Michele Fiore Speaks to Crowd Outside Federal Courthouse in Portland on February 12, 2016 (VIDEO)

Following-up from the other day, "Michele Fiore, Unlikely Mediator in #Malheur Militia Standoff in Oregon."

Via the Portland Oregonian:



Also, "Michele Fiore takes questions after courthouse speech."

Still more, "'In my opinion Mr. Finicum was murdered,' says Nevada Assemblyman John Moore."

Why Are Men So Easily Turned On Sexually by a Woman's Legs (VIDEO)

Here's Dennis Prager, who goes almost a full 5 minutes talking about the sexual power of the visual without mention the male hormone, testosterone, heh.

That's the key ingredient creating very different sexual stimuli between men and women.

At Prager University:

Review of the 58th Annual Grammy Awards

Interesting.

At the New York Times, "At the Grammys, Big Voices, Pretty Faces and Bitter Truths":

It was a big night for Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar at the Grammys https://t.co/QTHHywynkU pic.twitter.com/HqBxBIOLHM

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 16, 2016

Taylor Swift's speech "will go down as one of the essential kiss-off moments in Grammy history" https://t.co/mfKJE0NwBd

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 16, 2016

The Grammys is an awards show that has all but eliminated giving awards https://t.co/ZINqd3wGi4

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 16, 2016

The show was also atoning for the 2014 snub of Kendrick Lamar, who lost best rap album to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the time. Mr. Lamar’s 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly” swept this year’s hip-hop categories, and he gave the show’s central performance — although “To Pimp a Butterfly” lost to Taylor Swift’s “1989” as album of the year. (Ms. Swift and Mr. Lamar also shared a Grammy this year for the video of her single that features him, “Bad Blood.”)

Mr. Lamar’s live segment drew on “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” from “To Pimp a Butterfly,” with Mr. Lamar sidestepping their profanities; it also mentioned Feb. 26, 2012, the date Trayvon Martin was killed. The performance was a vehement, multilevel blast against “modern day slavery” that’s bound for extensive Internet exegesis. It was staged with prisoners breaking chains and African-style drummers and dancers against a bonfire backdrop, ending with the name of Mr. Lamar’s hometown, Compton, superimposed on a silhouette of Africa.

The other flagship Grammys performance was Lady Gaga’s tribute to David Bowie. Orange-haired and seemingly changing a costume a minute, splashed with video effects, Lady Gaga raced through snippets of Mr. Bowie’s hits, mixed a vocal impression of him with her own delivery and hit her marks with dance moves that echoed some of Mr. Bowie’s. She got close to guitarist Nile Rodgers, the co-producer of “Let’s Dance,” who was prominent in the backup band...

More.

Transgender Rights Protesters in Olympia, Washington (VIDEO)

Via Ruptly:

Protesters supporting the Washington State Human Rights Commission's SB 6443 decision that allows the use of restrooms and locker rooms regardless of gender identity were confronted by a counter demonstration opposing the rule in Olympia, Monday. Both protests were held in front of the State Capitol building in the Washington State capital.

PREVIOUSLY: "Poway School Parents Want Unisex Restroom for Transgender Teenager."

Teenager Dies While Trying to Escape from Robbery (VIDEO)

What a shame.

At ABC News 10 San Diego:

The teen crashed and hit his head on trolley tracks.

Millennials Unsettle Presidential Race

Seen on Twitter, "Millennial Wave Unsettles Presidential Race."

WSJ's tightened its paywall, and lately I haven't been able to click through on Google. And that means I might have to pay to read their stuff, heh.

In any case, you can get the gist of things with a couple of tweets.

Millennial Wave Unsettles Presidential Race - WSJ https://t.co/VqIzvRA65e pic.twitter.com/eRoALfXbeM

— Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) February 16, 2016

About half of millennials—31% of eligible voters—don’t identify with either party. https://t.co/Wt9D7rbyI8 pic.twitter.com/p56lTUc63q

— Gerard Baker (@gerardtbaker) February 16, 2016

Bernie Sanders Campaign Rally at Bonanza High School, Las Vegas, Nevada (VIDEO)

Bernie was fired up, heh.

Via KTNV News 13 Las Vegas:

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - Six days before the Nevada caucus, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke in Las Vegas Sunday.

The Democratic presidential candidate hosted a rally at Bonanza High School.

Sanders talked about a wide range of topics, including immigration reform, college tuition, minimum wage and health care.

"When mom is out working and dad is out working and the kids are out working, wages in America are too damn low," he said.


Sanders called for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

During his speech, the senator projected confidence, remembering how Hillary Clinton was once the overwhelming favorite in the race...

Bikini Model Hailey Clauson Uncovered for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 (VIDEO)

She's lovely.

Watch, "Get Uncovered With SI Swimsuit Cover Model Hailey Clauson."

Some Economists See Huge Costs in Bernie Sanders' Agenda

Following-up from last September, "Bernie Sanders' Socialist Agenda Would Expand Government to the Tune of $18 Trillion (VIDEO)."

At the New York Times, "Left-Leaning Economists Question Cost of Bernie Sanders's Plans":

WASHINGTON — With his expansive plans to increase the size and role of government, Senator Bernie Sanders has provoked a debate not only with his Democratic rival for president, Hillary Clinton, but also with liberal-leaning economists who share his goals but question his numbers and political realism.

The reviews of some of these economists, especially on Mr. Sanders’s health care plans, suggest that Mrs. Clinton could have been too conservative in their debate last week when she said that his agenda in total would increase the size of the federal government by 40 percent. That level would surpass any government expansion since the buildup in World War II.

The increase could exceed 50 percent, some experts suggest, based on an analysis by a respected health economist that Mr. Sanders’s single-payer health plan could cost twice what the senator, who represents Vermont, asserts, and on critics’ belief that his economic assumptions are overly optimistic.

His campaign strongly contests both critiques, defending its numbers and attacking prominent critics as Clinton sympathizers and industry consultants.

Mr. Sanders, on “Fox News Sunday,” reiterated his oft-stated claim that progressive critics dispute: “A family right in the middle of the economy would pay $500 more in taxes and get a reduction in their health costs of $5,000.”

But by the reckoning of the left-of-center economists, none of whom are working for Mrs. Clinton, the new spending would add $2 trillion to $3 trillion a year on average to federal spending; by comparison, total federal spending is projected to be above $4 trillion in the next president’s first year.

“The numbers don’t remotely add up,” said Austan Goolsbee, formerly chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, now at the University of Chicago...

Radical leftists, at Daily Kos and elsewhere, smeared the Wall Street Journal when it came out with its $18 trillion estimate of Sanders' policies in September, but $2 trillion over 10 years would add $20 trillion to the national debt if nothing else changes in Washington's budgeting.

I get a kick out of listening to the old Jewish "democratic" socialist, but America can't afford his agenda.

Keep reading, in any case.

Former President George W. Bush and Former First Lady Laura Bush Arrive in South Carolina (VIDEO)

Wouldn't that be a wonderful treat, meeting them?

Via AP:

Donald Trump Goes Ballistic on Ted Cruz in South Carolina (VIDEO)

Donald Trump just finished up a lengthy press conference, and it was vintage Trump.

He attacked Ted Cruz as a "basket case" and called him the "most dishonest person."

There's brief video at the link, and I'll update with longer segments later.

That once-hyped Trump-Cruz bromance has been nuked, heh.

At CNN, "Trump: Cruz is the most 'dishonest' politician, says Iowa win should be reversed":

Washington (CNN) Donald Trump continued lighting into Ted Cruz Monday, calling him the most "dishonest person I've ever met in politics" and saying the Texas senator's win in Iowa should be disqualified.

"I've been in a business where you know, it's pretty sharp. You meet sharp people, I don't mean sharp like sharp, although they're that also. But you meet people that really go to the edge," Trump told a small crowd in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. "I've never met people like politicians, they are the most dishonest people I've ever met ... I think Jeb (Bush) is just Jeb. But this guy Ted Cruz is the most dishonest person I've ever met in politics."

He then complained that Cruz effectively stole the Iowa caucuses from him by having staff tell Ben Carson supporters that the retired neurosurgeon was dropping out of the race -- which was not true.

"He apologized to Carson after the event, he should have apologized to me," Trump said. "If Iowa had any guts, the people from the Republican Party, they should disqualify him from winning Iowa. I really mean it. Because what he did was a fraud."

Trump has repeatedly called Cruz a "liar" in recent weeks, but he amped up that message Monday, with just five days left before the South Carolina primary...

More.

Bernie Sanders Supporters Outraged Over Deficit in Superdelegates

Democrat Party superdelegates were designed to stop someone like Bernie Sanders. If the voters veer too far to the left during the primaries, making the likely nominee unelectable in the general, the superdelegates are supposed to come in at the convention and right the ship, throwing their votes behind the more moderate candidate.

There were threats in 2008 that the supers were going to back Hillary Over Barack Hussein, but nothing came of it.

If the DNC pushes these absurd superdelegate counts favoring Hillary all the way to the convention, the party's going to be even more screwed than it already is.

At Politco, "Sanders supporters revolt against superdelegates":

Outraged by the delegate deficit Sanders faces even after his New Hampshire win, the senator's backers are taking action.

Bernie Sanders lost by a hair in Iowa and won by a landslide in New Hampshire. Yet Hillary Clinton has amassed an enormous 350-delegate advantage over the Vermont senator after just two states.

Outraged by that disconnect – which is fueled by Clinton’s huge advantage with Democratic superdelegates, who are not bound by voting results – Sanders supporters are fighting back.

Pro-Sanders threads on Reddit have been burning up with calls for action, with some supporters even reaching out to superdelegates (who are typically Democratic governors, members of Congress, and top state and national party leaders) to lobby them on the Vermont senator’s behalf. Progressive groups are also taking a stand: There are currently two petition campaigns designed to urge superdelegates to reflect the popular vote, rather than the sentiment of party elites.

In one of them, MoveOn.org activists are targeting undecided and committed Hillary Clinton superdelegates with a clear message: wait until all the votes are counted before throwing support behind a candidate.

The effort, which will begin this week after MoveOn.org polls its supporters to pick which superdelegates to petition first, comes amid growing criticism from Sanders supporters who complain that the game is rigged in the former secretary of state's favor.

As of Sunday, the petition had 112,107 signatures with a goal of 125,000 signatures.

Super-Ds aren't going to fly in the age of social media. The Dems are going to get creamed by the very constituencies that hate Hillary.

Big mistake. They're making a big mistake.

Deal of the Day: Teeter Inversion Table

At Amazon, Teeter EP-560 Ltd. Inversion Table with Bonus Accessories.

Also, Jawbone UP3 Activity Trackers.

And, PNY Memory Products.

BONUS: From James McPherson, The Illustrated Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.

Lincoln's Birthday

Abraham Lincoln's birthday was February 12, 1809. Today would be his holiday. George Washington's birthday was February 22, 1732. Next Monday would be his holiday, but the feds consolidated them in 1971.

Allen Guelzo's has a major biograpy of Lincoln,  Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President. Also, from David Herbert Donald, Lincoln.

And from Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years.

Chris Erskine Runs the L.A. Marathon

A very, very lighthearted column on running --- and completing --- the Los Angeles Marathon.

Erskine ran it in 6 hours flat.

At LAT:

Chris Erskine on the L.A. Marathon: there's no thrill of victory, only the agony of the feet https://t.co/sNE9NuAB64 pic.twitter.com/ld6n22Q7QU

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) February 15, 2016

Could Obama Make a Recess Appointment to Replace Scalia?

"The answer appears to be yes," argues Elizabeth Price Foley, at Instapundit.

This whole episode surrounding Scalia's death proves the country's gone bat-nutz crazy.

Still trending at Memeorandum.

Donald Trump 'Rips Open' Republican Wounds, as Rivals Say He's Declared 'War' on the Party

What a bunch of crybabies.

At the Washington Post, "Debate rips open GOP wounds, and party risks tearing itself apart":

GREENVILLE, S.C. — In an election that Republicans have long seen as a chance to put forward new stars with a fresh and broadly appealing conservative vision, the GOP is instead at risk of tearing itself apart over its past as it heads into the thick of the primary season.

A day after a debate marked by a series of personal, petty exchanges — and a day before former president George W. Bush was set to make a high-profile return to the national scene — Republicans were grappling with their core beliefs on a host of issues, as well as the image they were broadcasting to the country.

The infighting was ignited at the debate Saturday night by front-runner Donald Trump, who was unrelenting in his criticism of both how well the 43rd president kept America safe before and after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and of the hawkish Republican worldview in general.

The foreign policy fracas is only the latest row among 2016 candidates over many of the basic tenets that have guided Republican and conservative thinking since the Reagan years, from free trade to the extent to which the federal government should be involved in providing health care for its poorest citizens.

Trump reiterated threats to use tariffs on imported goods to punish corporations that leave the United States, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich defended his decision to accept an expansion of Medicaid in his state as a humane step in line with conservative goals.

The increasingly harsh discussions of these and other issues amount to an existential crisis within the Republican Party and reflect the growing influence of non-ideological, populist voters who have flocked in particular to Trump’s nationalist “Make America Great Again” message...

"Existential" is a strong word. Call me skeptical. "Rejuvenating" is more appropriate, and not a moment too soon.

Keep reading, in any case.

Chaos and Confusion Surround Death of Justice Antonin Scalia

Professor Carol Swain is not pleased --- indeed, burdened --- with the fact that no autopsy was performed on Justice Scalia. It took hours for a justice of the peace to arrive, and another report alleges that he was found with a pillow over his head.

At the Washington Post, "The death of Antonin Scalia: Chaos, confusion and conflicting reports":

MARFA, Tex. — In the cloistered chambers of the Supreme Court, Justice Antonin Scalia’s days were highly regulated and predictable. He met with clerks, wrote opinions and appeared for arguments in the august courtroom on a schedule set months in advance.

Yet as details of Scalia’s sudden death trickled in Sunday, it appeared that the hours afterward were anything but orderly. The man known for his elegant legal opinions and profound intellect was found dead in his room at a hunting resort by the resort’s owner, who grew worried when Scalia didn’t appear at breakfast Saturday morning.

It then took hours for authorities in remote West Texas to find a justice of the peace, officials said Sunday. When they did, Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara pronounced Scalia dead of natural causes without seeing the body — which is permissible under Texas law — and without ordering an autopsy.

As official Washington tried to process what his demise means for politics and the law, some details of Scalia’s final hours remained opaque. As late as Sunday afternoon, for example, there were conflicting reports about whether an autopsy should have been performed. A manager at the El Paso funeral home where Scalia’s body was taken said that his family made it clear they did not want one.

One of two other officials who were called but couldn’t get to Scalia’s body in time said that she would have made a different decision on the autopsy.

“If it had been me . . . I would want to know,” Juanita Bishop, a justice of the peace in Presidio, Tex., said in an interview Sunday of the chaotic hours after Scalia’s death at the Cibolo Creek Ranch, a luxury compound less than an hour from the Mexican border and about 40 miles south of Marfa.

Meanwhile, Guevara acknowledged that she pronounced Scalia dead by phone, without seeing his body. Instead, she spoke to law enforcement officials at the scene — who assured her “there were no signs of foul play” — and Scalia’s physician in Washington, who said that the 79-year-old justice suffered from a host of chronic conditions...

More.

Followers Flock to Hear Pope Francis Warn Against 'Dialogue with the Devil'

Shoot, I would've flocked to listen to that, heh.

At the Los Angeles Times, "More than 1 million flock to hear Pope Francis warn against 'dialogue with the devil'":

Pope Francis Sunday traveled to one of Mexico’s most dangerous and impoverished cities to tell the faithful that they must not negotiate with “the devil” and that embracing God will protect against the divided, conflictive societies that imperil the world.

He also paid recognition to Christians slain for their faith, “martyrs,” from centuries ago and from today—an allusion to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa, one of Francis’ great preoccupations.

More than a million people are believed to have attended the pope’s Mass, inside the venue and outdoors, in this scruffy suburb of the Mexican capital, braving cold temperatures in the morning to fan out over a wide area of the city, across block after block, to receive the first pope from the Americas.

“You cannot dialogue with the devil,” the pope said in his homily, departing, as he often does, from his prepared text. “He will always win.”

Instead, the pope said, people should embrace the spirit of fraternity to avoid forces that “try to separate us, making a divided and fractious family, a divided and fractious society. A society of the few for the few.”

More.

Ashley Graham Posts Her Sports Illustrated Photos to Instagram

Following-up from earlier, "Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham, and Hailey Clauson Score Unique Covers for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016," and "WATCH: Ronda Rousey, Ashley Graham, Hailey Clauson Revealed for SI Swimsuit 2016 Cover (VIDEO)."

She tweeted her Instagram post, "Truly speechless!!! This cover is for every woman who felt like she wasn't beautiful enough…"

Also, at Sports Illustrated on Twitter, "Get to know #SISwim 2016 cover model @theashleygraham!"