Nationwide Protests Against Obamacare! Democrats Harrass Tea Partyers as Healthcare Monstrosity Stalls in Congress

Today was another big day for the national tea party movement.

Turnout was robust around the country, although some protesters were met with harrassment and profanity. Michelle Malkin and Glenn Reynolds have reports. Plus, at Pajamas Media TV, Amy Kremer of TeaPartyPatriots.org (see, "Nationwide Protests Target ObamaCare: The People Say No to Gov't Run Healthcare"). Also via Instapundit, "Bureaucrash at the Healthcare Freedom Tea Party Protest" (YouTube).

For the Democratic pushback, see Gateway Pundit, "McCaskill's Office Locks Doors, Pulls Blinds, Calls Cops & Forces Obamacare Protesters Off Public Property." And The Rhetorican, "The Great Tea Offensive."

I attended a protest rally at Democratic Representative Loretta Sanchez's office in Garden Grove. That's me with the House GOP's "Organizational Chart of the House Democrats' Health Plan." Megan Barth is with me in the second photo. She organized the event and created the awesome protest signs. (Essay continues below ... but notice our little right-wing extremists in the third shot down!)

Turnout was moderate for our event. We had a couple of dozen protesters lining up along Lewis Avenue in Garden Grove. Peak turnout was 30-40, with some folks coming and going.

The group first turned up at the door of Rep. Sanchez's office. As Megan reports, "Loretta's office was not too kind in letting us stand by the doors." The group took the event out to the main entrance to the office complex. After an hour or so, we were met by Mr. Chris Clark of The Abbey Company. He said protesters were illegally parked, and ordered that we move our cars. A number of members of the group left the event to find street parking (myself included). My hunch is that Sanchez's staffers called property management, who probably weren't too happy with a bunch of activists marching out in front of their facility.

But check this out from The Chicago Boyz, on Senator McCaskill's office, "Their Fear Tells Us a Lot":

Honestly, they called the cops on these people? What did they think, that a church’s ice cream social had got out early and now the participants were roaming the streets in a sugar and milk-fat induced frenzy seeking to drink the blood of leftists?

I make a point of the protesters being white because it feeds into the same perception that I touched on in the Neo-Nazi Boogyman. A lot of leftists have heaped abuse on various tea party protesters as being racist and violent based on no other criterion than that they were non-leftist whites. Clearly, these people have wildly exaggerated, hysterical fears of politically active non-leftist white people, and they lump all of these ordinary people in with the racist, left leaning, white-supremacist micro-minority.

Somehow, I don’t think that if a bus load of leftist, African-American protesters showed up that the first response of the staff members would be to close the blinds, lock the doors and call the cops. Even though I know absolutely nothing about Senator McCaskill, this little incident tells me a lot about how the people in the Senator’s office, and therefore the Senator herself, view their fellow citizens.

Okay, elsewhere: In Los Angeles County, local organizer Jonathan Wilson welcomed 70 protesters to the Pasadena event, "Pasadena Patriots Speak Out on Health Care Reform."

Plus Kenneth Davenport reports, "Breaking! Fort Collins, CO Anti-tax Protest!" (about 100 demonstrators). And 250 people turned out in Asheville, North Carolina. See, Silent Majority No More, "July 17th Nationalized Healthcare Protest."

Also, from Florida, Naples News, "Small Local Group Protests Obama's Health Care Plan." From Washington's Bellingham Herald, "Bellingham Tea Party Protests Health Care Reform." More from Houston's KHOU-TV, "Houstonians Against Health Care Overhaul Hold Tea Party Protest Downtown."

Also Atlanta's 11Alive.com reports that "The 'Tea Party Patriots', as they call themselves, staged 254 similar protests across the nation, 37 in Georgia." See, "Tea Parties Protest Health Care Bill."

I'll post updates if things develop. But don't forget: Every voice against Obamacare counts! See, the New York Times, "Democrats Grow Wary as Health Bill Advances." And the Washington Post, "Obama Urges Bolder Action to Shrink Costs: Some Democrats Protest Surtax on Richest Americans." Plus, USA Today, "Discord Grows Over Public Health Care Plan."

Also, check Memeorandum and Instapundit for updates.

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UPDATE: Instapundit links!

And, in my inbox, Gathering of Eagles, N.Y., "AAR: Hands Off Healthcare Friday":

We started the day outside Rep. Carolyn McCarthy’s office in Garden City ...

We were joined by tenants and employees from that building! Security wanted us gone, and when we didn’t immediately comply they called the police ...

Also, Ace of Spades HQ, "Hmmm: Obama Implicitly Abandons August Deadline for Health Care, Moving Goal Posts to End of Year?"

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UPDATE II: Skye at Midnight Blue has a post with lots of photos, "Philly Hosts a HealthCare TeaParty."

And, in my inbox, "Cleveland Tea Party Patriots, "Health Care Tea Party After-Action Report."

Plus, from Gila Courier and AZ 8th (A forum for the conservative point of view on Arizona politics), "Photos of Protest at Giffords Office."

Also, from the Los Angeles Examiner, "TEA Party Patriots: Update - July 17 Simultaneous Health Care Freedom Rally"; Danville News, "More Protest Health Care Reform at Tea Party"; Contra Costa Times, "Tea Party Targets Thompson's Office"; The Greenville Sun, "Davis Strongly Supports Tax-Protest 'Tea Parties' " (on former Congressman David Davis).

Plus, from The Desert Sun in Palm Springs: Tea partyers to Mary Bono: "You're fired!", "'Patriots' lead demonstration outside Bono Mack's office: Group concerned about taxes, the nation's debt and the ‘cap and trade' bill."

Don't miss, PoliGazette, "Anti-Obamacare Protesters Take the Streets, Democrats Panic."

Related: Darleen at Protein Wisdom, "ObamaCare: Pushing the Taxrate Over 50%"

Tea Party Protests Today! - UPDATED!! Vladimir Lenin Confirms Obama's Bolshevik Creds!

Okay, I'm out the door this minute to go protest Obamacare at Representative Loretta Sanchez's office in Garden Grove. I'll have a report with some roundups from around the nation later today.

Here's a local story from Georgia's, Newnan Times-Herald, "Tea Party Protests Today Over Health Care Proposals."

The Tea Party movement continues today with "health care freedom parties" being held outside the offices of senators and congressmen all over the nation.

In Coweta, plans include a mini-tea party outside the office of Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. It will be from noon to 1 p.m. at Westmoreland's district office, located in the White Oak Professional Center on Highway 34 East.

"Our focus is on nationalized health care, and expressing that we do not want a nationalized health care system," said Wendy Bloedt, local coordinator for the newly-renamed Southern Crescent Tea Party Patriots.

For legislators who have come out against the plans for "health care reform," such as Westmoreland, "it is also an opportunity for us to go out and thank them for listening and voting the way their constituents" want them to vote, Bloedt said.

Bloedt also plans to present Westmoreland's staff with a copy of the Constitution, and the pledge signed by people at the July 4 tea party event in Peachtree City. Attendees pledged they would read the Constitution in its entirety.

Another local story is at Pennsylvania's, Williamsport Sun Gazette, "Tea Party Gears Up for August."

Also, from Fox News Austin, "Tea Party Protests: Health Care Plan."

Check TeaPartyPatriots.com and TeaPartyPatriots.org, for more information. Here's a local link from my area, "Calling All Minutemen Tea Party'ers!! - Nation-Wide Protest."

Check later at Instapundit. He'll no doubt have reader-updates from tea party patriots across the country.

Photo Credit: From my coverage of the local May 1st protest, "Pasadena "May Day! May Day!" Anti-Socialism Rally"

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UPDATE: Removed original picture from the post. Anonymous, in the comments, suggested that the photo featured a misattributed quote. No problem. Notice the new picture above. Vladimir Lenin was on hand. The founder of Russian Bolshevism affirmed that indeed President Obama's governing program is becoming big enough to take away everything that you have.

Devastating! Obama vs. Obama on the Stimulus (VIDEO)

From the House Republican Conference:

Ha!

See also, the Washington Post, "Biden Fires Back At Stimulus Critics: Administration Says Act Is Working."

Also Blogging: The Jawa Report, Classical Values, American Spectator, Pundit & Pundette, Gateway Pundit, Fausta's Blog, theblogprof, Stop The ACLU, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, RedState, Commentary, Flopping Aces, Don Surber, No Sheeples Here!, Right Pundits, Doug Ross, Say Anything, Weasel Zippers and Townhall.

Critics Slam Costs of Obamacare!

From the Washington Post, "House Panel Passes Health Bill, Critics Slam Cost":

A key U.S. congressional committee on Friday approved healthcare legislation that includes a hefty tax on the rich but critics pointed to fresh warnings that President Barack Obama's health reform plan would do little to rein in skyrocketing spending.

The House Ways and Means Committee agreed to raise taxes to pay for the plan's estimated $1 trillion cost in part by higher taxes on couples making more than $350,000. Critics argue that it would harm small businesses who fall into this tax category.

The bill was approved on a 23-18 vote and must also be approved by two other House committees. It is part of a broad Obama plan to bring health insurance to many of the 46 million Americans who do not have it and trim excessive costs.

Further doubts about the high cost of Obama's effort emerged on Thursday when Congress' own independent budget analyst said reforms now being considered would do little to control rising costs. Republicans and fiscally conservative Democrats seized on this, and called for more controls on the scale and cost of the plan.

Congressional Budget Office chief Douglas Elmendorf told the committee its legislation would expand federal spending on healthcare "to a significant degree" while doing little to trim costs.

"Instead of rushing through one expensive proposal after another, we should take the time we need to get things right," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said.

More at the Wall Street Journal, "Budget Blow for Health Plan: Congress's Chief Fiscal Watchdog Warns of Overhaul's Cost; Ammunition for Critics."

Plus, from Rasmussen Reports, "50% Oppose Government Health Insurance Company." (Via Memeorandum.)

Also, Michelle Malkin, "Inside the Monstrous Obamacare Bureaucracy." And, Yid With Lid, "Provisions in OBAMACARE Will Force You Into Managed Care," and Wizbang, "More Things You Should Know About ObamaCare."

More, Sundries Shack, "So, Who Gets the Axe Under Obamacare?"

Plus, don't miss, Nice Deb, "Video: Health Care Rationing And You + Link Round-Up."

Cartoon Credit: William Warren @Americans for Limited Government.

Obama's 'Pain of Discrimination' Speech Perpetuates Left's Racial Grievance Crisis

This entry follows up on my prevous post, "Michelle Obama's Slave Roots."

It turns out that President Obama spoke yesterday at the NAACP's 100th anniversary dinner. See, ABC News, "President Obama Says Pain of Discrimination" Still Felt in America'," and the New York Times, "Obama Tells Fellow Blacks: ‘No Excuses’ for Any Failure."

Plus, Lynn Sweet has the text, "Obama's NAACP Speech." And this section is key:

What we celebrate tonight is not simply the journey the NAACP has traveled, but the journey that we, as Americans, have traveled over the past one hundred years ....

And yet, even as we celebrate the remarkable achievements of the past one hundred years; even as we inherit extraordinary progress that cannot be denied; even as we marvel at the courage and determination of so many plain folks - we know that too many barriers still remain.

We know that even as our economic crisis batters Americans of all races, African Americans are out of work more than just about anyone else - a gap that's widening here in New York City, as detailed in a report this week by Comptroller Bill Thompson.

We know that even as spiraling health care costs crush families of all races, African Americans are more likely to suffer from a host of diseases but less likely to own health insurance than just about anyone else.

We know that even as we imprison more people of all races than any nation in the world, an African-American child is roughly five times as likely as a white child to see the inside of a jail.

And we know that even as the scourge of HIV/AIDS devastates nations abroad, particularly in Africa, it is devastating the African-American community here at home with disproportionate force.

These are some of the barriers of our time. They're very different from the barriers faced by earlier generations. They're very different from the ones faced when fire hoses and dogs were being turned on young marchers; when Charles Hamilton Houston and a group of young Howard lawyers were dismantling segregation.

But what is required to overcome today's barriers is the same as was needed then. The same commitment. The same sense of urgency. The same sense of sacrifice. The same willingness to do our part for ourselves and one another that has always defined America at its best.

The question, then, is where do we direct our efforts? What steps do we take to overcome these barriers? How do we move forward in the next one hundred years?

The first thing we need to do is make real the words of your charter and eradicate prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination among citizens of the United States. I understand there may be a temptation among some to think that discrimination is no longer a problem in 2009. And I believe that overall, there's probably never been less discrimination in America than there is today.

But make no mistake: the pain of discrimination is still felt in America. By African-American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and gender. By Latinos made to feel unwelcome in their own country. By Muslim Americans viewed with suspicion for simply kneeling down to pray. By our gay brothers and sisters, still taunted, still attacked, still denied their rights.

On the 45th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, discrimination must not stand. Not on account of color or gender; how you worship or who you love. Prejudice has no place in the United States of America.

Barack Obama is the President of the United States. And that's what makes his NAACP address so lousy. Any significant black leader today is going to have to make that speech. He or she is going have to reach back to all the accomplishments dating to the early 20th century, when a black man could be lynched - in the north or the south - for looking at a white women.

Sure, Obama's right to speak truth to the history. But it's so old. And not only that: It's so, well, lame. It's been 45 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If a black person can't make it in America today, they aren't going make it. What barriers are keeping folks down? What impediments? It's not all those "indicators" touted by the President. The rate of imprisonment; the proportion of HIV/AIDS; the number of those uninsured ... You get the picture. The President's talking statistics, not causation. But that's his play - lay it on thick with the black folks, but then go easy on whites with shameless racial bargaining. Can't alienate the largest chunk of the voting electorate. Hit the right notes, and you'll soothe white guilt without inflaming recriminations on the other side.

Obama's skilled at the talk. He's done the community action thing and he worked as a racial grievance law professor who taught post-structural theories of critical race analysis. If you've read that stuff it's all institutions and no personal responsibility. Obama's old pal, education professor William Ayers, has a recent book titled Race Course Against White Supremacy. That's the standard pedagogy among the left's "Teachers College" elite. That's the indoctrination. There are points to be scored by victimology, and there's an industry to keep alive by constantly attacking whites as bigots.

But the President's going too easy on his brothers and sisters, frankly. Obama would have done himself a favor by reprising Bill Cosby's address to the NAACP in 2004, on the 50th anniversary of the Brown decision. Sure, he paid due deference to some of Cosby's themes, but the President's inauthentic on personal responsibility. He's too caught up in the "blood of martyrs" frame of the Jackson/Sharpton race hustlers. You can't break out of poverty and social isolation when the top black representatives are trying to keep you down on the plantation. Jim Crow is long gone, and we only see him when the media conjures up some "right-wing extremist" who's really a Democrat in the news. James von Brunn was a registered Democrat from Maryland. John Duesler, the Philly swim club manager, is a Democrat and Barack Obama blood-donor activist (O-Positive!). Just yesterday, we saw Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer upbraided by Harry Alford of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. By rattling off some NAACP resolution and an endorsement for "cap and tax" from 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Senator Boxer sought to bring Alford down low as just one more po' negro. "What's 'a matter wit' you, boy ... I got me some fren's who say we be stylin' wid' de climate-hoax taxpayer ripoff! Get with the program, mofo!"

In his speech yesterday, President Obama spoke of the family of Emmett Till: "If Emmet Till's uncle Mose Wright could summon the courage to testify against the men who killed his nephew, I know we can be better fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters in our own families." Gee, that's great Mr. President. Hark back for more blood of martyrs, will you? But hey, if someone wants to use Emmett Till for an example, they'd be better off asking: Why are four blacks in Chicago charged with desecrating Emmett Till's grave? And man, who are you going to blame?!! The President should have layed down some names in shame. C'mon, four black grave robbers alleged to have exhumed hundreds of bodies for cash at a historic black cemetery? I seriously doubt that's the kind of "race-lifting" W.E.B DuBois had in mind!

But as long as blacks today live for the past, longingly comforted in knowing that, yes, they were once horribly mistreated as subhumans, then they'll never fully have to take responsibility for lifting themselves up.

Check out Ta-Nehisi Coates for more on that. He takes issue with the New York Times headline, which quotes the President saying, "we have no excuses for failure." Well, we don't, as I've pointed out here at length. But Ta-Nehisi's perturbed:

Like I said earlier this week - so much of this isn't about Obama himself, but a deep-seated desire to get out from under history. Expiation on the cheap. White guilt isn't anyone's friend. Least of all black people's.

Au contraire, mon frère! We're getting plenty of history. Now if we could just get the culture right ... now that'd be some progress!

Video Hat Top: CBS News, "Obama: Blacks Must 'Seize Our Own Future'." The compete video is here.

CNN Won't Renew Contract for Anti-Tea Party Susan Roesgen

From Moe Lane, "Anti-Tea Party Susan Roesgen Out at CNN."

You may remember Susan Roesgen as the woman who rather notoriously played the role of Obama stimulus apologist while carrying a CNN microphone at the April 15th Chicago Tea Party ... Well, it seems that she’s become an unemployment statistic ...

Moe links to TV Newser, "Susan Roesgen Out at CNN."

I didn't post this video earlier, although it's classic. Readers might recall, but this was April 15th, and I was doing some original reporting on the tea parties. See my piece at Pajamas Media, "Suburban Warriors Rally at Orange County Tea Party."

Check the link at TV Newser, but CNN wouldn't comment as the why Roesgen was dissmissed. Mmaybe it's a routine cut back? It's be hard to deny, whatever the case, that CNN's vaunted "objectivity" took a huge hit that day.

Interestingly, while Roesgen's out, the tea parties are going strong! Check out Pajamas Media, " ‘Health Care Freedom Protests’ Set for July 17."

Also Blogging: No Sheeples Here!, Ed Driscoll, Gateway Pundit, Founding Bloggers, and Macsmind.

Hat Tip: Memeorandum.

Michelle Obama's Slave Roots

My guess is that CNN's getting some extraordinary news value from its reporting on First Lady Michelle Obama's slave history, "Tracking Michelle Obama's Slave Roots" (via Memeorandum):

In many places across the South you can walk in the footsteps of slaves, and if you understand the history, it is not a happy journey. The same is true at Friendfield Plantation outside Georgetown, South Carolina.

It's not exactly "Gone With the Wind," but what makes this overgrown 3,300 acres of marsh and pine trees stand out is this: The family of first lady Michelle Obama believes her great-great grandfather was held as a slave here and labored in the mosquito-infested rice fields.

It makes Friendfield Plantation a symbol of something more than servitude. It's the symbol of something that's never happened before: One important segment of an American family's journey from the humiliation of slavery to the very top of the nation's ruling class.

CNN recently was the first television network allowed to visit the plantation and shoot video. It's not a museum. It's just private land, still with shadows of its past.

Friendfield's most distinctive historical feature, perhaps, is the dirt road known as Slave Street.

Six white-washed little shacks are all that remain of the slave quarters, even though rows of these houses once stood on the property. About 350 slaves lived here during the 19th century.

The houses are nothing special -- no plumbing, of course. The wooden walls are paper thin in places. It would have been hot and humid in summer, and most certainly cold in winter, although the shacks had fireplaces.

They would have been crowded: probably one or two families living in a space smaller than a modern-day garage.

As a professor whose own ancestry includes grandparents who were slaves, the story of Michelle Obama's family is fascinating and vital to the national discussion of where we are today.

But as a political analyst, I find it extremely interesting that CNN would now devote so much coverage to President Obama's ties to the peculiar institution. The second video above includes snippets of Anderson Cooper's interview with the President in Ghana. As I wrote previously, Obama's visit to Africa was the latest stop on his global apology tour. And there's no greater sin in American history than the evil of slavery. CNN's shameless exploitation of racial sympathy is to be expected. But it's simply despicable that the President himself would pander this issue, given that his rise to national power was predicated on a pledge to advance the cause of post-racial America. Obama launched his career on the national stage with one of the most important political speeches of a generation. At the 2004 Democratic Convention, Obama proclaimed:

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us - the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of "anything goes." Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America - there’s the United States of America.

But instead of those majesterial words, we have the lost promise of Obama's rhetoric five years on. Race relations have deteriorated under this administration. The politics of race is more bitter than ever, as we have seen this week amid the confirmation hearings for the president's racist "wise Latina" nominee.

See also, Shelby Steele, "Obama's Post-Racial Promise: Barack Obama Seduced Whites With a Vision of Their Racial Innocence Precisely to Coerce Them Into Acting Out of a Racial Motivation."

Also, Glenn Beck, "Is This How the Post-Racial Obama Administration Begins?"

Ricci at Sotomayor Hearings: 'Firefighters Who Earned Promotions Were Denied Them...' (VIDEO)

From the Los Angeles Times, "Sotomayor Hearings: Frank Ricci, Plaintiff in Conn. Discrimination Case, Finally Speaks":

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Frank Ricci, the witness we’ve all been waiting for at Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings, finally took the floor and told his story to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

There were no stunning revelations. But Ricci, addressing the appellate court denial of his civil rights case, laid down one line straight from the Republican playbook:

“Americans have the right to go into our federal courts and have their cases judged on the Constitution and/or federal laws,” he said, “and not on politics or personal feelings.”

Ricci has been the most vocal of the 19 New Haven, Conn., firefighters who sued under federal civil rights laws after the results of a promotion test were thrown out. The city did so because it feared it would face a lawsuit from black and Latino firefighters claiming the tests had a discriminatory effect on minorities. The white plaintiffs lost at the trial court and before Sotomayor’s appeals court panel, but eventually prevailed in the Supreme Court.

Several of the firefighters, dressed in uniform, sat behind Ricci during the hearing. Another plaintiff, Lt. Ben Vargas, also testified.

Also, Ricci's testimony from the Washington Post, "Frank Ricci Testifies at Sonia Sotomayor's Confirmation Hearings" (Transcript):

The lieutenant's test that I took was without a doubt a job- related exam that was based on skills, knowledge and abilities needed to ensure public and the firefighters' safety.

We all had an equal opportunity to succeed as individuals, and we were all provided a road map to prepare for the exam.

Achievement is neither limited nor determined by one's race but by one's skills, dedication, commitment and character. Ours is not a job that can be handed out without regard to merit and qualifications.

For this reason, I and many others prepared for these positions throughout our careers. I studied harder than I ever had before, reading, making flash cards, highlighting, reading again, all while listening to prepared tapes.

I went before numerous panels to prepare for the oral assessment. I was a virtual absentee father and husband for months because of it.

In 2004 the City (ph) of New Haven felt not enough minorities would be promoted and that the political price for complying with Title VII (ph), the city civil service rules, and the charter, would be too high.

Therefore they chose not to fill the vacancies. Such action deprived all of us the process set forth by the rule of law. Firefighters who earned promotions were denied them.

Despite the important civil rights and constitutional claims we raised, the Court of Appeals panel disposed of our case in an unsigned, unpublished summary order that consisted of a single paragraph that made mention of my dyslexia and thus led many to think that this was a case about me and a disability.

This case had nothing to do with that. It had everything to do with ensuring our command officers were competent to answer the call and our right to advance in our profession based on merit, regardless of race.

Americans have the right to go into our federal courts and have their cases judged based on the Constitution and our laws, not on politics or personal feelings.

The lower court's belief that citizens should be reduced to racial statistics is flawed. It only divides people who don't wish to be divided along racial lines. The very reason we have civil service rules is to root out politics, discrimination and nepotism.

Our case demonstrates that these ills will exist if the rules of merit and the law are not followed.

Our courts are the last resorts for Americans whose rights are violated. Making decisions on who should have command positions solely based on statistics and politics, where the outcome of the decision could result in injury or death, is contrary to sound public policy.

I watched Ricci testify. You can see at the video how his reading is stilted. But he articulates the issues perfectly.

What a guy!

And, as usual, we saw early this week the left's scurilous attempt to smear the firefighter. See, "The Borking of Frank Ricci."

Change! Obama Administration OKs Logging in Tongass National Forest, Alaska! Takes Page From Palin Playbook; Dems' Radical Coalition Cracking?

From the leftist Mother Nature Network, "Obama Administration Green Lights Logging in Tongass National Forest":

The Obama administration has approved the sale of timber from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

The 17-million acre forest is the largest stand of continuous temperate rain forest in the U.S. and contains a lot of old-growth trees. It's basically a snapshot of what the world looked like before we rolled heavy onto the scene.

The U.S. Forest Service gave the green light for the sale after approval from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack who stated in May that he would be the final gatekeeper on all decisions to sell timber from roadless ares of the national forests.

This first sale will come after seven miles of roads are built for the 381-acre clear-cut. This makes Hulk mad. Vilsack said that the main reason he approved the sale was to provide jobs to the area. Here's a radical idea -- those loggers should get new jobs not involving cutting down old-growth trees.

Jobs should not trump mountains, nor should they trump the last great stand of old-growth temperate rain forest left in this great nation of ours. Instead of spending the millions of dollars the federal government intends to pour into road construction to clear cut the area, how about giving the loggers job buyouts so they can find a new career with some scratch in their pockets?

How do you like that Bruce Banner flourish?!! ("Green is a good color nowadays, because it represents nature. Hulk was the first environmentalist!")

The video's from the National Resource Defense Council's BioGems environmental PAC.

And wait! You can't get it better than this!

Check this out: In 2008, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin endorsed the Bush administration's plan to open the Tongass to timber and logging interests, "Swaths of Tongass Opening for Logging: New Rules Would Let Industry Into 3.4 Million Acres":

The Bush administration on Friday released a revised management plan for the southeast Alaska forest, the largest in the country at nearly 17 million acres. The plan would leave about 3.4 million acres open to logging and other development, including about 2.4 million acres that are now remote and roadless. About 663,000 acres are in areas considered most valuable for timber production ...

"This is a tremendous step toward having a sustainable, integrated timber industry," Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said. "We remain committed to responsible development that protects the diversity and health of the forest's wildlife while sustaining jobs and subsistence for residents of Southeast Alaska."

A previous policy statement from the Governor's office is here: "State of Alaska Comments on Tongass Land and Resource Managment Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement" (April 27, 2007).

The Obama administration's coming out early and strong for election 2012, trying to cut Governor Palin off at the knees on environmental policy. I guess the Governor's WaPo op-ed this week hit the administration hard.

And of course, Obama's willing to throw another hard-left constituency under the bus to get right on natural resources policy. So now, in addition to the radical gay lobby, we now have enviro-extremists pissed at the administration!

Cool!

No political party can win without its most motivated activists. Further divisions in the leftist coalition will push more moderates over to the GOP in upcoming elections. Polls are already showing a deepening decline in the president's approval ratings: See, "Obama's Approval Drops 9 Points in a Month," and "Obama Approval Continues Decline."

See also, John Aravosis, "Gay Groups Decry Obama Defense of DOMA."

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UPDATE: Linked at Riehl World View, "The Left: Cracks In The Coalition?," and Sundries Shack, "Oh, It’s Just a Few Trees, Right Greenpeace?"

Obama Health Reform May Threaten Economy

From Keith Hennessey, "Wrong Health Reform Will Hurt Economy":

The president is correct that health care reform is essential to a strong economy. He accurately identifies the underlying problem as extraordinary growth in health spending, leading to slower wage growth, too many uninsured and unsustainable government spending. He is correct that reform needs to “bend the cost curve” downward to stop families, employers and governments from chasing their own tails. Unfortunately, the legislation being developed in Congress moves in the opposite direction.

After the vice president admitted the administration had misread the economy, the president said administration officials, instead, had incomplete information — but yet they would not have done anything different in the too-slow stimulus. We need to prevent a recurrence of the stimulus mistake on health care.

At a time of rising unemployment and extraordinary short-term economic weakness, these bills would hurt the U.S. economy. The economic damage they would cause outweighs the benefit of reducing the number of uninsured.

The bills would bend the health spending cost curve upward. Amy Finkelstein’s research shows that the creation of Medicare increased long-term health spending growth, and this new entitlement would exacerbate that trend. The president references Dartmouth’s excellent research about regional spending differences, and yet legislation would reinforce these differences by subsidizing high-cost urban areas more than low-cost rural areas. Insurance mandates for guaranteed issue and community rating would raise premiums, as they have in New Jersey, and government-mandated benefits and cost-sharing would, over time, become more generous and expensive as politicians pander.

Higher premiums would mean lower wages. Employers would face a new mandate to provide government-defined insurance, losing the flexibility to structure compensation and health insurance based on labor market demand. Employers who fail to obey would face two Cabinet secretaries with the authority to impose arbitrary punitive taxation to “encourage” compliance.

Employees who want to keep the health insurance they have now would need to persuade their employer to run two systems. This clunky and costly bifurcated system would lock some employees into their current jobs and calcify our flexible labor force.

More at the link. Also, more from Keith Hennessey, "

Plus, "CBO Sees No Federal Cost Savings in Dem Health Plans," and "Bombshell: CBO Chief Tells Congress ObamaCare Will “Significantly Expand” Federal Spending."

And, from The Blog Prof, "House Health Care Bill Makes Private Insurance Illegal!!!" (featuring video and a link to Investor's Business Daily, "It's Not An Option").

More at Memeorandum.

And, from June, Dr. Peter S. Rosenbloom, "Obama Care: Robbing From Peter to Pay Paul."

Related: Michelle Malkin, "Obamacare in the House: Do the Blue Dogs Have Any Bite?"

Video Hat Tip: Conservatives for Patient Rights.

How’d You Ever Get So Darn Wise, Latina?

From Dan Collins, "Wise Latina":

Bama’s Supreme nominee, a-nominee.
Bama’s Supreme nominee, a-nominee.
How’d you ever get so darn wise, Latina?
Giving O a victory, a-victory.
Tingle up Chris Matthews’ fat thighs, Latina?
Never gonna stop, shut it up,
Such a motor mouth,
Always backing down when your
Argument’s headed south
Why why why i yi woo? W W W Wise Latina...

The original provided for reference:

Awesome Hat Tip: The Other McCain.

'Ask God What Your Grade Is' ... Judge Rules in Favor of LACC Student Defending Traditional Marriage

From the Los Angeles Examiner, "Judge Rules in Favor of LACC Student Defending Traditional Marriage":

A California court has ruled in favor of a Los Angeles Community College student who said he was called a "fascist bastard" by his teacher for defending traditional marriage.

The court also ordered LACC to strike from its website a sexual harassment policy that censors speech deemed "offensive" to homosexual people.

Saying it violates students' free speech rights, a federal judge has barred the Los Angeles Community College District from enforcing a sexual harassment policy that bans "offensive" remarks in and out of the classroom, the Los Angeles Times reports.

U.S. District Judge George H. King granted a preliminary injunction against pressing the policy at the request of Jonathan Lopez, an L.A. City College student who in February filed a suit accusing a professor of censoring his classroom speech about his religious beliefs, including opposition to gay marriage.

Lopez said his professor called him a “fascist bastard” and refused to let him finish his speech against same-sex marriage during a public speaking class last November, weeks after California voters approved the ban on such unions.

When Lopez tried to find out his mark for the speech, the professor, John Matteson, allegedly told him to “ask God what your grade is,” the suit says.

Lopez also said the teacher threatened to have him expelled when he complained to higher-ups.

The district disciplined the professor, John Matteson, and Lopez received an A in the course. His suit sought financial damages and a ban on enforcing the sexual harassment code, according to the LA Times.

King said the policy's use of "subjective" terms such as "hostile" and "offensive" discouraged students from exercising their 1st Amendment rights.

See also, Los Angeles Examiner, "Student Wins Court Ruling After Being Slandered for His Spiritual Morals: Ask God Your Grade."

This is great news.

My question is how come this story's not plastered across newpapers nationwide? Not a toughie. Obviously, Judge King's decision violates the left's "gay marriage is inevitable" meme, and the liberal media-commissars wouldn't want to deviate from the program. Seriously. A Google search right now turns up paltry results (look here, here, and here).

It's fascinating, really, since a look over at Volokh Conspiracy pulls the mask off of the "rights" program of the radical left. Judge King has enjoined the LACC district's policy on sexual harrassment, and check out the language highlighted by the court:

It is important to be aware that sexual remarks or physical conduct of a sexual nature may be offensive or can make some people uncomfortable even if you wouldn’t feel the same way yourself. It is therefore sometimes difficult to know what type of behavior is sexual harassment. However the defining characteristic of sexual harassment is that it is unwanted and pervasive. It’s important to clearly let an offender know that certain actions are unwelcome. The four most common types of sexual harassment are:

1. Sexual Harassment based on your gender: This is generalized sexist statements, actions and behavior that convey insulting, intrusive or degrading attitudes/comments about women or men. Examples include insulting remarks; intrusive comments about physical appearance; offensive written material such as graffiti, calendars, cartoons, emails; obscene gestures or sounds; sexual slurs, obscene jokes, humor about sex ...

I like the part that says "the defining characteristic of sexual harassment is that it is unwanted and pervasive."

Man, that's broad. Who's to say what's "unwanted," much less "pervasive." On that standard, my class lectures include a lot of "unwanted" comments that would be deemed as "harrassment" by the left's gay marriage ayatollahs.

And get this, from an update at Volokh, "A Footnote You Wouldn't Want to See in a Court Opinion":

This case is likewise not mooted by Defendants’ recent revelation that the Policy was supposedly repealed in 2007.[2] First, the Policy continues to appear on the District’s and LACC’s websites.... Thus, Plaintiff, and other students and employees, can reasonably believe they are subject to the Policy and experience a chilling effect.

[2] We are chagrined that defense counsel and Defendants’ representative who were present at the oral argument on June 10, 2009 were apparently ignorant of the status of a policy they purported to defend. This lack of preparedness is viewed with great disfavor.

It's important to remember that the First Amendment is central to the debate over same-sex marriage. After Californians passed Proposition 8 last November, the gay radical lobby launched its infamous outing and shaming campaign to intimidate and silence those who exercised their First Amendment rights to contribute to the intitiative measure (see, "Outing Liberal Blogger – Bad; Outing Prop 8 Donors – Good"). In the immediate aftermath of the election, Diana West described the chill in California as "soul-grinding" and akin to "something out of Soviet show trial history."

There's no word on the District Court's ruling at some of the big gay radical blogs, for example, Joe. My. God., Pam's House Blend, or Towleroad. The ever-so-prodigious Andrew Sullivan is on vacation from The Daily Dish, but hot-shot stand-in Conor Friedersdorf missed this story as well.

Pretty interesting, you think? Recall that these folks are quick to shout down "unwanted" speech they deem offensive (see, "Pam Spaulding Falsely Accuses Christians of Inciting Violence — But What About Her Own Behavior?").

No comment on the Volokh post at Memeorandum either.

It's a big news week, but not that big. The Sotomayor hearings are winding down, the administration's trying to keep the health reform story alive in the press, and folks have pretty much forgotten about authoritarianism in Iran. One might think even the Los Angeles Times would run a piece on the story, but I'm not holding my breath.

(Now, if the court would have upheld the LACC District's policy, THAT would have been big news!)

For additional background, see Eugene Volokh, "Professor in Speech Class Refuses to Grade Student's Presentation."

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UPDATE: Patriot Room links! See, "Court Rules 'Ask God What Your Grade is' Prof Violated Student's 1st Amendment Rights."

'One Small Step' No Longer Seen as Such a Giant Leap for America

My stomach's always a little tight while watching the space shuttle launches. Today's was no different. Of course, it's a thrill as always to watch that rocket ship take off and to see the solid fuel boosters peel away as the shuttle leaves the atmosphere:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The Washington Post has the story of today's lift-off, "Endeavour Launched On Sixth Attempt." As the report indicates, "Success came on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the liftoff of man's first moon landing. Endeavour blasted off a little after 6 p.m. from its seaside pad - the same one used to launch Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969."

That historical marker might seem as important as other milestones of the decade, like the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But as the Pew Research organization indicates, the powerful national urge to reach high and touch the face of God may be receding from the American ethos. See, "'One Small Step' No Longer Seen as Such a Giant Leap for America":

Four decades after the first American astronauts walked on the moon, that historic accomplishment has lost some prominence in the eyes of the public.

Ten years ago, when asked to name America's greatest achievement of the 20th century, the specific accomplishment cited most frequently -- at 18% -- was space exploration or the moon mission. Overall, 47% cited any achievement in science, medicine or technology, including space.

But in May of this year, when the public was asked to name the greatest U.S. accomplishment of the past 50 years, somewhat fewer (12%) specifically mentioned space exploration or getting a man to the moon as the greatest achievement. Only about a quarter (27%) mentioned an achievement in science, medicine or technology. (For more from this survey, see " Public Praises Scientists; Scientists Fault Public, Media," July 9, 2009.)

Check the link for more. Statistically, just as many people said the election of the first black black president was as great an accomplishment as the successes of the space program.

Change!

See also, AubreyJ, who is our top shuttle-launch blogger: "4- Watch Launch and Mission Live Of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-127."

Plus, see Rand Simberg, "A Giant Leap for Commercial Spaceflight."

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UPDATE: Via Memeorandum, here's an awesome photo-essay from The Big Picture, "Remembering Apollo 11."

Perhaps this anniversary will turn public opinion around a bit.

Velociman's not too optimistic, "We Choose To Go To The Moon":

July 16th marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. I explain to my daughters that once upon a time we were a great nation that strived for the stars. No more. Now we are ashamed of glory, because some fucking crackhead might feel neglected if we don't dote upon her, and slather her with our largesse at the expense of the Great Things. Obama is sacking the Constellation program. We won't be going back to the moon, and forget Mars.

But once upon a time the Senator packed us up in the station wagon and drove to Titusville to see my aunt, and to witness the launch of Apollo 11. It was a goddamned beautiful thing, too.

Hat Tip: American Digest.

And thank goodness for patriots and eternal optimists. See Buzz Aldrin, "40 Years After Apollo 11 Moon Landing, It's Time for a Mission to Mars."

Public Respect for Ayatollah Khamenei Takes Hit on Heels of Protests

The Berman Post has been doing some phenomenal Iran blogging, continuing with today's entry, "Iranian Revolution (Day Thirty-Three)."

One of the pieces highlighted there is from today's Los Angeles Times, "Supreme Leader Khamenei Diminished in Iranians' Eyes."

For two decades he was considered to be above the petty political squabbles, a cautious elder contemplating questions of faith and Islam while guiding his nation into the future.

But Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose title of supreme leader makes him Iran's ultimate authority, has gotten his hands dirty. His decision in recent weeks to so stridently support the nation's controversial president after a disputed election has dramatically changed his image among his people, setting in motion an unpredictable series of events that could fundamentally change the Islamic Republic.

"Public respect for him has been significantly damaged," said one analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Opposing him is no longer the same as opposing God."

The venerated Khamenei has even become the target of public jokes and criticism.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "commits crimes, and the leader supports him," was a popular slogan during the riots of June 20, the day after Khamenei delivered a blistering Friday sermon in which he said that the election a week earlier had been won by Ahmadinejad.

At July 9 demonstrations, protesters mocked the ayatollah's son, Mojtaba, who many believe hopes to succeed his father.

There's more at the link.

The odd thing here, of course, is that the regime's not too worried about public opinion. I'm also wondering how seriously the hardliners around Khamenei have been substantially weakened. The Times piece notes that there's something of a power struggle brewing, but reports earlier have suggested that the faction led by Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, has tightened its grip on the elite Revolutionary Guard. See my earlier entry on this, "Mojtaba Khamenei, Revolutionary Guard, Key to Power in Iran."

See also, Atlas Shrugs, "Day 32 Iran Revolution: Twitter: 'People in Iran have but ONE weapon - Your Attention!'"

McCain Family Feud

Robert Stacy McCain says "she's kinfolk," then proceeds to wallop Meghan McCain with surprising brutality:

A reasonably attractive young gay man has no problem getting with two or three guys a night. And that's if he's really picky. (Read And The Band Played On, by Randy Shilts.) So when some lonely, frustrated woman wants to hang around with gay guys because it's the only male companionship she can get, she is recognized for the truly pathetic loser she is.

Meghan McCain says she likes hanging with gay guys. But is a guy gay if he likes hanging with betties? And as you can tell from the block-quote above, "The Other McCain" handles your queries with an amazingly intimate familiarity with same-sex culture! NTTAWWT!!

Check out her interview with Jamie Kirchik at Out Magazine, "Meghan McCain Will Be Heard." I wanted to embed the video anyway, so this is a chance to link to the piece (at Memeorandum too).

Instapundit Carblogging

Well it's not all hotlinks and traffic over at Instapundit. The dude's a car guy, Mazda cars, to be exact, "RX-8 UPDATE":

Okay, it’s now been, believe it or not, nearly 6 years since I bought the Mazda RX-8. Since it’s a second car, to be driven to the mountains on nice days, etc., it’s still low-mileage, but it still drives like new ...

Check Glenn's archive of Mazda blogging here. And, he just updated with "CONGRESS AND THE AUTO DEALERS ..." (link).

I like Honda cars. I wrote about my new Honda Civic here: "What Happened to Buy American?" Plus, while searching, I just remembered this post, which is substantive, "A Post-Auto-Industrial Society."

I wasn't planning a carblogging series, however. Actually, I need to blog less and wash my Honda!

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But wait! Here's an Instapundit Bonus!

I wrote about mommy-bloggers previously: See, "Are You Getting 60,000 Unique Visitors Every Month?", and "The Blogger Mom: New Career Trajectory for the Internet Set." In the former post I poked fun at the Classy Mommy blog (discriminatory against involved-daddies?).

But Glenn links to a serious mommy-blogging entry from Katie Granju at Babble, "Are Sponsored Reviews and Endorsements on Mommyblogs Getting Out of Hand?":

What's odd to me is that marketers don't seem to recognize this credibility gap in deciding who qualifies as a true influencer among the mombloggers. Obviously, pageviews and audience engagement (number of comments on the blog, etc), as well as the blogger's effective cross promotion across other social networking sites help to determine whether a momblogger is a "social media influencer." But there's a less tangible credibility factor that should be pulled into the formula as well. It's my belief that bloggers who do an excessive number of product reviews and endorsements likely don't wield the same kind of meaningful influence with their audience as the ones who do very few or more judiciously chosen paid reviews and endorsements. And some mombloggers may have a smaller audience, but within that audience, they have more credibility, meaning that their reviews are theoretically more valuable to sponsors. That's why, in my job as a social media strategist with a PR firm, I don't automatically go for the "big" blogs with lots of flashy reviews and endorsement deals when I'm putting together a list of mommyblogs for one of my corporate clients to approach.

Sounds serious!

And just think ... I was only joking around!

More good stuff at Instapundit.

Jackson Addiction Followed Pepsi Accident in 1984: LAPD to Treat Death as a Homicide; Public 'Never Can Say Goodbye' to Jackson Tragedy!

There are some noteworthy Michael Jackson developments worth sharing.

First, US Weekly has a video teaser online, "How Michael Jackson's Pill Addiction Began." But check out KABC-TV Los Angeles, "Jackson's Addiction Began After Accident." The video is intense. Jackson's head is completely engulfed by flames while filming the Pepsi ad. He jumps and twirls, with the last second or so showing sheer panic:

US Weekly reports that Jackson's drug addiction began after the shooting of his Pepsi commercial in 1984.

Usmagazine.com has released footage of the Jackson's Pepsi commercial accident that was shot at the Shrine Auditorium on January. 27, 1984.

During the commercial shoot Jackson suffered from second and third-degree burns on his scalp and body after the pyrotechnics erupted too early. The King of Pop was unaware that his hair was on fire.

The singer was prescribed several medications and it was at this time that his addiction to painkillers and plastic surgery began, according to a source for US ....

Check Rolling Stone as well, "Michael Jackson Pepsi Ad Footage Unearthed From 1984 Shoot." And the Wall Street Journal, "When Michael Jackson’s Hair Caught Fire: A Legendary Ad Man’s Story."

Also, was Jackson murdered? The LAPD is upgrading its investigation to a homicide case. See Fox News, "Conflicting Reports Surface on Whether LAPD Will Treat Jackson Death as a Homicide."

Also, the Los Angeles Times takes a dishy angle, "Who is Dr. Conrad Murray and What Does He Know About Michael Jackson's Death?" And TMZ, "LAPD Treating Jackson Death as Homicide." Plus, L.A. Examiner, "VIDEO: LaToya Jackson Says Michael Jackson Was Murdered by His Greedy Entourage."

Will the Michael Jackson story ever go away? Not as long as there's profit somewhere, for someone.

See, Tim Rutten, "Too much Michael Jackson? Newspaper Editors and TV Producers Undercut the Value of Serious News Media When They Let Website Hits and Social Media Vollume Dictate Their Coverage." And, Project for Excellence in Journalism, "Media Swing from Protests in Iran to the Passing of the King of Pop." A Marxist take is at Chris Hedges, "The Man in the Mirror."

Well, what can you do? Jackson's still still popular: "Michael Jackson Album Sales Highlight Physical, Digital Merits."

More here, Bill Wyman, "The Tragedy of Michael Jackson: The Self-Proclaimed King of Pop Was Nobody's Victim."