Rescuing Johnson's Vietnam Legacy: Why? And Why Now?

I don't really think it's time to memorialize President Johnson and Vietnam (perhaps his domestic legacy, but not the war). We entered the conflict in 1964, perhaps (in a big way at least, with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution). But there are many other dates that could commemorate Johnson's legacy much better, not the least of which is March 31, 1968, when he announced he would not seek a second term.

Interesting, in any case.

At the New York Times, "Rescuing a Vietnam Casualty: Johnson’s Legacy" [added Memeorandum link]:

AUSTIN, Tex. — Luci Baines Johnson leaned forward in her father’s private suite at the L.B.J. Presidential Library, her voice breaking as she recounted the “agony of Vietnam” that engulfed Lyndon Baines Johnson and the pain she feels to this day of witnessing his presidency judged through the prism of a failed war.

“Nobody wanted that war less than Lyndon Johnson,” said Ms. Johnson, 66, who is the president’s younger daughter. “No matter how hard he tried, he didn’t seem to be able to get out of that quagmire. Not only did he not get out of it in his lifetime, but his legacy indeed has that weight of the world on it.”

But now, 50 years later — with a coming rush of anniversaries of the legislative milestones of the Johnson presidency — Ms. Johnson and the diminishing circle of family and friends from those White House years have commenced one last campaign. They are seeking a reconsideration of Johnson’s legacy as president, arguing that it has been overwhelmed by the tragedy of the Vietnam War, and has failed to take into account the blizzard of domestic legislation enacted in the five years Johnson was in the White House.

On Monday, the L.B.J. Presidential Library and Museum will announce details of a Civil Rights Summit to be held here in April to commemorate Johnson’s signing of the Civil Rights Act, attended by three of the four living former presidents — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush — and perhaps President Obama.

A ceremony is being planned inside the massive slab of the L.B.J. Library, to be followed by celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Johnson initiatives: Medicare, the Clean Air Act, public broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Head Start, the requirements for seatbelts, and warnings on cigarette packs. The events are intended to offer a counterweight to the way Johnson has been portrayed over the past decades.

“Our goal has NEVER been to create a false image of L.B.J.,” wrote Tom Johnson, a former president of CNN and a former publisher of The Los Angeles Times, who served for 40 years as chairman of the L.B.J. Foundation, in an email to other foundation members. “What we are striving to do is to achieve recognition of the truth about L.B.J.’s years, most of which (except Vietnam and some recognition of civil rights) has been forgotten or swamped by Vietnam.”

Ms. Johnson responded to that with a one-word note: “AMEN!”

Larry Temple, a former Johnson aide who is the chairman of the L.B.J. Foundation, said the coming months might offer a last opportunity for the surviving members of the Johnson administration to make his case. “The next five years will be the 50th anniversary of everything he did,” he said.

The campaign comes at the end of a long period in which aides and advisers to Johnson, who died at age 64 in 1973, have largely stayed in the shadows, quieted by the memory of a war that still prompts anguished debate and condemnation. They have patiently watched the adulation of John F. Kennedy — whom Johnson succeeded and with whom he had a decidedly competitive relationship — that accompanied the commemoration of another 50th anniversary: the Kennedy assassination.

“I’ll tell you: I don’t think people understand that this country today reflects more of Lyndon Johnson’s years in the White House than the years of any other president,” said Joseph A. Califano Jr., who was Johnson’s top domestic aide in the White House.

This advocacy of a broader view of Johnson is not confined to his immediate circle. “I absolutely think the time has come,” said Doris Kearns Goodwin, a historian who wrote a biography of Johnson. “When he left office, the trial and tribulations of the war were so emotional that it was hard to see everything else he had done beyond Vietnam. The country fundamentally changes as a result of L.B.J.’s presidency.”

Keep reading.

Look, for a long time Johnson was my favorite president. I looked especially to his domestic policies as the model for the new civil rights-era Democrat Party state. That is, of course, when I was naive and impressionistic. It turns out that the Johnson administration's War on Poverty has been a complete failure, and as much as his civil rights legacy survives it's been perverted by a Democrat-progressive victimization bureaucracy that has no intention of taking advantage of the promise of equality that is Johnson's true gift. It's a travesty of our perverted politics that this is so, but what can you say? At least Democrats back then fought the good fight against the scourge of global Communism. Today the Democrats embrace Communism while squandering American lives in a mostly faux struggle against the world's forces of totalitarian Islam.

It remains to be seen what's going to be left of this country, much less the Great Society. I would think that Johnson's heirs might be more worried about that rather than whether or not a just but bungled war has overshadowed LBJ's proper place in the annals.

At the Video: Part I of Frontline's, "Vietnam: A Television History," which first aired on PBS in 1983.

War Guilt: Questions of Culpability Still Divide German WWI Historians

At Der Spiegel, "World War I Guilt: Culpability Question Divides Historians Today":

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I and the 75th of the start of World War II. Questions over the degree of German guilt remain contentious among historians, who have been fighting over the issue for years.

In his book "The Blood Intoxication of the Bolsheviks," published in the early 1920s, a certain R. Nilostonsky described a particularly horrific form of torture used in the Russian civil war. A rat was placed into an iron pipe, which was then pressed against the body of a prisoner. When the torturers placed the other end of the pipe against a fire, the panic-stricken rat had only one choice: to eat its way through the prisoner.

When Hitler met with his officers on Feb. 1, 1943, after the defeat at Stalingrad, he told them that he suspected some German prisoners were likely to commit treason. "You have to imagine a prisoner being brought to Moscow, and then imagine the 'rat cage.' That prisoner will sign anything."

Historian Ernst Nolte published an essay in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on June 6, 1986. In it, he suggested that Hitler's use of the term "rat cage" meant that the Nazi leader had heard of the Soviet form of torture involving a rat and a pipe. For Nolte, this served as evidence of the fear that Hitler and his men had of the Russians, a fear that could have "prompted" them to commit genocide.

In 1988, historian Hans-Ulrich Wehler published a book in which he devoted an entire chapter to the "rat cage," in an effort to prove that Nolte's theory was wrong.

As much as their debate seemed to revolve around rats, the real issue was culpability. How much guilt has Germany acquired throughout its history? And does the anecdote about Hitler and the Russian rat torture somehow diminish German guilt?

This year will be a historic one, marking three important anniversaries: the 100th anniversary of the eruption of World War I, the 75th anniversary of the start of World War II and the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The first two dates have been the source of heated debates among German intellectuals. The Fischer controversy in the early 1960s had to do with assigning blame for the eruption of World War I, while the dispute between historians in the mid-1980s revolved around culpability for the Holocaust. Both debates were informed by the positions in what was then a divided nation, including views on German unification.

History is not just history, but also a part of the present. This is especially true of Germany. The overwhelming history of the 20th century engulfed the country and shaped the consciousness of politically active citizens.

Both debates ended in victory for those who advocated Germany accepting the greatest possible culpability and therefore sought to exclude the possibility of German reunification, fearing that a unified Germany could lead to fatal consequences, perhaps even a third world war. As a result, German consciousness was strongly influenced by this acceptance of guilt for decades to come.

A New Identity for Germans?

In the meantime, new information has come to light on the issues in both debates, which tends to support the losing side. Could this lead to a new national identity for Germans?

The importance of this question underscores the need to revisit the Fischer controversy and the dispute among historians in this historic year. It also focuses our attention, once again, on a controversial concept of the day: revisionism. It was once anathema to one side of the debate, and subsequently to the other. But it's a necessary debate.

A device that has already been relegated to history stands on the desk of Hans-Ulrich Wehler: a typewriter. In a sense, Wehler lives between the Netherlands and Italy, in a white house on the outskirts of the northwestern German city of Bielefeld, near the underground Dutch-Italian natural gas pipeline. For Wehler, living so close to the pipeline means that nothing can be built to spoil his view. When he sits in his office, he looks out at trees and meadows. Behind him are enough books to take an ordinary person an entire life to read, but for Wehler they represent only a small portion of his reading material.

He was a professor at the University of Bielefeld for 25 years. His most important work is a book called "Deutsche Gesellschaftsgeschichte" (German Social History). Wehler, 82, is a slim, cheerful man with a hint of the singsong accent typical of the Rhineland region.

When he was an assistant professor at the University of Cologne in the early 1960s, Wehler attended a colloquium led by Hamburg historian Fritz Fischer. But he was disappointed. He had expected something wild and exciting, but Fischer was a conservative man who "engaged in the conventional history of diplomacy."

More.

And go to the source, "Fritz Fischer, "GERMANY AND THE OUTBREAK OF WAR."

'Knock That White Boy Out!' — Mob of Black Teens Attacks Army Veteran Matthew Robinson

The left is destroying this country.

At Instapundit, "OBAMA’S POST-RACIAL AMERICA: Mob of teens film themselves attacking and robbing disabled vet while shouting ‘Knock that white boy out!’"

Putin Is Playing a Game of His Own

From Walter Russell Mead, at WSJ, "The Russian president's razzle-dazzle diplomacy seeks to reverse, delay or hide his country's decline":

The most daring and acrobatic figure in Sochi this week isn't a snowboarder; it is Vladimir Putin, whose death-defying geopolitical gamble is the hottest game in town. With more twists and turns than a bobsled race, more fancy footwork than a figure-skating final and more dips and flips than a mogul run, Russian diplomacy is a dazzling spectacle these days—and despite his considerable handicaps, Mr. Putin is skating rings around his clumsy and clueless opponents in Washington and Brussels.

The Russian president's biggest problem is simple: Post-Soviet Russia is a weak state. Take away its gas and oil resources, nuclear arsenal and Cold War-era intelligence networks, and there is not much of a there there. With an economy the size of Italy's, an ethnic Russian population in decline, a booming China rising nearby and serious and sustained unrest in the Caucasus, Russia hardly has the look of a great power.

But Mr. Putin can't tell his citizens to relax and enjoy the decline; unlike Britain or France, Russia can't let its imperial glory go. The fall of the Soviet Union is too recent, the pain of loss too great.

Soon after Mr. Putin came to power in 1999, he made his name by crushing a breakaway rebellion in Chechnya, which had gained de facto independence, and flattening its capital, Grozny—only to see the secular rebels he killed or jailed supplanted by ruthless Islamists. To stay in power for the long term, Mr. Putin needs to fight terrorism and insurgencies at home, to make Russia powerful and respected abroad and to make progress on the Russian establishment's dream: to reconstruct the Soviet empire in a postcommunist world.

That goal is still far off, but Mr. Putin has made more progress than many Westerners realize. He stopped NATO's post-Cold War expansion into Russia's backyard in its tracks; beyond the three Baltic republics, no other former Soviet state looks to be joining NATO soon. Meanwhile, as the U.S. war in Afghanistan winds down, Russia's economic and military power in Central Asia grows.

But for Mr. Putin, everything pales beside the battle for Ukraine. After Russia, Ukraine was the largest and most important republic within the Soviet Union; if Ukraine truly aligns its economy with the European Union, Russia can never be more than a secondary European power. Three centuries of empire-building will be over, and Russia—like Great Britain, France and other post-imperial European powers—will have to develop a new self-image and a new foreign policy as it glumly adjusts to a smaller role in the world...

A great piece.

Continue reading.

Lindsey Jacobellis Back for More in Snowboard Cross at #Sochi Olympics

Well, as they say: If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.

At LAT, "She lost the gold by grabbing her board in 2006, didn't make the final in 2010 and is favored this time. She is glad she stuck with it."

I blogged about her in 2010, "Lindsey Jacobellis: Least Clutch Athlete Ever?"

The Left Still Harbors a Soft Spot for Communism

From Cathy Young, at Reason:

In the mid-1980s, in my student days at New Jersey’s Rutgers University, I once got into an argument at the campus pub with a student activist who thought communism was unfairly maligned. (Back then, I had a reputation as a right-wing extremist because I didn’t think it was crazy to call the USSR—from which my family and I had emigrated a few years earlier—an evil empire.) When I mentioned the tendency of communist regimes to rack up a rather high body count, the young man parried, “Well, what about all the people capitalism kills? Like the people who die from smoking so that tobacco companies can make money?”

Having recovered from shock at the sheer idiocy of this argument, I ventured to point out that cigarettes weren’t exactly unknown behind the Iron Curtain. I don’t recall where things went from there; but I was reminded of that conversation the other day, after reading an honest-to-goodness apologia for Communism on Salon.com, a once-interesting magazine that’s rapidly becoming too embarrassing to list on my résumé.

The author, Occupy activist and writer Jesse Myerson, already caused some controversy last month with a Rolling Stone article that outlined a five-step plan toward eliminating inequality and collectivizing wealth. But at least in that piece, Myerson limited himself to extolling a visionary American brand of kumbaya communism rather than defend any of its actual, real-world versions. Here, in an article that purports to correct Americans’ “misconceptions” about communism, he takes the further step of arguing that the real thing wasn’t as bad as we think.

Among these alleged misconceptions: the notion that “Communism killed 110 million people for resisting dispossession.” As an example, Myerson cites a comment by Fox News host Greg Gutfeld that “only the threat of death can prop up a left-wing dream, because no one in their right mind would volunteer for this crap. Hence, 110 million dead.”

Where’s the error? Well, says Myerson, the actual death toll probably wasn’t 110 million. (True; it may have been just under 100 million, which makes it so much better.) Besides, Myerson argues, many of the people killed by the Soviet regime were not resisters against communist utopia or collectivization—they were themselves communists who ran afoul of Stalin.

But here, Myerson battles a straw man. Not even the fiercest anti-Communist has ever suggested that all the victims of the “left-wing dream” died in defense of property rights. Rather, building and sustaining a system based on expropriation required such levels of violent coercion that the repressive juggernaut inevitably began to crush its own—as well as random victims who were neither communists nor anti-communist resisters. (People would end up in the gulag because a spiteful neighbor reported them for a disrespectful remark about Stalin, or simply because the local authorities needed to meet their quota of arrests.)

Myerson offers other well-worn excuses: the Soviets had to fight a civil war, and also “faced (and heroically defeated) the Nazis.” He leaves out the part where Stalin tried to team up with Hitler to gobble up Eastern Europe, refused to heed warnings of an attack for which he left his country shockingly unprepared, and then sent millions of untrained and barely armed recruits to certain slaughter.

As for Red China, Myerson acknowledges that tens of millions died in the famine that resulted from Mao’s “Great Leap Forward”—“a disastrous combination of applied pseudoscience, stat-juking, and political persecution designed to transform China into an industrial superpower”—and then summarily dismisses the notion that communism might be to blame. “Famine,” he explains, “is not a uniquely ‘left-wing’ problem.” Not even, it seems, when that famine is caused directly by the policies of a left-wing regime.

Then, Myerson tries to make the case that capitalism is just as homicidal as communism—and, in a bold stroke of what passes for logic at Salon these days, includes in his indictment deaths that might happen in the future. Specifically, he wants capitalism held accountable for the future death toll from human-made, capitalism-driven climate change. Myerson might be terribly disappointed to learn that, just like smoking-related health problems, environmental degradation is not always the result of capitalist greed: in fact, it’s widely believed to have been particularly bad under communist regimes.

Myerson’s muddled screed might not merit a second thought if it his defense of communism was just a personal eccentricity. Unfortunately, toned-down versions of such whitewashing are fairly common not only on the left but even in mainstream liberal opinion. In 2005, reviewing the book, Mao: the Unknown Story, by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff chided the authors for their overly negative view of the subject: “Mao, however monstrous, also brought useful changes to China. … Mao’s legacy is not all bad.” This rose-tinted view also explains why Westerners who dote on mass-murdering dictators of the left, such as folksinger and onetime Stalin devotee Pete Seeger, tend to get a pass from the media as misguided idealists with their heart in the right place.

More.

And ICYMI, from Robert Stacy McCain, "Intellectuals and the Total State: @JAMyerson’s Dilettante Marxism."

Violent Protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina

A student asked me about this last week, and I hadn't seen much, actually.

So now here comes this report at the New York Times, "Roots of Bosnian Protests Lie in Peace Accords of 1995":

TUZLA, Bosnia and Herzegovina — The local government headquarters here is a shell, its 12 stories charred by fire. Shards of glass tumble from its smashed windows.

But while the destruction evokes the Balkans turmoil of the 1990s, when more than 100,000 people died, it is not a result of war. Rather, Bosnians, diplomats and analysts say, it is an unintended consequence of what ended the conflict: the 1995 Dayton accords, which were negotiated under muscular diplomacy by the United States and bought nearly 20 years of peace but imposed what turned out to be a dysfunctional government structure that has impeded economic progress and left citizens increasingly angry and frustrated.

The long-simmering frustrations of Bosnians erupted a week ago not only in Tuzla but also in a dozen other towns and cities across the country, including the capital, Sarajevo, where the national presidency office bears scars, too.

Ethnic divisions fueled almost four years of war in the 1990s. Today, if there is one thing that unites many of Bosnia’s 3.8 million people — Bosniaks (or Muslims), Serbs and Croats — it is their disgust with the hydra-headed presidency and multiple layers of government that developed to appease the nationalist sentiments of all sides. But the terms of the accords were in time supposed to be replaced by a more streamlined system. They were never supposed to remain in force this long.

This impoverished industrial city of 200,000 in Bosnia’s northeast has the highest unemployment rate in the country — around 55 percent — and it was the fount of the anger that erupted last week, startling Bosnians and outsiders alike.

The system established under the Dayton accords has only helped cement “corrupt, nepotistic and completely complacent elites,” said Damir Arsenijevic, 36, a psychoanalyst who has studied and lectured in Britain, participated in Occupy protests in Oakland, Calif., and is now a prime mover in nightly Tuzla discussions about the way forward.

Workers in Tuzla had protested for months against the botched privatization of four factories, once part of a proud array of industry stretching back to pre-Communist days. Pictures showing police officers beating protesters on Feb. 6 drew crowds into the streets the next day in Tuzla, Sarajevo and two other towns where government buildings were burned, and rocks were hurled at the police.

“Our leaders do not even take it as alarming that 63 percent of young people here are jobless,” said Edin Plevljakovic, 23, a student of English literature in Sarajevo. “We have neither strong politics, nor a very potent elite,” he added. The result? “Bedlam.”

John C. Kornblum, a retired United States ambassador who drafted the Dayton accords as the diplomat Richard C. Holbrooke negotiated them, noted that the complex mechanisms they put in place were intended primarily to secure peace, but they were also supposed to be replaced in three years with a more streamlined governmental structure.

More.

Judge Jeanine Pirro Blasts Obama's Blatant, Unconstitutional Power Grab

She blasts Obama like no other. The president uses his power to "bully like a dictatorship."



And more video: Judge Jeanine interviews Ann Coulter: "Ann Coulter: 'Obama Would Be Impeached If He Weren't America's First Black President."

California's Drought Due to Democrat Politics, Not Global Warming

At IBD, "California's Drought Isn't Due to Global Warming, But Politics":

President Obama visited California's drought-hit Central Valley Friday, offering handouts and blaming global warming. But the state's water shortage is due to the left's refusal to deal with the state's water needs.

Following legislative action last month by Speaker John Boehner and California's Central Valley Representatives David Valadao, Devin Nunes and Kevin McCarthy, whose Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act was designed to resolve the long-standing problem of environmental water cutbacks that have devastated America's richest farmland, Obama is grandstanding in California, too.

His aim, however, is not a long-term solution for California's now-constant water shortages that have hit its $45 billion agricultural industry, but to preach about global warming. Instead of blaming the man-made political causes of California's worst water shortage, he's come with $2 billion in "relief" that's nothing but a tired effort to divert attention from fellow Democrats' dereliction of duty in using the state's water infrastructure.

The one thing that will mitigate droughts in California — a permanent feature of the state — is to restore the water flow from California's water-heavy north to farmers in the central and south. That's just what House Bill 3964, which passed by a 229-191 vote last week, does.

But Obama's plan is not to get that worthy bill through the Senate (where Democrats are holding it up) but to shovel pork to environmental activists and their victims, insultingly offering out-of-work farmers a "summer meal plan" in his package.

"We are not interested in welfare; we want water," Nunes told IBD this week. He and his fellow legislator Valadao are both farmers who represent the worst-hit regions of the Central Valley in Congress and can only look at the president's approach with disbelief.
"He's not addressing the situation," Valadao told us.

"They want to blame the drought for the lack of water, but they wasted water for the past five years," said Nunes.

The Democrats, and especially Obama, haven't a f-king clue about California's agricultural crisis. These water shortages have been going on for years, drought or no drought (thanks to idiot leftists).

But keep reading.

Kelly Brook Flaunts Body in Tights and Sports Bra in Venice

Always lovely.

At Egotastic!, "Kelly Brook’s Curves Come to California (I Need to Hit the Road)."

Groupon Celebrates Hamilton's Birthday for President's Day

Here's the press release, "Groupon Celebrates Presidents Day by Honoring Alexander Hamilton."

Screencap at Hot Air, "Groupon celebrates Presidents Day by honoring former president Alexander Hamilton." And at Twitchy, "Groupon trolls Twitter by honoring ‘President’ Alexander Hamilton."

And the famous "Who Killed Alexander Hamilton - Got Milk" commercial at the Consumerist, "Groupon Offers Special Presidents Day Deal Featuring Former “President” Alexander Hamilton."

Well, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, heh.

Simon Cowell's Voice is Out on U.S. Television

At LAT, "Simon Cowell is now an ex-factor":

Not so long ago, Simon Cowell was probably the most powerful man on American TV.

His cranky, caustic judging had helped make "American Idol" an invincible No. 1 hit. As a producer, he makes "America's Got Talent" and similar shows that have long been top sellers around the world. He ranked No. 17 on Forbes' 2013 Celebrity 100 list, with estimated annual pay of $95 million, and famously predicted that his own "The X Factor" on Fox would hammer "Idol," the singing contest he left in a storm of publicity in 2010.

And now? The hanging judge has fled the stage like a bad karaoke singer, leading many to wonder if the rapidly changing TV business has outrun even someone as savvy as Cowell.

Well, I'm sure he'll be busy with the new baby and all. Congratulations to the dude: "Simon Cowell crosses the Atlantic to welcome baby son Eric."

 

Volkswagen Workers Reject UAW in Devastating Defeat for Organized Labor

This is just too f-king bad.

Like I said after Wisconsin's defeat of the Scott Walker recall, labor troubles signal the death of organized progressivism. The left's socialist agenda keep clawing its way back from the grave, but at the most basic level --- the economic class struggle --- communist progressivism is dead, the assholes.

At Instapundit, "CHANGE: United Auto Workers Union Stunned by Devastating Defeat in Tennessee":

“Workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee have voted against union representation, a devastating loss that derails the United Auto Workers union’s effort to organize Southern factories.” Judging by twitter, the UAW thought they had this one in the bag, which isn’t surprising given that VW wasn’t fighting them. They underestimated how toxic their brand has become.

Or maybe it was this: “The rejection of a key Democratic Party ally occurred despite President Barack Obama’s personal support for the unionization drive.” Speaking of toxic brands...

Also at WSJ, "Union Suffers Big Loss at Tennessee VW Plant: Volkswagen Workers Rejected the UAW by a Vote of 712 to 626":

The United Auto Workers union suffered a crushing defeat Friday, falling short in an election in which it seemed to have a clear path to organizing workers at Volkswagen AG VOW3.XE +1.10%  's plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The setback is a bitter defeat because the union had the cooperation of Volkswagen management and the aid of Germany's powerful IG Metall union, yet it failed to win a majority among the plants 1,550 hourly workers.

Volkswagen workers rejected the union by a vote of 712 to 626. The defeat raises questions about the future of a union that for years has suffered from declining membership and influence, and almost certainly leaves its president, Bob King, who had vowed to organize at least one foreign auto maker by the time he retires in June, with a tarnished legacy.

"If the union can't win [in Chattanooga], it can't win anywhere," said Steve Silvia, a economics and trade professor at American University who has studied labor unions.

The UAW said that "outside interference" affected the outcome of the vote. "Unfortunately, politically motivated third parties threatened the economic future of this facility and the opportunity for workers to create a successful operating model that that would grow jobs in Tennessee," Gary Casteel, the union official in charge of the VW campaign, said in a statement.

Under an agreement the UAW has with Volkswagen, it now must cease all organizing efforts aimed at the Chattanooga plant for at least a year.

A win would have marked the first time the union has been able to organize a foreign-owned auto plant in a Southern U.S. state, and would have been particularly meaningful, because the vote was set in a right-to-work state in the South, where antiunion sentiment is strong and all past UAW organizing drives at automobile plants have failed.

The Chattanooga workers had been courted steadily for nearly two years by both the UAW and the IG Metall union, which pushed Volkswagen management to open talks with the UAW and to refrain from trying to dissuade American workers from union representation.

Mr. King made forging alliances with overseas unions the centerpiece of his strategy after he was elected in 2010. The union now must come up with a way to halt its decline. It once represented 1.5 million workers, but now has about 400,000, and diminished influence, as a result of years of downsizing, layoffs and cutbacks by the three Detroit auto makers General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. F +1.06%  and Chrysler Group.

"The union needs new members. They have to organize the transplants or they don't have much of a future," said Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The election was also extraordinary because Volkswagen choose to cooperate closely with the UAW. Volkswagen allowed UAW organizers to campaign inside the factory—a step rarely seen in this or other industries.

"This is like an alternate universe where everything is turned upside down," said Cliff Hammond, a labor lawyer at Nemeth Law PC in Detroit, who represents management clients but previously worked at the Service Employees International Union. "Usually, companies fight" union drives, he added.

CNN's Don Lemon Slams In-Your-Face Homosexual Johnny Weir

I like Don Lemon. He's homosexual, but pragmatic about it. And for the most part he analyzes the issues from a position of reason.

And so I'm not surprised at all that the CNN commentator just rips this flamboyant idiot homosexual Johnny Weir for his aggressive gay-baiting as a commentator at the Sochi games.

At Big Journalism, "GAY CNN HOST ON JOHNNY WEIR: 'NO ONE LIKES A GAY MINSTREL SHOW'":

On Friday, CNN host Don Lemon, who is gay, said that Johnny Weir's flamboyance could turn people off because nobody likes "a gay minstrel show."

Weir, the former American Olympian and figure skater who is now an NBC analyst at the Sochi Games, has made a name for himself in Sochi by wearing outfits that have as flamboyant as those he wore when he was skating competitively. He has been analyzing figure skating events with fellow US Olympian Tara Lipinksi, and the duo have been called "fabulous."

"And let me just say this I had this conversation with a friend about Johnny Weir and other people who have, who are out and proud," Lemon said on CNN's Newsroom program to host Carol Costello. "No one likes a gay minstrel show. So let's just put that out there."
Lemon said he was referring to "someone who is flamboyant and over the top and all of those it seems those are the people who get the attention but they don't represent all of gay America." He also emphasized that he was not saying anything bad about flamboyant gay people and that there was nothing wrong with that, in his opinion

"Johnny Weir doesn't have to represent all of gay people. Johnny Weir is fabulous. He is flamboyant. He is who he is," Lemon continued. "I've met him several times. I really like him. And I think that we should be happy that Johnny Weir is Johnny Weir and we should leave people like John Becker if they want to be gay activists to be gay activists, people who actually do a really good job at it and just let Johnny Weir be Johnny Weir."

Lemon emphasized that Weir should not have to be a "gay activist just because he's gay" just like "everyone who is African-American" does not have to be a "black activist just because they are black. Johnny Weir is Johnny Weir."

More.

Ho Hum, Another Hollywood Celeb 'Comes Out' as Homosexual: 'Juno' Star Ellen Page Is Latest Left-Wing Idiot to Jump on Bareback Bandwagon

You can't be more mock-worthy, sheesh.

Let my people go!

At the Hollywood Reporter, "Ellen Page Comes Out As Gay: 'I Am Tired of Lying by Omission' (Exclusive)."

And watch the video. Ima cry, mofo.

Congratulations, @EllenPage for taking the steps to live openly and come out as lesbian. #comingout #timetoTHRIVE http://t.co/PneoSUunRk

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) February 15, 2014

Thank you @HRC and everyone for all the love and support. X

— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) February 15, 2014

Jim Fregosi, Former Angels All-Star Shortstop and Manager, Has Died

His was a household name if you're from the O.C.

At the O.C. Register, "Angels ex-manager, All-Star shortstop Jim Fregosi, 71, dies after stroke":

Jim Fregosi, who starred for the Angels in the 1960s and returned to manage the team to its first playoff berth, died Friday morning after suffering a stroke. He was 71.

Fregosi was aboard a Caribbean cruise when he suffered a stroke last weekend. He was hospitalized in the Cayman Islands for several days and then flown on Wednesday to Miami, where he died.

Fregosi was a six-time All-Star shortstop during his playing days with the Angels from 1961-71. He returned to Anaheim to start his managerial career in 1978, and in 1979 he led the Angels to an American League West title, the first postseason appearance in the franchise’s history.

The Angels retired Fregosi’s No. 11 in 1998.

"The Angels organization joins the rest of the Major League Baseball community in mourning the loss today of Jim Fregosi," the team said in a release. "His contributions and passion for the Angels, both as a player and manager, have served as the standard for others within our organization through the years. Jim was one of Mr. Autry's all-time favorite players, and a man who remained in the hearts and memories of long-time Angel fans.

"Jim's induction into the Angels Hall of Fame and the retiring of his uniform No. 11 were among the prouder moments in club history. His personality was infectious, his love of the game legendary, and his knowledge endless. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Joni, and members of the Fregosi family."

Also at the New York Times, "Jim Fregosi, All-Star, Dies at 71; Was Traded for Nolan Ryan."

Google Plus Isn't About Social Networking. It's About Tracking Your Every Move Online

I'm on Blogger and Gmail, so I've long bemoaned the ubiquity of the Google overlords. As yet though, I'm not ready to junk these services. And as it turns out, Google's banking on the same sentiments among millions of Americans.

At the New York Times, "The Plus in Google Plus? It's Mostly for Google":

Google says the information it gains about people through Google Plus helps it create better products — like sending traffic updates to cellphones or knowing whether a search for “Hillary” refers to a family member or to the former secretary of state — as well as better ads.

“It’s about you showing up at Google and having a consistent experience across products so they feel like one product, and that makes your experiences with every Google product better,” Mr. [Vice President Bradley] Horowitz said.

Thanks to Plus, Google knows about people’s friendships on Gmail, the places they go on maps and how they spend their time on the more than two million websites in Google’s ad network. And it is gathering this information even though relatively few people use Plus as their social network. Plus has 29 million unique monthly users on its website and 41 million on smartphones, with some users overlapping, compared with Facebook’s 128 million users on its website and 108 million on phones, according to Nielsen.

The company has also pushed brands to join Plus, offering a powerful incentive in exchange — prime placement on the right-hand side of search results, with photos and promotional posts...

Majority of Americans Believes That #ObamaCare is About Controlling Our Lives

From Katie Pavlich, at Town Hall, "Poll: Majority Believe Purpose of Obamacare Is For Government to 'Control Our Lives'."

Well, remember the even liberal law professors warn that Obama's become a bloody tyrant, so these findings are no surprise.

America's Foreign Policy is Now Trending on Twitter

From Amy Zegart, at Foreign Policy, "The Shortsighted Presidency":

There is nothing quite like the Olympics in Russia to make American political institutions and economic conditions look good. But soon, those podium moments (Go men's freestyle slope skiers!), Vladimir Putin's creepy "pay no attention to my repressive regime" half-smile, and Russia's inability to make flushing toilets or working Olympic ring lights will fade. The spotlight will turn once again to the United States -- and whether it still has what it takes to forge a successful, sustainable foreign policy.

Few would dispute that American political institutions aren't what they used to be. Filibusters, which allow congressional minorities to grind government business to a halt, have skyrocketed, from six in the 91st Congress (1969-1971) to an all-time high of 112 in the 110th Congress (2007-2008). Today's legislators are also more polarized ideologically, with moderates in both parties becoming an endangered species. Trust in government is at an all-time low, with only 10 percent of Americans reporting a high degree of confidence in Congress (compared to 76 percent for the U.S. military).

Our economic fundamentals aren't any prettier, with debt constituting 73 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), higher than any time since around World War II, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That compares to a debt-to-GDP ratio of about 20 percent for China and 94 percent for Spain. Of course, the 2008 recession, which started with the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble, created the worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression, leading to the near collapse of several large financial institutions, sovereign debt crises across Europe, and downturns in stock markets worldwide. But since then, U.S. growth has averaged an anemic 1.075 percent from 2009 to 2012 (compared to an average of 3.68 percent during the second half of the 20th century). And as Nobel laureate Michael Spence notes, the American economy is poorly structured to thrive in the global marketplace, with increasing employment in nontradeable sectors such as government and health care, and an educational system in relative decline.

Yet here's the thing. Even with a gridlocked, polarized, and reckless Congress, a skyrocketing national debt, and a shaky economy, President Barack Obama has been strangely unconstrained in executing his major foreign policy priorities. He surged then drew down in Afghanistan, intervened in Libya, pivoted to Asia, negotiated an interim nuclear deal with Iran, expanded NSA surveillance capabilities, and deployed drones to kill suspected terrorists, including American citizens, around the world without much of a peep from Congress (with the exception of Rand Paul). While many question whether these policies are wise or well-implemented, it's clear that Obama has been able to get much of what he wants on major issues. U.S. foreign policy has hewed closely to his preferences.

What's going on? How can we square these serious institutional and economic conditions with Obama's comparatively free hand in foreign affairs?

It's possible that Obama is simply a persuasive politician, though his domestic policy struggles with health care reform and his outright failure to pass major domestic priorities -- immigration reform, a budget "grand bargain," climate change legislation, or expanded background checks on gun purchases -- suggest otherwise. It is also possible, as the political scientist Aaron Wildavsky famously noted, that presidents are systematically less constrained in the conduct of foreign than domestic policy. The president is, after all, the commander-in-chief, negotiator-in-chief, and secret-information-holder-in-chief, wielding substantial formal powers to strike deals and order strikes abroad, and carrying more informal clout on the world stage than he often does in Washington.

If Wildavsky's "two presidencies" thesis were true, it would be good news, suggesting that coherent foreign policy still has a future. But I think there's a third, more likely, and disconcerting dynamic at play. Like all presidents, Obama is relatively unconstrained in the near term to pursue the foreign policies he desires. But he is seriously and dangerously constrained over the longer term by three factors that are often hard to see -- but growing worse...

Well, let's hope so.

Otherwise quite progressive people are dismissing the f-ker as a bloody tyrant.

Keep reading.

Here's That Megyn Kelly Video with Professor Jonathan Turley Slamming Lawless Obama's Fiendish Presidency

Following up on this entry, "Professor Jonathan Turley Decries Obama's Authoritarianism: Slams the Left's 'Cult of Personality'."

Here's the clip from Megyn's show last night.

O's a fiend for power. Watch this outstanding discussion.

Leanne Bearden Found Hanged

Well, this answers questions I had following my post the other day. She hanged herself, as there was no sign of foul play.

At London's Daily Mail, "Tragedy as wife who vanished is found dead hanged in Texas woods just a month after returning from two-year world-trip."

Smokin' Jennifer Nicole Lee Wet T-Shirt and Bikini Bottom at Miami Beach

This lady loves showing off for the cameras.

At Egotastic!, "Jennifer Nicole Lee Splishy-Splashy Nippletastic Wet T-Shirt Attack on Miami Beach."

Police Shoot, Kill 80-Year-Old Man In His Own Bed, Don't Find the Drugs They Were Looking For

A video from Reason.tv.

Hat Tip: Instapundit.

Here's an initial report the Antelope Valley Times, "UPDATED: Elderly man shot dead by deputies."

Professor Jonathan Turley Decries Obama's Authoritarianism: Slams the Left's 'Cult of Personality'

Professor Turley was just on Megyn Kelly's show on Fox.

It turns out he was doing an encore performance of his appearance on the "Kelly File" on Wednesday. See TPNN, "Liberal Constitutional Professor: ‘Framers Would be Horrified’ at Obama’s Abuse of Power."

And at Hot Air, "Jonathan Turley: The left’s indifference to Obama’s executive power grabs is beginning to border on a cult of personality."

Plus, at Turley's blog, "United States Drops to 46th in Press Freedoms Under Barack Obama."

O's gorging himself on power. He's a fiend for power, simple as that.

And contrary to Turley, the president's policy are not good. Not good at all.

Video transcript at RCP.

Texas Teenager Who Posted 'Facetious' Threat to Facebook Now Faces 10 Years in Prison

It's the story of then 18-year-old Justin Carter, who spewed some nasty Facebook comments last year, which got him in loads of trouble.

But were his comments genuine threats or was this an extreme case of authoritarian policing?

A fascinating piece, at the Dallas Observer, "The Facebook Comment That Ruined a Life" (via Techmeme):

Approximately one hour after Justin Carter posted a sarcastic comment on a Facebook thread, his life began to ­unravel.

The first reaction occurred behind the scenes, in another country. The 18-year-old Carter had no way of knowing that, while he did grunt work at a drapery shop in San Antonio, a person in Canada saw his comments — posted 60 days after the Sandy Hook school-shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut — freaked out and initiated a 24-hour chain reaction of insanity that would wind up with Carter facing 10 years in prison.

Carter's comments were part of a duel between dorks, and may have had something to do with a game with strong dork appeal called League of Legends. But the actual details and context of the online exchange are, in the eyes of Texas authorities, unimportant. Prosecutors say they don't have the entire thread — instead, they have three comments on a cell-phone screenshot.

One of the comments appears to be a response to an earlier comment in which someone called Carter crazy. Carter's retort was: "I'm fucked in the head alright, I think I'ma SHOOT UP A KINDERGARTEN [sic]."

Carter followed with "AND WATCH THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT RAIN DOWN."

When a person writing under the profile name "Hannah Love" responded with "i hope you [burn] in hell you fucking prick," Carter put the cherry on top: "AND EAT THE BEATING HEART OF ONE OF THEM." (The Austin police officer who wrote up the subsequent report noted: "all caps to emphasize his anger or rage." )

That's when someone in Canada — an individual as yet unidentified in court records — notified local authorities. Because Carter's profile listed him as living in Austin, the Canadians sent the tip to the Austin Police Department. Along with a cell-phone screenshot of part of the thread and a link to Carter's Facebook page, the tipster provided this narrative: "This man, Justin Carter, made a number of threats on Facebook to shoot up a class of kindergartners. ... He also made numerous comments telling people to go shoot themselves in the face and drink bleach. The threats to shoot the children were made approximately an hour ago."

The information was forwarded to the Austin Regional Intelligence Center, an information clearinghouse for law enforcement agencies in Travis, Hays and Williams counties...

They tracked that f-ker down fast!

But keep reading.

And hey, this could happen to you, especially with all the vile leftists trolls looking to destroy people of decency and faith.

Michelle Fields Happy Valentine's Day Wishes

On Facebook, "Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you all for supporting me! Love ya all!"

Lots of Grassroots Conservatives Want to See Someone Throw a Wrench in the Washington Spending Machine

From Byron York, at the Washington Examiner, "Angry at Ted Cruz, Republicans should remember what he represents":

Republicans have a good chance to win control of the Senate this November. Democrats are on the defensive over Obamacare, the president is unpopular, and history suggests second-term mid-terms are nearly always unlucky for the White House.

Given that, why is there so much division, backbiting, and bad blood among some Senate Republicans? Last seen during the government shutdown fiasco, the GOP malady returned this week with a debt ceiling mini-fiasco, and it threatens to revisit the Senate any number of times before Election Day.

There is at least one common thread in the shutdown and debt ceiling incidents, and that is Sen. Ted Cruz. For whatever reason, the Texas freshman has at times goaded his party to dysfunction, embarrassment, and defeat. (Not quite singlehandedly; others, like Sens. Mike Lee and Rand Paul, have also been done their bit.)

Many in the GOP believe Cruz is just out for himself. But even if that's true, they have to remember that he represents more than just Ted Cruz. There are a lot of Republicans -- it's not clear how many, but a significant portion of the party's base -- that cheers Cruz on when he battles with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. They want to see a Republican throw a wrench in the Washington spending machine, even if it creates chaos and damages the GOP's standing with independent voters. And it is that conviction that is really behind the party's problems; it is why Republicans would not enjoy smooth sailing even if Cruz were to retire tomorrow...

More here (via Memeorandum).

Yeah, well, I think most genuine conservatives are fed up with the same old (big-spending) story in Washington. Ted Cruz is a godsend for them.

And as much as I love the Wall Street Journal, the editorial page is frequently much too establishment for my tastes. See the editors' attack on Cruz on Wednesday, for example, "The Minority Maker: Ted Cruz hurts his party by forcing a meaningless debt-ceiling vote." (And don't get me going about the WSJ and open borders, sheesh.)

Nina Agdal, Lily Aldridge, Chrissy Teigen Land Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover

At the Los Angeles Times.

It was first revealed on Jimmy Kimmel's last night:



And check Sports Illustrated on Twitter.

Rand Paul: 'Republicans Will Not Win Again In My Lifetime'

Senator Paul's interviewed at the Blaze, at Pat Dollard's, "Libertarian Rand Paul to Glenn Beck: ‘I Think Republicans Will Not Win Again In My Lifetime."

Also at Memeorandum, "Rand Paul's Prediction About Future Presidential Elections May Frighten Half the Country."

And at Politico, "Rand Paul needs ‘new Republican party’":

Sen. Rand Paul is warning his party that Republicans will not take the White House again unless the party changes.

“I think Republicans will not win again in my lifetime for the presidency unless they become a new GOP, a new Republican Party,” Paul said on Glenn Beck’s show on TheBlaze in an interview that aired Thursday. “And it has to be a transformation, not a little tweaking at the edges.”

The Kentucky Republican said the GOP needs to have a “better message” and one that appeals to people “in a way they can understand it.” He said when he appears before young people, for example, he talks about civil liberties instead of taxes.

“Republicans haven’t gone to African-Americans or to Hispanics and said, ‘You know what? The war on drugs, Big Government, has had a racial outcome. It’s disproportionately affected the poor and the black and brown among us,’” Paul said.

The rumored 2016 presidential candidate said it’s “too early” to make a decision on whether he will be the Republican that takes back the White House, but he repeated his frequent message that Republicans need to appeal to more Americans.

“There is a struggle going on within the Republican Party,” Paul said. “It’s not new, and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m proud of the fact that there is a struggle. And I will struggle to make the Republican Party a different party, a bigger party, a more diverse party, and a party that can win national elections again.”

Jewel Tweets 'Warning Bikini Shot' With Link to Instagram

No need for a warning. She looks great --- and happy!

Warning- bikini shot. http://t.co/JWHkGDctzt

— Jewel (@jeweljk) February 14, 2014

Kansas House Bill Stands Up to Homosexual Extremists

Depraved leftist back-door buttfreaks are all up in arms at the Kansas House bill on religious freedom.

Check the Topeka Capital-Journal, "House affirms bill to counter gay marriage, unions":

A House bill directed at same-sex couples in Kansas who are denied services tied to weddings and civil unions passed Wednesday with Republicans arguing the measure reinforced religious freedom and Democrats labeling it a discriminatory assault on lesbians and gays.

The GOP-led House voted 72-49 to approve House Bill 2453 with little commentary following lengthy debate Tuesday. The bill sent to the Senate was designed to shield people, groups and businesses that cite religious reasons for refusing to serve homosexuals engaging in activities viewed as religiously offensive.

The bill allows government employees of the state, courts, schools and law enforcement agencies to treat as invalid the civil unions or marriages of two men or two women.

Legislators supportive of the legislation were motivated by an assumption the federal courts eventually would declare unconstitutional a 2005 amendment to the Kansas Constitution banning gay marriage.

Gov. Sam Brownback said when asked about the bill that he had dedicated himself to fighting for basic human rights, including religious liberty, in many countries and for many different faiths.

"Americans have constitutional rights, among them the right to exercise their religious beliefs and the right for every human life to be treated with respect and dignity," the Republican governor said.

More here.

Expect updates.

The Mask Slips: University of Viginia Political Scientist Larry Sabato Compares Traditional Marriage Supporters to Segregationists

At Fire Andrea Mitchell, "Larry Sabato compares supporters of traditional marriage to segregationists and racists":

Larry Sabato is a Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and director of its Center for Politics. Sabato also frequently appears on cable news political shows, including Fox News. Sabato tried to portray himself as a down the middle moderate with no political ideology. Tonight, however the mask slipped off. On Twitter, Larry Larry Sabato compared supporters of traditional marriage to segregationists and racists...

@LarrySabato You are now comparing supporters of traditional marriage to segregationists and racists. I would have expected better from you

— William B. Mann VI (@wbmann6) February 14, 2014

Winter Storm Wipes Out Power for Thousands in the South

At the Wall Street Journal, "Storm Wipes Out Power for Thousands in South: Many Lose Electricity in Georgia, Carolinas; At Least One Death From Icy Roads":

ATLANTA — A deadly storm that has hammered the Southeast—knocking out power in three states and jamming roads in North Carolina—is expected to sweep farther up the coast Thursday, bringing more heavy snowfall to a winter-battered region.

Georgia and the Carolinas were raked with freezing rain and snow Wednesday, on the front end of a two-day storm that the National Weather Service warned could be of historic proportions.

Of particular fear was an ice cover that could measure more than an inch, slicking roads and weighing down power lines. The snow and rain, pelting in waves, hardened into a thick layer of frozen slush.

Roads were gridlocked in Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., as people who drove to work in the morning when skies were clear headed home in a fast-falling snow. Some abandoned their cars and walked home or checked into hotels.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said it responded to twice as many accidents as usual.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory asked people to hunker down for a "tough 48 hours," staying off the roads and taking precautions at home.

"Don't put on your stupid hat," Mr. McCrory said a news conference.

More.

Leanne Bearden's Body Found

I wrote about her previously, "Missing Texas Woman Leanne Bearden May Not Be Missing: 'There is evidence that Leanne may have voluntarily left the area, and we understand this is a strong possibility...'"

And now at CNN, "Body of missing world traveler Leanne Bearden found in Texas."

Also at KENS-5 TV San Antonio, "PHOTOS: Search for Leanne Bearden ends in Garden Ridge," and the San Antonio Express, "Leanne Bearden's body found in Garden Ridge."

Facebook Offers 'Custom Gender Options'

This is of course the most freakin' important thing in the entire freakin' world!

At Facebook:

When you come to Facebook to connect with the people, causes, and organizations you care about, we want you to feel comfortable being your true, authentic self. An important part of this is the expression of gender, especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just “male” or female.” So today, we’re proud to offer a new custom gender option to help you better express your own identity on Facebook...

RTWT, via Memeorandum.

Olympic Biathlete Miriam Gössner Poses for Playboy Germany

Well, more and more of these ladies are eschewing modesty, not as if I'm complaining.

At Egotastic!, "Miriam Gossner Photoshoot Means Germany Wins the Winter Olympics Most Important Event!"

Is Sweden Raising a Generation of Brats?

Well, no doubt it's not just Sweden, but still.

At WSJ, "Scandinavian Country's Child-Centric Ways Stir Backlash":

Is Sweden raising a generation of brats?

The country has built a child-friendly reputation on its mandates for long parental leave and provision for state-funded day care from age 1. But a new book paints an ugly underbelly to Scandinavia's child-centric ways. Youngsters here—deemed "competent individuals" by the state and legally protected from spanking—are becoming the chief decision makers in homes at very young ages in what some Swedes think is an alarming trend.

At the center of the discussion is David Eberhard, a Swedish psychiatrist and father of six who published a book titled "How Children Took Power" last year that sparked fierce debate.

Dr. Eberhard says Sweden's child-centric model has "gone too far" and his book suggests the over-sensitivity to children and a reluctance to discipline has bred a nation of ouppfostrade, which loosely translates to "badly raised children." "All this kowtowing to the kids actually causes kids and society more harm than good," Dr. Eberhard said in an interview. He suggests the trend could contribute to higher anxiety levels or depression at a later stage in life for these children.

His book is currently being translated into English and seeking an American publisher.

"I'm not advocating going back to slapping kids," he said. "Swedish parents have lost control [when] kids take center stage in family life."

Like I said, it's not just Sweden. I used to routinely tell my oldest son that my dad would've never let me get away with the way that my son would often speak to me, because things just weren't the same back when I was a kid. (My boy's 18 now and obviously we no longer have the same kind of discipline issues as when he was, say, 12.) But not only that, even the thought of disciplining children the way our parents used to raises questions of child abuse.

More here.

RACISM IN AMERICA: Justice Clarence Thomas – Liberal Elites Were the 'Worst' to Me

At Instapundit.

And listen to Dana Loesch expose this idiot Stefanie Brown James for her rank victimology, from Megyn Kelly's last night:

The United States 'Awash' in Crude Oil as New Production Techniques Create Supply Glut

This really is one of the most significant strategic developments since the end of the Cold War, but leftists are such f-king morons most of the political establish hasn't a clue about what's going on.

At NYT, "Conflict in Oil Industry, Awash in Crude":

HOUSTON — T. Boone Pickens has personified the nation’s oil industry for more than a generation. So when he made an offhand comment at a conference here a few weeks ago expressing reservations about lifting the nation’s ban on exports of crude oil, he startled some of his old allies in the business.

Scott Sheffield, chief executive of Pioneer Natural Resources and one of the top oil executives in the state, picked up the phone to have a chat. “We had lunch and he made sense,” said Mr. Pickens, who has since revised his position.

Chalk one up for the oil producers, who have begun lobbying the Obama administration, Congress and the public to let them export the bounty of crude oil flowing out of new shale fields across the country.

Opposing them are their erstwhile cousins, the independent refiners, who insist that they need abundant, economical domestic supplies of oil so they can compete with foreign refiners.

It is a rare clash in a deeply guarded industry that involves arguments over national security, pricing at the pump and, after all is said and done, who will get a bigger share of earnings from the current drilling rush.

“What we have here is a food fight for the profits that will come either from exports of crude oil or exports of refined products,” said Amy Myers Jaffe, executive director of energy and sustainability at the University of California, Davis, who testified before Congress recently in favor of lifting the ban. “It’s like an argument inside a family business but one that could result in huge market distortions that can either hurt the consumer or our national security.”

Producers like Mr. Sheffield warn that a mounting glut of certain grades of oil in some regions of the country will eventually force a halt to unprofitable drilling if exports are not allowed.

“Nobody wants the collapse of the oil industry,” Mr. Sheffield said in an interview. “You would be importing crude oil from the Middle East all over again.”

On the other side of the debate are some of the nation’s biggest refiners, who argue against unlimited exports of crude oil even as they export increasing amounts of refined products like diesel and gasoline. To their way of thinking, the oil producers are merely trying to increase their profits at the expense of American consumers.

“They are seeking the highest price available,” Bill Day, a vice president at the Valero Energy Corporation, a large independent refiner, said of the producers. “If anything, unlimited exports would raise the price of American crude to the international level, which is why the producers want this step to begin with.”

The debate began in earnest two months ago when Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz suggested at a New York energy conference that it might be time for the country to reconsider the export ban that was instituted in the 1970s, when OPEC oil embargoes threatened the American economy. Congress at the time made oil exports illegal except for some shipments to Canada. The ban on exports of Alaskan North Slope crude was lifted in 1996.

The topic has renewed interest thanks to the oil industry’s reversal of fortunes in recent years. Only seven years ago the country’s domestic oil production appeared to be in a downward spiral. But with the advent of new extraction techniques, entire new fields were opened, replacing oil imports from unfriendly or unruly places like Venezuela and Nigeria.

Suddenly parts of the Midwest and Gulf of Mexico regions are overflowing with superior grades of crude, leading to a slump in prices and a gap of as much as $10 between American oil benchmark prices and the dominant world Brent price.

Even under current restrictions, crude exports are growing quickly. Shipments to Canada have already roughly tripled since 2012 to around 200,000 barrels a day. Some analysts say they think that figure will double by the end of the year...

Still more at that top link.

RELATED: At Hot Air, "IEA: US will be world’s largest oil producer in 2015."

Faux Conservative Carl DeMaio Releases Campaign Ad Featuring His Homosexual Partner

The Wall Street Journal reports, "Gay Republican Candidate's Ad Poses Test for Party."

Look, this Carl DeMaio cat's been around for sometime. He ran for mayor in San Diego in 2012, losing to Filthy Filner. He's previously been slammed by conservatives, although he's currently being embraced by top Republicans, like GOP Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy.

And Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, has long exposed DeMaio as a damned RINO. See, for example, "The Soul of the Republican Party":

Who is Carl DeMaio? you might ask. DeMaio is a liberal who happens to have an "R" after his name. What does he believe in? Abortion on demand. Gun control. Redefining marriage. Medical marijuana. Force the Republican Party to abandon social issues and focus national policies on what big corporations want.

DeMaio isn't the first RINO to run for the US House of Representatives, but it sure is disappointing to see so many establishment Republican leaders in Washington line up to help him. They are so desperate to be seen as "tolerant" and "inclusive" in supporting a homosexual candidate like DeMaio that they are willing to abandon any semblance of principle.

But think about the message they are sending: If a guy like Carl DeMaio can win as a Republican, then what the heck does being a Republican mean?

A new generation homosexual. Just like the old generation homosexual. Radical and depraved. And San Diegans might elect this man? A damned shame.

Cartoonist Garry Trudeau to Give 'Doonesbury' the Boot

He says it's just to focus on his streaming "television" show for Amazon.com, "Apha House," but the article's tone suggests the end of an era.

At the Boston Globe.

Comics were an important part of culture, "but now it's streaming video," Garry Trudeau says http://t.co/kECZCHbLzN

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 12, 2014

I used to read "Doonesbury" faithfully back in the day. I like this part at the piece:

Admired for staying on top of the zeitgeist, from Beltway politics and D.C. sex scandals to AIDS, same-sex marriage, disabled military vets, and pot growing, Trudeau has often courted controversy with “Doonesbury” and its sprawling cast of characters, some real, many more invented. Some newspapers have opted to move the strip from the comics page to the editorial page. Others have dropped it altogether, at least temporarily, owing to what editors deemed objectionable material. Readers often disagreed, and vociferously so.

Kirsten Powers: I’m getting tired of defending #ObamaCare, too

You gotta love it, from Ed Morrissey, at Hot Air, "Powers: I’m getting tired of defending ObamaCare, too."


PREVIOUSLY: "From Ron Fournier, at National Journal, "Why I'm Getting Sick of Defending Obamacare."

ABC's Jonathan Karl Rips Obama Administration on Syria Policy

At the Washington Free Beacon.

Pro-ObamaCare Ads in Vulnerable Democrat States Don't Actually Mention #ObamaCare

I just love this, from idiot Democrat propagandist Greg Sargent, at WaPo, "The Morning Plum: Dems hit back over Obamacare" (at Memeorandum):

I’m told the ad is backed by a $500,000 buy. Meanwhile, according to media buy information, AFP has already spent over $7.2 million on ads targeting Hagan, one of four incumbents who will be key to whether Dems hold the Senate. So this underscores how lopsided spending is right now. Dem operatives who are sounding the alarm about the spending disparity appear genuinely worried. In substantive terms, what’s noteworthy about this ad is that it goes after the GOP repeal stance:

Senate candidate Thom Tillis sides with health insurance companies. He’d let them deny coverage for preexisting conditions, and raise rates for women needing mammograms. Tillis supports a plan that would end Medicare as we know it, and force seniors to spend up to $1,700 more for prescriptions. Thom Tillis. He’s with the special interests. Hurting North Carolina families.

The ad never mentions “Obamacare” or the “Affordable Care Act” or even “health reform.” This reflects the dilemma Dems face in red states. The overall law — and its chief sponsor – remain deeply unpopular. But Dems believe the full repeal stance is also problematic — and they have to stand behind the law – so they are emphasizing the components in it that remain popular, while arguing Republicans would do away with those things and return us to the old system.

The "old system." Oh, like the old healthcare system that actually worked?

F-king morons.

Watch the ad at the link.

Kay Hagan's gonna be out on her ass, the dumb [four letter word here].

More at National Journal, "Another Democrat Apologizes for Obamacare."

How Marine Le Pen Can Save the Repubican Party?

Yep.

James Poulos makes the case, at Foreign Policy, "The GOP's Savior Is French":

... if you want to understand how powerful a popular reaction against regulatory excess can be, one needs to understand the most important figure in France: Marine Le Pen.

But Le Pen isn't just France's biggest story; she's also the French politician with the most significance to domestic politics in the United States. If Marine Le Pen received the attention she deserves, Krugman would have powerful reason to change his tune -- and so would the Republicans he derides. While America's ideological Punch and Judy show bungles along, Le Pen is writing a new handbook of political rules for radicals on the right. She's already changed the game in France itself. And GOP strategists across the Atlantic stand to gain much from following suit.

Yes, Marine Le Pen is from that family -- she's inherited leadership of France's far-fight Front National from her notorious father, the xenophobic Holocaust-minimizer Jean Le Pen. But at 44, Marine has swiftly transformed the Front from a haven for backward-looking haters to an aggressively forward-looking movement. Instead of pounding on well-worn, right-wing themes like "fiscal responsibility" or "social issues," Le Pen puts central the sorts of complaints against big business and big government that most Republicans think too fringe or too quixotic to win elections.

A closer look at her operation would surprise them. In June 2013, the Front National ran level with both the Socialists and the Gaullists. And in a key election that month, as the Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard observed, "the Front scored highest in the most Socialist cantons, a sign that it may be breaking out of its Right-wing enclaves to become the mass movement of the white working class."

How does Le Pen do it? She runs the Front against Brussels and the banks -- stressing that whenever the two meet, the result seems to be that smothering, exploitative, unfree market some Americans call crony capitalism. Though some influential conservative commentators are warming up to Wall Street criticism, the Republican donor class is working overtime to sideline the Gadsden Flag brigades and keep the GOP the Party of Mitt.

Republicans squeal and squeal about socialism, but in France, where socialists really are in charge, the right is outflanking the left by going populist in a new way. Of course, there are stark differences between Europe and the United States. In the Old World, populism has long appealed to a revolutionary future or a reactionary past. In America, populism is more closely associated with protecting the cultural status quo. But Le Pen largely rejects both these models, vowing to replace the E.U. regime with a newly free and sovereign France.

It's the sort of nationalistic play that Republicans can study to improve their own. Since Abraham Lincoln's reelection campaign in 1864, Republicans have rooted their popular appeal squarely in militant nationalism. Today, however, they should recognize that Le Pen's assault on patronage bureaucracy actually heightens nationalism because the system she opposes mostly emanates from Brussels, not Paris. Meanwhile, lacking a meddlesome, supranational North American Union, Republicans running against crony capitalism run against their very own government.

Keep reading.

She's definitely interesting.

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Found Guilty of Corruption

Look, all Democrats are corrupt. It's their nature. Nagin just happened to get caught. Drained the favor bank I guess. F-ker got thrown under the bus.

At the New Orleans Times-Picayune, "Ray Nagin, former New Orleans mayor, convicted of federal corruption charges":

Ray Nagin, the former two-term mayor of New Orleans indicted after he left office, was convicted Wednesday of 20 federal corruption charges for illegal dealings with city vendors, dating back to 2004. A jury delivered its verdict just before 1 p.m., after six hours of deliberations that followed a nine-day trial.

Nagin, 57, joins a list of Louisiana elected officials convicted of misdeeds while in office, but he is New Orleans' first mayor to be convicted of public corruption. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he could face a 20-year prison term, possibly more, lawyers have said.

In a case that relied heavily on the testimony of businessmen-turned-convicts -- and a paper trail that showed money changing hands and lucrative city contracts doled out -- prosecutors described a public official "on the take." Nagin was an opportunist who pursued businessmen under pressure to get government work, targeting them to line his own pockets, prosecutors said.

Nagin's defense attorney, Robert Jenkins, characterized those contractors -- some of whom suffer from their own legal and financial problems -- as scheming to use Nagin without his knowledge, and now eager to testify to help their own situations.

Nagin sat expressionless, staring straight ahead, when the verdict was read. His wife, Seletha Nagin, sobbed. Relatives tried to console her.

Making a call to one of their sons, Jeremy Nagin, she could be heard saying, "Jeremy, Jeremy, calm down."

Nagin was somber and silent as he made his way through a crush of reporters outside of the courthouse -- a far cry from the confidence he showed when he first arrived more than two weeks ago at the start of his trial.

Addressing the press, Jenkins said, "Obviously, I'm surprised. Now we're moving on to the appeal process."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Coman, the lead prosecutor on the case, gave a brief statement. "We are pleased with the verdict and obviously we are very thankful to the jury and the court," he said.

Jurors acquitted Nagin of a single bribery charge involving a $10,000 payment from Three Fold Consultants to Nagin's sons, Jeremy and Jarin. The check was made out to cash, and written to the Nagin family's granite countertop business, Stone Age LLC. The sons were not charged in the case and did not testify.

Jurors began deliberating Monday, spending about three hours in discussions before breaking for the day. A medical issue with a juror postponed proceedings on Tuesday, but they went back to work Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Nagin, a Democrat, was the public face of the city during Hurricane Katrina, making national headlines as he lambasted the federal government for its response to the storm and subsequent flood.

He now lives in Frisco, Texas, where he has avoided the spotlight, staying quiet save for an occasional tweet, since his indictment a year ago.

Reacting to the verdict in the afternoon, Nagin successor Mayor Mitch Landrieu called it a "terribly sad day for New Orleans."

Yes, "terribly sad," the prick. Landrieu should be in the dock as well, the asswipe.

Olympic Skier Jackie Chamoun Nude Pin-Up Controversy

I guess it's a big scandal back home in Lebanon. Lebanon? Not the most alpine country to come to mind, but who knows these days?

At Time, "Topless Photos of Lebanese Olympic Skier Cause a Scandal Back Home."

And London's Daily Mail, "Lebanese Olympic skier who posed topless for racy calendar shoot becomes a hate-figure in her home country after footage appears online."

Plus, a YouTube clip at Deadspin, "Lebanese Olympic Skier Under Fire For Topless Photoshoot." (Via Memeorandum.)

'Master of Disaster' Duane Peters, So-Cal Skateboarding Icon, Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges

He apparently launched a full-blown FTW" Facebook rant on Friday morning, and then was arrested that night.

At LAT, "Skate-punk icon Duane Peters charged in domestic violence case":

Professional skateboarder and punk rock singer Duane Thomas Peters, nicknamed “The Master of Disaster,” was charged Tuesday with assaulting his girlfriend at their Long Beach home.

Peters, 52, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on a felony count of willful infliction of corporal injury, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. His arraignment was originally scheduled Tuesday but was postponed.

Peters was arrested Saturday in the 4000 block of East 3rd Street in Long Beach, police Sgt. Megan Zabel said.

Prosecutors say that shortly before midnight Friday, Peters became angry with his girlfriend and assaulted her at their Long Beach home.

Neighbors heard the commotion and intervened, prosecutors said. They were able to restrain Peters until police arrived and arrested him.

The victim suffered injuries to her body.

Peters remains in jail in lieu of a $50,000 bail bond.

Peters is a skateboarding’s pioneer.

U.S. Lugers Annoyed by Group's Homo-Rights Video

You think?

At NYT, "American Lugers Annoyed by Group’s Gay Rights Video."

Watch it at Althouse, "Lugers don't like being appropriated by The Canadian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion for use in a pro-gay video":

It's a slow-motion video of double-lugers rocking back and forth in an effective visual double-entendre and then the words: “The Games have always been a little gay. Let’s fight to keep it that way.”

We're all homosexuals now. Or, at least the left hopes so.

Republican Kevin Faulconer Wins San Diego Mayor Special Election

A tinge of hope for California, sheesh.

At the San Diego Union-Tribune, "Faulconer wins mayor's race."

And from Leslie Eastman, at Legal Insurrection, "GOP’s Kevin Faulconer is new San Diego Mayor!"

Plus, from W.C. Varones, "Stench of Obama sinks Alvarez campaign."

Faulconer will be the only GOP governor of a top-ten city in the county. And hey, that's alright. You gotta take the country back one burg at a time.

Running Scared: Vulnerable Democrat Senators Won't Be Caught Dead with President Obama

Look, Obama's like a cancer infecting the Democrat Party from top to bottom. And I couldn't be more giddy at the left's tribulations. F-k 'em.

At LAT, "Democratic senators who won with Obama's help may not want it now":

NASHUA, N.H. — For better or worse, they are the class of Obama.

Eight Democratic senators swept into office partly on Barack Obama's 2008 coattails are facing their first reelection bid without the benefit of having the president on the ballot and at a time when his approval rating is near an all-time low.

The future of the Senate, and President Obama's ability to push through an agenda during his final two years in office, rests largely on their fate.

Democrats hold a five-seat Senate majority, when two independents aligned with the party are included. That means Republicans hoping to retake control of the upper chamber for the first time since 2007 need to pick up six seats this fall.

And the party is targeting this first-term Democratic group to help them get there.

On the front lines are North Carolina's Kay Hagan and Alaska's Mark Begich, running in traditionally conservative states that Mitt Romney carried in the last presidential election. Mark Udall in Colorado and Jeff Merkley in Oregon watched their already tough races tighten after the rocky rollout of Obama's healthcare overhaul.

Two former governors, Mark R. Warner of Virginia and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, are now seen as potentially vulnerable, and their races have drawn interest from high-profile Republicans. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie is taking on Warner, while former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, a rising star in the party before his 2012 defeat, is flirting with a run in New Hampshire.

Only Tom Udall of New Mexico and Al Franken of Minnesota, from two of the bluest states in the group, appear safe at this early stage.

"All of these senators are dealing with a fundamentally different environment than the one in which they were first elected," said Nathan Gonzalez, an analyst for the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. "The question is how much worse than 2008 is it going to be?"

Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, who helped guide the eight to victory in 2008 as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, says they are not as vulnerable as some people think.

"Despite the onslaught against them, their numbers are pretty good," he said. "Obviously an off-year election is more difficult. But each of them has a good record of accomplishment and each of them is a more savvy politician today than they were then."

Of five races where recent polling is available, Hagan trails her potential Republican opponents and Mark Udall and Begich have slight leads in their races. Shaheen leads Brown in a hypothetical matchup. Only Warner polled above the 50% threshold that analysts say is a key indication of an incumbent's strength.

All eight are focusing their campaigns on local issues and accomplishments, something that's right out of the standard campaign playbook for first-term senators.

But Obama — whose historic 2008 candidacy helped them snatch seats that had been in Republican hands — keeps emerging as a major factor in the races as Republicans seek to exploit the president's growing unpopularity with conservatives and independent voters...

Yeah, well, Obama, the narcissistic asshole, does have a repulsive tendency to inject himself into everything. President Selfie the Clown. Stay away from the f-ker.

Let them all blow chunks I say. It's going to be a blowout.

More at that top link.

Heroin's Small-Town Toll, and a Mother’s Grief

At NYT:

HUDSON, Wis. — Karen Hale averts her eyes when she drives past the Super 8 motel in this picturesque riverfront town where her 21-year-old daughter, Alysa Ivy, died of an overdose last May. She has contemplated asking the medical examiner, now a friend, to accompany her there so she could lie on the bed in Room 223 where her child’s body was found.

But Ms. Hale, 52, is not ready, just as she is not ready to dismantle Ms. Ivy’s bedroom, where an uncapped red lipstick sits on the dresser and a teddy bear on the duvet. The jumble of belongings both comforts and unsettles her — colorful bras, bangle bracelets and childhood artwork; court summonses; a 12-step bible; and a Hawaiian lei, bloodstained, that her daughter used as a tourniquet for shooting heroin into her veins.

“My son asked me not to make a shrine for her,” Ms. Hale said. “But I don’t know what to do with her room. I guess on some level I’m still waiting for her to come home. I’d be so much more empathetic now. I used to take it personal, like she was doing this to me and I was a victim.”

When the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died with a needle in his arm on Feb. 2, Ms. Hale thought first about his mother, then his children. Few understand the way addiction mangles families, she said, and the rippling toll of the tens of thousands of fatal heroin and painkiller overdoses every year. Perhaps it took Mr. Hoffman’s death, she said, to “wake up America to all the no-names who passed away before him,” leaving a cross-country trail of bereavement...

A one-way express ticket to the morgue.

Users are losers. Sorry about this family, but it's just pure destruction.

More at that top link.

U.S. Debates Targeted Assassination of American Terror Suspect in Pakistan

President Dronekiller just can't get enough.

At LAT, "Obama administration mulls lethal strike on American in Pakistan":

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is considering authorizing the CIA or the military to kill an American citizen hiding in Pakistan who allegedly has helped Al Qaeda militants plan attacks against U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan and is actively plotting future attacks, officials said Monday.

Justice Department lawyers are reviewing the evidence and have not yet determined whether President Obama should consider adding the American, whose identity was not disclosed, to the list of terrorism suspects who are hunted and killed overseas by drones, airstrikes or military raids.

The process has been complicated by the suspect’s U.S. citizenship and new criteria for the targeted killing of Americans, officials said.

Under guidelines approved by Obama in May, a potential target must pose “a continuing, imminent threat to U.S. persons.” Americans proposed for the so-called kill list also are entitled to legal due process, which the administration has interpreted to mean a review by the Justice Department.

The case could revive the bitter congressional debate over administration counter-terrorism policies, including drone strikes, that delayed Senate confirmation of CIA Director John Brennan last year.

Administration officials have been grappling with the case for months, according to three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss it. The details were first reported Monday by the Associated Press.

Yes, because "a review by the Justice Department" totally satisfies the constitutional requirement of due process of law. Totally man!