Obama's Agenda Scorched by Exploding Scandals

From Susan Page, at USA Today, "Analysis: Obama's agenda scorched in firestorm":

WASHINGTON — President Obama, meet the second-term curse.

Revelations that the U.S. government has been collecting a massive database of telephone usage by millions of Americans — citizens not suspected of any wrongdoing — created a firestorm Thursday that would be damaging for any administration. But it is is especially problematic for Obama because it stokes controversies he already was struggling to contain and reinforces criticism that has dogged him from the start.

Republicans have long depicted Obama as an advocate of a big, dangerous and overreaching government, back to the federal bailout of the auto industry he undertook during the financial crisis that greeted his first inauguration. That has been their fundamental philosophical objection to his signature Affordable Care Act, now just months away from implementation of its major provisions.

In recent weeks, it has fueled outrage over the targeting by the Internal Revenue Service of conservative Tea Party groups seeking non-profit status, and over the use of secret subpoenas and search warrants against the Associated Press and Fox News in Justice Department investigations of news leaks.

Now the headlines are focused on governmental monitoring that touches not just reporters but, apparently, just about anyone who makes a phone call.

Continue reading.

As always, it's the hypocrisy.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rare, "Government run amok: Obama’s scandals are killing the ‘good government’ narrative."

Lying Liar Anthony Weiner’s Underage Girl Problem

At Michelle's:

Touchy, touchy. Despite Team Anthony Weiner’s best efforts at political rehabilitation, there’s just no way to shore up his sorest scandal spot. As the New York Post reported this week, Weiner had a bit of a snit fit when a local Democratic official boldly slammed his sexting habits with underage girls.

Chris Owens, the Dems’ state committee member in northwest Brooklyn, called out the skeezy ex-congressman at a mayoral candidate forum. “I am outraged and disgusted by you,” Owens told Weiner. “Both by what you did and by the fact that you have the arrogance to run for mayor. I want to understand how you explain to us how you used a public facility to tweet offensive material to … minors you did not know, you then lied about it … and now you come back.” The hubristic horn-dog bared his teeth, got “snippy” and responded by snarling defensively that he’s “going to win this election and I’m going to govern this city really well.”

Don’t get ahead of yourself there, Tweety Boy. If more rank-and-file Democrats join Owens in focusing like a laser on Weiner’s underage-girl problem instead of soft-pedaling his “past issues” as “consensual” “online dalliances,” Icky-rus will fall again.

Continue reading.

And at the People's Cube, "Support Your Weiner In His Hour of Need!"

First Lady Diplomacy

This is pretty interesting, amazingly.

At the Diplomat, "The U.S. Drops the Ball on First Lady Diplomacy."

And from Daniel Drezner, "Michelle Obama's diplomatic misstep."

Trey Gowdy Rips #IRS in Emotional Hearings

At Hot Air, "Video: Trey Gowdy gets emotional over IRS binging on conferences while others were being furloughed."

The Left's ObamaCare Lies

At iOWNTHEWORLD, "The Left Simply Lies – PERIOD."

WSJ: "The NSA's 'metadata' surveillance is legal and necessary…"

Well, it's the hypocrisy of it all, especially the president's.

But see the Journal's editorial, "Thank You for Data-Mining":

We bow to no one in our desire to limit government power, but data-mining is less intrusive on individuals than routine airport security. The data sweep is worth it if it prevents terror attacks that would lead politicians to endorse far greater harm to civil liberties.

Previously:

* "Obama Administration Surveillance Regime: Most Breathtaking Violations of Civil Liberties in U.S. History."

* "The U.S. Surveillance Police State."

The U.S. Surveillance Police State

As noted, it's the left hypocrisy on all of these issues that bugs me. (Although I'm not going so far defending things as Max Boot, "NSA Data Collection Is Legal – and Smart.")

Either way, here's Michelle Malkin's piece from yesterday, "History lesson: The crucial differences between Bush and Obama’s NSA phone surveillance programs."

And see all the commentary at Memeorandum.

Glenn Greenwald Surveillance Scoop Generates Big-Time Media Coverage

Greenwald's initial report is here, "NSA collecting phone records of millions of Verizon customers daily."

And he was on Piers Morgan's earlier.

Plus, from tomorrow's New York Times, "Blogger, With Focus on Surveillance, Is at Center of a Debate."

Obama Administration Surveillance Regime: Most Breathtaking Violations of Civil Liberties in U.S. History

There's so much on this I'm overwhelmed. But when the New York Times slams Obama's total loss of credibility, you know something's up.

See, "President Obama’s Dragnet":

Within hours of the disclosure that federal authorities routinely collect data on phone calls Americans make, regardless of whether they have any bearing on a counterterrorism investigation, the Obama administration issued the same platitude it has offered every time President Obama has been caught overreaching in the use of his powers: Terrorists are a real menace and you should just trust us to deal with them because we have internal mechanisms (that we are not going to tell you about) to make sure we do not violate your rights.

Those reassurances have never been persuasive — whether on secret warrants to scoop up a news agency’s phone records or secret orders to kill an American suspected of terrorism — especially coming from a president who once promised transparency and accountability.

The administration has now lost all credibility [on this issue].* Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it. That is one reason we have long argued that the Patriot Act, enacted in the heat of fear after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by members of Congress who mostly had not even read it, was reckless in its assignment of unnecessary and overbroad surveillance powers.

* Added: See the Daily Caller, however, "New York Times quietly changes published editorial to make it less damning of Obama." (It was a total loss of credibility when the editorial first went up, but the Times is on the right track, bless their little editorial hearts.)

More (9:15pm): At Twitchy, "New York Times revises editorial, implies Obama administration might have some credibility left."

And see the Wall Street Journal for a nice backgrounder, "U.S. Collects Vast Data Trove: NSA Monitoring Includes Three Major Phone Companies, as Well as Online Activity."

I'll have more on this. Some surveillance is necessary. But we're in police state territory at this point, and the hypocrisy is killing me.

From the Nixon Library

Visited the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda this morning. This was a field trip with my son's 5th grade class. We took lots of pictures. I'll post some later. Meanwhile, I tweeted:

"The Enemies List." (Nixon's, not Obama's, at the Nixon Library.) twitter.com/AmPowerBlog/st…

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 6, 2013

The #IRS Scandal is RAAAAACIST!

This is really something else.

It's racist?

To blow off this whole scandal like this, a controversy which is recognized nearly across the board as a huge problem for the administration, is utterly ridiculous, if not depraved.

But MSNBC's on its last legs, so they're getting desperate:

More, at Twitchy, "Boom! Livid Martha MacCallum slams IRS lavish spending; ‘REALLY, IRS?’"

Obama Sucks Dollar Bill

This dollar somehow got in my pocket without me noticing the hilarious scribbling, and so I go to get it out the other day to leave a tip, and was cracking up.

And of course O-Clusterf-k really sucks, objectively sucks.

See WSJ, "Controversies Sow Doubts About Honesty: Majority in Poll Express Concern in Wake of IRS, Benghazi Episodes; Most Don't See President as Personally Responsible."

The asshole.

Glenn Beck Slams Rachel Maddow's Pathetic Alex Jones Smears

Well, Maddow's circling the drain over at MSNBC. It won't be long now until she gets the boot.

Meanwhile, at BuzzFeed, "Glenn Beck Questions Rachel Maddow’s “Intellectual Integrity”."

And Mediaite, "Beck Fires Back at Maddow, Questions Her ‘Intellectual Integrity’: ‘I’ve Never Been Called a Conspiracy Theorist’."

Past Writings: Samantha Power on Rwanda, Sudan, Iraq

I've said it before, but Samantha Power is a terrible pick and a terrible person. But her nomination reveals everything about this terrible president's foreign policy and his personal values --- which are despicable.

At the Wall Street Journal:

Samantha Power is President Barack Obama’s pick to succeed Susan Rice as the ambassador to the United Nations. The Dublin native and longtime Obama adviser is a former journalist, Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize winning author for a book on genocide. Over the years, she has earned a reputation for being a passionate human rights advocate and highly outspoken political aide (she resigned from the Obama campaign in 2008 after calling then-Obama rival Hillary Clinton a “monster”). Here is a sampling of Ms. Power’s writings, on topics including Sudan, Rwanda and the war in Iraq.

And at Israel Matzav, "Could it get worse? Samantha Power to be US Ambassador to the UN," and "Republican Jewish Coalition statement on Samantha Power nomination":

In 2008, as an academic who taught at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Samantha Power suggested that the U.S. should invade Israel militarily to impose a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and protect “a new state of Palestine.” Her writing and public appearances reflected her views that special-interest lobbies in this country (read, the “Israel lobby”) have too great an impact on our foreign policy in the Middle East.

More recently, she served as the first director of President Obama’s new Atrocity Prevention Board. In her months in that role, the APB was silent about the thousands of civilians killed by the Syrian government, the attacks by the Sudanese government of the Nuba tribes in South Sudan, and other crises around the world. The APB has no web site or social media presence, and has not responded to letters from human rights activists and genocide scholars regarding ongoing atrocities.

And if you have time, the press conference was pure Orwell:

Back Off Bitch! Michelle Obama Threatens to Leave Fundraiser After Lesbian Heckler Interrupts Her

At the White House Dossier, "Faced with Heckler, Michelle Threatens Walkout."

And at the Other McCain, "Why Does Michelle Obama Hate Lesbians?"

Teenager Nicole Easton Breaks Both Feet Attempting Pool Jump From Rooftop (VIDEO)

Yeah, and the mom took to the web for some online panhandling, which didn't go over too well.

At London's Daily Mail, "Mother sparks online backlash after posting disturbing video of her teen daughter breaking both feet in pool jump to raise money for her medical expenses."

There's video at the link.

Not smart. Not smart at all.

The Real Trigger Behind the Protests in Turkey

Claire Berlinski, at U.S. News, "What's Behind Turkey's Unrest":

ISTANBUL – By now, the media coverage of the upheaval in Turkey has been extensive, but certain points have been insufficiently emphasized.

The story began as a peaceful sit-in in a park near the city's central Taksim Square. It was slated to be demolished and replaced with a shopping mall. The protesters wanted to preserve it, but Ankara disagreed. Riot police raided the protesters at dawn, using unbelievably excessive force – hundreds of people wound up in local hospitals, and the police then proceeded to tear gas the hospitals, too. People lost eyes, suffered severe brain injuries and an opposition party member of parliament who had come to show his support suffered a heart attack. As of today, following demonstrations and clashes with the police around the country, at least two people have been confirmed killed; at least six people have lost their eyes and many more have been terrorized and suffered severe injuries.

Yet the highly excessive use of police force happens quite often in Turkey. It happens so often, in fact, that Turks on Twitter use the hashtag #dailygasreport. But never, in the decade that I've lived here, has this prompted a national reaction. Never has it triggered outrage on this level...

Continue reading.

And also at City Journal, "Erdoğan Over the Edge."

BONUS: At London's Daily Mail, "Horrifying image of 'woman in red' being sprayed with tear gas becomes symbol of Turkish protests."

Controversy Over Huge Mako Shark Caught Off Huntington Beach

At the Los Angeles Times, "Giant shark caught off Southland coast stuns sportfishing world."

You gotta love the response from the idiot environmentalists (with the emphasis on "mental"):

David McGuire, the director of Shark Stewards, a Bay Area nonprofit that advocates for the protection of sharks, said he was shocked.

"It's really something you see more in Florida than in California, where we have more of a conservation ethic," he said. "People should be viewing these sharks as wonderful animals that are important to the ocean and admiring how beautiful they are."

He lamented that so many shows about sharks continue to evoke Jaws-like terror rather than science. "These kind of reality shows are not reality. The reality is we're overfishing sharks, and this macho big-game attitude should be a relic of the past."

Susan Rice to Replace Tom Donilon as National Security Advisor

At WSJ, "Rice to Succeed Donilon as National Security Adviser." And at Memeorandum.

Failing upward.

See, "Ambassador Susan Rice Appeared on Five Sunday Talk Shows on September 16th to Claim Libya Attack Was 'Spontaneous'."

This is the most despicable administration in history.

PREVIOUSLY: "Obama Names Samantha Power as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations."

Obama Names Samantha Power as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

The contempt for Israel is just astonishing.

At Atlas Shrugs, "Obama names Israel Invading Advocate, Samantha Power, Ambassador to the UN."

Ice Ice Bieber

Hilarious!

Justin Bieber and Vanilla Ice. Just saying. Biebs wears ridiculous outfit to Heat game nyp.st/14eJezz twitter.com/PageSix/status…
— Page Six (@PageSix) June 4, 2013

Final Deadline for Nikke Finke?

I often read her stuff. And I follow her on Twitter.

So this is interesting, at LAT, "Deadline Hollywood editor Nikki Finke's next big story may be her own exit."

Also, "Speculation swirls around Nikki Finke's future at Deadline Hollywood."

Whatever. She's not going away.

Check this piece from 2009 at NYT, "A Hollywood Blogger Feared by Executives."

Apple Faces Limited Ban on Products

In tech news, at WSJ, "Ruling Blocks iPhone Sales: If Upheld, Decision Favoring Samsung Would Halt Sales of Older iPhones, iPads."

Hearings Before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Military Sex Crimes

Looks like it got pretty heated up there yesterday.

At the New York Times, "Joint Chiefs’ Answers on Sex Crimes Dismay Senators."

'Unbecoming' IDF Women

Perhaps "naughty" would be the better adjective.

At London's Daily Mail, "Female Israeli soldiers disciplined for 'unbecoming behaviour' after posing for pictures dressed only in their underwear and combat fatigues."

Also, at Izismile, "Israeli Defense Force Girls Gone Wild." (Via Linkiest.)

National Organization for Marriage John Eastman Testimony Before House Ways and Means Committee

I watched this yesterday.

Check Yid With Lid, "Scandalpalooza Update: Revenge of the Tea Party."

And at Nice Deb, "Video: National Organization for Marriage’s John Eastman RIPS Democrats at IRS Hearing + Proof IRS Leaked Confidential Donor List to Political Rival."

The full published testimony is here.

Chris Christie Calls Special Election to Fill Frank Lautenberg's Senate Seat

Debilitating stupidity.

At National Journal, "Republicans Fuming Over Chris Christie's Senate Decision." (At Memeorandum.)

Plus, a big roundup at Legal Insurrection, "Chris Christie calls for Special Election in October to fill Lautenberg seat."

Obama Political Hacks Using Secret Email Accounts

At Fox News, "Obama officials deny using 'secret' email accounts, though some agencies won't disclose details."

And Michelle on the epic hypocrisy:

Libertarian Populism and Its Limits

See Ross Douthat, at the New York Times (and the links therein).

It's a debate about "reform conservatism," whatever that is. I recall going through this back in 2008 when the Barackalypse was first elected. And this latest iteration too shall pass.

Meanwhile, see the Other McCain for more, "Damn You, Josh Barro!"

@jbarro Hey, I'm not exactly president of the @ewerickson Fan Club, but ... "derpy"? That's all you got, "derpy"? businessinsider.com/erick-erickson…
— Robert Stacy McCain (@rsmccain) June 4, 2013

Yeah, that was a bit much with the "derpy."

And speaking of "derpy," click through for some "derpy" RAWMUSCLEGLUTES at the link:

Wow, I just got my second "Malkin Award" nomination of the year. dish.andrewsullivan.com/2013/06/04/mal… I must be doing something right.
— Robert Stacy McCain (@rsmccain) June 4, 2013

Ethically Loose

Via the Looking Spoon, "The Only Response Needed For Anyone Questioning the 'Ethics' of a Republican Investigating Obama..."

PREVIOUSLY: "Jim Geraghty Destroys David Plouffe With One Tweet."

'He's quite handsome, but there's something about the shape of his features that suggests there's a fat man inside waiting to bust loose...'

That's Ann Althouse, ripping University of New Mexico Psychology Professor Geoffrey Miller, who slammed fat Ph.D. candidates on Twitter for "lacking willpower to do a dissertation."

See, "Fat-Shaming in Academe" (at Memeorandum).

The university's response is here, "UNM Response to Tweet by Professor Geoffrey Miller."

And go straight to the video of Department Chairwoman Jane Ellen Smith. It turns out that Professor Miller is apparently claiming that he's doing research on "provocative tweeting."

I gotta remember that one for next time the idiot progs contact my department!

The Truth About ObamaCare Rate Increases

At WSJ, "ObamaCare Bait and Switch":

Liberals have spent years claiming that "rate shock" under the Affordable Care Act—the 20% to 30% average spike in insurance premiums that every independent analyst projects—is merely the political imagination of Republicans and the insurance industry. So they immediately claimed victory when California reported last month that the plans that will be available on the state's new insurance exchange next year would be cheaper than they are today.

Except now it emerges that California goosed the data to make it appear as if ObamaCare won't send costs aloft as the law's regulations and mandates kick in. It will, by a lot. And now liberals have suddenly switched to arguing that, sure, insurance will be more expensive but the new costs are justified. Needless to say that was not how Democrats sold health-care reform.

California reported that the rates would range from 2% above to 29% below the current market. "This is a home run for consumers in every region of California," said Peter Lee, the director of the state exchange. "These rates are way below the worst-case gloom-and-doom scenarios we have heard."

But Mr. Lee and his fellow regulators were making a false comparison. They weren't looking at California's lightly regulated individual insurance market that functions surprisingly well. They were comparing ObamaCare insurance to the state's current small-business market where regulations similar to ObamaCare have already been imposed.

In other words, California wasn't comparing apples to apples. It wasn't even comparing apples to oranges. It was comparing apples to ostriches. The conservative analyst Avik Roy consulted current rates on the eHealthInsurance website and discovered that the cheapest ObamaCare plan for a typical 25-year-old man is roughly 64% to 117% more expensive than the five cheapest policies sold today. For a 40 year old, it's 73% to 146%. Stanford economist Dan Kessler adds his observations nearby...

Continue reading.

And the Kessler piece is here, "ObamaCare Is Raising Insurance Costs."

Plus, the epic idiot Ezra Klein's been scrambling to cover for this clusterf-k policy. Here's his latest stupidity, "The six ways Obamacare changes insurance premiums."

See that? How it "changes" premiums? Actually, the law is "raising" premiums. And it's raising premiums on young people to subsidize old people and the sick. And so what happened? Young people bailed. At the Los Angeles Times, "Affordable Care Act's challenge: getting young adults enrolled."

Things aren't going so well for this monstrosity. Not well at all.

Prosecutors Seek Life in Prison for Bradley Manning

Screw this guy.

Make sure he gets a fair trial, sure. Other than that, screw him.

At LAT, "Prosecutors look to closely link Bradley Manning and Julian Assange":

FT. MEADE, Md. — Government prosecutors seeking life in prison for Army Pfc. Bradley Manning opened his court-martial Monday closely linking the young, nondescript enlistee from Oklahoma with the outsized Julian Assange, head of the anti-secrecy WikiLeaks website who used his world stage to post hundreds of thousands of Manning’s purloined documents in the largest leak of U.S. classified material in the nation’s history.

Army Cpt. Joe Morrow, prosecuting Manning on 21 charges, including endangering the U.S. and aiding the enemy, said Manning downloaded and sent to WikiLeaks more than 700,000 classified materials after the short, bespectacled Manning and the silver-haired media celebrity Assange quietly exchanged personal contact information and crafted Internet chat logs to expose the deepest secrets in the fight against terrorism and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That partnership, Morrow and other Army prosecutors alleged, blossomed to one where the unlikely pair discussed their own attempts at secrecy even as Manning methodically flipped documents to Assange and the WikiLeaks editor-in-chief routinely posted the material – including State Department cables, assessments of terror captives, prisoner interrogation videos and U.S. evaluations of foreign allies.

“These were massive, massive downloads,” Morrow said. “Packaged and out the door to WikiLeaks in some instances in a matter of minutes.”

RTWT.

Erdogan's Grip on Power Is Rapidly Weakening

An analysis at Der Spiegel, "Revolt in Turkey":

For a decade, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had a tight grip on power. But it suddenly looks to be weakening. Thousands have taken to the streets across the country and the threats to Erdogan's rule are many. His reaction has revealed him to be hopelessly disconnected.

The rooftops of Istanbul can be seen in the background and next to them is a gigantic image of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey's powerful prime minister is watching over the city -- and is also monitoring the work of the political party he controls. At least that seems to be the message of the image, which can be found in a conference room at the headquarters of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).

hese days, though, Istanbul is producing images that carry a distinctly different meaning -- images of violent protests against the vagaries of Erdogan's rule. And it is beginning to look as though the prime minister, the most powerful leader Turkey has seen since the days of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, might be losing control.

As recently as mid-May, Erdogan boasted during an appearance at the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C. of the $29 billion airport his government was planning to build in Istanbul. "Turkey no longer talks about the world," he said. "The world talks about Turkey."

Just two weeks later, he appears to have been right -- just not quite in the way he had anticipated. The world is looking at Turkey and speaking of the violence with which Turkish police are assaulting demonstrators at dozens of marches across the country. Increasingly, Erdogan is looking like an autocratic ruler whose people are no longer willing to tolerate him.

Continue reading.

And at Atlas Shrugs, "TURKISH PM ERDOGAN DESCRIBES CONSTITUTION AS 'A HUGE LIE': 'SOVEREIGNTY BELONGS UNCONDITIONALLY AND ALWAYS TO ALLAH'; 'ONE CANNOT BE A MUSLIM, AND SECULAR'."

IRS Spent $50 million for Conferences Between 2010 and 2012

Here's Greta Van Susteren, "Isn’t this disgusting? IRS spends $50 million in two years on conferences! Conferences to teach each other how to target unfairly?"

And Dana Loesch on Hannity last night:

Hate Cleric Anjem Choudary's Vile Rant Attacking Drummer Lee Rigby

Choudary's a darling of the progressives left.

At the Sun UK, "Lee Rigby will burn in hellfire. But Michael is a nice man."

The IRS Story Keeps Getting Worse

From Jonathan Tobin, at Commentary:

The liberal line about the IRS and other administration scandals in the last week has been that even if there was some low-level wrongdoing, an American public that is worried about the economy isn’t really interested in any of it. They are convinced that the only people willing to connect the dots between the demonization of the Tea Party by President Obama and the liberal press and the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups are Republican partisans. As Seth wrote on Friday, Democratic complacence is based on the idea that Republicans are overreacting to the current scandals in much the same manner that they oversold the Monica Lewinsky affair in 1998. But the revelation of two new angles to the IRS story in recent days shows that contrary to the hopes of Democrats, it is not only not dying down but could get worse.

By now, just about everyone has seen the videos of IRS employees line dancing at a conference paid for by taxpayers. The videos, like another bizarre IRS project previously discovered in which government employees acted out “Star Trek” and “Gilligan’s Island” parodies, illustrates an agency that is out of control and unaccountable in the way it wastes the money that it so zealously collects from the public.

But just as hard to explain is the news first reported on Friday by the Daily Caller that the wife of the IRS commissioner on whose watch the targeting of conservatives occurred is a senior official of a Washington group that has advocated for this kind of discriminatory scrutiny. One of the top talking points for liberals about the IRS has been to point out that former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman was appointed to his office by President George W. Bush, therefore lending a bipartisan gloss to the problem. But now it seems as if what was going on during Shulman’s frequent trips to the Obama White House isn’t the only question about his conduct that needs answering...

Continue reading.

Low-Info Voters Keep Obama Ratings Afloat

Barely afloat.

At IBD:

The scandals that have broadsided the Obama administration in recent weeks have the potential for leaving a gaping hole in the president's standing with the American people, according to a new IBD/TIPP poll.

Overall, more Americans still approve (48%) than disapprove (44%) of the job President Obama is doing — a 3 percentage-point improvement over approval readings in the last two months.

But the reverse is true among those who are following the administration's handling of the Benghazi crisis, the IRS' targeting of the Tea Party and other groups, and the Justice Department's seizure and pursuit of the phone logs of the Associated Press and Fox News reporter James Rosen.

See No Scandal?

The president's approval rating tops 60% among those who are not closely following coverage of the three scandals but is only 42% among those following Benghazi, 43% among those fol lowing IRS and 39% among those keeping an eye on AP/Rosen.

Put another way, disapproval stands at 55%, 53% and 57% among those watching the respective scandals vs. only 21%, 22% and 28% among those who aren't.

The results suggest Obama's ratings could erode dramatically if the scandals stay front and center in the news. There's no guarantee of that, of course, given media support of this administration. But even the decidedly pro-Obama mainstream media are stepping up scandal coverage.

Continue reading.

Also at American Thinker, "Obama approval slips in new Quinnipiac poll."

And Rasmussen, Monday, June 03, 2013: "The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Obama's job performance. Fifty-two percent (52%) now disapprove."

More at Breitbart, "Obama Approval Rating Hits 12-Month Low."

Lautenberg's Death Adds to Democrats' Legislative Difficulties

Well, I guess there's a silver lining then.

At the New York Times, "Death of Senator Places Christie in Difficult Spot":

The death of Frank R. Lautenberg on Monday has left Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey the kind of opportunity that politicians usually covet: the chance to give away a seat in the United States Senate. But the decision is fraught with pitfalls, none bigger than having to choose between improving his party’s fortunes in Washington and furthering his own political ambitions at home.

Mr. Christie, a Republican, is up for re-election in November and was hoping to roll up a huge victory margin, which he could then use to accelerate his drive to present himself as a presidential candidate with broad appeal even in a blue state.

But adding a special election for the Senate seat to the ballot could put Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark at the top of the Democratic ticket, potentially energizing more Democrats, who already outnumber Republicans in New Jersey by 700,000 registered voters, to come to the polls.

The implications extend beyond New Jersey to Washington, where both parties are maneuvering for strategic advantage in a Senate where even a single vote can derail legislation. The replacement of Mr. Lautenberg, a Democrat, with an interim senator appointed by Mr. Christie creates immediate complications for the White House and Democrats on Capitol Hill as they try to push through an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws and presidential nominations, under the constant threat of Republican filibuster.

Mr. Lautenberg, a steadfast liberal who was New Jersey’s longest serving senator and the nation’s oldest senator, died of complications from pneumonia in Manhattan. He was 89 and had already announced he would not run for re-election next year.

Mr. Christie, whose popularity soared after Hurricane Sandy, is so eager to avoid appearing on the same ballot as Mr. Booker, according to Republican insiders, that he is considering two alternatives to a November election for Mr. Lautenberg’s successor. Each carries a potential political cost and could easily be challenged in court.

Christie turned RINO sometime back, so I'm not so bothered by his difficulties. And screw the the Dems. They can suck slime-balls.

More at the link.

Also, "Frank Lautenberg, 89, New Jersey Senator In His 5th Term, Dies."

Michael Douglas Backs Off Claim of Oral Sex Throat Cancer Cause

Here's this morning's New York Post, "Michael Douglas: Oral sex gave me cancer."

He's trying to back out of the claim now, but the Guardian UK has him pinned down, "Michael Douglas cancer oral sex claim: transcript and audio":

A spokesperson for Michael Douglas has claimed that the actor did not say his particular cancer was caused by oral sex. Here is the relevant audio and transcript to prove that he did...

Baywatch Babe! Pamela Anderson Looking Hot in Skimpy Red Bathing Suit in Brazil

At London's Daily Mail, "Still red hot at 45: Pamela Anderson gets back into her Baywatch colour as she displays perky body in Vogue Brazil."

Protesters Killed in Turkey

At the New York Times, "Turkish Premier Blames Extremists for Protests as Two Are Killed":

For the first time, deaths were reported at two demonstrations: one protester died in Ankara, the capital, after a vehicle slammed into a crowd there late Sunday, The Associated Press reported, citing a medical official. And in the southern border town of Antakya, an opposition party deputy reported on the Web channel Halk TV that a 22-year-old man whom he identified as Abdullah Can Comert was struck in the head by at least one of four bullets fired from an armored police vehicle. Mr. Erdogan accused the main opposition party of using the demonstrations, which flared into a widespread confrontation with security forces on Friday, for political gain.

Florida Student Iris Scans Raise Major Privacy Rights Violations

This is mind-boggling.

Listen to Michelle at the clip, and here's her discussion at the blog, "Confirmed: Polk County, FL schools conducted iris scans on students without permission."

Also at Tech Dirt, "FL Schools Go Minority Report On Students, Give Parents Opt Out Choice Afterward."

Storm Chaser Tim Samaras Killed in Oklahoma Tornado

At the Weather Channel, "Tim Samaras Dead: Oklahoma Tornado Kills Storm Chaser, Son Paul Samaras, and Chase Partner Carl Young."

There's video at that link, and also at CNN, "2004: Tim Samaras lived for tornado season."

And at the New York Times, "Chasing the Storm, but Hoping Not to Catch It":

When Tim Samaras began chasing tornadoes more than two decades ago, he was one of a small, mostly anonymous group of scientists and thrill seekers armed with paper maps, weather radios and a sense of wonder.

Today, interest in storm chasing has surged, and a preponderance of amateurs with video cameras and a thirst for YouTube fame now jockey with seasoned professionals to see who can get the closest and most dramatic images of churning storms, causing some veterans to worry about a growing safety threat.

The risks became apparent on Sunday when relatives confirmed that Mr. Samaras, 55, along with his 24-year-old son, Paul, and his colleague, Carl Young, 45, were killed while chasing the storms that ravaged parts of Oklahoma on Friday.

They were among at least 13 people killed in the storm, which spawned several tornadoes and caused flash flooding in the region around Oklahoma City. A tornado also picked up a truck carrying several storm chasers, including a meteorologist for the Weather Channel, and tossed it into a field, causing injuries but no deaths.

The deaths come as storm chasers have reached a kind of pop-culture zenith, similar to that achieved by celebrity chefs and interior decorators on numerous reality shows. Mr. Samaras was well known for his appearances on the reality show “Storm Chasers,” on the Discovery Channel, which ended in 2011.

Many other networks use vivid footage of storms. The Weather Channel has programmed regular series like “Full Force Nature” with storm chasers providing video of severe weather.

Advancements in video and Web technology mean storm chasers are now able to provide a live play-by-play of a tornado’s destruction. But with Friday’s deaths, the first in many years, veteran chasers said, some experts question whether the push to get closer and closer to storms has dimmed perceptions of the dangers they pose.

“When a veteran storm chaser as cautious and experienced as Tim Samaras dies, I hope it is a lesson to all the storm chasers of just how potentially dangerous storm chasing is,” said Greg Forbes, a meteorologist with the Weather Channel. “There is some chance you could die.”

The circumstances surrounding the deaths were still unknown Sunday. Dr. Forbes said the tornado Mr. Samaras was tracking made a sudden left turn, perhaps catching him and his team unaware and leaving them nowhere to run. Others speculated that engine trouble or perhaps a traffic jam could have left them stuck in the tornado’s path.

Mr. Samaras’s brother Jim posted a statement on his brother’s Facebook page expressing sadness but giving no details. “They all unfortunately passed away, but doing what they loved,” the statement said.

RTWT.

And at the Blaze, "STORM CHASER’S HAUNTING FINAL FACEBOOK POST BEFORE HE WAS KILLED IN TORNADO."

A Message for the Class of 2013

An hilarious piece, from Rob LaZebnik, at the Wall Street Journal.

And not so hilarious is Soledad O'Brien. See Warner Todd Huston, at Wizbang, "Soledad O'Brien to Grads: Don't Take Anyone's Advice."

I'm struck by her obsession with race, although I shouldn't be. But still...

Jean Stapleton Remembered

Rob "Meathead" Reiner remembers Jean Stapleton's career and character of Edith Bunker, at CBS News, "Jean Stapleton - TV's Edith Bunker - Remembered."

Also, an excellent obituary, at the New York Times, "Jean Stapleton, Who Played Archie Bunker’s Better Angel, Dies at 90."

Jim Geraghty Destroys David Plouffe With One Tweet

This is hilarious.

At Twitchy, "Choom Boom! Geraghty destroys Plouffe’s nasty Issa-smearing tweet with one photo."

For perspective, here's what Plouffe's most famous client was doing when the charge against Issa was dropped: twitter.com/jimgeraghty/st…
— jimgeraghty (@jimgeraghty) June 3, 2013

Also:

Issa calling Jay Carney the "administration's paid liar" apparently struck a nerve with David Plouffe j.mp/ZF6k2L
— Right Scoop (@trscoop) June 2, 2013

Powerhouse Fire 'Roars Like a Blowtorch' Through Elizabeth Lake and Lake Hughes

At the Los Angeles Times, "Residents remain evacuated as Powerhouse fire spreads to 25,000 acres."

Also, "Powerhouse fire grows to 30,000 acres; now 40% contained."

How Will U.S. Fund Entitlements?

At IBD, "Social Security Report Alarming; But D.C. Calm":

Disability beneficiaries face steep cuts in just three years under current law and today's new retirees are expected to outlive the Social Security Trust Fund by two years.

Yet the annual report from the Social Security and Medicare Trustees was taken in stride in D.C., as a full-fledged effort at entitlement reform remains far from the agenda.
When asked about how the administration would avoid scheduled disability benefit cuts of 20%, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew alluded to "the 1990s and policy choices made in time" to avert a similar set of cuts.

That policy choice involved one Social Security trust fund, the main Old Age and Survivors Insurance fund, lending to another in 1994. Almost 20 years later, even as Social Security is expected to run an annual cash deficit of $75 billion, the current administration is signaling that it's prepared to kick the can again. That is, unless it gets a big-enough tax hike to minimize benefit cuts.

Meanwhile, the White House hailed the "good news for seniors and taxpayers" that Medicare's hospital insurance program will be solvent through 2026.

Continue reading.

The Obama Breakdown

An outstanding commentary from Fred Barnes, at WSJ, "The Decline of the Obama Presidency":

John Dos Passos, the novelist and historian, once said: "Often things you think are just beginning are coming to an end." His observation was made in the 1960s. But it's true today of Barack Obama's presidency and the promise of a bright future for his second term.

Mr. Obama's re-election stirred grand expectations. The vote heralded a new liberal era, or so it was claimed. His victory was said to reflect ideological, cultural and demographic trends that could keep Democrats in the majority for years to come. His second four years in the White House would be just the beginning.

Now, six months later, the Obama administration is in an unexpected and sharp state of decline. Mr. Obama has little influence on Congress. His presidency has no theme. He pivots nervously from issue to issue. What there is of an Obama agenda consists, at the moment, of leftovers from his first term or proposals that he failed to emphasize in his re-election campaign and thus have practically no chance of passage.

Continue reading.

Angelina Jolie Makes First Post-Mastectomy Appearance at 'WWZ' Red Carpet Premiere

At London's Daily Mail, "'I feel great': Angelina Jolie makes first public appearance since double mastectomy as she attends Pitt's London premiere of World War Z."

Czech Zombie Walk

Trippy.

At Telegraph UK, "Czechs find rain no defence against zombies invasion."

Taking a Wrecking Ball to the Ivory Tower

From Kyle Peterson, at RealClearPolitics.

ZoNation: Islamic Terrorism - Just Say It!

Yo!

Top 10 Most Visited Businesses

Some Karen Alloy for you:

Tin Foil Democrats

Via Left Coast Resistance:

L.A. Times Touts Obama's 'Deferred Action' Amnesty Plan With Illegal Alien Who 'Cannot Read or Write in Any Language' and 'Drives Without a License'

Hey, nothing like pumping up the administration's shamnesty scam with the underclass of the illegal alien underclass.

See, "Education is missing key for some young immigrants":

MADERA, Calif. — While kids his age were reading Shakespeare and dissecting frogs, Benito Vasquez was picking grapes and almonds in the Central Valley.

He was 14 when he crossed the border from Mexico and has worked in the fields ever since. He has never gone to school and cannot read or write in any language.

Vasquez, now 28, is one of thousands potentially shut out of a landmark federal program that grants work permits and a two-year reprieve from deportation to people who came to this country illegally as children.

He and others like him are missing a key requirement — a high school diploma. They can make up the educational deficiency by enrolling in a class. But that is a daunting prospect for someone who works long hours, lives in a remote area and has little formal schooling.

"The cream of the crop in terms of educational achievement, all those people applied already, or most of them," said Jesus Martinez, a Fresno-based consultant for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. "A number of those who haven't applied have educational issues."

Vasquez is still grappling with whether to apply.

Well, he's not grappling all the much, it turns out. He can't find the time to break away from the 10-hour days he puts in working the fields:

Benito's path is more uncertain. He has yet to register at the adult school. It is hard to find the time for classes after a 10-hour workday.

At their Madera home, the Vasquezes speak mostly Spanish, with some Zapotec and some English. Benito's daughter, Lydia, is 4. His son, Jose, is 7 and speaks English most of the time. Benito would like to understand what the boy is saying. English would also help him at work.

Benito Vasquez has been working since he was Jose's age, harvesting corn and beans on the family farm in Oaxaca. His younger sisters enrolled in school, but the family needed the income from his farm labor.

To get to his job in the grape fields, where he operates tractors and other heavy machinery, he drives without a license. He fears being pulled over by the police. Still, he prefers to take his chances in the United States.

"It's better here than in Mexico," he said in Spanish. "Every week, I get a paycheck. There's more food. Everything's a little easier. If you need something, you just work. In Mexico, when you need something, there are no jobs."

Yeah, better to take your chances in the U.S., especially with the open-borders derps touting illiterate aliens as models for immigration reform.

Democrat values. You can't make this stuff up.

Al Qaeda-Linked Rebels Execute 11 Soldiers Loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad

Via Pat Dollard, "WATCH – WARNING GRAPHIC: Al Qaeda Linked Syrian Rebels Post Grisly Execution Video."

Also at the Los Angeles Times, "New videos from Syria spotlight conflict's brutality."

The So-Called 'Bipartisan Backlash' Against Common Core

I was skeptical when the L.A. Times mentioned there's a growing "bipartisan backlash" against the federal bureaucracy's disastrous "Common Core" education agenda. Perhaps some leftist RINOs would be allied with union thugs clinging to corrupt power, I thought. But the Times actually mentions some tea party groups that have mobilized against this progressive education/indoctrination power grab.

See, "Schools' effort to shift to Common Core faces a difficult test":

Educators developed the standards, the Obama administration pushed states to adopt them, and they enjoyed bipartisan support.

But a bipartisan backlash also has emerged. Critics worry that too much classic literature and fiction are being edged out and that too few concepts are covered in math.

Supporter Randi Weingarten, who heads the American Federation of Teachers, is among those urging a delay, especially if results of the new tests will be used to evaluate teachers.

California school districts remain worried about being ready, even with $1 billion that Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed for the transition. Districts would have wide latitude in spending the money for such needs as teacher training and computers.

In some states, opposition, especially from Tea Party groups is making headway. Conservatives speak of an erosion of state and parental rights and potential intrusions on student privacy through data collection. Under pressure, some Republican state leaders have pulled back funding or delayed the changeover.

Continue reading.

Following the links takes us to the Washington Post, "Tea party groups mobilizing against Common Core education overhaul," and the American Principles Project, "Controlling Education From the Top: A Pioneer Institute and American Principles Project White Paper."

Michelle Malkin has been doing yeoman's work in opposition to this corrupt Common Crap agenda. See, "Rotten to the Core: Conservatives spearhead drive at RNC meeting to stop Common Core." The leftist groups cited at the Times are unions worried about reforms that hold them accountable and weaken their power. The genuine opposition to Common Core is found among conservatives and patriots who actually care about the quality of education and the primacy and centrality of educational excellence to the preservation of American freedom.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."

Also at Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES," and at Theo Spark's, "A Thousand Words..."

More at Randy's Roundtable, "Friday Nite Funnies."

Cartoon Credit, "Branco Cartoon – He Built That."

Sunday Rule 5

Via Pitsnipes and Gripes:

A roundup at Proof Positive, "Best of the Web* Linkaround," and "Friday Night Babe: Denise Richards!"

More at Pirate's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup," and "If All You See……is snow created by fossil fueled helicopters, you might just be a Warmist."

Also at Gator Doug's, "DaleyGator DaleyBabe Random Beauty."

And at Knuckledraggin', "Your Good Morning Girl," and "Who doesn’t love a car wash?"

Also at Randy's Roundtable, "Thursday Nite Tart ... Miss Tennessee Chandler Lawson (Sweet!)."

More at Guns and Bikinis, "Girl Next Door."

And at Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, "The Friday Pin Up." Also at Eye of Polyphemus, "Flashback Friday: Lynda Carter."

At Odie's, "Rule 5 Woodsterman Style - FAA's new blood pressure testing method."

And Theo Spark's, "Bonus Totty..." Plus, "Sunday Totty..."

Now over at Animal Magnetism, "Rule 5 Friday," and "Saturday Blondepocalypse."

EBL has "Rule 5 Monica Belluci."

Also at the Last Tradition, "Rule 5 Sunday – Carmen Ortega, Model, Pin Up Girl."

BONUS: Lots more Rule 5 at the Other McCain, "Rule 5 Monday."

State Rep. Greg Harris Bawls at Failure of Illinois Homosexual Marriage Bill

A total homo.

At Breitbart, "IL State Rep Tearful Announcement Same Sex Marriage Will Not Pass."

And from Enza Ferreri, "It's Not Only Islam that Threatens Our Freedoms."

Deadly Illegal Immigrant Crossing at Brooks County, Texas

A powerful photo-essay, at the Big Picture Blog, "Deadly Crossing":

In 2012, sheriff's deputies in Brooks County found 129 bodies, around double the amount from the year before and six times the number recorded in 2010. Most of those who die succumb to the punishing heat and rough terrain that comprise the ranch lands of south Texas. Reuters photographer, Eric Thayer, traveled to Brooks County, Texas and Reynosa, Mexico to investigate the rising rates of immigrant deaths along the border there, spending time at a migrant's hostel in Mexico and with U.S. Border Patrol in Brooks County. Many migrants, after spending several weeks traveling through Mexico and past the Rio Grande, spend a few days in a "stash house," such as Casa del Migrante, in Reynosa, Mexico, and many are ignorant of the treacherous journey ahead.

Better Late Than Never: Kelly Brook's FHM Cover, May 2013

This was out last month, "Kelly Brook returns to the front cover of this month's FHM."

However, this came out just a couple of days ago, "10 GIF reasons why we love Kelly Brook."

PREVIOUSLY: "Sexiest Women of 2013 — FHM's Top 100."

Why Are Liberals So Rude to the Right?

At reader poll at Legal Insurrection, and my response:

They’re smug assholes with a false sense of self-superiority. They never respond on point in debate and can only preen with arrogance when speaking of Americans of the soil. Screw the so-called “liberals.”

And at the Guardian UK, "Why are liberals so rude to the right?":

Too many people who lean left would rather crack nasty jokes than actually be liberal and listen to other views

Sexiest Women of 2013 — FHM's Top 100

See: "FHM 100 Sexiest Women In The World 2013: The full list."

Daft Punk's Most Revealing Interview Yet

At Rolling Stone, "Daft Punk: All Hail Our Robot Overlords":

Much dance music withers when it leaves the floor, but Daft Punk's imagination exceeded raves nearly from the jump. "Music was a vector that we wanted to build a universe around," says Bangalter. Like the other flagship Nineties electronica artists, Daft Punk presented more like a band than DJs: touring behind an album of proper songs, placing singles on alt-rock radio, commissioning inventive videos with then-fledgling directors like Gondry and Spike Jonze. "Dance music is not cool," says DJ A-Trak, who's known the duo since 2007, and who introduced Kanye West to their music. "It has the worst fonts, the worst artwork – let's not forget what a rave flier looks like. And then here come Daft Punk with these crazy videos, beautiful album art. They have a flash and an elegance that other dance acts envied."

Stars' Swollen Faces Have Fans Howling

People should try to age gracefully.

In particular, Madonna and Portia de Rossi.

See London's Daily Mail, "'Why would anyone want to do THAT to their face?' Fans slam Madonna's 'swollen' appearance as she takes to the stage at Sound of Change concert," and "Has Portia de Rossi had surgery? Fans question her changing look after return of Arrested Development."

Elephants Hit by Train in India

At the Guardian UK, "Elephants hit by speeding train in India – video":

Two elephants lie dead on a track after being hit by a speeding train in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, eastern India. Two more elephants were gravely injured in the accident, which reportedly happened as a 40-strong herd was crossing the track.

Also at London's Daily Mail, "Four elephants killed when they are hit by a TRAIN speeding through the jungle."

Joe Strummer on the Run: Documentary

At the Guardian UK, "I Need a Dodge! Joe Strummer on the Run – video preview":

A taster of the documentary, which looks back at the Clash frontman's time in Spain in the 80s. Through music and testimony of those who knew him, Strummer's days in Madrid are documented by filmmaker Nick Hall. Hall also searches for clues to the whereabouts of Strummer's Dodge, abandoned in Madrid when the musician rushed home for the birth of his baby daughter.

EU Foreign Policy Fails Again on Syria

From Ralf Neukirch, at Der Spiegel, "Empty Compromise":

European Union foreign ministers have sought to sell their Syria compromise as a success. In reality, Monday's agreement is an abdication of leadership, once again proving that Europe cannot be taken seriously as an actor on the global stage.

To fully understand the European Union's role in the Syrian crisis, a small thought experiment could prove helpful. If you were a party in the civil war in Syria, which of the following actors would you most like to have as an ally? The Russians, who deliver military supplies and demand political influence and a warm-water port in return? The rulers in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who guarantee an endless supply of weapons in exchange for ideological compliance? Or perhaps the Americans, who remain hesitant to become involved but are nonetheless the world's most influential political and economic power?

One thing is clear: The EU would certainly not be at the top of the list. Europe, to be sure, regularly demands written assurances that it's allies are not cooperating with Islamists and terrorists. But as quid pro quo, they don't offer much more than encouraging words. And there is a reason for that. The Europeans can't even agree on a common position.

The agreement that EU foreign ministers finally managed to reach late on Monday night is a compromise in name only. The bloc's 27 member-states were only able to agree on a continuation of the financial and economic sanctions that are currently in place. Such sanctions are the lowest common denominator of the EU's approach to Syria, though. When it comes to the much more important issue of arms shipment, Europe is hopelessly divided.

Continue reading.

Marxist Rachel Maddow Spearheads MSNB's Nosedive in Nielson Ratings

She's the biggest loser.

At the New York Times, "Month of Breaking News Lifts CNN and Fox, but Sinks MSNBC."

And WND, "RATINGS CRASH! MSNBC IN MASSIVE PLUNGE: In wake of scandals, Obama-friendly network sees viewers fleeing."

Forward!

Judge Jeanine Pirro: Attorney General Eric Holder Should Be Indicted!

Man, this lady is on fire!

Violent Clashes as Protests Spread in Turkey

At the Guardian UK (Observer), "Turkish protest takes root in Istanbul square after security forces withdraw."

And at Telegraph UK, "Foreign Office warning over Turkey protests":

The Foreign Office has warned Britons to avoid areas where violent protests are ongoing across Turkey, including the centre of Istanbul, where thousands of people thronged Taksim Square.

Amy Louise McKeen

Nice flag, via Twitter.

'Humane institutionalization can help the mentally ill and protect society...'

Sounds good to me, at City Journal, via Kathy Shaidle: "Faster, please…"

Bring Back the Ottoman Empire

An interesting essay, from Professor Michael Curtis, at American Thinker:

Like Europe five or six centuries ago, the Middle East today is the scene of shifting alliances among states, political groups, and warring armies, in a struggle for supremacy or hegemony in the area. By contrast, the Ottoman Empire from its establishment in 1453 was a powerful, multinational, multilingual state that lasted until November 1, 1922, when the Turkish monarchy was abolished and a Republic was declared. The Ottoman Caliphate was abolished in March 1924.

In spite of problems, the Ottoman Empire remained intact for four and a half centuries. It ruled using boundaries of administrative divisions: provinces, or vilayets and districts, or sanjaks, Islam sustained the empire, and the sultan, the personification of a family that had ruled for seven centuries, was the protector of Islam.

The Palestinian narrative of victimhood has made the world familiar with the Palestinian concept of the Nakba, the so-called catastrophe, resulting from the displacement of Arabs during and after the 1948-49 war (a war which they started). But from an objective point of view, the real Nakba for Arabs was the end of the Ottoman Empire, which, in spite of political and military problems, had ruled with a strong army and accepted political institutions, and which had created alliances with political and racial groups...

Continue reading.

Weiner-Fluke 2016

Yeah, that's the ticket!

Via the People's Cube:

Related: At the New Yorker, "Will Anthony Weiner Be NY's Next Mayor?"

Also at National Journal, "Why Anthony Weiner Shouldn't Bank on Forgiveness in the New York Mayoral Race."

Leaning Out: Men May Be Better at Work-Life Balance Than Women

See Business Week, "Alpha Dads: Men Get Serious About Work-Life Balance":

“ ‘Work-life balance’ is one of these terms that tends to get overused,” says Rob Lanoue, a partner with Deloitte’s consulting group in Toronto. “It’s ‘balanced/unbalanced,’ ” chips in colleague Andrew Hamer, a senior consultant.

Lanoue, 43, in an open-collar shirt and sporting a wall clock-size dive watch, exudes a relaxed jock vibe, while Hamer, 29, is more hunky corporate hipster, with a beard, jeans, and checked blazer. They, along with Jonathan Magder, 35, a slender, mellow-voiced manager in Deloitte’s corporate strategy group, are eating breakfast across the street from their office, spearing eggs and discussing how they juggle their careers and families. In its contours, the conversation happens countless times a day among groups of women. This male version also touches on the challenges of getting home for bath time, showing up at recitals, and how all that must be reconciled with driving ambition. The only thing missing is the guilt and self-flagellation, which, if they were women, would be accumulating on the floor in puddles around their feet. You might call them “Alpha Dads,” guys who are as serious about their parenting as they are about making partner. What they illustrate is that men might actually be better at handling women’s issues than women. They don’t believe in “balance.” They believe in getting what they want, even if it’s time to yell at their 5-year-olds from the sidelines of a soccer game on a Wednesday afternoon.

Together, Lanoue, Hamer, and Magder run a group called Deloitte Dads, which aims to help working fathers. “New dads can be their own worst enemies,” Magder says. “The biggest thing for sure is time management.” One of his friends at another company tried to take a longer-than-average paternity leave after his first child was born, only to be told by his bosses that they were surprised he wanted to do it—surely his wife would be home, no? His friend wimped out on taking extra time off. For that reason, these guys believe, it’s important for them to live what they preach as much as possible. Magder’s wife doesn’t work, which may afford him a little more breathing room, but both Lanoue and Hamer are married to full-time professionals. None of them have illusions of achieving perfect harmony.

Lanoue, who became partner in 2010, has two children in school full time, a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old, and he estimates that he works one day a week out of his basement office at home, partly to spend more time with them. He manages this, he says, by “being proactive with my calendar, weeks out,” planning his schedule meticulously, moving in-person meetings to conference calls when he needs to and being blunt and in-your-face about it. Even when he’s in the office, he sometimes has to leave at 3:30 p.m. to drive his son to his hockey games, a fact he broadcasts to help dispel the stink that can trail people when they sneak out early. “Everyone knows my routine when I’m not there,” he says. “Between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., I’m available by e-mail. If there’s anything I have to review, it’s well into the evening.” In other words: It’ll get done, but on his time.

Hamer has a 2-year-old who goes to day care and a 12-week-old who’s currently not sleeping—he sports the dark eye-circles to prove it—and at the moment his assignment takes him out of town three nights most weeks to work at a client’s office. “For me,” he says, “flexibility is more about being able to take part in morning routines and not having to worry about the commute.” Magder has three children, ages 6, 4, and 2. He tries to be home at least two or three times a week for dinner and bedtime. Sometimes it’s tough, he says, recalling one period when he was working 80 or 90 hours every week and was desperately short on sleep. But, “most people understand that if I leave for the day, I’m just changing my [work] location.” Magder and his colleagues sound in many ways like typical MBA guys, only they’re applying the principles of efficient management to the task of parenting...

Continue reading.

It's an interesting piece. My wife and I have a pretty good balance, but our kids are getting older. Babies and toddlers would be a whole different story. When my first son was born, I was in graduate school and I was the primary caregiver. I was home most of the time, getting ready to write my dissertation. My wife was really focused on her retail career. I focused on parenting for the first year of my son's life. It was an awesome thing being a new dad and spending my days being a good daddy. It would be a bummer for a new father not to be able to have that kind of experience. Things are different these days. Both parents often have careers. Couples have to find the balance. Kids take an incredible amount of time.

Kelly Brook Shows Off Bodacious Cleavage at Shopping Center Celebration in Belfast

At London's Daily Mail, "Make a wish! Kelly Brook shows off her cleavage and blows out candles for shopping centre's fifth birthday."

Via Ms. Brook on Twitter.

The Cost of Colonoscopies

I've got my insurance authorization to have this procedure done, but I've been waiting for the semester to wind down to schedule it. It's a routine test after the age of 50, apparently, and an expensive one, depending on how doctors bill insurance providers.

See the New York Times, "The $2.7 Trillion Medical Bill: Colonoscopies Explain Why U.S. Leads the World in Health Expenditures."

Democrats for Education Reform

I just came across this piece from April, by Karin Klein, "State Democrats decide who's a REAL Democrat."

Also, "California Democrats blast efforts to overhaul schools." Well, yeah. Overhaul will weaken the death grip of the teachers' union.

Troubling Stories About IRS Continue to Mount

At the Oklahoman:

THE story of Catherine Englebrecht of Richmond, Texas, should put to rest any suggestion that the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups was simply the work of overzealous or confused low-level staffers in Cincinnati. It's a story that should give the willies to any American, regardless of political bent.

Engelbrecht and her husband own a small manufacturing business. Through the years, Engelbrecht developed an interest in public policy. She acted on it by forming two groups, called True the Vote and King Street Patriots. The former seeks to ensure the integrity of elections by, among other things, working to clear voting rolls of people who have died.

In July 2010, Engelbrecht sought tax-exempt status from the IRS — and her world started to get turned upside down because, as Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan put it, “The U.S. government came down on her with full force.”

In December of that year, the FBI came to her home to ask about a person who had attended a King Street Patriots function. The following month, in January 2011, the FBI asked more questions and the IRS audited her business tax returns. The FBI came knocking again in May 2011, about King Street Patriots.

One month later, Engelbrecht's personal tax returns were audited and the FBI visited again. Questions about True the Vote came in October 2011, with another FBI inquiry a month later — and again one month after that. In February 2012, the IRS came with another round of questions about True the Vote, and questions about King Street Patriots.

Engelbrecht's business has a license to make firearms, but doesn't. In February 2012, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms did an unscheduled audit of the business. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration did the same in July 2012. Additional IRS questions about True the Vote followed in November 2012, and again in March of this year. In April, ATF conducted a second audit.

Engelbrecht says she and the feds had never crossed paths before her filing for tax-exempt status. “These people, they are just regular Americans,” her attorney, former Oklahoman Cleta Mitchell, told Noonan. “They try to get dead people off voter rolls; you would think that they are serial killers.”

Engelbrecht is fighting back with a lawsuit against the IRS. Brava! Meantime, she still hasn't received the exemptions she sought three years ago.

Continue reading.

Also, "VIDEO: Catherine Engelbrecht of True The Vote joins Bill O'Reilly 5-28-2013."

And at the Hill, "Conservative groups sue Holder, IRS over Tea Party targeting."

Homosexual Parenting Harms Children

The lead letters at yesterday's Los Angeles Times were in response to the coward David Blankenhorn's recent op-ed, "What matters now about marriage."

I'm surprised this one got past the editors:

I would say to Blankenhorn that what matters about marriage is the children. He fails to mention where the children fit into a gay marriage that has either two men or two women living together.

How does a child keep his or her head on straight when there is either no father or no mother? How does a female child living with two women learn the love and protection that only a man can provide? How does a male child living with two men learn the love and softness that only a woman can contribute?

How does the child, living in a lopsided environment, understand that a woman has her role in the marriage and that the man has his role in the marriage? It cannot be duplicated by two men or two women being married partners.

Lori Graham
Los Angeles

After all is said and done, this is the core argument that leftists can never rebut. All they can say is that it doesn't matter, that people have a so-called "human" right to marry whomever they want. Screw the children. It's all about the homosexual narcissists themselves.

And all of this activism won't end with same-sex marriage, because progressives are never satisfied with the status quo. The Kaitlyn Hunt saga demonstrates that reason and decency won't stand in the way of 100 percent license for homosexuals to do whatever they please. See, "The #FreeKate Meltdown Continues," and "Local PFLAG: ‘The Cry of Discrimination …Does Not Seem to Apply’ in Hunt Case."