Outrage Over Chelsea Clinton's Wedding

Doug Ross has the must read post on this, with the classic commentary from Mrs. Ross:

"There really are two Americas: the Democrat ruling class and everyone else."

I for one (as well as my wife) don't begrudge the Clintons for having a smash-bang wedding with lavish no-holds barred accomodations, luxuries, etc. This is America. It's what we do. But I don't see any effort by the Clintons at moderation, a point that Mrs. Ross points out at the post:

"These people are such f***ing hypocrites it makes me sick to my stomach."

It seems hypocritical, but again, who's to complain? That said, I am fascinated by the contrast with Jenna Bush's marriage in summer 2008. There's an article at New York Times, "Jenna Bush Has Wedding at Ranch in Crawford." The Bush family spent $100,000. No matter (I think my father-in-law spent under $10,000 when I married my wife). That said, iOWNTHEWORLD offers an observation:

I never saw pictures of Jenna’s wedding before. Did you notice that the racists had a black minister??? Wow. How did that guy get in there?

BONUS: Robert Stacy McCain tweeted earlier, indicating he's met Chelsea and she's a-okay. Robert's got a post up now as well, "Best Wishes, Chelsea Clinton."

RELATED: "Town Elbows Its Way Into Clinton Wedding."

AND NO-JOKE DOUBLE BONUS: "Why the Clintons, not the Bushes, are the new royal family."

Sarah Palin's New Book Cover

For America by Heart : Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag.

Cool. Due out in November.

From Neocons to Crazy-Cons?

Well, yeah, according to David Klinghoffer:

What has become of conservatism? We have reached a point at which nothing could be more important than to stop and recall what brought us here, to the right, in the first place.

Buckley's National Review, where I was the literary editor through the 1990s, remains as vital and interesting as ever. But more characteristic of conservative leadership are figures on TV, radio and the Internet who make their money by stirring fears and resentments. With its descent to baiting blacks, Mexicans and Muslims, its accommodation of conspiracy theories and an increasing nastiness and vulgarity, the conservative movement has undergone a shift toward demagoguery and hucksterism. Once the talk was of "neocons" versus "paleocons." Now we observe the rule of the crazy-cons.

RTWT.

Klinghoffer veers into spirituality, and suggests that the conservative vision has lost the "metaphysical dream that allows for ultimate meaning in our existence."

I can't speak for Andrew Breitbart, and I actually reject a good bit of the "craziness" on the right, but as you finish Klinghoffer ask if American politics, realistically, will be returning to a more wistful, respectful era? (And also ask if being "crazy" is code for being "racist"?) Besides, National Review's not my top source for right wing news. I prefer Commentary and Weekly Standard, to say nothing of Ace of Spades HQ, Instapundit, and The Other McCain. And I read these sources, among others, because they provide me with the intellectual sustenance to "save civilization," which is what Klinghoffer suggests is "what he signed up for" when he became a conservative.

And here's the thing: A lot of us became conservative because we saw society's moral foundations in tatters, and it was the Democratic-left holding the shears. You can always hold up your hands and scream "clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right," but you still have to choose. We have no viable third party movement, and the GOP at present is the best place to form a conservative-libertarian coalition for political victory. And as a party out of power, the most strident voices at the base are going to get a lot of play, especially when new media is driving most of the key political memes. I choose conservatism. It's a no-brainer. But notwithstanding the citations above, I'm not wedded to any particular talking point. I think for myself, thank you. For example, is it crazy to call President Obama a socialist? I think he is (but on an intellectual level, e.g., see Jonah Goldberg, "What Kind of Socialist Is Barack Obama?"). But that kind of talk gets one attacked as an extremist by the left-wing media machine. How about if you don't submit? Breitbart's attacked mercilessly as a "liar" and a "unprincipled" scoundrel because he gets results. Yet, almost daily I find some MSM outlets reporting not just factual errors, but outright lies, and then people like me are crazy for calling out this sh*t? I don't think so. People are mad. And when people get mad they starting gravitating to more polarizing messages, and some of it can get heated. For me though, Klinghoffer and others like him (which no offense to him, would include idiots like Charles Johnson) simply prop up the left's Media Industrial Complex, and in that sense they're enabling the very anti-conservative forces Andrew Breitbart is finally beginning to take down.

Sunday Cartoon Roundup

I almost forgot my cartoon roundup!!

That's Day by Day at center:

More cartoons at Flopping Aces and Theo Spark's.

Penélope Cruz Rule 5

Washington Rebel's got style:

RELATED: "Poll: What Do You Think of Bob Belvedere's Taste in Women?"

'Rock the Casbah' — And the Hudson River!

I haven't been meaning to neglect Ruby Slippers, and I know she loves The Clash, so let's rock it a bit more here with "that crazy Casbah sound":

Looks like the Clinton family was rockin' the Hudson River yesterday, by the way. Chelsea's ceremony was estimated at between $3 million and $5 million, quite a bit more than what the Bush family spent for Jenna's wedding. Ruby Slippers has more on that, "Fireworks, $250,000 in Jewelry, and a Vegan Cake - Oh My."

The Clash HAT TIP: Linkmaster Smith is rockin' it with Sunday's Rule 5 entry!

RELATED: Astute Bloggers, "VERY REVEALING CLINTON RHINEBECK WEDDING PHOTO," and CSPT, "America’s Royal Wedding."

I Had to Turn My Heart Away...

I've been so caught up with Billy Idol I almost forgot to post this lovely clip. Enjoy Heart, "Barracuda":

Related Trivia: "McCain and Palin once again play 'Barracuda'." (The Wilson sisters were not pleased.)

'In Lieu of Flowers ... Please Feel Free to Make a Make Contributions to Whoever May Be Running Against Obama in 2012'

Robert Snyder's last wishes, c/o Blazing Cat Fur:

Rest in peace, Robert.

'I Like My Wife, I Just Can't Live With Her'

Not me.

That's John Frost, at NYT (FWIW), "The Un-Divorced":

... at 58, he sees no reason to divorce. Their children have grown and left home. He asked himself: Why bring in a bunch of lawyers? Why create rancor when there’s nowhere to go but down?

“To tie a bow around it would only make it uglier,” Mr. Frost said. “When people ask about my relationship status, I usually just say: ‘It’s complicated. I like my wife, I just can’t live with her.’ ”

And check this out:

One woman, a 39-year-old mother of two from Brooklyn, who like many interviewed for this article wished to remain anonymous, has stayed separated for nearly two years at the suggestion of five lawyers.

“There’s no advantage to getting divorced,” she said. Both she and her husband are in new relationships. Most people assume they’ve officially split. But given the health insurance issue and the prospect of legal fees, she said, “I feel like we could just drift on like this for years.”

Not being divorced is also an excuse not to remarry.

“In my day, we’d refer to a man as a bon vivant, a gadabout who doesn’t want to worry about marrying anyone else because he’s already married,” said Sheila Riesel, a New York divorce lawyer for more than three decades.

In the end, some people just don’t want to divorce. Perhaps one spouse desires it and the other drags his or her feet. Sometimes, people are just confused; separation can be a wake-up call.

In other cases, initiating divorce ultimately serves that purpose. Last year, a 67-year-old professor in New York filed for divorce from the man she married in 1969 and separated from in 1988 after she had an affair with a woman.

“I had images of Vita Sackville-West, but it was very messy and the children suffered a lot,” she recalled. “My husband had been more attached to me than I thought.”

And she considered him a pal; they even took vacations together. “I think I liked that we were still married in some way,” she admitted. “But last year I met someone who minds that I’m still married to someone else.”

And thus, time to divorce. Call it an old-fashioned romance.

Man, that'd be rough if my wife left me for another ... woman?

And how about that "my husband was more attached to me than I thought"? Amanda Marcotte could go a mile with that one, LOL!

Via Memeorandum.

2013

I especially like this first McCain ad at top. I'm confident that a McCain administration would have achieved some of those campaign pledges, although in 2013 we could be stuck with our "Celeb" one more time ... that is, depending on who (whom?) the GOP nominates. Quinnipiac indicates that voters would prefer an "unnamed" Republican in 2012:

A year after President Barack Obama's political honeymoon ended, his job approval rating has dropped to a negative 44 - 48 percent, his worst net score ever, and American voters say by a narrow 39 - 36 percent margin that they would vote for an unnamed Republican rather than President Obama in 2012, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

But who's it gonna be?

Alvin Greene's First 'OFFICIAL Attack Ad' Smears Jim DeMint as 'Liar, Bigot, Un-American, Maniac, Evil'

At least he admits it's a smear: "Watch our first OFFICIAL attack ad and start spreading news!." Watch the background text rolling by. Did I miss anything?

Hat Tip: Linkmaster Smith.

New Jersey's Mount Olive Schools to Eliminate 'D' Grades

At The Daily Caller, "New Jersey school district eliminates “D” grade."

Starting this fall, Mount Olive Middle and High School students will have to work harder to earn a passing grade.

The Mount Olive school board voted 8-1 Monday night to eliminate the “D” grade in the middle and high school grading systems.

Last month, Superintendent Larrie Reynolds proposed the policy as a way to encourage students to learn — not just earn credits, Reynolds said.

“I’m tired of kids coming to school and not learning and getting credit for it,” he said. “We intend to be the beacon of excellence in Morris County, and to do that, we have to fix it.”

Currently, anything under a 65 is considered failing. The new policy, which is expected to be in effect by September, would raise the failure score to anything under a 70.

One thing that always bugs me is when students at my college are happy to get a "D". They'll continue to get financial aid, which is more of an immediate interest than the longer-term goal of a high GPA.

Oakland Plantation — Natchitoches, Louisiana

A fabulous photo-essay, at Pat Austin's, " Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation" (click and enlarge here full overseers shot):

And at Wikipedia, "Oakland Plantation (Natchitoches, Louisiana)."

Unplayable 45s, at Althouse

I've been reading Ann Althouse for about 5 years now. And while posting Three Dog Night yesterday I remembered Ann's post on her "Unplayable 45s" she won't throw out:

Meanwhile, Billy Idol was more my generation, although "One" came out when I was about 8 years-old. I always liked it, but the reviews were mixed at Althouse's comments.

Buchanan High School in Clovis, Calif., Endures Loss of Seven Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Most From Any School in California

I'll be in Clovis at the end of August to attend my father-in-law's 70th birthday gathering. I called him this morning to give him the heads up on today's front-page story at the Los Angeles Times, "Wars Take a Heavy Toll on One California School." He thanked me, although Clovis is a small town, and he was well familiar with the losses:

The seventh funeral was Friday. The church was full, even strangers lined the streets and everyone in sight stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads as Brian Piercy's body moved from church to cemetery — the same as they had done for six others.

Seven boys from Clovis' Buchanan High Shool have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With Piercy's death, Buchanan has the somber distinction of more war dead than any other school in California.

There's no sure answer as to how such a thing could happen. But many people in this Central Valley city have a theory. They say Clovis is an extraordinarily patriotic community and its children are raised on God and country, duty and honor. They're willing to serve and willing to die, the same as Clovis' generations who went before them.

Buchanan's school colors are red, white and blue. The stadium is named Veteran's Memorial. Former classmates and older siblings come back in uniform for campus visits. Friday night football games include a moment of silence for Buchanan's fallen soldiers.

"The cheerleaders wear six stars on their uniforms. I guess it will be seven now," said 15-year-old Julie Thaxter. "We're not proud they died, but we're proud they fought. It makes others from here even more ready to go and honor them. My brother wants to join. He's 14 and he's been set on it since he was 8."

RTWT.

Also, "California’s War Dead" (for Buchanan High).

Cancer Patient Nikki Phelps vs. Virginity Repairs in Britain — i.e., Islamic Hymen Replacement Surgery

Doug Ross reports on the British cancer patient who fought the NHS, which denied life-saving drug treatment. "Nikki Phelps, R.I.P."

Nikki Phelp's insurer was Britain's National Health Service (NHS), the model for Barack Obama and his hand-picked appointment for the head of Medicare, Donald Berwick.

RTWT.

And at London's Daily Mail, "Virginity Repairs and an NHS That's Lost Its Way":

Three months ago, Bill Phelps became a widower — he watched, helpless, as his cancer-stricken young wife Nikki’s life slowly ebbed away.

Nikki, 37, a former teacher and mother of two-year-old twins, was denied the drug that might have saved her life, as it was deemed too costly by her NHS Primary Care Trust.

I wonder, then, how Mr Phelps feels after reading yesterday’s report that the NHS is happy to foot the bill for young women to have ‘virginity repairs’?

How can it be right that the mother of his two little boys was condemned to death by an NHS that put women’s desire to appear ‘untouched’ before the right of a mother to live as long as she can to raise her children?

Latest figures show that there has been a 25 per cent rise in hymen replacement operations carried out on the NHS over the past four years.

And, while there is no way of knowing the ethnic, cultural or religious background of the women undergoing these procedures, we do know that there has been a three-fold increase in Muslim women having the operation done privately — fearful that a future husband might discover they were not a virgin on their wedding night.

Might some of the rise in NHS cases be for the same reason? The NHS insists that it carries out the procedure only ‘to secure physical or psychological health’.

The same justification is often used for state-funded cosmetic procedures such as breast reductions.

Whatever the case, I find it astonishing that at a time when women are dying because they can’t get cancer treatment, other women are having their virginity repairs paid for by the State.

Let me be clear: I have every sympathy for a woman, of whatever cultural origin, who is so fearful of an oppressive partner that she would seek surgery to restore her ‘purity’.

We must never forget that it’s certain men who are to blame for this, as they demand a standard of behaviour from their wives, sisters and daughters that they would not dream of applying to themselves.

But how can we defend aesthetic breast procedures, sex- change operations or hymen repairs at a time of crippling national debt, and when we have some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe?

RELATED: "A Victory Too Late: Mother Dies as the NHS Finally Agrees to Pay for Cancer Drugs."

Summer School 2010 — One of the Best Classes in Memory

I watched "The Paper Chase" again last week for the first time in years. I'd been having such a fabulous summer session — with some of the best classroom discussions in years — that I wanted to share the opening scenes with my students on the day before the final exam — and not just so they'd get a look at Professor Kingsfield's method. I love how the movie opens with the first-year law students settling into their seats on the first day of class with the caption "Harvard Law School" flashing at the screen just as John Houseman enters the room. It does capture that supreme sense of both excitement and fear that is the college classroom experience, all the more so since it's Harvard. We couldn't watch the whole movie, of course, and amazingly not one of my students had seen it, so perhaps they'll dwell on it if they find it while surfing the cable channels in the future.

Teaching this summer was a lot different for a number of reasons: We're fully moved into the South Quad Complex, and the new classrooms are fully modernized with smart technology; the computer console/media setup is extremely user-friendly, which facilitates use of short video clips for quick discussion launchers; I'm using a new textbook, one that offers an "exceptionalist" take on American politics, and one that helped drive some dramatic sections; lots of university students attend community college in the summer, to save money and finish up their G.E., so they help elevate the quality of the experience; I also had two Iraq war veterans and a public relations officer from the Long Beach Police Department, and they further added to the diversity of the summer session; and I taught just this one class, which left me with more time to think about my students and how to improve instruction.

All of that, plus after ten years at LBCC I'm more comfortable in my methods than ever. I try less to be a Professor Kingsfield and more like when I was younger — i.e., more hip and laid back, and even more understanding.

In any case, things really came together. Not only were the sections dynamic and endlessly vibrant, but the students were not shy in sharing their feedback on the learning experience. Some classes go better than others (every classroom is different), and you'll know when you're hitting it off. But I was surprised and honored that the students put together some thank you cards on the day before the final. One student in particular had a life-changing experience. His comments are up on the "guys" card at top right:

Professor Douglas!!! I have never been so excited to come to class as I was this semester! You are a tremendous leader and a Class-A example of looking at both sides of stories. Thank you for your passion for teaching.

At top left, a UCI student comments:

You've made me realize that your political ideas should be based on sound knowledge/reasoning. Thanks ....

Now that is interesting! It seems to me that upper-division students at a top-tiered public university would have already gotten instruction in "sound knowledge/reasoning"? Or maybe that's just a good reflection on the (non)quality of instruction at UCI, where the reputation's as one of the most radical campuses in the country.

The students signed the cards on the same morning that I showed "The Paper Chase" clip. I went around the entire room and asked each student their major and their plans for college and beyond — and I called on each by name to personally validate and humanize their participation and experience. Lots of students are majoring in psychology, and they laughed when I joked that I was now recruiting political scientists! But some took that discussion to heart. It made them think about what they were doing in the context of the career aspirations of the others. As one fellow wrote, on the left at middle-top:

Professor Douglas ... It's been an interesting summer session, and the discussion today has made me consider my immediate future a little more. Keep doing what you are doing.

Reading the card from the "girls" seemed almost like reading farewells in a high school yearbook at graduation! The comments had more of that kind of a feel, for example, at the ladies' card center-left:

Thank you for being a great teacher! You are one of the funniest teachers I've had a LBCC. I know I'm not the best student although I try as hard as I can but thank you for taking your summer to teach us!

And this one, second to the bottom at right:

Thank you for being a cool guy. I really appreciate teachers who take the time to emotionally reach out to students. Sorry I couldn't have been a better student! Anyways, thanks for the fun lectures! I'll miss them. Thanks and have a great summer.

Some of the other comments are readable at the picture above. Not all the students in class signed the cards, but 42 students took the final exam, which ended up being almost 100 percent retention (a key measure of classroom effectiveness from the administration's perspective, especially when the drop-out rated exceeds 50 percent for a lot of professors) .

In any case, I mostly wanted to share all this with readers.

It takes a long time to get truly comfortable in the classroom. Teaching is not a natural ability for a lot of people, and even for great teachers it takes a while to warm up the inner attributes that can enliven a classroom and change lives. Meanwhile, I don't push myself off as some kind of "Master Teacher" or "Expert Instructor." We have a few like that on my campus. Folks who dominate curriculum development and are fairly closed-minded on pedagogical inputs from others. I just do my thing. I teach it right down the middle. With the new textbook I'm making more of an explicit effort to counteract left-wing indoctrination on campus, but as you can see from the students' comments, the kids appreciate a balanced approach that focuses on sound argument and careful evidence.

I think this is also important in the context of blogging as well. I don't use the blog in class, although some of my idiot antagonists online love to launch attacks on AmPower as perverted and "creepy." For example, after eviscerating Scott Eric Kaufman the other day, the LGM lamebrain commented at the post (twice actually, since comments are moderated, and Insecure Little Scotty wanted to be sure he got his digs in):

You've got me there. My whole world view invalidated by a spelling error. No amount of having taught Dispatches can ever take back that typo ... on the internet, at least among children. Please, tell me how teaching critical thinking and persuasive writing through complex texts with students are familiar is necessarily a bad thing? I await your silence, since the last time you thought twice about pedagogy was when you decided which of the beautiful ladies in the second row would require the bulk of your creepy attention. For the rest of us, we aim to teach.

Scott proves correct my criticisms of him: He never once has acknowledged he's not that good with language, which is not good, since he's an English professor. So word to Scotty: Your use of "flack" wasn't a spelling error or a typo. You didn't know the differences. And you'd show some intellectual maturity by just admitting that you still have things to learn, even in what should be your field of expertise. And no, Scott, as you can see above, this isn't the "last time" I thought about pedagogy. A good professor thinks of it whenever she sets foot in the classroom. And my sense is that trolling the conservative 'sphere for snarky attack material against your ideological enemies is eminently more "creepy" than your allusion to "beautiful ladies."

Eyes Without a Face (Stylin' Replay Version)

I played this song over and over when I posted it the other night. So, while doodling around online I found that Billy Idol's playing the Pechanga Resort in Temecula on August 11th. Recall that I just took my family out that way a couple of weeks ago (to nearby Harrah's Rincon). A lot of these casinos have great concert venues. Well, checking with my wife it turns out that she's got complimentary room stays at the hotel, so we booked a room and scored tickets for Idol's concert — hence, here's a stylin' replay of "Eyes Without a Face." Billy Idol's homepage is here (with tour dates). Here's Pechanga's Billy Idol blurb. This YouTube's concert information is below:

In November 2009, a 70 minute version of this concert was released on DVD and Blu-Ray and is available via various stores online.

Billy Idol Live from the Congress Theater, Chicago on July 28, 2006. This program was originally aired as a two-hour show on the Voom RaveHD channel in 2007, and then rebroadcast as a one-hour program as part of the PBS Soundstage series in 2009.

Billy Idol - Vocals
Steve Stevens - Guitars
Derek Sherinian - Keyboards
Stephen McGrath - Bass, Vocals
Brian Tichy - Drums

One is the Loneliest Number

From Carolyn Tackett, "Help a Friend."

And previously, "The Recession Hits Stogie at Saberpoint." Stogie's blog is here.

Horrible Paris Rosen Front-Flip Crash at X-Games Motocross Event

Don't watch if you've got a soft stomach. It's much worse in slow-motion. Rosen lands head-first: