Joseph Nocera Apologizes

It takes a while to get around to it, but he's sincere, which is unusual for progressives. See, "The Tea Party, Take Two." (Via Astute Bloggers.)

Los Alamitos National Guardsman Holds One-Man Vigil for Troops Killed in Afghanistan

I felt so hollow when I first heard the news, and I know that the war's been going on so long now that for a lot people, beyond the initial sadness, there probably wasn't a whole lot of reflection about the sacrifices. So, this is something honorable: "One-Man Vigil for the ... Troops Killed Saturday."

Rawley's

Good stuff at Maggie's Farm, "Best Hot Dog in the Northeast, right off I-95 in Fairfield, CT."

August Birthdays

My mom turned seventy-five earlier this week. President Obama turned fifty on Thursday. And Lucille Ball would have turned 100 yesterday.

My youngest boy's going to be 10 years-old next week, but we had a little cake and ice cream party for him earlier. A few of his friends from school came over. They opened presents and played video games (the streamers are still up at top below, and not too messy). And then yesterday I took my boy down to my friend Mikey Hirsch's skateboard pro shop, So Cal Skateboards. I got him a Nijah Huston street skate for his birthday, seen at bottom. Nijah won the street Gold Medal at the X-Games last week, and my son digs him.

'Rich Man, Poor Man'

Afterburner, with Bill Whittle:

Whittle is speaking Thursday in Newport Beach, so look for a report.

Amilya Antonetti, Small Business Owner, Slams President Obama — 'I Don't Care If You're Red or Blue ... What Are You Doing to Our Country?'

She really unloads toward the end of the clip, via Memeorandum:

Rick Santorum's Family Off Limits to the Media

Robert Stacy McCain continues his coverage of the Iowa campaign: "Rick Santorum’s Iowa Barn Party." And here's Robert on some of the Santorum campaign's press rules:

Karen Santorum with her two oldest daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth. Right after I took this photo, Santorum’s press aide told me that the family are “off limits” to the media. But, of course, I’m just a friend of Lisa Graas, right? It’s not fair to treat me as “media.”

A beautiful family.

Related: At the Des Moines Register, "Santorum: Credit downgrade another example of Obama’s ‘epic failure’ in leadership." And from the Ames Tribune, "Santorum: Iowans 'can have a profound impact'."

And see New York Times, "Republicans Jockey as a Big Week Begins in Iowa."

Widener's Dean Linda Ammons Goes After Law School Professor Lawrence Connell

I read about this a couple of times earlier this year, and William Jacobson has an update: "Widener Law School goes Soviet, demands law professor undergo psychiatric evaluation."

Professor Connell was exonerated in a university disciplinary hearing, and William notes:

The faculty committee which heard the evidence found that Connell did not violate any university policy with regard to the allegations of racist and sexist conduct. The committee report, available exclusively here, while it ultimately vindicates Connell, is a depressing narrative of the sorry state of political correctness and race/sex politics on campus, in which the feelings and reaction of accusers carries as much weight as the objective reality of the statements made. While Connell was vindicated on a wide range of charges, this case surely will have a chilling effect on academic freedom on campuses as professors now know that regardless of the context, they are at risk of the subjective feelings of those with an agenda.

Read the whole thing. And background at Frontpage Magazine, "The Persecution of a Professor."

What's interesting to me is that, from what I can see, the attacks against Professor Connell were launched almost exclusively by Widener's Law School Dean, Linda Ammons. Checking her bio at the university's website, it turns out, no surprise, she's a "critical race feminist." And she's black, of course, a fact that in a rational world wouldn't matter a bit, but here in fact serves as the key variable doing most of the explanatory work. Connell mentioned the term "black folks" during classes, and was attacked as "racist." He'd also used Ammons as the subject of his classroom hypotheticals, which is apparently a completely harmless tradition going way back in the profession. After the university panel urged the administration to drop the charges against Connell, Ammons (or others in the administration) recruited students to make new charges, which allowed the witch hunt to continue. What William's talking about at his post is the requirement that Connell undergo a psychiatric evaluation as part of his reinstatement --- after he was already cleared of wrongdoing. The university, driven no doubt by Ammons, dug deep into campus regulations to find something, anything, with which they could convict Connell. They're alleging that his defense of himself, which included an explanatory e-mail to the university, was an act of "retaliation" in violation of college codes and his faculty contract, and that he should be suspended for a year. The university agreed with Dean Ammons' recommendation. It's perverse and pure evil. One must logically surmise that Dean Ammons' mind has been literally poisoned by years of progressive legal and ideology training in victimology and recrimination. Professor Connell is a middle-aged white man who has allegedly deviated from the accepted narrative. And for that, nothing less than complete professional destruction is pursued by his enemies. I'm reminded of Ann Althouse's quote, "'Isn't it funny the way lefties are, at bottom, puritanical about sex?'," because the same kind of insane, politically correct fanaticism has been driving the libelous allegations of sexual harassment that I've been defending against.

It's unreal.

Read the comments about this at Volokh, especially this one from "Blue":

Dean Ammons has now comprehensively crossed the line into Evil.

Word.

Michele Bachmann: 'President Obama is Destroying the Foundations of the United States Economy'

Via The Other McCain, "VIDEO: Bachmann Demands Resignation of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner."

Also at Gateway Pundit, "Michele Bachmann: “I Call on President Obama to Demand Resignation of Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner” (Video)," and "Geithner Flashback: “There’s No Chance US Will Lose Top Credit Rating” (Video)."

Taliban Shoot Down U.S. Copter in Afghanistan

At Los Angeles Times, "31 U.S. troops, 7 Afghans killed in Taliban attack on NATO helicopter."

In a rare event, Taliban insurgents shoot down a Chinook helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade near Kabul. It's the largest single-incident loss of military lives since the war's start.

And at New York Times, "31 Americans Killed as Taliban Shoot Down a Copter." (Via Memeorandum.)

Polar Bear Kills British Teenager in Norwegian Arctic

At Telegraph UK, "Nature's brutal lesson for young Arctic explorers."

Also at Scottish Daily Record, "Polar bear rips through tent and kills British teenager in camp attack terror."

Robert Stacy McCain Reports from Des Moines

See: "Fear and Loathing at the Quality Inn."

Pawlenty is pulling his ad buys from Iowa three days before the straw poll, but these spots are flooding the cable channels right now:

Stacy has more on what's shakin' in Iowa.

Progressive Shouts 'Sic Semper Tyrannis' at Scott Walker

It's the "new civility," remember?

Via Althouse:

The Debt Deal and the Progressive Crack-Up

From Peter Berkowitz, at Wall Street Journal (also Google or Sankei Digital):

In the congressional elections of 2010, the electorate, led by the tea party movement and disaffected independents, rendered its judgment on the president's priorities. The people dealt him and his party a historic midterm defeat, producing large Republican gains in the Senate and a comfortable majority in the House, including 87 freshmen.

The voters' message was clear: Cut spending, compel the government to live within its means, and put Americans back to work. In short, the president and his party badly overreached in 2009 and 2010; and in 2011 the Republicans, to the extent their numbers in Congress allowed, have effectively pushed back.

But that's not how progressives have tended to see things. They have ferociously attacked congressional Republicans, particularly those closely associated with the tea party movement, with something approaching hysteria ...

The use of crude and violent language to condemn conservatives as enemies of the state, the gross manipulation of law to make the Constitution say whatever is politically expedient, and indifference to the actual arguments made by their political opponents—these are all-too-familiar progressive vices. They were exercised with abandon in the fury with which progressives responded to the complex questions raised by the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore, the detention of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay, and the invasion of Iraq. Tea party hatred is the successor of and stems from the same sources as Bush hatred.

Of course, a good bit of progressive vituperation can be chalked up to the ordinary passions of democratic politics, which can be high stakes and is a contact sport. But in the debt-limit crisis, the hypocrisy of progressives reached truly breathtaking proportions ...

The progressive mind is on a collision course with itself. The clash between its democratic pretensions and its authoritarian predilections has generated within its ranks seething resentment for, and rage at, conservatives. Unless progressives cultivate the enlightened virtues they publicly profess and free themselves from the dogmatic beliefs that undergird their political ambitions, we can expect even more harrowing outbursts to come.

Be sure to read it all.

We seem to have the same general dynamic every so often of late, during the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, for example, and more recently with Anders Breivik and now the debt ceiling debate. Berkowitz pretty much nails it, and of course James Taranto consistently hammers progressive idiocy and the media's hopeless partisanship. This is why I keep blogging. Progressivism is destroying this country. We need to pushback and continue the fight. 2012 is looking good too, so there's hope!

Who's to Blame for Terrorism?

From Cliff May, at National Review:

Who deserves the blame for the terrorist attacks in Norway? My answer would be the perpetrator and no one else — unless it turns out there really is a modern Knights Templar or some other organized movement that sent him on his mission of mass murder.

But there are those who disagree, who see this atrocity as part of a wider conspiracy — or, perhaps, as a convenient stick with which to beat their political and ideological opponents.

One example: The New York Times last week ran an editorial arguing that Anders Behring Breivik was “influenced by public debate and the extent to which that debate makes ideas acceptable.” The “broader” issue, says the Times, is that “inflammatory political rhetoric is increasingly tolerated.”

Which raises the questions: Who decides what constitutes inflammatory rhetoric? And if such rhetoric is unacceptable and intolerable, who should censor it and by what means? (Memo to young readers: Back in the day, great newspapers were defenders of free speech, including that which some would see as inflammatory.)

Great piece. Coolly reasoned. RTWT.

'Rhinestone Cowboy'

Heard it yesterday while out driving my wife's new Jeep Liberty (been meaning to post pics, and no excuses other than lagging). She's got Sirius radio in there, and she loves it. What a variety!

NewsBusted: 'Bachmann spends about $5000 on hair and makeup'

Via Theo Spark:

U.S. Urges Citizens to Leave Syria Immediately

At Jerusalem Post:

State Department warns that given the "ongoing uncertainty and volatility" American citizens are urged to leave immediately while transportation is still available.

See also New York Times, "Broadcasting Hama Ruins, Syria Says It Has Ended Revolt."

Reactions to Fjordman's Coming Out

Peder Jensen, a.k.a., Fjordman, is covered at New York Times, "Blogger Cited by Norway Killer Comes Forward to Denounce Him."

Folks might want to read Gates of Vienna, "The Forced Resignation of Fjordman."

Also, Andrew Bostom, at Big Peace, "Fjordman, Fairness, And The Brevik Mass Murderer."

Added: At Blazing Cat Fur, "Breaking! Fjordman A Jew...or at least part Jew... or he looks kinda Jew..."

U.S. Loses AAA Rating from Standard & Poor's

At Reuters, "United States loses AAA credit rating from S&P."

I'll update with reactions in a few minutes ...

6:27pm PST: At Doug Ross, "He's Historic, Alright: Standard & Poor's Downgrades US Debt to AA+." And a Memeorandum thread.

6:51pm PST: An analysis at Wall Street Journal, "S&P Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating":

WASHINGTON—A cornerstone of the global financial system was shaken Friday when officials at ratings firm Standard & Poor's said U.S. Treasury debt no longer deserved to be considered among the safest investments in the world.

S&P removed for the first time the triple-A rating the U.S. has held for 70 years, saying the budget deal recently brokered in Washington didn't do enough to address the gloomy long-term picture for America's finances. It downgraded U.S. debt to AA+, a score that ranks below Liechtenstein and on par with Belgium and New Zealand.

The unprecedented move came after several hours of high-stakes drama. It began in the morning, when word leaked that a downgrade was imminent and stocks tumbled sharply. Around 1:30 p.m., S&P officials notified the Treasury Department they planned to downgrade U.S. debt, and presented the government with their findings. But Treasury officials noticed a $2 trillion error in S&P's math that delayed an announcement for several hours. S&P officials decided to move ahead anyway, and after 8 p.m. they made their downgrade official.

Liechtenstein! I don't believe it!

8:12pm PST: At Zero Hedge, "S&P Downgrades US To AA+, Outlook Negative - Full Text."