22 Excellent Reasons to Drink More Whiskey

A quick diversion from immigration, at BuzzFeed "As If You Needed Any..." (Via Instapundit.)

That's Famous Grouse, seen at Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa.

Corker-Hoeven Border Amendment 'Not a Serious Public-Policy Proposal...'

Here's the background to the amendment, at the Hill, "Senate immigration bill gets major boost with border security agreement":

The Corker-Hoeven amendment would double the number of border patrol agents from 20,000 to 40,000 and authorize the construction of 700 miles of fencing along the southern border, twice as much as authorized in the base bill.

Well, it's a sham, at total smokescreen for Republicans to vote for amnesty.

Here's William Kristol from yesterday's Special Report All Stars on Fox:

Legalization Will Come Before Border Security

At the video, Charles Schumer confesses that border security takes a backseat to legalization in the Schumer-Rubio immigration clusterf-k:

Also at Townhall, "Senate Kills Cornyn Amendment, New "Breakthrough" Touted by Schumer, Rubio":

Remember the Cornyn Amendment? That would be Sen. John Cornyn's (R-TX) bare bones border security package that was supposedly the big "breakthrough" a few weeks ago. As you may recall, it offered some genuinely welcome improvements over the 'Gang of Eight' legislation, but kept the basic sequencing intact: Provisional legalization first, then a number of hard security triggers (certified by both DHS and GAO), followed finally by round two (green cards, etc) of legalization. Very tepid stuff -- but a bridge too far for Senate Democrats and certain Republicans, evidently. The upper chamber voted to table -- ie, kill -- Cornyn's plan yesterday, and it wasn't especially close...

Plus, from M. Stanton Evans, "IMMIGRATION SCo at Townhall, "Senate Kills Cornyn Amendment, New "Breakthrough" Touted by Schumer, Rubio":

... even if border security could somehow be established, that wouldn’t remedy the countless defects of the legislation. It is shot through with provisos that would swell the number of aliens on a “path to citizenship” to three or four times the 11 million illegals now in the country (if that is in fact the true number) . Most obvious of these are “chain immigration” aspects that will bring in and legalize the spouses and children of illegals, but there are many others of like nature.

One such is a “blue card” (temporary, eight-year) work visa, which might not be a problem in itself, but links to other features. Once here, these workers could qualify for “provisional” immigrant status, just like the illegals, and thus get on the citizenship pathway also. Further, if a future illegal gets apprehended, he can escape removal by requesting “blue card” status for up to two and a half years after the rule is final. Thus, hesto-presto, would future illegals be made legal.

The bill is otherwise riddled with clauses that would help illegals avoid removal, get into the country to begin with, seek “provisional” status, apply for naturalization, ask stays of judgment, and game the system in general. One of the words appearing most often in the bill is “waiver,” closely followed by “appeals” “stays,” “reviews” and “exceptions” : A thicket of legalisms that could and undoubtedly would be used to thwart enforcement.

Boy, we're really cracking down on immigration!

'Rubio-Free' Senate

Boy, Coulter really wanted to talk about immigration!

Here's a write-up, at Politico, "Ann Coulter waits for ‘Rubio-free’ Senate."

PREVIOUSLY: "Marco Rubio Interview With Dana Bash on CNN Yesterday."

Marco Rubio Interview With Dana Bash on CNN Yesterday

I was never one to get on the Rubio bandwagon. And he is reviled now among conservatives on Twitter. I watched this yesterday and he just looks like the most pathetic weasel.

More at Legal Insurrection, "Moving to final stages of Senate #amnesty push."

And see Mark Krikorian, "CBO: Schumer-Rubio Bill Will Be a Failure," and "Mass Immigration Crowd Achieves Self-Parody."

I'll have more on immigration throughout the day...

Amputee Veteran Alex Minska Becomes Hot Dude Underwear Model

I was watching this the other morning on GMA, "Wounded U.S. Marine Now an Underwear Model, Hopes to Inspire Amputees - Alex Minska Interview."

And see Red Alert Politics, "Amputee vet Alex Minsky returns from war, becomes underwear model":

Alex Minsky isn’t your average underwear model.

A former Marine, Minsky lost part of his right leg to a roadside bomb while fighting in Afghanistan in 2009. The explosion left the now 24-year-old decorated veteran in a coma for 47 days as he recovered from traumatic brain injuries and severe burns sustained in the bombing.

But this Purple Heart recipient would quickly prove that his amputation didn’t have to be a handicap.

When Minsky first returned home after the accident, he became depressed and, like many other vets returning from combat, ultimately turned to alcohol to manage his pain.

“I was down,” Minsky told ABC News. “I was numb and I was running away from everything…especially myself, my own head.”

But the war hero quickly decided he didn’t want to live his life this way and started pumping iron again as a healthy outlet for his frustration.

“I didn’t want to run anymore,” Minsky said. “I wanted to face my problems instead.”

Continue reading.

Liz Cheney Slams Obama's 'I'm No Dick Cheney' Idiocy

Awesome.

Background at Flopping Aces.

I hope she runs for Congress.

A Shouting Ingraham Destroys O’Reilly After His Uninformed, Laughable Endorsement of Senate Immigration Bill

That's Pat Dollard's headline.

And at the Washington Post, "Border deal greatly improves chances for immigration bill":

Prospects for the contentious immigration bill that has been working its way through the Senate for months vastly improved Thursday after senators agreed to spend several billion more dollars to fortify the U.S.-Mexico border.

The agreement calls for doubling the number of federal border agents at a cost of about $30 billion, the completion of 700 miles of fencing, and expanded radar and aerial drone surveillance at a time when the domestic use of unmanned aircraft is the subject of an acrimonious national debate.

The deal is expected to secure at least a dozen more Republican “yes” votes for the measure and could help ensure its passage by the sizable margin that proponents have said they need to make it viable in the House.

However, supporters say the chances of immigration legislation advancing in the GOP-controlled House remain a source of concern, and that concern has shaped the Senate negotiations from the outset.

Supporters have insisted that approval by a significant bipartisan majority of senators would politically compel House Republicans to vote on the Senate bill even as its members debate more limited and conservative proposals. But that is an untested proposition, and Thursday’s failure in the House of a federal farm bill, after the Senate passed its version 66-27 last week, only deepened the concerns.

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) sought Thursday to tamp down expectations about immigration, saying that “regardless of what the Senate does, the House is going to work its will.”

Still, there was optimism in the Senate on Thursday following the announcement of the border security agreement. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the overall bill “is gaining Republican support” and that the new agreement “will be very helpful.”

Continue reading.

John McAfee Spoofs McAfee Antivirus

Trippy.

At Guardian UK, "John McAfee's tips for un-installing McAfee software":

Tech entrepreneur McAfee releases spoof – and NSFW – video and mocks firm which made him rich and famous.

Joe Manchin Hits Back at NRA

A great post at This Ain't Hell..., "Manchin; I come to bury him":

Sorry, Joe, but I won’t vote for you again if you are in the pockets of the northeastern liberals who have destroyed that part of the country with their “beware the boogeymen” legislation. I came to West Virginia to get away from those effete pricks.

More at Memeorandum.

Michelle Malkin Slams 'Source Chilling' Obama White House on Fox & Friends

Michelle continued her D.C. media appearances on Fox News yesterday:

Insperity's 'We Are Ready' TV Commercial

Saw this during yesterday afternoon's Fox News Special Report.

Watch  it here.

More on Yesterday's Federal Reserve Fallout

At WSJ, "Turmoil Exposes Global Risks":

Worries about China and the Federal Reserve's plans rattled global markets for a second day, sending U.S. stocks to their biggest loss this year and hammering bonds and many commodities.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 353.87 points, or 2.34%, to 14758.32, on big volume, marking its first back-to-back decline of 200 points or more since Nov. 1, 2011. Yields on Treasurys hit their highest since August 2011 as bond prices fell.

he turmoil exposed vulnerabilities in the financial markets and the world economy that had been mostly ignored because central banks were willing to ride to the rescue with huge amounts of money.

Investors said Thursday they were buffeted by two distinct forces: worries about the health of China's economy and financial sector, and the prospect that the beginning of the end of the Fed's extraordinary stimulus could reverse the huge rally in assets ranging from "junk" bonds to dividend-paying stocks. Gains in many of those assets had been fueled by ultralow interest rates and expectations that the Fed would continue to pump money into financial markets.

The rout underscored persistent worry about the health of the global economy at a time when the U.S. and Europe are struggling with high unemployment. Adding to the wrenching action is a cash squeeze in China, which is trying to tighten the spigot on credit without causing problems, and a report that financing for cash-strapped Greece could be in danger.

The declines came a day after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the central bank expects to begin to pare its huge bond-buying program later this year and that it could end sometime next year, provided the economy unfolds as the Fed expects. The prospect of the Fed weaning the economy off unusually easy credit at a time when the pace of U.S. economic growth is modest and inflation is below the Fed's target jolted markets around the world.

At the same time, many investors believe the shakeout heralds a shift toward higher interest rates and sustained, healthier U.S. growth, following a long period of superlow rates that helped feed investor funds into higher-yielding investments. Those investments have declined sharply in recent weeks as the market has begun preparing for more-normal rates.

The action showed investors continue to grapple with the impact of an eventual reduction of the Fed's $85 billion in monthly bond purchases. U.S. bonds and stocks have broadly risen this year, with few sizable declines until the past month.

The main thing is that the investors and speculators expect interest rates to go up, and that could destabilize markets in all kinds of housing and mortgage-related sectors.

More at the link.

PREVIOUSLY: "Dow Jones Tanks."

'Maybe' John Boehner Will Lose His Job Over Immigration Reform

Well, there's certainly some hopes for that among tea party conservatives unhappy with establishment Republicans, so we'll see. But listening to Boehner at this clip it appears the Speaker's got a good handle on the politics of immigration reform.

And see Politico, "John Boehner: ‘I get a lot of hatchets’":

Speaker of the House John Boehner is confident he will retain the speakership despite party challenges over immigration.

“I fully expect to be Speaker,” Boehner told CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo on Thursday, according to a transcript released before the interview aired on “Closing Bell.”

“As the Speaker I take a lot of hits, I get a lot of hatchets thrown at my back every day. Listen, it’s — it comes with the territory,” Boehner said, responding to a question about recent challenges to his speakership over immigration.

POLITICO reported on Tuesday that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) called for Boehner to be removed from the speakership if he, as Boehner had suggested he might, pushed the immigration bill through the House without support from the majority of his party. Later that day, Boehner assured members of his party that he would not be violating the so-called “Hastert rule” to pass immigration reform.

Christopher Dorner and Tamerlan Tsarnaev on Mayors Against Illegal Guns Victims' List

At New York Daily News, "California Cop Killer Dorner Included on List of Gun Victims Used by Bloomberg Group."

And at BuzzFeed, "Bloomberg Group Named Christopher Dorner, Other Murder Suspects On List Of Gun Violence “Victims”," and Blazing Cat Fur, "Tamerlan Tsarnaev memorialized at Mayors Against Illegal Guns rally."

Plus, at Twitchy, "Blooming outrageous: Mayors Against Illegal Guns’ list of shooting victims includes ten murder suspects."

They're depraved:

Our moral betters w Bloomberg gun-control group put Tamerlan AND Chris Dorner on their gun violence victims list: http://t.co/jKthmK2JP4

— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) June 20, 2013

Dow Jones Tanks

At the Wall Street Journal, "Dow Sinks 353.87":

Stocks fell to their biggest-one day slide of the year as anxiety mounted over the potential for the Federal Reserve to pull back its stimulus efforts. Investors also fretted about a slowdown in the Chinese economy.

Worries about the Fed rattled across other markets, with gold dropping and yields on Treasury bonds marching to nearly two-year highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 353.87 points, or 2.3%, to 14758.32, the biggest percentage drop since November 2012 for the blue chips and the largest point drop since November 2011.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index lost 40.74 points, or 2.5%, to 1588.19. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 78.57 points, or 2.3%, to 3364.63.

Stocks began their decline at the opening bell, extending losses first kicked off after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke reiterated Wednesday that the central bank could start winding down its $85-billion-a-month asset-purchase program later this year.

Traders said the selling Thursday was being led by short-term investors such as hedge funds and accelerated when the S&P 500 broke through the 1600 level. Some pointed to a single account selling a large number of futures contracts during the afternoon as fueling the decline. Others pointed to heavier-than-usual volume in exchange-traded funds as reflecting aggressive trading by hedge funds.

"Every fast-money [investor] wants out, and we're not seeing any [longer-term] funds saying 'we're buying this dip,' " said Matthew Cheslock, a trader with brokerage firm Virtu Financial.

Despite the upbeat view for the economy, the prospect of the Fed curtailing the bond-buying efforts that have helped the Dow and S&P 500 hit records this year has sent jitters through the market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to its price, reached 2.419%, its highest since August 2011.

Home builders were slammed over concerns that rising bond yields would translate into higher financing rates for buyers. PulteGroup, PHM -9.10% D.R. Horton DHI -9.09% and Lennar LEN -7.69% slumped. All 10 of the S&P 500's sectors fell more than 2%, and every Dow industrial traded in the red.

Gold was hit hard, as its appeal as a hedge against inflation and currency weakness faded. Gold slid 6.4%, to settle at $1,285.90 a troy ounce, dipping below $1,300 for the first time since September 2010.

Continue reading.

Also at LAT, "Fed's mixed messages roil markets," and Business Week, "Gold Walloped (Along With Pretty Much Everything Else)."

Some Quick Afternoon Rule 5

At Egotastic!, "Sofia Vergara Cleavetastic Red Carpet Performance Brings Hope to Mankind."

And a video from TMZ, "Kate Upton — SUPER TOPLESS ... On a Horse." And, "Kate Upton’s Bustiest Moments."

More later...

About Those 32 Revealing Photos of New York City in the 1970s

Louise Mensch tweets:

Buzzfeed calls these photos of #NYC in the 70s "stunning". I say thank God for Reagan and the Republicans #tcot http://t.co/bsUzanJ5YZ

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) June 20, 2013

Deaf Three-Year-Old Grayson Clamp Hears for First Time

I love this story.

I tweeted it here, here, and here.

Saw it this morning at CBS News, "Deaf boy with auditory brain stem implant stunned after hearing dad for first time."

UPDATE: At NBC News, "Deaf boy, 3, hears father's voice for the first time":

Grayson was born without cochlear nerves, the “bridge” that carries auditory information from the inner ear to the brain. He’s now the among the first children in the U.S. to receive an auditory brainstem implant in a surgery done at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., led by UNC head and neck surgeon Dr. Craig Buchman.

The device is already being used in adults, but is now being tested in children at UNC as part of an FDA-approved trial. It’s similar to a cochlear implant, but instead of sending electrical stimulation to the cochlea, the electrodes are placed on the brainstem itself. Brain surgery is required to implant the device.

"Our hope is, because we're putting it into a young child, that their brain is plastic enough that they'll be able to take the information and run with it," Buchman told NBCNews.com.

Buchman says Grayson was a great candidate for the implant because other than his hearing, he's a healthy kid. Plus, Buchman adds, "he has great parents who were completely committed to the process -- the entire surgical process, the educational process. We really wanted to provide it to a child who had all the potential to do great."

And so far, Grayson really is doing great, his father says.

“Never one time did he show any fear about that new sensation,” says Clamp. He and his wife, Nicole, adopted Grayson in 2010; the couple also has a biological son, Ethan, who is 2. “It was a lot more excitement. And he’s really curious to begin with.” And he’s discovered a new love: music.

“He claps his hands, he bobs his head. At his daycare, they have a stereo, and he loves to run over and turn it on,” Clamp says.

Grayson is now working with a speech therapist, and has started babbling. He also tries to mimic the mouth movements of people when they’re talking to him. But he still has a "massive amount" of work ahead of him, Buchman cautions. "He needs intensive speech therapy -- in his mind, he has to convert this new signal into something he current knows as, basically, signs," Buchman says.

Teen Feminists Face Hate Campaign of Their Own Imagination

No one denies that women face difficulties in modern life, but achieving full equality isn't one of them.

A few anecdotal examples of idiot boys saying mean things and acting like untrained children is not evidence of a "hate campaign" against women.

But see Jinan Younis, at Guardian UK, "What happened when I started a feminist society at school."

Also, from Jill Filipovic, "Serena Williams, like the rest of us, lives in a woman-hating world."

We live in a political and cultural climate that is hostile to women and still toxic for rape victims. Just listen to Rush Limbaugh.

Disagreeing with women is sexism.

Okay. Got it.