Barbara Efraim with House Speaker John Boehner

Barbara Efraim, formerly of Long Beach City College, is doing an internship with the National Women's Committee of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington. She keeps me updated by Facebook. Here she's meeting with Speaker Boehner, who's in the news more than ever. A little blurry with the mobile phone, but cool:

Boehner Still Rounding Up Support Ahead of Debt Vote

Well, budget follies continue today, heading toward the deadline, and (some say) the financial apocalypse.

At New York Times, "Boehner Seems Confident of Passing House Debt Vote."

WASHINGTON — The House and Senate headed for a pivotal showdown on Thursday evening over how to cut spending and increase the debt limit before the federal government loses its ability to borrow.

House Republican leaders convened a closed-door party meeting Thursday and appeared confident of winning over holdouts to pass their plan, which would make $900 million in cuts, raise the debt ceiling for a few months, and come back for more of the same later. But Senate Democratic leaders said that if that happened they would waste no time rejecting the legislation.

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said Senate Democrats would move immediately Thursday night to set aside the House proposal if it wins passage and then take steps to force a vote on Mr. Reid’s own proposal to raise the debt limit through 2012 in exchange for more than $2 trillion in cuts.

“No Democrat will vote for a short-term Band-Aid that would put our economy at risk and put the nation back in this untenable situation a few short months from now,” Mr. Reid said.

Lots at Memeorandum on this. And also at Los Angeles Times, "Boehner risking much by going to brink over debt."

The Facts of Life for Progressives

I gotta start bugging Andrew Klavan — they're progressives!

Video c/o Theo Spark:

Laura Ingraham Show — Hey Speaker John Boehner, Did You Really Tell House GOP to Get 'Your Ass in Line?'

House Speaker John Boehner joins Laura Ingraham on the air:

And at Wall Street Journal, "Debt-Crisis Vote Goes Down to Wire in House":

The House was headed for a cliffhanger vote Thursday on a revised debt plan from Republican Speaker John Boehner that could go a long way in determining if the government's borrowing limit is raised in time to avoid a possible default next week.

Mr. Boehner scrambled Wednesday to stem defections by conservatives, telling fellow Republicans, "I need an army behind me." But he could delay the vote if he concludes his plan won't pass the House.

If it does pass, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) prepared to put it to a vote in the Senate, hoping to defeat it. He then could try to push through his own debt plan, or make changes to Mr. Boehner's plan to make it more palatable to Democrats.

Meanwhile, senior Democratic aides said Mr. Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) are exploring ways to bridge the gaps between the House and Senate bills and craft an alternative that can pass both chambers by Aug. 2. A spokesman for Mr. McConnell said the Senate Republican leader isn't working on any bill other than one by Mr. Boehner.

Even as both sides press ahead with their plans, back-channel conversations between Messrs. Reid and McConnell focus on the biggest divide between the parties: whether to raise the debt ceiling in one phase or two, the Democratic aides said, reflecting a recognition that neither of the bills put forward by Mr. Boehner and Mr. Reid is likely to pass both chambers unchanged.

"You need to get agreement, and there are talks going on to try to get that agreement," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.).

The Journal's piece is gated, so if it's not coming up, see if you can RTWT at the Google click through.

Maxim Office Assistant

That's not any office workplace I can ever remember, via Maxim:

Anderson Cooper's CNN Hit Piece Smears Geller/Spencer Counter Jihad

I've written about this at length, so folks know where I stand. And it's obviously not in my power to shift media opinion, or in the power of a handful of fighters for truth. Folks have to keep on plugging away and making a difference where they can. As always, I know inside that good prevails over evil, but it can take time. Pamela reports on this Anderson Cooper segment that's just utterly pathetic. She urges readers to contact CNN, and I might add, if they're going after Pamela and Robert Spencer, why is Charles Johnson getting a pass? Scroll forward to about 3:30 minutes:

And at Pamela's, "MEDIA FREAKSHOW: CNN SMEARS, DEFAMES HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, CHRISTIANS AND PATRIOTS FOR NORWAY SHOOTING."

Tea Party Targets Boehner

At Fox News, "Tea Party Activists Revolt Against Boehner Amid Debt Crisis."

And see Judson Phillips, at Washington Post, "Why the Tea Party is unyielding on the debt ceiling."

BONUS: Michelle Malkin, "Rancor on the Right: Of elephants and asses."

Norway Killings Shift Immigrant Debate in Europe

At New York Times, "Shift in Europe Seen in Debate on Immigrants":

BERLIN — Less than a week after the mass killings in Norway, evidence of a shift in the debate over Islam and the radical right in Europe already appeared to be taking hold on a traumatized Continent.

As the police in Norway and abroad continued to search for potential accomplices, expressions of outrage over the deaths crossed the political spectrum. Members of far-right parties in Sweden and Italy were condemned from within their own ranks for blaming multiculturalism for the attack. A member of France’s far-right National Front was suspended for praising the attacker.

Lurking in the background is the calculation on all sides that such tragedies can drive shifts in public opinion. Nonviolent political parties can hardly be blamed for the violent actions of a terrorist or a homicidal person. But politicians have begun to question inflammatory speech in the debate over immigrants, which has helped fuel the rise of right-leaning politicians across Europe in recent years.

More at the link above.

I'm kinda shocked to see right parties endorsing the killings, or at least defending Breivik. What he did is indefensible. More at the Right Perspective, "European Far Right Cautiously Stands With Brievik."

And at Telegraph UK, "National Front member suspended for defending Anders Behring Breivik."

VIDEO: Shaun White Snowboard Gold Medal 2010 Winter Olympics

And an interview at New York Times, "30 SECONDS: With Shaun White":

Q. Did you ever think as a child that boarding would allow you to earn millions of dollars in corporate deals and sponsorships?

A. I knew there was a certain level that I could get to within the sporting world. But as I continued with my career, not only did I grow, but the sport grew. All of a sudden, all of these doors opened to me. It’s been amazing. I guess I was born at the right time.

Q. You enjoy playing guitar. Who are your favorite guitarists?

A. Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and Angus Young.

Q. Are you a better snowboarder or skateboarder?

A. Probably snowboarding, just because the tricks come easier. It’s easier for me to learn a new trick snowboarding because skateboarding is so technical. You’re not strapped into the board and any slight movement of your foot, your board goes flying away and the run is over.

Q. Tell us something no one knows about you.

A. I don’t really like the cold. I have asthma. When I go up into those mountains, I can’t breathe, man. I’m like, “It’s freezing up here.”

RELATED: "The Shaun White Interview," at TransWorld Snowboarding, October 2003.

Social Media Consumer Report

If I was on the job market I wouldn't do what I do online. And I know certain progressive academic bloggers who ought to be more careful, and they know it, although I can't name names at the moment.

See: "I Flunked My Social Media Background Check. Will You?" (via Kathy Shaidle).

FLASHBACK: "Academic Tenure and the 'Damascus Conversion to Unpopular Views'."

Progressive Sensitivity

From John Hawkins, "Liberalism In 120 Seconds: Nobody Needs Sensitivity Training More Than Liberals."

I keep telling him that it's "progressives" and not "liberals," although I haven't whaled on him like Zilla of the Resistance.

An End to Internet Anonymity?

Actually, it's a terrible idea, because ending anonymity online would empower governments. Not everyone who writes anonymously is a stalking douchnozzle progressive nihilist. Although folks should think twice about using their real names, especially if they have strong moral standards. The progressive left won't stop until you're destroyed. (And sometimes you've gotta fight back.)

The topic's in the news, at London's Daily Mail, "'It has to go away': Facebook director calls for an end to internet anonymity."

Critics complain that the forced introduction of some kind of 'on-line passport' would damage the freedom of speech and blunt the internet as a tool for dissidents to speak up against oppressive governments.

Also, at AdWeek, "Erin Andrews, Randi Zuckerberg Dish on Digital Dilemmas While Chelsea Clinton details 'survival skill'."

L'Oreal Ads Banned by Britain's Advertising Standards Agency

At Fox News, "L'Oreal Forced to Pull Julia Roberts Ads After Watchdog Groups Deems Retouching Unrealistic."

And at New York Times, "British Authority Bans Two Ads by L’Oréal":

On Wednesday, an advertising watchdog group in Britain upheld complaints that had been lodged against the cosmetics giant, forcing the company to withdraw two advertisements deemed misleading.

The group, the Advertising Standards Authority, began investigating the ads after Jo Swinson, a member of Parliament from the Liberal Democrat Party, filed a complaint about them. According to reports, Ms. Swinson and other Liberal Democrats support banning advertisements that use digital technology to create misleading ads.

The ads in question featured the actress Julia Roberts and the supermodel Christy Turlington. Ms. Roberts’s ad was for a Lancôme brand foundation called Teint Miracle. Ms. Turlington’s ad, for a Maybelline brand foundation called the Eraser, showed parts of her face covered by the makeup as having fewer wrinkles in contrast to the parts of her face that were not covered. The ads ran in the February editions of women’s fashion magazines Red and Grazia in Britain.

The funny is that these are beautiful women without all the retouching.

More at the link.

Diagnosing the Left

A must-read, from David Solway, at FrontPage Magazine, "Diagnosing the Left."

It should be clear by this time that there is no medium of intellectual exchange with the left, that facts do not matter, that logic is helpless to convince or to prompt even the slightest reconsideration, and that practically every counter-argument can be turned on its head and interpreted as confirmation of the original idée fixe. As I wrote in The Big Lie, this is a tendency or disposition that bespeaks the resurgence of a political romanticism wedded to motives rather than consequences, unachievable ideals rather than practical values. It consists largely of the cryogenized remnants of an antique crusade for unperturbed happiness and tranquility, actuated by a child-like desire for transcendence that is the curse of liberal political civilization, and that, in various spiritual and revolutionary forms, has caused untold harm and suffering in the past.

Ultimately, it amounts to a prepossession that resembles a species of clinical paranoia, associated with symptoms like unbridled hostility where disagreement is perceived, extreme sarcasm often rising to livid vulgarity, an intense need for control and the belief in personal infallibility. It is, in effect, a squalid amalgam of hubris and the herd mentality. Obviously, the disorder is not exclusive to the left, but it is on that side of the political spectrum where it manifests most prominently and insistently.

RELATED: "W. James Casper is a Coward, a Fraud, and a Liar."

And a perceptive reader, from out of the blue, comments on clinical progressive W. James Casper:

Suzie Q said...

Has it occurred to you ... that you are a stalker??

Seriously. This is pure sickness.

RELATED: "British Progressives Allege Melanie Phillips Took 'Part in the Norway Massacre'."

Charles Johnson Browbeat Forbes' Abigail Esman After She Correctly Noted That Anders Breivik Voluminously Cited Little Green Footballs

"I've never seen such craven, dishonest spinning."

That's Charles Johnson attacking Bill O'Reilly. But it's actually a perfect self-description. And a textbook case of psychological projection. King Charles has been working feverishly to not only destroy his political enemies following the Norway massacre, but to also obliterate the facts of his post-9/11 counter-jihad blogging. And it's astonishing, but I don't think there's a single person more invested in the crass exploitation of these murders — and that's saying a lot. The other day, Forbes writer Abigail Esman wrote an analysis of the Norway killings: "What Really Lies Behind The Oslo Attacks – And Why It May Happen Again." Discussing Anders Behring Breivik, Esman wrote:

... he frequently praises a writer who goes by the name “Fjordman” and who is well known on the conservative, largely anti-Islam circuit; and he often cites posts from the site Little Green Footballs and Pamela Geller’s Atlas Shrugged, both of which are popular not only among anti-Islam activists, but amon[g] even more moderate types concerned about the rise of radical Islam in the West.

She linked to both Little Green Footballs and Atlas Shrugs at the quote, and The Lizard King fired off a blog post as soon as he checked his traffic stats: "Forbes Writer Gets Oslo Terrorist Story Very Wrong."

Actually, no. Folks should cruise around at Diary of Daedalus blog, which has chronicled just how intimately the work of Little Green Footballs played into the deranged mind of a killer. See "Rescued from Memory Hole: The Lost LGF “Fjordman” Articles," and especially, "Little Green Footballs, Anders Breivik’s and the United States Blog-based Anti-Jihad Movement":

The political left has been gleeful poring over the many references to certain anti-Islamist blog personalities mentioned in the document, and these sites have been diligently mining the 1500 plus page manuscript for juicy references to their favorite adversaries on the conservative right.

Unfortunately, most of these leftist bloggers and news sources are either myopic in their journalistic skills, or worst, just plain dishonest actors. Over and over they have pounced on every reference in the manifesto to persons such as Bat Ye’or, Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, the mysterious writer “Fjordman,” Daniel Pipes and MEMRI, while at the same time, almost totally ignoring the former leader of this “movement” of anti-Islamic sentiment, the blog Little Green Footballs and it’s founder Charles Johnson.

No doubt. (And continue reading here.) Diary of Daedalus notes that since 2007 Charles Johnson has been aggressively attempting to "convince people that he was never the person imagined on LGF, pre-2007, that he was always “fair and balanced” and that he never harbored any animosities toward any aspect of Islam or the political left." It's a mind-boggling thing.

In any case, Little Green Footballs is cited a number of times by Anders Behring Breivik. Abigail Esman was absolutely correct to note that Charles Johnson's blog was a major source for the murderer. But King Charles couldn't handle the truth. He apparently berated and browbeat the Forbes author, harassing her by e-mail on several occasions, until Esman removed his name hoping to end the abuse. See the comments at Esman's essay:

I can understand Esman's desire to prevent further attacks from Charles Johnson. Yet it serves as one more example of those who stand for the truth being beaten down by the progressive destroyers of reason. At his post calling out Esman, King Charles writes:

I’ve had nothing to do with the “anti-Islam” blogosphere for years — in fact, they absolutely hate my guts. And Breivik did not cite posts from Little Green Footballs — he republished old articles by “Fjordman” that cited LGF, and he also cites many articles viciously attacking me.

That's an epic lie. Breivik did indeed "cite posts from Little Green Footballs." The fact is, Charles Johnson was one of the very most important counter-jihad bloggers and it was less the four years ago that he initiated his abandonment of the right. I mean, seriously. Breivik cited Little Green Footballs voluminously. Check this one again: "Little Green Footballs, Anders Breivik’s and the United States Blog-based Anti-Jihad Movement." Also: "The Charles Johnson / LGF Connection."

Folks can also go right to the source: "2083 – A European Declaration of Independence."

A Short History of the Entitlement State

At Wall Street Journal, "The Road to a Downgrade":

Even without a debt default, it looks increasingly possible that the world's credit rating agencies will soon downgrade U.S. debt from the AAA standing it has enjoyed for decades.

A downgrade isn't catastrophic because global financial markets decide the creditworthiness of U.S. securities, not Moody's and Standard & Poor's. The good news is that investors still regard Treasury bonds, which carry the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, as a near zero-risk investment. But a downgrade will raise the cost of credit, especially for states and institutions whose debt is pegged to Treasurys. Above all a downgrade is a symbol of fiscal mismanagement and an omen of worse to come if we continue the same habits.

President Obama will deserve much of the blame for the spending blowout of his first two years (see the nearby chart). But the origins of this downgrade go back decades, and so this is a good time to review the policies that brought us to this sad chapter and $14.3 trillion of debt.

FDR began the entitlement era with the New Deal and Social Security, but for decades it remained relatively limited. Spending fell dramatically after the end of World War II and the U.S. debt burden fell rapidly from 100% of GDP. That changed in the mid-1960s with LBJ's Great Society and the dawn of the health-care state. Medicare and Medicaid were launched in 1965 with fairy tale estimates of future costs.

Continue reading.

Lyndon Johnson was once my favorite president. I used to be a Democrat, of course. I still admire him for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but his establishment of the paternalistic entitlement state is almost an unforgivable failure.

More later ...

Cathy McMorris Rodgers Was Robbed! — The Hill's '50 Most Beautiful People for 2011'

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, and I just love her!

But she didn't make the cut at The Hill's annual roundup of 50 most beautiful people on Capitol Hill. That said, Freshman Rep. Kristi Noem makes the cut at #8, and who is Grace Johnson at #2? If I were single I'd be moving to D.C.!

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

'Bizarro' Budget Politics

Well, yeah.

It's pretty bizarro when politics turns to J.R.R. Tolkien, but perhaps it fits. It's been a while since I read "The Hobbit." See Ed Morrissey, "WSJ: Tea Party “hobbits” need to go back to Middle Earth, or something."

More at New York Times, "McCain vs. the Tea Party" (via Memeorandum).

Is the old John McCain back?

The fiery, independent version of the Republican senator from Arizona took to the floor of the Senate Wednesday morning. Demanding “straight talk,” Mr. McCain accused conservatives of abandoning reason by opposing the House Republican leader’s plan to resolve the debt crisis.

Mr. McCain mocked Tea Party-allied Republicans in the House for believing — wrongly, he said — that President Obama and Democrats will get the blame for a default if Republicans refuse to increase the nation’s debt ceiling.

By that flawed logic, “Democrats would have no choice but to pass a balanced budget amendment and reform entitlements and the Tea Party Hobbits could return to Middle Earth,” he said, quoting a Wall Street Journal editorial.

“This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O’Donnell into G.O.P. nominees,” he jeered, referring to two losing Tea Party candidates for the Senate in 2010.

And Senator McCain's "bizarro" moment today on the Senate floor:

And check Los Angeles Times, "Stubborn debt-deal problems plague Boehner and Reid."

Also, at National Journal, "Six Similarities Between the Boehner and Reid Debt Plans."

World's Youngest Blogger: Niklas Dietrich Smith

Congratulations to Chris Smith and his wife: "I Have, In Fact, Fathered One Ridiculously Handsome Fellow":

As beautiful as he is, I was unable to convince my wife to have another baby!

Perhaps if we soon welcome the world's youngest female blogger?

X Games 17: Shaun White

The vertical skateboarding competition is set inside the Nokia Theatre.

Shaun White was on Leno's last night: "Shaun White Interviewed on ‘The Tonight Show’ July 26 (Video)."

Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg: 'We Will Not Be Intimidated'

At BBC, "Norway will stand firm, says PM Jens Stoltenber."

Also, at The Independent UK, "Norway to form independent commission to probe attacks":

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg vowed today that Norway will fight back against the twin terror attacks with "more democracy" and said an independent commission is being formed to investigate the massacre and to help survivors and relatives.

Norwegians will defend themselves by showing they are not afraid of violence and by participating more broadly in politics, he told reporters.

"It's absolutely possible to have an open, democratic, inclusive society, and at the same time have security measures and not be naive," he said.

Stoltenberg underlined his commitment to openness, defending freedom of thought even if includes extremist views such as those held by the 32-year-old Norwegian who confessed to Friday's bomb blast at government headquarters and to the shooting massacre at a Labor Party youth camp hours later. At least 76 people were killed.

"We have to be very clear to distinguish between extreme views, opinions — that's completely legal, legitimate to have. What is not legitimate is to try to implement those extreme views by using violence," he said.

"I think what we have seen is that there is going to be one Norway before and one Norway after July 22," he said. "But I hope and also believe that the Norway we will see after will be more open, a more tolerant society than what we had before."

He later announced the independent commission, saying "it is important to be able to clear up all questions about the attack in order to learn from what happened."

East Africa Famine

Go straight away to this photo essay at The Atlantic, "Famine in East Africa."

And at Christian Science Monitor, "International groups accelerate effort to relieve East Africa's famine."

"Pro-Al Qaeda Islamists" are preventing food aid from reaching the starving. Naturally.

Boehner Pushes to Unify House Republicans

At National Journal, "Boehner Working for Support; Internal Tensions Boiling Over."

Also: "Whipping the Boehner Proposal to Raise the Nation's Debt Ceiling."

Plus, at Politico, "Boehner tries to tame the right."

And at The Other McCain: "‘F*** JOHN McCAIN!’"

Smurfette

Katy Perry on Twitter, tweeting to Neil Patrick Harris.

My son's all hip to this flick. I'm not making any promises, because we're behind on our movies, but it looks fun:

And at MTV, "Katy Perry 'May Take Over The World,' 'The Smurfs' Co-Stars Say."

Republicans Who Oppose Boehner's Debt Deal Are Playing Into Obama's Hands

At Wall Street Journal, "The GOP's Reality Test" (via Memeorandum):

If conservatives defeat the Boehner plan, they'll not only undermine their House majority. They'll go far to re-electing Mr. Obama and making the entitlement state that much harder to reform.

Scroll forward at the video for Jake Tapper's report Monday night from the White House.

VIDEO: Utøya Shooting Norway

Saber Point has a report: "Norwegian News Videos Show Scenes of Massacre." It's chilling:

One of the videos shows Breivik walking among the dead at the edge of the island. Click on the white-on-red arrow at the top of the bottom half of the screen, showing the island. The video is very short.

And this is from Live Leak. Oh dear God:

'Piece of My Heart'

Well, I've been reflecting back a bit since Amy Winehouse passed away. It's the 27 Club, and I'm not the only one. See Vanderleun, "Someone Wonderful: Janis 'Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man —yeah!'":

With Janis Joplin I just want to teleport back to late 1960s to see her sing. Look at the clip. She makes love to the music at the guitar interlude. And as always, beholding her emotional pain is crushing.

Oh, and check the comments at the blog. An interesting discussion.

Ezra Levant Discusses Massacre in Norway

Via Blazing Cat Fur, who has lots more video at the link:

And from the comments at Small Dead Animals (via Celestial Junk):

From today's Toronto Red Star editorial:

"The best catharsis Norway can have is to expose a mass murderer for what he is, to publicly refute his twisted ideology and to bring him to justice. The light and air of a public courtroom are the best disinfectants. This case matters to other European countries as well. Rightwing nationalism is a growing scourge that can inspire a lunatic fringe. "

Can you imagine them writing the following?

"The best catharsis America can have is to expose mass murderer Nidal Hasan for what he is, to publicly refute his twisted ideology and to bring him to justice. The light and air of a public courtroom are the best disinfectants. This case matters to European countries as well. Islam is a growing scourge that can inspire a lunatic fringe."

Nope. Me neither.

$100,000 Power Line Prize — Top Videos

"Grains of Sand."

Via Maggie's Farm, "Majority In Poll Wouldn’t Want to Be 20 Again."

ICYMI, background here.

Der Spiegel: An Atmosphere of Suspicion in Europe

See, "European Right Under Pressure in Wake of Attacks":

Europe's right-wing populists are not used to being on the defensive. But the perpetrator of last Friday's horrific attacks in Norway was steeped in their anti-immigration, Muslim-skeptical ideology. They now find themselves in an uncomfortable position.

It was a somber gathering on the street out in front of the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin on Monday. Several people filed by throughout the morning to lay flowers in front of the embassy gates and Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel also came to show his respect and sympathy in the wake of the Friday attacks which killed 76 people in Oslo and on the island of Utøya.

Just over a dozen of those standing in front of the embassy were holding signs: "The Capital of Fear? Not with Us!" they read, beneath the image of an ominous-looking figure wearing a black balaclava. The group belonged to the small right-wing populist group Pro-Deutschland. "Solidarity with Oslo!" the group chanted.

"When something so terrible happens in Europe, we felt that we needed to express our sympathy," Manfred Rouhs, the small party's lead candidate in upcoming Berlin city-state elections, told SPIEGEL ONLINE on Tuesday. "We also saw it as an opportunity to clearly distance ourselves from the terrible deed."

That, it would seem, has been tops on the priority list for right-wing populist groups around Europe so far this week. Muslim-skeptic, anti-immigration populist groups across Europe have rushed to condemn the attacks perpetrated by Anders Behring Breivik and to portray him as a disturbed loner. The English Defense League, for example, referred to him as a "murderous creature," the Freedom Party of Austria called it a "psychopathic crime."

RTWT.

Israeli and Palestinian Women Take a Rare Swim

At New York Times, "Where Politics Are Complex, Simple Joys at the Beach":

TEL AVIV — Skittish at first, then wide-eyed with delight, the women and girls entered the sea, smiling, splashing and then joining hands, getting knocked over by the waves, throwing back their heads and ultimately laughing with joy.

Most had never seen the sea before.

The women were Palestinians from the southern part of the West Bank, which is landlocked, and Israel does not allow them in. They risked criminal prosecution, along with the dozen Israeli women who took them to the beach. And that, in fact, was part of the point: to protest what they and their hosts consider unjust laws.

In the grinding rut of Israeli-Palestinian relations — no negotiations, mutual recriminations, growing distance and dehumanization — the illicit trip was a rare event that joined the simplest of pleasures with the most complex of politics. It showed why coexistence here is hard, but also why there are, on both sides, people who refuse to give up on it.

“What we are doing here will not change the situation,” said Hanna Rubinstein, who traveled to Tel Aviv from Haifa to take part. “But it is one more activity to oppose the occupation. One day in the future, people will ask, like they did of the Germans: ‘Did you know?’ And I will be able to say, ‘I knew. And I acted.’ ”

Palestinians can't travel inside from the West Bank because in the past they've killed Israelis. And it's not really "occupied." It's disputed. But if they're gonna protest, I'd prefer these beach trips to some Rachel Corries trying to block a tractor and getting killed like idiots. Simple joys are some of our greatest luxuries.

More details at that top link. Israeli authorities aren't jumping up and down in the water about this.

'Holidays in the Sun'

Upon request, from my 9 year-old son. Sex Pistols songs play on his Wii game, "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground." And I promised more skateboarding, so until then:

PREVIOUSLY: "Tony Hawk Birdhouse Tour 2011."

A Cheap holiday in other peoples misery!

I don't wanna holiday in the sun
I wanna go to new Belsen
I wanna see some history
'Cause now I got a reasonable economy

Now I got a reason, now I got a reason
Now I got a reason and I'm still waiting
Now I got a reason
Now I got reason to be waiting
The Berlin Wall

Sensurround sound in a two inch wall
Well I was waiting for the communist call
I didn't ask for sunshine and I got World War three
I'm looking over the wall and they're looking at me

Now I got a reason, Now I got a reason
Now I got a reason and I'm still waiting
Now I got a reason,
Now I got a reason to be waiting
The Berlin Wall ...

Lawrence Summers on the Euro Crisis

At Der Spiegel, "'It Was Always Understood the European System Would Evolve'":

SPIEGEL: It seems a currency union across borders without a fiscal union cannot work. Do we have to steer toward a United States of Europe in order for the euro to survive?

Summers: No. Surely, the common currency has been insufficiently supported by common political approaches. But we will learn over time from the European experience what elements have to be common in order to make the system work.

SPIEGEL: Has the response of European leaders to the crisis so far been too dogmatic and bureaucratic?

Summers: There is no politician who will ignore the laws of physics when building a bridge. But there is a tendency in politics in every country to suppose that the laws of economics are flexible and can be adjusted to political necessity. At some points this belief has led to a lack of focus on economic realities in Europe.

SPIEGEL: Can you cite an example?

Summers: In retrospect, it is clear that a currency union requires more attention to the fiscal policies of the member countries than was provided. More central capacities to address issues in the financial system are required. But it was always understood that the European system would evolve through events and that is what is happening right now.

SPIEGEL: Many European observers are particularly disappointed with the euro crisis management of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She was dubbed "Madame Non" because she refused bailouts for a long time before finally relenting. On the other hand, she was under considerable pressure at home because Germans largely oppose the bailouts. Is there a way out of that dilemma?

Summers: The art of economic policy making is reconciling the political and the technical or arithmetic imperatives. You cannot move forward in democratic nations without sufficient political support, and all the political support in the world will not repeal the laws of economic arithmetic. But we ask our political leaders not simply to take the preferences of their citizenry as a given, but to help guide those preferences in response to necessity.

Keep reading. Summers discusses the debt ceiling debate in the U.S., and suggests it's mostly politics (default would be surprising) and taxes are too low. Of course, he was until recently a top economic adviser to President Obama. And according to Elizabeth Drew's recent piece at New York Review, folks like Summers bailed because Obama adopted a too conservative approach on deficits. Figures.

Debunking 6 Myths About Anders Breivik

At great essay from Daniel Greenfield.

Bill O'Reilly Rejects Media's 'Christian Extremist' Description of Norway Killer

At The Blog Prof and Nice Deb, "Video: Someone In The MSM Finally Gets The Oslo Killer Story Right."

RELATED: At Eye Crazy, "Why are socialist moral relativists silent in the wake of the Norwegian terrorist attack?." Well, they're not silent, actually. They're cheering the attacks as a hammer against conservatives. See also Blazing Cat Fur, "Khaled Mouammar, Darling of the Canadian Left, Blames The JOOOS for Norway."

Sara Jean Underwood on Twitter

I just found her, and here's her picture at Wikimedia (© Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com):

Just call it a needed diversion from counter-jihad blogging. See R.S. McCain, "MSM Goes LGF: Media Trying to Blame Norway Massacre on Pamela Geller?"

Anders Behring Breivik's Contacts with English Defence League

I've been dealing with this all day, so I'm not going to worry too much if any blogging friends get ruffled here. This is about information dissemination in pursuit of greater knowledge. See previously: "Anders Behring Breivik Closely Linked to English Defence League, Telegraph Reports." It turns out that EDL's getting lots of attention. See Telegraph UK, "Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik emailed 'manifesto' to 250 British contacts."

Anders Behring Breivik emailed his 1,500-page “manifesto” to 250 British contacts less than 90 minutes before he detonated a bomb in Oslo.

Scotland Yard’s domestic extremism unit, which is investigating Breivik’s British links, has been sent a list of UK-based email addresses among 1,003 recipients of the document.

Breivik joined online conversations with members of the Right-wing English Defence League, telling them to “keep up the good work” in the months before he killed 76 people in Norway’s worst terrorist outrage.

He was told he would be welcome at EDL demonstrations, and wrote about visiting Bradford and London. He is also reported to have attended an EDL rally in Newcastle.

Using the name Andrew Berwick, Breivik emailed out his manifesto, and a link to a YouTube video showing him holding a gun, at 2.09pm on Friday, one hour and 17 minutes before his bomb detonated in Oslo. He addressed each recipient as a “Western European patriot” and wrote: “It is a gift to you … I ask that you distribute this book to everyone you know.”

Continue reading.

Also at The Daily Mirror, "Anders Breivik told English Defence League members to 'keep up the good work'."

And at London's Daily Mail, "Police probe claim Norwegian gunman marched with English Defence League." And The Independent, "Endorsement by mass murderer exposes EDL to fresh scrutiny":

Detectives are probing Breivik's boasts that he met "tens of EDL members and leaders" in the decade leading up to Friday's massacre. He claimed in his 1,500-page "manifesto", posted online, to have visited Britain twice since 2002 to attend EDL rallies and had more than 600 EDL supporters as Facebook friends.

Police in Britain and Norway are also investigating his claims to have met a group of ultra-nationalists in London nine years ago at which they vowed to resist the spread of Muslim influence across Europe.

Scotland Yard is understood to be probing whether he met former members of the Neo-Nazi groups Combat 18 and Column 88 – both now considered defunct – at that time.

However, security sources believe that Breivik is most likely to have been a lone wolf similar to David Copeland, the London "nailbomber" who killed three people in 1999, and suspect that his assertion to have been part of a far-Right uprising is fantasy.

But the resultant publicity has left the EDL – which is known to be infiltrated by Special Branch and the security services – in an unprecendented media spotlight. With its links to football hooliganism, it had been previously most associated with street protests sometimes degenerating into violence.

Founded in 2009 by Stephen Lennon, who was this week convicted of leading a group of Luton Town supporters in a massive street brawl, the EDL repeatedly stresses it is only concerned with fighting "militant Islam".

Its leading figures, none of whom have experience in mainstream politics, operate as a loose network.

On Monday, Mr Lennon made a rare foray before the television cameras to ridicule suggestions of links with Breivik, suggesting the EDL is changing its strategy in dealing with the media.

A tetchy encounter with Jeremy Paxman on BBC2's Newsnight left him forecasting that similar attacks could take place in the UK if the right of peaceful protest was taken away: "You need to listen because, God forbid, this ever happens on British soil... it's the time coming... you're probably five or 10 years away."

That's the interview at top. The Independent probably gives as good a summary as we'll get, although I'd like to see proof of the emails allegedly sent by Breivik.

RELATED: It's a far left-wing website, but they've got screencaps. See: "English Defence League in denial. In more ways than one."

Dan Peek, 1950 – 2011

Just learned of Dan Peek's death, at Wizbang, "Dan Peek, RIP."

I posted this clip last year, "This Is For All the Lonely People..."

See the write-up at Ultimate Classic Rock, "FOUNDING AMERICA MEMBER DAN PEEK DIES AT 60." Also Aaron Goldstein at American Spectator, "Dan Peek, R.I.P."

Plus a news report at Kansas City Star, "Dan Peek, founding member of soft-rock trio America, dies at 60."

Sixties too young. God bless Peek's family.

British Progressives Allege Melanie Phillips Took 'Part in the Norway Massacre'

Well, no surprise, as they say.

See Melanie's blog, "A wider pathology." And she writes on Twitter:

Dozens of writers cited in Norway psychopath's ravings. So why am I being singled out? Atrocity ignites left pathology.

Yep, pathology. So clearly obvious by now. Progressives are having a psychotic field day attacking conservatives who've been standing up for freedom and democracy. And Melanie responds:

... Breivik name-checks a vast number of mainstream writers and thinkers, including Bernard Lewis, Roger Scruton, Ibn Warraq, Mark Steyn, Theodore Dalrymple, Daniel Hannan, Diana West, Lars Hedegaard, Frank Field, Nicolas Soames, Keith Windschuttle, Edmund Burke, John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, Friedrich Hayek, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Ghandi, George Orwell and many others; indeed, it’s a roll call of western thinking and beyond, past and present.

So why doesn’t [Sunny] Hundal refer to any of these people who have also been thus name-checked? Why has he singled me out in this way? It looks like yet another crude attempt to smear me by a writer who has long displayed an unhealthy obsession with my work (see here and here and here for example).

The Hundal reference goes to the progressive blog, Liberal Conspiracy, "Oslo terrorist cited Melanie Phillips in his manifesto." And then an update, "Compare Phillips now to her writing after 7/7." And then "Flying Rodent," another deranged blogger at Liberal Conspiracy, piles on, "What are people like Melanie Phillips calling for then?":

I think that now, more than ever, fingers need to be pointed squarely at those who have been disseminating this poisonous cack, and searching questions need to be asked.

First up – What the fuck did you think you were doing?

And back over at Melanie's blog, she concludes:

Already, through the selective and distorted use of this document and the amplification of such malevolence through Twitter and the net, a blood-lust is building. Thus I am receiving emails such as one from Carsten T Holst-Lyngaard who says:

I congratulate you on your part in the Norway massacre;

or this from Taper Collins:

blood on your hands. hope you’re happy with the effects of your anti-everyone vitriol. abhorrent.

Breivik may be one unhinged psychopath – but what is now erupting as a result of the Norway atrocity is the frenzy of a western culture that has lost its mind.

Word.

ADDENDUM: As I was about to hit publish, Melanie has just published a new essay, "Fanaticism, mass murder and the left."

The suggestion that Breivik’s behaviour resulted from political rage – let alone from reading thinkers such as John Locke, John Stuart Mill or Winston Churchill – is frankly itself an opinion in need of treatment.

Melanie notes Bret Stephens and "the millenarian mindset," which I cited as perhaps the best explanation so far as to what happened in Norway. But go RTWT. Now we're getting somewhere.

Lawyer Says Anders Behring Breivik 'Insane'

At Telegraph UK, "Norway killer: Anders Behring Breivik 'insane'."

Anders Behring Breivik was “surprised” he was able to carry on shooting students on Utoya island for 90 minutes before police eventually caught up with him, his solicitor said, as he made clear he regarded his client as “insane”.

Anders Behring Breivik Closely Linked to English Defence League, Telegraph Reports

Well, Telegraph UK is reporting Breivik's ties to EDL. Given Gates of Vienna's aggressive defense of English Defence League, and of course the massive citiations to Fjordman, etc., at the Breivik manifesto, it'd be interesting to see GOV's response.

Not to put too much emphasis on this (since I consider Breivik a lone actor and crazed criminal sociopath), it's nevertheless interesting --- amid all the blame shifting to Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer --- that Atlas Shrugs and SIOA explicitly distanced themselves from EDL last month. See Pamela's report, "EDL SHAKE-UP." Pamela indicated that while she once supported EDL, the group had become infiltrated with crackpots and racists, and that she could no longer support the group if it continued its path to extremism. Her comments stirred up a hornet's nest of resentment at Gates of Vienna, and Pamela updated at Atlas Shrugs, "LORD OF THE FLIES: MACHIAVELLI COMES TO THE BLOGOSPHERE," and "THE EVIL THAT MEN DO."

Again, the point here is more to how Gates of Vienna would like to respond to news from Telegraph UK. Comments remain closed at the blog, which is exactly opposite to how Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer have responded to allegations. Moreover, others are pointing out Pamela's rejection of EDL as well. See The Right Perspective, "Pam Geller Shrugged Off EDL Before Attack."

ADDENDUM: I'll have more on this, but to be clear. Counter-jihad bloggers are not responsible for the unfathomable evil of Anders Behring Breivik. Indeed, Jason Papas provides an important analysis indicating that left-wing progressive ideologies of "identity politics" provide a key explanation to the killer's motives. That is:

His [Breivik's] politics is what the left commonly calls “Identity Politics”. It has little grounding in the [classical] liberal thought which is common in the anti-jihadi writers that he cites. They are first and foremost alarmed by the illiberal nature of Islam. Breivik agrees with the problem but has adapted a collectivist solution that is obviously his own. He has stepped off into an imagined war of all against all. He is alone in this war as he deserves to be.

Given that, one might think that Gates of Vienna would emerge from their medieval dungeons and join the debate. We need more discussion on this, and the new information on Breivik and EDL provides a new area of investigation.

Added: Kathy Shaidle sends this along: "Norway: EDL leader Tommy Robinson holds his own against old pansy on BBC TV."

Update 3:30pm PST: Stogie comments: "Norway Shooter and the English Defence League."

And see Exposing the English Defence League, "English Defence League in denial. In more ways than one."

The Character Assassination of Robert Spencer

From David Horowitz, at FrontPage Magazine (via Blazing Cat Fur):

Robert Spencer has never supported a terrorist act. His crime in the eyes of the left is to have told the truth about Islamic fanatics beginning with the Islamic prophet who called for the extermination of the Jews and said in his farewell speech that he was called to fight until all men say that there is no God but allah.

See also Daniel Greenfield, "In Defense of Robert Spencer."

No tragedy goes long without exploitation, and the atrocities in Norway are no exception to that rule. The media is hard at work accusing researchers who monitor and warn about Islamic radicalism and terrorism of being responsible for the actions of an extremist and a terrorist.

Is silencing researchers who have put years of effort into exposing networks of radicals the right response to a terrorist attack? No reasonable person would think so. But that is exactly what media outlets like the New York Times and the Atlantic are trying to do.

Also, a response at Jihad Watch, "New York Times convicts Spencer of guilt for Norway murders." And Spencer at Human Events, "Accept Jihad, Or Children Will Die."

NewsBusted: 'Americans have been suffering through a heat wave'

Via NewsBusters:

Glenn Reynolds Talks with Jerry Pournelle

An fascinating interview, adding a lot of information to some of my postings on the Space Shuttle program:

Pournelle was once a professor of political science, and way back in the day, when I used to read a lot of paperback fiction, I read The Mote in God's Eye. More here.

Elizabeth Drew: 'What Were They Thinking?'

At New York Review of Books. I enjoy reading Drew, if only for a wistful reminder of old establishment Washington:

Someday people will look back and wonder, What were they thinking? Why, in the midst of a stalled recovery, with the economy fragile and job creation slowing to a trickle, did the nation’s leaders decide that the thing to do—in order to raise the debt limit, normally a routine matter—was to spend less money, making job creation all the more difficult? Many experts on the economy believe that the President has it backward: that focusing on growth and jobs is more urgent in the near term than cutting the deficit, even if such expenditures require borrowing. But that would go against Obama’s new self-portrait as a fiscally responsible centrist.

Lawrence Summers, Obama’s recently resigned chief economic adviser, said on The Charlie Rose Show in July that he found it “dispiriting” that “all of the energy is on the projected deficits…when the problem right now is that the economy is in danger of stagnating from lack of demand.” The Republicans had made it clear for months that they would use the need to raise the debt ceiling as an instrument for extracting concessions from the Democratic President in the form of more cuts in federal programs. And the President assented to their premise, but only if there should also be some additional revenues. Were they all insane? That’s not a far-fetched question.

The President argued that it’s critical to make cuts that will “get our fiscal house in order,” so that the American people and the politicians would accept the idea of new programs leading to growth and more jobs. But there are numerous indications that the public is ready for such programs now, and serious analysts see no reason why he should not also be taking such steps now, even if this increases the deficit in the short run. But that would be at odds with Obama’s current self-portrayal. People who are looking for work, or worried about their unemployment insurance, or getting their kids to college, may not be impressed with the argument that they must be patient while the President adjusts his fiscal image in time for the 2012 election.

Since the President wanted to cut spending but also increase taxes and the Republicans insisted on cuts with no new taxes, they were for months too far apart to find much agreement on a budget plan to be attached to the debt ceiling increase—which had to be enacted by August 2 to avoid a default. No one could quite believe that this would happen, because it was so unthinkable; it was assumed that the two parties would reach agreement. Each side actually expected the other to be more flexible. The Republicans assumed that the President would be pliable; the Democrats didn’t expect the Republicans to be so inflexible about raising taxes.

The whole essay goes on like this, portraying Republicans as obdurate and conservative ideas as mythical. What Drew can't explain is why Obama is losing. Why is the president unable to get a budget and debt ceiling deal. It's not GOP "hostage-taking." Listen to that press conference from yesterday and pay attention to the rhetorical legerdemain. Especially good is how Obama finesses his massive overspending as Bush's fault: "We were expecting a $1 trillion deficit by the time I took office," he lies. And he lies some more by blaming his own deficits on the "recession" and not the failed stimulus and ObamaCare. He's a pathetic political hack. Republicans are the ones "winning the future" here, by standing up for budget restraint. We don't a have revenue problem. We have a spending problem. Democrats just don't seem to learn that key lesson.

See also Los Angeles Times, "Dueling plans for debt ceiling." And New York Times, "Parties Head to Showdown as Obama Warns of a ‘Crisis’." (At Memeorandum.)

'Love Me Two Times'

Jim Morrison was 27 years-old when he died, as was Amy Winehouse. Heard this one yesterday afternoon on The Sound LA. Part of a great set while on the road:

2:01 - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman Turner Overdrive

2:05 - Let My Love Open The Door by Pete Townshend

2:08 - Love Me Two Times by Doors

2:47 - You Got Lucky by Tom Petty

2:50 - Crossroads (live) by Cream

2:55 - All Along The Watchtower by Dave Mason

2:59 - Empty Spaces / Young Lust by Pink Floyd

Tony Hawk Birdhouse Tour 2011

At Birdhouse Skateboards:

RELATED: X-Games Seventeen kicks off this week. I'm taking my boys to the vert final on Saturday. I'll try to post on skateboarding throughout the week.

What Is Anders Breivik?

From Bret Stephens, at Wall Street Journal, "The Oslo Terrorist is Neither Christian Nor Conservative."

On Friday morning Breivik wrote that "today you will become immortal." He seems to have meant it literally. Whatever else might be said of that particular longing, it can hardly be called religious (what then would be the point of an afterlife?), or Christian (murdering children en masse is not a tenet of any Christian faith), or conservative (a political tendency that is fundamentally anti-utopian).

What it is is millennarian: the belief that all manner of redemptive possibilities lie on just the other side of a crucible of unspeakable chaos and suffering. At his arrest, Breivik called his acts "atrocious but necessary." Stalin and other Marxists so despised by Breivik might have said the same thing about party purges or the liquidation of the kulaks.

These are the politics that have largely defined our age and which conservatives have, for the most part, been foremost in opposing. To attempt to tar them with Breivik's name is worse than a slur; it's a concession to a killer with pretensions of intellectual sophistication. And it's a misunderstanding of what he was all about.

Norway, Europe and probably the U.S. will now have anxious debates about xenophobia, populism and the rise of neofascism. These are worthy topics, but they are incidental to understanding what happened on Friday. What we witnessed was the irruption of an impulse—more psychological than political—that defines a broader swath of the ideological spectrum than most people would care to acknowledge. As for Breivik, there ought to be no question as to what he is: evil incarnate.

Stephens' essay emphasizes a key point I raised in my analysis of the manifesto: "Breivik hopelessly romanticizes an earlier time that is simply not coming back. He's crazy in that sense." Still, it bears remembering that indeed Breivik's influences were in conservative writings, and that's not to discount his the millenarian infirmities. The answer to Breivik is somewhere between Stephens' analysis and Ross Douthat's, "A Right-Wing Monster." That crazed criminal resides somewhere between millenarianism and the rhetoric of cultural conservatism.

Kevin DuJan Returns to HillBuzz!

See, "A personal note of thanks to our readers" (via Zilla of the Resistance on Twitter):

It takes a lot of work to produce the 25,000 or so words of original content I generate here at HB hitting the Left in every way I know how. Forgive the Harry Potter reference, but it’s like locating and taking jabs at Horcruxes every day, and being bitten, slashed, and assailed in return by the Left in all its hydra forms. The Alinsky Rules book is a tome Voldemort would love, for sure. I’ve endured these nonstop personal attacks for two years plus now, and I just can’t pretend they haven’t changed my DNA in some ways. This stuff won’t truly beat you unless you let it, but it will succeed in thoroughly beating you down.

Here's wishing that guy a long life. And more at the link.

New Media Branding

This applies from professional journalists to bloggers and beyond.

From Reflections of a Newsosaur, "Why journalists need to build their own brands."

Stoltenberg Faces Norway Grief as Island Killings Turn Paradise Into Hell

At Bloomberg:

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is struggling to steer Norway through its deepest trauma since World War II as the Nordic bastion of equality comes to grips with last week’s mass killings by a right-wing extremist.

Sixty-eight people were gunned down on July 22 at a Labor Party youth camp on the island of Utoeya, northwest of Oslo. Stoltenberg, who leads the Labor Party, said that the “paradise island of my youth” had been “transformed into hell.” The killer, 32-year-old Norwegian national Anders Behring Breivik, confessed to the shooting and a separate bombing that killed eight people. Police today revised down an earlier estimate of 93 casualties.

Norway, the world’s second-richest nation per capita after Luxembourg, is reeling from Europe’s worst attack since the 2004 school massacre in Beslan, Russia, claimed about 350 lives. Home to Europe’s lowest jobless rate and biggest budget surplus, Norway must now come to terms with a threat of violence normally associated with less stable societies, the prime minister said.

More at the link above.

See also The New Jersey Star-Ledger, "07-25-11: Photos of the Day."

How The New York Times Spins the Norway Horror

From Ron Radosh, at Pajamas Media (via Glenn Reynolds):

Leave it to today’s New York Times to run a front- page story about the murders perpetrated by the crazed right-wing fanatic, Anders Behring Breivik, that is more accurately described as a not-so veiled editorial. Written by Scott Shane, the article begins by proclaiming that Breivik “was deeply influenced by a small group of American bloggers and writers who have warned for years about the threat from Islam, lacing his 1,500-page manifesto with quotations from them, as well as copying multiple passages from the tract of the Unabomber.”

The implication that he develops is that Breivik’s actions can be attributed to those who for years have been trying to educate the public in the West bout the threat posted to our values and way of life by the forces of radical Islam. In particular, Shane singles out- by virtue of Breivik having cited his writing 64 times in his manifesto- the writings of Robert Spencer at the website Jihad Watch, part of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, as well, he writes, of “other Western writers who shared his view that Muslim immigrants pose a grave danger to Western culture.”

That sentence says it all: those who correctly point out that dangers of sectarian enclaves of unassimilated Muslim immigrants in Europe, of people who do not accept the laws and standards of the nations to which they have immigrated, and who consider themselves proponents of both jihad and sharia law, are not a danger. Instead, the danger comes from those who point out the uncomfortable truths that many dare not face.

Continue reading.

That's a phenomenal, and brutally honest, essay.

A Boost for the Islamists

From Israel Matzav, just read the whole thing.

PREVIOUSLY: "Progressives Attack Pamela Geller and Counter-Jihad"; "'The Left hasn't been this giddy since Rep. Giffords was shot'"; and "Just Awful: Progressives Ecstatic Over Anders Behring Breivik Alleged Ties to Right-Wing Extremism."

Norway Mourns Its Dead as Harsh Rhetoric Spreads

At Wall Street Journal:

OSLO — A Norwegian man confessed to killing nearly 100 people in a pair of attacks on Friday, calling his rampage "atrocious" but "necessary."

The confession by Anders Behring Breivik, made via his lawyer and preceded by a 1,500-page, xenophobic screed he published online before the massacre, has shocked this small Scandinavian country and unnerved governments across Europe, where far-right parties espousing anti-Muslim views, if not violence, have recently been on the rise ...

Norway, a relatively wealthy, sparsely populated country, has little recent history of political extremism, much less terrorism. That it was the site of such an attack, even if by an isolated gunman, has unleashed concern across Europe that the anti-immigrant underswell that has swept much of the Continent in recent years could metastasize suddenly and unexpectedly into violence.

As flags across the city hung at half-staff, hundreds of people flocked in the rain Sunday to Oslo Cathedral, where Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, King Harald of Norway and other leaders attended a memorial service. Outside, many onlookers openly wept and milled about for hours as they contributed to a growing carpet of flowers and candles.

Continue reading.

Norway Police Warned of Rising Far-Right Extremism

A report at Wall Street Journal.

Also, at Astute Bloggers, "NORWEGIAN SECURITY AGENCIES BLEW IT: "Breivik came to attention of intelligence services in March."

Added: At Daily Mail, "Anders Breivik 'was on Norwegian secret service watchlist' after buying chemical haul from Polish retailer."

Pamela Strikes Back

See the report at Daily Caller (via Atlas Shrugs).

RELATED: At Yid With Lid, "Progressive Media Does a Hit Job On Pamela Geller - Atlas Shrugs."

Progressives Attack Pamela Geller and Counter-Jihad

I'd be interested to know how many people attacking Pamela Geller and the counter-jihad movement have actually read Anders Behring Breivik's manifesto, or his Internet posting at Document.no.

Breivik's papers is over 1,500 pages long and rambles on about everything from personal hygiene to the development of radiological weapons. The killer also lifts word-for-word the writings of authors who have focused on the existential fight against Islamist jihad. And given the nature of both the Norway massacre and extreme gotcha politics of ideological progressives, it took only minutes for blame to shift from the deranged murderer to the most prominent conservatives fighting for the preservation of freedom. It doesn't work the other way around. When Nidal Malik Hasan massacred 13 soldiers and civilians in November 2009 the progressive left and MSM mounted a massive cover operation for a man who yelled "Allah Akbar" before opening fire. Behold the politics of the information battlespace. The truth gradient doesn't favor those fighting for decency and justice. And it means those who know truth in their hearts and souls must redouble their efforts against the broadsides. And to remind people, right commentators were gathering their information from MSM outlets like the New York Times, which had this in its initial reporting:

Initial reports focused on the possibility of Islamic militants, in particular Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or Helpers of the Global Jihad, cited by some analysts as claiming responsibility for the attacks. American officials said the group was previously unknown and might not even exist.

There was ample reason for concern that terrorists might be responsible. In 2004 and again in 2008, the No. 2 leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over after the death of Osama bin Laden, threatened Norway because of its support of the American-led NATO military operation in Afghanistan.

Norway has about 550 soldiers and three medevac helicopters in northern Afghanistan, a Norwegian defense official said. The government has indicated that it will continue to support the operations as long as the alliance needs partners on the ground.

It won't matter much to the left, but the truth is supreme and righteousness floats to the top. Amid the cloud of death that still hangs, the debate will rage on the culpability of influence. So for what it's worth, here's a little round-up of those exploiting the dead to destroy their political enemies:

* Adam Server, "In response to Norway attacks, right-wing bloggers suddenly demand nuance."

* Balloon Juice, "“This rhetoric,” he added, “is not cost-free”."

* Booman Tribune, "Pam Geller Compares Herself to John Lennon."

* Charles Johnson, "NYT: US 'Counter-Jihad' Bloggers Heavily Influenced Oslo Terrorist."

* Daily Kos, "Norway killer found inspiration in American anti-Islamism."

* Dean's World, "Atlas Shrugs Blogger Pamela Geller an Inspiration for Terrorists."

* Roy Edroso, "Rightbloggers Discover the Real Victims of Norway Mass Murderer Breivik: Themselves."

* William Saletan, "If Muslims are responsible for Islamic terrorism, are Muslim-bashers responsible for the massacre in Norway?"

I'll have more on this later. Political and ideological debates are driven by an obscene double standard. To speak out against Islamist jihad is to be labeled "racist" or "Islmophobic." And it's frankly gut-wrenching to witness the left's vile opportunism amid the carnage.

And see Pamela's response: "MEDIA ASSASSINS."

RELATED: At New York Times, "Killings in Norway Spotlight Anti-Muslim Thought in U.S." (At Memeorandum.)

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Peter Island 2011

The water looks refreshing!

And in case you missed it, Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 Saturday: Carrie-Anne Moss." And American Perspective, "A girl with a dragon tattoo, Rule 5."

BONUS: At Maggie's Notebook, "Rule 5 Saturday Night: The Ecclestone Sisters: Tamara and Petra."

EXTRA: At The Other McCain, "Rule 5 Sunday: Too Fast For Love."

Police Criticized After Norway Attack

At Telegraph UK, "Norway shooting: police response criticised":

The Norwegian police's response to Friday's killing spree has come in for intense criticism after it was disclosed how the operation was beset by a series of delays and blunders.

Transport problems, including a lack of helicopters and a boat that sank, meant it took an hour to apprehend Anders Breivik after he began his attack, police admitted.
There had also been anger among some of the grieving families after suggestions that a security guard at the summer camp had not been at his post and had failed to apprehend the gunman.

However, police officials confirmed he had been at the scene, but had been one of Breivik's first victims.

As the controversy over the police action grew, officials were forced to publish a revised timetable of events in an effort to explain why they response was not quicker.

Continue reading.

'Feeling of Hopelessness' Behind Norway Shooter's Motivations

Read the essay at Saber Point, "Norway Shooter Felt Democracy Offered 'No Hope,' Advocated Armed Struggle."

And of course folks should read the manifesto as well. I don't know how much was plagiarized --- could have been the bulk of it, actually --- but many sections weren't unreasonable at all. These are things most people won't consider (as Breivik's actions were supremely evil), but Stogie nevertheless lets the chips fall where they may:

After Timothy McVeigh blew up the federal building in Oklahoma, his violence was blamed on "right wing rhetoric." However, his violence was really based on leftwing, governmental extremism at both Waco and Ruby Ridge. This is not to justify his evil act, but to provide an accurate description of his motivations.

Now we have Anders Behring Breivik, another individual of McVeigh's ilk. His violence will again be blamed on "right wing rhetoric," but once again his actions are based on leftist political activities and a feeling of hopelessness in bringing change through democratic processes. Breivik's huge crime was largely caused by Gramscian leftist political strategy, which has been highly successful in undermining western culture and institutions over the past 75 years. Now, in response to that crime, we can expect more Gramscian propaganda and a continued feeling of alienation by conservative nationalists, who will be vilified once again for resisting the death of the West, and again painted as mad men bent on violence.

Norway Shooter Plagiarized 'Unabomber'

Actually, most of the manifesto was cut-and-paste with some personal commentary thrown it. Anders Behring Breivik was simply rounding up information to pull together some kind of program of resistance and revolution. It was fascinating reading. I spent a couple of hours looking over that thing. And that was just skimming, stopping to read passages, and then skimming some more. It's a huge paper. In any case see Telegraph UK, "Norway shooting: Anders Behring Breivik plagiarised 'Unabomber'."

The 32 year-old appears to have quoted verbatim large sections from the preaching of Theodore Kaczynski in his 1500 page online rant.

Breivik had “copied and pasted” almost a dozen key passages from the 69 year-old’s 35,000 manifesto, only changing particular words such as “leftist” with “cultural Marxist”.

It remains unclear what his motivations were, but experts said it appeared he had taken “inspiration” from Kaczynski whose two decade parcel-bomb terror campaign killed three people and 29 injured others.

Despite meticulous university thesis-style referencing through the manifesto, Norwegian bloggers discovered that passages quoting Kaczynski were not credited.

RTWT at the link.

PREVIOUSLY: "Anders Behring Breivik's Manifesto."