Violent Leftists Shut Down Ron Wyden Town Hall in Portland

All they want to do is shut things down.

Damn thugs overran the place, and that was it.

At Oregon Live, "Wyden town hall disrupted by 'hands up, don't shoot' protests."

And at Progs Today, "CHAOS ERUPTS As #Ferguson Protesters Shut Down Sen. Wyden Town Hall – Threaten to Beat Security Guard (VIDEO)."

As security tries to gain control and close the door, a big black mofo rams his foot inside as a door stop and threatens, "I'll Break Your Jaw Old Man!"

Well, so much for MLK-style civil disobedience. These people are violent anarcho-communists!

New Year's Sunday Rule 5

Let's get it started for 2015!

To the blogfather of Rule 5, the Other McCain, "Rule 5 Sunday: Bowls, Boobs and Other Entertainments."

Now, at Gator Doug's, "THE DALEYBABE's HOT JANIS TRUE."

A View From the Beach, "Rule 5 Saturday - Alana de la Garza - The Forever Girl."

Over at Pirate's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup," and "If All You See……is a horrible fossil fueled mower causing so much heat that it snows, you might just be a Warmist."

Here's 90 Miles from Tyranny, "Morning Mistress."

At Maggie's Farm, "Saturday morning links."

Also at Knuckledragging, "Your Good Morning Girl," and "Plastic jugs is right…"

Goodstuff's has "Donna Douglas."

And Dana Pico has, "Rule 5 Blogging: Italians."

At the Hostages, "Big Boob Friday."

More at Ode's, "IT'S HETEROSEXUAL PRIDE DAY ~OR~ Rule 5 Woodsterman Style."

A Nod To The Gods, "Sunday Random."

Also, at Drunke Stepfather, "MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ IN A WHITE BIKINI OF THE DAY."

At Egotastic!, "Anais Zanotti’s High Flying Boobage and Other Fine Things to Ogle," and "Sextastic Social Media Candids 2014: Emily Ratajkowski, Kate Upton, Selena Gomez and Much More."

The Last Tradition has "Camila Vernaglia."

Political Clown Parade has, "Dallas Cowboys Vs The NFL’s Dirtiest Player."

At Ms. EBL's, "Did someone mention Catwoman?"

At Proof Positive, "...the Obligatory NFL Cheerleaders."

More at Soylent, "Your Morning Coffee Creamer."

Don't miss Average Bubba, "Rule 5 Post: Redhead Edition…"

From Diogenes' Middle Finger, "Happy New Year from DMF."

At THAT MR. G GUY'S BLOG, "Cultural Marxism Goes Viral."

More from Rio Norte Line, "12 Things You Should Know About Contemporary Progressivism."

Finally, Crazy Uncle Bubba has, "Saturday Short Shorts!"

Drop your links in the comments if I've missed your Rule 5.

Until then...

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."



Also at Randy's Rountable, "Friday Nite Funnies," and Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's Sunday Funnies."

More at Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – The End Is Near," and Theo Spark's, "Cartoon Round Up..."

Cartoon Credit: William Warren. Perfect accompaniment to my previous post, "Obama's the Nation's 'Hack' Golfer-in-Chief."

Obama's the Nation's 'Hack' Golfer-in-Chief

For as often as he plays, President Obama's criticized for not being very good.

Interestingly, the media is usually banned from taking photos of his game, and the White House does not release the president's scores, unlike Bill Clinton, who would tout his high games when he was in office.

All of this, amazingly, at the Obama-enabling New York Times. More and more, they're lowering the bar for the remainder of his term.

See, "Obama Is the Nation’s Private Golfer in Chief."

NYPD Officers Turn Their Backs on Mayor de Blasio at Wenjian Liu Funeral (VIDEO)

Well, cops saluted de Blasio at last night's wake, but not today.

Once again, they gave the Marxist mayor the cold shoulder.

At the New York Post, "Cops again turn their backs on de Blasio at NYPD officer’s funeral."

Also at Gateway Pundit, "BREAKING: POLICE OFFICERS Turn Their Backs on Mayor De Blasio AGAIN – Wenjian Liu Funeral (Video)."

Newt Gingrich Slams Obama's 'Tragic Failure of Leadership' on Race Relations (VIDEO)

Obama and Holder have made race relations worse. QED.

On Face the Nation:

The Economics (and Nostalgia) of Dead Malls

This piece, at the New York Times, reminded me of the Mall of Orange, the mall that we frequented when I was a little kid. (It's now called the Village at Orange and is thriving.)

From the Times:

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Inside the gleaming mall here on the Sunday before Christmas, just one thing was missing: shoppers.

The upbeat music of “Jingle Bell Rock” bounced off the tiles, and the smell of teriyaki chicken drifted from the food court, but only a handful of stores were open at the sprawling enclosed shopping center. A few visitors walked down the long hallways and peered through locked metal gates into vacant spaces once home to retailers like H&M, Wet Seal and Kay Jewelers.

“It’s depressing,” Jill Kalata, 46, said as she tried on a few of the last sneakers for sale at the Athlete’s Foot, scheduled to close in a few weeks. “This place used to be packed. And Christmas, the lines were out the door. Now I’m surprised anything is still open.”

The Owings Mills Mall is poised to join a growing number of what real estate professionals, architects, urban planners and Internet enthusiasts term “dead malls.” Since 2010, more than two dozen enclosed shopping malls have been closed, and an additional 60 are on the brink, according to Green Street Advisors, which tracks the mall industry.

Premature obituaries for the shopping mall have been appearing since the late 1990s, but the reality today is more nuanced, reflecting broader trends remaking the American economy. With income inequality continuing to widen, high-end malls are thriving, even as stolid retail chains like Sears, Kmart and J. C. Penney falter, taking the middle- and working-class malls they anchored with them.

“It is very much a haves and have-nots situation,” said D. J. Busch, a senior analyst at Green Street. Affluent Americans “will keep going to Short Hills Mall in New Jersey or other properties aimed at the top 5 or 10 percent of consumers. But there’s been very little income growth in the belly of the economy.”

At Owings Mills, J. C. Penney and Macy’s are hanging on, but other midtier emporiums like Sears, Lord & Taylor, and the regional department store chain Boscov’s have all come and gone as anchors.

Having opened in 1986 with a renovation in 1998, Owings Mills is young for a dying mall. And while its locale may have contributed to its demise, other forces played a crucial role, too, like changing shopping habits and demographics, experts say.

“I have no doubt some malls will survive, but major segments of our society have gotten sick of them,” said Mark Hinshaw, a Seattle architect, urban planner and author.

One factor many shoppers blame for the decline of malls — online shopping — is having only a small effect, experts say. Less than 10 percent of retail sales take place online, and those sales tend to hit big-box stores harder, rather than the fashion chains and other specialty retailers in enclosed malls.

Instead, the fundamental problem for malls is a glut of stores in many parts of the country, the result of a long boom in building retail space of all kinds.

“We are extremely over-retailed,” said Christopher Zahas, a real estate economist and urban planner in Portland, Ore. “Filling a million square feet is a tall order.”...

Pretty fascinating.

Keep reading.

'I am an American Jew. I love the United States. I love everything it stands for...'

This is an amazing essay, from Miriam Herschlag, at the Times of Israel, "Why I have not (yet?) made aliyah":

America is the beacon of freedom and democracy to all humanity. It is the earth’s great hope. It is no coincidence that America is Israel’s foremost friend and protector. America stands up for righteous and struggling democracies throughout the world. It is the noble guardian of truth and the gallant defender of human rights. It follows that America would see in Israel a kindred spirit, a righteous nation wrestling to be free and protecting the dignity of all.

My attachment to America runs deep. When I sing the Star-spangled banner I focus on the words as if it were a prayer. “Land of the free and the home of the brave.” I love every inch of this great land and have taken my children in an RV to see most of it.

But love of America alone would not explain why I do not live in Israel...

RTWT.

Gas Prices Have a Way to Go to Be Historically Cheap

At the Wall Street Journal, "Why Gas Feels Cheap—and Why It’s Not, Historically Speaking: Recent Price Plunge Looks Good After Years of High Costs, but Fill-Ups Were Less Expensive From 1986-2003."

When my wife and I bought our Honda Odyssey van, in December 2001, gas was $1.19 a gallon. So yeah, prices have a way to go before they're that cheap. But historically speaking, the current low prices are pretty mind-boggling.

Thousands Pay Respects to Fallen NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu (VIDEO)

And police officers saluted Mayor de Blasio, rather than turn their backs to him. I think Commissioner Bratton's moral authority is having an influence on morale.

At CBS News New York:

Victoria's Secret Slow and Sultry

Via Theo Spark, "Victoria’s Secret Swim 2015: Slow. Sultry. Swim."

Needs less Candice and more Lily, but otherwise smokin'.

'Night Changes'

I watched this, "One Direction Performing on New Years Rockin Eve 2015 TIMES SQUARE."

And I liked "Night Changes."

'The idea of the Palestinian Authority taking Israel to court over war crimes is among the most grotesque and absurd developments imaginable, a moral inversion of staggering dimensions...'

From Peter Wehner, at Commentary, "The PA, the ICC, and a Moral Inversion of Staggering Dimensions":

The fact that this issue is even being considered points to how corrupt many international organizations are. (Why on earth should we have to debate why a malevolent organization doesn’t have the standing to condemn a nation characterized by excellence and extraordinary moral achievements?) In addition, the U.S. should certainly cut funding to the Palestinian Authority, to whom it currently provides more than $400 million in annual aid.

But beyond all that, this latest move by the PA is an example of the persistent unwillingness to address the pathologies that grip Palestinian society. These pathologies are the core reason for the tensions and conflict with Israel–and rather than dealing with them, the leadership of the Palestinians is, if anything, falling even deeper into denial. The more they fail, the more they blame Israel for their failures. This is an assault on reality, a slander of Israel, and a massive disservice to Palestinians. It would be helpful if more nations, starting with the United States, said so.

The Pull of Community at La Conchita

We lived in Santa Barbara in 1995 when La Conchita suffered its first devastating mudslide. Days of torrential rains triggered it. We used to drive by down the 101. It was like a demolition zone. And then 10 years later it happened again, with a terrible loss of life. But people still want to live there, despite the dangers of another slide.

At LAT, "10 years after fatal mudslide, tiny La Conchita accepts the risks":

A child's dollhouse jammed against a chain-link fence marked "No Trespassing" sits in the shadow of a mangled brick home covered in clotted dirt.

Two faded white crosses lie toppled on a mound of soil taller than a man; nearby, upended planters where someone's flowers once grew sprout weeds. A hand-painted sign dangling in the ocean breeze reads, "Do Stuff That Makes Buddha Happy."

The events of Jan. 10, 2005, when 400,000 tons of mud slid down the bluff behind La Conchita, killing seven adults and three children, are frozen in the eerie tableau — a reminder of the hidden dangers lurking beneath the surface. The tragedy came 10 years after the hill collapsed in 1995 when nine homes were lost.

Yet the possibility of the slope crashing again toward the Pacific Ocean has done little to dissuade people from putting down roots in the eclectic Ventura County beach community near the Santa Barbara County line. As the 10-year anniversary of the deadly slide approaches, the 500-foot cliff remains unfortified, and at least four ramshackle houses sit seemingly undisturbed since the last rescue crews left town.

Faded memories, relatively inexpensive real estate and a wide beach not far from the famous Rincon surf point tend to dull the perception of risk. It helps that the ranch at the top of the hill stopped irrigation leaks that residents contended caused the slope to erode.

But the town of 300 residents wedged between the hill and U.S. Highway 101 has another, less tangible draw to survivors and newcomers — community.

"Culturally, it's so similar to Mexico with how important family is," said Kelly Hill, who grew up in La Conchita and moved back last year with her husband and 9-year-old son. "It's like a little fishing village in Mexico. It's the American Mexican fishing village."...

It really is. There used to be a big tropical banana grove on the north side of the town. The place is a trip. So sorry for the tragedy.

Continue reading.

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons.

A New You in Winter Cleaning

At Amazon, Shop Amazon Home - New Year, New You - Winter Cleaning

'Non-Citizen' Designation for 'DREAMers' Driver's Licenses in Arizona (VIDEO)

Uh oh!

That's racist!

At Fox News, "Incoming Arizona lawmaker to propose 'non-citizen' designation on immigrant licenses":

A newly elected Arizona lawmaker says he's drafting legislation to add a "non-citizen" designation on driver's licenses issued to young immigrants participating in a federal program enabling them to avoid deportation.

Republican Rep.-elect Jay Lawrence said he wants to protect the integrity of the voting system.

Meanwhile, Democratic state Rep. Catherine Miranda says Lawrence's proposal spells trouble for Arizona in the wake of past controversy over a 2010 immigration-enforcement law...

More.

Brazilian Man Survives Knife Attack to Skull, Drives Three Hours (VIDEO)

Man, that's gnarly.

At CNN, "Man stabbed in head, drives three hours."

Twitter to Launch Video Service to Rival YouTube

Actually, I like Twitter the way it is. And same goes for YouTube, which means I don't need a rival.

Oh well.

At TechCrunch, "Details Unveiled for Twitter’s Native Video Player to Rival YouTube."

Claudia Romani Bikini Pics!

Here's something to take your mind off all the leftist hatred, disturbed "social justice" indoctrination, and radical left "Black Lives Matter" hypocrisy.

At Egotastic!, "Claudia Romani Bikini Pictures Take and Make the Cake in Miami."

Bill Eggler, Longtime Legislative Writer for Democrat New York Assembly Speaker, Posts 'Kill a Veteran' on Twitter

I saw someone RT this earlier, and thought, "Whoa, that is freakin' deranged."

Of course, no surprise to find out the dude's a Democrat Party insider in New York.

Via Barack Castro on Twitter. Click though for the blog post exposing this sick f-ker.

The Democrats. Once again, the party of hate.