Battle of Gettysburg Reenactment

KNXV-TV ABC15 Phoenix, "Thousands flock to witness reenactment of battle of Gettysburg."

And from Selena Zito, at the Pittsburgh Tribune, "Gettysburg: Where America got its chance to start over."

And a video at Telegraph UK, "Thousands take part in Gettysburg re-enactment."

'American Music'

From the band's January concert at the Observatory in Santa Ana. I looked into getting some tickets, but it was too late.

Why Humans Throw So Well

This is cool.

At the New York Times, "Scientists Unlock Mystery in Evolution of Pitchers":

No one knows whether Homo erectus, the early ancestor of both the Yankees and the Red Sox, threw the split-finger fastball.

But he could have, according to a group of scientists who offer new evidence that the classic overhand throw used by baseball players at all positions, and by snowball, rock and tomato hurlers of all ages, is an evolutionary adaptation dependent on several changes in anatomy. They first appeared, the researchers say, around 1.8 million years ago, when humans were most likely beginning to hunt big game and needed to throw sharp objects hard and fast.

No other primate throws with anything comparable to human force. Chimpanzees, who are much, much stronger, pound for pound, than human beings, can throw, as any zoo visitor knows. But the best an adult male can do is about 20 miles per hour. A 12-year-old human pitcher can easily throw three times that fast.

Clearly, the reason is not muscle strength, according to Neil Roach of George Washington University, first author of a report in the journal Nature released on Wednesday. Dr. Roach, who conducted the research as a graduate student at Harvard, and his colleagues there used motion-capture video to analyze the throwing motion of 20 college athletes, who hurled baseballs at a target about 100 feet away, with and without a brace that restricted shoulder motion.

They analyzed the structure of the shoulder and upper arm, the motion and the forces involved, and concluded, first, that muscles alone cannot account for how hard and fast humans throw. The shoulder and arm and the rest of the body involved in the throwing motion must be storing elastic energy, like the long tendon of a kangaroo when it hops, or the human Achilles’ tendon in running and jumping, they said.

“You’re storing energy in your shoulder,” Dr. Roach said, speaking from Africa, where he was heading to Lake Turkana to look at fossil footprints of human ancestors about a million and a half years old. The storage occurs in the cocking motion, when a thrower brings hand and ball back, preparing to throw. “It works just like a slingshot would. You’re actually stretching the ligaments.”

Several developments in anatomy allowed humans to throw this way, he said, including a waist that allows twisting and a relatively open shoulder, compared with those of other primates like chimpanzees.

Looking at the fossil record, Dr. Roach and colleagues put the moment at which these changes came together in one body at about 1.8 million years ago, when Homo erectus first appeared. “It’s possible that Homo erectus could throw as fast as we do,” Dr. Roach said.

More at that top link.

Kate Upton for Vogue Brazil

On Twitter:

#voguebrazil pic.twitter.com/4MuIGRQvkN

— Kate Upton (@KateUpton) June 27, 2013

And at London's Daily Mail, "Kate Upton the queen of curves brings smouldering glamour to Vogue Brazil in her 'favorite' photo shoot yet."

Obama Visits Fake Slave House, Gazes Through Trash Door

Historians have debunked this "slave house" visit.

And Blazing Cat Fur has more.

I commented on this earlier as well, with considerable contempt.

'Tonight it is chaos and lawlessness, and anyone who is concerned about the rule of law ought to be deeply troubled by what happened here...'

That's John Eastman, Chairman of the Board of the National Organization for Marriage, quoted at the Los Angeles Times, "Prop. 8 backers make emergency effort to block same-sex marriages."

He needs to let this one go. And the Prop. 8 sponsors need to let this go too. The game was rigged. Use that against them in future battles, but let it go for now in California. See SCOTUS Blog, "Emergency stay of California same-sex marriages sought" (at Memeorandum).

Guardian and Observer Runs Front-Page Story on Secret European-U.S. Surveiliance Deal Sourced to Jew-Hating Conspiracy Theorist Wayne Madsen

Here's the cover image on Twitter:

OBSERVER FRONT PAGE: "Revealed: secret European deals to hand over private data to America" #skypapers pic.twitter.com/MTRmz9qrZq
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 29, 2013

Here's Michael Moynihan:

Holy shit. Guardian just did an NSA story sourced to insane crackpot Wayne Madsen. Is their Google broken? http://t.co/Mcb3vd0OdE
— Michael C Moynihan (@mcmoynihan) June 29, 2013

And Louise Mensch calls out Madsen:

Guardian and Observer Weakend - run front page NSA story based on word of conspiracy theorist crackpot (Obama's gay, Israel caused 911)
— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) June 29, 2013

And checking the Guardian's homepage, here's the headline at the link for the article, "Taken down: deals to hand over private data to America."

The piece is still available, however, at Democratic Underground (with a Che Guevara avatar adding a nice touch there), "GUARDIAN: Revealed: secret European deals to hand over private data to America":

At least six European Union countries in addition to Britain have been colluding with the US over the mass harvesting of personal communications data, according to a former contractor to America's National Security Agency, who said the public should not be "kept in the dark".

Wayne Madsen, a former US navy lieutenant who first worked for the NSA in 1985 and over the next 12 years held several sensitive positions within the agency, names Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain and Italy as having secret deals with the US.

Madsen said the countries had "formal second and third party status" under signal intelligence (Sigint) agreements that compels them to hand over data, including mobile phone and internet information to the NSA if requested.

Under international intelligence agreements, confirmed by declassified documents, nations are categorised by the US according to their trust level. The US is first party while the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand enjoy second party relationships. Germany and France have third party relationships.

And it's clear the Guardian's editors knew of Madsen's reputation as a conspiracy theorist, as the article makes mention of their source's controversial background:

In an interview published last night on the PrivacySurgeon.org blog, Madsen, who has been attacked for holding controversial views on espionage issues, said he had decided to speak out after becoming concerned about the "half story" told by EU politicians regarding the extent of the NSA's activities in Europe.

He said that under the agreements, which were drawn up after the second world war, the "NSA gets the lion's share" of the Sigint "take". In return, the third parties to the NSA agreements received "highly sanitised intelligence".

Madsen said he was alarmed at the "sanctimonious outcry" of political leaders who were "feigning shock" about the spying operations while staying silent about their own arrangements with the US, and was particularly concerned that senior German politicians had accused the UK of spying when their country had a similar third party deal with the NSA.

Although the level of co-operation provided by other European countries to the NSA is not on the same scale as that provided by the UK, the allegations are potentially embarrassing.

"I can't understand how Angela Merkel can keep a straight face, demanding assurances from Obama and the UK while Germany has entered into those exact relationships," Madsen said.

Read the whole thing at Southport - UK Front Pages.

And it turns out this Madsen dude's a regular on 9/11 truth central's Prison Planet with Alex Jones.

And according this pro-Israel website, the dude's a raving anti-Semite, "Wayne Madsen Promotes Classic Anti-Semitism on Iran’s PressTV," and "So Typical of Wayne Madsen’s Paranoia, Da Joos “Control” Obama and Romney." (Follow the links at those entries.)

I'll update with developments, but it's pretty telling that the far-left Guardian went ahead with a front-page story, with the hard copy print runs already rolling, while sourcing a hardcore 9/11 truther and Jew-hating conspiracy theorist. Well, come to think of it, that's not too different from Glenn Greenwald's ideological program, so there you go.

PREVIOUSLY: "Glenn Greenwald Speaks on NSA Surveillance at Socialism 2013 Conference."

Glenn Greenwald Speaks on NSA Surveillance at Socialism 2013 Conference

I think it's pretty telling that these people (Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill who introduces him) are addressing a conference of Marxists, who are by definition anti-American. Greenwald goes on about how the main responsibility of journalism is to piss off those in power. I'm amazed at how radical leftists reject the idea that there is nothing that government might keep secret in the name of carrying out national security programs. Certainly more honesty and transparency in government is needed, especially under this administration, which has done nothing but lie about what it's doing, but the left's cries of tyranny would be much more credible if they were joined by widespread protests against the Democrats and calls for impeachment of President Obama. Progressives pushed for impeachment of President George W. Bush, to say nothing of multiple calls for war crimes trials for the entire membership of the hated Bush-Cheney cabal. One those who called for that very thing, who now talks a tough game on civil liberties while refusing to walk the walk, is the idiot Kevin Gosztola at Firedoglake.

He's got an entry on this up this afternoon, "Glenn Greenwald’s Speech to the Socialism Conference [with Transcript]." (Via Memeorandum.)

Rosie Jones and India Reynolds Celebrate Wimbledon

At Egotastic!, "Rosie Jones and India Reynolds Play Tennis for Nuts."

Ground and Pound: #TrayvonMartin Was Waling on George Zimmerman MMA Style

Here's the comment from Patriot Lemonade on Twitter:

Witness puts #Trayvon on top of Zimmerman throwing MMA style Ground and Pound punches with #Zimmerman screaming for help. #ZimmermanTrial

And at Legal Insurrection, "ZIMMERMAN TRIAL BLOCKBUSTER — TRANSCRIPT — Eyewitness Good: Black guy in black hoodie on top punching down Mixed Martial Arts style":

The State seems to have suffered the most destructive of its own witnesses to date in calling Jonathan Good to the stand.Good was composed, coherent, and direct through his extensive testimony, the entirety of which was entirely consistent with the defense’s theory of lawful self-defense.

More at Legal Insurrection.

RELATED: "Tommy Christopher: ‘Cracker’ is a compliment, you guys!"

PREVIOUSLY: "#TrayvonMartin Supporters Keepin' it Classy on Twitter."

California Heat Wave

Record hot weather today. We just got back from having lunch at Subway with my wife down in Aliso Viejo. We're glad to get back home in the air conditioning. Man. I've got the Angels at Houston on and will be blogging throughout the evening.

See the Los Angeles Times, "Heat wave: It's 116 and rising in Palm Springs, Death Valley."

And a slideshow, "Heat wave in the Southland."

Hate-Fueled Psycho Alec Baldwin Gets a Pass From GLADD

This something else, at TMZ "GLAAD — Alec Baldwin Gets a Pass ... 'Cause We're Starf**kers."

And from Darleen Click, "It was never about “homophobia” or “sexism” or “racism” …":

It is about Leftism, and once a good member of the cult, you can do anything …

Also at BuzzFeed, "9 Ridiculous Quotes From Alec Baldwin’s "Apology" Interview."

And at GLADD, "ALEC BALDWIN SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF THE GAY COMMUNITY."

Screw em' both --- Baldwin and GLADD. It's not about rights. It's about power and the destruction of decency and morality. Screw 'em --- the bungee bunghole jumpers.

'Go to the barricades for religious liberty...

From Kathryn Jean Lopez, at National Review:

That’s the headline on a piece today in the N.Y. Daily News from Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

He writes:

Religious freedom is a good in its own right, and it also fosters the common good. It enables people of faith to contribute to their communities. We see faith in action in schools, clinics and humanitarian assistance projects throughout the world. Faith inspires people to serve their neighbors, enriching the public life we all share.

Faith communities are also vital participants in public debates and often help hold governments accountable to their people. From neighborhood parish schools to faith-based soup kitchens and immigrant resource centers, religious ministries are essential to the social fabric.

And religious freedom reinforces other freedoms — of conscience, of the press and of assembly, to name just a few.

You’d think that governments would encourage religious liberty as a way to help their societies advance. But as Pope Francis has said, “In the world today, freedom of religion is more often talked about rather than put into practice.” Instead, many restrict religion and feed societal animosities toward religious minorities in the name of “good order” and control.

The result is too often violence and social conflict.

No doubt.

PREVIOUSLY: "Mofo @Dat_Nigga_Reppy Be Down Wit Some Anti-Christian Hatin'!" And, "Faith, Any Faith, Has Now Officially Become Hate Speech."

Mofo @Dat_Nigga_Reppy Be Down Wit Some Anti-Christian Hatin'!

Hey, ain't nevah no surprises wit dat hate-addled mofo Walter James Casper III --- a.k.a. @Dat_Nigga_Reppy, since he be down with somma mofo @Dat_Nigga_Vonni hatin' on Twittah.

Seriously, @Dat_Nigga_Reppy done be tweetin' him some Erik "Lumberjack" Loomis anti-Christian hate:

On Our Knees for America - Lawyers, Guns & Money : http://t.co/uqQzOy78RH
— J. Casper (@repsac3) June 28, 2013

I done already be blogging on dat mf, "Faith, Any Faith, Has Now Officially Become Hate Speech." And @Dat_Niggy_Reppy already done tweeted him some anti-Christian hate from vile mf POS John Aravosis:

Most unfortunate logo and slogan in the history of American politics http://t.co/9kFgSStb3z
— J. Casper (@repsac3) June 28, 2013

These mofos be lying, especially epic liar @Dat_Nigga_Reppy. I been calling out dat fool for his mf harassment for long time, yo. Ima get me some cops comin' down on that bitch for his serial harassment, cracka fool!

Mf @Dat_Nigga_Reppy just be like @Dat_Nigga_Vonni on #TrayonMartin on Twittah:

Its a #Free world #Fuck all u #CreepAssCrackers  #RIPTRAYVON
— Vonni Versace (@Dat_Nigga_Vonni) June 27, 2013

I got these #Crackers goin crazy on my #TL bout that #zimmerman shit
— Vonni Versace (@Dat_Nigga_Vonni) June 28, 2013

@CreepyKyle13 kill all u Zimmerman supporting mfs!!!
— Vonni Versace (@Dat_Nigga_Vonni) June 29, 2013

See dat, mofo! Next up, we likely be seein' @Dat_Nigga_Reppy gonna be down with poppin' some Christians, no doubt yo! More here, cracka!, "#TrayvonMartin Supporters Keepin' it Classy on Twitter."

BONUS: "Bwahaha!! Poor Widdle Wepsac3 Whines Hilariously: 'I'm the Victim! It's Me, I'm the Victim!'"

Bwahaha! I be laughin' at dat bitch!

A Thriving American Legacy in Iraq

Leftist anti-American Bush-haters will never credit American democracy promotion in Iraq, but as time goes by the evidence is coming in on the epic power of the freedom agenda.

From Fouad Ajami, at WSJ, "A Thriving American Legacy in Iraq."

And from J.J. Gould, at the Atlantic, "10 Years After the Fall of Saddam, How Do Iraqis Look Back on the War?":

... for those of us who lived under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein and understand what tyranny means, ... the difficulties of today, the pains of today, and the disappointments of today -- and they are very profound, because Iraqis deserve better -- these pale in comparison to what we had to endure. ... Then, people had the certainty of the knock on the door late at night, and could possibly end up in a mass grave. Two weeks ago, in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, a new mass grave in which there were some five-six people who were shot. Their families never heard from them since 1988. They were found and they could only be identified by the pajamas they were wearing as they were taken from home. These are the type of stories that my people, my community, had to endure.

VIA Instapundit.

Markets Brace for Post-Fed World

At WSJ, "Despite Best Yearly Start Since 1999, Investors Spooked by Central Bank's Signals See Turbulence Ahead":

The U.S. stock market had its best start to a year since 1999, but by Friday—the halfway mark of 2013—investors had ditched their party hats and braced for the Federal Reserve to cut back on policies that helped send stocks soaring this year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the first six months of the year up 14%, but all the gains came in the first five months. The Dow fell 1.4% in June, including a 114.89 point, or 0.76%, drop on Friday to 14909.60.

The impact on financial markets from an anticipated shift in Fed policy in the second half of the year is now a matter of intense debate. In the past week, senior Fed officials have sought to reassure markets the central bank would withdraw its assistance gradually and only if the U.S. economy appeared strong enough.

But some investors said they were bracing for more tumult in the months ahead, as markets face a new, uncertain world.

"We think it is going to be a bumpy summer, a volatile summer," said Rebecca Patterson, chief investment officer at Bessemer Trust, which manages about $60 billion in New York. Ms. Patterson added that she was optimistic U.S. stocks would pull through with gains.

In June, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke confirmed the central bank's intentions to start trimming aid this year. But he said any changes would depend on continued economic strength and be limited to gradual reductions in monthly bond-buying. Increases in the Fed's target short-term interest rates, he said, would require a return to 6.5% unemployment.

The stock market has since swung down and then up as investors tried to predict the fallout. Bond prices took an even bigger hit and yields, which rise as bond prices fall, surged.

Most Fed officials said the markets overreacted to Mr. Bernanke's news conference, but one said market volatility was a normal reaction to the prospect of a pullback by the Fed.

nvestors have become dependent on the Fed's unprecedented injections of cash into markets, including the current $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program. There is no historic experience to help predict how the unwinding of such an elaborate support system will unfold, creating uncertainty.

Jim Dunigan, chief investment officer at PNC Wealth Management, which oversees about $116 billion, compares a gradual withdrawal to movie hero Indiana Jones trying to grab a diamond from the stones of an ancient tomb without bringing the whole edifice crashing down.

"How do you withdraw the support, which has been massive?" Mr. Dunigan said. "It is hard to do. Throttling back is going to be a little tricky."

That was revealed this month, when the mere mention of a Fed pullback roiled markets across the globe. Gold ended its worst quarter since the start of modern gold trading in 1974; Brazilian stocks were down 16% and the Australian dollar tumbled more than 12%.

The U.S. bond market, which is the direct recipient of the Fed's monthly purchases, has been especially hard hit.

Faith, Any Faith, Has Now Officially Become Hate Speech

At All The Right Snark, "Finally! SCOTUS Gives the Left a Group They Can H8!!!"

Ah, yes. In the name of equality Liberalism can finally, openly, and with judicial fiat hate Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus. And they don’t have to feel guilty at all!!

What a coup!

And supporters of homosexual “marriage” took to the Twitters to share their SCOTUS-approved H8:

“Take that bitches!!!” was the tolerant Left’s response.

In an effort to be able to “live their lives and love their loves” freely, they now have the door kicked wide open to hate those folks who disagree with them and hate them with impunity!!!

Ain’t life grand?!

You see, there’s equality, then there’s equality.

And a First Amendment protection to practice your religion isn’t something that you can do with equal freedom as say two men who want to get married in your church.

Faith, any faith, has now officially become hate speech.

More at the link (via iOWNTHEWORLD).

BONUS: Some mondo sized stupidity and Christian hatred, from Erik "Lumberjack" Loomis, "On Our Knees for America." Because descending to bended knee in prayer is really all about cone jobs for your bestest bungee bunghole jumping homies. WINNING!

Labor's Kevin Rudd Returns as Prime Minister of Australia

Julia Gillard to sacked. See the Guardian UK, "Julia Gillard ousted as Australia prime minister":

Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, has been sacked by her party just months before the next election and replaced by the man she ousted three years ago.

After an unprecedented day of political bloodletting in Canberra, Kevin Rudd beat Gillard in a ballot of MPs by a margin of 57 to 45 to become Labor party leader. It is only the second time a sitting Australian prime minister has been removed from their first term in office by their party; Rudd was the first.

Delivering his victory speech, Rudd dedicated himself to winning the election in September. "In 2007 the Australian people elected me to be their prime minister. That is a task that I resume today with humility, with honour and with an important sense of energy and purpose."

He also paid tribute to Julia Gillard. "She is a woman of extraordinary intelligence, great strength, great energy. All of you across the nation would recognise those formidable attributes," he said. "Julia has achieved much under the difficult circumstances of minority government, helped by a dedicated set of ministers."

"She has been a remarkable reformer and I acknowledge those contributions this evening," he said.

Rudd said he had taken on the challenge of the leadership because he could not "stand idly by and allow a (conservative) Abbott government come to power in this country by default".

There's background on Gillard's sacking at the link, although I like this:

Conservative opposition leader, Tony Abbott, whose party is well ahead in the polls, criticised the revolving door of Labor leadership, saying Australians deserved better.
"She has been a remarkable reformer and I acknowledge those contributions this evening," he said.
"In 2007 you voted for Kevin and got Julia," he said. "In 2010 you voted for Julia and got Kevin. If you vote for the Labor party in 2013 who knows who you will end up with."

Next Battlegrounds in Homosexual Marriage

Hey, the Sodomites are just now getting started.

At the New York Times, "Both Sides on Same-Sex Marriage Issue Focus on the Next State Battlegrounds":

With the expected addition of Californians after Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling, some 30 percent of Americans will live in states offering same-sex marriage.

Now the two sides of the marriage wars are gearing up to resume the costly state-by-state battles that could, in the hopes of each, spread marriage equality to several more states in the next few years, or reveal a brick wall of values that cannot be breached. There is wide agreement from both sides on where the next battlefields will be.

Proponents of same-sex marriage were already energized by victories in six states over the last year, bringing the total number authorizing such unions to 12 states, before California, and the District of Columbia. They are hoping for legislative victories this fall or next spring in Illinois and possibly New Jersey and Hawaii.

Twenty-nine states — not including California —have constitutional amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Some advocates expect that in the November 2014 elections, Oregon and perhaps Nevada or Ohio could become the first states to undo their amendments. At the same time, a court case in New Mexico could extend marriage rights.

These strategists agree they are unlikely to win over more conservative states in the South and the West in the foreseeable future. But, looking at the historical experience with issues like bans on interracial marriage, which the Supreme Court outlawed only in 1967, they feel confident that if equality spreads to more states and public attitudes continue shifting, a future Supreme Court will find that marriage is a right for gay men and lesbians as well as heterosexuals.

“Building a critical mass of states and a critical mass of public support — that’s how social movements succeed,” said Evan Wolfson, the founder of Freedom to Marry. “We’ll pursue this strategy until we finish the job,” he said, “and I think it will be a matter of years, not decades.”

The opponents of same-sex marriage, while unhappy that the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the Defense of Marriage Act and opened the door to gay marriage in California, are taking heart that the court did not declare same-sex marriage a constitutional right.

After a recent succession of stinging defeats in Delaware, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Washington State — after political campaigns in which they were heavily outspent — the groups have also vowed to step up fund-raising for advertising and mobilizing supporters.

“These court decisions could be a real boon to our fund-raising,” said Frank Schubert, a conservative political consultant and vice president of the National Organization for Marriage. “People tend to react when the wolf is at the door.”

Well, not just wolves, but jackals, serpents and general pestilence.

The New Yorker's already ramming homosexuality down our children's throats, to say nothing of other bodily parts, "Bert and Ernie's 'Moment of Joy' — The New Yorker's #DOMA Cover."

Winnie Mandela Daughter Attacks 'Racist' Media 'Vultures'

These folks are keeping it classy.

See, "Video of Mandela’s Daughter Calling Reporters ‘Vultures’."