Andrews Nude Controversy Puts Spotlight on Media Hypocrisy; Social Taboos Fall Away in Internet's Anything-Goes Culture, Peep Investigation Continues!

ABC News leads reporting again this morning with, "Did Andrews' Sex Appeal 'Encourage' Nude Vid?: Sports Writer Christine Brennan Asks If Andrews Brought on Peeping Tom Video; Later Says She's Misunderstood."

But that's just for starters: See Steve Johnson, at the Chicago Tribune, "Erin Andrews Nude Video Coverage Full of Hypocrisy":

If nothing else, the Erin Andrews nude Web video flap has produced one moment of high comedy.

In its diligent reporting on the issue, the gossip site TMZ.com ended one dispatch with this: "We will not post this video because it is a clear invasion of privacy."

Yes, that would be the same TMZ that has videographers scouring Hollywood trying to catch celebrities in the act of leaving a nightclub intoxicated, being with someone who is not their significant other or getting annoyed at the videographers trying to catch them getting annoyed.

Then there was the media Web site - we're looking at you, New York Post - that railed against the "peephole pervert" exploiting the "sideline siren," then posted that story alongside a slide show of images captured from the video, complete with black bars covering Andrews' naughty bits.

Beyond the heaping tablespoons of hypocrisy, though -- oh, and the fact that most sites still claiming to have the video will probably load malware onto your computer -- there's not much that's funny here. Andrews, a 31-year-old ESPN sports reporter who also happens to be slender, busty and, by most estimates, beautiful, was apparently filmed illicitly in two hotel rooms naked.

There's nothing extraordinary about what she's doing in the clips - brushing her hair, ironing pants, checking her backside in the mirror - but the fact that it is Andrews, lust object of a high percentage of young American men, has made the video into the Pamela Anderson tape of the moment.

Judging by Google Trends data, much of the nation has spent most of this week looking on the Internet for some variation on "Erin Andrews peephole video."

More at the link.

And, more on the New York Post, "Reports: ESPN, New York Post at Odds Over Andrews Story." Plus, at Deadspin, "New York Post: ESPN Made Us Exploit Naked Lady." See also the outraged Lynda Johnson, "Pop! NY Post Erin Andrews (Photos) Christine Brennan ..."

The Post is fighting back. From AP, "NY Post: ESPN Outed Own Reporter in Nude Video." Check the Post's own report here, "ESPN Outed Erin Video":

NO one would have known that a sick voyeur had secretly videotaped ESPN reporter Erin Andrews nude in her hotel room, if the Mickey Mouse sports network hadn't sent a letter to an obscure Web site demanding that it take down its link to a fuzzy video of an unidentified blonde. The video had gone largely unnoticed since it first went up in February, according to a girlie-posting site, DonChavez.com ...

And that would be the message from the Post's editorial cartoon yesterday, "Sean Delonas' Cartoons" (posted above). More commentary at these sites: Extra, The Superficial, What Would Tyler Durden Do, The Blemish, The Hollywood Gossip, Watchdog, and TV Tattle (some of these are NSFW, via WeSmirch).

Okay, here's some news from inside the sports world's guilty angst: Jay Mariotti comes awful close to saying "she had it coming," in "Lesson of Erin Andrews: Grow Up, Boys!":

Unlike one of the Erin-consumed leeches - who admitted this week, "I have never met Erin Andrews,'' - I have met her as an ESPN colleague. She could not be more friendly and down to earth, which, in this case, probably contributed to the rampant EA Mania. If she were aloof, she wouldn't be nearly as popular and droolworthy among the testosterone-fueled masses. But by smiling everywhere and saying hi to everyone - from the face-painted freshman at Michigan State to, yes, even the very bloggers who exploit her -- she only fed the monster and left the absurd impression that she actually might dig them. Wrote Christine Brennan, the USA Today columnist: "I wish it didn't happen to Erin, but I also would suggest to her if she asked (and she hasn't) that she rely on her talent and brains and not succumb to the lowest common denominator in sports media by playing to the frat house.'' In truth, Andrews has been vexed in handling the intense amounts of attention, including her distinction as Playboy magazine's "sexiest sportscaster in America.'' One minute, she's on the dance squad at the University of Florida. The next, she's wondering how many millions of perverts are blowing up her photos on the Internet. Or what rumor is surfacing next on a blog about this sex tape or this baseball player or this college basketball player, none of which involved any attempts by the bloggers to substantiate.

But when another sleazy day has ended and the creeps tell their bosses about all their Erin-generated page views, Andrews still has to live with the fallout. She grew to be a well-respected sideline reporter who was placed on college football and basketball because, well, she's young and relates to her audience. They're not stupid in Bristol; she brought in ratings. And for anyone who suggests she exploited sexuality with some of her outfits, I'll remind you that it's 2009 and no one should expect her to dress like a Granny. I've seen Katie Couric wear shorter dresses. Last summer, Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella saw her in a stylish summer dress before a game in Milwaukee - professionally acceptable, according to my sample poll of females -- and cracked, "Is this a baseball game or a modeling assignment?'' That prompted an Illinois sportswriter to columnize that she "sauntered around the visiting clubhouse, flitting from one Cubs player to another. Her skimpy outfit - designed to accentuate her, um, positives - had players leering at her.''

What you need to know: Piniella is 65; the writer in his 50s.

"It's really sad that ... I have people watching every single move I make," Andrews told a Minnesota newspaper at the time. "These players are not into me like that. If anything, I think these guys look at me like a little sister or one of the guys. I don't look at myself as a sex object. I've never carried myself in that way. I'm a girl that loves sports. I'm a tomboy. That's the last thing on my mind when I'm in the clubhouse -- worrying about players checking me out.

"I thought at some point we were all past this. I'm not going to change. I can't change.''

Unfortunately, the perverts didn't change, either. It's unconscionable to think a human being would hatch a plot knowing the hotel location, the number of her room and, apparently, when she would disrobe long enough to shoot video footage through the door peephole. She is seeking criminal charges and filing civil lawsuits, but face it, she has been robbed of her privacy and equilibrium forever. How can she return to a hotel room without wondering if someone's peeping? How can she live wondering 24/7 if someone is leering? I wouldn't blame her if she left the sports business and entered the entertainment world. Just a few months ago, USC linebacker Ray Maualuga approached her from behind on the sideline and did a grind dance, which invites other athletes to do the same. But I fully expect her to stand firm and report back to work in September, when her college football duties begin on -- gulp -- college campuses across the land.

After reading this stuff all week, I'm not impressed with Mariotti's analysis, much less the blaming. He's getting some pushback, in any case. See Deadspin, "Jay Mariotti On Erin Andrews, AutoSummarized."

But, check the Wall Street Journal, "Assessing the Erin Andrews Feeding Frenzy." Lots of links there. Plus, see also Jason Whitlock, one of my favorite sports writers, "Who's to Blame for Erin Andrews Scandal?":

Invasion of privacy for profit is what we all do to some degree in this day and age of Internet, camera-phone journalism. We're in desperate pursuit of clicks and ratings. There was a time when athletes could visit nightclubs and whatnot without fear of being photographed or videotaped.

Actually, probably the second most important explanation for all of this comes from the female commentators. Check Jezebel, "Did Erin Andrews's "Good Girl" Image Work Against Her?":

Erin Andrews isn't the first "good girl" to be exposed in this way. Vanessa Williams famously resigned her Miss America title after someone tried to publish nude photos of her without her consent. A relatively tame sex tape purporting to feature Kristin Davis (Sex & the City's prudish Charlotte), surfaced last year. God-loving, gay-hating Carrie Prejean raised a stir with her topless photos. And just last week, celebhotline.com claimed to have nude footage of Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester doing something or other with her feet.

So why are the anonymous and click-happy denizens of the interwebs more interested in a princess than a Playboy model? The simplest reason would be the opportunity to see something they don't ordinarily get to see — a body not usually on such display. Another, creepier reason, though (especially creepy in Andrews's case, because she didn't even know she was being filmed), is the unwillingness factor. Unlike a Playboy model, a princess doesn't want you to see her naked ...

Maybe the fascination of the Andrews footage is partly about "candor," but it's also about taboo — the thrill of seeing something you're not supposed to see. And it's about the sexual value of a woman's perceived virtue — as 1960s frat boys will tell you, a fallen Madonna is better than a whore.

Check also, Monica Hesse, at the Washington Post, "You Know You Want To Watch That Video: But Erin Andrews Would Rather You Not."

After you read Jezebel and WaPo above, be sure to go back and read Clay Travis at Fanhouse, "Erin Andrews Video Straddles Sports Culture's Sexual Fault Line" (this is the most important theory of the phenomenon, IMHO). There will be lots more analysis, but I think the Travis piece and the Jezebel article offer the best theories.

Also, pointing a little toward the way forward, see Captain Polemic, "A Turning Point in Female Sports Journalism – The Erin Andrews Story." (And some folks are behind the curve on this story. See another handwringer, for example, "Erin Andrews Saga a Reflection of the Sad State of Society Today.")

Okay, what about the investigation? Actually, the ultimate criminal, the original hotel stalker who taped Erin Andrews nude, will never be caught - unless, ESPN indeed did play an inside game and they know the identity of the perpetrator (and legal action forces the network's hand). That hypothesis, by the way, sounds supremely horrible if true. Remember yesterday's report from the New York Daily News, "Erin Andrews Peephole Video Likely Shot by Fellow ESPN Employee: Report."

Meanwhile, from Bob's Blitz, "Post Pervs Banned by ESPN Due to Erin Andrews Photos - Editors Could Face Sex Crime Charges."

And CBS News has a more tasteful video report this morning, "ESPN's Andrews Fights Voyeur." And the related report, at the Detroit Free Press, "Private Investigator Calls Erin Andrews Taping an Inside Job."

Finally, this one's NSFW, "Sportscasters Now Afraid of Peeping Toms." And, at the Boston Herald, "Heidi Watney: ‘I Did Cover the Peephole’: Nude Video Spurs Host to Watch for Perverts."
Updates forthcoming throughout the evening ...

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UPDATE: Bombshell for conservatives! Bill O'Reilly shows Erin Andrews nude, "Erin Andrews Peephole Video Shown by Bill O'Reilly With Lame Excuse":

Read the analysis, here.

Actually, it's no surprise: O'Reilly's show is all about shock conservatism with hot-babe analysis. Frankly, I wish he'd have Courtney Friel and Jane Skinner on the broadcast more often.

Added: More on O'Reilly from Gawker, "Pervy Flesh-Peddler Bill O'Reilly Plays Erin Andrews Peephole Video On-Air." And at Seattle SportsNet, "Erin Andrews Video Scandal an Indictment on System of Double-Standards: "Then there are those hellbound bastards who have seized the opportunity to boost their ratings by taking further advantage of ESPN’s sideline goddess. Yes, I’m talking about you, Bill O’Reilly."

Also, another bombshell! It's not just the guys!

From Associated Content, "Erin Andrews Video Peep Pictures: Have We Not Had Enough Yet?":

What bothers me more is how many women want to see the video of Erin Andrews undressing in her hotel room, some just as much as men. In earlier years, women might have stuck together, and instead of calling her a sleaze, they'd take the position that she has been malignantly exploited by some creep at hotel with a video camera.

Plus, check this analysis of the Erin Andrews search-index rankings, "Erin Andrews Peep Tape Brings Her From 0 to 100."

Yet more, recall the Jason Whitlock citation above; and then check out Associated Content, "Michelle Beisner Dragged into Erin Andrews Controversy by Columnist Jason Whitlock."

The piece hammers Whitlock for linking Beisner, a former Denver Broncos cheerleader, to Deadspin, the online sports magazine:

Jason Whitlock believes that the influential website Deadspin is largely responsible for popularizing and perpetuating the Erin Andrews peephole controversy because it posted a link to the website hosting the Erin Andrews peephole video (it has since been taken down). Whitlock points out that until Deadspin mentioned it, the Erin Andrews peephole video had been virtually ignored.

Whether this is true or not is highly debatable, but it does demonstrate in no uncertain terms that Whitlock has some issues with Deadspin.

Actually, it's not debateable at all: Deadspin indeed linked to the hosting website on Sunday, and on Tuesday former Deadspin columnist Will Lietch wrote his big mea culpa, "Erin Andrews and Guilt, Imagined and Otherwise."

And related, "Michelle Beisner: the Original Erin Andrews?"

Okay, more commentary on who's to blame: What about the hotel? See, "Erin Andrews' Nightmare":

What's interesting is that some hysterical commentators have taken the knee-jerk "blame the internet" view of the situation. Almost nobody has yet so much as pointed out that a presumably reputable (but as yet unidentified) hotel allowed a logistically mystifying act of privacy violation to take place on its premises. Privacy is the very pith of the hospitality business; it is part of what we buy when we rent a hotel room. The internet has been an engine of fame and fortune for Erin Andrews, and its power to intensify the effect of the original crime committed against her is inherently equal to its power to make her a celebrity. But what was done to her in that hotel -- and surely the hotel needs to be named and shamed, for the benefit of the world -- would be a sadistic crime of equally severe import whether the internet existed at all.

And, more from Deadspin, "It Was A Rough Week For ESPN," and previously, "ESPN Doles Out Swift Bristol Justice Over New York Post's Erin Andrews Coverage."

Plus, another attempt at explanation, from Michael Rand, "Sports Voyeurism."

And here's an analysis that combines legal aspects with moral condemnation, "Is it a Crime to Watch the Naked Erin Andrews Video? No, But it Makes You a Total Jerk." Yet, millions have now searched for and likely watched the video. See also, The Week, "What Made People Watch Erin Andrews Video Peep Clips: Was it the Media's Fault, or Yours?"

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UPDATE II: From Jessica Valenti, at Feministing, "Erin Andrews and Consent":

I've been really happy to see that a lot of male sports bloggers are writing about feeling badly and almost feeling complicit in the objectification of sexualization of Andrews because of past posts they wrote about how hot she is, or featuring pictures of her that were meant to somehow titillate their male audience.

I also think that it's awesome that our own Community bloggers - like Dangerfield and Marc - have taken on the broader questions surrounding sports culture and masculinity.

What I'm really interested in, however, is the non-consensual issue that comes up in this story. People aren't interested in this video, this isn't a big internet sensation, because Andrews is a hot celebrity who people might be able to see naked. You can see plenty of hot women naked online. Folks want to watch this - and people find it interesting - precisely because Erin Andrews didn't know she was being filmed. And that reveals something really fucked up about the way American culture views women.

This would be a great analysis, up there with Jezebel above, except that Feministing, which is Jessica Valenti's personal blog, displays naked tail-flap women at the top of the banner masthead (an obviously sexist peep-exploitation gimmick that helps keep reader-eyes glued to the page). In other words, Valenti's a total hypocrite. Plus, she was called out big time for pumping-up her breasts in a comely sweater for ex-President Bill Clinton a few years back. Ann Althouse pointed it out her post, "Let's Take a Closer Look at Those Breasts," and Glenn Reynolds linked:

Quoting the title of this post unleashed some serious Instalanche action. (I knew it would.) The most ever, actually. And late on a Friday! What are you going to do? Guys love breasts. I think Jessica knows that quite well. And I think for all her gasping outrage, she's thoroughly pleased to get this attention.

The attention to her breasts, that is. She's a babe too, and recently married (to a man), so there's always hope for randy guys who meet her scheming for an untimely divorce. See Jessica Valenti, "My Big Feminist Wedding."

Added: Another woman writer who breaks with the hardline feminist meme: See, Kitt Badlove, "Erin Andrews Sexy Video is Instant Career Boost":

If you are not aware, ESPN sports news correspondent Erin Andrews has an illegally shot video of her walking around her hotel room naked buzzing around the Internet. Yes it's hard to find if you just browse the web and I'm not in the biz of telling how to easily find it. But what I can tell you is this. The video itself is no big deal. Yet for Erin it has accomplished a great deal for her. It's what I call the Paris Hilton Effect. Scandalous video equals instant celebrity status. After all, Paris Hilton was just a rich nobody until the video of her having sex with an ex boyfriend hit the Internet.

OK, the guys reading this are asking, what does Erin Andrews look like naked? In this case Erin Andrews was just standing in her hotel room naked, doing her hair. In the video there is nothing to see. The resolution is low and the poor video could really be of any tall nondescript blond. Yes you can see her fully naked but frankly it's not of an overtly attractive body. She's not overweight, but other than what appears to be evidence of potential breast implants there is nothing remotely exciting either.

A couple of points: One, while a single case (from an essentially anonymous blogger), here's a clear example that men aren't the only ones interested in watching the video. Indeed, in the case of Kitt Badlove, this is the most nonchalant secondary voyeur's account I've read yet. And second, I have to completely disagree that Erin Andrew's peephole invasion is a "career boost." Hardly anyone is speculating as to what Ms. Andrews should do next. But she's scheduled to start sideline reporting for ESPN's college football programming in September. When the football games start, the working assumption has to be that every guy in the stands has seen Erin Andrews nude. Ms. Andrews has declined interview requests, and ESPN - for all the scandal and speculation on an inside perp - appears set to keep Andrews on as scheduled. Yes, the fame will propel Andrews into the ranks of the media elite if she chooses to move on from the network. But who knows her psychological state? Not only will every handshake from a stanger feel like someone's copping a feel, but the small-town innocence that made Andrews so approachable to the fans by necessity must be abandoned. Anyone could be the next stalker.

Race-Baiting Escalation in 'Yo Mama' Arrest Controversy at Harvard

This story is really getting a lot of attention since the Presidents weighed in. See, ABC News, "Cambridge Cop's Lawyer: Obama was 'Dead Wrong' on Gates: Cop Involved in Gates' Arrest And His Union Lash Out at Obama For Taking Sides":

There's been some controversy over access to the police report. See, Newsbusters, "Boston Globe Scrubs Henry Louis Gates Arrest Report From Website." But Professor William Jacobson has a copy. See, Legal Insurrection, "No, It Wasn't Racial Profiling."

Plus, at the New York Times, "Obama Wades Into a Volatile Racial Issue." And, William Kristol, "Obama Attacks Docs and Cops."

Also, Dan Riehl, "Obama Destroyed His Post-Racial Theme." And Dr. Melissa Couthier, at RightWingNews, "President Obama: The Black President Rather Than The American President Who Happens To Be Black."

But in what's most damaging to the leftist race-baiters, see the Boston Herald, "Officer in Henry Gates Flap Tried to save Reggie Lewis: Denies He’s a Racist, Won’t Apologize":

The Cambridge cop prominent Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. claims is a racist gave a dying Reggie Lewis mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in a desperate bid to save the Celtics [team stats] superstar’s life 16 years ago Monday.

“I wasn’t working on Reggie Lewis the basketball star. I wasn’t working on a black man. I was working on another human being,” Sgt. James Crowley, in an exclusive interview with the Herald, said of the forward’s fatal heart attack July 27, 1993, at age 27 during an off-season practice at Brandeis University, where Crowley was a campus police officer.

It’s a date Crowley still can recite by rote - and he still recalls the pain he suffered when people back then questioned whether he had done enough to save the black athlete.

“Some people were saying ‘There’s the guy who killed Reggie Lewis’ afterward. I was broken-hearted. I cried for many nights,” he said.

Crowley, 42, said he’s not a racist, despite how some have cast his actions in the Gates case. “Those who know me know I’m not,” he said.

Yesterday, Lewis’ widow, Donna Lewis, was floored to learn the embattled father of three on the thin blue line of a national debate on racism in America was the same man so determined to rescue her husband.

Plus, Jules Crittenden, "Sensitivity Training Now," and Don Surber, "“Rogue cop” is a Hero, Too."

Also, see my earlier coverage, "Cop Not Sorry in Arrest of Harvard's Henry Louis Gates, Jr.," and "Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and the Racial Cesspool at Harvard." Recall that Gates' was belligerent with the officers. He snapped, "I'll speak with your mama outside," when the police requested he move outside. See, TMZ, "Busted Harvard Prof Drops 'Yo Mama' Joke on Cop."

Lots more at Memeorandum.

Obamacare Press Conference: Reactions to 1,018 Page Monstrosity

The President's healthcare reform is the big policy item this morning. It's an indefensible monstrosity, obviously, as apparently even the President had a hard time defending it. See, the New York Times, "Obama Moves to Reclaim the Debate on Health Care." The transcript of the press conference is here.

Also, Michael Barone weighs in, "Gloomy Days for Obama's Health Plan,," and Karl Rove, "ObamaCare in Trouble." More from Ben Smith, "At Big Moment, President Obama Goes Small," and The Astute Bloggers, "Obama Reveals His Utter Lack of Understanding of the Free Market and His Utter Lack of Faith In It."

Plus, Michelle Malkin on the Obama administration's hypocrisy on executive privilege, "White House Flip-Flop: Ok, Ok, We’ll Tell You Which Health Execs We Met."

Has anyone actually read the bill? Representative Loretta Sanchez hadn't, which made it kind of hard for her to explain the legislation to consitituents. If you don't have time, this guy's done you a favor, "The HC Monstrosity-All 1,018 Pages." More on that at the New York Times, "Experts Dispute Some Points in Health Talk." But don't miss the outstanding analysis from Clifford Asness, "Health Care Mythology." He covers the major myths and misconceptions (actually, a really thorough bashing of this legislative disaster), then adds this:

At this point you might accuse me of offering only complaints about the Administration's plans, without constructive suggestions of my own. There is truth to that. But I make no apologies. If people believe crazy things it's first and foremost important to change that before progress can be made. But also, I think we're doing okay enough without radical changes, certainly not hastily panicked changes towards socialism, and also because I lack the expertise to recommend the detailed practical steps that would be productive (in contrast it requires much less expertise to see that the myths above are indeed lunacy).

Okay, and the reactions on the left? See Daily Kos, Firedoglake, Joe Klein, Pam's House Blend, Paul Krugman, The Reaction, Washington Monthly.

Check Memeorandum as well.

Also, from Kenneth Davenport, "New Polls: "Obamacare" is NOT Inevitable," and Pat in Shreveport, "Do You Feel "More Secure" After Obama's Speech?"

Added: Joust the Facts, "So This Is What It's Come To, Eh?":

Pardon me for being a bit insulted, but according to President Obama I am the problem. No, really. It's my fault. After 10 years of higher education after college; after internship rotations that required up to 140 hours in the hospital in one week (cardiothoracic surgery: do the math - there are only 168 hours in a week); after 18 years of medical practice during which I've successfully treated thousands of people for their life, limb, and livelihood threatening injuries; after years of dedication to the profession of medicine that saw me attend hundreds of hours of continuing education to maintain and improve my skills and knowledge and that made me accept substandard payments from Medicare, Medicaid and HMOs, it's come to this. It's my fault.

The President supports, if he knows what's in the bill,

• paying for it by taxing only "the wealthy"
• reducing payments to physicians by having the government dictate rates which, because of the future structural deficits, must be reduced
• giving the government further ability to hamstring my practice by controlling access to procedures
• leaving loose the dogs of law to sue willy-nilly looking for jackpot justice

All of those provisions leave doctors as the villains ...

Excellent. Read the whole thing, here.

Are You With PETA on This One...?

I love elephants. I'd like to know if the trainers' whips can be used without the beating. But given how casual the men look, I have no doubt that those elephants get whapped into line routinely. My family skipped Ringling Bros. this summer. Every year the animal rights activists are out there protesting. It's hard not to shamed, and readers know that's a trick with me!

The New York Daily News has the story, "PETA Video Shows Ringling Bros. Circus Handlers Beating Elephants":

The world-famous Ringling Bros. circus faces fresh accusations of animal abuse today after undercover videos show handlers beating elephants before they enter the ring.

The tape, made by a man who posed as a stagehand for six months, is likely to stir outrage and give animal rights activists new ammunition in their campaign against the circus that bills itself "The Greatest Show on Earth."

A worker with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals used a secret camera to document what the group calls the abuse of animals as they're led from holding pens to the stage.

The animals are seen herded together, wearing headdresses, while trainers stand around, appearing to randomly whip them with bull hooks across the head, legs and body.

Loud cracking noises can be heard.

In one scene, a handler curses an elephant, saying, "F--- you, fat ass" before using his whip to nonchalantly strike its trunk.

The elephants are led with a bull hook - a long pole with a metal point at the end - used to pull them by the trunk.

The undercover PETA employee scored a job with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and traveled with the circus as it toured seven states, a spokesman said.

Footage was shot between January and June, the animal rights organization said, and included a stint at Madison Square Garden.

"He witnessed these elephants being beaten for no apparent reason," said Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA's vice president for cruelty investigations, who described the abuse as "consistent" and "routine."

"We've known for years that backstage beatings occur," said Nachminovitch, "but what will strike the audience is that these elephants can't do anything right as far as these workers go.

"This sort of behavior is deeply embedded."

Ringling Bros. officials said they were unaware of the video and could not comment on its content, but they maintained their animals are treated properly.

"PETA is an animal rights extremist group," said Steve Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros.

The guy's right about PETA being extremist. See Jacob Laksin, "Animal Rights Extremism Meets Academia." That piece discusses Gary Yourofsky, a hardline radical activist who's been banned in Britain for seeking to "foment or justify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs ..."

That sounds about right. I wrote about some related issues earlier at, "J. David Jentsch Stands Up to Animal Rights Extremists." At that piece I link to Roger Scruton's key essay, Animal Rights."

For reasons found at those links, no matter how much I abhor this treatment of the elephants, I just can't get too close to these radical activists ideologically and politically - if not physically.

Hat Tip: Memeorandum. Also, blogging, Perez Hilton, which shouldn't be surprising I guess ...

Cop Not Sorry in Arrest of Harvard's Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

From Fox News, "Officer Who Arrested Harvard Professor After Robbery Mix-Up Won't Apologize":

A white police sergeant accused of racism after he arrested renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home insisted Wednesday he won't apologize for his treatment of the Harvard professor, but President Barack Obama said police had acted "stupidly."

Gates has demanded an apology from Sgt. James Crowley, who had responded to the home near Harvard University to investigate a report of a burglary and demanded the scholar show him identification. Police say the 58-year-old at first refused and then accused the officer of racism.

Gates said Crowley walked into his home without his permission and only arrested him as the professor followed him to the porch, repeatedly demanding the sergeant's name and badge number because he was unhappy over his treatment.

I wrote about the Gates case earlier. William Jacobson has a copy of the arrest report.

Also, John McWhorter, who is sympathetic to Gates, explains both Gates' problem during the altercation and, I think, the reasonable perceptions of cops working the inner-city streets:

One night at about one in the morning I was walking to a convenience store. I was in jeans, sneakers and a short-sleeved button-down shirt open over a T-shirt. I had a few days' worth of stubble. I crossed a two-lane street far from the traffic light or crosswalk, and when I saw a car coming at about 25 yards away I broke into a quick trot to get across before it got to where I was.

I hadn't realized that the car was a police car, and the officer quickly turned on the siren, made a screeching U-turn and pulled up to me on the other side of the street. The window rolled down, revealing a white man who would have been played by Danny Aiello if it had been a movie. "You always cross streets whenever you feel like it like that?" he sneered. "I'm sorry, officer," I said; "I wasn't thinking." "Even in front of a police car?" he growled threateningly. My stomach jumped, and I realized that at that moment, despite being a tenured professor at an elite university, to this man I was a black street thug, a "youth."

I simply cannot imagine him stopping like this if a white man of the same age in the same clothes with the same stubble had done the exact same thing; he was trawling through a neighborhood which, unfortunately, does sometimes harbor a certain amount of questionable behavior by young black men on that street at that time of night, and to him, the color of my skin rendered me a suspect.

I explained again as calmly as I could that I had meant no disrespect. I frankly suspect that the educated tone of my voice, so often an inconvenience in my life, was part of what made him pull off - "Not the type," he was probably thinking. But if I had answered in a black-inflected voice with the subtle mannerisms that distinguish one as "street," the encounter would quite possibly have gone on longer and maybe even gotten ugly. He pulled off, and left me shaken and violated.

This kind of thing - i.e. the larger "narrative" - is what informed Henry Louis Gates' response to the police questioning him for breaking into his own house. It's a real problem. There are things that would help us get past it, and training white officers in sensitivity is but one.

As I pointed out, in "Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and the Racial Cesspool at Harvard," my sense is that with Professor Gates' background and social circle, that kind "white sensitivity" is completely alien. "The Man" is always getting down on the black dude. But those dudes commit the most crimes, and profiling is perfectly legitimate as a crimefighting tool when the odds are that a certain demographic is prone to particular types of criminal activity. I frankly can understand the fears of people flying cross-continental airliners when they see Middle Eastern and Muslim passengers on board. Individuals from those groups have committed the most heinous crimes on Americans. Fear and worry when "profiling" people like that makes sense.

That may be politically incorrect. But take that away, and we're left with Henry Louis Gates' belligerence, which included the comeback, "I'll speak with your mama outside," when the policeman requested that Gates step outside.

See also, Ben Smith, "Obama: Cambridge Police Acted 'Stupidly'." (Via Memeorandum.)

The President's a Harvard-trained radical, so that makes sense.

Photo Credit: Fox News.

Breaking News on Andrews Peephole Case: N.Y. Post Leads With 'Erin's Perv Fury'; Media's 'Haunting' Story is 'Volcanic' on Google Trends!

ABC News has another big report on the Erin Andrews nude video scandal, "Looking for Clues in Erin Andrews Peeping Tom Video: What Hints Can Be Gleaned About Perverted Perpetrator's Identity from Web Clips?"

But check out the New York Post, "Angry Erin Andrews Wont' Rest Until Peep Perve is Jailed":

Beautiful ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who was secretly videotaped naked in her hotel room by a peephole pervert, is horrified and furious over the twisted act, her lawyer said yesterday.

"We are focused on putting this predator behind bars," her lawyer, Marshall B. Grossman, said yesterday. "This conduct is unacceptable in a civilized society" ...

Andrews, last seen on air Sunday during the network's annual ESPY Awards, will not resume broadcasting until college football kicks off in September, ESPN officials said.

Andrews, 31 - dubbed "America's sexiest sportscaster" - was caught on tape in her hotel room with a camera that may have been handheld.

The video and screen grabs surfaced on the Web under the title "Hot naked blond who looks a lot like a sports-blogger favorite in her hotel room."

Actually, if you check the link, the Post's story is behind the curve on what's known at this point. One guy interviewed there suggests the hotel security should have had "a camera on every floor to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen?" Of course, most reports now say that Andrews was videotaped by a miniature hook-neck camera through a hole carved in the hotel wall (see TMZ, "Andrews Peeping Tom - ESPN Investigating"). The Post's story is going heavy on the Erin Andrews photo-slideshows, naturally.

Related, from MediaBistro, "Erin Andrews Peephole Scandal Continues to Make News." MediaBistro takes issue with the Post's reporting, and has a nifty PollDaddy survey:

Do you think the Post and others - like TMZ, Fox News and CBS - made the right decision in publishing or broadcasting photos or parts of the illicit video? Take our poll and leave your comments below.

Actually, again, really bad reporting: TMZ viewed the original peephole videos, but declined to purchase them, and has refused to publish nude images of Erin Andrews.

Also, From Associated Content, "Erin Andrews Peephole Pictures Included with Hotel Video?":

Erin Andrews peephole pictures and hotel videos have been on demand for about a week. The search for Erin Andrews peephole pictures is now as prominent as the Erin Andrews hotel video. But searching for Erin Andrews peephole pictures may be a bit less risky, and easier, than finding the Erin Andrews Peephole Pictures Included with Hotel Video? Erin Andrews hotel video. The hotel video is now almost impossible to find, and can shut down one's computer. But Erin Andrews peephole pictures are now the next stage of this Internetp henomenon.

More, Gawker continues to ridicule the press reporting. See, "Nekkid Erin Andrews Haunts Media's Soul." But the phenomenon is hardly resrtricted to the tabloids, as we can see in the video above from yesterday's Fox & Friends coverage. See, Associated Content, "Erin Andrews Video Peep Airs on Mainstream Media":

Erin Andrews' peep video has been hot on the Internet for days, but now the Erin Andrews video peep has hit the mainstream. ESPN obviously didn't want to report on the video, but other major news outlets aren't so shy now. Now the Erin Andrews

Erin Andrews Video Peep Airs on Mainstream Media video peep, and its pictures, have reached actual news organizations like the New York Post, FOX , and CBS. As such, Erin Andrews' video peep, and the evidence of it, isn't just limited to Internet porn sites anymore.

The first controversy came when the New York Post turned Erin Andrews' peep video into front page news - and even reprinted some of the peephole pictures. Of course, they put a black box over Andrews' private parts, but still reprinted the images from the video peep nonetheless.

Added: See also, Deadspin, "CBS Discusses "Serious Violation" Of Erin Andrews' Privacy By Airing Video In Which Her Privacy Is Violated."

Okay, how about more explanations focusing on the complicity/demand side of thing? From Jamie Samuelsen, at the Detroit Free Press, "Everyone, Even I, Share Blame in Erin Andrews Incident":

It’s a horrible story on every level and any attempts to analyze it or place the blame on anyone other than the voyeur diminishes the heinous nature of the crime. And it is a crime in no uncertain terms. The person who shot the video is pretty low on the decency food chain.

But the video is a big story. And certainly thousands of people went looking for it when it started to make its way around the Internet. And thousands more will write about it or read about it. A quick search of “Erin Andrews” on Twitter this morning elicits everything from tweets of sorrow and shame to silly sophomoric tweets offering to be her lawyer or fruitlessly searching out the video. Will Leitch wrote a great column on Deadspin about this exact thing. To paraphrase, he wrote that everyone finds this story despicable, yet we’re all, in away, guilty for getting it to this point. As a sportstalk radio host, I’ve talked many times about Erin Andrews. We had her on the show a couple of times and she was asked (although in my defense, not by me) who she was dating and if she ever considered posing for Playboy. Wholly inappropriate questions for 99% of the journalists out there, female or otherwise, but somehow questions that are expected to be asked of her.

Keep reading, here. I think Samuelson low-balls the search numbers: It's probably in the hundreds of thousands who have searched for Andrews nude online. Google has manipulated its algorithms to limit "Erin Andrews Nude" searches, but Bing.com hasn't done a thing, and Yahoo.com goes back and forth.

Added: According to David Whitley at FanHouse, approximately 4.9 billion people have searched for the Andrews video. See, "Everyone Deserves Blame for Erin Andrews Video Fiasco":

To the approximate 4.9 billion people who've spent the week clicking around the web looking for the video, may your hard drives go permanently soft.

Wait, I'm in that group.

I could say I was only doing research for this column, but the fact is I was more than willing to stop mentally undressing ESPN's sideline babe and watch the real thing.My guess is you were, too. If not, I commend you and hope things are going well at the monastery.

Plus, on the investigative angle, see, "Erin Andrews Peephole Video Likely Shot by Fellow ESPN Employee: Report":

She may have been burned by one of her own.

The shocking nude peephole video of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews was most likely shot by a fellow ESPN employee, Radaronline.com reports.

The video shows Andrews stark naked in her hotel room. Her lawyers insist the video was made without Andrews' knowledge, and she was "in the privacy of her hotel room," Radaronline.com reports.

The scandal erupted when the video was posted to the French Web site Dailymotion.com. Radar reports that the video was uploaded by a user named Goblazers who has been identified as a 49-year-old American male.

ESPN is infuriated, and has vowed to find the person who created the video.

Also, "Erin Andrews Peephole Video: Did an ESPN Co-Worker Make the Video?: ESPN Internal Investigation and Countless Others Track the Maker of the Erin Andrews Hotel Peephole Video."

And more, a controversy on the controversy? Check it out: "USA TODAY Columnist Raises Some Hackles With Erin Andrews Tweet:

The controversy over the videotaping of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews in her hotel room, has ricocheted around the internet in every form.

USA TODAY columnist Christine Brennan has gotten a strong reaction to her postings on her Twitter account with the tweets linked to Facebook.

Tweeted Brennan:

Women sports journalists need to be smart and not play to the frat house. There are tons of nuts out there.

Erin Andrews incident is bad, but to add perspective: there are 100s of women sports journalists who have never had this happen to them.

The Big Lead picked up Brennan's postings and the response has questioned Brennan's opinion ...

Andrews was asking for it? Read the rest of it at the link. And then check out the radical feminst blog, Feministing, "The Long History of Objectifying Erin Andrews."

Also, I'm sure this'll bolster the argument at Feministing, but check out Deadspin's, "The (Mobile) Internet Is For Porn":

Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day.

At the post is a hot semi-nude pic of Marisa Miller, who was this year's Sports Illustrated bikini cover girl.

See also, The Blog Prof, "ESPN Hottie Erin Andrews to Sue Over Nude Peephole Video at Hotel."

Most of the main bloggers on both the left and right have avoided this story; and that's because it raises the most difficult and potentially irreconcilable cultural, gender and political issues we've faced this decade.

I'll have more, but here are the traffic trends for the Erin Andrews hot searches on Google trends from earlier this morning (the post's timestamp is 9:43am PST):

1. adam laroche
2. splice the mainbrace
3. erin andrews video p...
4. boris kodjoe
5. andrea mcnulty photo...
6. ben roethlisberger a...
7. poveglia
8. harvey mudd college
9. baja fresh
10. tour de france stage...
11. alex donnelley
12. tony bernazard
13. shun kaji fusion
14. chrysler cash for cl...
15. snogging
16. valerie jarrett
17. shun kaji fusion 5 p...
18. henry louis gates ar...
19. free market warrior
20. young mom dies after...

Here's the Andrews entry, for the same time, at the link page:

erin andrews video peep
Hotness: Volcanic

Related searches:
erin andrews, erin andrews video, erin andrews peephole pictures, erin andrews playboy, erin andrews youtube

Peak:
2 hours ago

Updates forthcoming ...

**********

UPDATE: I doubt the threat of malware infection stopped that many people for searching for the Andrews video. But see, The Week, "The Erin Andrews Video Peep Malware: How Hackers Helped Slow the Spread of Video That Violated the Privacy of the Sexy ESPN Reporter."

Don Chavez takes a look at Internet search trends (NSFW), "Erin Andrews, Paris Hilton, and Kim Kardashian Compared on Google Trends":

Well this scandal isn’t over yet, but the buzz surrounding Erin Andrews ... could definitely rival that of Kim Kardashian especially if Erin gives an exclusive interview to *ahem* Barbara Walters on ABC ...

As for Paris Hilton, all I can say is. “That’s Hot”. The sideline princess can’t touch the release of Paris Hilton’s sex tape just before her reality show “The Simple Life” hit the air on Fox.

This race is far from over, and my money is on the blond with brains.

I'm sure Feministing is not pleased ...

Also, from Neil Best at Newsday, "ESPN Bans New York Post Staffers from its Outlets."

And Michael Rand discusses the "inside job" theory, "The Erin Andrews Story Gets More Bizarre."

It would make sense, given TMZ’s assertion that four of the video clips were shot in one hotel, while two others were shot in a different hotel. That information, based on the site’s review of the video, would seem to put an end to any thought that this was a random act targeted simply at an attractive woman. If TMZ is correct, then the person who made the videos certainly knew it was Andrews.

That wouldn’t make this whole thing any better or worse — though it would perhaps change the story from being about some creepy person obsessed with Andrews to someone perhaps intent, from the inside, on damaging her professional reputation. And to anyone who thinks she was in on all this (and they are out there in greater number than you might suspect): such a thought is simply absurd. Andrews takes her job seriously, and while something like this might lengthen the shelf life of a D-list celebrity, it does nothing for someone’s professional reputation. Inside job or not, there’s no way Andrews knew about it.

Rand's TMZ reference is to, "Erin Andrews Peeping Tom - Inside Job?"

Plus, at Associated Content, "Erin Andrews Peephole Video: Did an ESPN Co-Worker Make the Video?":

The Erin Andrews peephole video mystery might lead back to ESPN, the attractive sportscaster's employer. Two gossip websites, TMZ and Radar Online have reported that the Erin Andrews peephole video, which is a combination of several videos at various locations, might have might have been the product of an ESPN co-worker of Andrews'. With the Erin Andrews peephole video story remaining the top searched item on the internet (according to Google Trends) and being covered by every major media outlet (from the New York Times to CNN), the story has taken on a life of its own. It seems that the hunt for the "perpetrator(s)" has become just one more chapter in a story that began as a novelty, a curiosity, and has since exploded into an a full-fledged physical and cybernet manhunt.

Also, a French news report post a photo of Ms. Andrews without black patches or blurring, that is, stark naked, "Le mur de la chambre d'hôtel avait un trou" (roughly, "through the hole in the bedroom wall ...").

**********

UPDATE II: Some commentary from Tina Sims, at the National Ledger, "Andrea McNulty Charges; Erin Andrews Nude Photos and Video Drag Down Sports."

Schwarzenegger Budget to Reshape the Golden State

From the Los Angeles Times:

Roads will be rougher, classrooms fuller and textbooks more tattered. The odds of encountering someone fresh out of prison will almost certainly be higher.

If the budget deal crafted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and top legislative leaders is passed by the Legislature and survives the inevitable court challenges, California will undergo perhaps the biggest downscaling of government in its history.

The state will be reshaped, at least for the short term, into a domain that is more efficient by necessity, but also noticeably shabbier, less generous and possibly more dangerous.

Those who will notice the biggest changes will be students and the poor as class sizes increase and health and welfare benefits shrink. The pace of government-sponsored redevelopment will slow, and some state parks will close.

"These cuts are real, they're going to be felt, they're going to be seen," said state Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.

Details remained vague Tuesday about precisely how the cuts would be made, but enough trickled out to allow a general overview.

More at the link. All the major pork constituencies are pissed.

See, "Opposition to State Budget Deal Mounts." And, "Cal State Approves 20% Fee Hike: Hundreds of Students Protest the Move, Which Comes on the Heels of a 10% Increase in May. And the Chancellor Warns of Mass Layoffs if the Faculty Rejects a Two-Day-a-Month Furlough."

Plus, the San Francisco Chronicle, "Inmate Release Plan Imperils State Budget Pace."

Related: Ace of Spades HQ, "Palin 1, Obama 0: California Budget Compromise Allows Drilling Off Santa Barbara Coast."

Video Hat Tip: MSNBC, "Schwarzenegger Wields Big Budget Knife: Governor Jokes About Signing Cars."

Tea Party Censorship

From Americans for Limited Government:

Sometimes it requires a focused, local eye to get the big picture.

In this telling scenario, the big picture has come into clear focus in the small town of Danville, Virginia, where the local Tea Party movement has become the scorn of the politics-as-usual liberal leadership—specifically freshman Representative Tom Perriello, a Democrat “representing” the 5th District of his state.

As chronicled extensively by the ALG News Bureau, the Tea Party movement is a nationwide, patriotic grassroots effort aiming to beat back the tide of liberal policies that seek to grow government and simultaneously squelch individual freedom. Nigel Coleman of Danville is one of those patriots spearheading the movement.

Eager to participate in the American right of public discourse, Mr. Coleman and other concerned Tea-Partiers attended a local town-hall forum on environmental issues hosted by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, and Representative Perriello. Rather than having their questions answered, Mr. Perriello ignored Mr. Coleman’s group and called upon big business owners, familiar faces, and those in “reserved seats”. Some of those questioned even admitted to having been contacted earlier and informed that they would be called upon to ask their so-called “real questions.”

Clearly upset at being ignored, the patriotic crew retrieved some signs from their cars and began to protest outside of the farcical town-hall meeting. Mr. Coleman and his group were immediacy confronted by law enforcement and ordered to leave the public meeting—to which they politely complied.

After leaving, the group met up at a nearby restaurant to discuss the situation and decide how they should proceed. As they soon noticed, an unmarked police car was spotted in the parking lot and an officer was recording and calling in Mr. Coleman’s and the others’ license plate numbers.

Shifting from merely upset to outright livid at what was intimidation tactics plain and simple, the Danville Tea Party issued a press release voicing their disgust. And they have a right to be disgusted.

Not only has Representative Perriello displayed his disdain for free speech and opposing voices, he has gone a step further and aggressively sought to punish it. It is a tried-and-true despotic practice that has no place in America.

More at the link.

This is the most egregious harrassment I've heard about.

Recall the Democratic reaction to last Friday's tea parties, which included Senator Claire McCaskill's staff calling the police. I reported on this for Pajamas Media. See, "ObamaCare and the Tea Party Effect."

See also my earlier post, "'Blame Bush Not Obama' (For Our Healthcare Crisis?)."

And, no wonder Democrats want to censor the tea parties. See Rasmussen Reports, "53% Now Oppose Congressional Health Care Reform" (via Memeorandum), and Gallup, "More Disapprove Than Approve of Obama on Healthcare."

Related: Red State, "Bad Care After Good: Obama Seeks to Trade the U.S.’s Health Care Problems for Britain’s Health Care Catastrophe." Plus, at National Review, "Doctor Kevorkian, Call Your Office."

Democrats' Health Care Reform Bill Flawed

From the Fresno Bee, "Current Health Care Reform Bills are Flawed":

The health care system in this nation is badly broken, and needs a major overhaul. But we fear the reform bills before Congress only offer costly substitutes to the current system without solving key problems.

Congress should pass health care reform, but only if it controls skyrocketing federal costs of health care.

Congressional leaders and President Barack Obama need to take heed of the assessment by Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf, who said the proposed reforms would not "reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount." Other critics -- some Democrats and some Republicans -- echo Elmendorf.

This is the best chance for fundamental reform of the nation's health care system, but the badly flawed bills whizzing through Congress will not meet the goals of the president to improve the system. They would be a major setback to the effort to fix the system.

Obama and Democratic leaders want a bill passed before the Aug. 7 summer recess. We understand the political reality and the White House's desire to pass this reform quickly. After all, the longer the debate lasts, the more time available for fat insurance and pharmaceutical companies and other wealthy special interests to buy expensive TV advertising to sway public opinion.

More at the link. See also, Reliapundit, "This is Obama's Recipe for America."

Plus, USA Today, "Health Care Reform: 'This Is Going to Happen'"(video interview with Nancy Pelosi). And at the New York Times, "In Health Care Fight, Defining Moment Nears for President." (Via Memeorandum.)

Related: Nice Deb, "Obama to Dem Congressmen: “You’re Going to Destroy My Presidency”!"

'Blame Bush Not Obama' (For Our Healthcare Crisis?)

This is Monday's message was posted yesterday at Representative Loretta Sanchez's Facebook wall:

Representative Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) thanks everyone who came out to the healthcare reform town hall I hosted in Anaheim yesterday. The forum was productive and as always, I learned a lot from my constituents!

'I understand why she doesn't want the government option.'

Here's the report on the town hall from Megan Barth, who organized last friday's tea party at Congresswoman Sanchez's office, "Blame Bush Not Obama" (For Our Healthcare Crisis?)":

Well, that is what I was led to believe, for this is the first thing that I saw when entering the Loretta Sanchez Health Care Town Hall forum this Monday afternoon. One of her volunteers was proudly wearing a t-shirt emblazened with "Blame Bush, not Obama" as he was passing out leaflets to each person that entered the room. The front of the leaflet advertised "Guaranteed Healthcare for ALL with HR 676," and "One Nation. One Heath Plan for All Americans." The back of the leaflet was an advertisement for the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA).

So, my first impression of this town hall forum? Outside of the blatantly obvious, I will, with civility, state, that Congresswoman Sanchez has left her Blue Dog Democrat stance and is now for "one health plan for all Americans"--regardless of the cost and consequences.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, but I still sat through the 90 minutes of her talk. She admitted that she hasn't read the bill (she has a staff for that). She repeatedly (and I need to stress repeatedly) exclaimed that healthcare was very complicated--it is a very complicated issue, and she knows, "as we all know, that if this bill passes, that there are no guarantees that it will work." Congresswoman Sanchez proceeded to be perplexed by complexities, for if healthcare isn't complicated enough, the process by which a bill is created and voted on is complicated. "Very complicated." The bill goes from the House to this committee and to that committee, and then to the Rules Committee and to this chair to that place and so on and so forth. She doesn't sit on any of these committees, we were told, but, she repeated that this "process is complicated and difficult."

She then made an analogy to baseball. Which, for me, complicated things even more.

After she answered some questions that were hand written on 3x5 cards--which she had trouble reading because she forgot her glasses (which led me to wonder why she didn't choose vision insurance under her government plan and why I was only given a leaflet), she summarily stated that she has the same insurance that everyone will have when they are able to choose from the Government Exchange (which I think is some bureaucracy in Washington DC) and she hasn't been sick in 13 years and she likes her plan. Thank you for coming.

Meeting adjourned...............................................................................................

So, in a nutshell, it's complicated. 90 minutes of my time to find out that everything is just complicated.

Exiting the town hall, swimming in all of this complication and passing by "Blame Bush not Obama," I was left to wonder this: if everything in Government is so complicated now, why should people be forced to go to some "place" called a Government Exchange for this complicated healthcare issue? Does adding a complex problem to a government, complicated process really insure us of anything except for maybe, oh, i don't know...complications??? Maybe Barack Obama summarized it best for all of us the other day when he was quoted as saying this: "we must ensure that people have choices in dealing with difficult end of life issues, we have to look at hospices as a legitimate option." Hmmm. It looks like the government is already warming up to making our "choices" for us--not only in our life, but also in our death.

Clearly, it seems that all of us people, especially the elderly, are really making all of this just so......complicated.

Leftist have cheered Sanchez's defection from the centrist "Blue Dog" coalition. See the radical Firedoglake, "Loretta Sanchez: A Blue Dog Barks Back on the Public Option."

Also, The Politico, "Waxman, Blue Dogs Strike Deal on Costs," and The Hill, "Dems at Odds on How to Turn Tide on Health." Added: From Political Punch, "Facing Blue Dog Rebellion, House Energy and Commerce Committee Cancels Markup for 2nd Day in a Row."

See also Memeorandum.

Related: Grizzly Mama, "Letter to My Representatives."