":

VENICE — Concerns grew on Monday that Italy could be the next victim of Europe’s financial infection, leading nervous investors to sell Italian stocks and bonds and damping euphoria over a weekend deal to bail out Spain’s banks.

Italian officials privately expressed concern that the 100 billion euros, or $125 billion, that Europe pledged to Spanish banks might not stop the troubles from spreading.

Italy’s main stock index was Europe’s worst performer on Monday, a day when United States stocks were also dragged down and investors flocked yet again to the safe harbor of American and German government bonds. Even the Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, a European technocrat who came to office after the euro crisis forced out Silvio Berlusconi last November, has begun to acknowledge the dangers posed to his country’s 1.56-trillion-euro economy ($1.95 trillion).

The main fear is that Italy cannot grow its way out of a recession fast enough to pay a mountainous national debt. Other concerns include the fact that Italy, with the third-largest euro zone economy after those of Germany and France, will have to shoulder a large portion of the bailout bill even as it grapples with its own sharp economic downturn.

Because Italy does not have enough economic growth to generate the money itself, the government will probably have to borrow it at high interest rates, adding to an already heavy debt load.

“There is a permanent risk of contagion,” Mr. Monti told an economics conference near Venice over the weekend, speaking by telephone. “That is why strengthening the euro zone is of collective interest.”

Prices of Italy’s government bonds reached their lowest level in months. Investors apparently found little assurance that the euro currency union was any closer to solving its underlying problems — not with parliamentary elections in Greece this weekend that could determine whether the currency union is strong enough to retain its weakest members.

Investor euphoria in Europe over the Spanish bailout deal Monday morning was short-lived, giving way to an essentially flat day on many European stock markets. But Italy’s benchmark index was the Continent’s worst performer, ending down 2.8 percent.

Continue reading.

Israel's 64 Years

A video from the IDF News Desk.

And see Pamela's post from Sunday in New York: "CELEBRATING 64 years of Israel! June 3, 2012. NYC."

'Just Getting Started'

Via Tammy Bruce and Bad Blue.

Brett Kimberlin, the Speedway Bomber, Claims He Was Victim of 'SWAT-ting'

At Lonely Con, "Brett Kimberlin Claims He Was SWAT-ted, Local Law Enforcement Disagrees."

Also at Twitchy, "Bloggers work to debunk Brett Kimberlin’s new claim that he was a SWAT-ting victim."

BONUS: At Politco, "Conservative bloggers targets of 'SWAT-ing'."

Memories Are Vivid for Veterans of USS Iowa

At the Los Angeles Times, "Ex-Iowa sailors salute the ship as it makes its final port call":

When the big guns of the battleship Iowa pounded Japanese troops during World War II, John Wolfinbarger could feel it in the boiler room deep below decks.

It was 1944, and Wolfinbarger was 19. He was a Colorado boy who suddenly was in the sweltering Pacific, his ship shuddering with each blast. Every couple of days, he'd have to crawl into a hot boiler and scrape burnt fuel oil from its pipes. It was grimy, cramped, tedious work — and he treasures the memory of it, just like a legion of other former Iowa sailors who will salute the ship Saturday as it's towed two miles to its permanent home as a waterfront museum in San Pedro.

Wolfinbarger, 88, will be among the hundreds of Iowa veterans on hand.

Sailors often get misty over old ships, and those who served on the biggest U.S. battleship ever built are no different. The nearly 70-year-old Iowa played a crucial role in their lives, and its story can be told in the everyday experiences of unsung men like Wolfinbarger.

"I don't want to say I enjoyed it — war is never joyous — but it was an honor," he said.

Wolfinbarger first hauled his sea bag aboard the Iowa in the Marshall Islands.

His immediate impression was that of any other swabbie surveying a great, gray vessel 15 stories high and almost as long as three football fields.

"I thought, 'Oh, my achin' back!'" he said.

Wolfinbarger, who later went to work in coal mines and sawmills, slept outside on the teakwood deck instead of in the hot, crowded quarters below. For nearly two years, he rolled out a blanket under one of the ship's famous 16-inch cannons that could hurl 2,700-pound shells more than 24 miles.

When the Iowa was attacking the Japanese stronghold of Saipan, Wolfinbarger was stationed high in a crow's nest. It was the only battle he witnessed, and he hated it. Even worse was the aftermath, with broken bodies bobbing near the beach, families who hurled themselves off cliffs rather than endure what they thought would be American torture.

"It was horrible," Wolfinbarger said. He spent the rest of his tour down in the boiler room.

Four years after being present for the 1945 Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, the Iowa was decommissioned by a Navy trying to cut costs. It returned to duty in 1952 and soon was dubbed "the gray ghost of the Korean coast."

Richard Blair remembers it well. He had a number of jobs in his 45 months on the Iowa, including handling phones for its commanding officer during battles in the Korean War.

"I spent my 19th birthday in Wonsan Harbor and we were firing day and night, day and night," said Blair, a retired banker and medical office manager. "That day — Aug. 19 — I spent about 12 hours on the bridge with the captain, and we blew up everything we possibly could."

Continue reading at that top link.

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikipedia Commons.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush Claim Reagan Wouldn't Be Conservative Enough for Today's GOP

Jeez, the progs got a kick out of this story at Memeorandum. See BuzzFeed, "Jeb Bush: No Place For Father, Reagan In Today's GOP."

And see the commentary from Paul Mirengoff at Power Line, "ONE LESS THING TO WORRY ABOUT."

House Oversight Committee Will Vote to Condemn Attorney General Eric Holder

At CBS News, "House committee schedules contempt vote against Holder" (via Memeorandum).

[VIDEO PULLED]

Also at Nice Deb, "House Oversight Committee Schedules Contempt Vote for Holder."

Calls Grow for U.S. Military Intervention in Syria

At the Economist, "Syria, Changing calculations: Talk of military intervention is getting louder but is unlikely to be heeded soon":

SINCE the massacre of more than 100 people in Houla on May 25th, talk of setting up buffer zones on Syria’s border has grown louder in Western government circles. Reports on June 6th of a similar slaughter of at least 78 villagers near Hama have turned the volume up still more. Hitherto, all Western governments agreed that direct military intervention, which would almost certainly have to accompany the creation of those zones, was out of the question. That is changing.

Military planners are now pondering in detail the prerequisites for securing a buffer zone. Officials in Britain, France and the United States have all said that military intervention “cannot be ruled out” in due course. Though almost no one thinks it will be done soon, calls for intervention, especially in Washington, are growing.

Read it all at the link.

PREVIOUSLY: "Time for U.S. Military Action in Syria."

RELATED: At the Weekly Standard, "Listen to the Children of Kafranbel."

Paul Lemmen at 'An Ex-Con's View' Targeted For Writing About Brett Kimberlin

Popehat has a lengthy must-read essay on the left's ongoing campaign of lawfare: "Shut Up, They Explained: Another Blogger Threatened With Imprisonment For Writing About Brett Kimberlin."

The latest blogger to be targeted is Paul Lemmen from "An Ex-Con's View."

I first learned about (and interacted with) Paul through Zilla Stevenson's blogging. Zilla has been organizing free speech blogbursts for awhile. And I exchanged a few emails with Paul after Zilla sent out some posts through her contact list. I was skeptical  about interacting with Paul at first. He's a felony ex-convict and one of his crimes was impersonating U.S. military personnel. I think that's too much for a lot of people to accept, but once I exchanged a few emails with Paul I found that he is a genuine man of repentance. And the more I read of Paul's opinions the more I'm convinced that his is an exceedingly necessary voice in the conservative battle against the left's totalitarian anti-free speech jihad.

Folks need to read the whole Popehat post at the link. The essay includes an interview with Paul, and I like this passage especially:

I asked Paul Lemmen what he felt he had to bring to the discussion of Kimberlin, and why he thought it was important that his voice be heard.

I believe that as a career con-artist, I have quite a bit of insight into what he is doing. . . . [I believe it is] necessary to show up the differences between myself, an ex-con that has accepted responsibility for his crimes and Brett Kimberlin, someone who has not, who has in fact, avoided his responsibilities as he has avoided paying the civil judgment levied against him. I feel that if there is to be future acceptance of ex-cons that have made the very difficult decision to adhere to the lawful conduct expected by society, those who resist in their unlawful conduct must be exposed and the public made aware of them.

And so Paul Lemmen will continue to write.

Following the link takes to Paul's most recent entry at the blog, "Brett Kimberlin’s Parole (or Lack Thereof)."

And for the record, Paul is on probation and under the supervision of an officer. His commitment to keep on blogging while under attack carries potentially grave consequences. And note that there is no hard evidence that Brett Kimberlin or his henchmen are the ones responsible for making threats to his freedom. Yet, as Popehat writes, the coincidental and inferential nature of the threats are overwhelming. This episode has the Kimberlin network written all over it. Whatever the case, this is one more example of what's at stake for people standing up for right.

And I want to reiterate my argument that this is indeed a partisan battle. Kerry Picket has a report on Florida GOP Congresswoman Sandy Adams, who has issued a new letter to the Justice Department requesting an investigation into the recent SWAT-ting of conservatives. See: "PICKET: FLA Congresswoman leads 87 member effort demanding Swat-ting investigation from DOJ" (via Memeorandum). There are no Democrat signatories to the letter. And while some Democrats may still get on board, so far it's a Republican effort to bring attention to the matter. That is, it's a partisan response to what Republicans see is a left-wing attack on the freedom to blog. As always, I will update my views on this when I see evidence that the effort to expose the Kimberlin network has bipartisan support.

More this at The Other McCain, "Florida Rep. Sandy Adams Leads 85 House Republicans in ‘SWATting’ Letter."

IMAGE CREDIT: Michelle Malkin, "Bloggers under fire: Arizona conservative lawyer/activist targeted by left-wing Arizona State Bar."

Life of Emily

From Dan Mitchell, "You’ve Met Julia the Moocher, Now Meet Emily." (Via Instapundit.)

Added: There's now a Memeorandum thread and a post on Emily at Hot Air.

New Mitt Romney Ad 'Jolt'

Via The Hill, "Romney 'Jolt' video knocks Obama for saying private sector 'doing fine'."

The Left's Totalitarian, Anti-Free Speech Mindset

I think anyone who's out there standing up for freedom and justice is well familiar with the left's program to clamp down on conservative speech.

I'll be having lots more on this today concerning the Kimberlin network's alleged SWAT-ting campaign, but in the meantime check Pamela's post, "ATLAS EXCLUSIVE: Robert Spencer, Ray Bradbury Dead, Censorship On the Rise."

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels: Let's Be Done With Public-Sector Unions

At Fox News, "After Walker victory, Indiana governor suggests public unions should go" (via Memeorandum):

On the heels of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's history-making recall victory, the governor of nearby Indiana with his own record of curtailing union benefits suggested public-sector unions are past their prime and should be abolished.

"I think, really, government works better without them," Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels told "Fox News Sunday," when asked whether public-worker unions should even exist.

Daniels had cracked down on collective bargaining for state workers as soon as he took office in 2005, six years before Walker and his GOP allies in the state legislature started down the same path -- triggering a backlash that forced him to stand for election this past Tuesday. Walker made history as the first governor to survive the recall test, beating Democrat Tom Barrett.
Daniels said that vote should send a message about the problems with public-sector unions.

"I think the message is that, first of all, voters are seeing the fundamental unfairness of government becoming its own special interest group, sitting on both sides of the table," he said.

See also Dan Collins, "THE DEATH OF PUBLIC UNIONS?"

Why Do You Build Me Up...

I would have been about 8 years-old when this was a top hit, from The Foundations.

Video from back in the day is here.

Mariela Castro Endorses Barack Obama

At the clip, Christiane Amanpour is like a schoolgirl fawning over Mariela Castro.

But see Mary Anastasia O'Grady, at WSJ, "Castro Endorses Obama":

President Obama has received yet another endorsement, this time from the daughter of Cuban military dictator Raúl Castro. Mariela Castro proclaimed her support for the sitting president 10 days ago, during a visit to the United States. "I believe that Obama needs another opportunity and he needs greater support to move forward with his projects and with his ideas, which I believe come from the bottom of his heart," she said in a CNN interview in New York.

The dictator's daughter, who is a vociferous proponent of the Cuban status quo, was ostensibly in the U.S. to discuss matters pertaining to her field of expertise, which has something to do with advocating for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. As the Cuban-born writer Carlos Alberto Montaner put it in a syndicated column last week, "Mariela is tolerant of sexual preferences and intolerant of all the rest." He added: "For her, freedom and emotional coherence are something very specifically situated south of the navel."

Notwithstanding her "work" as what she calls "a sexologist," the Communist Party official did not shy away from carrying water for Uncle Fidel and her despotic daddy while on American soil. Much of her time was spent promoting the party line and disparaging human-rights defenders. Among other pearls from the child of privilege came the claim that in Cuba "people who dissent don't go to jail." She also put on the table again Cuba's view that if the U.S. wants to win the release of U.S. Agency for International Development contractor Alan Gross, who has been languishing in a Cuban jail since December 2009, it should agree to release the five convicted Cuban spies who are in jail in the U.S.

Ms. Castro's affinity for the American president aside, it is passing strange that the administration even issued her a visa. It claims it is doing all it can to free the ailing 63-year-old Mr. Gross, and Ms. Castro's desire for entry presented an opportunity to make that point to the regime. But apparently the importance of pleasing the Obama base in San Francisco, where she was invited first to talk about homosexual rights, was an even higher priority than the "high-priority" Mr. Gross.

The State Department defended the visa decision on free-speech grounds. But that's hard to square with its history of using visas as a policy tool. There are many examples of elected Latin American officials and military brass being refused travel to the U.S. for reasons that override their rights to express themselves. Two prominent examples come to mind. First, numerous members of the Colombian military—which is under civilian command—and in some cases members of their families, have had their U.S. visas pulled by the State Department merely because the soldiers were accused by left-wing nongovernmental organizations of human-rights violations. Even when acquitted, most never had those visas restored.

Then there was the visa-yanking by the Obama administration when it decided in 2009 that the Honduran Supreme Court was undemocratic because it had ruled that President Manuel Zelaya's removal from power was constitutional. Team Obama also pulled the visas of members of the interim government, even though it took power in strict adherence to the constitution and with the backing of the major political parties, the Catholic Church and the country's human-rights ombudsman. Those visas were not returned even when the interim government presided over a free and fair election and left power on schedule.

Only last week did the State Department announce that some—not all—of the victims of this injustice may reapply for entry to the U.S. Over the years, visas have also been pulled for allegations of corruption on the part of elected officials in other countries.

So if the bar that has to be cleared is set by democratic standards, human-rights records and anticorruption, how in heaven's name did this regime mouthpiece sail into the U.S. while her father is holding an American hostage?

Continue reading.

Well, Fidel endorsed Obama, so that might explain some of this.

Make Bradford British? Ed Miliband Proves He'd Never Heard of it While Wooing Muslims in Bradford

I don't know.

I think some of the British folks would like a bit more assimilation into British culture and tradition. Scroll forward to 12:30 minutes at the clip below.

And see Guardian UK, "Ed Miliband begins mission to woo back Bradford":

The leader of a major political party cannot be expected to have time to watch too much television. Nonetheless it was a tad unfortunate, when visiting Bradford on Saturday, that Ed Miliband had not heard of Make Bradford British. This was the much criticised reality TV experiment that stoked racial tensions in the West Yorkshire city by shoving Bradfordians of different colours and creeds together earlier this year.

It wouldn't have mattered had one of the first guests he met on his mission to woo Bradford not been Sabbiyah Pervez, a young Muslim mother sent by Channel 4 to pull pints in a local pub and then filmed being racially abused by the customers.

"I was on Make Bradford British," said the petite 23-year-old by way of introduction to the Labour leader. "Great!" said Miliband, beaming at her camouflage print headscarf and exquisitely made-up face. "Tell me about the scheme!" Pervez paused. "Didn't you watch it?" Miliband cocked his head to one side: this clearly had not been in his briefing pack. Pervez helped him out: "It was a TV programme."

In that case, said Miliband, he would most certainly be watching it now. Good, said Pervez, launching into an exuberant precis of her short life that not only detailed the racial intolerance she had experienced taking part in the documentary but also the forced marriage she suffered in the city as a teenager.

It was a little hiccup in what was an otherwise admirable and assured attempt at persuading the Muslim women of Bradford that the Labour party cared about them and their city. Miliband had been invited by the Bradford Muslim Women's Council (BMWC), an organisation set up in 2010 to give Muslim women a voice and access to a national political, social and cultural platform.

He had a mountain to climb. The 70 women who turned up to the event at the Media Museum were a polite, if sceptical audience, warned at the start to demonstrate the "Islamic etiquette of respectful dialogue".

Many of them had voted for George Galloway in the byelection in March and, like Pervez, had plumped for councillors from his Respect party at the local elections in May.

Worse, most of them had come to the conclusion that the Labour party did not welcome women like them. "It's an old boy's club!" shouted one woman. Another told Miliband that she had been a paid-up member of the Labour party for 15 years, but had relinquished her membership after being shunned by the men who dominated her local branch in the Manningham area of Bradford.

And see the Sun UK, "To end racism we must all enter the lion's den - Muslim mum's verdict on working in a tough pub in Bradford."

And don't forget this piece from Melanie Phillips from April, "A dangerous enemy of democracy who's being encouraged cynically by the Left':

Most commentators have dismissed this victory as a shocking one-off with no further significance than an upset by an entertaining maverick.

Not so. For with Galloway’s election, religious extremism has become for the first time a potential game-changer in British politics.

The point being so resolutely ignored is that Galloway ran on an Islamist religious ticket. It wasn’t simply that he was pandering to Islamist foreign policy obsessions. He made explicit references to Islam throughout his campaign.

Right.

So much for assimilation.

The Big Threat to Obama

It's Europe, according to Niall Ferguson, at Newsweek, "How Europe Could Cost Obama the Election":

Could Europe cost Barack Obama the presidency? At first sight, that seems like a crazy question. Isn’t November’s election supposed to be decided in key swing states like Florida and Ohio, not foreign countries like Greece and Spain? And don’t left-leaning Europeans love Obama and loathe Republicans?

Sure. But the possibility is now very real that a double-dip recession in Europe could kill off hopes of a sustained recovery in the United States. As the president showed in his anxious press conference last Friday, he well understands the danger emanating from across the pond. Slower growth and higher unemployment can only hurt his chances in an already very tight race with Mitt Romney.

Yeah, but seems like this argument feeds the administration's blame game.

Either way, things keep going downhill for the Dems.

Read it all at that top link.

Lake Bell Has a Joke for You

Lake Bell first starred in the final season of The Practice, which was spun off into Boston Legal. I thought she was a show stealer at the time. My goodness!

Obama's Message to Congress: 'Let's Get to Work'

O's been jawboning the Congress to "get to work," but I doubt he's going to get much help anytime soon. Even his own partisans are bailing out on him.

Listen to the great discussion with Laura Ingraham and Michelle Fields from the other day:

Krav Maga

Via the IDF News Desk:

Interesting. They have Krav Maga training in the O.C.

Might be something to look into, considering.

Don't Miss Dennis Prager's, Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph

Here's another Father's Day suggestion.

I finished Still the Best Hope a few days ago and meant to gets some final comments posted. Folks who listen to him on the radio will understand, but Prager boasts one of the most powerful moral voices in American politics. This book is almost a religious tract. Well, actually,  it is a religious tract, if you consider it a treatise on America's civil religion, our political culture of liberty and exceptionalism. I've read quite a few ideological and polemical best-sellers, and this one's by far the best I've read in a while. I think only Melanie Phillips left me with the same kind of feeling. It's a combination of moral clarity with self empowerment. And there's an evangelical quality to Prager as well, but it's up to us to get the message out, and especially for us to impart the basics of the political culture to younger Americans. Prager recounts how when many people are asked what is unique about America, most of them are hard-pressed to answer. They know America's great and all that, but they can't articulate a clearly specified set of attributes that are uniquely American. I deal with this this as a professor of political science. But blogging these last few years has driven home the priority of spreading American values and educating people on the greatness of this country. You wouldn't think it'd be necessary, but spend some time on a college campus and the need will become increasingly clear.

Here's Prager discussing his book back in April, at RCP, "Why America is Still the Best Hope":

There are three big ideas -- or religions, if you will -- competing for humanity's allegiance: Leftism, Islamism, and Americanism. I argue that the American value system -- what I call "the American Trinity" -- is the best system ever devised for making a good society.

The problem is that most Americans cannot identify these values, and therefore cannot fight on their behalf. In the meantime, the alternatives, Leftism and Islamism, have been spreading like proverbial wildfire, largely because their adherents know exactly what they are fighting for.

I do not fault Americans for not knowing their distinctive values. No one taught them what they are. And the problem is not new. Even the so-called "greatest generation," the World War II generation, had not been systematically taught these values.

I only came to realize what these values are in the way medical researchers sometimes happen upon a major discovery -- by chance. One night, as I emptied my pockets, I stared at the coins I had removed, and, lo and behold, there they were: America's values. The designers of all of America's money -- paper and coin -- had been telling me and every other American for well over a century what America stood for. And I hadn't noticed:

"Liberty," "In God We Trust," and "E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One").

No other country has proclaimed these three values as its primary values.

"Liberty" means the individual must be as free as possible. And this is only possible when the state and government are as small as possible. The freer the state is to do what it wants, the less free the citizen is to do what he wants. In sum, the bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.

"In God We Trust" means that a good society is only possible when the great majority of its citizens feel morally accountable to a God that is morally judging and a religion that is morally demanding. If men are to be free, they must control themselves. And if a moral religion doesn't control them, the state will try to. If men are not God-fearing, they will be state-fearing. And, as I show repeatedly in the book, every American founder believed that. Even the so-called "deists."

This is one reason why, as America and Europe have become more and more secular, the state has become more and more powerful.

"E Pluribus Unum" means that whatever one's race or ethnicity, everyone who becomes a citizen of America is to be regarded first and foremost as a fellow American. This explains why America has assimilated people of every background more rapidly and successfully than any other country in the world. Because E Pluribus Unum means that race and ethnicity don't matter.

The "unum" also means that all Americans embrace their American identity. Ethical nationalism -- a nationalism that is rooted in liberty and God-based morality -- is part of the American values system -- and it is eminently exportable. We who believe in American values not only want other nations to retain their national identity, we want them to celebrate it. The more Australian Australians feel, the better. That so many young Brits no longer strongly identify as British is one of the reasons for Britain's decline.

These magnificent American values are applicable to virtually every society in the world. But Americans cannot export values they do not themselves know or believe in. And that is why I have devoted so many years to writing "Still the Best Hope." Because Abraham Lincoln was right when he said that America is the "last best hope of earth." It was true in 1862. And it is true today.

It's a great book.

Pick up a copy here: Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph.