'Avengers' Director Joss Whedon Goes Off on Epic Anti-Capitalist Diatribe at Comic-Con

Zombie's got it, at PJ Media, "Another Hollywood Millionaire Outs Self as Faux-Socialist Hypocrite."

This guy should be the epitome of free-market success. According to his Wikipedia entry, Whedon "wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's The Avengers (2012), the third highest-grossing film of all time."

God, what a faux-socialist douche.

More at The Wrap, "Comic-Con 2012: Joss Whedon: America Is Turning Into ‘Tsarist Russia’."

The Socialist State's Insatiable Demand for More Taxes

At the Orange County Register, "Taxpayers besieged on many sides":

When government coffers are flush, it's hard enough to reduce taxes. With deficits, public worker layoffs and municipal bankruptcies, expect an all-out assault for higher taxes.

The persistence of those demanding more taxes is typified by the June ballot's failed $1-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes in California, whose backers, despite losing by nearly 30,000 votes, now demand a recount.

he epitome of relentless demand for more taxes is the Affordable Care Act. What Congress and President Barack Obama promised was a penalty for not buying government-approved insurance, the U.S. Supreme Court says is a tax – actually a tax increase because it didn't exist before. Obamacare bundles 20 new taxes, incredible in variety and ingenuity, ranging from disallowing previous deductions for charitable hospitals and tax increases on biofuel to taxing medical device manufacturers and a surtax on investments. Obamacare's new taxes are listed at the website of Americans for Tax Reform: bit.ly/LGAD2d.

While critics say Obamacare may be history's largest tax increase, there will be a comparable hit if the Bush-era tax cuts are allowed to expire Jan. 1. The 10-percent income tax bracket would rise to 15 percent. The next four brackets each would increase 3 percentage points, and the top 35 percent bracket would go to 39.6 percent, according to Yahoo Finance. Taxes on capital gains and dividends would jump from 15 percent to 20 percent and 39.6 percent, respectively. The marriage penalty also would increase.

More at the link.

Australia Surfer Killed by Great White Shark

At Independent UK, "Let us kill great whites, says Western Australia as protected species claims its fifth victim":

Western Australia called on the federal government yesterday to lift a ban on the fishing of great white sharks following an unprecedented fifth death in its waters within less than a year.

Speaking after a 24 year old surfer, Ben Linden, was bitten in half by a "massive" shark on Saturday, the state's Fisheries Minister, Norman Moore, said the spate of fatal attacks was "cause for great alarm". He added that he was "open to any suggestions from anybody as to where we go to now, because we seriously have got a problem".

The killing of Mr Linden, who was paddling his board near remote Wedge Island, 100 miles north of Perth, has cemented the west coast's reputation as the world's deadliest shark attack zone. A hunt for the fish that killed him, believed to be up to 16 feet long, was called off yesterday afternoon. Ministers had ordered any shark of that size to be killed on sight.

A jet-skier who witnessed the attack and tried to retrieve Mr Linden's remains said the shark went for him. "By the time I got out there, half of him had been taken and the shark was circling," Matt Holmes, 22, told the Australian TV channel ABC. "There was blood everywhere. I reached to grab the body … but as I did that, the shark came back and nudged the jet-ski to try to knock me off."

After looping around, Mr Holmes returned to the scene. "I just thought about his family and if he had kids," he said. "I just wanted to get him to shore. [But] when I came back the second time, it took the rest of him." The shark - which other surfers had noticed over the previous four days and nicknamed "Brutus" because of its size - was last seen heading out to deeper waters.

Also at the Sydney Morning Herald, "Order to destroy 'massive' shark that killed Perth surfer Ben Linden."

Kelly Brook Bursting Out of Low-Cut Dress on Sky Ride Manchester

She sure gets around. And as lovely as ever!

At London's Daily Mail, "Setting a stylish example! Kelly Brook is the lady in red as she promotes Sky Ride Manchester in a plunging scarlet dress."

And here's the Sun's headline, "Kelly Brook's too hot to handle as she wears low-cut dress... for bike ride."

Moshe Silman Self-Immolation Mobilizes New Protests Against Israel

Here's a follow up to my entry from last night, "'Social Justice' Protester Self-Immolates in Tel Aviv."

Here's a new clip with a different angle:

And here's the latest at the Jeruselem Post, "Protesters attempt to set National Insurance Institute (NII) on fire." And at Haaretz, "Hundreds of Israelis protest state's social policy, in wake of self-immolation."

And here's the editorial at JPost, "Emulating immolation?":

Moshe Silman, 58, was hospitalized in Tel Hashomer on Saturday night in critical condition. He is suffering burns on over 90 percent of his body after he doused himself with fuel and lit himself on fire during a social protest in Tel Aviv.

Doctors fear that the severe damage to most of his skin will result in kidney and liver collapse and other complications that will keep him in a life-threatening state for the near future. We join in prayers for his speedy recovery.

Silman’s personal story – including his self-immolation – is a tragedy. In 2002, his shipping and delivery company went bankrupt after one of his four trucks was confiscated as collateral for an outstanding loan. After suffering a stroke, he was left partially handicapped, making it nearly impossible for him to work. For a variety of complex psychological and social reasons, Silman had supreme difficulty dealing with the setbacks in his life.

Silman’s case raises ethical issues regarding the limitations of our welfare state. No matter how extensive the social aid provided by the state – this one or any other – there will always be individuals like Silman who will somehow fall through the safety net. More specifically, since Silman’s immediate concern was housing, perhaps renewed efforts can be invested in implementing the long-term housing reforms recommended by the Trajtenberg Committee.

Improving public transportation so that commuting from outlying areas, where real estate prices are lower, becomes more feasible and streamlining the process of rezoning state land for construction were two recommendations. A reexamination of public housing or state-subsidized mortgages might also be in order.

Silman’s tragedy should also spark debate about the increasing atomization of Israeli society. Was Silman so devoid of support from friends, family and the community that he opted for suicide?

But, as opposition leader Shelly Yechimovich warned, Silman’s self-immolation “cannot be used as an example or inspiration for youth or adults, and it certainly must not be seen as a symbol of the social protest.”

Well, it already has become a symbol of social protest.

See the Independent UK, "Israel's man on fire is symbol of economic injustice." Also at International Business Times, "Israel: Self-Immolation of Moshe Silman Could Define Social Movement."

There's a big roundup at Vice, "I SAW A MAN BURNING ALIVE ON THE STREETS OF TEL AVIV."

California Progressives Fight Desperately Against 'Paycheck Protection' Initiative, Proposition 32

I was forwarded an email from Mike Myslinski, who is the public relations director at the California Teachers Association:

From: "Myslinski, Mike"
Date: July 14, 2012 10:57:47 AM PDT
To: CTA XXX XXXX XXXXX

Comrades:

I posted this blog on the CTA Facebook page this morning. Steve Smith of California Labor Federation and Brian Brokaw of the No on 32 campaign are quoted...

http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/07/12/the-war-on-workers-comes-to-california-in-disguise/

Mike Myslinski

CTA Communications

You gotta love the "comrades" salutation, for one thing, which is how Communist Party members greet each other. And then note how the state's far-left teachers union goes to radical left-wing blogs for talking points. The link goes to David Dayen at Firedoglake, "The War On Workers Comes to California, in Disguise." It's actually a good discussion of the initiative, with all the left-wing spin naturally, but this part is key:

Unions can ask their members to voluntarily donate to political causes, say the backers of Prop 32. But the initiative contains an additional measure that requires an annual written authorization from each union member on even voluntary contributions. Unions typically have an automatic process to collect dues and use them in part for political ends. Now they would have to go through a time- and resource-consuming process of collecting all dues individually, getting written authorization for how the dues can be used, in such a way that would be logistically impossible.

The fact is, my union doesn't notify employees about opting out of union political activities. You can do that, if you learn your rights, but you have to go to the union reps to fill out special paperwork, and even then, just 20 percent or so is prohibited from political activities, when in fact much more of what unions do, as a ratio of their activities, is interest group political lobbying and campaigns. In fact, CTA is THE BIGGEST political contributor in California politics, although it ends up funding Democrat political issues and candidates exclusively, which then misrepresents the political interests of the members who are conservative or Republican. You're basically screwed as a CTA member. So that's why the paycheck provisions of Prop. 32 are especially attractive. See Labor Pains for a discussion of this issue nationally, "UNIONS DISREGARD MEMBERS’ POLITICAL PREFERENCES."

The Dayen piece above cribs a bunch of those quotes right from the left's anti-Prop. 32 talking points. The CTA has not one but two websites to oppose the measure, the CTA's page, "No on 32: Stop Special Exemptions," and "Stop the Special Exemptions Act." And here's their marquee ad:

Unions are the "schoolhouses of socialism."

The conservative public sector reforms are crucially necessary to break these f-kers and drive 'em six-feet under.

See Ballotpedia for more, "California Proposition 32."

Hope Isn't Hiring

I miss the tea party rallies. The movement moved on to the grassroots work of interest group opposition and political campaigns, but I never tire of the tea parties themselves. Linkmaster Smith has a roundup of the Barack Obama protest out in Virginia yesterday, "Northern Virginia Tea Party Protests Barack Obama, Supports Mitt Romney in Centerville, 14 July 2012."

My favorite:

Mitt Romney 'Retired Retroactively' From Bain Capital

That's the big buzz this afternoon. Adviser Ed Gillespie argued that Romney retired "retroactively" in 1999. See National Journal, "Gillespie: Romney 'Retired Retroactively' from Bain."

Lots more at Memeorandum.

And check the banner headline at the Hufffington Post, "Ed Gillespie: Mitt Romney 'Retired Retroactively' From Bain Capital." Also, "Mitt Romney Bain Capital Document Lists Him As 'Managing Member' In 2002."

To read Huffington Post things look just horrible, just completely horrible, right?

Not really. The fact is Romney left Bain in 1999. He continued to have a consulting role with the company but did not have executive decision-making responsibility. According to Ed Conard, a partner at Bain until 2007, "Mitt's names were on the documents as the chief executive and sole owner of the company ... Legally, on documents, I suppose, yes." That's an interview with radical leftist Chris Hayes at MSNBC. Conard also says Romney kept legal ties to the firm during negotiations over his compensation package:

We had to negotiate with Mitt because he was an owner of the firm....

He'd created a lot of franchise value, and we were going to pay him for that...

We had a very complicated set of negotiations that took us about two years for us to unwind. During that time a management committee ran the firm, and we could hardly get Mitt to come back to negotiate the terms of his departure because he was working so hard on the Olympics...

It's indicative that the commenters there are unhappy with Conard's interview, since his version corresponds with Romney's statements. But progressives think they've got the magic bullet to destroy Romney (and the intensity of the attacks are noteworthy in light of Obama's abysmal track record), so every seeming inconsistency will be raked over as the biggest lie in American history. Whatever happens, it's not a very compelling reelection platform, and even some lefties are shrugging their shoulders. Here's Kevin Drum at Mother Jones, for example:

Politically, I understand why this story has gotten so much oxygen. And it's worth digging into, since Romney has inexplicably opened himself up to it by insisting over and over that he had literally zero involvement with Bain during the 1999-2002 period, something that seems unlikely for a CEO and sole shareholder. But honestly, as Dave Weigel says, there's nothing all that new about this story. Romney took a leave from Bain in 1999, probably had a bit of contact with Bain's management during the next few years, and was involved in both strategic and daily decisionmaking only tangentially. In other words, not very involved, but not quite zero either. Beyond that, the details hardly matter.

There you go.

PREVIOUSLY: "Mitt Romney Had 'Absolutley No Involvement' in Bain Management After Departure in 1999," and "Mitt Romney Left Bain Capital in February 1999."

'Social Justice' Protester Self-Immolates in Tel Aviv

A report at Jerusalem Post, "Social justice activist sets himself on fire in Tel Aviv."

Actually, the guy was less a "social justice" protester than a disgruntled social services flunky. The anti-Israel +972 blog posts the guy's suicide letter:

The State of Israel has stolen from me and robbed me, left me with nothing

and the Tel Aviv District Court blocked me from getting justice. — registrar at the Tel Aviv District court, broke the law, disrupted legal proceedings, out of condescension.

It won’t even assist me with my rental fees

Two committees from the Ministry of Housing have rejected me, despite the fact that I have undergone a stroke and was granted 100% work disability

Ask the manager of Amidar, in Hafia, on Hanevi’im Street.

I blame the State of Israel

I blame Bibi Netanyahu

and [Minister of Finance] Yuval Steinitz

both scum...

More at that above link.

And Ynet identifies the man as Moshe Silman. See: "Man sets himself on fire during TA rally."

Google Mondoweiss for more, if you're interested. I'm not linking to that hate-site this time around.

5 Ways Liberalism Destroys Virtue

Well, as always, I like to say "progressivism," but see John Hawkins, at Right Wing News:

The more completely a person, group, or organization embraces liberalism, the less virtuous it becomes. It’s almost like a mental sickness in that respect. People or groups who are lightly infected can soldier on without having it eat them alive. However, the deeper the sickness goes, the more it changes them. Eventually the liberal disease inside of people can grow so much that it warps their morals, their religious beliefs, and their way of thinking until they can no longer tell right and wrong. This destruction of virtue is a natural consequence of the fundamental beliefs that go along with liberalism.

And that reminds me: "The Left's Celebration of Nihilism," and some of those real life examples.

Sylvester Stallone's Son, Sage Stallone, Dead for Days Before Being Discovered

It's already a sad story, but the delayed discovery kinda bummed me out yesterday.

The Los Angeles Times reports, "Sage Stallone found dead: Autopsy planned, some details emerge":

An autopsy is planned for Sage Stallone, actor Sylvester Stallone's eldest son, who may have been dead for several days before he was found Friday afternoon at his home in the Hollywood Hills.

Authorities told L.A. Now that foul play was not suspected in the death of the 36-year-old actor, writer and producer, who made his film debut opposite his father playing Rocky Balboa Jr. in "Rocky V."

Word that the younger Stallone may have been dead for a while comes via law-enforcement sources who spoke to TMZ, explaining that Sage's housekeeper had been following standing instructions not to enter his bedroom, but ultimately checked on him Friday after his mom could not get in touch with him.

More at the link.

Tremseh Massacre Induces More Hand-Wringing on Syria

It's long past time for regime change in Damascus. The question is how to do it without making things worse.

Here's Reuel Marc Gerecht's plan, "To Topple Assad, Unleash the CIA":

Does President Barack Obama want Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to fall?

He's said he does, but fear of an interventionist slippery slope, re-election concerns, and anxiety about America's prominence in the Middle East have severely limited U.S. efforts to topple the Damascus regime. Shaming Russia into forsaking its Syrian ally appears to be the coup de grâce that Mr. Obama and his indignant secretary of state are still counting on.

This approach may not differ much from that of Mitt Romney, who has studiously avoided revealing what he would do in Syria. Even on the more hawkish right, there isn't a lot of appetite for committing U.S. military power to the conflict, except perhaps via the air in conjunction with Turkey. Tempers in Ankara are rising against the Assad regime, but Turkish civilian and military leaders still don't want to send tanks to establish Syrian "safe havens" for rebels and refugees whom Turkey is supporting on its side of the border.

Yet there is an alternative that could crack the Assad regime: a muscular CIA operation launched from Turkey, Jordan and even Iraqi Kurdistan. The trick for Washington is to go in big, deploying enough case officers and delivering paralyzing weaponry to the rebels as rapidly as possible.

Press reports already suggest that a rudimentary, small-scale CIA covert action is under way against Assad. But these reports, probably produced by officially sanctioned White House leaks, reveal an administration trying not to commit itself. According to Syrian rebels I've heard from, the much-mentioned Saudi and Qatari military aid—reportedly chaperoned by the CIA—hasn't arrived in any meaningful quantity.

Odds are that it won't, as the Saudis and Qataris are incapable of running arms on the scale required. Institutionally, intellectually and culturally, it's not their cup of tea. And intelligence officers tell me that the White House hasn't ordered Langley to move the weaponry. To the extent Syria's rebels have recently improved their performance, the reason is better coordination among the Free Syrian Army's units, more defections from regime forces, and raids on regular army depots.

But Langley can move weapons and rapidly develop complementary intelligence networks inside Syria. It may not do these feats brilliantly, but it can certainly do them better than anyone in the region.

And FWIW, see the report from Charles Dunne, David Kramer, and William H. Taft IV, at the Washington Post, "What the U.S. should do to help Syria."

RELATED: Telegraph UK has the background, "Analysis: What lies behind the Syrian massacres?"

Comic-Con Is So Gay

Well, everything is gay nowadays, so why not comics conventions?

At the Los Angeles Times, "Comic-Con: Gay characters enjoying new prominence, tolerance":

Caped crusaders are out and proud this year at Comic-Con International. Even Superman and Batman at the Prism Comics booth wear snug Underoos, capes and chef’s aprons — but not much else — as they entertain passersby. T-shirts featuring “Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super-Tranny,” “Wuvable Oaf,” a hairy-chested wrestler-type in pink shorts. and other less-famous characters line the walls of Prism’s booth — the unofficial hub of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community at this week’s convention.

“It feels revolutionary,” says Scott Covert, decked out as Batman’s sidekick, Robin, at one of the convention’s many panels about gay culture and the comic book world. He flips the lip of his cape as he adds, “There’s more tolerance this year.”

Gay Geekdom celebrated last month when Marvel’s mutant superhero, Northstar, married his longtime partner, Kyle, in “Astonishing X-Men No. 51.” The day the issue was released, comic book shops nationwide, including L.A.’s Meltdown Comics, hosted commitment ceremonies, vow renewals or parties; and there was a legal same-sex wedding at Midtown Comics in Manhattan.

Also in June, DC Comics resurrected the original Golden Age Green Lantern, featuring Alan Scott as a gay man. Even Archie Comics’ All-American Riverdale was the site of a biracial, military-themed, same-sex wedding earlier this year.

The effects of such publishing milestones are palpable at Comic-Con, which is seeing more gay-themed panels, parties, signings and off-site events than ever before, notes Justin Hall, author of the just-released “No Straight Lines,” a retrospective of LGBT comics.

“Queer fandom is absolutely galvanized by seeing more accurate representations of ourselves,” he says. “There’s a snowball effect.”

More at the link.

I'm sure Dan Savage likes comics.

Obama Gets Soaked in Roanoke

What a geek.

His comments are here: "Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke, Virginia" (via Memeorandum).

And see the Richmond Times Dispatch, "UPDATE: Obama caps swing through battleground Virginia."

Historic Black and White Images of the Dust Bowl

I missed it, but PBS ran a series last year called "Surviving the Dust Bowl."

Not to worry, though. London's Daily Mail has a nice report, "Portraits in defiance: Historic black and white images of gritty Dust Bowl survivors bring Dirty Thirties back to life."

Michelle Malkin on Obama's Bain Attacks: Romney-Types Sign the Front of the Paycheck, Obama-Types the Back

Mediate has a report: "Malkin Slams Obama’s Supporters: Romney Supporters Sign Front Of Paychecks, Obama’s Sign The Back" (via Memeorandum). You gotta love it:

And check the shocking dishonesty at No More Mister Nice Blog, "IF YOU'RE AN EMPLOYEE, RIGHT-WINGERS HATE YOU."

Only in Greater Commieland would anyone take Michelle's comments as an attack on those pulling down a paycheck. The fact is that Obama harms those who employ those trying to pull down a paycheck, which has led inexorably to more and more people signing the back of the government's welfare state paychecks. See, "A Stealth Expansion of the Welfare State," and "The Rise of Food-Stamp Nation."

IDF Woman Soldier in a Bikini?

At the New York Daily News, "Bikini-clad, gun-toting Israeli woman becomes an Internet sensation."

A photo of a gun-wielding, bikini-clad woman standing on a crowded Tel Aviv beach has become an Internet sensation, with thousands of viewers curious about whether the brunette beauty is part of Israel's military and why she wasn't in uniform with her weapon in tow.

The young woman, dressed only in a black-and-white string bikini, was captured chatting with a friend, rifle (with its magazine removed) slung casually behind her back. Though there's no uniform to identify her, the woman appears to be part of the Israel Defense Forces. Two years of IDF service is mandatory for most Israeli women at age 18. Men serve three years.

The photo was viewed 650,000 times in one day and was posted on sites including Facebook, Reddit and Gizmodo under titles like "Only in Israel," and "Badass Chicks in Israel Don't Go To the Beach Without Their Assault Rifles." It garnered a series of lascivious comments from male admirers but almost as many questions about the IDF's weapons policy for off-duty soldiers.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper, which picked up on the viral photo, wrote that "To an Israeli, the photo makes perfectly practical sense. When soldiers take their weapon off military premises, they must guard it closely and keep it on their person, at all times. Having one's weapon stolen is harshly punished with time in military prison a given. "

Hat Tip: Glenn Reynolds.

BONUS: She dodged mandatory military service, or so they say. But she's back in Israel visiting the homeland. At London's Daily Mail, "Back to the motherland! Bar Refeali goes home to Israel and heads straight out for sushi with friends."

Is Obama a Socialist?

Well, it depends what you mean by "socialist."

If you make a perfect equation between socialism and the totalitarian communism of the 20th Century Soviet Union, well then, no, Obama's not a socialist. But virtually no one defines socialism as that kind of perfect equation. No one except Milos Forman, perhaps, in his recent essay at the New York Times, "Obama the Socialist? Not Even Close.

Read it at the link. The analysis is deeply flawed but understandably so, given that Forman lived through real-life communism in Czechoslovakia from his birth in 1932 until 1968. That said, he's still wrong about Obama's socialism. See the response to Forman from Ron Radosh, "Is Obama a Socialist? An Answer to Milos Forman." Radosh is an ex-American communist and the author of the essential memoir of the movement, Commies: A Journey Through the Old Left, the New Left and the Leftover Left

Here's a passage from the piece, published at PJ Media:

Forman accuses conservatives — he names Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh — of calling Obama a socialist. He writes:

They falsely equate Western European-style socialism, and its government provision of social insurance and health care, with Marxist-Leninist totalitarianism. It offends me, and cheapens the experience of millions who lived, and continue to live, under brutal forms of socialism.

In making that argument, Forman reveals his own confusion, and in effect says that to say Obama is a socialist is to say he is a Marxist-Leninist totalitarian. Of course Obama is NOT a communist. He is an elected leader of a politically democratic republic. He is constrained in policies he would like to implement by a Congress and a vigorous Republican opposition. Nevertheless, a strong case has been made — here at PJM and in other conservative journals of opinion and in various serious books — that Barack Obama favors and pursues policies that are indeed the equivalent of redistributionist socialist measures favored today, for example, by François Hollande and his new government in France.

To make this case hardly “cheapens the experience of millions who lived, and continue to live, under brutal forms of socialism,” as Forman claims. The problem is that the social-democratic governments in Europe that Forman claims only favor “government provision of social insurance and health care” have their own serious problems. Most conservatives favor a social safety net, adequate health care, and other common-sense measures. What they do oppose is the limitless welfare state that seemingly never ends in its quest to further extend its grasp, in a manner that produces a whole new set of problems and brings modern economies to a grinding halt. And more:

America’s preeminent socialist leader in the 1980s was the late Michael Harrington, who carried on as the spokesman for social democracy, a post he inherited from his predecessors, Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas. Harrington was well-aware that the path to socialism, in which he ardently believed, was through continued extension of the American welfare state. He became a vigorous supporter of a meaningless bill passed by Congress in 1978 called the Humphrey-Hawkins Act, which stated that it was the policy of the United States to strive to attain a full employment economy.

Testifying before Congress in defense of the act, the dying Senator Humphrey asked Harrington: “Is my bill socialism?” The socialist leader responded, “It isn’t half that good.” His point was that socialism needed liberalism as a focal point from which to grow. As Harrington argued at the time, by laying out the principle that it was the duty of the state to create full employment, socialists could build upon that to move liberal supporters to advocate more extensive social-democratic programs that would challenge the hegemony of capitalist social relations, making it easier to advance real socialist measures at a future moment.

What Forman ignores, and does not really address, is that Barack Obama came into politics from the precincts of the Harringtonian left wing. He was a member in Chicago of the socialist New Party, which grew out of the activism of the Democratic Socialists of America, which Harrington led. His past, ignored but addressed in particular by Stanley Kurtz and now by Paul Kengor, was that of the sectarian left wing of the 1970s and ’80s.

Forman might not see “much of a socialist in Mr. Obama,” but he also writes that he does not see “signs of that system in this great nation.” That is because Mr. Forman is confusing Stalinism with social democracy. With that as his standard, he can easily ignore all signs of socialist policies and programs favored by Barack Obama. Like the Marxists, Obama said four years ago that we were on the verge of a “fundamental transformation” of the United States. What did he mean by that, if not his hope that the United States would soon become a nation more similar to the social-democratic welfare states of Europe?

One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is how the left's Democrat-Media-Complex has managed to sustain the lie that Obama's just a regular old "liberal Democrat." It's truly an amazing thing, three and a half years into this administration, that conservatives are still heckled and rebuked as conspiracy-mongers for mentioning the fact of Obama's socialism. In any case, scrolling through the archives I found this old piece from Jawa Report, "Question: Does Barack Obama Have Any Friends Who AREN'T Communists?":

The news of Barack Obama's close relationship with Frank Marshall Davis has been around before, but it's important....

Aren't we seeing a pattern here? One interaction with one old communist isn't particularly troubling. A handful of sporadic interactions with a handful of radical left-wingers may not be particularly troubling. But a lifelong pattern of extended associations and alliances with scores of fringe, America-hating radicals is very, very troubling indeed.

Just to be clear:

It's not just that Barack Obama's father was a Marxist economist or that his mother Stanley came from radical far-left roots.

It's not just that Obama's childhood mentor Frank Marshall Davis was a famous communist poet.

It's not just that Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor, counselor and spiritual mentor of 20 years is a racist, America-hating radical.

It's not just that Michael Phleger, Obama's other spiritual mentor is every bit as extreme as Wright.

It's not just that his wife Michelle has never been really that proud of America, or that she thinks this country is "mean".

It's not just that Obama refused to wear a flag, or that he refused to salute it during the national anthem.

It's not just that Obama's political and financial benefactor William Ayers is an unrepentant radical socialist terrorist.

It's not just that Bernadine Dohrn regrets that she didn't kill more people back in the 1960s.

It's not just that Alice Palmer, Obama's political mentor in Chicago, was a communist propagandist.

It's not just that Obama was a member of the radical socialist New Party or that he ran as a candidate for public office under their far-left platform.

It's not just that Obama was an agitator, trainer and attorney for the corrupt and radical-left ACORN.

None of these facts, by itself, tells you that much about Barack Obama. A reasonable person should, however, be able to look at this motley crew of left-wing communists and America-haters, realize that Barack Obama's rolodex is a veritable Who's Who of American Socialism, be very, very disturbed by that fact and ask some very probing questions about WHO Barack Obama is, WHAT he believes, and WHY this gang of radical America-haters considers Barack Obama such a good friend.

Check the post for all the links documenting those friendships.

And that was before Obama took office. Monica Crowley provides an excellent rundown of the socialist czars that Obama appointed to his administration, at FrontPage Magazine:

Obama doesn’t run around wearing a Carrie Bradshaw-esque nameplate necklace that says, “Socialist.” But his policies, actions, words, background, and associations speak louder than any ID necklace ever could. As a technical matter, economic fascism (government control of the means of production without ownership) more accurately describes what Obama is carrying out than socialism (government ownership of those means of production), but “fascism” and “socialism” are highly charged words—and arguments over the labels often obfuscate the reality of the policies. Obama has engaged in extreme government-directed redistributionism to undermine the free market, generate widespread dependency, and further centralize state power.

In the end, the term matters less than his policies and their effects. This is a man who spent his formative years learning at the knees of assorted communists, from his mother and father to Frank Marshall Davis to the Marxist professors and sundry socialists he admitted he sought out while in school to the self-avowed Communists (Van Jones, “green jobs” czar), Mao admirers (Anita Dunn, communications director) and radical redistributionists (Cass Sunstein, regulatory czar) he appointed as president. He spent a good deal of time mastering the art of Saul Alinsky’s tactics for advancing the socialist revolution. In 2007, he said of his years learning Alinsky’s methods, “It was that education that was seared into my brain. It was the best education I ever had, better than anything I got at Harvard Law School.” Indeed.

Right.

Notice how Crowley mentions "economic fascism" as a clarifying concept. Because as long as the U.S. maintains a relatively free market with private ownership, the U.S. can't be described as socialist. But that's a practical matter. If Obama could he'd bankrupt America's corporate sector and have the state take over. He may yet achieve that end in the healthcare sector with ObamaCare, and it's been but for the awesome resilience of the American economy and people that we've resisted the administration's socialist encroachments on the energy sector. That's why Crowley and others warn that Obama simply can't get a second term, lest he win the chance to complete the destruction he's already started.

In any case, there's still some time to continue hammering the real truth before the election. Toward that end, see Nice Deb, "The Vetting: Paul Kengor on Obama’s Communist Mentor, Frank Marshall Davis," and Dan Riehl, "New Book Claims Obama Mentored By Perverted, Drug Using Communist Frank Marshall Davis."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Meets Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi

Things are not going well.

See the New York Times, "As Clinton and Morsi Meet in Egypt, U.S. Voice Is Muted":

CAIRO — In the days before Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived here on Saturday, becoming the highest-ranking American official to meet with Egypt’s newly elected Islamist president, she planned to deliver a forceful public speech about democracy.

But with the new president still struggling to wrest power from Egypt’s top generals, there were too many questions, too many pitfalls and too little new for Mrs. Clinton to offer, said several people briefed on the process. After rejecting at least three different drafts, the administration called off the speech days before its scheduled delivery, these people said.

The administration’s struggle to define a message here reflects its quandary with how to deal with a rapidly shifting contest for power whose outcome remains to be seen. Policy makers are struggling to balance a public push for a democratic Egypt against a desire to maintain long-term ties with both factions, the generals and the Islamists, in a context where almost any American statement is sure to provoke a backlash.

The generals have repeatedly rebuffed American pressure. The new president, Mohamed Morsi, and the other leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood still harbor deep doubts about Washington’s agenda. Some of Egypt’s secular politicians are even accusing the United States, implausibly, of conspiring to back the Brotherhood. A secular political party and a Christian group have called for a protest outside the American Embassy against what they assert to be United States support for the Islamists.

All of which has lent what some American officials say is a sense of futility about Washington’s muffled voice in the future of a strategic ally.

“In some ways all the talk in Washington about what to do in Egypt is incredibly inefficient,” said Peter Mandaville, a political scientist at George Mason University who until recently advised the State Department on Islamist politics in the region. “At a time of virtually zero U.S. influence, we don’t need to waste so much time figuring out how to try to get the Egyptian people to like us.”

None of this is surprising.

Go back and read Caroline Glick's latest essay: "Obama's Spectacular Failure."

And see Barry Rubin as well, "Good News? Revolutionary Islamists Taking Power Produces Moderation and Ends Terrorism!"

How to Bag the Perfect Husband at College

At London's Daily Mail, "University of Georgia student writes step-by-step guide on how to bag the perfect husband."

One University of Georgia sophomore has written an insightful article outlining how female students ‘can attain the thing that is most essential in securing our futures.’

Amber Estes is not talking about getting an academic degree but securing a (Tiffany’s) ring on your finger.

In a easy step-by-step guide Estes sets out how to bag the perfect husband and warns girls to ‘stay classy’ as ‘a man won’t get down on one knee for a woman who is overly willing to get down on both of hers.’

Continue reading.

And check the responses at this comment board, "UGA student newspaper tells women how to find a husband." (And get ready for some college-level sexual vulgarity — or college-themed vulgarity, but your mileage may vary.)