'Promise me you will never run for office again, and we'll drop this case...'

The quote's from Lois Lerner, the disgraced IRS hack and former thug FEC commissar, attempting to intimidate Republican Al Salvi after he was brought up on campaign finance charges during his 1996 Senate bid.

See George Will, "Scowling face of the state," via Cold Fury, "Look folks, you don’t build an all-powerful Leviathan State without intending to use it."

F-k the Democrats.

Could Syria Ignite World War III?

Now that's a dramatic headline, at London's Daily Mail, "Could Syria ignite World War 3? That's the terrifying question as the hatred between two Muslim ideologies sucks in the world's superpowers."

@CNN Bets on Kate Bolduan

I'm not sure why, but CNN's going with Ms. Bolduan, who seems like a high-school cheerleader more than a serious hard-news anchor.

At the Washington Post, "The dawn of Kate Bolduan, co-host of CNN’s ‘New Day’."

'300: Rise of an Empire'

Well, it won't be out for over a year, but I can dig it.

Glenn Greenwald Blamed the U.S. for 9/11 and Called for the 'Weakening of America...'

I blog about Glenn Greenwald quite a bit. He's consistent and makes the loser leftists look like dolts.

But I'm amazed at how the libertarian right is lionizing him, obviously clueless to Greenwald's anti-Americanism and vile Israel-hatred.

But Trevor Loudon's got the dope, "“9/11″ Was “Very Minimal in Scope”, Calls for the “Weakening of America” – NSA Leaks Journalist Glenn Greenwald."

Read it all.

The Immigration Bill Is a Scam

From Kurt Schlichter, at Townhall, "The Immigration “Crisis” Is No Crisis."

The Papers of the Founding Founders Are Now Online — Seriously? The 'Founding Founders'?

I thought this was a hoax at first.

At the White House homepage, here.

Honestly, I had to check for myself, and here it is: "The Papers of the Founding Founders Are Now Online." http://t.co/zbSOV1EEus #HeadDesk
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 14, 2013

And see Twitchy, "‘Founding Founders’? White House creates gender neutral birth of a nation."

RT @lheal: @charlescwcooke @sistertoldjah Heh. pic.twitter.com/WuaMseTycE
— Sister Toldjah (@sistertoldjah) June 13, 2013

Also at National Review, "White House Website Lauds ‘Founding Founders’" (via Memeorandum).

Added: From William Jacobson, "Sometimes I feel like a Founding Fatherless child."

Syria Crosses Obama's Red Line on Chemical Weapons

I've said it many times, but the U.S. should have considered military intervention in Syria long ago. I doubt we'd make things better at this point. An Islamist regime coming to power won't be an improvement on Assad. As sick as it sounds, there's no good choice for Syria right now.

Maybe Obama will get some wag-the-dog relief from all the scandals with some bold talk, however, and the congressional hawks are ready to help in --- John McCain, for example.

At CSM, "Syria crosses 'red line' on chemical weapons. How will Obama respond?"

Also at Astute Bloggers, "MORE PROOF HE IS EVIL: OBAMA HAS DECIDED TO GIVE MILITARY SUPPORT TO AL QAEDA'S AFFILIATES."

Inside the U.S. Surveillance Matrix

Following up on my previous entry, "Obama's Surveillance State Prompts Renewed Interest in George Orwell's '1984'."

Here's that Wired article referenced at the CBS News clip, "The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)."

Funny too. I remember seeing this issues on newsstands at the time. Amazing how the media zeitgeist of the day shapes your perceptions of the issues.

Obama's Surveillance State Prompts Renewed Interest in George Orwell's '1984'

A discussion at the clip.

And at the Riverside Press-Enterprise, "GEORGE ORWELL: Sales of “1984″ boom after NSA revelations."

I just reread it late last year, even before the latest scandals. It's prescient as ever.

Check Amazon for your copy, here.

Obama's All-Intrusive Terror Dragnet Excludes Mosques

I mean really, then. Why even do it, except to spy on domestic political enemies.

At IBD, "Obama's Snooping Excludes Mosques, Missed Boston Bombers":

If you want the government to stop spying on you, declare your home a mosque dailycaller.com/2013/06/13/if-… via @jtlol
— mb (@imsure) June 13, 2013

The White House assures that tracking our every phone call and keystroke is to stop terrorists, and yet it won't snoop in mosques, where the terrorists are.

That's right, the government's sweeping surveillance of our most private communications excludes the jihad factories where homegrown terrorists are radicalized.

Since October 2011, mosques have been off-limits to FBI agents. No more surveillance or undercover string operations without high-level approval from a special oversight body at the Justice Department dubbed the Sensitive Operations Review Committee.

Who makes up this body, and how do they decide requests? Nobody knows; the names of the chairman, members and staff are kept secret.

We do know the panel was set up under pressure from Islamist groups who complained about FBI stings at mosques. Just months before the panel's formation, the Council on American-Islamic Relations teamed up with the ACLU to sue the FBI for allegedly violating the civil rights of Muslims in Los Angeles by hiring an undercover agent to infiltrate and monitor mosques there.

Before mosques were excluded from the otherwise wide domestic spy net the administration has cast, the FBI launched dozens of successful sting operations against homegrown jihadists — inside mosques — and disrupted dozens of plots against the homeland.

If only they were allowed to continue, perhaps the many victims of the Boston Marathon bombings would not have lost their lives and limbs. The FBI never canvassed Boston mosques until four days after the April 15 attacks, and it did not check out the radical Boston mosque where the Muslim bombers worshipped.

Yet another example of how totally screwed we are. Thanks progs!

More at the link.

Suspect's Gun Was 'Pieced Together' in Santa Monica Shooting Rampage

Yes, and California bans "semiautomatic firearms" (which leftists falsely label "assault weapons").

And still, suspect John Zawahri was undeterred.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Santa Monica shooter's rifle appears to have been pieced together":

#SMC UPDATE: SM police laid out evidence found on suspect's body; news conference planned for approx 1pm twitter.com/ABC7/status/34…
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 8, 2013

The semiautomatic weapon used in the Santa Monica shooting rampage appears to have been put together from various parts, possibly in an attempt to circumvent the state's restrictions on such guns, law enforcement sources said Wednesday.

While certain types of AR-15-style rifles are banned in California, it's legal to purchase parts that can be used to assemble and customize the guns. Santa Monica police have said John Zawahri, 23, used an AR-15-style gun during the attack and was also carrying a .44-caliber handgun.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing, said detectives are still trying to figure out how the gun was put together and whether Zawahri obtained it whole or assembled it himself.

Zawahri killed five people last Friday in an attack that started at his father's home and ended at Santa Monica College, where police fatally wounded him in the school's library.

Sources said Wednesday that Zawahri fired about 100 rounds during the rampage, which lasted about 10 minutes. He fired at passing cars, a bus, pedestrians as well as police. Authorities have said he had access to more than 1,300 rounds of ammunition.

Santa Monica Police Department investigators, working with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the California Department of Justice, are now trying to trace where the parts came from.

Zawahri's rifle appeared to be modified so it could fire more rounds, the sources said. Police said he had 40 magazines capable of holding 30 rounds each during the rampage.

California outlaws the commerce of AR-15 weapons that have certain features, including a detachable magazine, which allows sustained firing. Other features include folding telescopic or detachable stocks or a threaded barrel.

Purchase, sale and transfer of high-capacity magazines is illegal, but currently possession of the items is not.

And of course, despite all this, Sen. Barbara Boxer cravenly announced that the Santa Monica massacre gives us "wind at our backs" for even more ineffective gun control legislation.

Actually, the suspect had "psychiatric issues." Maybe Sen. Babs ought to be working on that.

Are You Freakin' Kiddin' Me? — Michelle Fields Should Be Tops in Any Hottest Conservative Women Roundup!

Hey, it's a great list, but sheesh, no Michelle Fields?!!

At Right Wing News, "The 20 Hottest Conservative Women in the New Media (2013 Edition)."

Look, it's a great roundup of women, but no Michelle Fields?!!

She's a great lady, beautiful and friendly (via Facebook).

And previously, "Follow Michelle Fields."

And Pamela Geller's beautiful too, but noticeably absent from John's list. Check her out at Atlas Shrugs.

And could be related to this, "#StandWithSpencer — John Hawkins Attacks Counter-Jihad Patriot Robert Spencer."

Nancy Pelosi: The Face of Democrat Party Evil

At Jammie, "Pelosi on Late-Term Abortion: ‘This is sacred ground to me’":

What a horrible, evil woman.

“As a practicing and respectful Catholic, this is sacred ground to me when we talk about this,” Pelosi said. “This shouldn’t have anything to do with politics.”

Photographer Matthew Christopher Documents America's Decaying Architecture

An awesome photo-report, at London's Daily Mail, "Abandoned America: Haunting images of the crumbling schools, decaying churches and rusting prisons that have been lost to time."

'Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail — Small Breasts, Huge Thighs, and a Big Red Box...'

Wow!

Australian politics is interesting.

At the Guardian UK, "Julia Gillard's 'small breasts' served up on Liberal party dinner menu." (The menu can be seen at that report.)

And at London's Daily Mail, "Opposition apologises to Austrlian woman PM after serving up 'Julia Gillard quail with small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box' at fundraiser."

More, "'I hear the small breasts are good…': Australian PM Julia Gillard puts row over insulting menu behind her for breakfast meeting with Arnold Schwarzenegger."

U.S. Supreme Court: Human Genes Can't Be Patented

This was one of the big blockbuster cases that Court-watchers were expected.

Seems like a whimper more than a bang.

At the New York Times, "Supreme Court Rules Human Genes May Not Be Patented."

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion for a unanimous Court. Interesting.

See also SCOTUS Blog, "Details on Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc.," and "Opinion recap: No patent on natural gene work":

In a way, the ruling was a silent tribute to screen actress Angelina Jolie, who recently gained huge notoriety not for her acting but for voluntarily having her breasts surgically removed after discovering that she had the threatening genes in her body. She, of course, was able to pay the high cost of that test; now, women of less means will be able to afford it, and that was a key motivation for challenging Myriad’s patent rights.

More at Memeorandum.

Kenneth Turan Reviews 'Man of Steel'

At the Los Angeles Times, "Review: In 'Man of Steel,' Henry Cavill soars over an erratic plot":

"I can do things other people can't," the man says with becoming modesty, and can he ever. Cauterize deep wounds with a single glance, leap tall buildings in a single bound, things like that. Those rumors you've been hearing are true: Superman is back in town.

But "Man of Steel" is not your father's Superman (there's no kryptonite in sight), or your grandfather's for that matter. It features brooding, buff British actor Henry Cavill as a muscular yet sensitive type (think Jack Kerouac spending way too much time in the gym) trying to find himself, torn between his Krypton roots and his Kansas upbringing. Who said being a superhero was easy?

"Man of Steel" is similarly torn. Directed by Zack Snyder and written by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer and Christopher Nolan (who also produced), this film is pulled in different directions, delivering satisfactions without managing to be completely satisfying.

Continue reading.

I need to head out to see some movies.

Tracy Britt, 28, Has Become One of the Most Influential Women at Berkshire Hathaway

What would it be like to make it in the corporate world?

This lady's story give us a little glimpse, at WSJ, "A Rising Star Emerges at Berkshire":

When Tracy Britt arrived in Omaha, Neb., in 2009 to meet with Warren Buffett, she brought a Harvard M.B.A., a glittering resume and a boatload of ambition. But she also brought the famed investor a gift to highlight their shared Midwestern roots: a bushel of corn and a batch of tomatoes.

he seed Ms. Britt planted that day yielded quick results: a job for Ms. Britt as Mr. Buffett's financial assistant at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Almost four years later, it has blossomed further, with Ms. Britt emerging as one of Mr. Buffett's top lieutenants and even serving as chairman of four companies within his $284 billion conglomerate.

Ms. Britt, now 28 years old and more than five decades younger than her boss, occupies a role unlike any other within Berkshire. With an office next to Mr. Buffett's at Berkshire's headquarters, Ms. Britt helps with financial research, accompanies Mr. Buffett to meetings and occasionally drives him around town. The billionaire gradually tacked on additional responsibilities.

The firms in which she serves as chairman, including building-products company Johns Manville Corp. and paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore & Co., total more than $4 billion in annual sales. In March, a few weeks after Berkshire and Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital said they would buy ketchup maker H.J. Heinz & Co. for $23 billion, Mr. Buffett sent Ms. Britt to Brazil, according to people familiar with the matter.

The deal was Berkshire's largest acquisition since 2010, and Mr. Buffett wanted her to know more about 3G's operations, including how the Brazilian firm had turned around Burger King Worldwide Inc., the people said.

Ms. Britt is one of the executives the 82-year-old Mr. Buffett is grooming for senior positions after he steps down, say people familiar with the matter and Berkshire analysts. And she isn't the first person that he picked out of relative obscurity: His investment managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, were little-known hedge-fund managers before Mr. Buffett tapped them to handle big slices of Berkshire money.

Ms. Britt is also one of the most influential women within Berkshire, which has three women directors on a 13-member board and five women CEOs out of 81 operating companies.

Ms. Britt "takes care of all kinds of things that come up," Mr. Buffett told college students in Omaha last month...

Continue reading.

Christina Hoff Sommers: It's Time to Take Back Feminism

Via AIE: