Sarah Silverman Wants to 'Anally Probe' Governor Scott Walker

Pat Dollard has it, "Sarah Silverman on New Wisconsin Abortion Law: ‘I’d Very Much Like to Anally Probe Governor Scott Walker’."

I'd very much like to anally probe @govwalker each time he needs to make an "informed decision" http://t.co/oAcUsGd3eb

— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) July 5, 2013

Funny thing is, conservatives are illustrating all these Sarah Silverman posts with Silverman's titillating tits pic, but she's not very hot, actually, at least not at this Egotastic! piece, "Sarah Silverman and Michelle Williams Full Frontal Nekkid in ‘Take This Waltz’."

More at Twitchy, "Sarah Silverman would like to anally probe Gov. Scott Walker."

State Department Retracts Denial of John Kerry Yachting During Egypt Crisis

Twitchy was on this story for an entire weekend before MSM outlets got up to speed, and there's more here, "‘Ketchup in the Rye’: Kerry’s failboat folly leads to hilarious #JohnKerryYachtNames hashtag."

Plus, from Katie Pavlich, at Townhall, "Busted: Secretary of State John Kerry Was Boating While Egypt Fell Apart."

Obama: Still Wrong on Egypt, and the World

From Walter Russell Mead, "Still Wrong About Egypt — and Wrong About the World."

Commenting on the president's anodyne and vapid statement on Egypt, Mead writes:

Concludes President Obama:

No transition to democracy comes without difficulty, but in the end it must stay true to the will of the people. An honest, capable and representative government is what ordinary Egyptians seek and what they deserve. The longstanding partnership between the United States and Egypt is based on shared interests and values, and we will continue to work with the Egyptian people to ensure that Egypt’s transition to democracy succeeds.

One hopes the President understands what drivel this is. It is not at all clear that Egypt is in the midst of a transition to democracy. It is in the midst of a crisis of authority and has been wallowing for some time in a damaging crisis of governance, but is Egypt really in a transition to democracy? And is democracy really what “ordinary” Egyptians want?

Right now one suspects that most Egyptians fear that the country could be in a transition to anarchy, and that what ordinary Egyptians (who are extremely poor by US standards and earn their bread by the sweat of their brow with very little cushion against illness or a bad day at the market) want most of all right now is security. They aren’t fretting so much about when they will have a government more like Norway’s as they are terrified that their country is sliding in the direction of Libya, Syria or Iraq.

As is often the case, Washington policymakers seem to be paying too much attention to the glibbest of political scientists and the vaporings of the Davoisie. Egypt has none of the signs that would lead historians to think democracy is just around the corner. Mubarak was not Franco, and Egypt is not Spain. What’s happening in Egypt isn’t the robust flowering of a civil society so dynamic and so democratic that it can no longer be held back by dictatorial power.

Virtually every policeman and government official in the country takes bribes. Most journalists have lied for pay or worked comfortably within the confines of a heavily censored press all their careers. The Interior Ministry has files, often stuffed with incriminating or humiliating information about most of the political class. The legal system bowed like a reed before the wind of the Mubarak government’s will, and nothing about the character of its members has changed. The business class serves the political powers; the Copts by and large will bow to the will of any authority willing to protect them.

And Americans should not deceive themselves. While some of Morsi’s failure was the result of overreaching and dumb choices on his part, he faced a capital strike and an intense campaign of passive resistance by a government and business establishment backed by an army in bed with both groups. Their strategy was to bring Morsi down by sabotaging the economy, frustrating his policies and isolating his appointees. Although Egypt’s liberals supported the effort out of fear of the Islamists, the strategy had nothing to do with a transition to democracy, and it worked.

This is not to say that Morsi or his movement had a viable alternative policy or governance model for Egypt. They didn’t. The Muslim Brotherhood had no clue how Egypt could be governed, and a combination of incompetence, corruption, factionalism and religious dogmatism began to wreck Morsi’s government from Day One.

If American policy toward Egypt is based on the assumption that Egypt is having a “messy transition” to democracy and that we must shepherd the poor dears to the broad sunny uplands, encouraging when they do well, chiding when they misstep, Washington will keep looking foolish and our influence will continue to fade. If that is the approach our foolishness compels us to take, look for more cases in which American good intentions just make us more hated—not because we are wicked, but because we are clueless.

Islamists Learn: Governing Is Hard

A good piece, at the New York Times, "For Islamists, Dire Lessons on Politics and Power":

CAIRO — Sheik Mohamed Abu Sidra had watched in exasperation for months as President Mohamed Morsi and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood bounced from one debilitating political battle to another.

“The Brotherhood went too fast, they tried to take too much,” Sheik Abu Sidra, an influential ultraconservative Islamist in Benghazi, Libya, said Thursday, a day after the Egyptian military deposed and detained Mr. Morsi and began arresting his Brotherhood allies.

But at the same time, Sheik Abu Sidra said, Mr. Morsi’s overthrow had made it far more difficult for him to persuade Benghazi’s Islamist militias to put down their weapons and trust in democracy.

“Do you think I can sell that to the people anymore?” he asked. “I have been saying all along, ‘If you want to build Shariah law, come to elections.’ Now they will just say, ‘Look at Egypt,’ and you don’t need to say anything else.”

From Benghazi to Abu Dhabi, Islamists are drawing lessons from Mr. Morsi’s ouster that could shape political Islam for a generation. For some, it demonstrated the futility of democracy in a world dominated by Western powers and their client states. But others, acknowledging that the takeover accompanied a broad popular backlash, also faulted the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood for reaching too fast for so many levers of power.

The Brotherhood’s fall is the greatest in an array of setbacks that have halted the once seemingly unstoppable march of political Islam. As they have moved from opposition to establishment, Islamist parties in Turkey, Tunisia and now Egypt have all been caught up in crises over the secular practicalities of governing like power sharing, urban planning, public security or even keeping the lights on.

Brotherhood leaders — the few who have not been arrested or dropped out of sight — have little doubt about the source of their problems. They say that the Egyptian security forces and bureaucracy conspired to sabotage their rule, and that the generals seized on the chance to topple the Morsi government under the cover of popular anger at the dysfunction of the state.

Their account strikes a chord with fellow Islamists around the region who are all too familiar with the historic turning points when, they say, military crackdowns stole their imminent democratic victories: Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954; Algeria in 1991; and the Palestinian territories in 2006.

“The message will resonate throughout the Muslim world loud and clear: democracy is not for Muslims,” Essam el-Haddad, Mr. Morsi’s foreign policy adviser, warned on his official Web site shortly before the military detained him and cut off all his communication. The overthrow of an elected Islamist government in Egypt, the symbolic heart of the Arab world, Mr. Haddad wrote, would fuel more violent terrorism than the Western wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And he took aim at Western critics of the Islamists. “The silence of all of those voices with an impending military coup is hypocritical,” Mr. Haddad wrote, “and that hypocrisy will not be lost on a large swath of Egyptians, Arabs and Muslims.”

Well, nobody's coming out roses so far. If folks aren't careful we'll be seeing Damascus on the Nile before too long.

See also, Ashraf Khalil, at Foreign Affairs, "The Irony of Tahrir Square."

Prosecution Rests in George Zimmerman Trial

At the Wall Street Journal, "Prosecution Rests Its Case in Zimmerman Murder Trial":

SANFORD, Fla.—Prosecutors in the George Zimmerman murder trial rested their case Friday, after spending two weeks depicting the defendant as an aggressive vigilante who pursued 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and provoked their deadly altercation.

Among the final witnesses called by the prosecution was Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Mr. Martin, whom Mr. Zimmerman shot and killed in a gated community here last year. Dressed in a dark suit and looking stoic, she identified the screams heard in the background of a 911 call as her son's.

When a defense lawyer questioned whether she could be sure during cross-examination, she replied firmly, "I heard my son screaming."

Drawing on the testimony of 39 witnesses over nine days, attorneys for the state argued that on the night of their encounter, Mr. Zimmerman profiled Mr. Martin as a criminal, then pursued and riled him.

Mr. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and told police he was attacked by Mr. Martin and fired at him in self-defense.

Some testimony bolstered the prosecutors' case. One of their key witnesses—a friend of Mr. Martin's who was on the phone with him moments before he was killed—consistently maintained that Mr. Martin was being pursued by Mr. Zimmerman, despite enduring a long, withering cross-examination.

A medical examiner testified that Mr. Zimmerman's injuries—including a bloody nose and lacerations—were "very insignificant," undercutting the defendant's contention that Mr. Martin repeatedly bashed Mr. Zimmerman's head against a concrete walkway. Meanwhile, a different medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Mr. Martin's body said the teen had no wounds on his hands other than minor abrasions on two fingers.

And a police investigator said Mr. Zimmerman's comments in a phone call to police the night of the incident—including the phrase "f— punks," referring to alleged troublemakers in the neighborhood—showed ill will, a necessary element to prove second-degree murder.

Yet in numerous instances, witnesses for the state offered testimony that could end up benefiting the defense, leaving some legal analysts to question whether the state had met its burden for proving his guilt. One neighbor who had one of the clearest views of the confrontation said Mr. Martin was straddling Mr. Zimmerman on the ground and appeared to be pummeling him.

More at that top link.

And at Legal Insurrection, "Zimmerman Trial Day 9 — Families Feud Over Scream Identification."

Trayon Martin, Rachel Jeantel, and Critical Race Theory

From Colin Flaherty:

Twitter was alive with hundreds of people talking about how more White People should learn Critical Race Theory to understand Jeantel. And their own racism.

Derrick Bell may have invented Critical Race Theory. But Glenn Singleton is the Pied Piper spreading it through schools. What we call achievement, he calls White Privilege.

What we call dim witted and angry — as we saw on the witness stand from Jeantel — Singleton would say is a nothing more than the different learning and communication style of black people: “Non-verbal. Personal. Emotional. Process Oriented.”

This is opposed to “White Talk: Verbal. Impersonal. Intellectual. Task-oriented.”

Glenn Singleton is not just an obscure academic theoretician casting pearls before undergrad sociology students. He trains teachers at hundreds of school districts around the country in how to bring Critical Race Theory into the classroom so they can “overcome the deeply embedded institutional racism” that is the only reason for the achievement gap between black and white students.

Critical Race explains it all: More blacks in prison? Racist cops. Black unemployment? Racist employers. Black drug use? Racist cops ignore white drug users. Black health, black crime, black poverty? Racism. Racism. Racism.

More at that top link.

Via Alan Caruba.

RELATED: At London's Daily Mail, "Police in town where Trayvon Martin was killed prepare for possible riots- in Florida and across the COUNTRY- if George Zimmerman is acquitted."

Shoot, cities around the country should prepare for riots. It's gonna be like the Rodney King trial.

Fourth of July Accident: Investigation Under Way in Simi Valley Fireworks Explosion

Check the link for the video.

FIREWORKS UPDATE: 36 people were injured in Simi Valley Fourth of July accident http://t.co/73P02R7uVA

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 5, 2013

And at the Los Angeles Times, "Police probe fireworks accident; 36 treated at hospitals."

#Snowden Offered Asylum by Venezuela and Nicaragua

At Telegraph UK, "Venezuela and Nicaragua offer Edward Snowden asylum."

And at the Los Angeles Times:

Venezuela, Nicaragua open their doors to NSA leaker Snowden http://t.co/goIgSInvOs

— L.A. Times World (@latimesworld) July 6, 2013

And on Twitter, folks giving Snowden advice: take lots of toilet paper.

Morsi's Ouster Fuels Debate About U.S. Middle East Policy

Actually, we've been having a debate on Middle East policy since this presidential amateur took office.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Morsi's ouster fuels debate on U.S. policy on the Mideast":

Egyptians smarter than Americans Re OBAMA pic.twitter.com/pqOIyjrxfQ

— LeahR (@LeahR77) July 2, 2013

WASHINGTON — The military overthrow of the democratically elected government in Egypt, for decades America's most important Arab ally, has rekindled a fierce debate about whether the Obama administration's Mideast policy has been too passive and ineffective.

President Obama declared that U.S. allegiance was to "democratic principles" after Egypt's military ousted President Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday, but critics charge that the White House made only halfhearted attempts to steer Morsi's increasingly authoritarian government toward democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights.

"They've been late, and slow, and not taken these problems seriously," Michele Dunne, a former State Department official and administration advisor on Egypt who now heads the nonpartisan Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, said Friday.

Obama repeatedly failed "to use leverage to ensure that Egyptian authorities adhere to democratic principles," the Project on Middle East Democracy, an advocacy group in Washington, said in a statement.

The critics, who include Democratic foreign policy stalwarts as well as Republicans, say the upheaval in Egypt, on top of the administration's inability to stem the civil war in Syria or persuade Iran to curb its nuclear program, adds a blot to Obama's foreign policy record.

They blame, in part, Obama's desire to reduce America's overseas commitments after a decade of war, along with his apparent effort to pull back from a leadership position in favor of a more supporting role in the Middle East.

Administration officials say in their defense that Washington has limited influence in Egypt's domestic affairs and that visible efforts to apply U.S. pressure can backfire. They say they have dealt with key political players but have often kept their diplomacy quiet to avoid inflaming Egypt's polarized political environment.

After President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in an "Arab Spring" uprising in February 2011, the White House tried to encourage a transition to democracy. In national elections in June 2012, Morsi won 52% of the presidential vote and his party — the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood — won 48% in parliamentary elections.

Morsi cooperated with Obama in working out a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in November, and White House aides hoped for a relationship with Cairo that could be a model for other Islamist-dominated countries. The chief focus was security cooperation, including joint counter-terrorism operations and support for Egypt's peace treaty with Israel.

Critics now say the U.S. focus on security meant the White House was unwilling to push back when Egypt's military abused human rights, including ordering military trials for 10,000 civilians accused in connection with the 2011 protests, and when the Morsi government began trying to monopolize power.

More at the link.

Italian Model Claudia Romani Sports Patriotic Bikini for Independence Day

The pull of America's soft power.

At London's Daily Mail, "Flying the flag! Italian model Claudia Romani strips to a star-spangled bikini to soak up the sun on Independence Day."

She's on Twitter as well.

Troops Open Fire on Morsi Supporters

At the Los Angeles Times, "Egypt unrest: Troops open fire on ex-President Morsi's supporters." And from the photo caption there, "The body of a supporter of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi lies on the ground after he was shot dead during clashes in Cairo."

And at the New York Times, "Video Shows Shooting of Protester in Egypt."

Photo here.

That dude is f-ked up.

More, "Egypt Protests Turn Increasingly Violent."

Earlier, "Egypt Launches Post-Coup Crackdown."

Added: ColorMeRed on Twitter warns to be cautious about MSM accounts of the violence, and posts this video to show that Muslim Brotherhood cadres may be killing anti-Morsi protesters.

Also at Pat Dollard's, FWIW, "WATCH: Muslim Brotherhood Shoots at Civilians So Cops Will Be Blamed."

And see the Heritage Foundation, "Q&A on Egypt: James Carafano."

3:50pm PST: At London's Daily Mail, "Egypt in chaos: 10 dead as protesters marching on barracks where ousted president Morsi is held are met by tanks on 'Friday of rage'."

4:08pm PST: At the New York Times, "Social Media Updates on Clashes in Cairo."

And from revolutionary socialist Tarek Shalaby:

Chants for Sisi at Hilton Ramses hotel - the frontline of the clashes. This is a sorry sight. #Tahrir

— Tarek Shalaby (@tarekshalaby) July 5, 2013

Left #Tahrir. MB have substantial bird shots on them, but there are weapons on both sides and no presence of army or police to stop. #June30

— Tarek Shalaby (@tarekshalaby) July 5, 2013

And from CNN's Ben Wedeman:

Must watch Video: Morsi supporters threatening terrorism, Christians, Sisi, etc., etc., etc. http://t.co/20nco1GvM6 #Egypt #30June #June30

— benwedeman (@bencnn) 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:

NSA surveillance: protesters stage Restore the Fourth rallies across US: http://t.co/LRasJxKCsJ

— The Guardian (@guardian) July 5, 2013

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."

Sorry to everyone I snarked at for asking me to change the photo & to @SarahPalinUSA, didn't know it was fake. Peter is updating it today.
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) July 4, 2013

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:

.@lamblock #Angels rally in ninth inning to defeat Cardinals http://t.co/YVcUAn7wzQ #Cardinals #MLB #Baseball #RallyMonkey
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 5, 2013

Fireworks earlier tonight after #Angels dramatic come-from-behind win. #4thofJuly pic.twitter.com/vmSiG4vGc0
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 5, 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."

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."

Conservative women get enough disrespect from Left. Think before you frag.
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 3, 2013

Ben Howe hardest hit:

Surprised to see a site I have long supported and promoted, cast aspersions onto my character. We get enough of that from MSM.
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) July 4, 2013

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.

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":

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."

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):

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.

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":

Obama on the wrong side of history twice in Egypt. Calls for Mubarak to step down but not Morsi. Nice work.

— Kirsten Powers (@kirstenpowers10) July 3, 2013

Yeah, well. As I tweeted earlier:

He's got no clue, really. RT @emilydparker "Obama orders US to review aid to Egypt" http://t.co/eoKetOf9NF …

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 3, 2013

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!

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."

Megyn Kelly to Get Prime-Time Slot on Fox News

At the New York Times:

Back in my May 7 story (http://t.co/fRRaUPBe2c) Greta Van Susteren's husband hinted about a new time slot for her. Maybe weekend prime time?

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 2, 2013

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":

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:

@Josh_Painter I have no idea nor do I care if it's a Photoshop. She your Mohammed or something? @EWErickson @arias_harley
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) July 2, 2013

At what point do you blame the famous person for their absolutely insane cultist followers?
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) July 2, 2013

I second this. RT @Pqlyur1: Just fix this and come clean @EWErickson and @BenHowe...Jeeze... http://t.co/i4gu90WuFQ”
— Pam Swan (@pjswan) July 2, 2013

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”)."