GOP Elevates Some New Faces

At WSJ, "Freshman House Republicans Pick an African-American and a Woman for Roles in Leadership":

House Republican freshmen chose Reps.-elect Tim Scott and Kristi Noem for new leadership positions Wednesday, as the party looked to capitalize on its midterm-election victories by boosting its appeal to women, minorities and young voters.

Rep. John Boehner (R., Ohio) was chosen, as expected, to lead House Republicans overall, making him the likely speaker in January. In all, House Republicans' top six leaders will be white men.

Not so for the newly elected GOP freshmen class, which will have at least 85 members and constitute more than a third of House Republicans. Mr. Scott, of South Carolina, will be one of two African-American Republicans in Congress, and Ms. Noem, of South Dakota, will be one of two female GOP leaders.

"The freshman class is a big class," said Rep.-elect Steve Womack (R., Ark.). "It's going to wield a lot of clout here for a couple years. And I think the veteran members and the other side are going to pay a lot of attention to what we have to say."

Mr. Boehner announced shortly after the Nov. 2election that he was creating a new seat for a freshman at the leadership table. On Tuesday, he said he would add another. Those two positions will be filled by Mr. Scott, 45 years old, and Ms. Noem, 38. The two are newcomers to Washington, but not to politics.

Mr. Scott, who grew up poor with a single mother, was elected in 1995 to the Charleston County Council and later to the South Carolina legislature, becoming the first black Republican to serve in each body since Reconstruction. He is fiercely anti-tax, wants to make English the official language of government and says he would insist new immigrants learn English.

While serving in the legislature and working as an insurance agent and a partner in a real estate group, Mr. Scott won the Republican nomination for Congress last June in his heavily conservative district. He defeated Paul Thurmond, son of former Sen. Strom Thurmond, who was a segregationist for much of his career.

Ms. Noem is a rancher and mother of three whose family raises cattle and shows horses. When her father died, she left college to help run the ranch full-time. She is also a state legislator, though Republican leaders often play down that aspect of her career.

Ms. Noem wants to end the estate tax, believes guns should not be subject to federal regulation, and promised to maintain a 100% anti-abortion record in Congress.

Mr. Scott and Ms. Noem are among a handful of incoming Republicans whom the GOP leadership is promoting as faces of the new party ...

More at the link, and you gotta love the diversity of the GOP freshman class.

PJTV: Don't Touch My Junk

Via Glenn Reynolds:

And at Grandpa John's, "The Gadsden Airport Flag."

RELATED: "Leader of TSA offers pat-downs to senators" (at Memeorandum).

The Liberal Leftist Mind Rejects Sad Facts

I love Dennis Prager, but these folks aren't "liberal."

At National Review, "Reality may cause sadness and pain, but it is reality nonetheless":

I recently devoted my biweekly column in the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles to analyzing why most Jews believe that people are basically good despite the fact that this belief is neither rational nor Jewish. In a lifetime of teaching and writing on Judaism, I have never encountered a single normative statement in 3,000 years of Jewish writing that asserted that man is basically good.

As I expected, the reaction — apparently all from Jewish liberals — was entirely negative. Almost an entire page of the journal was devoted to letters attacking me. One of the seven letters — from a prominent Hollywood screenwriter — bordered on hysteria.

The question is, why?

Why would liberals in general, and Jewish liberals in particular — given the Jews’ singularly horrific history at the hands of other human beings — react so strongly against someone who wrote that people are not basically good?

In my original article, I offered one explanation: Since the Enlightenment, the secular world has had to believe in man (or “humanity”), because if you don’t believe in God and you don’t believe in humanity, you will despair.

But one critic opened my eyes to an even deeper reason most liberals do not acknowledge that people are not basically good.

This is what he wrote:

“What a sad world it would be if we all believed as Dennis Prager that mankind is inherently evil.”

And this is what I responded: “I did not write that man is inherently evil. I wrote that he is not basically good. And, yes, that does make the world sad. So do disease, earthquakes, death and all the unjust suffering in the world. But sad facts remain facts.”

“A distinguishing characteristic of liberals and leftists,” I concluded, “is their aversion to acknowledging sad facts.”

This reminds me of the hatemonger and racist Repsac3, who when confronted with the fact of President Obama's bigoted racial stereotyping, refused to acknowledge it, and instead called critics of the president racist. Again, these people are not "liberal." They're radical leftists, and they're insane. More at the link, in any case.

Bill Whittle's Firewall: 'What We Believe, Part 6: Immigration'

More good stuff:

Previously:

* "Bill Whittle's Firewall: 'What We Believe, Part 1: Small Government and Free Enterprise'."

* "Bill Whittle's Firewall: 'What We Believe, Part 2: The Problem with Elitism'."

* "Bill Whittle's Firewall: 'What We Believe, Part 3: Wealth Creation'."

* "Bill Whittle's Firewall: 'What We Believe, Part 4: Natural Law'."

* "Bill Whittle's Firewall: 'What We Believe, Part 5: Gun Rights'."

Germany Mobilizes Forces to Respond to Terrorism

At NYT, "Fearing Terror Threat, Germany Raises Security":

Germany dispatched heavily armed police officers and bomb-sniffing dogs to train stations, airports and key landmarks on Wednesday as a new picture emerged of the terrorist threat that had already raised security levels in Britain and France.

In a hastily called news conference in Berlin, the country’s interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, said the government had “concrete indications of a series of attacks planned for the end of November,” and German, Pakistani and American officials offered similar accounts of intelligence that pointed to imminent attacks by terrorists trained in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

The officials said that American military drone strikes in those countries had killed some of the plotters and disrupted the plans, but that others were at large and might still strike.

In Washington, an American counterterrorism official detailed the intelligence behind a warning issued in October to Americans traveling in Europe. He said that about 25 fighters affiliated with Al Qaeda, organized into cells of three to five members, had been planning commando attacks in Britain, France and Germany. Since then, the official said, about 10 of the fighters have been killed or captured, most of them by drone strikes in Pakistan. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because his comments involved security matters.

A Pakistani official, who also spoke on the condition that he remain anonymous, said drone strikes in September and October were believed to have killed European recruits directly involved in various plots, possibly including attacks in Germany and Britain. But he said several such plotters were believed to be alive.

France has been on high alert for several weeks, deploying nearly 5,000 extra members of the military and the police force to patrol sites deemed vulnerable. Five people were arrested in France on terrorism charges last week. Officials said one of them had spent time in Afghanistan and the others had planned to travel to Pakistan. The officials also said one of the suspects had been involved in an assassination plot against the leader of the Great Mosque of Paris.

A high-ranking German intelligence official said reports had been streaming in for months that teams might be heading to Germany for a Mumbai-style attack or other terrorism strikes.

“The situation has developed over the past weeks and months,” the official said, also speaking anonymously. “There were new messages almost every day. The number of messages increased and concentrated on Germany.”

Army Staff Sgt. Savatore Giunta Receives Medal of Honor

He's the first living recipient from the war in Afghanistan.

At LAT, "Obama Presents Medal of Honor," and "The Gallant Story of Salvatore Giunta, America's Newest Medal of Honor Recipient."

Video c/o Legal Insurrection.

Heart of the Matter

Listened to it yesterday, on The Sound L.A.:

George Voinovich Hammers Obama's 'Political Expediency' on New START Treaty

Senator Richard Lugar's in the news tonight for rebuking the opposition among fellow Republicans to President Obama's START negotiations with Moscow.

But note that START ratification is one of the big progressive goals for the "lame duck" Congress, and to hear lefties it's like Republicans opponents of nuclear arms control are tantamount to newborn baby haters. Of course, no one --- no reasonable, sensitive person --- hates newborn babies, so it's important to move beyond progressive emotion and think hard about how U.S. interests are ill served by Obama's inept "reset" agenda with Russia. To that effect, see "Voinovich on New START: Political Expediency Should Never Be An Excuse To Rush To Judgment":

RELATED: At Weekly Standard, "Russian Opposition, Senate GOP Hammer Obama's Reset Policy."

Controversy Over Bristol Palin on 'Dancing With the Stars'

Is she getting an unfair advantage? At LAT, "'Dancing With the Stars': Blogosphere in a tizzy over Bristol Palin's advance to the finals." Plus, Erin Andrews weighs in, at ABC NEWS, "Bristol Palin Backlash: Is the Tea Party Stuffing the 'DWTS' Ballot Box?":

And Jezebel's got allegations, "How Palin Conservatives Are Cheating The DWTS Voting System."

RELATED: "Man Shoots TV Over Bristol Palin Dancing." (At Memeorandum.)

Fresno State Student Body President is Illegal Immigrant

And he refuses to step down:

Pedro Ramirez, Fresno State's student body president, is an undocumented immigrant serving in the position without pay.

Ramirez, 23, attends school on scholarships and pays in-state tuition. California is one of 10 states that permit undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition -- a position that was upheld by the state Supreme Court this week.

After his election last June, he told the administration he would serve without pay -- a $9,000 stipend -- because he could not lie on employment papers. On Tuesday, an anonymous tip to the college newspaper forced Ramirez to go public.

Ramirez, who came to U.S. at the age of 3, said he did not know he was not a citizen until he was a senior in high school. As long as he can remember, he said, his parents -- a maid and a restaurant worker -- have told him he must work hard and achieve the American dream. He said they did not tell him he was not born in this country until he began applying to universities.

"I knew my parents were from Mexico, but a lot of people's parents are from Mexico," he said. "I grew up American."

Other than college counselors and administrators, Ramirez told no one of his status.

"I just kept it within. One of those things you don't tell anyone," he said. "But now I'm almost relieved to have to be open. Congress is about to vote on the Dream Act, which gives college students a path to citizenship. So, you know, here I am. It's me. I am one of the thousands whose fate is in their hands."

Ramirez said he would not resign his position unless the students who elected him demanded it.

And here's this in an update:

Fresno State President John D. Welty said in a statement that Ramirez personally notified him after his election about his immigration status and volunteered to serve without pay. Welty said that Ramirez has fulfilled all the requirements of an AB 540 student and that his status does not bar his participation in student affairs.

Associated Students Inc. "requirements do not address immigration status, so Mr. Ramirez was not prohibited from running for ASI office," Welty said in his statement. "I commend Mr. Ramirez and other AB 540 students who are following state statute as they seek higher education.”

Also at the university's newspaper, The Daily Collegian. Plus, "Statement From President Welty."

I'm a graduate of Fresno State. I'll be contacting the foundation office to let folks know of my displeasure. Readers, if they're so inclined, can do so as well, at the link.

RELATED: At Michelle's, "As expected: California court upholds illegal alien student tuition discounts," and "Stop the illegal alien student bailout: DREAM Act target list; Plus: Sen. Sessions’ critical alert."

Palin Says She Can Beat Obama

Background at NYT, "Palin Tells Barbara Walters She Can Beat Obama." And at ABC News, "In Interview With Barbara Walters, Palin Says She Is Seriously Considering Entering Race in 2012." I'm not posting the video, which is less than 20 seconds long (and hence shorter than the 30 second advertisement that comes with it). The interview will air December 9. All of this is completely anti-climactic, but fun nevertheless. I'm betting Palin comes out with a formal candidate announcement in early January. (And I'd be surprised if she waits longer than that.)

More at Memeorandum, and especially at NYT, "The Palin Network."

Democrats Elect Pelosi as House Minority Leader

I've blogged the Democrats' leadership fight, so might as well update with the outcome. The Hill has the story. The final vote 150-43, which was stunning, apparently, since challenger Heath Shuler did not ask colleagues for votes. And here's this from The Hill:

GOP leaders were quick to criticize Democrats for re-electing Pelosi, accusing the party of being tone-deaf to the message sent by voters in the midterms.

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele issued a statement saying Democrats "chose to ignore the elections" and empower leaders who will continue "the same reckless, job-killing agenda that was just overwhelmingly rejected."

TigerHawk's Silver Surfer Silhouette

Hey, TSA touchin' junk is totally FUBAR, but until we junk the politically correct airport security regime, I doubt we can realistically move away from agressive pre-flight screening. Some folks don't mind so much anyway:

I would happily walk through one of those things if I could keep my shoes on, carry on fluids in normal sizes, leave my belt on and my coins in my pocket, and natter on in great good humor about the C4 strapped to my love handles. That would be an awesome trade.

RELATED: "Poll: 4 in 5 Support Full-Body Airport Scanners." (At Memeorandum.) But see Noah Shachtman, "Has Airport Security Gone Too Far?"

Democrats in Chaos Over Nancy Pelosi Power

It's all about power. The leadership of the Democratic caucus --- foremost Speaker Nancy Pelosi --- cares not one wit about party fortunes leading into 2012. Especially Pelosi, but Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn as well, want power for power's sake. Think of the sports analogy: In sports, when a championship puts in a middling season after taking the title, the head coach is usually the first to go. The fans want heads to roll. Perhaps it's Pelosi's breaking of the "marble ceiling," but this lady should be out on her ass. Both parties vote today, but check out the background on the Democratic caucus at Politico:

The Democratic old guard will try to hold the line Wednesday against a rank-and-file rebellion intent on winning some concession — no matter how small — from a leadership team seeking reelection despite having presided over the loss of at least 60 Democratic seats earlier this month.

The leadership election follows on the heels of a brutally long, contentious and divisive leadership meeting Tuesday, and it will determine not only whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains the head of the House Democratic contingent but just how much authority she will wield in the new Congress come January.

Pelosi is in no real danger of losing her job as leader of the Democratic Caucus, but she is being challenged by a diffuse set of critics, dozens of whom believe she should step aside after her party’s defeat, others who hope to strip her power to appoint loyalists to positions of influence within the caucus and still others who simply want more time to reflect on whether endorsing the same set of leaders is the best course of action for a defeated minority.

The Democratic fissures were laid bare Tuesday as various factions engaged in open warfare with one another, both in private discussions among lawmakers and in behind-the-scenes efforts to influence the outcome of the leadership elections and related votes on how to choose the party leader’s top lieutenants.

Pelosi and the old power brokers who led Democrats back into the majority four years ago are not conceding that they might be culpable in the party’s downfall.

Behind closed doors, Pelosi argued to her troops Tuesday that she was demonized in Republican campaign ads precisely because she is the party’s political rainmaker.

“I know some of you suffered because of ads targeted to me,” she said, according to several sources in the room. “They had to take down the person who brings the resources.”

Her allies contend that she is the only one with the strategic skills, the vision, the touch with donors and the political muscle to lead the party back to the majority.

That's genuinely sad.

RELATED: "Why Democrats Don't Dump Nancy Pelosi."

Leftist Jews and the 'Dual Loyalty' Smear Against Eric Cantor

Not enough time to blog everything, obviously. Not only that, I'm cutting back a bit on the high-powered political blogging. But this controversy surrounding incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor caught my attention. Cantor's Jewish. I can't imagine he'll ever be able to make any forceful statement on the protection of Israel without being attacked as a shill for "genocide." But the GOP's still weeks from taking power in the House, so the left's out of the gate pretty quick with the smears. Think Progress slammed Cantor earlier, "In An ‘Unusual’ Meeting, Cantor Tells Netanyahu The GOP Majority ‘Will Serve As A Check’ On Obama’s Israel Policy." That was followed by a round of attacks from the usual self-hating lefist Jews, as reported by William Jacobson, "Why Do Leftist Jewish Bloggers Love The Dual Loyalty Smear?"

I left a comment earlier. I'm always blown away by Mondoweiss, and this morning's no exception:

As I've reported earlier, "Philip Weiss met with Hamas terrorists last year, at an event co-sponsored by Code Pink and Norman Finkelstein. That gives a pretty good idea how far out these people are, enemies even."

Van Halen Recording New Album

At The Sound L.A.:

Although there are few details available, the line-up is David Lee Roth (vocals), Eddie Van Halen (guitar), Wolfgang Van Halen (bass) and Alex Van Halen (drums). It will be their first new studio album with Diamond Dave since 1984.

And at Classic Rock, "Van Halen Confirm Producer."

PREVIOUSLY: "Hey, Hey, Hey!"

Why Are We Supporting Repression in Ethiopia?

From William Easterly and Laura Freschi, at New York Review:

Foreign aid observers have often worried that Western aid to Africa is propping up autocratic regimes. Yet seldom has such a direct link from aid to political repression been demonstrated as in “Development without Freedom,” an extensively documented new report on Ethiopia by Human Rights Watch. Based on interviews with 200 people in 53 villages and cities throughout the country, the report concludes that the Ethiopian government, headed by prime minister Meles Zenawi, uses aid as a political weapon to discriminate against non-party members and punish dissenters, sending the population the draconian message that “survival depends on political loyalty to the state and the ruling party.”

Ethiopia is Africa’s largest recipient of foreign aid (at $3.3 billion in 2008 and rising), and is frequently described as a country where western assistance is providing a safety net for the poor and laying the groundwork for country-wide economic growth. Donors working in Ethiopia, citing progress on six out of the eight Millennium Development Goals, claim that aid has “had a significant impact on improving the lives of the poorest families.” A predominantly Christian country bordering two unstable Islamic states (Somalia, and Sudan), Ethiopia is also seen as a crucial ally in the “war on terror.”

Yet Human Rights Watch contends that the government abuses aid funds for political purposes—in programs intended to help Ethiopia’s most poor and vulnerable. For example, more than fifty farmers in three different regions said that village leaders withheld government-provided seeds and fertilizer, and even micro-loans because they didn’t belong to the ruling party; some were asked to renounce their views and join the party to receive assistance. Investigating one program that gives food and cash in exchange for work on public projects, the report documents farmers who have never been paid for their work and entire families who have been barred from participating because they were thought to belong to the opposition. Still more chilling, local officials have been denying emergency food aid to women, children, and the elderly as punishment for refusing to join the party.

More at the link.

I admire Easterly's work, for example: "Think Again: Debt Relief."

Saving Yemen

From Marisa Porges, at Foreign Affairs, "Is Counterterrorism Enough?":

Yemen rose to the forefront of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in December 2009, when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was trained in Yemen by al Qaeda, attempted to bomb an airliner bound for Detroit. Since then, Washington has become concerned about the growing influence of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and its spokesman, the U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. When two bombs were sent on cargo from Yemen to the United States last month, public attention again focused on U.S. strategies to combat AQAP.

So far, however, these efforts have been complicated by the current state of Yemen itself, which faces a multitude of internal problems that are pushing it to the brink of failure. Interconnected threats from the Houthi rebellion in the north, an increasingly active secessionist movement in the south, and a host of growing socioeconomic problems make Yemen a priority for experts in both counterterrorism and development. Yemen’s potential collapse concerns U.S. officials not just because of al Qaeda but also because such an event could threaten U.S. access to Bab el-Mandab (the narrow strait into the Red Sea through which millions of barrels of oil and countless military vessels pass each day), as well as create the prospect of a vast Yemeni humanitarian crisis that could send millions of refugees into oil-rich Saudi Arabia and beyond.

As months pass with little clear progress, and as anxiety about AQAP grows, Western governments and Yemenis themselves are increasingly asking: Is it too late to save the country? Fortunately, there remains a small but rapidly closing window of opportunity to rescue Yemen and, in the process, address pressing security concerns.

RTWT at the link.

Romney Holds Slight Lead in Gallup's Post-Election Test-of-Strength Polling

I think the headline's a little misleading, "No Early Front-Runner for 2012 GOP Presidential Nomination" (via Memeorandum).

Now that the midterm elections are over, the field for the Republican presidential nomination will begin to take shape. So far, no candidate has officially announced his or her intention to seek the nomination, though the 12 candidates Gallup tested are known or thought to be seriously considering a campaign, and none has ruled out running. Many have already made appearances in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to hold presidential nominating contests. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ruled out a run for president in 2012, but his name is nevertheless volunteered by 1% of Republicans.

Folks should check the second table at Gallup. Romney leads Sarah Palin 18 to 16 percent among conservatives, but 21 to 14 percent among moderate/liberals. It's interesting that Romney stretches his lead, outside the margin of error, among the latter group. He's been mostly out of the limelight, but nevertheless continues to poll well. A post-election Rasmussen survey had Romney statistically tied with Palin and Mike Huckabee. It's early. Much of this is like a beauty contest. But once we see some formal candidate announcements in 2011, the poll findings, plus fundraising totals, will contribute significantly toward pre-primary momentum for 2012.

Professors Engage — and Monitor — Students with Hand-Held Devices

I came across this story by accident this morning, "More Professors Give Out Hand-Held Devices to Monitor Students and Engage Them." Just before my 9:00am class — and a lecture on Congress — I was looking for an article on Charles Rangel's ethics trial. I found that, but also this story on hand-held devices in the classroom. And it was funny because at the end of last week's 9:00am class a student stayed after to complain about some of the students in the back. They were talking so much that she couldn't hear. I apologized at the time. I mentioned that I had just dismissed a couple students from my 7:30am class, so it wasn't as though I was indifferent to disruptions. Anyway, I joked this morning that I needed some of these monitors for 9:00am to keep students on task. And as I did, two other students raised their hands to indicate that they'd actually used these devices at universities they'd attended previously. I guess I'm out of the loop, since this is the first time I'd heard of them:

If any of the 70 undergraduates in Prof. Bill White’s “Organizational Behavior” course here at Northwestern University are late for class, or not paying attention, he will know without having to scan the lecture hall.

Their “clickers” will tell him.

Every student in Mr. White’s class has been assigned a palm-size, wireless device that looks like a TV remote but has a far less entertaining purpose. With their clickers in hand, the students in Mr. White’s class automatically clock in as “present” as they walk into class.

They then use the numbered buttons on the devices to answer multiple-choice quizzes that count for nearly 20 percent of their grade, and that always begin precisely one minute into class. Later, with a click, they can signal to their teacher without raising a hand that they are confused by the day’s lesson.

But the greatest impact of such devices — which more than a half-million students are using this fall on several thousand college campuses — may be cultural: they have altered, perhaps irrevocably, the nap schedules of anyone who might have hoped to catch a few winks in the back row, and made it harder for them to respond to text messages, e-mail and other distractions.

In Professor White’s 90-minute class, as in similar classes at Harvard, the University of Arizona and Vanderbilt, barely 15 minutes pass without his asking students to “grab your clickers” to provide feedback

Though some Northwestern students say they resent the potential Big Brother aspect of all this, Jasmine Morris, a senior majoring in industrial engineering, is not one of them.

“I actually kind of like it,” Ms. Morris said after a class last week. “It does make you read. It makes you pay attention. It reinforces what you’re supposed to be doing as a student.”

More at the link.