Apple Preps Launch of New Smaller iPad

At PC World, "Report: Apple Preps iPad Mini to Battle Nexus 7, Kindle Fire."

And at WSJ, "Apple Preps for Smaller Tablet: Parts Makers in Asia Gear Up to Produce Device With Smaller Screen Than iPad":

Apple Inc.'s component suppliers in Asia are preparing for mass production in September of a tablet computer with a smaller screen than the iPad, people familiar with the situation said, suggesting a launch for the device is near.

Two of the people said that the tablet's screen will likely be smaller than eight inches. The iPad's screen measures 9.7 inches, unchanged since the first model was released in 2010.

Officials at the component suppliers, who declined to be named, said this week that Apple has told them to prepare for mass production of the smaller tablet. The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Apple was testing such a device but hadn't yet decided whether to proceed with production.

One person said the screen makers Apple is working with include LG Display Co. of South Korea and Taiwan-based AU Optronics Co.

An Apple spokeswoman in California declined to comment.

Analysts said a smaller tablet could help Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple maintain its dominance in a market that keeps getting more crowded. Competitors include Samsung Electronics Co. and Amazon.com Inc., while Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. recently unveiled tablet devices.

Last year, the iPad held a 62% share of the world-wide tablet market, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli, which expects overall tablet sales this year to surge 85% to 126.6 million units.

Continue reading.

San Diego Shoots Its Wad: Entire 'Big Bay Boom' Goes Off in 15 Seconds

The ultimate bummer, at KNSD-TV San Diego, "Fireworks Shot Off Early in Bay" (via Memeorandum).

And for the gay sexual abandon, see Towleroad: "It was an embarrassing moment [for] organizers, to be sure, but provides the viewing public with an incredible, though short-lived, orgy of sparkles, crackles and pops."

WikiLeaks Syria Emails

The news on WikiLeaks' Syria emails has rekindled everything about Julian Assange, the rape allegations, and the U.S. government's effort to indict the cyber-terrorist on espionage charges. FYIW, Glenn Greenwald lays out the stakes at the video. Unlike (the goon) Greenwald, I'd love to see an indictment. And see also Telegraph UK, "Wikileaks begins release of 2.4 million emails from Syrian government."

And if you stay with the video to the second half, Greenwald slams the Obama administration on the SB 1070 immigration decision. It's interesting that Greenwald stresses a major victory for Arizona, as the Court upheld the so-called "show your papers" provision of the law. The administration, goes the argument, was hindered in making the case against that element of the law because it has followed an aggressive deportation program, and hence could only oppose SB 1070 on federalist grounds, not on substance. What Greenwald implies, but doesn't say, is that therefore the Justice Deparmtent's attack on Arizona was purely political, since the administration is already working with local law enforcement to apprehend illegals. Of course, Jan Brewer's been arguing along similar lines the whole time, but it's great to hear the admission from an America-bashing leftist.

Anyway, LAT has more on WikiLeaks and I expect there will be much more news on this throughout the day: "WikiLeaks has data from 2.4 million Syrian emails."

Mitt's Messaging Mismatch

Team Romney's botched response to NFIB is at WSJ's lead editorial, "Romney's Tax Confusion" (via Memeorandum).

And Althouse covers the CBS News interview from yesterday, "Mitt Romney says "The Supreme Court has the final word. And their final word is that Obamacare is a tax":

[Reporter Jan] Crawford moves in with the challenge Romney will always have to deal with: You did the same thing in Massachusetts. It this was a tax, then that was a tax. And we expect him always to answer in about the same way: There's a difference between doing something at the federal level and doing it at the state level.

Read it all at the link.

Jewish Anti-Zionists Attack Israel Online

Ben Cohen is one the best writers on the left's hatred of Israel.

Here's his new essay at Commentary, "Attacking Israel Online":

Throughout the greater Middle East, opposition to the concept and existence of a Jewish state is an idée fixe for hundreds of millions of Arab and non-Arab Muslims. A hatred of Jewish political sovereignty that frequently dovetails with more traditional anti-Semitism animates café discussions and street protests as surely as it prohibits regional political progress. Yet the strand of anti-Zionism that has lately come to attract the most attention in the West is the one articulated by a tiny minority of left-wing Jews at a handful of websites.

Full-time antagonists of Israel such as M.J. Rosenberg, Max Blumenthal, Philip Weiss, and Peter Beinart have accumulated an influence that vastly exceeds their single-digit numbers. This is in part due to the financial sponsorship of successful and well-established media institutions. Until March 2012, Rosenberg was employed by Media Matters for America (MMfA) at a salary of some $130,000 per annum. Weiss was supported for years by the Nation magazine’s Nation Institute. Peter Beinart’s new Open Zion blog is hosted by the Daily Beast, an online publication jointly owned by the Harman family and the Internet media giant IAC.

But Rosenberg, Weiss, and Beinart take a different view of their place in the media conversation. They believe themselves to be fearless truth-tellers who actively resist a censorious tribal culture that bulldozes any hint of discord. Rosenberg offered a pithy insight into this in an April 2012 opinion piece for the website of Al Jazeera. After claiming that pro-Israel advocacy organizations were hindering efforts to secure a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, he concluded with an exhortation. “Being pro-Israel means caring about Israel,” wrote Rosenberg, whose career has been built on the fact that he briefly worked for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee three decades ago. “It does not mean using it as an excuse for power brokering and suppressing dissident voices.”

Dissident voices? Properly understood, the word dissident describes intellectuals and activists operating in oppressive societies. What they do frequently results in imprisonment, torture, and even death. The dissidents of whom Rosenberg speaks so modestly, since they include himself, are not silenced, but rather celebrated, by media establishments ranging from the Huffington Post to the BBC.

The persistent inclusion of these “dissident voices” in discussions of America, Jews, and Israel has proven very useful indeed, since their membership in the tribe is deemed to give them special standing in presenting their indictment of Israel—and, somewhat more subtly, inoculates Gentile critics of the Jewish state against the charge that their attacks on Israel might be anti-Semitic. How can they be if they are merely echoing the arguments made by such passionate, such moral, such fearless, such dissident Jews?

In an Internet age characterized by instant, rolling comment, they have helped to reactivate a set of ideas that many thought had perished with the grubby pamphlets published in the old Soviet Union, screeds that bore titles such as “Zionism: A Tool of Reaction.” Whereas the true dissidents of the Cold War era introduced words such as samizdat into the vocabulary of the West, the ersatz dissidents of the Jewish left have popularized a host of expressions—Judaization, Israel-firster, Zionist apartheid, and so forth—that were once relegated almost entirely to the openly anti-Semitic fringe.

Continue reading.

The Signers of the Declaration Pledged 'To Each Other Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor', and They Made No Empty Boast

A great essay, from Daniel Flynn, at FrontPage Magazine, "Remembering the Founders' Sacrifice."

Theo's Fourth of July Totties

ICYMI, "Independence Day Totty..." and "Bonus 4th Totty..."

What's at Stake This Fourth of July

From Elizabeth Shaw and Michael Novak, at National Review, "On This of All Fourths of July":

On this Fourth of July, religious people of every American tradition are meditating as never before on the foundations of the American practice of religious liberty. On this Fourth of July, as on every other, we celebrate those sacred words of our Founding: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” And we celebrate also, as implied in that affirmation, the first clause of the First Amendment to our Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

This year this meditation is more important than ever. For the actions of our government have suddenly made a radical and troubling break from the American tradition of religious liberty. With the force of federal law, President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services has claimed to define what a religious organization is. The definition is narrow and legalistic: “one that (1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets.”

This definition falls woefully short of the full Jewish and Christian conception of religion...

RTWT.

Mitt Romney: The Best of America

Via Theo Spark:

Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs: 'Arafat Truther'

I saw this earlier and wasn't going to post, but Israel Matzav administers the epic smackdown, and it's worth spreading viral. See: "It's come to this: Chuckles the Clown becomes an Arafat truther":

...just when you thought that Charles Johnson's Little Green Footballs could not possibly sink any lower, we find that @Lizardoid is now giving credibility to the notion that 'someone' ('Israel is going to be the most likely suspect') poisoned Yasser Arafat. I would rate that as being the Middle East equivalent of claiming that George W. Bush hired 19 hijackers to fly two jets into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and one into the ground in Pennsylvania on 9/11/2001.

Yes, Charles Johnson - the guy who gave so many of us our start in conservative blogging - has become an Arafat truther.

Also at Diary of Daedalus, "According to al Jazeera":

This is just a sign of Charles now embracing all he was once against. His past support of Israel was one of the major hindrances for the Left to embrace him. Clearly this post is a wink and nod to the Israeli haters on the Left. Will Charles soon be linking to Hizb’Allah’s al Manar next?

MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry Loves Her Some 'Imperialism, Genocide, and Slavery' This Fourth of July

It happens every year.

The progressive freaks step out with their disgusting anti-American attacks on the Fourth of July. Angry White Dude has this, on the black radical feminist hack, "THIS IS HOW MELISSA HARRIS-PERRY VIEWS INDEPENDENCE DAY!":

Dudes and Dudettes…this is a perfect example of leftist lunacy…this is their mindset. This time the topic is celebrating our Independence Day. I don’t know if many of you know who this gal is, but she has a two hour show on the week-ends at the msDNC Funny Farm. She also fills in on different segments of other shows there as well. In this segment she includes genocide, imperialism and of course slavery. So, I’ll cut to the chase display what she states herself… you read, you watch, you decide.

There's excerpts and video at the link.

And see also NewsBusters, "MSNBC's Harris-Perry Marks July 4 By Noting American Imperialism and Genocide, But Also Prisoners with GEDs."

BONUS: Here's more for your pointing and shaming pleasure, via Twitchy, "Shameful: Aaron Sorkin, Left celebrate Independence Day by slamming America; Update: Chris Rock joins in."

Hill Country Barbecue Market

I think we're just having chili and cheeseburgers, but boy does this sound delicious.

At the New York Times, "An Homage to Texas, by the Pound":

Moist brisket on greasy paper is not the only reason to eat at Hill Country, but it’s a convincing one. The term “moist brisket” is the restaurant’s euphemism for the deckle and tip of the brisket, upholstered in fat that will slowly render and baste the meat during the 13 or 14 hours it spends in the smoker. Carved just before serving, the meat is juicy throughout, but the parts that really get me going are the blackened edges that give way to a mahogany-tinted quarter-inch or so of smoky borderland between crust and interior.

The moist brisket, along with the beef and pork ribs that carry a similarly peppery, crunchy top layer, show Hill Country’s rotisserie barbecue pits at their finest. The restaurant is a state-of-the-art Manhattan homage to the preindustrial craft of Texas barbecue, particularly as it is practiced in the town of Lockhart.

The flavors Hill Country achieves in its pits are not precisely the ones I remember from meals at Lockhart’s legendary rivals, Smitty’s Market and Kreuz Market. At both places, the smoke was deeply entrenched in the meat.

Prime Minister Netanyahu Sends Fourth of July Greetings to the United States

Via Israel Matzav:

X Games Double Loop

At Motor Authority: "Double Loop World Record Set at X Games: VIDEO."

And at the Los Angeles Times, "X Games: Duo sets world record with Hot Wheels double-loop dare."

David Blankenhorn and the Power of Left-Wing Intimidation

I was thinking of writing about David Blankenhorn after he came out for homosexual marriage a couple of weeks back at NYT. He was bullied into changing his position. He barely wimpered in defense of traditional marriage at the Prop. 8 show trial. So I wasn't surprised in the least.

Anyway, see this outstanding essay, from Dennis Prager, at Townhall, "Roberts, Blankenhorn, and the Power of Liberal Intimidation":

Given how many more Americans define themselves as conservative rather than as liberal, let alone than as left, how does one explain the success of left-wing policies?

One answer is the appeal of entitlements and a desire to be taken care of. It takes a strong-willed citizen to vote against receiving free benefits. But an even greater explanation is the saturation of Western society by left-wing hate directed at the right. The left's demonization, personal vilification, and mockery of its opponents have been the most powerful tools in the left-wing arsenal for a century.

Since Stalin labeled Leon Trotsky -- the man who was the father of Russian Bolshevism! -- a "fascist," the Left has labeled its ideological opponents evil. And when you control nearly all of the news media and schools, that labeling works.

The liberal media even succeeded in blaming the right wing for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy even though his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was a pro-Soviet, pro-Castro communist. Similarly, just one day after a deranged man, Jared Loughner, attempted to kill Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and murdered six people in the process, The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote that it was right-wing hate that had provoked Loughner: "It's the saturation of our political discourse -- and especially our airwaves -- with eliminationist rhetoric that lies behind the rising tide of violence. Where's that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let's not make a false pretense of balance: it's coming, overwhelmingly, from the right. . . ."

Krugman made it all up. But what matters to most of those who speak for the left is not truth. It is destroying the good name of its opponents. That is the modus operandi of the left.

It works.

Two examples in the last month bear testimony to its efficacy. One was the overwhelmingly likely motivation of Chief Justice John Roberts to declare the ObamaCare individual mandate constitutional despite his ruling that, as passed, the mandate was in fact unconstitutional.

The other was an op-ed column that David Blankenhorn, the prominent conservative advocate for marriage and against same-sex marriage, wrote for The New York Times.

First Blankenhorn.

David Blankenhorn has committed his professional life to fighting for the institution of marriage. And as recently as 2010, he testified on behalf of California Proposition 8, which, in 2008, amended the California Constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman -- and which was immediately challenged in the courts, where liberal judges overturned it.

Blankenhorn was vilified throughout the liberal and gay media (which, in their invective against proponents of retaining the man-woman definition of marriage, are indistinguishable). As Mark Oppenheimer, editor of the "Beliefs" column in The New York Times wrote:

"During the trial [over the constitutionality of Proposition 8] and in the immediate aftermath, Blankenhorn became a national figure; he was . . . the butt of ridicule . . . . And now, he has decided to give up that fight.

"Blankenhorn would be ridiculed in The New York Times, and he would be . . . [ridiculed] in a play by an Oscar-winning screenwriter, starring a bevy of Hollywood stars."

Blankenhorn told Oppenheimer:

"I had an old community organizing buddy who wrote a note to me after the trial and said, how does it feel to be America's most famous bigot? I used to think you were a good person. Now I know you're a bad person. How does it feel to know that your tombstone will read that you're just a bigot."

Two weeks ago, Blankenhorn wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times in which he announced that he now supports same-sex marriage....

And from the conclusion:

David Blankenhorn's change -- he has admitted he is tired of fighting the culture wars, and he has gone from being the object of New York Times derision to being a New York Times hero -- and Justice Roberts' change -- New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote a column lauding Roberts for his "statesmanship" -- reassure progressives that ridicule, demonization, and character assassination work. With the stakes so high in the forthcoming election, expect it to only increase.

Well, it's already happening. In fact, Jonathan Krohn, who wrote an excellent little free-market treatise when he was just 14, has allegedly had a "change of heart" about conservatism. It's reported that he backs most positions on the left but hesitates to call himself a progressive, lest he end up looking like the pathetically spineless douchebag loser that he is now. I'm not going to be surprised if he comes out homosexual in the years ahead as well. Seems like everyone else is nowadays, the freaks.

See the book here: Defining Conservatism: The Principles That Will Bring Our Country Back.

Military Personnel Take Oath of Citizenship From Flight Deck of USS Midway

A great story, at the Los Angeles Times, "On the Midway's deck, military personnel take oath of citizenship":

SAN DIEGO — After the ceremony was complete, after he had listened to the speeches and repeated the 141 words that made him a U.S. citizen, Marine Lance Cpl. Hua Fan admitted to being a bit overwhelmed.

"It's going to take a while before it settles in," said Fan, smiling broadly. The 23-year-old, who was born outside Beijing, added: "I've felt like a part of America for some time, but now I'm an official part."

It was a common sentiment among the 35 active duty U.S. military members from 19 countries and territories who took the oath of allegiance in a short but emotional ceremony Monday on the flight deck of the carrier museum Midway.

"It's been a dream of mine for a long time: to become a real American," said Marine Lance Cpl. Andre Baxter, 22, from Jamaica. "And now it's real."

The federal government has a program to expedite citizenship applications from military personnel. Three times each year — just before Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Veterans Day — the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services holds naturalization ceremonies in San Diego strictly for members of the military.

Officials tailor their remarks to the specific holiday. In this case, it was a discussion of the early days of the American Revolution.

"Our nation was founded by young patriots like yourself," retired Rear Adm. Mac McLaughlin, president and chief executive officer of the Midway Museum, told the gathering.

'The Amazing Spider-Man' in Theaters

As I was saying, I'm way behind on my movies. I took the boys to see "The Avengers" on Sunday --- and we were all quite pleased with that.

But I'm not sure if I can warm up to a new Spider-Man franchise so soon. We'll see. Kenneth Turan has a review at the Los Angeles Times and he says it's not too bad after all. See: "Review: 'The Amazing Spider-Man's' Peter and Gwen are super."

The trailer, on YouTube, is here.

'Unpatriotic Debt'

Via Lonely Con (via Memeorandum):

The Truth About the Homosexual Left

From a gay conservative, Terrence Jackson, at Right Wing News:

The gay Left must come to an end.

This isn’t to say that I wish harm to the minions of the liberal gay community, but rather that the time has arrived for a more reasonable and rational debate, freed from the intolerance and bigotry of the champions of far-left gay advocacy. And this debate can never, and will never, occur as long as people like Dan Savage remain the best possible choices to represent a growing collective of activists.

I, along with many other gay conservatives, took issue with the creator of the ‘It Gets Better’ series of videos for his comments recently on Twitter, where he referred to gay conservative group GOProud as “house faggots”. As this is a man that has been known for representing millions of young gay men and women, it is far from inspiring to see one of the most well-known gay figures hurling hateful insults in the direction of people just like him. And for what? All because they choose to support a candidate that doesn’t align with their personal views on gay issues? It seems that Mr. Savage and his ilk suffer from something far more severe than a disdain for GOProud. They have a disdain for Americans and their values.

The evidence is all around us. From the gay rights activists captured on film giving the middle finger to a picture of Reagan, to Joy Behar claiming gay conservatives only “think with their penises”, the gay Left and its most impassioned wingnut allies have shown significant hatred for anything that differs from their defined norms. It is common practice to insist that the republican party is the party of anti-gay bigots ( though it was Reagan’s voice that helped prevent the passage of the Briggs Initiave), and while many on the gay Left will speak of the injustices suffered at the hands of cruel, hateful people, they take no issue with comparing gay conservatives to “jewish nazis“, and so on. It is this double standard that divides us further, and endangers not just an important political discourse, but the livelihood of decent, hardworking people.

The gay Left has made a name for themselves by being unreasonable, combative, and unabashedly shameful in their conduct. They claim to care about the political system that so many of us respect and value, but would never vote for even the best ecomonic strategist for office if his views on gay marriage weren’t completely in support of it. They condemn every comment made by someone who they have pegged as anti-gay, but as of late, have been completely silent on the divisive comments that come from within their own community. In a community of politically-active gay leftists, to dissent is to be cast out, no matter what you stand for as a person. And this is troubling.

It is the lack of patriotism and respect for American ideals that pushes so many away from the gay liberal agenda...

A devastating takedown of the radical left's agenda of hate. More at the link.

RELATED: "Oh God, What Next? California Bill Would Allow Children to Have More Than Two Parents."

VIDEO: Bar Refaeli Under Water

Time for a swim?

See London's Daily Mail, "Specs appeal: Bar Refaeli gets her sexy geek look on and goes for a swim in her clothes to promote new underwear line."

It's an Unconstitutional Penalty

As noted early, the Supreme Court's ObamaCare ruling is an electoral gift to the GOP, but Team Romney can't fail on the messaging. See Hot Air, "Team Romney: No way are we declaring a “ceasefire” on health care."

Patterico has the background on "it's an unconstitutional penalty." Republicans need to push back hard against the Democrats, who won't stop denying the mandate is a tax. See: "Romney Advisor: Romney Thinks Mandate Is a Penalty."

And when you have folks like Wolf Blitzer (unusually) hammering Team Obama and the DNC, there's not a moment to waste in beating back against this monstrosity. See Randy's Roundtable, "One More Time...It's A Penalty!"

More at Legal Insurrection, "Beware journalists turning conservatives into a circular firing squad."

Let Freedom Ring: “We Can Do Better Than an America Where Uncle Sam Sheds Tears”

Via Freedom's Lighthouse, "New Hard-Hitting Ad Shows “Uncle Sam” Shedding a Tear and Holding a Tin Cup Thanks to Four Years of Barack Obama: “We Can Do Better. We are Not a Beggar Nation.” – Video 7/3/12":

Former Teen Prostitute Zahia Dehar Shows Lingerie Collection at Paris Couture Week

She's 20 now, and prostitution is legal in France, but it's 18 or over and some star soccer players apparently paid her for sex when she was 17.

At London's Daily Mail, "Call girl to catwalk queen: Former teen prostitute accused of underage sex with footballers shows lingerie collection at Paris couture week."

'The Glorious Fourth'

Boy, Bill Whittle's been busy!

Here's another great clip, from the Afterburner series, via Glenn Reynolds:

Dependence Day

From Gretchen Hamel, at IBD, "On This Independence Day, We're Dependent On Deficits and Debt":

As we celebrate the July 4th holiday marking the U.S.' historic break with Great Britain, it's worth considering: Are we as independent as we think we are?

In fact, the numbers suggest that we are deeply dependent — on deficit spending and debt. Our nation's current debt, nearing $16 trillion, and our annual budget deficit of $1.2 trillion, indicate that our government's addiction to spending is nowhere near its limit.

Of that $16 trillion debt, the U.S. owes more than $5 trillion to foreign nations, an all-time high. So much for independence. We're now a debtor nation, and unless we get our fiscal house in order, that debt will endanger our nation's prospects for long-term growth.

If that sounds alarmist, consider this: In August 2011, Vice President Joe Biden visited China. This wasn't just any diplomatic visit — it was the supplication of a debtor, in which Biden undertook to reassure our Chinese debtors that their investment is sound.

Biden assured his hosts that they had "nothing to worry about" when it comes to the U.S. honoring its obligations. It wasn't the first time a high-ranking U.S. official has had to offer soothing words to our creditors, and at this rate it won't be the last....

Ultimately, our heavy reliance on foreign debt is the symptom of a much larger problem, which is our nation's relentless addiction to government spending that drives up deficits and demands continued foreign investment, regardless of the risk and the cost.

So as we commemorate our independence, it's worth reflecting on the ways in which our nation's leadership has made us deeply dependent on other nations, and the risks that dependence brings. If there's good news, it's that this crisis can be averted — if policymakers in Washington take action to cut spending, reduce the deficit and pay down our nearly $16 trillion debt.

That achievement would be almost like a second declaration of independence and well worth celebrating.

Read the whole thing.

Photo: Gretchen Hamel, Executive Director of Public Notice.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Via Nice Deb:

The Wikipedia entry is here.

Holiday Rule 5 Roundup

I need to do a Rule 5 roundup for my blog buddies.

First up is Theo Spark: "SaBo-FX - Gspot (SFW Just)."

And at Astute Bloggers, "YAMILA DIAZ-RAHI: GUARANTEED NOT HALAL.... FOR NOW..." And Camp of the Saints, "Rule 5 Saturday: Gio Ott."

Plus, Reaganite's going for the conservative women of late, 'cuz they're hot, "RED HOT Conservative Chicks: Townhall Editor Katie Pavlich!"

More at the Last Tradition, "The CW's bikini babes of The Catalina frolic in their swimsuits on South Beach."

At Pirate's Cove, "If All You See…is an ocean that will rise up and swamp us all sometime in the future, you might just be a Warmist." And Randy's Roundtable, "Thursday Nite Tart (on Friday): Yasmin Jordao."

Even more at Proof Positive, "Friday Night Babe: Danneel Harris Ackles!" And Gator Doug's, "DaleyGator DaleyBabe Jessica Biel."

See The Other McCain as well, "Rule 5 Sunday: Exile On Duke Street."

BONUS: At BCF, "Just In Time For Canada Day...Shera Bechard - Canadian Genius!"

Happy Fourth of July!

From Wendy Fiore on Twitter, wishing you bountiful freedom.

Charles Krauthammer: Justice Roberts Was 'Intimidated' By the Left

He nails it.

See Bill O'Reilly's interview with Charles Krauthammer at RealClearPolitics.

And more here: "Custodian of the Court: Charles Krauthammer Explains Chief Justice John Roberts' ObamaCare Ruling."

And in case you haven't read it yet, here's the opinion in NFIB v. Sebelius.

The strange news keeps coming out about this. See Owen Kerr at Volokh, "So Now We Have Supreme Court Leaks Disagreeing With the Substance of Other Supreme Court Leaks" (via Memeorandum).

And John Podhoretz thinks Roberts caved to the bullying, "Roberts the Coward":

Our system grants federal judges lifetime tenure precisely to shield them from political pressure. Of course, the Supreme Court has often fallen short of that ideal. The early 20th century political wit Finley Peter Dunne, writing in the voice of Chicago saloonkeeper Mr. Dooley, famously declared flatly that “the Supreme Coourt follows th’ illiction returns.”

Yet the polls show the unpopularity of ObamaCare, as did the overwhelming results of the election in November 2010 that followed the bill’s passage. So, if Roberts had been following election returns and public opinion, he wouldn’t have hesitated to overturn.

No, he seems to have flip-flopped over worries about the hostility a 5-4 decision overturning ObamaCare would generate among pundits. No, let me be more precise — among liberal pundits like E.J. Dionne and the editorialists at The New York Times.

It seems astonishing that the chief justice of the United States would be motivated by fear of E.J. Dionne and the like.

But there it is. And if this is indeed why the chief justice changed his vote — out of fear of attacks on the court’s legitimacy by scribblers like me — then the court’s legitimacy deserves to be challenged.

What legitimacy does a decision on the most important case of the last decade have if a justice came to it for reasons other than his understanding of the law?

Not to mention that the naked intellectual cynicism on display in the Roberts opinion has satisfied no one.

In her concurring opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg heaps scorn upon it. The dissent by the four conservatives whom Roberts abandoned “deliberately ignored Roberts’ decision,” according to Crawford’s reporting, “as if they were no longer even willing to engage with him in debate.”

That's sounds overly harsh, actually. Roberts was bullied, but I don't think it's immoral that he switched. People change their minds for many reasons. And depending how Team Romney plays it, the Supreme Court might have helped deliver the election to the Republicans. More on that later.

Meanwhile, Ann Althouse argues that Roberts has made it extremely difficult for Democrats to use Commerce Cause powers to expand government going forward: "'The commentary on John Roberts's solo walk into the Affordable Care Act wilderness is converging on a common theme: The Chief Justice is a genius'."

Ashley Tisdale 27th Birthday Party in Malibu: Actress Perfectly Toned in Teaser Bikini Top and Skimpy Shredded Denim Shorts

The Iconix Brand Group sent me a public relations notice: "Birthday Girl Ashley Tisdale with Her Brand New Op Vespa."

I guess my babe blogging is getting some results! I'm right up there with London's Daily Mail, "Ashley Tisdale celebrates her 27th birthday with a wild beach party in a hot yellow tassel bikini."

Also at E! Online, "Bikini Shot of the Day: Ashley Tisdale Shows Off Her Birthday Suit!"

Freedom to Blog Update July 3, 2012

Apologies up front, but my blogging's been a little off these past couple of days. It's hard to keep up with the left's war on bloggers, but conservatives are fighting back, and there's more today.

First, catch up a bit with Camp of the Saints from yesterday: "The #BrettKimberlin Report D+38: The Madness Of King Sockpuppet."

And then the big news today from The Other McCain, "Brandon Darby Defamed by Kimberlin Associate Neal Rauhauser; Pursues ‘All Legal Remedies’ Against SWATting Charge." And at Robert's previous entry, "Freedom Is Under Attack: Help the National Bloggers Club Fight Back." I commented there, mentioning why I wouldn't be contributing to Ali Akbar, and cited my entry: "Bloggers Against #BrettKimberlin Fracture Over Ali Akbar and the National Bloggers Club." And here's Robert's reply:

Donald: You go into battle with the army you have. The battle has been underway for more than six weeks. Personal criticisms against Ali have been aired widely, but do not detract from the valuable work that the National Bloggers Club has done, and will continue to do, to win this battle. There is a lot of backstory, of which you almost certainly are not aware, and I do not have time or inclination now to explain everything. However, you have my personal assurance that contributions to the National Bloggers Club are crucial to the effort now under way, and will be carefully utilized for that purpose.

There's a lot of "backstory" I don't have, actually. But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of an informed opinion on Ali. One lengthy Twitter exchange was really all it took, plus the non-replies to the update I posted: "Update on Ali Akbar and Bloggers Against #BrettKimberlin." Film Ladd posted a couple of times as well: "Good Luck National Blogger's Club: And See Ya Later." "Convicted Felon Ali Akbar: Kneel Before Zod." And I don't know the motive, and I don't know about the author (other than he's on the left), but folks can take a look at this piece, which was linked at The Other McCain and then removed: "Is There Anything Ali Akbar Has NOT Lied About?"

Enough about that. The main thing is that folks are fighting the battle, and with reference to Robert's comment above, I'm reminded of Winston Churchill's famous quote on Britain's alliance with Stalin against Hitler:

If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.

Now, there's been a lot of blogging at Patterico's as well. Check the link. I especially like Patrick's "accuse the accusers" post, "Stacy McCain on Accusing the Accusers":

The post is titled Lying Felon Brett Kimberlin Scores a Draw in Maryland Hearing, but the key part is Stacy’s description of the Rauhauser/Kimberlin strategy of accusing the accusers:

It is genuinely amazing to think that anyone could read that 1981 article by Indianapolis Star reporter Joe Gelarden — please print it out and read the whole thing — without recognizing that Kimberlin’s characteristic modus operandi has scarcely changed in the past 30 years.

By accusing others of wrongdoing, Kimberlin seeks to evade responsibility for his own wrongdoing. What I’ve called the “accuse the accusers” strategy – which is also witnessed in the actions of Kimberlin’s associate Neal Rauhauser — looks very much like obstruction of justice.

And Patterico's own flourish:

Stacy also has an interview with Brandon Darby which is very important ...

See how it works? If they think you’re about to reveal something about them, they start accusing you first so they can portray your reveal as retaliation. If they are going after someone associated with the FBI, they may be trying to set up a pre-emptive defense in case they are arrested by the FBI. “You guys are prosecuting us because we were revealing the truth about your informant Darby!” Something like that.

I posted on this previously: "'Accuse the Accusers': How It Works." Also here and here.

Finally, at Aaron Worthing's, "Exclusive: The Police Report on my SWATting," and "The Story I Couldn’t Tell, Part III: The May 22 Hearing and Brett Kimberlin’s Bigotry Towards Me."

And one more thing. Don't miss this Twitchy entry: "Brooks Bayne targets conservatives with Brett Kimberlin-style tactics." Books will be written later about this latest phase of the blog and Twitter wars, and the stakes have gotten extremely high. I suspect people will be going to jail when it's all done, and I hope that's soon.

South Africa Chimp Attack on Texas Grad Student Called 'Territorial Defense'

The alpha chimps are said to be six times stronger than humans. What's amazing is that these two pulled the victim, Andrew Oberle, under an electrified fence and then dragged him for a half a mile.

See London's Dail Mail, "American student mauled by two chimpanzees in South Africa was a victim of 'territorial defense'."

And at CNN, "U.S. student has surgery after savage attack by chimps."

Stop Shaming Me You Freak Homophobic Pink-Washers!

This would be hilarious if it wasn't so deeply troubling.

It turns out that the astonishingly stupid "queer" Muslim woman photographed at Toronto's homosexual parade picked up my post in a response to being called out for her sheer mendacity, not to mention disgusting anti-Semitism. This passage caught my eye:

Let me make this clear - my political views cannot fit on a sign, nor can my religious views. You want to talk about Muslim intolerance? Let’s do it. But don’t defend your support of Israel with “well, it’s the lesser evil.” And really, I’m not so sure about that. Despite Israel making an effort to advocate gay rights, they also take away the rights of Palestinians.

The woman's link goes to Sarah Schulman's op-ed from last year at the New York Times, "Israel and ‘Pinkwashing’." Remember Schulman's piece? I'm frankly perpetually astounded by the psychological contortions that progressives go though these days to uphold the mountains of ideological lies that are at base nothing more than the ideological program for the extermination of Israel. I've blogged about that many times, but the "pinkwashing" meme is so world-class stupid I think I just laughed at the time. But reading the Toronto "queer" Muslim's morally confused response, it's obvious that the left's progressive poison of anti-Semitism has twisted some minds beyond repair.

Here's the key absurdity at Schulman's piece:

The growing global gay movement against the Israeli occupation has named these tactics “pinkwashing”: a deliberate strategy to conceal the continuing violations of Palestinians’ human rights behind an image of modernity signified by Israeli gay life. Aeyal Gross, a professor of law at Tel Aviv University, argues that “gay rights have essentially become a public-relations tool,” even though “conservative and especially religious politicians remain fiercely homophobic.”

Pinkwashing not only manipulates the hard-won gains of Israel’s gay community, but it also ignores the existence of Palestinian gay-rights organizations. Homosexuality has been decriminalized in the West Bank since the 1950s, when anti-sodomy laws imposed under British colonial influence were removed from the Jordanian penal code, which Palestinians follow. More important is the emerging Palestinian gay movement with three major organizations: Aswat, Al Qaws and Palestinian Queers for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. These groups are clear that the oppression of Palestinians crosses the boundary of sexuality; as Haneen Maikay, the director of Al Qaws, has said, “When you go through a checkpoint it does not matter what the sexuality of the soldier is.”

What makes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies so susceptible to pinkwashing — and its corollary, the tendency among some white gay people to privilege their racial and religious identity, a phenomenon the theorist Jasbir K. Puar has called “homonationalism” — is the emotional legacy of homophobia. Most gay people have experienced oppression in profound ways — in the family; in distorted representations in popular culture; in systematic legal inequality that has only just begun to relent. Increasing gay rights have caused some people of good will to mistakenly judge how advanced a country is by how it responds to homosexuality.

Now, check James Kirchick's response at The Tablet, "Sarah Schulman's Pinkwashing Op-Ed Is Nonsense":

While accusing the government of Israel and pro-Israel activists of deceiving well-intentioned progressives, Schulman and her ilk are in fact using the issue of gay rights to forward an ulterior agenda. So consumed are they by hatred of Israel that they are willing to distort the truth about the horrible repression of homosexuals in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. If there’s any cleaning of dirty laundry going on here, it is Schulman’s whitewashing the plight of Palestinian gays.

Schulman’s assertion that homosexuality has been effectively “decriminalized” in the Palestinian territories since the 1950s when Jordan revoked colonial-era sodomy laws, will come as cold comfort to the countless gay Palestinians who have fled to Israel after being tortured or receiving death threats by Hamas or Fatah agents. Schulman’s claim would certainly come as news to Maen Rashid Areikat, the PLO’s ambassador to Washington. When asked earlier this year if homosexuality would be tolerated in a future Palestinian state, Areikat replied, “This is an issue that’s beyond my [authority].” Hamas strategist Mahmoud Al-Zahar was blunter. In comments directed toward Westerners, Al-Zahar told Reuters last year that “You do not live like human beings. You do not (even) live like animals. You accept homosexuality. And now you criticize us?” And whatever law might be on the Palestinian Authority books has yet to persuade the leaders of Aswat, a Palestinian lesbian organization, to relocate their headquarters to Ramallah from Haifa. By making the absurd claim that the issue of gay rights is being “manipulated” by the Israeli government, Schulman ends up making excuses for people who kill homosexuals.

Recognizing the enormous gap between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on their respective gay-rights records, critics of the Jewish state have gone to tremendous lengths to propagate a massive lie in order to win over Western progressives....

Introducing the term “pinkwashing” into the mainstream debate about the Arab-Israeli conflict is edifying in at least one respect: It lays bare the delusion, paranoia, and cynicism of the Jewish state’s most earnest detractors. In their minds, any positive statement made about the country is necessarily part of a propaganda campaign in the service of a far-right agenda. For an increasingly large swath of the international left, there really is no good Israel can do, short of disappear.

Word.

Sure makes the Toronto "queer" Muslim woman look even more dense --- and fundamentally wicked.

PREVIOUSLY: "Toronto's Homosexual Muslims Would Be Hanged in Tehran and Beheaded in Riyadh."

And keep in mind, this is exactly what the radical homosexual left is all about. Anti-Semitism, pedophilia, racism, and hatred for tradition, decency, and values. People of faith and decency should be appalled that the progressive left foists off these sick depredations as human rights. It's literally criminal.

Anderson Cooper Reveals He's Gay in Email to Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan

WyBlog nails the headline, "Anderson Cooper Finally Publicly Acknowledges the Secret Shame that We Already Knew Anyway." And following the link takes us to iOWNTHEWORLD:

[VIDEO PULLED]

Sullivan writes a piece at the Daily Beast where he applauds the way a recent CNN host came out – quietly, matter of factly and with little fanfare.

He says that this is the goal, to have gay people so mainstream that “coming out” is a ho-hum moment.

Andrew writes this in a long-winded essay that, if he could, would be accompanied by a soundtrack of “It’s Raining Men,” a police siren and a few cowboys, Indians and policemen in buttless chaps tossing rainbows into the air from a Rip Taylor shopping bag full of confetti.

The man who came out has it right. Andrew, on the other hand, is part of the coalition of gays who believe that it’s fruitless to be gay unless it’s the centerpiece on table one. If being gay actually becomes as ho-hum as he says he wants it to be, and he’s relegated to table 23 near the kitchen, he’s going to set the table on fire.

Here’s the stupid piece, if you must.

I like Anderson Cooper, actually. Andrew Sullivan? Not so much.

BONUS: At the Los Angeles Times, "Anderson Cooper comes out as gay. Does it matter? Yes." And the New York Times, "Revelation Signals a Shift in Views of Homosexuality."

Whoa! Jessica Alba Steps Out in Strapless Leather Dress at Versace Haute Couture Show in Paris

And she's showing up the fashion models there, it turns out.

Lovely.

See London's Daily Mail, "Stealing the models' thunder! Jessica Alba goes biker chic in strapless leather dress for Paris Fashion Week."

California State Sen. Mark Leno, Homosexual Rights Extremist, Pushes Legislation Legalizing Multiple Parent Families

San Francisco homosexual Democrat Mark Leno, long criticized as the Bay Area's "kiddie porn king," sponsored the bill. See the Sacramento Bee, "California bill would allow a child to have more than two parents":

Beaver had June and Ward.

Ricky had Ozzie and Harriet.

Mom and Dad, same-sex couples or blended families, California law is clear: No more than two legal parents per child.

When adults fight over parenthood, a judge must decide which two have that right and responsibility – but that could end soon.

State Sen. Mark Leno is pushing legislation to allow a child to have multiple parents.

"The bill brings California into the 21st century, recognizing that there are more than Ozzie and Harriet families today," the San Francisco Democrat said.

Surrogate births, same-sex parenthood and assisted reproduction are changing society by creating new possibilities for nontraditional households and relationships.

Benjamin Lopez, legislative analyst for the Traditional Values Coalition, blasted Leno's bill as a new attempt to "revamp, redefine and muddy the waters" of family structure by a leader in the drive to legalize gay marriage.

Read it all at the link. While a number of difficult family situations could arise involving claims from more than two parents, obviously for Sen. Leno this is the main rationale for the law:

A same-sex couple who asked a close male friend to help them conceive, then decided that all three would raise the child.

Shoot, get enough "families" like that and you just have to change the laws again to allow all three of them to marry. The man will have two lesbian wives. Perfect!

This guy Leno is a homosexual extremist par excellence! California's children and families are in the best of hands.

Okay, check this out:

* Leno authored the highly controversial California legislation that forces schools to teach homosexual history to elementary school students. Long championed by progressive educators, the depraved homosexual lobby calls this "queering." More on that here: "California Wants Lesbians as Mandatory 'Role' Models."

* Leno introduced California's SB 1586, called "CeCe's Law," requiring the state to house transgender inmates in "opposite sex" facilities of the California Department of Corrections. Leno is quoted on this: "“It is time we moved past the archaic notion one’s genitals define their gender, especially in a correctional setting,” Leno stated. “CeCe McDonald may be a 6 foot 2 inch black man with a full complement of male genitalia on the outside but on the inside there’s a woman who cannot be safely housed inside a male prison…”"

* Leno opposed California's 2006 ballot initiative Proposition 83, an initiative statute protecting families against the worst of the worst child predators. Leno's alternative to the state's "Jessica's Law" received widespread attention at the time: "Sex Offenders Have a Friend in Sacramento!" As conservative columnist Catherine Seipp asked at the time, "Did you know that in California, child molesters and rapists are a protected class?" See: "The Sex Offender Next Door."

* Leno's "life partner," Douglas Jackson, died of AIDS in 1990, which given the arc of the disease, would have placed him (and Leno) as highly active during the height of the San Francisco AIDS "radical holocaust" that spread "like wildfire" through the city in the mid-1980s, according to David Horowitz in "The Plague Abettors."

* And here's the gay granddaddy of them all. Leno, among many homosexual rights leaders in San Francisco, embraced Larry Brinkin, the gay rights "icon" arrested last week on homosexual pedophile charges. According to this piece on Brinkin's retirement from the Human Rights Commission:

Framed proclamations to Brinkin were presented by representatives from the offices of Senator Tom Ammiano, Senator Mark Leno, and Mayor Gavin Newsom (declaring it “Larry Brinkin Day”). Supervisor Bevan Dufty appeared in person, giving his testimony of the many times he has called on Brinkin to solve problems in the past. Supervisor David Campos said, “It’s not just the work Larry did for the LGBT community that we applaud; it’s what he’s done for so many other communities.” As an example, Campos spoke of Brinkin’s work with immigration and sanctuary in San Francisco. “San Francisco government will never be the same without you,” he said. The Board of Supervisors officially declared it “Larry Brinkin Week.” SF Human Rights Commission presented a certificate of recognition as well. Brinkin received as a retirement gift two tickets to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Sapphire ship. “You know, I’ve done a lot of cruising, but I’ve never been on a cruise,” Brinkin jested.

Yeah. Cruising.

We know all about that. See: "Larry Brinkin, President of the California Association of Human Relations Organizations (CAHRO), Gay Rights Icon, Arrested on Child Pornography Charges," and "Larry Brinkin Update: Homosexual Pedophile Exposes Rank Hypocrisy of Radical Left's 'Social Justice' Agenda."As quoted at the latter entry:

Brinkin thrived for almost a quarter of a century in a setting that promotes the false premise that moral behavior is subject to individual judgment. He was well-respected in a community that makes heroes of people whose primary goal is to undermine traditional values such as marriage, portray as out-of-date the belief that heterosexuality is normal, and endorse all manner of perverse behavior by putting it all under the umbrella of "human rights."

Thrived.

And Sen. Leno has been spreading that same (depraved) thriving jive throughout the states for decades. How disgusting.

Photo Credit: Towleroad, "Sean Penn, Gay Leaders Push for 'Harvey Milk Day' in California."

Bill Whittle's Firewall: 'One For the Team'

Not sure if Whittle wanted to title this one "One For the Team." He doesn't seem to make the argument that the ruling in NFIB has anything good going for it, at least in the short term.

In any case, via Theo Spark:

Promote Free Markets as the Best Way to Reduce Poverty

I've run this video before, but hey, it's good. Here's Hadley Heath for the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, via Astute Bloggers, "VIDEO: PROSPERITY IS A BY-PRODUCT OF LIBERTY":

And see Dan Mitchell, "Food Stamps, Handouts, and the Ever-Expanding Welfare State."

More From Toronto's Homosexual Pride Parade 2012

Communists and nude not-safe-for-children homosexual protesters, because, you know, you must be a bigot if you don't toe the line on the radical left's perverted values-destruction agenda.

At Blazing Cat Fur, "Did You Know Mao Was Big On Gay Rights?"

And, "Education Minister Laurel Broten's Pride Scrapbook!"

"I am so making your kids like this!"

Yep, that's what it's all about.

PREVIOUSLY: "Larry Brinkin, President of the California Association of Human Relations Organizations (CAHRO), Gay Rights Icon, Arrested on Child Pornography Charges." And, "Larry Brinkin Update: Homosexual Pedophile Exposes Rank Hypocrisy of Radical Left's 'Social Justice' Agenda."

Barclays Chairman Resigns

At the New York Times, "Chairman of Barclays Resigns."

Also at the Guardian UK, "Barclays boss quits over rate scandal: Marcus Agius steps down following the bank's £290m fine for its role in attempts to rig interest rates."

 And a UK Telegraph video is here.

Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party Claims Presidential Election Victory

This is interesting.

See the Los Angeles Times, "Enrique Peña Nieto wins Mexico's presidency, early results show."

And at Newsmax, "Pena Nieto Claims Mexico Presidential Win."

Plus, check London's Daily Mail, "U.S. fears the new Mexican government will 'go soft' on the drug cartels."

ZOMG! Obama Chief of Staff Jack Lew Ripped to Shreds Over ObamaCare Tax on FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace

Kudos to Chris Wallace. He had this guy Jack Lew pinned down like a slimy polecat, and boy was that dude squealing and squirming to get out from under the questioning. And note something: This is how it's going to be all year when Democrats are confronted with the fact of their massive "penalty" tax on people who go without insurance. It's going to hit millions of people. And the Dems, like this idiot chief of staff, just won't be able to defend it.

I think the Internet language for this is f-king pwned, and mercilessly.

Via Gateway Pundit, "Busted: Audio of Obama Lawyer Arguing Obamacare Is a Tax Stuns WH Chief of Staff Jack Lew (Video)."

Toronto's Homosexual Muslims Would Be Hanged in Tehran and Beheaded in Riyadh

These kinds of supremely stupid hard-left homosexual protests would only be permissible in the West. A "queer" Muslim woman like that --- if she's indeed a "queer" Muslim woman --- would be executed in countries under Islamic law like Iran (public hangings for homosexuals) or Saudia Arabia (public beheadings for homosexuals). (Although technically, a "lesbian" in such countries might simply face the firing squad, as methods of capital punishment vary depending on gender. The complete denial of human rights remains the same, but progressive don't really care about human rights. If they did, they'd be protesting the aforementioned Islamist regimes, and not Israel.) Only someone who is literally deranged and blinded by ideological hatred of conservatives and Jews would see otherwise, but God knows there are plenty of people around like that.

At Blazing Cat Fur, "So how did you spend your Canada Day?"

There's some background at the Wall Street Journal: "Anti-Israel Group Aims for Toronto Pride Demo."

ObamaCare and the U.S. Government Legitimacy Crisis

A great piece, from Glenn Reynolds at the Washington Examiner, "The Supreme Court, Obamacare and 'Legitimacy'."

The pundits were wrong on their Supreme Court ObamaCare predictions --- that striking down the law would destroy the legitimacy of the Court --- and if anything, it's the executive and legislative branches --- and we had a Democrat majority in Congress when the ObamaCare monstrosity was passed --- who have not only lost legitimacy, but worked to destroy it in the first place. Just read the whole thing at that link, via Instapundit and Memeorandum.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies":

And see Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's Sunday Funnies," and Theo Spark, "Cartoon Round Up..."

BONUS: At Jill Stanek's, "Stanek Sunday funnies: “Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision” edition."

Bob Burnquist's Big Air X-Games Los Angeles 2012

This guy is one of the most amazing skateboarders in a generation.

See the Los Angeles Times, "X Games: Bob Burnquist comes up big in air." Burnquist was injured and in extreme pain, but he went on to skate and ...

He nailed a switch-backside-Ollie-180 over the 70-foot gap into the 30-foot tall quarter pipe, where he successfully executed an indy-720-fakie.

'Accuse the Accusers': How It Works

Brett Kimberlin was back in court this week. See Aaron Worthing, "Breaking: John Norton Obtains Peace Order Against Convicted Terrorist Brett Kimberlin ... and Convicted Terrorist Brett Kimberlin Obtains Peace Order Against John Norton."

And see especially Robert Stacy McCain, "UPDATE: Lying Felon Brett Kimberlin Scores a Draw in Maryland Hearing." The key quote:

By accusing others of wrongdoing, Kimberlin seeks to evade responsibility for his own wrongdoing. What I’ve called the “accuse the accusers” strategy – which is also witnessed in the actions of Kimberlin’s associate Neal Rauhauser — looks very much like obstruction of justice.

Now in my blogging I've been relating some uncanny similarities between Kimbelin's criminal activities to the workplace harassment I've been dealing with. I wrote about an unnamed harasser here and here, for example. Also available at Google, to the obvious consternation of he who has sought to shut me down. But what's interesting his how Robert's "Accuse the Accusers" theory enjoys confirmation in my case. There's an LGM post here:

Concerning Brett Kimberlin, Patrick Frey, Aaron Worthing, etc.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2012/06/concer…
— Scott Lemieux (@LemieuxLGM) June 27, 2012

And in the comments there, in response to false allegations by the unnamed person that he's being stalked by me, one commenter, who's clearly not up to speed, writes:

... I am not familiar with your stalking story, but I will try to learn more and help you spread the word if you need that. Whatever the circumstance, I’m sorry that you too have had to deal with creeps.

Well, there may indeed be some kind of stalking story (the target apparently is not liked by many different people). The problem is that it doesn't involve me --- there's never been any evidence adduced to that effect --- and this unnamed asshole knows it. But by continuing to foist such lies, people like this can turn the tables to make it appear as if they are victims when in fact it's they who have perpetrated evil deeds against those who simply had the temerity to write the truth about them.

And just like Aaron Worthing has pledged, I won't be silenced from telling the truth.

Yitzhak Shamir Dies at 96

At Astute Bloggers, "YITZHAK SHAMIR, RIP."

And also, the New York Times, "Yitzhak Shamir, Former Israeli Prime Minister, Dies at 96."

Mohammed Morsi Takes Oath as Egypt's First Islamist President

The New York Times reports, "Morsi Is Sworn In, Marking a New Stage in Egypt Struggle."

And see Atlas Shrugs, "Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood President-Elect Morsi Vows to Free the Blind Sheikh, Mastermind of the '93 WTC Bombing."

Team Romney: 'Shame On You, Barack Obama'

Via Reaganite:

Reports: Scientology Was Breaking Point for Katie Holmes

An interesting piece at the Daily Beast, "Did Scientology Eventually Bring Down Cruise-Holmes Marriage?"

Holmes, who converted to Scientology in 2005 before marrying Cruise, reportedly hadn’t been seen inside a Scientology Church for some time. Several years ago, she enrolled Suri in a Catholic preschool.

Deborah Opri, a high-profile family trial attorney in Los Angeles, speculates that the divorce could have been driven by Holmes not wanting Suri to be lured into Scientology. “Their prenuptial contract might have been conducted in such a way that the child, by a certain age, would have been a full-fledged Scientologist,” she says.

Uri Friedman's 'American Exceptionalism' Neglects Mention of Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis

It's a good essay (and it looks especially good in the glossy format at hard copy of the magazine). See: "'American Exceptionalism': A Short History." And while it's true that Joseph Stalin coined the exact phrase "American exceptionalism" when he attacked Jay Lovestone of the CPUSA, Friedman's "brief history" neglects mention of Frederick Jackson Turner. According to Scott Zeman in a review of Richard Etulain's, Does the Frontier Experience Make America Exceptional?:

No single historian has been so closely associated with the affirmative response to the exceptionalism question as Frederick Jackson Turner. According to Turner, who presented his famous Frontier Thesis in 1893, what made the United States unique was the frontier experience, that movement of European-Americans from the East into the "open" spaces of the West. The crucible of the frontier forged the American character as independent, rugged, and democratic. The frontier experience, Turner maintained, explains America's departure from its European roots.

That's it, really.

Friedman's piece is fine. I could use it in my classes. But he obviously thinks its funny that conservatives have turned exceptionalism into a partisan wedge, so he highlights how Stalin "first used" the term. In fact, American exceptionalism has a long pedigree in American history and the "frontier thesis" is an especially important iteration of the idea --- and deserves more prominent mention in such a review than does the Soviet dictator's usage.

RELATED: From Herman Cain, at the American Spectator, "In Defense of American Exceptionalism."

Larry Brinkin Update: Homosexual Pedophile Exposes Rank Hypocrisy of Radical Left's 'Social Justice' Agenda

Crickets were chirping among the the usual suspects at the news of San Francisco homosexual child predator Larry Brinkin, first reported here: "Larry Brinkin, President of the California Association of Human Relations Organizations (CAHRO), Gay Rights Icon, Arrested on Child Pornography Charges."

It's, you know, nothing to see here, move along. I mean, someone might say Brinkin's inherently gay predations are no different from, like, the case a young lesbian couple shot in Texas where there is no evidence that prejudice was a motive. But of course, progressives can't argue on the merits, so they'll just attack you as a "bigot." F-king pathetic hypocrite losers. So of course they don't call out one of their own, because that might rightfully cast a dim light on the radical homosexual agenda that's destroying America.

See Blazing Cat Fur, "Moral Relativism and the Plight of a Pedophile":

...Brinkin is just as much the result of a philosophy which preaches that there is no set standard for right or wrong and that human decency is a passé concept that hinges on personal conscience, not social mores or outdated religious criteria.

Brinkin thrived for almost a quarter of a century in a setting that promotes the false premise that moral behavior is subject to individual judgment.  He was well-respected in a community that makes heroes of people whose primary goal is to undermine traditional values such as marriage, portray as out-of-date the belief that heterosexuality is normal, and endorse all manner of perverse behavior by putting it all under the umbrella of "human rights."

So in Mr. Brinkin's case, after making a name for himself advocating for the right to individual sexual expression, it could be that he had convinced himself that pedophilia also meets the necessary criteria.  The North American Man Boy Love Association marched in San Francisco Gay Pride Parades early in Brinkin's career.

Before retiring from the equitable workplace he had helped create and retreating to his e-mail account and his NAMBLA-like discussion group, Larry Brinkin lived and gained fame in a world where the lines that define decency are oftentimes ambiguous.  Brinkin attained star status in a city where people pride themselves on being their own moral judge and jury, where individuals are the subjective arbiters of their own behavior and the sole captains of carnal vessels that are encouraged to set sail in any direction they desire.

Then Brinkin, at 66 years old -- old enough to be someone's grandpa -- is caught with child pornography on his computer and participating in an online chat that approves of sexually molesting innocent children.  The question arises: who, then, in a secular culture determines the ethical norms? After Brinkin spent 22 years working to eradicate a line of moral demarcation, does someone or some system with different measures now get to draw a new line in the sand?

Yes, and this is the lifestyle that well known progressive perverts defend. Remember, if you're not down with the predation you're a bigot!

More from Kathy Shaidle, "Happy Pride! Veteran gay rights activist charged with child porn possession."

Cross-Dressing 101: Teaching Gender 'Diversity' to 5 Year-Old Children

Traditional folks should just learn to be more tolerant and accepting of perverse diverse lifestyles, which include introducing small children to the joys of cross-dressing. Talk about the irreparable harm from the radical left's "tolerance" agenda. What a f-king nightmare:

PREVIOUSLY: "Toronto District School Board: Cross Dressing Guide For Elementary School Students."

HAT TIP: BCF, "Michael Coren & Kathy Shaidle: Cross Dressing Lessons For Kids at the TDSB."

Kate Upton GQ Magazine Cover Shoot (VIDEO)

Via Theo Spark:

That wardrobe malfunction got the lady in trouble: "Kate Upton reportedly booted from Santa Monica pier for showing too much skin."

RELATED: "Who needs Victoria's Secret? Kate Upton lands profile in Vogue after snub from lingerie giant (and there's not a bikini in sight)."

'THE STNDRD' - Issue #1 On Stands Now!

I saw it Friday night in the men's interest section at Barnes and Noble. I didn't know it was brand new. I just grabbed it when I saw the cover shot of lovely Hannah Simone. But hey, if you're going to start a new magazine, the market's still pretty robust for coverage of the hotties.

Check out The Standard.

They've got Arianny Celeste in there as well. Nice.

Miley Cyrus Gets Free Double-Doubles From In-N-Out!

This is no way!

See DListed, "How to Get a Free Double-Double In 2 Easy Steps":

If you drive up to heaven's gourmet emporium on earth In-N-Out to collect a delicious beef orgasm between two buns and you tell the cashier that you have zero dollars to pay for it, they will let the scent of that Double-Double gently hump your nostrils before they yank that food away and tell your broke ass to lick on some used burger wrappers in the dumpster out back. That shit ain't a food bank. That's what should've happened to Miley Cyrus' multi-millionaire ass when she drove up to an In-N-Out drive-thru window in her fancy Mercedes convertible and gave the acting performance of her life by pretending she forgot to bring her credit card. Splash say that the In-N-Out cashier fell for Miley's hillbilly swindle and just gave her the food for free. THE INJUSTICE OF IT ALL. So if you want a complimentary Double-Double just follow these 2 easy steps:

1. Be Miley Cyrus.
2. Pretend like you can't pay for it even though you've got a $100,000 diamond ring on your finger and are driving a car that costs more than 30,000 Double-Doubles.

This HIGHLY important news story is HIGHLY important to us slaves of the Double-Double, because the next time I want to some In-N-Out deliciousness for free, I'm going to show them this post.

It's guess it's not "the climb" after all.

Also at TMZ, "MILEY CYRUS: So Famous ... She Gets Free Meat."

And London's Daily Mail, "Miley Cyrus reveals her spotty skin... and a love bite on her neck days after glamorous red carpet appearance."