How Did Harry Reid Get So Rich?

From Glenn Reynolds, and he's not joking: "BEYOND THOSE PEDERASTY RUMORS: So, Seriously, How Did Harry Reid Get So Rich?"

But then again, "THOSE PEDERASTY RUMORS THAT HARRY REID’S OFFICE REFUSES TO DENY seem to be making an impression on Google."

PREVIOUSLY: "Harry Reid Pederasty Rumors."

Jessica Biel at Premiere of 'Total Recall' at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood

At Celebslam, "In beautiful people news ... Jessica Biel" (via Linkiest).

BONUS: More photos at the San Francisco Chronicle, "'Total Recall' premiere."

Michelle Malkin at Defending the American Dream Summit

Check the video at Gateway Pundit, "Michelle Malkin Brings Down the Roof at AFP Defending the American Dream Summit (Video)."

Plus, "BREAKING: Hating Breitbart & Gateway Pundit to Make Major Announcement at AFP Event Saturday."

It might have something to do with this, at The Hill, "Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity plan $24M swing-state ad buy." I like "Koch-backed." That adds a nice touch of conspiracy.

Ezra Levant and Kathy Shaidle Discuss Chick-fil-A

Always a good show:

Also at Kathy's blog: "Democrat admits, ‘Attack on parental rights’ is ‘the whole point’."

PREVIOUSLY: "Hollywood Chick-fil-A 'Kiss-In' Day: 'Jesus Is a C*nt'."

Hollywood Chick-fil-A 'Kiss-In' Day: 'Jesus Is a C*nt'

From Zombie, at PJ Media, "Chick-fil-A Kiss-In, Hollywood: The Pictures," and at Weasel Zippers, "Pics From The Hollywood Chick-Fil-A “Kiss-In” – “Jesus Is a C*nt” …":

These people are deranged, to state the blatantly obvious.

Hey, it's free speech!

Did Media Coverage Ignore Chick-fil-A 'National Appreciation Day'?

Actually, the New York Times buried its report on page A9, although the Los Angeles Times put theirs on the cover of Thursday's business section. Still, how many newspapers put Chick-fil-A on the front cover? AoSHQ wants to know, "Media Blacked Out Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day."

The jury's still out for me. If we see front-page shots like this tomorrow, then the game is rigged.

Added: From Twitchy, "Media swoons over pitiful Chick-fil-A ‘kiss in,’ sweeps appreciation day success under lapdog rug; Update: Media using misleading photos."

'Tastes Like Hate' — Classy Homosexuals Vandalize Chick-fil-A for National 'Kiss In' Day

From NBC Los Angeles:

Message painted on a Torrance #Chick-fil-A early Friday ahead of kiss-in protests 4.nbcla.com/RhqZUS twitter.com/NBCLA/status/2…
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) August 3, 2012

More at Sooper Mexican, "Chick-Fil-A Spraypainted with Message “Tastes Like Hate”."

And at LAT, "Conservatives blast Chick-fil-A 'Tastes like hate' vandalism," and "Chick-fil-A 'kiss in' protest off to a slow start." (And at Memeorandum.)

And spend some time reading the comments at Joe. My. God. See: "Man Fired After Chick-Fil-A Protest," and "More Gasoline."

RELATED: At Ace of Spades HQ, "At a Hollywood Chick-fil-A, Police Called To Escort Disruptive Protestors From Premises - Did I Say Disruptive Protestors? I Meant Disruptive Media."

Yowsa! New Luisana Lopilato Ultimo Lingerie Pics!

This lady is smokin'!

At Egotastic, "Luisana Lopilato Ultimo Lingerie Pictures Continue to Stimulate the Libido (and Stoke Buble Jealousy)." (She's married to singer Michael Buble.)

More at London's Daily Mail, "Argentinian lingerie model Luisana Lopilato supports Team GB the best way she knows how ... by posing in patriotic pants."

PREVIOUSLY: "Luisana Lopilato Ultimo Lingerie Video."

The Jacobin: Chris Hayes of MSNBC

A couple of weeks back, TPM ran an interview with far-left cable host Chris Hayes, "MSNBC’s Chris Hayes: No Symmetry Between Fox News And MSNBC."

There's a whole lot there worthy of ridicule, and Tim Graham performs some of it at NewsBusters, "MSNBC's Chris Hayes Disses Most of Network's Hosts, Claims MSNBC Is So Much Fairer Than Fox." But what caught my attention was Hayes' response to the very first question:

Can you describe what you read, how you get the news?

I subscribe to a number of magazines. I’ve always been a magazine lover from the time I was 11 or 12. My dad subscribed to a bunch of magazines. If you asked me at 14 what my dream in adulthood would be, it would have been to someday have a David Levine caricature of me in the New York Review of Books. So I read the New York Review of Books, the New Yorker, The Nation, Harper’s, The Baffler, Jacobin. As far as my daily media consumption habits, I’ve almost entirely abandoned RSS, which I think is interesting because at one point it was so central. But now I mostly just do it through Twitter...

Keep reading for the rest of Hayes' news regime, but notice the highlighted section. This guy is f-king far-left revolutionary in the mold of Maximilien Robespierre.

And I would't have thought much more of it, but a couple of days ago Connor Kilpatrick linked me in an essay at Naked Capitalism, and then Kipatrick's piece was cross-posted to Alternet.  It turns out that the dude's the managing editor at Jacobin magazine. When I clicked around at the essay, "The Libertarian Con: Favorite 'Rebel' Ideology of the Ruling Class," one of the links took me over to the Jacobin, a piece by Seth Ackerman, "Burn the Constitution." I read that, then clicked "main" and voila! I see the banner headline for the Jacobin's interview with the one and only Chris Hayes, "The Age of Illusion: An Interview with Chris Hayes."

I had to chuckle a bit, because the serendipity was too perfect. And what does Hayes have to say in his Jacobin interview? Lots actually, but this is interesting:

JB [Jake Blumgart]: With the massive power differentials you describe, how can we hope to enact real reform? In the case of, say, abolition or civil rights there were other powerful groups for the oppressed to ally with. Or a strong labor movement, or mass based political party that wasn’t dependent on wealthy. That seems harder to imagine here. I don’t really see a power base that can push back.

CH [Chris Hayes]: The argument I make in the book, and it’s a tentative argument, but I do think there is a potential for a radicalized upper-middle class. We already see that, it’s just a question of how that gets channeled. Everything about the Netroots, the anti-war, anti-Bush sentiment ... One of the interesting things about the way our certain kind of fractal inequality has manifested, the people who see it the most, have the closest proximity to it, say, the top 2 to the top 20 percent: ‘I went to law school with Joe and I have some job at a firm and I’m doing alright, but he went into a hedge fund and is making $10 million.’

That is a lot of power, resources, cultural capital, network, class, monetary power. The working class has already been ground into dust in terms of political power, as I cite in the book the Martin Gilens and Larry Bartels studies showing [the preferences of voters in the top one-third of income distribution are represented in the votes of senators to the exclusion of everyone else]. It’s not uncommon for revolutions to stem from a radicalized group just outside the circle of power. That’s what the French Revolution was all about, that’s what the American Revolution was. The question is will all those groups, because of the nature of partisan polarization and ideological polarization, just going to fight each other? Or is there capacity to organize?

That's a Marxian analysis in essence, but reading much of Hayes' interview, he doesn't appear a doctrinaire Marxist. He says, for example, that he rejects the necessity of Marx's crisis of capitalism, which requires the complete breakdown of the market and a concomitant "immiseration of the proletariat" that would require unemployment at levels to rival the Great Depression. Hayes rejects that scenario:

Its [the system's] potential for crisis is clear to everyone but the actual depth and acuteness of the current crisis [is felt by] people who are poor or unemployed. It’s horrible and miserable and acute. But 8 percent unemployment is not 20 percent unemployment. There is this weird, frustrated sense of unhappiness with the status quo, and yet, a sort of return normalcy. I want us to make the changes we need to make, and redistribute power in the way we need to, but I don’t wish for crisis.

Hayes then rejects an endogenous crisis in favor of outside ("exogenous") shocks:

So what you really need to do is create disruption, because there is either going to be exogenous disruption, which will mean another shock, another crisis, or you create the disruption through movements, through street protests, through all sorts of creative ways to say no, this is not tenable.

And what would be the vehicle for that? The "Occupy mobilization," to quote Hayes. The problem with that, then, is how Hayes --- who considers himself one of the comfortable elite, who is no doubt interested in retaining that privilege --- ends up equivocating and obfuscating his fundamentally radical revolutionary agenda. The Occupy movement is in fact "communism reborn." Its roots are in the anarco-syndicalism of the campus fee-hike protests and in the ACORN-style "boring-from-within" mobilizations designed to bring about systemic crisis and demands for all-powerful government and the destruction of capital. Many sympathizers either ignore the true goals of Occupy or are ignorant of them. But its objectives are ultimately the revolutionary overthrow of the oppressor class, the capitalist overlords of racism and imperialism.

That's where Chris Hayes is coming from. And remember, this is the guy who recently generated a firestorm of outrage with his comments about the American military, "MSNBC's Chris Hayes 'Uncomfortable' Honoring Fallen U.S. Troops, Spews About 'Rhetorically Proximate' Justifications for More War."

This is all much needed context for understanding the programming available every night on MSNBC. Amazingly, Hayes claims that his network is "objective" and "mainstream," in contrast to Fox News, which he argues is ideologically conservative, essentially Republican in its partisan agenda. And that tells you something: Progressives like Hayes live in a rarefied intellectual milieu in which all other media phenomena are biased or extreme, outside of the appropriate centrist meme. That's an illusion, of course, and it's fueled by a foundation of the hard-left intellectualism that Hayes cites as teeth-cutting ideological fodder --- the ideological Gatorade of the academy. And his agenda is obviously marketable to large numbers of people who question the historic model of mobility in America, and the constitutional priority of limited government that favors the individual. Yet Hayes is too smart to come out hitting like a revolutionary firebrand and vanguard of the proletariat. But that doesn't mean he's not actualizing that role in his perch at the far-left network MSNBC.

Gabby Douglas Personifies the American Dream

From Bill Reiter, at Fox Sports, "DOUGLAS IS SYMBOL FOR AMERICAN DREAM":

“I just wanted to seize the moment,” the 16-year-old said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. The team final hasn’t sunk yet. It will though. It will.”

It will for her, and it will for all of us, too. It is sinking even now, that joy that we felt when Douglas became the first American to win both a team gold medal and the individual all-around gold medal morphing into the meaning behind those feelings. This was special, what happened in London, something transcendent to fight back against the pessimism rampant in today’s headlines and worries.

US gymnast Gabby Douglas will win your heart in London. Douglas — bouncing up and down in her glowing shoes, smiling, throwing out jokes and being so innocent, so much the happy kid she was — had become a walking, visceral, inspiring projection of the American Dream. All that’s great about our country was suddenly reflected in a golden hue from Gabby Douglas right back at us.

And a video report at ABC News, "Gabby Douglas Wins Gymnastics Gold Medal."

Kayla Harrison Makes U.S. Judo History With Gold Medal Win in London

The Los Angeles Times reports, "Kayla Harrison makes U.S. judo history with win."

At the clip, Speaker Boehner congratulates Ms. Harrison, who represents Ohio at the Olympics. He doesn't mention her abuse ( by her coach), but I watched the interview on NBC, and she was openly discussing it. That must be extremely difficult, but she said her success in judo means more than anything and she was glad to bring attention to the issue to help others. The New York Times has that angle, naturally, "Kayla Harrison Overcame Horror to Win Judo Gold":

The questions she fielded at the end of her match, about what she was thinking on the podium, about what the medal means to her, about how this compares to her own struggles, could be wince-inducing in their coy inquiries into such a painful topic.

But she answered them all with the same composure she had just used against her opponents on the mat.

“It’s no secret,” she began, after a long pause, when a reporter asked her to name the worst moment she had to face in her career, “that I was sexually abused by my former coach. And that was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever had to overcome.”

Harrison has told her story before, first to USA Today only days after the indictment of Jerry Sandusky came down and the front pages were full of news about Penn State, sexual abuse and coaches who exploit their authority.

She said she felt it necessary to speak out so that others in her position could take heart.

She told it to newspapers and magazines, about how her coach had insinuated himself into the family, how sexual contact led to sexual intercourse over a period of years, on trips to Venezuela, Russia and Estonia, until she was 16. She told about finally revealing this to a friend (a firefighter who would become her fiancé) and then to her mother, who smashed out the coach’s car windows with a baseball bat. (The former coach, Daniel Doyle, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and banned from the sport.)

And she told about how she was a mess — desperate, unhappy and ready to give up on everything — when within weeks her mother, Jeannie Yazell, took her from Ohio to study judo with Jimmy Pedro and his father, Jim Pedro Sr., at Pedro’s Judo Center in Wakefield, Mass.

“We just felt like she just had to get back to what she knew how to do,” Yazell said. “She could have control over what went on on the mat.”

The French Railroad and the Transportation of the Jews to the Nazi Death Camps

From Michael Curtis, at the Gatestone Institute, "The French Railroad and the Holocaust: Is a Public Company Private?":

Did the SNCF [the French national railroad] have any choice other than to transport the 76,000 Jews to death camps? By an agreement of June 30, 1940, Germany approved the principle of French operation of the French railroads under German supervision. Like other French agencies, the SNCF willingly undertook the services required by the Nazis. Although it did in reality have a margin for manoeuvre and to undercut orders, it ran the transport trains without any secrecy on regular schedules, in full knowledge of the ultimate fate of the Jewish passengers. It never tried to delay a train or to prompt sabotage. Except in a few cases, orders were carried out without protest or resistance. The railcars were disinfected after each deportation and prepared for the next shipment. Senior rail officials accompanied the trains to the French border.

Continue reading.

Sir John Keegan, 1934-2012

A fascinating obituary, at the Telegraph UK, "Sir John Keegan" (via Memeorandum).

I recall just skimming some of his books during graduate school. He was more of a generalist, writing large sweeping histories. Not exactly what I needed to write my thesis, and then later I moved on from that historiography.

Kathleen McKinley, at KRIV-FOX Houston, Comments on Chick-fil-A Buycott

Kathleen blogs at the Houston Chronicle.

She comments on Chick-fil-A at the clip.

The homosexual dude is Noel Freeman, President of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus. He goes off on all the issues that bug the gays about Chick-fil-A, especially the concern's support for conservative causes. Freeman is interviewed at Wednesday's piece at the Chronicle, "Crowds flock to Chick-fil-A to back anti-gay marriage view."

Today: 'National Same-Sex Kiss Day at Chick Fil A'

Just be nice, progs.

At the Christian Post, "Mike Huckabee Says 'More Power' to Gay Activists Planning Chick-fil-A 'Kiss-In'."

RELATED: At iOWNTHEWORLD, "Cardinal George Questions the Chicago Left Machine When They Claim That They Set Chicago Values."

Packed Double-Decker Megabus Slams Into Illinois Interstate Bridge

At Instapundit, "THE HORROR OF MASS TRANSIT."

Raw video is here.

Lesbian Becomes Mother to Baby Girl After Finding Perfect Match on Her Own Sperm Donor Website

It's an interesting story, at London's Daily Mail, "San Diego lesbian gives birth to baby girl after finding perfect match on the free sperm donor site she founded."

RELATED: "The Kids Are Not Alright."

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Apologizes to Sheldon Adelson

They're just awful people, Democrats. They're awful. Anyone with money who supports Republicans shall be destroyed, damn the facts.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Democratic committee apologizes to GOP donor Sheldon Adelson":

Apparently hoping to stave off a lawsuit, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a sweeping apology Thursday to billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson -- perhaps the last man to whom Democrats want to utter the words, "We're sorry."

The DCCC said it was retracting statements "that attacked Sheldon Adelson, a supporter of the opposing party." Those statements accused Adelson of personally approving of prostitution at his company's casinos in Macau, China, according to his lawyers and published reports.

The DCCC's retraction called those allegations "unsubstantiated." Using remarkably contrite language, it added: "This was wrong. The statements were untrue and unfair and we retract them. The DCCC extends its sincere apology to Mr. Adelson and his family for any injury we have caused."

The Killing of Michael Nida

At Reason, "Cops with Machine Guns: The Killing of Michael Nida."

Nida had a fear of law enforcement and ran from police. He was shot when he turned toward officers, who thought he was armed. That much is not at issue. It's why are local police armed with sub-machine guns on routine police calls? The last third of the clip is especially good. The recent Anaheim "officer-involved" shootings were pretty questionable, and the local community is right to protest the brutality. Unfortunately, the city reported that most of the anarchists destroying property were from out of town. So then it turns into a lame social justice mobilization, which then causes alienation and support for the police to put down the thugs. Idiots.

That said, I doubt drug decriminalization is going to bring an end to the drug wars, which is big pet issue for the libertarians.

New Blake Lively Advertisement for Gucci

She's glamorous.

Via London's Daily Mail, "Blake Lively is a golden girl as she shows off her slender figure in new perfume advert."

Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Democrat: 'I'm a Kentucky Fried Chicken Fan'

Yeah, that makes sense. I'm sure the Castro is just lined with KFC outlets.

This was at Twitchy a few days back, "Nancy Pelosi prefers KFC to Chick-fil-A; conservatives prefer snark to Nancy."

And then yesterday, at The Hill, "Pelosi stands by KFC in Chick-fil-A controversy."

Actually, KFC loves teh gays. I mean, really loves teh gays: "WATCH: Colonel Sanders Says KFC Loves Gay People."

Wendy's Briefly Backs Chick-fil-A, Then Dumps the Christian Company Like a Rotting Bag of Pink Slime

From Dana Loesch, "Wendy's Stumbles Into Chick-Fil-A Controversy."

And at Fox News, "Where's the beef? Top Wendy's franchisee backs Chick-fil-A -- briefly":

They smeared Chick-fil-A, pure and simple.

PREVIOUSLY: "Wendy's Courts Public Relations Disaster: Implies Chick-fil-A Doesn't Serve All Customers."

Chick-fil-A: The Left's Ominous Attack On Religious Liberty

From Jay Richards and James Robinson, at the Wall Street Journal, "The Chicken Inquisition":

The campaign against Chick-fil-A may be a more ominous attack on religious freedom than the Affordable Care Act's mandates. ObamaCare would force millions of Americans to fund actions they find morally reprehensible but leaves them free to denounce it. The chicken inquisition, by contrast, directly targets religious speech itself.

Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy recently dared to describe his views on marriage during a radio program. "I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,'" he said. "I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is about."

For this, activist organizations are trying to brand Chick-fil-A as "anti-gay" and intimidate other businesspeople into thinking twice before exercising their freedom of speech.

The agitators chose a most improbable villain. Dan Cathy is the son of the 91-year-old founder of the company, S. Truett Cathy. Truett is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is also a committed Christian. His fast-food chain is famous not only for tasty chicken sandwiches but also for being closed on Sundays. The Cathys don't think of their company as a "Christian company," but they have sought to run their business on "biblical principles." This gives them a special interest in families.

"We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit," Mr. Cathy explained recently in an interview with the Baptist Press. "We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."

In virtually every culture, marriage is an institution involving a public commitment between a man and a woman. The complementary nature of men and women points to the unique purpose of marriage: to bear and raise children. One can recognize this fact and so conclude that "same-sex marriage" is an oxymoron—without being "anti-gay."

Mr. Cathy and many other Americans see marriage as a sacred institution. As a result, the campaign against Mr. Cathy is not just an attack on speech but on religious speech.

Continue reading.

Religion really is a the bottom of this.

See my earlier report: "Why Are Progressives So Intolerant?"

Harry Reid Pederasty Rumors

Glenn Reynolds picks up on Harry Reid's McCarthyism:

HARRY REID’S FINANCIAL MCCARTHYISM. “I don’t think the burden should be on me.”

And I don’t think the burden should be on me to resolve those Harry Reid pederasty rumors, either. But when there’s this much Harry Reid pederasty buzz on the Internet, I think Sen. Reid owes the public an explanation.

Check that hilarious screencap at the link.

And at AoSHQ, "When Will Harry Reid Address The Growing Concerns About His Pederasty?" (And don't miss Jon Stewart calling out Reid's bullsh*t, at that link.)

PREVIOUSLY: "'Put Up or Shut Up' — Mitt Romney Calls Out Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid."

BONUS: At Twitchy, "#HarryReidFacts: Some guy totally told Truther Harry Reid a thing about Romney’s taxes; Media repeat; Update: #HarryReidIsAPederast."

EXTRA: Back over at Instapundit, "FORGET THOSE UNSUBSTANTIATED, BUT TROUBLING, PEDERASTY RUMORS: Why Doesn’t Harry Reid Answer Sourced Accusations of Racism and Corruption?"

He's a Democrat.

Shield Anonymous Commenters? More Papers Say 'No'

An interesting piece at NPR, "Newspaper Takes a Stand On Anonymous Commenters":

The Internet is slowly becoming a less anonymous place. YouTube has a new policy encouraging commenters to use their real names, and many news sites have switched to a login system run by Facebook.

News sites that still allow anonymous comments are finding there are legal risks. The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, Wash., has spent the last few months trying to protect the identity of a reader who saw a photo of a Republican Party official in Idaho named Tina Jacobson, and then posted a disparaging comment.

The paper's city editor, Addy Hatch, practically has the comment memorized, given the amount of trouble it's caused.

"Is that the missing $10,000 from Kootenai County Central Committee funds stuffed inside Tina's blouse?" Hatch recites.

Besides insulting Jacobson's appearance, the comment suggested she stole party funds. Jacobson decided to sue the commenter for defamation — and took the paper to court to make it reveal the person's name.

The paper resisted — on principle, Hatch says.

"You know, it's against the grain for a newspaper to give up anonymous sources of any kind," Hatch says. "And we just felt like we had to take a stand."

Continue reading.

RELATED: At Blazing Cat Fur, "Why Did the Globe Pull Paul Koring's Chick-fil-A Article?": "Personally I suspect it was the comments that got it pulled, the tolerant left was out in force making supreme asses of themselves."

Yeah, it was the comments alright. I read through some of those earlier. F-king progs are out for blood.

'Put Up or Shut Up' — Mitt Romney Calls Out Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

In national political news, The Hill has this, "Romney: Harry Reid needs to 'put up or shut up' on my taxes."

Also at Hot Air, "Reid: Romney is guilty of my evidence-free accusations until he proves himself innocent; Update: Repeats accusation on floor of Senate," and The Other McCain, "Slander on the Senate Floor: Harry Reid Repeats Romney Tax Accusation."

Robert has more here, "Harry Reid’s Financial McCarthyism: ‘I Don’t Think the Burden Should Be on Me’."

Lots more at Memeorandum.

And Romney advisor Eric Fehrnstrom attacks the "McCarthyism" on Fox News (video).

Added: At the Washington Examiner, "Jon Stewart tells Harry Reid to ‘shut up’ after ‘bullsh*t’ shot on Mitt Romney."

Adam Smith, Hateful Chick-fil-A Drive-Up Guy Who Made Videotape, Fired From His Position as Executive at Vante Corporation

It was a stupid stunt. Mean, heartless, and stupid.

But William Jacobson's not cheering his termination. See: "Why I’m not cheering the termination of Vante’s CFO for his anti-Chick-fil-A political stunt":

Why pick on a drive-through window clerk? The video seemed to capture in minutes the entire bullying methodology of the left.

Needless to say, the reaction has been substantial.

Now the person in the film, Adam Smith, has lost his job (unclear if he resigned or was fired, but clear what the cause was)...

Continue reading.

Actually, I don't think the guy should have been fired, but the folks at Vante must have been worried about a backlash, so something happened. It probably would have been a public relations disaster, especially as the guy was an executive at the firm. That said, I can see how a lot of folks on the right might be cheering this. If progressives want to act out like that --- in ways totally socially unacceptable --- they should be ready for the consequences.

More at Business Insider, "Vante CFO Bullies Chick-Fil-A Worker, Then Promptly Gets Fired For It."

Blazing Cat Fur also reported, "Liberal Douche of the Day."

PREVIOUSLY: "Hateful Progressive Berates Young Woman at Chick-fil-A Drive-Up Window."

ADDED: Linked at Blue Crab Boulevard. Thanks.

Feminist Jessica Valenti, Who's Not Unattractive, Berates Teenager Who Had Corrective Surgery After Being Bullied

Okay, so she's not Penelope Cruz.

Still, this piece from so-called radical feminist Jessica Valenti is a bit much, at the Nation, "The Upside of Ugly."

(Via Althouse, "'This is a fucked-up country to grow up in, especially as a girl'.")

And from Valenti's essay:

There’s nothing wrong with embracing ugly. It’s okay to feel inferior—we don’t feel ugly or less than because of some deficit in our confidence, we feel that way because we’re systematically trained to believe it. Because society depends on it. Self esteem won’t change that—shifting the culture will.

As an adult, I can look back and know that like a lot of kids, it just took me a while to grow into my face. I look how I’m supposed to look. But more importantly, I know that anger and action can be more fulfilling than being beautiful.

People who promote self-esteem in girls have their best interest at heart. And self-love and self-care are certainly worthy goals—but not on their own. Because what makes us feel better about ourselves is not always what's best for us or others in the long run. Life shouldn’t be a feel-good campaign.

This is a fucked-up country to grow up in, especially as a girl. And we all want to give young women the tools necessary to succeed. So let’s teach girls to survive a misogynist culture with a fist, not a smile [emphasis added].

Perhaps she was an ugly duckling. But she's not "ugly," by any stretch --- which makes her essay pretty ridiculous.

And remember, Valenti had a traditional white wedding in 2009 and she's now the mother of a 2-year-old daughter. Yeah, I know, she's really taking it to the man!

FLASHBACK: At Althouse's, "Let's take a closer look at those breasts."

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons.

MSNBC Hacks Attack 'Hate Groups' Who Turned Out for Nationwide Chick-fil-A Buycott

This is the full MSNBC hack-tacular!

You've got the country's biggest civil rights hypocrite Al "Tawana Brawley" Sharpton, with the bonus appearance of token "GOP" gay marriage expert Megan "Don't Look at My Big Boobs" McCain. And then throw in Jonathan Capehart, from the Washington Post's deep-bench of political correctness, and what could go wrong?!!

And here's the thing: Reports show some reasonable gay individuals who support Chick-fil-A's First Amendment rights. See the Los Angeles Times, "'I am gay and I support Chick-fil-A,' California teen says." And the customer response yesterday was nothing less than a massive repudiation of the left's bigotry and thuggery, as sales at Chick-fil-A were through the roof:

Steve Robinson, executive vice president of marketing for Chick-fil-A, said in a statement that although the company would not release exact sales numbers, Wednesday's totals were "unprecedented."

"We are very grateful and humbled by the incredible turnout of loyal Chick-fil-A customers on Aug. 1 at Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country," Robinson said. "We congratulate local Chick-fil-A owner/operators and their team members for striving to serve each and every customer with genuine hospitality."

Some outlets had so much business they had to close early because they ran out of food.

Frankly, this has been one of the most remarkable repudiations of progressivism since, well, since the Wisconsin recall! And the leftist establishment is bumbling its response. As Glenn Reynolds indicates, Jim Romanesko had to pull the story of a reporter who claimed to have been allegedly "shocked" at all the hatred and homophobic rants he heard while reporting from Chick-fil-A outlets. See: "Reporter Pulls Rant About Chick-fil-A Customers."

So there's your context to Al Sharpton's segment, attacking the GOP as "hateful bigots" simply for supporting a Christian business executive's right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

BONUS: From John Hawkins at Right Wing News:

If I were the Democrats, I’d be sweating twice as much as I was before Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day because this wasn’t all about chicken, my friend. It was about Christians and conservatives in this country who’re tired of being shoved around. If people will turn out like this all across the country to get a little chicken and send a little message, just imagine what it’s going to be like in November. Barack Obama is doomed.

Sounds good to me. More chicken!

Femen's Got It Goin' On! Topless Activists Protest Sharia at London Olympic Games!

Now these are some radicals I can get behind.

At Pamela's, "OLYMPIC PROTEST STAGED BY TOPLESS AGAINST THE SHARIA - THEY ARE RIGHT ..... BOOBS AND ALL":

And while going topless is clearly a bit extreme, these women are right, and desperate to get their message out there. And the venue is dead on balls. The IOC has been pro-Islamic, supporting Jew-hatred and misogyny in their official capacities.

And from the report at Telegraph UK:

"The Olympic Committee must not have allowed those governments to be represented in the Olympics. They are fascists of our time, they treat women like third-class citizens. This is what we object to, this is what they are protesting against," said protester Reza Moradi, without specifying any countries.

Yeah, the Islamists, and their progressive fascist enablers in the Western democracies. Jamie Glazov wrote the book on this, United in Hate: The Left's Romance with Tyranny and Terror. And from Ben Furman's blurb at the link:

The ideological descendents of the communist/progressive Left that spent its capital hoping the West would lose the Cold War to the Soviet Union are today's leftist core. Based on their hatred for the United States, the Left has forged a symbiotic relationship with radical Islam, whose hatred for America equals theirs. Both make it clear that they consider Western civilization evil and unworthy of preservation. Violent revolution is the Left's path to change; the Jihadists' follow the path of war and annilation.

Nanny Bloomberg

Pamela talks to Ezra Levant:

And from Atlas: "Bloomberg should be thrown out for this tyranny, this war on individual rights."

Hateful Progressive Berates Young Woman at Chick-fil-A Drive-Up Window

The video was pulled at Gateway Pundit last night, "AWFUL!… Hateful Leftist Abuses Young Woman Working the Chick-fil-A Window (Video) …UPDATED."

But it's back up now. Watch it.

And see Twitchy, "Douche of the day: Tolerance bully proudly harasses young woman at Chick-fil-A window."

Plus, Ace of Spades HQ makes a go of it:

Oh jeeze!!!Being an internet super-STAR!!! is not quite all I hoped it would be!I'm taking my video down!!! l8r h8rz!!!!
— Johnny Douchechills (@AceofSpadesHQ) August 2, 2012

Blazing Cat Fur has it as well:

Liberal douche rolls up to a Chick-fil-A drive through so he can berate a teenaged girl about gay marriage. This is an object lesson in things you should not post on YouTube.

And following the links takes us to Toronto's Globe and Mail, and from the comments there:

The furore was not set off by Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A. It was set off by all the arrogant politically correct leftist commentators who want to shut up the expression of any opinion except their own.

Exactly.

Kofi Annan Resigns as United Nations Envoy to Syria

Things aren't going too well for the U.N. mission, obviously.

See the National Post, "Kofi Annan to leave Syria role as rebels hold advantage in intense battle for Aleppo."

PREVIOUSLY: "Atrocities Seen as Battle for Aleppo Intensifies."

New Book Claims Valerie Jarrett Coached President Obama on Bin Laden Raid

And remember, this was the "gutsy call" that the White House has been trumpeting for maximum political advantage.

The main report's at The Atlantic, "White House: Of Course Obama Didn't Call Off Bin Laden Raid."

At issue is Richard Miniter's new book, Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him.

And Michelle gives a good interview at the clip, but see also Matthew Vadum, "Valerie Jarrett’s Bin Laden Raid Veto."

Miniter, a two-time New York Times bestselling author, has not yet explained to the media why Jarrett pushed for three separate stays of extrajudicial execution. Americans will have to wait until the book, published by St. Martin’s Press, is officially released on August 21 in order to find out....

And there’s no doubt that Jarrett, who seemed to function as de facto Secretary of Defense last year, is, like Obama, a hardcore leftist with radical roots.

Like Obama and Bill Ayers, Jarrett lived within the precincts of Hyde Park, Chicago, the home of many elite leftists. She worked for Chicago’s first black mayor, the radical Harold Washington, whose election was cheered by leftover 1960s radicals. After Washington died in 1987, she worked for the new mayor Richard Daley. Jarrett later landed a job at Habitat, which was headed by Daniel Levin, cousin of two left-wing politicians, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Congressman Sander Levin (D-Mich.).

In 1983 she was married to Dr. William Robert Jarrett, son of the Chicago Sun-Times columnist Vernon Jarrett. Jarrett’s father-in-law wrote upbeat articles about communist members of the artistic community including Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes, and W.E.B. DuBois. He also served on a union publicity committee alongside Frank Marshall Davis, an important early influence on the young Barack Obama. And as Paul Kengor notes in his new book, The Communist: Frank Marshall Davis, the Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mentor, Jarrett was also a member of the Illinois Council of American Youth for Democracy, the youth wing of the Communist Party USA.

Jarrett is obsessed with racial issues. She has helped to promote Al Sharpton’s radical agenda, according to Obama administration staffers. She pushed Obama’s campaign staff in 2008 to be more aggressive on racial matters, telling them they needed to be less “gun-shy on race issues.” After that, according to a campaign source, moving forward Obama “made it very clear to us that we were just a bunch of white people who didn’t get it.”

Once ensconced in the Obama White House, Jarrett successfully lobbied to weaken rules preventing officials from meeting with lobbyists. The reason given for the flip-flop on lobbyist meetings was that the rule would prevent other “legitimate” issues raised by “civil rights organizations whose directors happen to be registered lobbyists – [from being] heard.” Of course, to Jarrett so-called civil rights organizations are groups like ACORN, Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and the radical Service Employees International Union.

Jarrett pressed Obama to create the office of Chief Diversity Officer within the Federal Communications Commission. The post came to be occupied by Hugo Chavez admirer Mark Lloyd, a Saul Alinsky adherent and former senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who wants to put conservative talk radio out of business.

The pinnacle of corruption. As bad as it gets.

Waging a Culture War Over Chicken Sandwiches

The massive free-speech buycott for Chick-fil-A makes page A-9 in the country's unofficial fish-wrap of record.

See: "A Day for Chicken Sandwiches as Proxy in a Cultural Debate."

But hey, I agree it's a culture war, however, and the progressives are getting crushed, mercilessly.

Some of my previous entries are at the link.

And check Instapundit for the latest.

Atrocities Seen as Battle for Aleppo Intensifies

The video purports so show Syrian rebels executing Assad's loyalists.

And see the New York Times, "Syrian Fighting Intensifies in Battle for Control of Aleppo."

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The battle for the Syrian city of Aleppo intensified on Wednesday as United Nations observers there reported that Syrian jets had fired rockets into contested neighborhoods and that rebels had commandeered tanks and other heavy weapons.

Opposition leaders — a few hours after President Bashar al-Assad urged his forces to step up the fight — also said that they had found dozens of bodies in a suburb of Damascus in the aftermath of the Syrian Army’s house-to-house search for rebel fighters and activists. This claim of a new massacre came as the rebels faced severe criticism themselves for what appeared to be their brutal summary execution, one day earlier, of suspected pro-government gunmen on the streets of Aleppo, recorded and uploaded on the Internet.

Videos purported to have been taken in the Damascus suburb, Jdeidet Artouz, showed bodies lined up under bloodstained sheets, as a narrator gave an estimated count that continued rising: 37, 42, and then even more.

“I counted 52 bodies,” said Abu Abdullah, a resident who said he had helped move the dead to a local mosque before burial. “I’m really shocked. Why here?”

The bodies were found near an area where rebels said fighting had flared in the past week. But analysts said the bodies appearing outside Damascus in a town also filled with refugees — along with reports of renewed fighting in the capital and an escalation of combat in Aleppo, Syria’s largest metropolis and commercial center — all suggested that the 17-month-old conflict was becoming increasingly intense and bitter, with more front lines and more bloodshed.

“It’s a rapid escalation,” said Andrew J. Tabler, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “Once you start using fixed-wing aircraft and you have a city under full revolt, it’s clear that the Assad regime is not going to stop and is not breaking. We’re entering a new phase of this conflict.”

Continue reading.

Why Are Progressives So Intolerant?

See Rob Bluey, at Hot Air, "Why are liberals so intolerant?" (via Instapundit):

The Chick-fil-A kerfuffle helped clarify a point conservatives have been making for years. Liberals are interested in debate only when they’re winning. And on the issue of marriage, they’re 0-for-32 in states that have put the question to voters.

Continue reading.

And here's this from my exchange yesterday with Clinton Fein, a blogger at The New Civil Rights Movement. Confronted with strong rebuttals to his hateful talking points, he came out and admitted what it's all about, hatred of religion:

@ampowerblog And do I "hate" people shoving childish fairy tales about virgin births and chatty snakes down my throat. Bet your ass I do.
— clintonfein (@clintonfein) August 2, 2012

More of this exchange here and here.

Some Chick-fil-A Restaurants Closed Early on 'Appreciation Day'

My earlier report is here: "Huge Crowds, Long Lines at Irvine Chick-fil-A."

And from divadoll123 on Twitter:

This was a nationwide explosion. Here's the Daily Bulletin out of San Bernardino, "Long lines gather at Inland Empire Chick-fil-A restaurants."

And see Bob Owens, "The Cluck Heard ‘Round The World." (Via Instapundit.)

Bigoted Chicago Democrats Get Their Comeuppance

At the Chicago Sun-Times, "GOP wants probe of attempts to block 2nd city Chick-fil-A" (via Michelle.)

There Was No Mitt Romney Gaffe in Israel

From Marc Thiessen, at the Washington Post (via Memeorandum).

And Jeff Goldstein comments, "When is a gaffe not really a gaffe?":

Well, there’s no absolute answer to that question, but a pretty good indicator would be that when the organized Left caterwauls about the outrageousness of your stated opinion and speaks of it as if you’ve damaged your brand by uttering it, there’s a pretty good chance it’s not only not a gaffe, but is instead the unvarnished and candid truth.

Kind of like when “progressives” speak of fairness, tolerance, and liberalism, what they really mean is central planning, government-approved speech developed in conjunction with specific Democrat client grievance groups, and the redefining of the individual as but a cog in the greater and goodly collective.

You know, bullshit.

And see Mitt Romney, at National Review, "Culture Does Matter."

On Twitter, 'Tolerant' Progressives Send Death Wishes to Chick-fil-A Supporters

They're relentless.

At Twitchy, "Libs support Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day … because ‘Bible thumpers’ might choke on their food."

As Twitchy reported earlier, Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day has been a huge success. Supporters of free speech, tasty chicken and religious freedom are turning out in droves.

Even as many progressive tolerance tyrants cling bitterly to their failed Chick-fil-A boycott, some are actually encouraging conservatives to “eat mor chikin” … on the off-chance it might kill them.

Blogger Angry White Dude Announces That He Believes in the Sanctity of Marriage Between One Man and One Hot, Sexy Woman

Some pretty good lulz, at AWD, "AFTER RECORD SALES, CHICK FIL A DENOUNCES ISLAM, MSNBC AND THE PRIUS!"

More on the sales, here: "Rick Warren: Chick-fil-A’s owner told me they set a new world record in sales today."

And some gratuitous Amit Freidman while we're on the subject:

David Bowie Live on Dick Cavett Show in 1974

Via William Jacobson, who's running David Bowie clips this week for his daily videos.

Update on Why the Right Wing Blogosphere Doesn't Cover Islam

Pamela does a roundup of counter-jihad bloggers: "BLOGGING JIHAD."

Personally, I'm over at Blazing Cat Fur all the time. And also Astute Bloggers.

BONUS: At Maggie's Notebook, "Anti-Jihad Bloggers: Why So Few on the Right? Plenty to Talk About, But…Few Do?"

Breitbart.com Steps Up to Fulfill Founder's Mission

From James Rainey, at the Los Angeles Times, "Breitbart.com sets sights on ruling the conservative conversation." There's an interview with Steve Bannon, although Rainey gets some things wrong, for example:

Breitbart made his name by sowing outrage. He promoted the hidden-camera videos that helped take down the liberal community activist group ACORN. He exposed the sex-charged online romp of the now ex-Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner. He hyped a video that left the misleading impression that an Agriculture Department employee was giving a speech defending racism. In fact, she was condemning it.

That's the MSM meme, which is bogus. See William Jacobson, "Saturday Night Card Game (Repeat after me: “The Shirley Sherrod tape was not misleading”)."

Penelope Cruz Looks Radiant in Campari's 2013 Calendar

Love!

At London's Daily Mail, "She's one fine leading lady! Penelope Cruz looks radiant in red as she is announced as the face of Campari's 2013 calendar."

Greg Louganis on Chick-fil-A: 'Who Eats That Stuff?'

I mentioned Louganis the other day, and here he is basically shrugging his shoulders on the whole homo-radical freak out.

He's an Olympic hero to me. Don't care about his sexual orientation and never have. And he's not been in the closet about it either.

Oh, and lots of people eat that stuff.

More at CNN, "Chick-fil-A restaurants become rallying points for supporters" (via Memeorandum).

Spectacular Paulina Gretzky Photos!

At London's Daily Mail, "Are these Paulina's raciest photos yet? Wayne Gretzky's girl's signature snaps get professional polish in new shoot."

And speaking of Canadians, "Americans Support Chick-Fil-A! And So Would This Canadian If We Had One In Toronto."

Huge Crowds, Long Lines at Irvine Chick-fil-A

Via Instapundit, "FLIPPING THE BIRD TO RAHM: Chicago Chick-Fil-A Mobbed." (Via Memeorandum.) Added: From Lonely Conservative, "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day Appears to Be a Big Success."

And here's the scene at the local Chick-fil-A, at the Irvine Marketplace:

And the drive through was even worse. The line of cars trails around the parking and then out to the entryway, to the left, where security guards are directing traffic:

The drive through is winding around to the right from where I'm standing at the first picture.

And Legal Insurrection, "Chicagoans hungry to flip the bird to Rahm, nicely," and "Legal Insurrection readers’ Chick-fil-A photos."

Update: This is big nationwide. WND reports, "AMERICANS FLOCK TO SUPPORT CHICK-FIL-A."

And at The Other McCain, "I Love the Smell of #ChickFilA At Noon. It Smells Like ... Liberty," and "Just Another Random Coincidence: Bomb Threat Shuts Down W. Va. Chick-fil-A." More at Memeorandum.

More at Twitchy, "Boycott fail redux: Citizens, Santa unite for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day; Photos show huge success."

And at Sooper Mexican, "Long Lines Reported at Chick-Fil-A All Over the country."

Plus, Blazing Cat Fur links, "Americans Support Chick-Fil-A! And So Would This Canadian If We Had One In Toronto." Thanks!

Even more, from Marooned in Marin, "Chew On This Libs! Chick-fil-A's Across America (& In Northern VA) Overflow With Supporters."

Wendy's Courts Public Relations Disaster: Implies Chick-fil-A Doesn't Serve All Customers

It keeps getting worse for the left-wing fascists.

Wendy's restaurants has stepped in it. See Business Insider, "A Bunch Of Wendy's Restaurants Put Up Signs That Say 'We Stand With Chick-Fil-A'."

But then they backtracked on Twitter:

@thomasaroberts @rjasoncottrell @tlrd An independent franchisee posted the sign, which he’s taken down.We proudly serve ALL customers!
— Wendy's (@Wendys) August 1, 2012

Hmm, I guess they don't back Chick-fil-A after all, and Wendy's should probably get off Twitter:

The Twitter feed for @wendys right now looks like a public relations nightmare.
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) August 1, 2012

Yeah, the Wendy's search on Twitter is on fire.

And it's not just an errant tweet, apparently. Towleroad says it got this email response from "Amanda Domyan" in Wendy's public relations department:

"This is one independent franchisee’s personal opinion. We are proud to serve customers of varied races, backgrounds, cultures and sexual orientation, with different beliefs and values. Bearing that in mind, this franchisee has decided to remove the messages from his restaurant signs."

Wendy's contact page is here.

Amanda Domyan is on Twitter here, located in Columbus, Ohio, where Wendy's corporate offices are located.

More from Dana Loesch, in any case:

OK, still not quite sure what @wendys means. They say they're proud to serve all ... just want to say #Chickfila is too bit.ly/R7Nt6g
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) August 1, 2012

And at Think Progress, "The Chick-fil-A Controversy Is About Religious Bullying, Not Chicken Sandwiches":

There is a very obvious reason why all of the conservatives defending Chick-fil-A only talk about it as defending “traditional marriage,” ignoring president Dan Cathy’s vitriolic comments and the company’s odious donations. They want to minimize the validity for outrage and reduce the issue to one of mere First Amendment privilege. Conceding to that spin allows the true harm of funding ex-gay ministries and anti-gay hate groups to go unchecked. Chick-fil-A and its president Dan Cathy are nothing short of religious bullies, and attacking the LGBT community for standing up for themselves is an expression of either ignorance in regards to Chick-fil-A’s offenses, apathy for LGBT equality, laziness, or a combination of all three.

Cathy's comments weren't "vitriolic."

Being conservative on marriage is apparently "anti-gay bullying."

These people are sick. They will attempt to shut down Chick-fil-A and any other business that doesn't toe the left's fascist line.

Los Angeles Times Obituary Claims Gore Vidal 'Demolished Intellectual Rivals' Like William F. Buckley, Jr

From Elaine Woo's obituary, "Gore Vidal, iconoclastic author, dies at 86" (via Memeorandum):

In other spare moments, [Vidal] demolished intellectual rivals like Norman Mailer and William F. Buckley Jr. with acidic one-liners, establishing himself as a peerless master of talk-show punditry.

Actually, attacking your opponents with ad hominem invective isn't exactly "demolishing" your rivals, as this famous video from 1968 shows:

During a discussion of the Vietnam War, Buckley -- in his aristocratic drawl -- compares opponents of the war (including Vidal) to Nazi appeasers. Vidal, in his own aristocratic drawl, fires back.

Vidal: The only pro- or crypto-Nazi I can think of is yourself...
Buckley: Now listen you queer, quit calling me a crypto-Nazi or I'll sock you in the goddamn face and you'll stay plastered.

Yeah, a queer alright.

Lots of folks are talking about Vidal's flaming homosexuality. See IBT, "Gore Vidal: Gay Icon Who Put Homosexuality On the Page."

London Mayor Boris Johnson Gets Stuck on Olympic Games Zip Line

He had some good momentum there, too.

Via Wizbang, "Romney’s Revenge? London Mayor Boris Johnson Left Hanging Midair." (via Memeorandum.)

Dead Humpback Whale Washes Up in Seaside Pool, Sydney, Australia

Well, not something you see too often.

At the Sydney Morning Herald, "Wait for big seas to wash whale out of ocean pool."

Latest Quinnipiac/New York Times/CBS Swing States Poll — Overstates Democrats in the Electorate

My first reaction was, "No, it can't be!" Then I remembered, "Oh yeah, this is the New York Times."

So there had to be some bogus sampling issues. Here's the report, "New Polls Show Obama Has Edge in 3 Battleground States." (Via Memeorandum.) I checked the internals, "The Latest Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS Poll." And boom! There's way too many Democrats for these numbers to be meaningful. Ed Morrissey has this:

Now let’s take a look at the partisan breakdown (D/R/I) in the sample data for each state, and compare them to 2008 and 2010 exit polling:

* Florida: CBS/NYT 36/27/32, 2008 37/34/29, 2010 36/36/29
* Ohio: CBS/NYT 35/27/32, 2008 39/31/30, 2010 36/37/28
* Pennsylvania: CBS/NYT 38/32/26, 2008 44/37/18, 2010 40/37/23...

In other words, these polls are entirely predictive if one believes that Democrats will outperform their turnout models from the 2008 election in Florida and Ohio. That would require a huge boost in Democratic enthusiasm and a sharp dropoff in Republican enthusiasm — which is exactly the opposite that Gallup found last week.

Here's Gallup from last week: "Democratic Voting Enthusiasm Down Sharply From 2004, 2008." And check Take My Liberty, "Enough with the bogus polling data."

It's not just voter enthusiasm, by the way. The New York Times consistently oversamples Democrats, for example, "New York Times: Oversamples Democrats, Push-Polls Respondents in Health Care Survey."

And check Pew's findings for national-level partisan identification: "Partisan Polarization Surges in Bush, Obama Years." Dems are about 32 percent of the electorate nationally, with independents comprising the plurality of party ID.

Tyrone Freeman, Former Chief of SEIU's Local 6434, Indicted on Federal Embezzlement Charges

This guy was ripping off people blind. Jeez.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Ex-leader of major California union faces theft, tax charges."

The indictment's at LA Observed, "Feds indict ex-labor chief Tyrone Freeman."

And this guy was said to be a "rising star" in progressive politics. Figures.

Speak Out Against Forced Marriage

Blazing Cat Fur reports: "An "anti-oppressive, anti-racist position" means never having to mention Islam..."

Also, "Forced Marriage Unit."

Believe In Our Future

Via Theo Spark:

Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day

It's today.

See the Christian Post, "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day: Half a Million to Show Up at Restaurants."

Bonus: Jeez, half a million! Chick-fil-A's not hurting for more customers, despite what the hate-addled progressives say. See Business Week, "Hidden Chick-fil-A Billionaires Hatched as Value Soars":

The customers chickfila gained will give 'em extra business short term. The ones they lost will pass 'em by forever. bit.ly/NyEdvI
— J. Casper (@repsac3) July 28, 2012

Chick-fil-A generated $492 million in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization on revenue of $1.12 billion in 2011, PrivCo said. It added that the company’s 44 percent Ebitda margin was “virtually unheard of in the restaurant industry.”

The chain has the biggest sales per unit in fast-food, according to QSR Magazine. In 2011, the company generated gross sales of $2.9 million per location, outpacing the average unit sales of runner-up McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) (MCD) by $400,000, the magazine said in its August 2012 issue.

PrivCo said it valued Chick-fil-A at $4.5 billion using peer multiples of Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s, Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy’s Co. (WEN) (WEN) and closely held Wichita, Kansas-based Wil-Ken Enterprises Inc., which operates Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits restaurants. The calculation factored in the company’s 3-year annual growth rate and Ebitda margins, the report said.

The chicken chain has a value of at least $4.3 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, based on the average enterprise value-to-Ebitda and price-to-earnings multiples of four publicly traded peers: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, San Diego-based Jack In the Box Inc. (JACK) (JACK) and Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM) (YUM), the owner of the KFC and Taco Bell brands.

“It is a very impressive business story,” said Sam Hamadeh, CEO of PrivCo, in a telephone interview. “Whatever people think of the politics, when you look at how we quantify the amount of money they are forgoing every year by being closed on Sundays, you have to respect that.”

Truett Cathy keeps Chick-fil-A stores closed on Sundays as “a testament to his faith in God,” according to the company’s website. Jerry Johnston, a spokesman for the company, didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.

It's a huge and growing business, and while it may lose a few fascists --- people like Walter James Casper III --- it's clearly a phenomenally successful concern with a huge constituency of people of good faith and decency.

PREVIOUSLY: "Atheist for #LGBT Rights Says Chick-fil-A 'Harms Mor Gays'."

Ted Cruz Defeats David Dewhurst in Senate GOP Runoff

William Jacobson has been covering this race consistently, and he's got the results: "Texas Runoff Results (Update – AP and others call race for Cruz!)."

And check this out: "Ted Cruz serves Chick-fil-A at victory party."

Cruz has Chick-Fil-A at victory party #txrunoff #txsen instagr.am/p/NxCunHAvz9/
— Jane Cummins (@janecummins) August 1, 2012

Way to celebrate! (Freakin' fascists can shove it!)

And I think MSM folks can put the "tea party's dead" meme to rest.

See the New York Times, "Tea Party Favorite Wins Texas Runoff":

HOUSTON — Ted Cruz, an insurgent backed by the Tea Party, defeated the candidate favored by Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday in a runoff election for the Republican Senate nomination that revealed a wide rift in Texas between the party establishment and restless, anti-incumbent activists on the right.

With the come-from-behind victory, he is heavily favored to win the Senate seat being vacated in November by Kay Bailey Hutchison and appears likely to become a star of the national conservative movement.

Mr. Cruz, 41, is the latest conservative rebel to bring down an established party leader, tapping into simmering anger and anti-incumbent frustration within the Republican ranks nationwide.

These dissident triumphs include, in this year’s primaries, the defeat of Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana by Richard E. Mourdock and Deb Fischer’s win over a veteran Republican for the Senate nomination in Nebraska. They also echo Marco Rubio’s Senate victory in 2010 over a sitting Republican governor, Charlie Crist of Florida.

Mr. Cruz, who is Cuban-American, has drawn comparisons to Mr. Rubio, another 40-something Cuban-American who quickly became an icon of fiscal and religious conservatives around the country. Mr. Cruz’s rapid ascent has already shaken up the Texas Republican Party.

“Mr. Cruz’s success shows that the center of the state party has moved decisively to the right,” said James Henson, a political scientist at University of Texas. “The Republicans are in much more treacherous terrain, not because of threats from Democrats, but threats from within the party.”

More at that top link.

Milton Friedman Would Have Turned 100 Today

At Reason, "Vid: Happy 100th Birthday to Milton Friedman!"

And see Stephen Moore at the Wall Street Journal, "The Man Who Saved Capitalism" (via Memeorandum):

It's a tragedy that Milton Friedman—born 100 years ago on July 31—did not live long enough to combat the big-government ideas that have formed the core of Obamanomics. It's perhaps more tragic that our current president, who attended the University of Chicago where Friedman taught for decades, never fell under the influence of the world's greatest champion of the free market. Imagine how much better things would have turned out, for Mr. Obama and the country.

Continue reading.

Also at Instapundit, "DON BOUDREAUX: Milton Friedman, a centennial appreciation."

Added: More from Michelle Malkin, "Celebrating Milton Friedman at 100."

Lovely Photos: Kate Beckinsale in White

She's fabulous, at Celebslam, "In beautiful people news ... Kate Beckinsale" (via Linkiest).

Latest Obama Campaign Ad Defames Mitt Romney as a 'Felon'

Stephanie Cutter's original smear of Mitt Romney as a "felon" has already been denounced as reprehensible. You'd think the campaign would move on. But no, here comes a new web ad which demands that Romney "come clean," as if he's a two-bit criminal. See the Weekly Standard, "Obama Campaign Brings Up 'Felons' in Latest Ad."

More at Memeorandum.

The screencap with "felon" is at the post.

Stephanie Cutter's Twitter feed is here. Click through and protest her repugnant smear campaign against the GOP nominee. Just tell her politely that lies and defamation have no place in this campaign.

Missy Franklin's Priceless

I was thinking this last night. That smile is spectacular.

At the Wall Street Journal, "A Priceless Gold for Missy Franklin":

LONDON — Here she is, The Amateur. It's a quaint notion these days, deemed unrealistic by most, crazy by some. How does a world-class modern athlete—thriving in a potentially lucrative sport—escape the seductive grasp of professionalism, with its paychecks and sponsors and perquisites?

Isn't pro the way to go? Who among us would not bite the apple? Who could resist the Wheaties box, the lime-colored sports car and the fresh-built mansion with a private screening room serving hot-buttered popcorn?

Especially if we were 17.

But so far Missy Franklin has resisted. She is the exception, not because she wanted to make some kind of grand statement about sports, but because she likes who she is right now. She's the teenage superstar happy to still be a teenager—living in the town she grew up, swimming for her high school team, getting coached by the same coach who has guided her since she was a 7-year-old Starfish.

She hasn't crossed that bright line. Franklin is due to graduate high school in 2013, and she says she wants to swim in college, where NCAA rules prohibit her from taking the cash.

But wowzers, it's gonna be so much cash.

Because Franklin is suddenly cast in one of the most high-profile, remunerative roles in sport: the Olympic sensation. Monday night in London, Franklin won her first gold medal, in the 100-meter backstroke. Now the 6-foot-1 Franklin isn't a could-be from Colorado with the size 13 feet, a future star on the rise.

She's here, fully arrived, the bona fide thing.

Well, she deserves to cash in at some point. But she's so wholesome it's ridiculous.

Continue reading.