Somalis Starve as Shabab Islamists Bar Escape From Famine

This really bothers me, at NYT, "Somalis Waste Away as Insurgents Block Escape From Famine." The picture here was on the cover of today's hard copy edition.

Readers know I've expressed reservations against humanitarian intervention, especially since Libya really wasn't. But I'm not reflexively opposed to the use of military power to guarantee food shipments. Almost twenty years ago President George H.W. Bush sent U.S. forces to Somalia to protect delivery of humanitarian aid. We all know how that turned out, but we didn't go in right in the first place, didn't have enough men and heavy armor on the ground, and President Bill Clinton got cold feet after we sustained casualties. If we were ever to do something like that again, we'd be best to go in without the U.N. or our NATO allies. Leave it to American forces, who've been engaged in two decades of counterinsurgency warfare since the early 1990s. The experience is cumulative. We could do a better and more effective job of relief today, and frankly, it could do some good. The Horn of Africa is right next to Pakistan and Yemen as the top location of festering Islamist war against the West.

Every morning, emaciated parents with emaciated children stagger into Banadir Hospital, a shell of a building with floors that stink of diesel fuel because that is all the nurses have to fight off the flies. Babies are dying because of the lack of equipment and medicine. Some get hooked up to adult-size intravenous drips — pediatric versions are hard to find — and their compromised bodies cannot handle the volume of fluid.

Most parents do not have money for medicine, so entire families sit on old-fashioned cholera beds, with basketball-size holes cut out of the middle, taking turns going to the bathroom as diarrhea streams out of them.

“This is worse than 1992,” said Dr. Lul Mohamed, Banadir’s head of pediatrics, referring to Somalia’s last famine. “Back then, at least we had some help.”

In any case, more at New York Times, "Off Media Radar, Famine Garners Few Donations," and "How to Help Victims of the East Africa Famine."

Obsessed Much? Charles Johnson Has Written Ten Posts Attacking Pamela Geller Since Anders Breivik's Norway Massacre

And that's just counting blog posts that include Pamela Geller's name in the title. There's a least a half-dozen more that feature Pamela as the main person of interest, for example, Mad King Charles' entry on the New York Times' hit piece on counter-jihad, "Killings in Norway Spotlight Anti-Muslim Thought in U.S."

And just today Mad Charles published, "Perfect Timing: Pamela Geller's New WND Book Echoes Oslo Terrorist's Book." That's a depraved comparison. The lowest of the sleazebag low. Think about it: One third of Anders Breivik's manifesto is a terrorist's handbook, with detailed outlines and planning from everything such as explosives to nuclear and radiological weapons. On the other hand, obviously, a look at the chapter outline of Pamela Geller's new book shows nothing even remotely similar. Pamela's book is a primer on creeping sharia, discussing growing Islamization, from government infiltration to the mass media to the mosqueing of schools and workplaces. The last chapter calls for greater institutional accountability and exhorts concerned citizens to increased voting participation to balance against aggressive Islam. Oh, the horrors!! Actually, not. There's no mixture ratios for ammonium nitrate fuel bombs. But Charles Johnson's stupid as well as depraved.

In any case, check Charles' "Lizardoid" Twitter feed for the links. The Pamela obsession is unhinged as it is, but put that on top of the Lizard Man's pathological lies and deranged distortions and scrubbing of his own background in counter-jihad, and you've really got a certified head case. See my earlier report, "Charles Johnson Browbeat Forbes' Abigail Esman After She Correctly Noted That Anders Breivik Voluminously Cited Little Green Footballs."

Given the nature of the blogosphere, perhaps it's to be expected. And folks have long known that Charles Johnson's got serious issues, but the Mad Lizaroid's now to the point of unhinged stalking. The dude needs help.

Jonah Goldberg: 'To Hell with You People'

The dude breaks loose with an epic piece, almost in the vein of my last post. But just almost, and that's the point. Progressives have gone FUBAR on the alleged "terrorist" demonization, and some folks are saying that is the hell enough. At National Review (via Memeorandum).

Israeli Airstrike on Hamas Operatives Caught Burying IED

Via Weasel Zippers, "Tuesday Morning War Porn…":

Chronic Misperception and U.S.-Iraq Conflict

A powerful and very interesting study from Charles Duelfer and Stephen Benedict Dyson, at International Security, "Chronic Misperception and International Conflict: The U.S.-Iraq Experience."

Some may recall that Duelfer led the Iraq Survey Group investigating Iraq's WMD programs, which issued a report, "Comprehensive Revised Report with Addendums on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction." And check the criticism of Duelfer from Christopher Carson, "What Charles Duelfer Missed."

Opinions are pretty much set in stone on the causes of war with Iraq. That said, the Duelfer and Dyson study at International Security is valuable for its perspective on the dyadic dynamics of U.S.-Iraq conflict. Theories of misperception delve into the psychological biases of decision-making. There's an outstanding theoretical discussion at the essay, and that alone is worth taking a few minutes. From the U.S. perspective, the main problem was an essentially irreversible enemy image of Iraq's Saddam Hussein, an image that over time became resistant to new stimuli that might have provided better information on Iraqi intentions and capabilities. But perhaps even more interesting is Saddam's own failures of misperception, and how these virtually guaranteed a U.S. military response. Here's this from the study:

As deputy head of the UNSCOM inspections from 1993 to 2000, and again as the chief investigator into Saddam’s WMD programs after the 2003 invasion Duelfer had a unique opportunity to develop an understanding of how the Iraqis viewed UN weapons inspections and resolutions. During one of the first inspections, while Iraq was still surrounded by the massive forces used to expel it from Kuwait, UNSCOM staff was blocked and various materials were secreted away. This blatant obstruction of the UN inspectors was reported to the Security Council and, after debate among its fifteen members, the council dispatched the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Hans Blix, and the head of the UNSCOM inspection team, Rolf Ekeus, to Baghdad to resolve this dispute over access afforded under the UN cease-fire resolution.

This response—the dispatch of two Swedish diplomats—was seen by Saddam as indicating a weakness of will in the Security Council. He had violated the terms of the cease-fire resolution, and the response was neither regime threatening nor even punitive in nature. The weak response communicated a lesson that shaped Saddam’s attitude toward the UN process. The Security Council would not recommence the war to enforce compliance with disarmament requirements, in spite of whatever some members may have said at the time. Saddam came to regard the UN process not as one wherein he would be obligated to comply categorically, but as one of testing and bargaining. He would give up what he had to give up to convince the Security Council to lift its UN sanctions, but no more.

Over time, Saddam and senior Iraqis came to find the broader UN process vexing and confusing. The collective Security Council position as codiªed in its resolutions seemed straightforward: sanctions would remain in place until Iraq satisfied weapons inspectors that all of Iraq’s WMD capabilities had been eliminated and monitoring systems were put in place to detect any attempts to reconstitute them in the future. Very different messages were sent from individual council members, however. During the Bill Clinton administration, public comments by the president and by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright stated that Washington’s policy was containment of Saddam with an eventual goal of regime change. Albright, in a speech at Georgetown University in March 1997, responded to a question on lifting sanctions by not ing not that Saddam could have them lifted if he complied with UN resolutions, but that “a dialogue” would be possible with a “successor regime.”

To the Iraqis, Albright’s statement seemed to contradict Security Council resolutions. Containment depended on a permanent retention of sanctions, but the resolutions contained the provision that if and when Iraq satisfied weapons inspectors, then sanctions would be lifted. Saddam and senior Iraqis therefore questioned whether Washington would ever agree to lift sanctions, even if Iraq could satisfy the inspectors. They put this paradox to senior UNSCOM staff as well as to officials of Security Council member nations such as France, Great Britain, and Russia, and received assorted and contradictory opinions in return ...

The full study is at the link.

Sarah Palin Slams Joe Biden Linking Tea Party Conservatives with Terrorists

It's "quite appalling," and that's putting it mildly:

Yet progressives have their meme at they're sticking to it. See Joe Nocera, "Tea Party's War on America" (via Memeorandum).

Marine Corps Tries to Stop Nude Bathing at Camp Pendleton

We saw some live training exercises last time we drove down to Pechanga, taking the coastal route on I-5 South to Highway 78 East.

At Telegraph UK, "US Marine Corps tries to stop nudists using training beach." (Via Theo Spark.)

'No Matter What'

Badfinger, rocking:

Singer Pete Ham committed suicide at age 27, same age of death as Amy Winehouse and so many others.

Death of Keynesianism? Not for Paul Krugman

Some have been speculating on the death of Keynesian economics, but folks need look no further than Paul Krugman to see how strong a grip discredited academic theories still hold on the establishment class. See Krugman's essay this morning, "Macroeconomic Folly":

All of a sudden, people seem to have noticed that policy is moving in exactly the wrong direction. We’re getting headlines like this: Debt Deal Puts U.S. on Austerity Path as Economy Falters.

I’ll need to write up my thoughts here at greater length, but let’s just say for now that what we’ve witnessed pretty much throughout the western world is a kind of inverse miracle of intellectual failure. Given a crisis that should have been relatively easy to solve — and, more than that, a crisis that anyone who knew macroeconomics 101 should have been well-prepared to deal with — what we actually got was an obsession with problems we didn’t have. We’ve obsessed over the deficit in the face of near-record low interest rates, obsessed over inflation in the face of stagnant wages, and counted on the confidence fairy to make job-destroying policies somehow job-creating.

It’s a disaster – and maybe not only an economic disaster.

Fears of far-right rise in crisis-hit Greece...

Well, that's fear alright ... fear-mongering.

The Death of the Socialist Left

Actually, as I noted earlier, I'm a little surprised how much clout the tea party is wielding, but this is a great essay from Toby Young, at Telegraph UK, "The real story of the US debt deal is not the triumph of the Tea Party but the death of the Socialist Left":

Most pundits are crediting this U-turn to the political muscle of the Tea Party and it’s true that President Obama would never have agreed to this deal if the Tea Party Republicans in the House of Representatives hadn’t engaged in the brinkmanship of the past few weeks. But to focus on the Tea Party is to ignore the tectonic political shift that’s taken place, not just in America but across Europe. The majority of citizens in nearly all the world’s most developed countries simply aren’t prepared to tolerate the degree of borrowing required to sustain generous welfare programmes any longer.

As I pointed out in a blog post last May, tax-and-spend Left-wing parties have fared poorly in election after election over the past two years:

Labour was punished by the British electorate last year, polling its lowest share of the vote since 1983, but not as severely as the Social Democrats were by the Swedes, polling their lowest share of the vote since universal suffrage was introduced in 1921…

The same picture emerges wherever you look. In the European election in June, 2009, the Left took a hammering. In Germany, the Social Democrats polled just 20 per cent of the vote, their worst result since the Second World War. In France, the Socialist Party only mustered 16.5 per cent, its lowest share of the vote in a European election since 1994. In Italy, the Democrats polled 26.1 per cent, seven percentage points less than they received at the last Italian election. As David Miliband pointed out in a recent lecture: “Left parties are losing elections more comprehensively than ever before. They are fragmenting at just the time the Right is uniting. I don’t believe this is some kind of accident.”

For believers in redistributive taxation and egalitarian social programmes like David Miliband, Obama was the last great hope. Here was a centre left politician capable of building the kind of electoral coalition that underpinned the massive expansions of state power in Britain and America, from Attlee’s post-war Labour Government to Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. That is, a coalition of the white working class, minorities and middle class liberals. Yet in spite of sweeping to power in 2008 and ensuring the Democrats won in both the House and the Senate, Obama has proved unable to sustain that coalition. Last night’s debt deal represents the moment when he acknowledged that trying to maintain the levels of public spending required to fund ambitious welfare programmes is political suicide. Which is why the deal has been greated with cries of impotent rage by the British Left.

Well, perhaps Britain needs a tea party, although that would be historically incongruous.

More at the link (via Memeorandum). See also Damian Thompson, "'Obama has betrayed us!' wails Britain's trendy Left."

Timeline of Gabrielle Giffords' Recovery

See Telegraph UK, "Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has voted in the US House of Representatives for the first time since she was shot in Arizona in January. Here is a timeline of her remarkable recovery..."

I'm really fascinated by this. She looks so alert and able. I read a lot about her surgery and medical prospects at the time. I recall just a couple months ago reports indicating the Giffords' speech was still halting. But as much as we can see here, she's chatting up a storm on the floor of the House.

I'll update if I find more information. It's truly is remarkable and a testament to the human spirit. I'm very proud and happy for her.

Tea Party Sees No Triumph In Compromise

At report at Wall Street Journal:

The agreement to cut deficits and raise the debt ceiling hammered together in Washington caps a remarkable two-year surge by the tea-party movement—forcing Republicans and Democrats alike to refocus on spending and, at the same time, proving the political power of the tea party.

Yet, a chorus of tea-party activists and leaders across the country denounced the agreement on Monday, saying it included little in the way of the change they actually sought.

"People are saying, 'These tea partiers, aren't they wonderful, they are changing the conversation,'" said Ellen Gilmore, a leader of the LaGrange Tea Party Patriots in Georgia. "Well, we got absolutely squat—except for the conversation."

However, the deal struck Sunday falls far short of many tea-party groups' stated goals of no increase in the debt ceiling, vastly larger budget cuts and passage of a balanced-budget amendment. The central question facing the loose-knit tea-party movement today, two years after it sprang into existence, is whether its organization and leadership can grow to match its ideological force.

Actually, the tea party is stronger than I thought it'd be after the election. Members of Congress have really taken the limited government message to heart, and that goes all the way to Speaker John Boehner. I think activists should be patting themselves on the back and mobilizing to get more grassroots representatives elected in 2012. And the GOP presidential field sure is taking the tea partiers seriously. See Los Angeles Times, "Almost all GOP presidential hopefuls oppose debt deal."

Mark Meckler Interview at Der Spiegel

See, "Interview with Tea Party Co-Founder Mark Meckler: 'We Have Compromised Our Way Into Disaster'":

SPIEGEL: The world is looking at Washington and sees gridlock and chaos. How much have the negotiations over the United States' debt ceiling hurt America's standing in the world?

Meckler: Saying that these debates have hurt our image is absurd. What you currently see in Washington is one of the most responsible debates ever about the size and scope of government. The world should look at what is going on in the United States as a model for what should happen in all countries.

SPIEGEL: We look at it and see a Congress held hostage by a small group of radical Tea Party members unwilling to agree to any budget compromise and risking a US default.

Meckler: What do you mean by "a small group?" Forty-one percent of voters in the last US election said they agreed with Tea Party values. And the primary values of the Tea Party are about fiscal responsibility.

SPIEGEL: But you are willing to accept a US default if your demands for massive budget cuts and no tax increases are not met. That seems rather irresponsible or even unpatriotic. Most leading economists forecast financial "Armageddon" in that case.

Meckler: Default is a false threat. We take in over $220 billion in revenues every month and our debt service is only roughly $20 billion. The only way we will default is if the President of the United States makes the irresponsible choice not to pay our debts. We Tea Party Patriots put principles first, and we have to understand what America is about. Our country was founded on an idea: liberty. But it requires fiscal responsibility for people to be free. We are becoming slaves to our own government. Every US family now owes $400,000 to $500,000 in national debt. We Tea Party Patriots fight for the future of the nation, and there can be nothing more patriotic than that.

Continue reading.

Andrew Breitbart Discusses Budget Politics with Alexis Garcia

From Pajamas Media:

Vans Shoes Digs the Debt Deal!

Vans shoes are cool!

Beach Bunny Swimwear at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Some lovelies, including goddess Kate Upton.

See Style Bistro, "Kate Upton Walks the Runway in a Beach Bunny Bikini":

Kate Upton is sensational.

There's more video on this so look for updates. Boy!

Would You Pull Over For a Snake On the Windshield?

Actually, yes. That was my first thought upon seeing this at The Blaze, "‘OOOOH MY GOD’: SNAKE ON WINDSHIELD TRIGGERS HIGHWAY FREAK OUT."

But see KABC-TV Los Angeles, "Tennessee family catches snake on windshield."

My wife said she wouldn't stop: "Who cares about the environmentalists?!!"

Shaun White on Twitter!

My young son suggested I follow him:

Uneasy House OK's Debt Deal

At Wall Street Journal, "Both Parties Find Fault With Bill; Senate to Vote Tuesday":

WASHINGTON—The House passed a $2.4 trillion debt-ceiling increase Monday night with the Senate planning to follow on Tuesday, after one of the most ferocious fights ever over government spending.

Congressional approval, along with President Barack Obama's signature, would raise the government's debt limit just before the U.S. government would begin defaulting on its obligations.

Both liberals and conservatives were upset by parts of the deal. Democratic and Republican party leaders spent Monday trying to get them on board.

Lawmakers and other officials raised questions Monday about how the complicated agreement will unfold in the coming months, such as who will sit on a key deficit-cutting congressional committee and whether that panel can raise taxes.

Vote totals at the link. Ninety-five Republicans voted against the deal.

Power Line Prize Contest Winner: 'The Spending is Nuts'

From John Hinderaker (via Memeorandum):

VIDEO: Gabrielle Giffords Returns to Congress

This is good.

At New York Times, "Giffords Return Marks Moment of Unity in Divided House."

Representative Gabrielle Giffords made a surprise appearance Monday evening on the floor of the House of Representatives, the first time she has returned to Washington since she was shot earlier this year in Arizona.

With two minutes remaining on the voting clock, Ms. Giffords entered the chamber through a side door. Her arrival prompted a standing ovation that lasted throughout the remainder of the vote on the compromise to raise the debt ceiling. She was among one of the last representatives to cast her ballot, voting yes on the measure as other affirmative votes put the bill over the top.

See also, "House Passes Bill on Debt Ceiling." (At Memeorandum.)

Digby's Hullabaloo, Progressive Libel Blogger, Attacks Pamela Geller as Anders Breivik's Muse

That's Big Mama Digby (Heather Parton) at the picture. She's one sick bitch.

Here's the post: "The Murderer's Muse." Digby feigned a retraction by writing:

I was wrong to compare Geller to Tim McVeigh and I apologize for doing it. She has personally committed no violence and can't stand next to him for sheer evil. I do think the genocidal rants on her blog are worthy of condemnation and since she wrote them and featured those of others, she does bear responsibility for them.

Nope. Sorry. That's not gonna cut it. Should've just deleted the post and moved on. The progressives are obviously too stupid to actually read what Pamela wrote. See, "SUMMER CAMP? ANTISEMITIC INDOCTRINATION TRAINING CENTER." Following the links takes us to The Anti-Mullah, "ANOTHER LOOK AT THE NORWAY LABOR PARTY PALESTINIAN AFFILIATION."

I saw photos of the Labor Youth camp's "Boikott Israel" banners within hours of the shooting. Norway's Labor Party is a classic new-left Israel-bashing organization. See, "Norwegian campsite Utoya was socialist and anti-Israel." I personally ignored this angle because the killings went beyond normal political differences, and I thought it better to simply highlight what I could about the psychology of Anders Breivik. It bears repeating that Breivik is a deranged criminal acting outside the normal bounds of reason. No movement or ideology can possibly be blamed for the actions of this sick loser. He's insane. But progressives continue to exploit the dead for their cheap attacks on conservatives and counter-jihad. Folks should see over at Pamaela's now. She's documented the campaign of death against her, including an endless stream of vicious email invective that might as well been sent by the Antichrist himself. See, "EVIL UNLEASHED":

"We are witnesssing the complete breakdown of rational society."

Melanie Phillips has made the same point repeatedly, calling the attacks on her as the latest in the left's totalitarian inquisition:

They [progressives] are in the same mould as the religious and political totalitarian tyrannies of the past; they make in this respect common cause with the Islamists whose agenda poses a mortal threat to their own lives and liberties and most cherished beliefs; and they share the characteristic of a closed thought system which is totally impervious to reason and destroys all who challenge it with the monsters of history and Anders Behring Breivik.

That is surely why the left seized upon the Norway atrocity with demented joy and detonated a terrifying eruption of distortion and demonisation, irrationality, hatred and sheer blood-lust as it saw in the ravings of Anders Behring Breivik the mother and father of all smears which it could use to crush those who refuse to surrender to cultural totalitarianism. So those of us who fight for life, liberty and western civilisation against their enemies found ourselves – and by implication, the many millions who share these mainstream views – grotesquely damned as accessories to mass murder by those who actually cheer on religious fascists and genocidal madmen and who are set upon silencing all who resist.

The appalling actions of a Norwegian psychopath tell us next to nothing about our society. But the reaction to that atrocity tells us a great deal more.

Time for Institutional Reform? Well, Only When Democrats Are Losing

Leave it to the bright lights of the political science profession to call for major structural reforms on the heels of the debt deal. It reminds me of all the useless handwringing over the filibuster once Obama-the-Socialist was elected. Progressives lost. And the losers are screaming foul! See Jacob Hacker and Oona Hathaway, at New York Times, "Our Unbalanced Democracy" (via Memeorandum):

OUR nation isn’t facing just a debt crisis; it’s facing a democracy crisis. For weeks, the federal government has been hurtling toward two unsavory options: a crippling default brought on by Congressional gridlock, or — as key Democrats have advocated — a unilateral increase in the debt ceiling by an unchecked president. Even if the last-minute deal announced on Sunday night holds together, it’s become clear that the balance at the heart of the Constitution is under threat.

The debate has threatened to play out as a destructive but all too familiar two-step, revealing how dysfunctional the relationship between Congress and the president has become.

The two-step begins with a Congress that is hamstrung and incapable of effective action. The president then decides he has little alternative but to strike out on his own, regardless of what the Constitution says.

Congress, unable or unwilling to defend its role, resorts instead to carping at “his” program, “his” war or “his” economy — while denying any responsibility for the mess it helped create. The president, on the defensive, digs in further.

This is, to say it plainly, pure bull. The system's working just the way it's supposed to. The electorate voted for a GOP House majority in 2010. And the Republicans stuck to their guns, to the shock of the old establishment, both Democrats and Republicans alike, who have historically, in previous rounds of debt "negotiations," faked spending restraint while hiking taxes. We have a presidential system and the separation of power. Each office is elected individually, with elections staggered every two years between the House (two-year terms, the entire membership up for reelection every two years), the Senate (six year terms of office for political insulation, with one-third of senators elected every two years), and the president (four year terms of office, term limited since 1951 to prevent cults of personality). Thank the Framers of the Constitution. They built a system that effectively prevents tyranny of the majority. If the voters are unhappy, they get to pick the government they want in 2012. That's how it works. No one's taking hostages. The system's not dysfunctional. If you don't like the filibuster, elect 60 senators from your own party to the majority in the Senate. That solves the problem. If you don't like Republican backbone in the House, take back the chamber in 2010. That's how it works. Amazing how progressives whine about how the sky is falling when folks say we ought to live within our means. It's all going to work out, and in the end the average voter will have demonstrated more influence than the upper-crust academics sneering from their ivory towers.

Image Credit: The People's Cube.

30 Years of MTV

At Independent UK, "It's 30 years since MTV launched and in its three decades, it’s changed the way we think about – as well as watch – music."

I just miss JJ Jackson and Martha Quinn. See, "MTV at 30: Original Veejays, Where Are They Now?"

Historic Chelsea Hotel Closes to Guests

At New York Times, "A Last Night Among the Spirits at the Chelsea Hotel":

Part of the allure of the Chelsea, beyond the creepy yet tantalizing feeling that the place is thick with spirits, is that from the inside looking out, New York can still feel gritty. Its cavelike hallways are lined with paintings, striking collages and old electrical wiring caked with innumerable coats of paint. A palpable heaviness lingers, especially in the first-floor room where Nancy Spungen was staying with her boyfriend, Sid Vicious, when she was stabbed to death in 1978. Artists, photographers, composers and producers still live there, making the place part art colony, part living museum.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

40th Anniversary of Concert for Bangladesh

Well, this gives me the chance to play George Harrison (via Selena Gomez on Twitter).

And check the George Harrison page here.

Forget the Debt Deal, Dude Gets Britney Spears Lap Dance in D.C.!

WaPo has the review of Britney Spears' concert at Verizon Center on Sunday. But see Celebuzz, "Britney Spears Gives Lap Dance to Lucky Audience Member (PHOTOS)."

Now that is some hostage taking I can get behind, or, well, under!!

Debt Deal Kicks Democrats to the Curb

See George Condon, at National Journal, "Obama Hurt By Debt Debate." Condon suggests that extending the debt ceiling until 2013 is actually a victory for Obama. But a quick skim around the progressive blogosphere indicates how badly the left got beaten up on this deal. Kos has this, for example, with no upside: "Getting rid of Bush tax cuts ... won't happen." (At Memeorandum.)

Republicans are winning.

But see Bruce Kesler, who argues it's more of the same: "Debt Deal: New Demoralization and New Sobriety." And similar points on offer from Josh Barro, "Debt Ceiling Deal—Less Than Meets the Eye."

Oshkosh M-ATV MRAP at X-Games 17 (Los Angeles)

I've written about the MRAP previously, but it was quite an experience to see one of these mofos up close. The word is BIG!!

(The Navy set up a big recruitment station at the X-Games.)

The MRAP is a high-mobility mine-resistant ambush-protected combat vehicle. The units were developed as a key anti-insurgency vehicles, designed to protect soldiers from IEDs (improvised explosive devices). By 2005, in Iraq, roughly half of all combat casualties were due to IED attacks. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who retired in June, said the deployment of MRAPs in Iraq and Afghanistan has saved "thousands of lives." The Oshkosh M-ATV page is here.

Click to enlarge the image below:

The Myth of the Extraordinary Teacher

From Ellie Herman, at Los Angeles Times:

The kid in the back wants me to define "logic." The girl next to him looks bewildered. The boy in front of me dutifully takes notes even though he has severe auditory processing issues and doesn't understand a word I'm saying. Eight kids forgot their essays, but one has a good excuse because she had another epileptic seizure last night. The shy, quiet girl next to me hasn't done homework for weeks, ever since she was jumped by a knife-wielding gangbanger as she walked to school. The boy next to her is asleep with his head on the desk because he works nights at a factory to support his family. Across the room, a girl weeps quietly for reasons I'll never know. I'm trying to explain to a student what I meant when I wrote "clarify your thinking" on his essay, but he's still confused.

It's 8:15 a.m. and already I'm behind my scheduled lesson. A kid with dyslexia, ADD and anger-management problems walks in late, throws his books on the desk and swears at me when I tell him to take off his hood.

The class, one of five I teach each day, has 31 students, including two with learning disabilities, one who just moved here from Mexico, one with serious behavior problems, 10 who flunked this class last year and are repeating, seven who test below grade level, three who show up halfway through class every day, one who almost never comes. I need to reach all 31 of them, including the brainiac who's so bored she's reading "Lolita" under her desk.

I just can't do it.

Keep reading to get to the myth of extraordinary teachers, although I'll add this part:

I understand that we need to get rid of bad teachers, who will be just as bad in small classes, but we can't demand that teachers be excellent in conditions that preclude excellence.

Actually, I'm not even sold on the idea of "really bad" teachers. Some aren't that great and probably shouldn't be teaching. I can think of a couple of professors at my college who have absolutely no social skills, and hence have a hard time reaching a comfortable or appropriate level of interaction with their students. But I also often hear reports about how such-and-such teacher changed some student's life. It's that level of interaction that gives meaning. The students I'm able to help most are generally those who take the time to break from the routine of just showing up. I'll be there to help students, inside the class and out. I'm especially thankful when students make an effort to attend office hours and share with me their own challenges or difficulties. That's when I can assess what needs to be done, and I can design some kind of extra program of help or attention, from either myself or other resources on campus. But all those stories Ms. Herman shares about her students, well, I have some as well. It's the inside of education that's not always known or understood. A lot of this is economic disadvantage, but a lot is just the way things are, that not every student who comes to us turns out as a Ph.D. candidate to Harvard. You make a difference where you can, helping students to learn and move forward. And hopefully you get a little recognition in return, even if it's just a well-needed thank you for your efforts.

A Tea Party Triumph

This is why the New York Times editors are so pissed off.

At Wall Street Journal:

If a good political compromise is one that has something for everyone to hate, then last night's bipartisan debt-ceiling deal is a triumph. The bargain is nonetheless better than what seemed achievable in recent days, especially given the revolt of some GOP conservatives that gave the White House and Democrats more political leverage.

***

The big picture is that the deal is a victory for the cause of smaller government, arguably the biggest since welfare reform in 1996. Most bipartisan budget deals trade tax increases that are immediate for spending cuts that turn out to be fictional. This one includes no immediate tax increases, despite President Obama's demand as recently as last Monday. The immediate spending cuts are real, if smaller than we'd prefer, and the longer-term cuts could be real if Republicans hold Congress and continue to enforce the deal's spending caps.

I've been really thinking about that this last few days. So much of current political dealmaking in the end depends on who wins in November 2012 and beyond. Republicans positioned themselves well for the upcoming campaign, and with 1.3 percent GDP growth and unemployment sticky at 9.2 percent, there's lots of reason for the Times to be even more pissed. It's another case of projection, of course. Progressives are mad. So they lash out, despite their own home-grown failures. Keep an eye out this week for more heated rhetoric from the left. Republicans might stock up on some choice quotes to run later in political ads. Democrats are really sore at losing this round, all the more so since their strategy of do-nothing obstructionism turned out to be a disaster. And we've got a presidential election as on the ballot as well. Boy, things are shaping up very well for the reviled teabaggers conservatives.

Progressives Hell-Bent on Bullying Millions Into Silence

From Melanie Phillips, at London's Daily Mail, "Hatred, smears and the liberals hell-bent on bullying millions of us into silence":

The baleful effects of the recent attacks in Norway, where Anders Breivik bombed Oslo’s government district and then gunned down teenagers at a Labour party camp, murdering at least 77 people, have not been limited to that horrific carnage.

For the atrocity has produced a reaction among people on the political Left in Britain, Europe and the U.S. that is in itself shocking and terrifying.

Former Norwegian prime minister and current chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize committee Thorbjorn Jagland has said that, in response to the violent attacks, David Cameron and other European leaders should use a more ‘cautious’ approach when talking about multiculturalism.

Cameron has said multiculturalism (the doctrine that gives the values of minorities equal status to those of the majority) has failed, and has also talked about ‘Islamist extremism’ as a cause of terrorism.

Jagland, however, said leaders would be ‘playing with fire’ if they continued to use rhetoric that could be exploited by extremists such as Breivik.

This is because Breivik’s so-called manifesto shows that he is violently against mass immigration, multiculturalism and Islamisation — and that he wants the forced repatriation of Muslims from Europe and the murder of all who have promoted multiculturalism.

But to connect such abhorrent ravings with Cameron’s comments is simply grotesque.
First and foremost, this is treating Breivik as if his words deserve to be taken seriously and at face value.

As of now, however, we don’t know whether Breivik is psychotic, a psychopath or under the influence of all the drugs he claims to have taken.

We also don’t know what part, if any, his political views actually played in this atrocity.

After all, since his target was his country’s Labour party one might just as well surmise that he was motivated by hatred of his father, who was a Labour party supporter and who was divorced from Breivik’s mother when the killer was a baby.

In any event, someone who travels to a teenagers’ summer camp and invites them all to gather round so that he can kill them all cannot be considered rational.

Yet the former Norwegian premier is treating Breivik as if he is a political terrorist whose words have the authority of a sane and coherent creed.

Still more at the link.

'Just Another Clown'

Sung to the tune of "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" (via Instapundit):

More punk fiscal conservatism at The Other McCain, "The radical punk-rock anthem of our age," and "Yeah, It’s Time For The Circle Jerks."

Raunchy Women Highlight Summer Movies

I'm going to have catch some of these on cable, as we're behind on our summer movie-going, but this story made the front-page at yesteday's Los Angeles Times, so here you go: "In summer comedies, women belch just as well as men."

Sports Illustrated Hotties Pick Their Favorite Leading Men

The bikini babes prove they're hopelessy geeky:

And in related Rule 5 news, at American Perspective, "Hot Sci Fi ladies: Leeloo, Storm, Mystique, Trinity," and Maggie's Notebook, "Rule 5 Saturday Night: Annie Ilonzeh."

BONUS: From Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 News: 29 July 2011 A.D."

New York Times Slurs Republicans as 'Hostage-Taking Extremists'

It's no mystery where the Times' editorial board gets such language. The progressive blogosphere has long been awash in beyond-the-pale attacks on principled conservatives. And the tone has taken a desperate turn of late. Government spending is out of control and leftist elites called for more of the same as an ostensible solution. The White House never offered an original plan and Senate Democrats played obstruction until the last moment. As I noted previously, elections have consequences. The GOP deserves credit for sticking to the political currents that brought them majority power last year in the House of Representatives. There's still a long way to go on the road to reform, and progressives are suffocating at the prospects of more good government rationalization. And reading this is like hearing the tormented screams of the demon being impaled. It's excruciating when your expansionist agenda is decisively crushed. But with luck it's just a start:

There is little to like about the tentative agreement between Congressional leaders and the White House except that it happened at all. The deal would avert a catastrophic government default, immediately and probably through the end of 2012. The rest of it is a nearly complete capitulation to the hostage-taking demands of Republican extremists. It will hurt programs for the middle class and poor, and hinder an economic recovery.

It is not yet set in stone, and there may still be time to make it better. But in the end, most Democrats will have no choice but to swallow their fury, accept the deal and, we hope, fight harder the next time.

VIDEO: President Obama Announces Debt Agreement

Here's the clip, as promised:

And at Wall Street Journal, "Leaders Agree on Debt Deal":

After weeks of partisan wrangling, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders reached a deal Sunday night to raise the government's debt ceiling while cutting spending by about $2.4 trillion, avoiding a government default but setting the stage for months more of stormy debates over how Washington taxes and spends.

The Senate and House are expected to vote on the deal Monday, so the agreement still needs the support of many House Republicans, who have proven a restless, independent group in recent days. But if it passes the House and Senate, it culminates an extraordinary display of political and economic brinksmanship, coming just days before the government could have been unable to fully pay its bills.

The deal would raise the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion in two stages, and provide initially for $917 billion in spending cuts over 10 years. A special committee of lawmakers would be charged with finding another $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction, which could come through a tax overhaul and changes to safety-net programs.

If the committee doesn't find at least $1.2 trillion in savings, or Congress doesn't adopt its proposals, a pre-set array of spending cuts would kick in, including cuts in military spending and Medicare payments to health-care providers.

Also, "White House Issues Fact Sheet on Debt Deal."

Shaun White Interview After Winning Vert Competition at X-Games 17

I snapped this shot of Shaun White's interview from the big screens inside the Nokia Center:

And here's the clip from the X-Games channel:

And a roundup of yesterday's results, at LAT, "Shaun White saves his best for last in Skateboard Vert."

Rally Cars at X Games 17

We parked south of Staples Center yesterday at the X-Games. If you check the venue layout at the link, there's a pedestrian walkway from Pico Boulevard back up toward Flower Street. Walking up to the entrance, we watched the rally cars coming out of the turn running along Pico (at about 18 seconds at the clip below). My youngest boy had to cover his ears. He wasn't used to anything like that. I was mostly surprised. I didn't even realize they'd added rally car racing to the program this year. Pretty cool, in any event. Here's this from this morning's LAT, "X Games takes it to the streets":

Imagine eight 550-horsepower noisy breadboxes that in one instant can be still but two seconds later can reach 60 miles an hour.

Imagine them side-by-side, blitzing down Figueroa Street outside L.A. Live, topping 100 mph while the Los Angeles Police Department sits idly by, radar guns holstered.

That's the image that danced in X Games officials' heads when they introduced rally car racing to the action sports event in 2006. And it's finally coming true this year.

The Rally Car Racing event Saturday marked the first such race on downtown Los Angeles streets — three streets, to be exact.

But Saturday was an undercard for Sunday, when the RallyCross event, similar to the Eurocentric style of rally car racing, lights up the 3,100-foot, six-turn course.

"It will be much more difficult," said two-time world rally champion Marcus Gronholm. "More cars lined up…. If you're are into traffic …oy, oy, oy,"

Leaders Reach Debt Deal

Here's the banner headline at National Journal, "SENATE LEADERS SAY DEAL HAS BEEN REACHED." And then clicking through, "Obama to Speak: Reid Says Deal Reached."

And checking over at C-SPAN, "President Announces Deal With Congressional Leaders on Debt Ceiling":

President Obama announced this evening that Congressional leaders from both parties have reached an agreement on a plan to raise the debt ceiling.

Saying it wasn't the deal he "would have preferred," the President nonetheless threw his support behind the plan, which will now presumably come up for a vote in the House and Senate this week.

By a count of 50 - 49, the Senate voted this afternoon to not proceed with debate on Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) debt ceiling proposal. The vote required 60 votes to clear the filibuster hurdle. Following the vote, the Senate went into recess while negotiations continued off the floor.

At the opening of this afternoon's session, Sen. Reid said he was "cautiously optimistic" that a debt ceiling deal could be reached soon. Later in the day House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she would have to present any deal to the Democratic rank and file members of the House before she'd support it.

Yeah, Dems aren't too happy, as Roll Call reports:

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said early reports of the new deal appeared to be “a sugar-coated Satan sandwich.” The Missouri Democrat said the CBC hadn’t yet made a formal declaration that the group would oppose it, “but this is a shady bill.”

“This deal trades people’s livelihoods for the votes of a few unappeasable right-wing radicals, and I will not support it,” ripped Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, before House Democrats had even been briefed. “The lesson today is that Republicans can hold their breath long enough to get what they want.”

Actually, elections have consequences. The real integrity this last few weeks has been on the House side, with the GOP majority.

See also at New York Times, "Leaders Reach Deal to Raise Debt Ceiling." (At Memeorandum.)

I'll update with video in a bit.

Obama Caused Fear and Panic on the Economy

I watched "Meet the Press" this morning for a bit, before going back to sleep. Jim Cramer's always interesting, although former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, featured on the round-table panel, is the last person you want speaking on job creation:

Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action

I've forgotten now, but I'm sure I got a few NEA e-mails on this. Here's the website.

These people are angry and stupid, and dangerous combination. Video c/o Glenn Reynolds:

Debt Compromise

I'm trying to get caught up on the news.

Check NYT on the debt ceiling debate, "Amid New Talks, Some Optimism on Debt Crisis."

And from LAT, "Congress 'very, very close' to debt-ceiling deal, Mitch McConnell says":

The Senate's top-ranking Republican said Sunday lawmakers are "very, very close" to an agreement to raise the nation's debt limit, as the Congress works to meet an imminent deadline to stave off an unprecedented federal default.

In separate interviews, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated that progress had been made late Saturday in conversations between the White House and congressional leaders on a debt-ceiling plan that could meet with enough support from both parties to move to President Obama's desk by Aug. 2.

McConnell, on CNN's "State of the Union," described a $3 trillion package that included cuts in discretionary spending, caps on future spending and a vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment. A special joint committee would be formed to consider further cuts and entitlement reforms that could be put to a vote in Congress this fall.

The debt ceiling would be raised until after the 2012 presidential election – a key priority for Obama.

"This deal has not been finalized but I think we're very, very close to something I could comfortably recommend to my members, and I believe the Democratic leadership will be doing the same," McConnell said on CBS' "Face The Nation."

Also at Bloomberg, "White House, Republicans Said to Reach Tentative Deal on U.S. Debt Ceiling." (Via Memeorandum.)

I'm going to look more closely at this deal in an update later. Some reports indicate that this is basically the same deal that House Republcans offered weeks ago, and thus Harry Reid and the White House placed America at risk for higher taxes. We know they want more taxes, but everyone's been talking about financial Armageddon, so it pisses me off even more to think about not only our bottomless pit of leftist collectivism, but the lengths of deceit progressives will go to maintain it.

More later ...

Home From X-Games — VIDEO ADDED!

We had a blast. I'll post a few pictures and the X-Games video later.

Meanwhile, at Los Angeles Times, "X Games: Shaun White wins gold in Skateboard Vert."

Added: Here's Shaun White's final, winning ride:

Check back for my own commentary and photos later. I'm glad my kids got to be there.

Heading to X-Games

Okay, I'm heading out with my boys to Staples Center. I watched the big air finals last night on ESPN. And at LAT, "Bob Burnquist knows how to win gold at X Games."

Check back for a report late tonight, or probably in the morning ...

Rush Limbaugh Congratulates Conservatives and the Tea Party

Rush reminds Republicans not to operate out of fear. President Barack Obama's a loser. "Winners do not compromise." See: "You Can Be Proud, Conservatives: Tea Party Puts Country Over Party."

Winners do not compromise. Winners do not compromise with themselves. The winners who do compromise are winners who still don't believe in themselves as winners, who still think of themselves as losers. And you and I are finished with supporting people who think of themselves as losers, or in the minority, or we don't have the power, or we don't control all three branches, or what have you. I wish Barack Obama would give a speech every day. I don't believe the news reports that say Obama's losing sleep. I don't believe that. I don't believe his hair's getting gray. I think they're putting flour in it every day to make it look like it's getting grayer or whatever the makeup trick is.

This man has taken our country to the brink. The gross domestic product, the growth numbers today, my friends, are unacceptable. It is a shame and it is an embarrassment. The ChiCom economy is growing at 94 percent. We're being outperformed by a communist country. There's no excuse for this. This should not be our new norm, and there is no way that we ought to be compromising with the architect of the disaster that has befallen our country. On what basis is Barack Obama viewed as a leader? On what basis is Barack Obama viewed as even a winner? He and his party were shellacked in the November elections. There are 25 or 30 courageous Republican freshmen who held out for this. Mike, grab audio sound bites 9, 10, and 11. I want you to hear these. This is the media, befuddled over these Tea Party freshmen.

BONUS: At Instapundit, "NEW YORK POST: So Who’s Playing Politics With The Debt?"

Also, check Cold Fury and The Other McCain for updates. And Sundries Shack too.

Economy Grew at Weak 1.3 Percent in Second Quarter

At LAT, "The U.S. economy grew at a weak rate of 1.3% from April through June, another sign that the recovery has faltered dramatically."

And at Sundries Shack, "Let’s Stop the Clubbing of America":

It’s not so much that President Obama has hamstrung the economy but that he’s methodically stalked it over the past two and a half years.

And now he’s clubbing it to death.

And hear it from the Stalker-in-Chief himself:

See also, Dan Riehl, "O'petulance: Master Barry's Childish Temperament," and Weasel Zippers, "Obama Demands Congress Give Him Debt Bill By Tuesday, Still Refusing To Come Up With His Own Plan…"

Pamela Geller and Political Relevance

You know, when Pamela Geller was featured on the front-page of the Sunday New York Times last October, I thought, "Wow, that's commanding a lot of attention for a blogger." This was of course not long after September 11th, and Pamela's organization staged the big protest against the conquest mosque at Ground Zero. See the report: "Fight Against the 'Mosque'." Pamela also wrote an outstanding book on Barack Obama's post-American presidency, and her blog Atlas Shrugs remains one of the top-ranked blogs on the web. She's mobilized thousands upon thousands of people to join and fight for a cause. And she's traveled the county speaking and educating Americans on Islamic jihad and the stakes of the information battlespace. And I could go on. So I found this debate between Peter Ingemi and Josh Trevino on Twitter the other day pretty interesting, and Peter --- who is Da Tech Guy --- has a write up at The Conservatory, "Pam Geller and Relevance, Part 1: Conventional Wisdom."

In any case, I'm pictured with Pamela last year at her book signing in Los Angeles.

More later ...

The Norway Attacks at 'The Big Picture'

An amazing photo-essay, at Boston Globe's, "The Big Picture."

Also, at New York Times, "Norway Displays Unity at Attack Victim’s Funeral."

Michael Coren Interviews Robert Spencer

Via Blazing Cat Fur:

Mick Jagger's Conservative Side

Another progressive rock icon comes out as conservative. At CSM, "Mick Jagger: closet conservative?" (via Instapundit):

What If They Gave Charles Johnson a Memeorandum Thread and Nobody Came?

Poor old King Charles.

For some reason the Memeorandum algorithm picked up this post at Little Green Footballs: "Pamela Geller Edits Post to Conceal Violent Rhetoric in ‘Email from Norway’." It's time-stamped at 7:20pm Friday night (at Memorandum River), and almost 6 hours later not a single blog has linked. And to think, this used to be the mighty LGF. I remember way back, as a beginning blogger, the aura of CJ's blogospheric greatness. (Folks would talk about checking over there to see if "the window opens" so they could be cool and register for commenting.) And now, well, the dude having a hard time getting folks to even post some "Downfall" parodies.

In any case, here's a link to POH Diaries, "Courageous Conservatives Episode #4: Pamela Geller."

And ICYMI at Zilla's, "Operation United Front - UPDATED - Roll Call!"

Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies

I caught True Lies on AMC early yesterday morning. Jamie Lee Curtis is hilarious.

New York Times Downplays Muslim Fort Hood Terror Plotter

Well that's a surprise.

At Fox Nation (via Memorandum).

I checked the Times' homepage Friday morning, and there was no mention of Naser Abdo on the front page. In hard-copy, the paper's report appeared on Page A11, "Soldier Held Amid Claim of Terror Plot at Fort Hood." Had Private Abdo successfully carried out an attack, the Democrat-Media-Complex would have provided cover, minimizing Islamist influence and attacking counter-jihad bloggers as bigots.

Note: The Times has a report in its Saturday hard-copy edition on Page A15, "Soldier Arrested in Suspected Bomb Plot Had Series of Disputes With Army." I just caught this linked prominently at the homepage, so I guess that's progress.

Wall Street Journal Weekend Interview: Theodore Dalrymple, 'Unraveling the Mystery of Murderous Minds'

From Brian Carney's interview:

Some have sought to link Breivik's violence to his political thinking. The New York Times ran a story Monday about Breivik's fondness for certain American anti-Islamist blogs. And a parade of politicians on the European right have felt compelled to step forward and condemn Breivik's killing spree—as if afraid that silence might somehow imply sympathy. Dr. Dalrymple himself, he says, is quoted indirectly "several times" in Breivik's manifesto, "and that," he says, "is slightly anxiety-provoking." In the first place, it's never pleasant to find yourself in the company, however unwillingly or unwittingly, of a man like Breivik.

He has another worry, "that what he's done will be taken as a reason to close down all kinds of debate," or to delegitimize the views of anyone who, as Dr. Dalrymple puts it, "question[s] anything that the current prime minister of Norway says or believes."

Emerging Democratic Majority?

Michael Barone debates Ruy Teixeira on Capitol Hill, August 18th. My money's on Barone. Teixeira's been forecasting a coming Democrat majority as long as I can remember. Here's this report, shortly after the "Hope & Change" election of 2008: "New Progressive America: Twenty Years of Demographic, Geographic, and Attitudinal Changes Across the Country Herald a New Progressive Majority."

Teixeira's not quite as confident today, "Key Socialist Fears “White Working Class” Could Defeat Obama."

Freakin' commie douchenozzle.

Mitchie Brusco at X-Games

I posted a Mitchie Brusco video last night. He executes a 900 (2 and 1/2 spin big air) at the clip.

And here's this, from this morning's front-page at Los Angeles Times, "Mitchie Brusco joins skateboarding's big boys at X Games":

The 900, a 21/2 -revolution airborne spin, is skateboarding's most elusive trick, its Holy Grail.

Few have conquered it, but Brusco became the youngest when he nailed it during the MegaRamp Championship series this month in Brazil after only a few hours of practice.

"Honestly, I didn't think it would be as big of deal as it was," Brusco said.

Oh, it was.

Tony Hawk, who landed the first 900 in 1999 at the X Games after several failed tries on the vertical ramp, promptly sent out a tweet to his nearly 2.5 million followers:

"Congratulations to @Mitchiebrusco84 with the cleanest 900 to date …on a mega ramp."

I'm watching ESPN right now. These guys are unreal.

Senate Quickly Moves to Block House Debt-Ceiling Plan

At Los Angeles Times:

The Senate voted Friday evening to reject Speaker John A. Boehner's debt-ceiling plan just hours after it moved through the House, setting up a dramatic weekend of negotiations as Congress works to stave off a potential federal default.

And House Speaker John Boehner at the video, via Legal Insurrection.

Also at The Hill, "Senate quickly tables Boehner debt plan" (via Memeorandum).

Added: Glenn Reynolds has a roundup. And at The Other McCain, "Boehner Debt-Ceiling Bill Barely Passes House 218-210; 22 GOP ‘No’ Votes." Lots of updates at that link.

Pat Condell: 'Violence Is Not the Answer'

Via Blazing Cat Fur, "Pat Condell on Anders Behring Breivik."

Lady Gaga on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

I didn't even know she was in L.A.

At Los Angeles Times, "Lady Gaga takes over Hollywood Boulevard, peacefully."

Here's the clip. It might be taken down for copyright violation, so enjoy it while it lasts:

And at MTV, "Lady Gaga Finally Confirms 'You And I' As Her Next Single."

RELATED: At Daily Mail, "Lady Gaga takes the plunge in a daring low cut number slashed to the thigh", and "Forget your skirt Lady Gaga? Cheeky singer leaves little to the imagination in a pair of see-through tights." Gaga looks a little chunky at that last link.

Tea Party Terrorists?

The partisan rhetoric is already over the top, but slamming conservative Republicans as "terrorists" is beyond the pale. William Yeomans, at Politico, is not cool: "The tea party's terrorist tactics" (via Memeorandum).

It has become commonplace to call the tea party faction in the House “hostage takers.” But they have now become full-blown terrorists.

They have joined the villains of American history who have been sufficiently craven to inflict massive harm on innocent victims to achieve their political goals. A strong America has always stood firm in the face of terrorism. That tradition is in jeopardy, as Congress and President Barack careen toward an uncertain outcome in the tea party- manufactured debt crisis.

This guy is talking about the GOP's elected representatives in Congress, and this is after Anders Behring Breivik, a real terrorist, killed dozens in Norway. And this is also while Army Private Nasser Jason Abdo, and antiwar leftist, is being arraigned in Texas and could face federal terrorism charges. But Yoemans isn't the only one. Idiot Washington Monthly columnist Steve Benen is slamming GOP members as "the suicide squad", and Little Boy Ezra at Washington Post is bemoaning the GOP's aversion to compromise, saying this reflects badly on John Boehner.

It's to be expected, I guess. So, let's hear it from the other side, from Byron York, "In debt fight, Dems reject Republican compromise":

House Speaker John Boehner has introduced two bills that would raise the nation's debt ceiling and end the current default crisis. The first, known as "Cut, Cap and Balance," was tabled by Senate Democrats without an up-or-down vote. The second, Boehner's plan to cut more than $900 billion in federal spending and raise the debt ceiling by a slightly smaller amount, could face a similar fate if it first passes the House ...

While Obama preaches the virtues of compromise, his Democratic allies and surrogates are bashing Republicans for rejecting what the White House characterizes as earnest, good-faith efforts to find common ground. "I hope that Speaker Boehner and [Minority] Leader McConnell will reconsider their intransigence," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said a few days ago. "Their unwillingness to compromise is pushing us to the brink of a default." (At the same time, Reid has been issuing absolute, inflexible statements like, "I will not support any short-term agreement.")

But the fact is, the Republicans who admitted defeat on "Cut, Cap and Balance" showed a unmistakable willingness to compromise. "The president has asked us to compromise," House Minority Leader Eric Cantor said Thursday afternoon. "We have compromised."

RELATED: At New York Times, "House Passes Boehner’s New Debt Plan."

Army Private Naser Jason Abdo, in Court Appearance, Shouts Name of Fort Hood Shooter Major Nidal Hasan

At LAT, "Accused plotter shouts out name of Ft. Hood killer at hearing."

See also Right Truth, "Naser Jason Abdo." And Ironic Surrealism," and Ironic Surrealism, "Muslim Soldier Turned Jihadist Naser Abdo Part II: Yelled “Nidal Hasan Fort Hood 2009″ In Courtroom -Under Investigation For Making Anti-American Comments While on Duty [Updated]."

RELATED: at Christian Science Monitor, "Accused Fort Hood plotter got bombmaking recipe from Al Qaeda."

Larry Flynt Offers Casey Anthony $500,000 to Pose for Hustler Magazine

Blech!

At New York Daily News, "Casey Anthony, acquitted of murder, offered $500K to pose naked in Hustler, says Larry Flynt."

Also at London's Daily Mail, "'Men want Casey in her birthday suit': Larry Flynt offers Anthony $500,000 to pose nude for Hustler."

Well, Casey Anthony isn't very attractive, IMHO, although Larry Flynt proves he's a sleazebag "hustler" if there ever was one.

PFC Nasser Abdo and Iraq Veterans Against the War

Hmm, the antiwar left's got some splainin' to do, and here's the hot-under-the-collar denial of ties to Private Naser Jason Abdo: "IVAW STATEMENT ON NASER ABDO ARREST":

Abdo is not now and has never been a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Shoot, he didn't need to be. The folks at IVAW were happy to set up Abdo as another Bradley Manning, and now they're throwing him under the bus. See Weasel Zippers, "Anti-War Group Scrubs Website of Involvement With Muslim Soldier ."Arrested For Plotting Second Ft. Hood Terror Attack…"

See also Alana Goodman, "Fort Hood Suspect Had Left-Wing Fan Base."

And the main reporting on this is at This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here. See, "IVAW and Abdo," "IVAW release, and Mother Jones," and "Abdo’s accomplices." (Via Memeorandum.)

Halden Prison

See this deceptively titled photo-essay at Maggie's Farm, "The Beautiful Halden Luxury Retirement Centre."

Also at NYDN, "Norway massacre suspect Anders Behring Breivik's potential prison digs equipped with fancy luxuries." And here's this from London's Daily Mail in 2010, "World's poshest prison? Cells with en-suite bathrooms and no window bars (plus £1m Banksy-style art)":

Halden opened it's doors officially last month, taking in the first batch of inmates. Prison governor Are Hoidal said there have been no escape attempts.

He said: 'In the Norwegian prison system, there's a focus on human rights and respect.

'We don't see any of this as unusual.

'When they arrive many of them are in bad shape and we want to build them up, give them confidence through education and work and have them leave as better people.'

Halden also features jogging trails in nearby woods and a freestanding two-bedroom house where inmates can host their families during overnight visits.

In Norway only 20 per cent of prisoners end up back in jail after release, compared to between 50 and 60 per cent in the UK.

Sounds so great, although Norwegian society still managed to produce Anders Breivik.

RELATED: At Daily Caller, "Police: Alleged Norwegian mass murderer faces just 21 years in Prison." But see The Economist, "Flowers for freedom: As Norwegians mourn their dead, they insist that they will not give up the openness of their society."

Mr Breivik is in police custody, in solitary confinement without access to news or the internet for the next eight weeks. Though he has confessed to the killings, he denies he committed a crime. He will probably be charged under a recent terrorism provision in the criminal code that allows a 30-year prison sentence. There are other provisions that could keep him locked up for the rest of his life. The Norwegian police have yet to answer conclusively the vital question of whether he acted alone or with accomplices.

A facet of Norwegian openness—its tolerance of diversity—was one of the things that fuelled Mr Breivik’s mass slaughter. The Labour Party, the dominant force in Norwegian politics for decades, came into his cross-hairs because of its staunch defence of both diversity and tolerance. AUF, the party youth wing that organised the camp on Utoya island, was a doubly attractive target in his twisted ideology: it is fervently anti-racist and many members come from Norway’s ethnic minorities.

Travis Pastrana Breaks Foot and Ankle at X-Games

The report's at Los Angeles Times.

Gnarly:

Also at ESPN, "Travis Pastrana fractures foot, ankle."

New York Times Reader Kills Dozens in Norway

A classic piece from Ann Coulter, at FrontPage Magazine.

And speaking of New York Times, see Timothy Egan's desperation, "A Madman and His Manifesto."

RELATED: Anders Breivik is explained — indeed, he's all boxed up and ready to go — at Los Angeles Times, "Norway attacks: The Breivik-McVeigh connection," by Andrew Gumbel.

The Budget Crisis and American Power

From George Melloan, at Wall Street Journal:

Ronald Reagan famously said that no nation has ever been attacked because it was too strong, but that maxim is often forgotten. This seems to be the case now, as both the White House and some residual isolationists on the right propose measures to withdraw the U.S. from its global security commitments.

Barack Obama's performance as commander in chief leaves much to be desired. A skillful tactician doesn't aid a tenacious enemy (the Taliban) by announcing a timetable for quitting the field. He doesn't enter a war (Libya) and then withdraw as if he were sitting down after throwing out the first baseball. He doesn't damage his credibility by issuing unpersuasive threats (Iran). He doesn't diss a long-time strategic ally (Israel). He doesn't make concessions to "reset" relations with Russia and get nothing in return. And so forth.

America's foreign policy hawks are rightly critical of such conduct. Fearful that the president's uncertain trumpet will embolden enemies and distance friends, they deplore the planned troop drawdown in Afghanistan and other measures to reduce the U.S. military's forward presence. They argue correctly that the U.S. has been the primary architect of a global order that has fostered free commerce and political and social advances of great benefit to the U.S. and the world at large.

But there is one big problem: The U.S. is busted. That's not primarily because of its foreign policy engagements, which have been a good investment. It is mainly because America's political leaders have overburdened the productive sector with social obligations that cannot be fulfilled.

Sadly, when budgets are stretched, U.S. politicians usually don't menace entitlements, which buy votes. Instead they look to cut military and foreign policy expenditures. The consequences are often dire.

RTWT.

Glenn Greenwald: 'An un-American response to the Oslo attack'

I can't stand him personally, but he deserves props for his consistent anti-Americanism, which has continued right on into the Obama administration.

Greenwald's latest on Norway, at Salon.

Boehner's Moment of Truth

From Kimberley Strassel, at WSJ:

It isn't easy to turn Washington around on a dime. If nothing else, give Republican House Speaker John Boehner marks for trying.

It wasn't a week ago that Mr. Boehner was plodding through White House deliberations, grasping for GOP support, facing the growing likelihood his party would be saddled with either a flawed debt bargain or blame for causing a default. By last night, Mr. Boehner was on the precipice of passing the only workable debt plan in town and shifting responsibility for further debt fallout across the aisle. Whatever the final result, Mr. Boehner's week-long struggle to pull his party behind him is worthy of some study ...

Continue reading.