Friday, July 5, 2013

'We're All Afraid of the Truth...'

The inimitable Pat Condell calls out British cowardice and the far-left fascists crushing speech in the U.K. The EDL are not the problem.

Via Atlas Shrugs and Blazing Cat Fur.

More on #Angels' Walk-Off Win Over Cardinals

Here's last night's report, "#Angels Beat #Cardinals in Spectacular 6-5 Walk-Off Win on 4th of July."

After the game my wife was saying, "We need to make this a family 4th of July tradition." Everybody had a blast. My wife was so fired up when Josh Hamilton tied the game with his monstrous 9th-inning home run. And Erick Aybar's walk off single was spectacular. My oldest son said he was going to be bummed if the Angels lost, so he was ecstatic, "That was a memorable game. I just wanted them to win."

I was having fun win or lose, but I'll tell you, that was a fabulous conclusion to a great night. We got there right at 6:00pm and missed the Star Spangled Banner. Turns out they do the full field-sized American flag. And there was a Condor Squadron flyover as well, which we happened to see while standing in line out in front of the Big A.


More at USA Today, "Angels heat up in ninth to overcome Cardinals."

And watch it here, "Aybar's walk-off single." And, "Hamilton's game-tying homer."

Pridefest: Seattle Gay Rights Thugs Attack Christian Street Preacher

Because progs are all about tolerance, or something.

Via Dana Loesch, "Video Reportedly Shows NOH8 Attack At Seattle Pridefest."

And at Twitchy, "Christian street preachers assaulted at gay pride festival in Seattle [video]."

Vicious mofos.

Sports Illustrated's 50 Greatest Swimsuit Models

Here's Christie Brinkley at #9, but troll around at SI's YouTube page for more. Kate Upton comes in at #3, and Elle MacPherson tops the rankings, FWIW.

Brinkley gets an African elephant rutting at the clip.


More at London's Daily Mail, "Puppy love! Christie Brinkley cuddles up to an adorable pup as she crowned a 'pet hero' at philanthropy event," and "Still loves her jazz hands! Ageless Christie Brinkley, 59, shows off her youthful side as she lights up Broadway Beacon Awards."

Also, "Model memories! Ageless veteran supermodels Christie Brinkley, 59, and Brooke Shields, 48, reprise their quirky 'famous pose' from 1987."

Dozens Injured in Simi Valley Fireworks Explosion

At the Los Angeles Times, "Simi fireworks accident tied to early detonation."

Authorities on Friday said they believe at least one pyrotechnic device prematurely detonated in its mortar during a Fourth of July celebration in Simi Valley on Thursday night, causing a chain reaction that tipped over other pyrotechnics and launched them into the crowd of spectators.

The major fireworks malfunction at Rancho Santa Susana Community Park at 9:20 p.m. injured at least 28 people, who suffered minor to severe injuries. An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people were gathered to watch the professional fireworks display.

Simi Valley police Cmdr. Blair Summey said that after the early detonation, a group of live canisters fell over like "dominoes." One or more of them fired into the crowd of spectators, the closest of whom were about 800 feet away.

"These things were coming through low. They were skipping along the ground," Summey said. "Some of these projectiles, they were exploding as they were coming out of the canisters."
Also at NBC News Los Angeles, "Fireworks company issues statement regarding Simi Valley show, 'deeply regrets that people were injured'."

'Restore the Fourth' Rallies

From epic hypocrite Kevin Gosztola at Firedoglake, "Thomas Drake at ‘Restore the Fourth’ Rally: ‘We the People Do Not Consent to the Surveillance State’. "

And the Guardian on Twitter:



Red State Pulls Sexist Sarah Palin Photoshop — Editor Ben Howe Apologizes for Over-the-Top 'Snark' Response

Here's the post, updated, "Palin’s Third-Party Solution is Part of the Problem."

And at Twitchy, "RedState editor Ben Howe apologizes for mishandling photoshopped Sarah Palin image."


But read the whole thing at Twitchy. Howe disagrees the photo (Photoshop) was sexist. He's only apologizing for his response to critics. Thus, it's a partial apology, since he doesn't apologize for the lousy blog post itself.

Still, he's restoring the necessary degree of credibility. I don't really know him or else I would've let loose on Twitter myself. And props to Team Twitchy for running with this story, even a day or so late. It's hard coming down on folks on your own side. But it's needed, nevertheless.

And kudos to Josh Painter for sticking to his guns and helping to make this right.

Background here, "Erick Erickson's Red State Posts Sexist Photoshop of Sarah Palin," and "Red State Stays Classy on Sarah Palin Photoshop."

Egypt Launches Post-Coup Crackdown

At WSJ, "Egypt Military Launches Crackdown: Army Reasserts Authority, Arresting Islamist Leaders and Installing New President":

CAIRO—Egypt's military reclaimed its role as the country's dominant political force as it installed a new president and pressed for the arrests of Islamist leaders it had forced from power, deepening international concern for the stability and democratic future of the largest country in the Arab world.

A day after the army seized on antigovernment protests to overthrow President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, a dozen fighter jets buzzed downtown Cairo with trails of red, white and black smoke, the colors of the Egyptian flag.

As the military sounded a victorious chord, Mr. Morsi and some top Muslim Brotherhood allies were already in police custody and the Islamist organization was reviving its longtime role as an opposition force, organizing large-scale nationwide protests for Friday.

The military's sudden recalibration of political forces followed an outpouring of popular discontent with Mr. Morsi and the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. An array of voices backed those protests, among them a contingent of re-emergent loyalists to Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted by a popular revolution—with military support—over two years ago.

Some of those former Mubarak loyalists have re-emerged to take new roles in the transition ahead, according to people close to discussions between the military and anti-Morsi activists.

That transition—and a new era of potential turmoil—kicked off on Thursday with the swearing-in of military-appointed president Adly Mansour, a judge who had been named head of the Supreme Constitutional Court on Monday. Mr. Mansour took two oaths on Thursday morning: The first made him chief justice and the second elevated him to the presidency. Mr. Mansour is to remain president until new elections are held, at an unspecified date, according to the military's transition plan. The military has also suspended Egypt's new constitution, which was drafted by the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Constituent Assembly and signed into law by Mr. Morsi in December, after a national referendum.

In a sign of this week's reversal of fortunes, Egypt's acting attorney general on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Muslim Brotherhood supreme leader Mohamed Badie and his deputy, Khairat al Shater, according to Mena, the state news agency. The two are wanted on charges of inciting the killing of eight protesters in front of the Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo.
Continue reading.

And at LAT, "Egypt military cracks down on Muslim Brotherhood."

#Angels Beat #Cardinals in Spectacular 6-5 Walk-Off Win on 4th of July

It was looking to be a wonderfully pleasurable evening even with the likelihood of a St. Louis victory.

The Angels entered the bottom of the 9th down 5-3 against the Cardinals, and I told my oldest son that it was pretty much over. I was just digging the vibe and anticipating the fireworks show. And then the phenomenal started happening. Albert Pujols lined a single, and he was followed with a booming home-run by Josh Hamilton to tie the game 5-5. Alberto Callaspo and Hank Conger then each popped up for the first and second outs. But then Howie Kendrick and Mark Trumbo both singled and Kendrick was driven home by a crazy Erick Aybar who kept running to second base, to be shortly swarmed as the Angels' bench cleared to celebrate the walk-off win.

Needless to say, the crowd was going wild. Folks might remember that the Angels have the "rally monkey," who last night was doing some Gangnam style moves to get the crowd fired up. It was totally hilarious. The billboard played a mashup of Ferris Bueller with fan-shots while the crowd waited for fireworks. My wife was bumping my fist repeatedly, clapping and saying, "Good job, honey," so happy that I'd gotten tickets to the game.

It was a memorable night, for sure.

In any case, here's Bill Shaikin's report at the Los Angels Times, "Josh Hamilton's homer sets up Angels' walk-off win over Cardinals."

And on Twitter:



Thursday, July 4, 2013

'Hateriot's Day'

Leave it to Gawker to win this year's award for the most disgusting anti-American attack on the Fourth of July: "Hatetriot's Day: July 4th Is America's Crappiest Holiday."

The author is Ken Layne, on Twitter here.

And asshole editor John Cook's only-slightly joking tweet is here. And also at Memeorandum.

Layne's blather is easily debunked, but why bother? Millions of Americans couldn't care less about reading such self-loathing progressive bull. For me, it's mostly worth it just to take note. "Liberals" are less than 25 percent of the population, and hardcore leftists probably half of that. But for some reason this kind of rancid garbage gets regurgitated into the mainstream precincts, especially the schools. So it pays to keep tabs on dangerous fools like this who troll for traffic and demonic lulz. They are true dirtbag scum and decent folks should never miss a chance to expose them for all their disgusting toxic effluence and rot.

Added: Read this at Weasel Zippers for just really all that's necessary to rebut idiots like Ken Layne, "Cuban Defector [Dodgers' Yasiel] Puig Celebrates His First Fourth of July."

#Cardinals at #Angels Tonight at Anaheim Stadium

I'm taking the family to a 4th of July baseball extravaganza tonight. (There will be fireworks!)

The St. Louis Cards are in Anaheim, losing Tuesday night 5-1, but winning last night in a 12-2 blowout.

Interestingly, Albert Pujols hasn't put on much of show since his old team's been in town, the first time he's faced St. Louis since joining the Angels.

More here, "Angels' Albert Pujols to face old friends, new foe: the Cardinals":

You can take the slugger out of St. Louis — the Angels did, prying Albert Pujols from America's heartland with a 10-year, $240-million deal before the 2012 season — but you can't take St. Louis out of the slugger.

Pujols keeps his home in St. Louis, his charitable foundation is based there, and though he's a year and a half removed from a Cardinals career in which he won three most-valuable-player awards and World Series titles in 2006 and 2011, his fingerprints are all over a team that has thrived in his absence.

"If you watch the Cardinals play, they really go about it right; they're very aggressive and they compete," said Tony La Russa, who managed Pujols for all 11 years in St. Louis. "For this generation of Cardinals, the most important player to help that transition from what they used to be to what they are now is Albert, because they learned how to play the game from him.

"He had such a strong mentoring relationship with the position players. Yadier Molina is like a brother to him. Albert had an effect on David Freese, Matt Holliday, Jon Jay. They wanted to work like Albert, compete like Albert, be a teammate like Albert."

This week, they want to beat Albert.

Pujols, 33, will be a Cardinals opponent for the first time Tuesday night when St. Louis, which fell one win short of the World Series in 2012 and is second in the National League Central with a 49-32 record this season, opens a three-game series at Angel Stadium.

"It's a little different because I'm usually rooting for them," said Pujols, who has been slowed by knee and foot injuries and is hitting .249 with 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in. "Now, I'm going to be rooting against them for three days."
More at the link.

Plus, "Mark Trumbo's web gem could change perception of Angels slugger." Video here, "Trumbo dives to start an amazing double play."

More blogging late tonight or in the morning. Either way, I'll be on Twitter until then.

85 Percent 'Very' Proud to Be American

At Gallup, "Most in U.S. Still Proud to Be an American: But 71% say the signers of the declaration would be disappointed":
PRINCETON, NJ -- As the United States celebrates Independence Day, most of its adult residents continue to say they are proud to be an American, including 57% who are extremely proud and 28% who are very proud. This high level of pride in being an American has varied only moderately over the past 12 years since the question was first asked, but has been lower since 2005 than it was in the years prior.

The latest results are from a June 1-4 Gallup survey. An additional 10% say they are moderately proud to be an American, leaving 3% who say they are "only a little proud" and 1% who say they are "not at all proud."
Read the whole thing.

I think the signers would be pleased with America today, but would be horrified with this president. Barack Hussein's a stain on an otherwise bountiful gift we are enjoying today, and the Obama interregnum will be seen as a low point in the expansion of American freedom. The results are already coming in, and patriots are gearing up to overthrow the socialist usurpers. 2014 can't come soon enough.

More on this as we go along.

Independence Day Rule 5

Here's the Other McCain, "Rule 5 Sunday: Taylor Swift, We Hardly Knew Ye."

 photo BonusJ20_zpsc9fcaa39.jpg
I'm not sure there's a lot of fresh Rule 5 blogging on the 4th of July, although Bob Belvedere's Chloe Vevrier roundup deserves another look. See, "Rule 5 Saturday."

Also at 90 Miles From Tyranny, "Happy Independence Day! (Freedom From Tyranny Day)."

And at Wirecutter's, "Still Cebrating."

At Randy's Roundtable, "Happy 4th of July: Enjoy it while it is still possible."

Also, from Ron Russell, "Cutie Babes from Guns and Bikinis."

More from Doug Ross, "Satan, the Great Deceiver and Prince of Lies, reaffirms that he is in no way associated with the Democrat Party."

And at Pirate's Cove, "If All You See……are the wonderful colors of the United States Flag, you might just be an American Patriot."

Still more at Reaganite, "Stunning Athina Pikraki Chosen to Represent Greece at 'Miss World 2013'."

And at Gator Doug's, "DaleyGator DaleyBabe Talita Correa."

At Drunken Stepfather, "THE BEST FOURTH OF JULY PICS FOR AMERICA OF THE DAY."

Dana Pico has more, "Rule 5 Blogging: Glamour Girls."

And from Proof Positive, "Sex in Advertising."

Plus, at EBL, "Egyptian Freedom Rule 5."

And Soylent has "Soylent Fourth of July."

Finally, at Egotastic!, "Happy Birthday, America! We Celebrate with Red, White, and Blue Bikinis."

I know I'm missing some folks, so if you're not included, drop your links and I'll update ASAP.

Happy 4th of July!

BATHING SUIT BABE CREDIT: Theo Spark.

Our Government in Action: State Department Denies John Kerry Yachting During Egyptian Coup

Look, it's 4th of July. Why not just say Secretary Kerry is staying in contact with all the relevant personnel and be done with it? It's not like he's going fly to Cairo and calm the waters, or anything. But in line with this administration's MO, it's lying liars all the way.

At Twitchy, "Twitter user: ‘Kerry sailed right by me yesterday on the Nantucket sound’ [photo]; Update: Boston Herald confirms Kerry is on Nantucket."

Also, "Cavalcade of conflicting info: Where in the world was John Kerry as Egypt lurched into chaos?" And at the Blaze, "CBS PRODUCER REFUSES TO RETRACT JOHN KERRY YACHT STORY — AND THERE’S A VIDEO THAT COULD HELP HIS CASE."

UPDATE: The dude Sam Hodges pulled his tweet, most likely due to Democrat harassment on Twitter. But the Boston Herald has this, "Kerry vacationing on Nantucket amid Egypt turmoil."


Statue of Liberty Reopens for Independence Day

It was closed for repairs after Hurricane Sandy.

At LAT, "Statue of Liberty reopens for a New York kind of Independence Day."

American Tony Miano Arrested in Britain for Reading Bible Aloud and Calling Homosexuality Sinful

Hey, coming to America!

At Telegraph UK, "Christian arrested for calling homosexuality a 'sin' warns of 'real-life thought police'."

Also at Cranmer, "Tony Miano arrested for 'hate' speech - full video and police transcript."

Here's 'Proud Savage' Mona Eltahawy on Twitter Because — FREEDOM!

She was whining to a cab driver about how her huge --- huge! --- number of media appearances were wearing her down, at Twitchy, "Sacrificing for Egypt: Courageous Mona Eltahawy moans of her pundit plight in Egyptian coup."

But it wasn't a coup, it wasn't!

And don't tell poor Mona otherwise, or she'll f-bomb you a new one, "Mona Eltahawy unleashes F-bomb laced tirade on … fellow lefties?"

She's going after Max Blumenthal, the vile POS.

Leftists going off on leftists. That's one hella 4th of July treat, because — FREEDOM!


Added: At the Other McCain, "Well, @MonaEltahawy Is Indisputably Correct: Max Blumenthal Is a Douchebag."

Red State Stays Classy on Sarah Palin Photoshop

Following up on my earlier report, "Erick Erickson's Red State Posts Sexist Photoshop of Sarah Palin."

Now here's this at Twitchy, "RedState editors defend phony Sarah Palin photo, lash out at critics; Update: Still lashing out."



Ben Howe hardest hit:



And from Stacy Drake, "RedState Posts Demeaning Photoshop of Governor Palin, Denies When Confronted — Updated."

Obama Decides Not to Enforce the Heart of His Health-Care Law

Schadenfreude-licious, at the Wall Street Journal, "Employer Mandate? Never Mind":
These columns fought the Affordable Care Act from start to passage, and we'd now like to apologize to our readers. It turns out we weren't nearly critical enough. The law's implementation is turning into a fiasco for the ages, and this week's version is the lawless White House decision to delay the law's insurance mandate for businesses, though not for individuals.

The employer mandate is central to ObamaCare's claim of providing universal coverage. Companies with 50 or more "employee equivalents" must pay a $2,000 penalty per full-time employee if they don't provide government-approved health insurance. The provision was supposed to start in January, and delaying it is like Ford saying its electric car is ready to go, except the electric battery doesn't work.

But all of a sudden on Tuesday evening Mark Mazur—you know him as the deputy assistant Treasury secretary for tax policy—published a blog post canceling the insurance reporting rules and tax enforcement until 2015 as Washington began to evacuate for the long Independence Day weekend. Enjoy the holiday, mate.

White House fixer Valerie Jarrett tried to contain the fallout with a separate blog post promising that ObamaCare is otherwise "staying the course." That's true only if she's referring to the carelessness and improvisation that have defined the law so far.

Mr. Mazur cited the "complexity of the requirements" as the reason for the delay. He isn't talking about business confusion and uncertainty, as damaging as those are. This is probably an admission that Treasury's information technology isn't ready to process and cross-check paperwork across the 5.7 million businesses in America, especially the pass-through S-corps and partnerships that file under the individual tax code.

This is more than a typical government snafu. It relates directly to the design of the law, which was thoughtlessly written and rammed through Congress with instructions for the bureaucracy to figure it all out.

And, lo, over eight interim final rules, three final rules, 20 requests for comment, 21 proposed rules, one information collection request, two amendments to the interim final rules, six requests for information and one frequently-asked-questions document, the Administration has created an employer-mandate system that, for example, requires business to track and report every full-time employee's hours of service on a monthly basis.

Meanwhile, the law stipulates that a full-time workweek for the purposes of the mandate is 30 hours, when general business practice is at least 35. The result is that businesses have been scrambling to insulate themselves from higher labor costs by hiring part-time workers, or splitting shifts, or in some industries like fast food even sharing workers. Small firms trying to expand while avoiding the 50-worker trigger have come to be known as 49ers.

The delay will help these and other employers avoid immediately higher costs, which is why the main business lobbies endorsed it. But the decision will continue to dampen overall job creation because businesses know they'll still be whacked in a year. Businesses don't hire workers with the intention of sacking them later.

The Administration's media cheerleaders are nonetheless portraying this as a stroke of political genius to push all the pain past the 2014 elections. But if that's the goal, it is too clever by half. If Republicans have any sense, they will move immediately to delay the rest of the bill for at least a year too. They should start with the individual mandate to buy insurance or pay a tax.
Continue reading.

The law's going down. Soon enough. It's going down, and the record of failure will be wrapped entirely around this cluster-k amateur community organizer from communist Chicago:
ObamaCare has become a rolling "train wreck," in Senator Max Baucus's memorable phrase, and it gets worse the more of it the public sees. The employer mandate is terrible policy, as the law's critics said before it passed. Now the Administration is all but admitting it can't implement it properly, and the task for opponents is to press the concession and begin to delay the rest of the law and dismantle it piece by piece.
Word.

Toll of Unchecked Immigration in Britain

At London's Daily Mail, "True toll of mass migration on UK life: Half of Britons suffer under strain placed on schools, police, NHS and housing":
Yesterday, seven men including illegal immigrants were arrested in West London as part of a series of immigration raids on properties where migrants were living in out-houses.

On crime, the study found that some groups, such as failed asylum seekers who could not be sent home and jobless eastern Europeans, were ‘disproportionately involved in crimes like shoplifting and disorderly behaviour’.

However, it added that destitute Britons were also likely to be ‘disproportionately’ involved in these offences.

Police said it was clear that some migrants who entered the UK on a student visa were not actually studying and were instead working illegally.
RTWT.

Mass Migration photo BOR13U4CYAAZYKc_zps8b31fca3.jpg

Terror Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Spent Kinky Nights in D.C. With at Least 7 Hookers

Damned porno-addicted Islamist hypocrites. No wonder Obama backs these guys in Syria.

At the New York Post, "Qaeda Ho-ly roller: Terror cleric shot his load with DC prostitutes":

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WASHINGTON — When he wasn’t preaching against America, terror-linked imam Anwar al-Awlaki was frequently hiring $400-an-hour hookers at posh DC hotels, newly released FBI documents reveal.

Awlaki, who delivered radical sermons at a mosque near Washington and ultimately met his end in a 2011 US drone strike in Yemen, paid thousands of dollars for at least seven hooker romps, according to interviews the prostitutes gave FBI agents soon after doing their dirty work.

The seedy details — not exactly in keeping with Awlaki’s constant invocations of “God the Almighty” in his sermons — are outlined in hundreds of pages of FBI documents released yesterday through an information request filed by Judicial Watch.
Keep reading.

Egypt's Second Revolution?

Look, Morsi sucks goats balls, but Egypt's in a dangerous place right now. We could see a lot of violence in the weeks and months ahead, especially if Muslim Brotherhood operatives resort to terrorism.

At the Guardian UK, "Mohamed Morsi ousted in Egypt's second revolution in two years."

Egypt's Revolution photo BOR6Pw_CIAAgQ2W_zpsce6290ff.jpg

Despite Claims, Obama Administration Has Done Little to Press Mohamed Morsi on Human Rights

From Eli Lake and Josh Rogan, at the Daily Beast, "Obama Offers a Revisionist History of His Administration’s Approach to Egypt" (via Israel Matzav and Memeorandum):

Obama Morsi photo ObamaandMorsybirdsofafeather_zps62b02c74.jpg
In nearly every confrontation with Congress since the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the White House has fought restrictions proposed by legislators on the nearly $1.6 billion in annual U.S. aid to Egypt. Twice in two years, the White House and the State Department fought hard against the very sorts of conditions for aid that Obama claimed credit for this week. When President Mohamed Morsi used the power of his presidency to target his political opponents, senior administration officials declined to criticize him in public. Many close Egypt observers argue that the Obama administration’s treatment of Morsi has been in line with the longstanding U.S. policy of turning a blind eye to the human-rights abuses of his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.

But don’t tell that to Obama. On Monday he said, “The way we make decisions about assistance to Egypt is based on are they in fact following rule of law and democratic procedures.” The president made these remarks in Tanzania, as millions of Egyptian street protesters demanded Morsi’s ouster.

Hillary Clinton, the secretary of State in his first term, described the Egypt aid process during a September 2011 visit to Cairo that took place after Mubarak’s resignation, but before the powerful Egyptian military acceded to the drafting of a new constitution and the free elections held in June 2012, when Morsi won office.

"We believe in aid to your military without any conditions, no conditionality,” Clinton said. "I’ve made that very clear. I was with the foreign minister, Mr. Amr, yesterday, and was very clear in saying that the Obama administration, and I personally am against that. I think it’s not appropriate."

(Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Mohamed Kamel Amr on Tuesday, a day after the foreign minister announced his own resignation in response to the massive street protests and the military announcing a 48-hour ultimatum for the president to respond to those protests.)

In March 2012, Clinton waived restrictions passed by Congress on aid to Egypt “on the basis of America’s national-security interests.” That decision came in the midst of the Egyptian government’s crackdown on foreign NGOs, which included the raiding of the offices of several American organizations, including the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, and Freedom House....

Michele Dunne, the executive director of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, says that since 2011, U.S. policy has reverted to a traditional pattern of cooperation with the host government, and now the administration is embarrassed and is trying to pretend it used its influence to pressure Morsi.

“Obama’s statement constitutes a revisionist history of what they have been doing over the past two years,” she says. “We have not exercised the kind of support for democratic progress that we should have. That’s why people still think to this day that the Obama administration is just fully in support of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Of course, we're long past the point of embracing radical Islamists in American politics, we now literally have top level Muslim Brotherhood infiltration in the Obama White House.

And Obama's proven himself a liar over and over again, so none of this is a surprise. These people are treasonous bitches. People need to wake up to these mf traitors.

More at Memeorandum.

#ObamaCare Delay Won't Solve Anything

At IBD, "Delaying ObamaCare's Employer Mandate Solves Nothing":
The reason the administration delayed the Obama-Care employer mandate was because it was turning into a monumental catastrophe. Among the problems:

• Businesses that were supposed to benefit the most from it were instead cutting workers, trimming employees' hours and doing whatever else they could to minimize the mandate's costs. The administration made this problem worse by decreeing that 30 hours constituted full-time work.

• Insurance companies started to announce their ObamaCare premiums for small businesses, and many were coming in with big double-digit increases.

• In June, Obama announced the delay of a key feature of the small business insurance exchanges — called SHOP — that promised choice and competition. Instead of letting workers pick their own plans, as originally promised, owners would have to choose a single plan for their entire workforce.

• Some of the biggest insurers were avoiding the SHOP exchanges altogether. In several states, only one planned to offer a policy, and in Mississippi, none signed up.

• Democrats were starting to rebel against the mandate. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said the administration's inability to get the SHOP exchanges fully operational would end up "crippling 29 million small businesses." Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., was pushing a bill to define "full time" as 40 hours a week, saying that without it ObamaCare would "be a negative for our families."

But while the delay might look like a political bonus to Democrats running in 2014, it will likely cause as many political problems as it solves.

Most of the concerns facing businesses will still be there next summer — right before the mid-term elections — when owners will again confront the costly mandate. In fact, the problems will likely be worse, since ObamaCare will have had a full year to wreak havoc on the health care system.

Plus, since the employer mandate was meant to keep businesses from dumping workers into the Obama-Care exchanges, delaying it could encourage them to do just that, which won't endear workers to the law.

And by delaying a key piece of his signature law, Obama has given Republicans ammunition to argue ObamaCare is a fatally flawed, economically ruinous "reform" even Democrats are finding hard to support.

What's more, the individual mandate — which is still set to go into effect as scheduled — is just as disastrous as the employer mandate.
IBD argues that the law should be fully repealed and replaced with market-based reforms. And it will be. After that, the Obama legacy will be one of complete failure on the single most important policy that it passed during the entire two-terms of Hussein's presidency. He's been a terrible president and the bills --- economic and political --- will be coming due for a long time to come.

RTWT at that top link.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Obama's Statement on Egypt

At the Washington Wire:
President Barack Obama’s statement on Wednesday’s events in Egypt:

As I have said since the Egyptian Revolution, the United States supports a set of core principles, including opposition to violence, protection of universal human rights, and reform that meets the legitimate aspirations of the people. The United States does not support particular individuals or political parties, but we are committed to the democratic process and respect for the rule of law. Since the current unrest in Egypt began, we have called on all parties to work together to address the legitimate grievances of the Egyptian people, in accordance with the democratic process, and without recourse to violence or the use of force.

The United States is monitoring the very fluid situation in Egypt, and we believe that ultimately the future of Egypt can only be determined by the Egyptian people. Nevertheless, we are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsy and suspend the Egyptian constitution. I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsy and his supporters. Given today’s developments, I have also directed the relevant departments and agencies to review the implications under U.S. law for our assistance to the Government of Egypt.
Continue reading.

And at Twitchy, "Always evolving: White House releases this week’s position on who should control Egypt’s destiny":



Yeah, well. As I tweeted earlier:



New Calls to Repeal #ObamaCare

From Bridget Johnson, at PJ Media, "ObamaCare Opponents Energized by Delay, Urge Full Repeal":

Lawmakers critical of ObamaCare were claiming victory at the announcement that the administration would postpone for one year the requirement that businesses cover their employees.

But they also used the Treasury Department’s news as a springboard to issue fresh calls for full repeal of the healthcare law.

“This is a remarkable acknowledgment by the Obama Administration that ObamaCare is a disaster in progress that will hurt job creators and those looking for work,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). “The solution to ObamaCare is not to delay the day when the Internal Revenue Service comes after struggling American businesses who cannot afford to provide Washington mandated health coverage. The solution is to repeal it entirely.”

“This monstrous and unaffordable law is bad for business, bad for our economy, and bad for jobs. If the Administration is incapable of fully implementing ObamaCare after three years, then it is clearly too complex to force upon families and small businesses,” said Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas).

Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (R-La.) noted that President Obama publicly criticizes House Republicans for fighting to repeal Obamacare but “has been privately trying to waive portions of the law for select groups.”

“We have been pointing out for years that Obamacare will be a disaster for hard-working families, and today President Obama finally agreed that this law is not ready for prime time by delaying the employer mandate. The president’s decision is further proof that we need to fully repeal this failed law,” Scalise said. “We stand ready to work on a bipartisan solution to lower health care costs and fix the real problems without the unworkable mandates and taxes in the President’s health care law.”

The law requires businesses of 50 employees or more to provide a prescribed level of health insurance or pay a penalty between $2,000 and $3,000 for each employee working 30 hours or more a week. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) pointed to a Hudson Institute study that found this mandate is expected to lead to an estimated 3.2 million lost jobs

“While the Administration finally admitted that the employer mandate is unworkable in 2014, it now must recognize that the real problem continues to be the entire Affordable Care Act,” Moran said. “Implementation of the ACA has not lowered costs or increased access as promised. Individuals, families and employers still face increasing health insurance costs, new taxes overseen by what we have recently learned is a politically-biased IRS, burdensome mandates, and massive uncertainty because of this flawed law. The best course of action is to dismantle the ACA and replace it with practical reforms that are workable and will actually reduce health care costs.”

Even a few Democrats were happy with the delay...
And see the Heritage Foundation, "It’s Official: Administration Admits Obamacare Is a Job-Killer," and "Morning Bell: So Which Part of Obamacare Works, Then?"

Plus, "The Massive Costs of the Latest Obamacare Waiver."

Military Ousts Mohamed Morsi in Egypt

Al Jazeera's live feed is here.

And at the Lede blog, "The Lede: Latest Updates on Egypt’s Political Crisis."

Also at Legal Insurrection, "Morsi removed from power by military in Egypt."

And at the Wall Street Journal, "Egyptian Military Removes President: Morsi Rejects Move; Court Official Installed as Constitution Is Suspended":

CAIRO—The leader of Egypt's military ousted President Mohammed Morsi from office and replaced him with the head of the country's constitutional court—a move the presidential palace quickly branded a "complete military coup."

The announcements capped days of political crisis that brought millions of Egyptians out to the country's streets, spurring bellicose rhetoric from Mr. Morsi's backers and Egypt's military, and sparking deadly violence. Egyptians remained on the squares on Wednesday evening, the stark divides between their celebration and anger suggesting a new period of political uncertainty ahead.

In a terse televised statement Wednesday evening, Defense Secretary Gen. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi—joined by important Muslim, Coptic and oppositionchiefs—announced Mr. Morsi's ouster. The head of Egypt's highest court—Adly Mansour, a judge who was named to the position only two days earlier—would take over from Mr. Morsi effective immediately, he said.

Mr. Mansour is tasked with leading a technocratic government that will be "inclusive of all political factions" including youth, who Gen. Sisi said would be "empowered" under the terms of the new government.

Gen. Sisi also suspended the constitution that Mr. Morsi and his Islamist allies pushed through late last year in a controversial referendum, and charged the Supreme Constitutional Court with addressing the draft law for parliamentary elections.

The military leader—until recently a close ally of Mr. Morsi—said that a committee would be formed to amend the constitution.

Mr. Morsi's office rejected the move, but called on Egyptians to peacefully resist what it called a military coup. Mr. Morsi's statement came hours after he mounted what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to remain in power—offering a plan to form a coalition government to run parliamentary elections, and forming an independent committee to address constitutional amendments and present them to the coming parliament.
Continue reading.

Also at Foreign Affairs, "Foreign Affairs Report: A Year of Morsi."

Foreign Policy has a lot of excellent coverage, for example, "Celebrating a Disaster in Egypt," and "Can a Coup Ever Be Democratic?"

Still more at Memeorandum.

Expect updates ...

Homosexuals Love Weiner!

Anthony Weiner came out for some gay pride love at the foreskin festival over the weekend.

At New York Magazine, "Anthony Weiner’s ‘Gay’ Pants Are the Talk of the Town." And the New York Post, "Anthony Weiner in bid for gay vote as Christine Quinn wins major endorsement."

A cock-waving adulterer? He should have the homosexual vote locked down!

Anthony Weiner photo dsc_0129_zpscd4d8bad.jpg

Anthony Weiner photo anthony-weiner-lead-wenn20478390__oPt_zps2f59f4f1.jpg

Antony Weiner photo 021n004Weiner1c--525x350_zps92efe2d4.jpg

More at Twitchy, "Outside Stonewall, Anthony Weiner photographed wearing pants."

Employer Mandate Delay is the Locomotive Crashing in the #ObamaCare Train Wreck

The locomotive has derailed and the rest of the train will be tumbling off the tracks shortly.

Yuval Levin, who I referenced this morning already, has an outstanding analysis, "Delaying Obamacare":

I think the administration has just made its Obamacare problems worse rather than alleviating them. But it may have opened a path to alleviating the country’s Obamacare problem, by elevating the idea of delay. Opponents of Obamacare should not imagine that the law will just collapse by itself or that as problems arise Democrats will come to them asking for repeal. That’s just ridiculous. They should look for ways to make the most of opportunities to avert the implementation of this odious law and advance the cause of ultimately repealing and replacing it. And yesterday’s announcement offers such an opportunity. The employer mandate is very bad policy, and its delay (which likely means its elimination) is a good thing. But the rest of Obamacare is very bad policy too. The delay of the employer mandate by a year highlights the irrationality of the larger law and exacerbates its instability. It does not seem to be sustainable as a discrete measure. It calls at the very least for a broader delay.
More at the link.

And at AIM, "CBS: Obamacare Delay a “Major Setback” for White House—Gives Impression It’s “Barely Operational” [Video]."

Flashback: Repeal #ObamaCare

Here, "The Overthrow of ObamaCare":
From Yuval Levin, at the Weekly Standard, "REPEAL: Why and How Obamacare Must Be Undone."
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Megyn Kelly to Get Prime-Time Slot on Fox News

At the New York Times:


The second quarter of 2013 cemented the recent ratings trends in cable news, with CNN rising and MSNBC falling, while Fox News continued its overall dominance.

But within those quarterly reports was the news that in June Fox News scored its lowest ratings since August 2001 among the viewers news advertisers most want to reach, the 25-to-54 age group. The network may be trying to address this issue with its decision to elevate one of its rising stars, Megyn Kelly, to a prime-time slot as soon as she returns from a planned maternity leave in the next few months. Fox made that expected promotion official on Tuesday.

Fox did not announce a specific show for Ms. Kelly or whose place she would be taking in the network’s prime-time lineup. However, speculation has centered on Greta Van Susteren, the 10 p.m. anchor. Ms. Van Susteren recently signed an extension of her Fox contract but her future role is not certain at this point.

Her husband, John Coale, said in an interview with The Times in May that she would be willing to move to an earlier hour. Several Web sites, including Mediaite, reported this week that Ms. Van Susteren had held talks with CNN, seeking a job at that network. A CNN executive confirmed Tuesday that those talks had taken place.

Fox News also announced on Tuesday that it had extended the contracts of all its evening and prime-time anchors: Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Bret Baier and Shepard Smith.

All those men continued to pile up huge advantages over their competitors in terms of total viewers in the second quarter, as did Fox News, which was up 12 percent in total day ratings and 3 percent in the Monday through Friday prime-time ratings.

But Fox News did show declines among viewers between 25 and 54, the group that accounts for the bulk of ad revenue for news networks. For the quarter, Fox was down 6 percent in total day ratings in that category and 12 percent in the prime-time hours.
Absolutely worst hit: Lying dirtbag Rachel Maddow at the communist MSNBC.

Erick Erickson's Red State Posts Sexist Photoshop of Sarah Palin

It's not that big of a deal to me.

Photoshopping people for a dig is old hat, even for people on your own side. It's a little surprising, however, for such a big conservative brand as Red State to sink to petty locker room Photoshop humor as this. And the post has been up for two days. Worse is that Erick Erickson defended the image as not Photoshopped when called out on Twitter, and then some.

Folks contacted me privately after I tweeted earlier.

Again, not that big a deal. That said, here's Jen Kuznicki, "RedState misstates Palin and misses the point":

 photo c43c10fa-66cb-4f76-8948-0289bbe1e12e_zps57087236.jpg
Anger erupted on twitter after RedState’s Peter List posted a photoshopped cleavage picture of Sarah Palin on his Diary, but the content of his post misstated her position, and shows how little he knows about the current fight going on in the GOP.

For all its buzz, RedState is a fairly static presence on the web. For instance, you can miss reading it for about 2 years, and then jump back in, and they are saying the same thing, with the same people, pointing out the same circumstance, and frankly, being really nasty and angry in the comment section.

List says that Palin’s third party solution is part of the problem. He knows she didn’t come up with a third party plan, and if he knows anything about boots-on-the-ground grassroots work, he would know that the third party idea is prevalent in the GOP rank and file. In his misleading post, List points to another RedState writer and how he has laid out the way to take over the GOP.

Is List ‘taking over’ the GOP? It seems to me that if you are going to preach it, you ought to do it. If he is in the fight, good, but I do not see the insight in his post that would prove such. For him, and his clique at RedState, I’ll lend a hand to show what has happened to warrant what many see as a possible alternative. And I’d like to stress the fact that Palin didn’t say she’s going third, she said, ‘if’ the current GOP establishment keeps on doing what they are doing, it certainly is a factor.
RTWT.

Jen's got a handle on the grumbles at the grassroots. Mostly, I just like how Erick Erickson gets a pass.

More on Twitter:



ADDED: This post has a lot of the details that I was unable to locate as I was writing this essay: "RedState Posts Demeaning Photoshop of Governor Palin, Denies When Confronted — Updated."

Also, from Dan Riehl, "Erickson and His Redstate Boys Never Learn, Titter at Faux Palin Ta-Ta’s." (Original photo there, compared to the Photoshop.)

Here's still more at C4P, "RedState Boys Act Like Leftists When Confronted On Smears Against Governor Palin," and "Redstate Posts Demeaning Photoshop of Governor Palin, Denies When Confronted — Updated."

Elle MacPherson Recreates 1984 Playboy Cover for Australian Harper's Bazaar Magazine

She's 49 and in amazing physical condition.

As lithe was she was 19 years ago.

At London's Daily Mail, "Rolling back the (naked) years! Elle MacPherson, 49, poses in just a pair of stockings to recreate iconic 1994 Playboy cover."

RELATED: At the Other McCain, "Rick-Rolled by HuffPost."

Defiant Morsi Rejects Calls to Step Down

At the Wall Street Journal, "Egypt's Leader Vows to Stay: Defiant Morsi Rejects Military Pressure, Calls to Step Down; 'I Have No Choice'":

CAIRO—Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi rejected protesters' calls for him to step down, telling Egyptians in a late-night address that he is willing to give his life "to protect the legitimacy" of the country's ballot box and Islamist-drafted constitution.

Without elaborating, he mentioned the possibility of parliamentary elections in six months, part of a list of proposals he said he would consider during talks with the opposition.

Moments later, antigovernment protesters in four provinces across Egypt chanted against the president, calling for him and his Muslim Brotherhood-backed party to leave, according to live footage. Antigovernment protests again swelled on Egypt's streets, reaching millions, according to local media estimates, just hours ahead of the military's Wednesday deadline for Mr. Morsi to patch relations with the country's opposition.

Morsi supporters and antigovernment protesters clashed near Cairo University in the suburb of Giza late Tuesday, leaving at least four people dead, according to the Ministry of Health. The groups traded fire of rubber bullets and pellets in Cairo's Kit Kat district, according to residents and local media.

The Obama administration has used U.S. diplomatic and military channels to deliver quiet messages and warnings to Mr. Morsi and Egyptian commanders to try to head off the crisis and avert any military coup, according to current and former officials.
Continue reading.

And from Mandy Nagy, at Legal Insurrection, "Morsi rejects military ultimatum (Update: “I am prepared to sacrifice my blood”)(Update No. 2: Egypt army says ready to die in “final hours”)."

So Feminists Hate Makeup?

I had no idea.

Here's my tweet from last night after seeing Jessica Valenti retweeted in my timeline:


Valenti got a kick out of it.
Depending on your browser, you might be able to see all the responses in the Twitter timeline. Here's a few choice attacks from all the feminist psycho-vituperation:



And a little backup from the guys:



The inspiration for my feminist trolls, or Ms. Valenti at least:



Tuesday, July 2, 2013

#ObamaCare Delayed Until 2015

Technically, it's the mandate requiring that employers provide their workers with health insurance that's taking a hit, but since that's really the heart of ObamaCare --- and the Supreme Court ruled as well that individuals who don't buy insurance on their own must pay a tax --- we're really seeing the entire 2009 healthcare cluster-k being repudiated by the Obama White House. This gives Democrats a lifeline to save their sinking asses in the 2014 election, but since the Democrats are in effect admitting their own incompetence (and deception) the Republicans will have an even more powerful hammer to crush the idiot Democrat-Socialists a year from November.

At Twitchy, "Report: WH will delay Obamacare employer mandate until 2015."

And at the New York Times, "Obama Administration to Delay Health Law Requirement Until 2015":


WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced on Tuesday that it would delay for a year, until 2015, the Affordable Care Act mandate that employers provide coverage for their workers or pay penalties, responding to business complaints and postponing the effective date beyond next year’s midterm elections.

“We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively,” Mark J. Mazur, an assistant Treasury secretary, wrote on the department’s Web site in disclosing the delay. “We recognize that the vast majority of businesses that will need to do this reporting already provide health insurance to their workers, and we want to make sure it is easy for others to do so.”

Under the 2010 law, employers of more than 50 full-time employees were required to provide them with health insurance starting next year or face fines. Numerous reports had suggested that some companies with payrolls at or just over that size were complaining that they would have to cut some jobs or switch some full-time workers to part-time employment.

The change does not affect other central provisions of the law, in particular those establishing health care marketplaces in the states — known as exchanges — where individual Americans without health insurance can shop from a menu of insurance policies. Under those provisions, subsidies are available for lower-income individuals who qualify.

However, it will be difficult for officials running the exchanges to know who is entitled to subsidies if they are not able to confirm whether employers are offering insurance to their employees. Enrollment in the exchanges is to begin on Oct. 1, and they are to take effect on Jan. 1.

Much of the administration’s public effort, especially at the Department of Health and Human Services, has been directed toward spreading the word to uninsured Americans, especially younger and healthier individuals whose participation is needed to help keep down the price of premiums for everyone else. About 15 percent of Americans are uninsured, so most individuals are unaffected, at least initially.

Behind the scenes, however, the administration has been fielding questions and criticism from businesses about the mandated reporting requirements — especially the Treasury Department, which has responsibility, given its oversight of the nation’s tax reporting system.

Mr. Mazur wrote that the one-year delay “will allow us to consider ways to simplify the new reporting requirements consistent with the law." He added, “Second, it will provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible for their employees.”

Within the next week, he added, the Treasury will issue official guidance to insurers, self-insuring employers and other parties that provide health coverage. Formal rules will be proposed later this summer, he added.

Don't #StandWithWendy Davis

It turns out Kirsten Powers ain't standing with the idiot Wendy Davis.


Also at Memeorandum.

FRC Launches 'Voice of the Voiceless'

According to the group's information page:
The mission of Voice of the Voiceless is to defend the rights of former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attraction, and their families. We also support the faith-based community and work actively in the United States to defend the constitutional rights of all Americans to share their views of homosexuality in the public forum. We support similar international efforts and provide assistance, whenever possible, to individuals and organizations abroad who align with our mission and goals.
And there's a related Facebook page as well, "Ex-Gays Protecting Traditional Marriage."

Traditional Marriage photo 68276_435290276520758_47369757_n_zpsa46dce0f.jpg


Via Memeorandum, where the regressive homosexuals are working overtime on demonizing FRC.

Stay classy, progs. Because we know you people are the model for happy families.


Two Homosexual Men Convicted for Making Hardcore Child Pornography With Adopted Son From Russia

Hey, another day, another news item from the left's program of unicorns and rainbows on the homosexual equality frontier.

Yay progs!

At the Other McCain, "Two Gay Men Used Russian Surrogate Mother to Create Boy for Sex Abuse Ring."

As I've been reporting, it's a daily barrage of progressive contempt and abuse for decency, values and the law. But seriously. Two Los Angeles homosexuals use a Russian surrogate mom to create a baby boy rape toy. That is Democrat values there for you, perfectly.

Australia Couple photo childporn30n-1a-web_zpsf8445d4b.jpg

And come to think of it, LGM's Scotty Lame-ieux needs to update his essay on "the liberal agenda."

Dude, no worries.

There's so much more ahead for the progressive left. Unicorns, rainbows, and homosexual baby boy bondage! Proletarian child pornographers unite!

Hawthorne Police Gun Down Rottweiler After Owner Films SWAT Operation

I like this headline at RT, "Cops arrest California man for filming them and then kill his dog (VIDEO)."

London Daily Mail, "Heartbreaking moment cops shot and killed dog who leapt at officers when owner was being arrested for FILMING them."

The video's all over YouTube, but I think this comment pretty much sums things up:
Several issues here. The very first thing is the guy that has involved himself into a situation that he should have avoided. He should have stayed quiet and watched, not commented while videotaping. He was looking for an issue and found it from a more than willing police force. The dog was an unfortunate victim of stupid actions on the owners part and the police force. STFU and let the officers do their job (which seldom happens) and this crap wouldn't happen. I feel sorry for the dog.
Added: At the Los Angeles Times, "Police fatally shoot Rottweiler; dog's owner alleges retaliation."

UnitedHealth, Nation's Largest Health Insurer, Will Leave California's Individual Insurance Market

You know, because ObamaCare was supposed to increase competition and drive down rates, or something.

Ezra Klein hardest hit, after Obama that is.

At the Los Angeles Times, "UnitedHealth to exit individual insurance market in California":
The nation's largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group Inc., is leaving California's individual health insurance market, the second major company to exit in advance of major changes under the Affordable Care Act.

UnitedHealth said it had notified state regulators that it would leave the state's individual market at year-end and force about 8,000 customers to find new coverage. Last month, Aetna Inc., the nation's third-largest health insurer, made a similar move affecting about 50,000 existing policyholders.

Both companies will keep a major presence in California, focusing instead on large and small employers.

The moves illustrate how different companies are responding to a major overhaul of the health insurance market for millions of consumers. Starting Jan. 1, the federal healthcare law forces insurers to accept all individual applicants regardless of their medical history and provide a comprehensive set of benefits with limits on patients' out-of-pocket spending.

Healthcare experts said some national insurers aren't interested in playing by those new rules in states where their presence in the individual market is relatively small and more profits can be made by tending to the employer market.

"The business model of health insurance is fundamentally changing and some companies are willing and able to adapt," said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms. "Given the limited market share those carriers had, UnitedHealth and Aetna have made the calculation that it required too much of an investment to change their strategy in California."

A spokeswoman for UnitedHealth said "our individual business in California has always been relatively small … [and] over the years, it has become more difficult to administer these plans in a cost-effective way for our members."

The departure of another big-name insurer raised concerns about the effect of reduced competition on California consumers.

"I don't think this is a good result for consumers," said California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "It means less choice, less competition and even more consolidation of the individual market with three big carriers."
The whole point to ObamaCare was to make insurance affordable precisely to those individuals not covered by the employers' market. It's failing.

Added: From Foxmuldar's Blog, "Obamacare Impact: Another Insurer Leaves California Market."

Germany's Sabine Lisicki Ends Serena Williams' 34-Match Winning Streak

From Helene Elliott, at the Los Angeles Times, "Serena Williams' Wimbledon loss is latest, biggest tennis shocker":


WIMBLEDON, England — Serena Williams insisted her round-of-16 loss to Germany's Sabine Lisicki wasn't a shock, because Lisicki is a good grass-court player with a "massive, massive serve" and was vastly underrated as the 23rd seed. In many ways, that made sense.

What triggered gasps throughout a sport thrown off-kilter by a flood of upsets last week was how unaggressive Williams often was. Overwhelmingly favored to win her sixth Wimbledon and 17th Grand Slam title, she was so ineffective at crucial moments, and so tentative, that "shocking" is the only fitting description for her performance, if not the result itself.

Lisicki's big serve and even bigger store of feistiness were her key weapons Monday in a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 triumph at Center Court. Although Lisicki lost 14 straight points and nine straight games at one stage — she dropped the final six games of the second set and the first three games of the third — she bounced back decisively to end Williams' 34-match winning streak.

"I went into this match feeling that I could win," said Lisicki, who lives in Bradenton, Fla. "I just was fighting for every single point no matter what was happening out there."

Williams, the defending champion, didn't play like the woman who owns 16 Grand Slam titles and had lost only twice this year. She had a chance to seize control when she led 3-0 and 15-0 in the third set but hit a couple of forehands long and gave Lisicki an opening. Lisicki broke her twice and held serve in a 10-point game to pull even at 4-4 before breaking a rattled Williams again for a 5-4 lead.

"I think that I didn't play the big points good enough," Williams said with admirable honesty. "I didn't do what I do best. I think I had a little hesitation, and that explains it.

"I definitely had my opportunities and I didn't take them. Maybe I backed off a little bit at some points. If I'm going to be successful, I'm never going to do it backing off."
She got whooped by a cracka!

More at that top link.

'I was offended because I believe as a Christian woman it is my prerogative to display my faith any way I like so long as it is not harming anyone else...'

Because outwardly expressing your faith in Christ is hateful. Hateful!

At Campus reform, "Public university allegedly orders student to remove cross necklace because ‘it might offend others’":
A student at a public university in California is alleging school officials ordered her to remove a cross necklace while she was working at an orientation fair because they feared others find the religious symbol offensive.

Nineteen year-old Audrey Jarvis, an employee of Sonoma State University’s (SSU) Associated Students Productions (ASP), told FOX News her supervisor initially ordered her to remove the necklace because “it might offend others, it might make incoming students feel unwelcome, or it might cause incoming students to feel that ASP was not an organization they should join.”

In a second encounter, her supervisor reportedly told her to hide the cross under her shirt or remove it.

Jarvis, identifies as devout Catholic, said she was in “complete shock” and “thrown for a loop” by her supervisor’s instructions.

“I was offended because I believe as a Christian woman it is my prerogative to display my faith any way I like so long as it is not harming anyone else,” Jarvis told FOX News. “I was very hurt and felt as if the university’s mission statement – which includes tolerance and inclusivity to all – was violated.”
More at that top link.

Don't Say the N-Word!

Unless you're a black mofo!


Or, well, unless you're a cracka like racist T-Bogg at Firedoglake!

More here, at Twitchy, "Replete with delete: Sarah Silverman deletes tweets explaining why she deleted N-word tweets."