Raquel Welch on 'Huckabee'

She looks fabulous:

10 Reasons You Don't Need a Hybrid

At U.S. News:

They said it couldn't be done. Now they're proving themselves wrong.

For years, auto executives—especially those from Detroit—insisted it wasn't possible to build high-mileage cars at reasonable prices that Americans would want to drive. Thrifty drivers were stuck with weezy econoboxes like the Ford Escort or Chevy Cavalier, designed not to delight drivers but to raise the automakers' fleetwide fuel economy, assuage regulators, and compensate for gas-guzzling SUVs. Early hybrids from Toyota and Honda upped the ante, with mpg in the 40s and 50s, but their high mileage required tradeoffs that produced a mediocre driving experience, at best.

But over the last few years, automakers have kicked their engineering departments into high gear, and they're starting to turn out some truly fun cars that get eye-popping mileage. It's not happening by accident. New gas-mileage requirements passed by both the Bush and Obama administrations are forcing automakers to either downsize their cars or come up with technology that will dramatically boost mileage. The carmakers are doing both. Most of them now build hybrids, which J.D. Power estimates will comprise a sizeable 8.6 percent of the market by 2015. And many automakers will soon be rolling out electric vehicles that can be charged more cheaply from a receptacle at home. But other types of technology are pushing mileage higher for traditional gas-powered engines, with less complexity than a hybrid or electric, lower costs, and practically no driving tradeoffs. Here are some of the vehicles proving that cars can be cool and thrifty at the same time ...

RTWT.

Honda Accord makes the list (my wife and I both drive Hondas, but not this particular model).

Poll Finds Deep Concern About Energy and Economy

At NYT (via Memeorandum):

Overwhelmingly, Americans think the nation needs a fundamental overhaul of its energy policies, and most expect alternative forms to replace oil as a major source within 25 years. Yet a majority are unwilling to pay higher gasoline prices to help develop new fuel sources.

Those are among the findings of the latest nationwide New York Times/CBS News poll.

The poll, which examines the public’s reaction to the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, highlights some of the complex political challenges the Obama administration faces. For instance, despite intense news coverage and widespread public concern about the economic and ecological damage from the gulf disaster, most Americans remain far more concerned about jobs and the nation’s overall economy.

And in that regard, President Obama does not fare well: 54 percent of the public say he does not have a clear plan for creating jobs, while only 34 percent say he does, an ominous sign heading into this fall’s midterm elections.

Well, ominous for the Democrats, but RTWT. Americans remain optimistic that the Gulf Coast ecology will quickly recover from the spill, and check the in-depth findings on those in states most directly affected ...

Gulf Spill Hits 60th day

Via Instapundit, at the Sacramento Bee.

Look. Just look.

Taliban Attack During Ambassador Holbrooke's Afghan Visit

Now, that's a personal touch to gathering on-the-ground metrics!

At ABC News, "Taliban Attack During Ambassador Holbrooke's Marja Visit: Taliban Fire on His Plane, Suicide Bombers Attack Government Center":

Ambassador Richard Holbrooke got a up close look at the Afghan war today, including gunfire at his aircraft and suicide bombers.

He visited Marja, a key town, to assess whether the new U.S. counter insurgency strategy is working or falling short.

Taliban gunmen tried to shoot down Holbrooke's V22 Osprey as it approached for a landing, triggering a gunbattle with the insurgents that lasted for about 10 minutes. And a trio of suicide bombers detonated themselves during an attack on the U.S. base as Holbrooke was leaving.

Holbrooke, the White House's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, visited Kandahar and Marja today to see for himself what progress looks like here. He was traveling with Karl Eikenberry, the former Army general who is now U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.

Lady Gaga Goes Double-Barrel at Rolling Stone

Hey, what-in-the-heck?

Lady Gaga's utterly dominating the celebrity news cycle of late, and since I've been on top of it, now's not the time to slow it down!

Not only is Gaga going, er, double barrelled for the new cover of Rolling Stone, she's in the news for a drunken crash into the New York Yankees' clubhouse over the weekend. At NY Post, "Gaga Safe at Home: Boozy Clubhouse Crash Not Her Fault: Yank GM":

Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman is gaga for Gaga -- saying yesterday that the half-dressed singer did nothing wrong when she infiltrated the players' clubhouse after a game over the weekend, causing a stir among team brass.

Instead, Cashman put the blame on his own employees for allowing the outrageous "Poker Face" singer to make her uncomfortable, boozy visit to the clubhouse Friday night after the Yanks' Subway Series loss to the Mets.

"She didn't do anything wrong," Cashman said.

The GM said celebrities are allowed to mingle with players in a designated area adjacent to the locker room -- but only after Yankee victories. They are not usually allowed in the clubhouse, he said.

"She's not banned" from Yankee Stadium and the VIP area, Cashman said.

The player-celeb issue came to a head after Lady Gaga infuriated Yankee brass with her antics in the clubhouse Friday night.

A liquored-up, half-naked Gaga could barely string together coherent sentences as she fawned over several players near the locker room -- causing team co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner to become unglued and ban the singer permanently from the team's clubhouse, according to sources close to the boss.

Gaga's pals and rent-a-cops walked right past Yankee security on their way into the clubhouse.

Gaga was wearing an unbuttoned pinstripe jersey over her bra and bikini bottom -- and nothing else -- as she struck up conversations with some of the Bronx Bombers. She gushed about what a Yankee fan she is, all while groping her breasts during the cringe-inducing visit.

A rep for Gaga did not return a call for comment.

Cashman said the team would step up enforcement of its existing clubhouse rules, which limit VIP access to players to a mingling area adjacent to the locker room.

"There is a time and a place for that, and it's certainly not after a loss and not at the expense of the media doing their job," Cashman said.

More at the link.

And at Rolling Stone, "Lady Gaga Tells All: Rolling Stone's New Issue."

PREVIOUSLY: "Lady Gaga Joins BP Boycott," and "'Alejandro' Fashion Credits."

Hilda Solis: Illegal Adult Labor? No Problem. Illegal Child Labor? Top Priority

Hilda Solis, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, gave the keynote address at my college in May.

At the viddy, Solis argues that "every working in the U.S. has a right to be paid fairly, whether documented or not."

Okay, no worry about illegal workers? Not going after employers who hire illegals? Solis came off way more tough last month on the subject of child labor, maybe the standards are different. Adult illegals: No crackdown. Child illegals: Crackdown:

"With the goal of ending illegal child labor as a top priority, our investigators are using every tool available — from imposing civil money penalties to using the ‘hot goods’ provision — to end these violations. In the coming agricultural seasons, the department plans to increase both outreach to workers and investigations of U.S. farms. After all, those farmers who follow the law deserve a level playing field.

Hmm. Maybe we should just end illegal labor, period.

RELATED: At Hot Air, "Obama WH to illegals: We’ll help you get paid fairly."

Hot Fun in the Summertime...

It's the first day of summer, so holding off on more punk rock until tomorrow ...

Posting a family friendly version here (this live clip's not my favorite). Definitely some gold music, in any case, "Hot Fun in the Summertime":

Israel and the Surrender of the West

From Shelby Steele, at WSJ:

The most interesting voice in all the fallout surrounding the Gaza flotilla incident is that sanctimonious and meddling voice known as "world opinion." At every turn "world opinion," like a school marm, takes offense and condemns Israel for yet another infraction of the world's moral sensibility. And this voice has achieved an international political legitimacy so that even the silliest condemnation of Israel is an opportunity for self-congratulation.

Rock bands now find moral imprimatur in canceling their summer tour stops in Israel (Elvis Costello, the Pixies, the Gorillaz, the Klaxons). A demonstrator at an anti-Israel rally in New York carries a sign depicting the skull and crossbones drawn over the word "Israel." White House correspondent Helen Thomas, in one of the ugliest incarnations of this voice, calls on Jews to move back to Poland. And of course the United Nations and other international organizations smugly pass one condemnatory resolution after another against Israel while the Obama administration either joins in or demurs with a wink.

This is something new in the world, this almost complete segregation of Israel in the community of nations. And if Helen Thomas's remarks were pathetic and ugly, didn't they also point to the end game of this isolation effort: the nullification of Israel's legitimacy as a nation? There is a chilling familiarity in all this. One of the world's oldest stories is playing out before our eyes: The Jews are being scapegoated again.

RTWT.

Hidden Cameras on the Arizona Border: Coyotes, Bears, and Trails

Via Fausta:

RELATED: Mark Hemingway, at Washington Examiner, "Will the New York Times run a correction on its immigration story?", and Tamar Jacoby, at Los Angeles Times, "Arizona's immigration law: Washington should stay out of it."

Jordan is Palestine

At Melanie Phillips:

The Dutch politician Geert Wilders has hit the bullseye:

‘Jordan is Palestine,’ said Wilders, who heads the third-largest party in Holland. ‘Changing its name to Palestine will end the conflict in the Middle East and provide the Palestinians with an alternate homeland...There has been an independent Palestinian state since 1946, and it is the kingdom of Jordan.’ Wilders also called on the Dutch government to refer to Jordan as Palestine and move its embassy to Jerusalem.

Wilders has spoken the big inconvenient truth. As a result, it is inevitably being dismissed as merely what ‘the right’ regularly says. So of course it's untrue, on the grounds that, by definition, everything ‘the right’ says is untrue. Yadda yadda.

But it is not untrue. It is correct. Anyone familiar with the history knows it is correct. Immediately after World War One ...

RTWT.

Bork Elena Kagan

She deserves it. And maybe this is a payback for this, at least in the karmic scheme of things (via):

Warped Tour Exclusive: Hey Monday

Vans Skateboards' Warped Tour 2010 kicks off this Friday at the Home Depot Center in Carson. Below is Cassadee Pope of Hey Monday. Hey, get rockin', 'cause this stuff looks hot! (The list of bands is here, and some of punk's greatest from the '70s and '80s --- my generation, LOL!! --- are headlining. Expect video updates.)

Unreal: J.D. Hayworth Pitched 'Free Government Money'

Recall that following the "Phoenix Rising" event a few Saturdays back, AZ GOP Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth held a barbeque fundraiser that night. Organizers were asking $25 to attend, and I wasn't too thrilled about it. I didn't know anyone, for one thing (and the crowd wasn't overflowing by any means). But more importantly, I didn't know that much about Hayworth himself. Well, I know something now. See, "Hayworth pitched ‘free money’ seminars in 2007 infomercial." (Via Memeorandum.) And remember, there's no such thing as "free money."

Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate

Full report at The Other McCain, "Sharron Angle Fights Back."

Angle's campaign page is here.

And the text from the ad:

Unemployment has skyrocketed. Billions in bailouts to Wall Street millionaires with little to show for it. The national debt reaching critical mass. Iran close to going nuclear. The Gulf Coast submerged in oil. And the Majority Leader of the Senate moves quickly into action — not with solutions, but by attacking his opponent.

Within hours of Sharron Angle becoming the nominee to face Reid in November, Reid launched a brutal advertising assault that is a slap in the face to all Americans. Not only is Reid not offering solutions to our problems, he’s using special interest money to throw mud and try to tear down his opponent. America deserves better.

If you care more about sound ideas than negative sound bites, if you think it’s time to end the bailouts, end the power of the special interests, and, above all, take back the America we love, then please visit SharronAngle.com and contribute today — and do it before Harry Reid attacks again.

Daily Kos Commies Attack Israel as 'Rogue Nation'

And the U.S. as well:

An organized boycott of the goods and services of a rogue nation is an allowable expression of opinion. Had the world decided to boycott the U.S. after our invasion of Iraq, we might well be better off today.

The full post is here:

And remember, the Kos people are the "mainstream of the Democratic Party."

The world is upside down.

And in related news, "Israeli Easing of Blockade of Gaza Draws Praise of U.S." (Via Memeorandum.) Of course, easing the blockade will make it easier for Hamas to import weapons for jihad against Israel, but that's what this is all about in the long run. There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

East Bay Jew Hatred: Free Palestine Movement Blockades Israeli Ship in Oakland

At Zombie, "Radicals, Islamists and Longshoremen Blockade Israeli Ship in Oakland":

An Israeli cargo ship arriving in Oakland today was forced to sit idle and not offload its containers when longshoremen joined forces with a coalition of communist and Islamist groups who picketed the port in protest against the recent violent incident off the coast of Gaza.

The ship, owned by Zim Lines, was not carrying any controversial cargo, nor is Zim involved in politics in any way; it was targeted simply because the shipping company is based in Israel.

The planned protest and blockade were organized by The Free Palestine Movement (one of the same groups which organized the Gaza “flotilla” in the first place) as well as a rogues’ gallery of nearly every communist, anti-Israel and radical Islamist group in the Bay Area ...

Additional reporting at the link (via Instapundit, "BUT THERE’S NO ANTI-SEMITISM INVOLVED").

Video from the communist website Indy Bay:

And at the Free Palestine Movement's homepage, "Israeli Ship Successfully Blocked, More Help Needed." Also, Transport Workers Solidarity Committee, "6/20/2010 Oakland Labor Community Picket of an Israeli Zim Line ship":

Protest Israel’s Attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla!

Boycott Israeli Ships and Goods!

Lift the Blockade NOW – Let Gaza Live!

Bring Down Israel's Apartheid Wall!

Unions, labor federations and other organizations around the world have condemned Israel’s deadly attack against the Gaza Freedom Flotilla on May 31. Nine people were killed and dozens seriously injured in the Israeli commando attack in international waters on ships attempting to bring humanitarian cargo to the suffering and blockaded people of Gaza. Six people aboard the ships are still missing and presumed dead.

The Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla was a blatant act of piracy on the high seas. No Israeli ship should now be allowed to carry on trading activity any where in the world without facing picket lines, protests and embargo. Dock workers in several countries including South Africa, Norway, Sweden and Malaysia have declared that they will refuse to handle Israeli cargo in the coming weeks.

We call on everyone who stands for justice and against occupation and apartheid to join the June 20 picket at the Port of Oakland. This is a moment of great opportunity. In San Francisco in 1984, a picket line and refusal to unload cargo of a ship carrying South African cargo was a key event in mobilizing the anti-apartheid movement worldwide.

Dems to Run on Joe Barton Campaign Platform

At The Hill, "Dems Mount Effort to Label Conservative GOPs as ‘The BP 114’." Plus, watch Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel cling to Rep. Joe Barton like a life preserver:

There's been panic on both sides of the aisle, actually. It's an election year. Barton got skittish, others in Congress jumped at the political opportunity, and the media's not giving Americans the full story. For example, see IBD, "An Apology to Be Truly Sorry About":

Rep. Joe Barton says what everyone knows is true and his own party threatens to kick him out of his committee seat. We expected cynical political opportunism from Democrats, but not from Republican leaders.

Where are we as a society when the truth is treated as a something that can't be uttered in public?

Barton, the Texas Republican, apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward, now relieved of his duties, during Thursday's House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing for what he characterized as a "shakedown" by the White House in forcing the company to create a $20 billion victims' compensation fund.

He also declared that he was "ashamed" of the White House's tactics, and called it "a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown."

"I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that is — again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown," he said.

Naturally, the Democrats went hard after Barton. And the media were happy to aid the cause. And just as naturally, other comments by Barton have not received as much attention. Without having watched the hearing or read the transcript, how many people know that Barton said:

"There is no question ... that BP made decisions that objective people think compromise safety. There is no question that BP is liable for the damages."

Or that he told Hayward "we want to hold (BP) responsible, do what we can to make the liable parties pay for the damages."

Just as every lawmaker should, Barton simply wants the government to follow our due process system ...

RTWT.

More Weekend Gulfapalooza Cartoons!

At Flopping Aces and Theo Spark's (and at bottom, Michael Ramirez at IBD):

Worst NYT Article EVAH! ... 'Border Violence in Arizona Totally Exaggerated'

These freaks at NYT should actually talk to people on the ground in AZ:

When Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona, announced that the Obama administration would send as many as 1,200 additional National Guard troops to bolster security at the Mexican border, she held up a photograph of Robert Krentz, a mild-mannered rancher who was shot to death this year on his vast property. The authorities suspected that the culprit was linked to smuggling.

“Robert Krentz really is the face behind the violence at the U.S.-Mexico border,” Ms. Giffords said.

It is a connection that those who support stronger enforcement of immigration laws and tighter borders often make: rising crime at the border necessitates tougher enforcement.

But the rate of violent crime at the border, and indeed across Arizona, has been declining, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as has illegal immigration, according to the Border Patrol. While thousands have been killed in Mexico’s drug wars, raising anxiety that the violence will spread to the United States, F.B.I. statistics show that Arizona is relatively safe.

That Mr. Krentz’s death nevertheless churned the emotionally charged immigration debate points to a fundamental truth: perception often trumps reality, sometimes affecting laws and society in the process.

Judith Gans, who studies immigration at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona, said that what social psychologists call self-serving perception bias seemed to be at play. Both sides in the immigration debate accept information that confirms their biases, she said, and discard, ignore or rationalize information that does not. There is no better example than the role of crime in Arizona’s tumultuous immigration debate.

“If an illegal immigrant commits a crime, this confirms our view that illegal immigrants are criminals,” Ms. Gans said. “If an illegal immigrant doesn’t commit a crime, either they just didn’t get caught or it’s a fluke of the situation.”

Ms. Gans noted that sponsors of Arizona’s controversial immigration enforcement law have made careers of promising to rid the state of illegal immigrants through tough legislation.

“Their repeated characterization of illegal immigrants as criminals — easy to do since they broke immigration laws — makes it easy for people to ignore statistics,” she said.

Well, you know what they say, "Lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Just spend some time with American Patrol down in Arizona and you'll get the lowdown.

More at Weasel Zippers, "Citizens Armed With Heavy Weapons Patrolling Drug-Smuggling Routes Along Arizona Border With Mexico, 'We Will Use Lawful Deadly Force When Appropriate' ..."

**********

UPDATE: At Just One Minute, "On The Border" (via Memeorandum):

... these numbers do not support the case that the rural and border areas of Arizona are getting safer. Quite the contrary, actually. Maybe the Times can turn a reporter loose on that.